Grease

Image Source: The Guide Liverpool

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Date: April 3 2017
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

Grease is one of the most famous films of all-time. The story is easy to follow, the characters are memorable, the performances are excellent, and the songs are timeless. Nearly 40 years on, it remains a true favourite, garnering high viewing figures whenever it's shown on television. Therefore, the prospect of seeing Grease on stage was pretty enticing. However, those who know their stuff about Grease will know that the film is actually based on the musical, not vice versa. Nevertheless, the movie itself is what most people think of, and so a high bar was raised for the 2017 incarnation.

Set at Rydell High School, Grease tells the story of two groups: the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies, consisting of guys and girls respectively. Within those two cliques, we're introduced to Danny Zuko (played here by Tom Parker of The Wanted) and Sandy Olsson (Danielle Hope), who previously met during a vacation and have been reunited here in Rydell. Initially unaware that the other is present, but telling their various friends about the summer romance, Danny and Sandy soon realise that they are both in Rydell, and the crux of the story then centres around whether they can take their previous romance any further, not least because of several bumps in the road along the way. We're also privy to other relationships involving members of the T-Birds and Pink Ladies, such as the blossoming romance between Kenickie (Tom Senior) and Rizzo (Louisa Lytton), who have setbacks of their own. Different scenes are introduced by Teen Angel/Vince (Darren Day), who adds some comic relief at times whilst also acting as a buffer between developments at time through his announcements on the local Wixx Radio.

Of course, the story - which is mostly light-hearted and feel-good, with some comedy thrown in fairly often - has one other element, which is the most memorable part of the Grease experience: the music. There are plenty of catchy songs, as any Grease fan will be aware of, and all of the favourites are performed here. They include Grease (Is The Word), Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devoted To You, Greased Lightnin', We Go Together and You're The One That I Want. Suffice it so say, disregarding everything else for a moment, if the idea of a good sing-a-long and a dance is what you want from a theatre show, then Grease definitely (and unsurprisingly) succeeds.

On a musical level, and also from an acting standpoint, Danielle Hope was the star of the show as Sandy, perfectly reprising one of the most memorable female roles in cinematic history. Tom Parker's singing was strong, but his acting as Danny Zucko was not quite as convincing in channelling John Travolta as Danielle had been in regards to the original actress who played Sandy in the movie, Olivia Newton-John. The rest of the cast were mostly strong, with Louisa Lytton shining more as an actress and as a character than as a singer, whilst Darren Day, who was more of a background player in the first half, came into his own and provided some laughs in the second half. The comedy in general didn't quite jump off the stage and stand out as much as some attendees may have thought, at least in my opinion, but there were definitely some comical moments, such as the Beauty School Dropout scene.

The settings were superb, using excellent lighting effects and additional props to bring us into specific locations like a canteen, a sports hall and an American diner. The use of the show's main logo as a large-scale red-and-white LED light was eye-catching and colourful, and provided a great background for attendees prior to the show beginning. I liked the little nuances too, such as the light-up guitar. The best part of the show from a production standpoint was the use of the Greased Lightning car with additional lights and striking physical features, making sure that the car - obviously an integral part of the story - was one of the more memorable aspects of the show, and brought about strong audience reactions whenever it appeared.

Summing it up, this is obviously a show which will go down most positively with anyone (or should that be just about everyone?) who has seen the movie Grease. I'm not sure if the show truly lived up to the standard set by the admittedly-classic film, and it wasn't necessarily a show that will "wow" you, but with its catchy songs, easy-to-follow story and cool visual techniques, you'll still have a good time reliving one of the most memorable movies of all-time in this latest theatre production.

Overall Rating: 8/10 - Very Good

The Sound Of Music

Image Source: Bill Kenwright Ltd

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Drama
Date: September 14 2015
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

"The hills are alive with The Sound Of Music ..." Well, last night it was the Liverpool Empire that was very much alive as The Sound Of Music began its current run at the theatre, and it's safe to say that the audience approved of what was a superb musical.

As many will know, The Sound Of Music was one of the most famous films of the 20th century. Contrary to popular belief, the movie is actually an adaptation of the stage show; the original musical hit Broadway in 1959, and the big-screen version was released in 1965. Regardless, The Sound Of Music has become one of the most memorable productions ever produced, and several songs have become timeless classics over the last 50 years. Based on a true story of Maria Von Trapp (The Story Of The Von Trapp Singers), whether it is the show or the film, its strength has always been its soundtrack, and so achieving strong performances in that area is the goal of any Sound Of Music production. Fortunately, those expectations were met in Liverpool, as The Sound Of Music quite literally hit all the high notes.

The story begins in Salzburg, Austria where Maria Rainer (played by Danielle Hope) returns late to Nonnberg Abbey, having been singing on the surrounding hills and mountains, leaving the nuns to ponder how to handle the situation (or, to put it another way, how to solve the problem of Maria). It is decided that Maria should leave for a short time to work as a governess to the seven children of Georg Von Trapp (Steven Houghton), a widowed Austro-Hungarian Navy submarine captain, who is extremely strict and has everyone from his butler to his housekeeper to the kids themselves acting almost like military in following orders at the command of a whistle.

