My mother took me and Joan to the Sid William Theatre the other day to see Rainbow Youth Theatre's production of "The Boyfriend", which is a very light and frothy romp set on the french Riviera during the roaring Twenties.
Last time my mother saw it on stage it was in 1957, but it was much as she remembered it. What can I say? "Aida" or "Les Miserables" it's not.
It was very amusing in parts (note to self: if you are ever cast in a musical be in the comic relief role like Lord Brockhurst because that is everybody's favourite) and I loved all the flapper costumes with their fringed dresses and black stockings. I enjoyed the energetic Charleston dance numbers. My mom's friend Amanda played the female lead Polly and she has a nice voice (she also sings with Cantiamo) and Laurel's daughter Anya nicely played Hortense, the French maid.
But the male lead Tony had a mediocre voice: it just wasn't very strong. And the whole relationship between Polly and Tony was just SO shallow! I just couldn't root for them. I know, I know, the whole point was that she had to have a boyfriend, ANY boyfriend. But still...
Rainbow Youth Theatre is fabulous though, and I highly recommend going to see any production of theirs. This one wasn't my favourite though, so Tai, I agree with you that SOME musicals aren't the greatest,don't let your experience with "Miss Saigon" sour you entirely.
If you want to hear clips from songs in this musical you can follow this link to the Amazon.com page:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000000KB7/104-8883909-0049568?v=glance
But thank-you Mom for taking me out to the theatre! I DID have a fun evening despite this not-so-stellar review. And I've been really happy this summer to take in so many shows...dance shows (bellydance and flamenco), "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead" and "As You Like It" at Bard on the Beach, the Ecclestons concert at the Filberg Festival (the Ecclestons are FABULOUS!) and coming up soon I will be seeing "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Sid too.
Really I can't think of a more satisfying way to spend an evening than taking in a really good show. :)
2 comments:
Once, long ago, I loved the theatre.... until I lived with a bevy of actors, and suddenly EVERYTHING became a performance. One's speech patterns were articulated and projected when one decided to cry out for a bowl of Raisin Bran in the silvery hours of dawn --- woe! woe! We are out of milk! *clench fists to the sky* Oh, the drama! The pathos! The overexaggeration of the smallest tragedy!
I'd never fully & completely understood the whole "Life is a stage" line until then... They are all lovely people, and we all keep in touch and continue our friendships, but I rarely go to the theatre anymore. Sad, but true. Any voice, projected, grates on my quiet sensibilities, especially if the play is a contemporary romp.... *sigh* Give me puppets anyday. They're the only ones who, in my opinion, can turn overexaggeration into a positive attribute.
Hee hee, I like puppets too! :)
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