Maria is taken aback by this, and the idea that music is banned from the house. She teaches the children songs for the first time and, after initial resistance, forms a bond with each of them, finding a way to do so without the dictator-like Georg finding out. But he discovers one day that Maria has managed them with an alternative philosophy, and is very cross but after being advised by Maria as to why she has done so, and how he had previously neglected them, he soon realises that Maria's arrival and her musical influence on the children is actually the best thing that could have happened, partly influenced by the praise handed to the kids by visitors Elsa Schräder (Emma Clifford) and Max Detweiler (Howard Samuels).

A lavish evening party sees the entire family joining in the musical spirit, to the point where Georg even dances for the first time since losing his wife. All appears well, until the youngest of the children Gretl informs Maria that Georg has fallen in love with her and, despite her denials, Maria is clearly smitten too. As a nun, Maria believes that such love should be forbidden, so she leaves without warning and returns to the Abbey. But a subsequent confab with the Mother Abbess (Jan Hartley) convinces her to return back to the Von Trapp home and truly seek love.

When she does return, there is confusion in that Georg is now apparently set to marry Elsa (albeit with some reluctance), and Max is trying to arrange for the children to perform at a public show, something that Georg remains defiant against. The situation is soon worked out so that Georg and Maria get what they want, but a new problem surfaces when the rising Nazi regime insists that Georg leave his family behind for a major Navy role. Georg clearly does not want to do this, but the political dictatorship means that he may not have a choice. In the end, the talent show is the only way to buy some additional time with his family, but the question remains: how can he avoid his family behind, and even if he does, might he have to return to his past - or even Maria's past - to do so?

The story is fairly reasonable to follow, although some elements of the second Act felt a little rushed; that being said, they didn't detract in any way from the standard of the show, which was as high-quality as you could expect. I interviewed Danielle Hope prior to the show (you can read the interview here), and she lived up to expectations by delivering a fantastically believable performance as Maria. She helped to make the character humble, so that you always sided with her and sympathised with her plights when they arose, and is so honest and true that her opinions have value and it is clear that any of her stated intentions truly reflect her real emotions. Danielle was a great choice for Maria, quite the compliment considering the expectations for this show and the high standard of prior productions and of the movie itself.

And then there's the music. As you would expect, all of the classics are here, from ("The hills are alive to") The Sound Of Music and Maria to My Favourite Things and So Long, Farewell. The singing performances, though, are what this show would really be judged on, and the good news is that the singers in most cases were spectacular. Danielle brings a musical background via her past experience on Over The Rainbow which propelled her to The Wizard Of Oz and a subsequently successful theatre career, and her talent definitely shone through here: her solo and joint performances were top-notch, especially those in sync with the children who, themselves, were very good both at singing and acting.

But the unsung hero has to be Jan Hartley who, in her role as Mother Abbess, delivered stunning renditions of Climb Every Mountain and Finale Ultimo to conclude each half. When it comes to hitting the high notes, Jan definitely did this with aplomb, and arguably stole the show on a night of five-star performances. Steven Houghton as Captain Von Trapp was a slight notch below the other performers, both in terms of acting and singing, but was commendable nonetheless. In other notes: the scenery was very believable, particularly the Abbey which was extremely authentic in its design, and the structure of the show as a whole was thoroughly professional.

The Sound Of Music appeals to all ages, genders and backgrounds; even those without an interest in music will recognise some of the numbers. Therefore, it is easy to recommend this show. However, for theatregoers who frequently attend musicals and are looking to be mesmerised, I strongly urge you to see The Sound Of Music. It takes an all-time classic and, while it still adheres to the original, it has a unique charm which gives it something of its own identity. There are a number of shows that you simply have to see, and this is definitely on that list. Make plans to see it; you will join the audience in truly coming alive to The Sound Of Music.

Overall Rating: 9/10 - Outstanding

Danielle bringing Hope to The Sound Of Music

Image Source:
Manchester Evening News

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

The Sound Of Music, one of the most legendary musicals of all-time, is returning to the Liverpool Empire next month. Playing the role of Maria Von Trapp will be Danielle Hope, who over the last five years has had a range of unforgettable experiences on the theatre stage, having been propelled to stardom by a television show which landed her a role as Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz and a place in future big-budget theatre productions. I recently spoke to Danielle about The Sound Of Music, her experiences so far in theatre, and whether she could handle a family as big as that of the Von Trapps in real life …

To begin with, explain the story of The Sound Of Music, and of your role as Maria Von Trapp.

The Sound Of Music, as many, many people will know, is a very famous story based on a family that were fleeing Austria at a very dangerous time. I think the reason a lot of people feel this strongly connected to The Sound Of Music is because they were real people, and this was a very real time in the world. Now, a young girl who is training to be a nun is sent away because of, let’s say, her behaviour, and her choice of life and singing. Then, she meets this very disconnected family where the father is going through a lot, and the children have almost been army drilled because he's a naval officer. And she introduces them to music, and then they find a connection, which ends up inspiring the captain and saving them at the end of the day while they flee.

I think people of all ages connect to this story because they've grown up with it; I grew up with the film with my grandmother. That being said, the stage show is different to the film in an exciting way, plus it's the 50th anniversary of the film at the moment so we've had really, really great audiences. We've been on tour since January, and it's amazing to be trusted with the role of Maria. I know they're very specific about who they get to play her, and it's been a real challenge and a real joy to share her story around the country. We're in Dublin, Ireland right now, and we've already been around the UK and Scotland and, well, everywhere! I'm looking forward to being in Liverpool and getting up north because that's home turf to me, and all the family are coming to see me in Liverpool too. So, it's been great so far.

You touched upon the film version of The Sound Of Music. What, from a production and viewing standpoint, are the key differences between the movie and theatre versions?

There's different songs, there's extra songs, so all the ones you love from the film are in the show as well as some more. The order of things is slightly different, because as we all know, something that works on-screen doesn't necessarily work on stage in the exact same way, and vice versa. So, it's adapted for the theatre, and it's just so beautiful. The set is so classy and so elegant, and it's going to look beautiful at the Empire, it really is.

Tell us about how you first made your name on the BBC show Over The Rainbow.

It was five years ago now, which I can't believe! I auditioned for the television programme for Andrew Lloyd-Webber; 9,000 people auditioned, and the programme was three months long, and I was lucky enough to win the part and went on to play Dorothy at the London Palladium alongside Michael Crawford, which was just epic really! I think it's the only word for it! I mean, who starts their career headlining the London Palladium? It was bonkers!

It's been amazing since then, and I've worked with so many people that I have admired in the theatre industry for such a long, long time. But, yeah, the programme was a very crazy experience, and I moved to London so quickly. My plan was to go to University which I didn’t do, so everything I had planned didn't happen, but the outcome still happened, which I think proves that there's no right or wrong way to do anything. You just have to take a chance sometimes and just be brave, which is what I did and I’m so grateful that I did. So it was a crazy time and I've since been in shows like Les Miserables and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, so it's been a really wonderful and crazy five years!

As discussed, your victory on Over The Rainbow earned you your first theatre role as Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz in 2011. Tell us about how you fared in this starring role, and how quickly did you take to the stage?

We opened for previews in January/February time, so we rehearsed over Christmas and New Year, and it was so exciting, plus I had such a supportive cast around me. You know, I'd always wanted to be on stage; it wasn't like I randomly turned up to an audition, and I was like "Oh, I'll have a go at this!" It was something that I'd always wanted to do, and that's what I was training to do at high school and sixth form.

Actually, the first time that I ever performed was on the Palladium stage was for the Children In Need live broadcast with Terry Wogan. I sang Over The Rainbow, and the theatre was full, plus (in addition to TV) it was being broadcast online and on the radio, so in effect all three mediums, which was so crazy. I remember that was one of the most nerve-wracking things I ever got to do, but it was nice having already performed once on the stage. And the Palladium is one of the most beautiful theatres that I've had the pleasure of being in, so I just absolutely loved it.

For The Wizard Of Oz,I was there for a whole year, and you just grew in the part over the year because you get to do the same show eight times a week, and you find new things constantly. I think that's why I love live theatre and why a lot of people love live theatre. I mean, it's great to be able to press Fast-Forward on your Sky box or whatever, but when you go and watch a show, what is happening in front of your eyes can't be paused or rewound, it can't be redone, and even if we try and recreate things, we can't because we're human, so it's always going to be different. I think that's why it's so attractive and appealing, because you're really part of something unique and special every time you go to the theatre.

As you mentioned, your other theatre credits over the last few years have included Les Miserables, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. What were your memories of those productions?

Well, Les Miserables was straight after The Wizard Of Oz, and it was incredible. It was a very different role, one of an aggressive, torn young girl from the streets. It was amazing to be able to play something so different straight after doing Dorothy, and I loved it, plus I made some of my best friends on that show. I think it was nice to have the responsibility of such famous songs, but Jean Valjean was leading the show, so I felt like the pressure was off a little bit in comparison to Dorothy. But I still had enough responsibility to drive me and feel like I was a real core part of that show. Plus, the film came out when we were in it, and I got to go to the premiere, so it was a very cool time to be a part of Les Miserables that year.

Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat was my first tour. I started The Sound Of Music two weeks after I finished Joseph, so it's been a bit of a crazy year being on the road. Again, Joseph was so different, and it was very cool to see some parts of the world that I'd never seen.

Snow White was my first panto, and it was hilarious. The cast included Gok Wan, John Partridge (who judged on Over The Rainbow), Stephanie Beecham, Gary Wilmott … the names were endless, and we had such a good time at Birmingham. It ended up being one of their biggest pantos, so that was exciting.

I also did a show called The Last Five Years which has just got two people in it, and you only actually get to interact for about 30 seconds in the whole show! So, it's like doing a one-woman and a one-man show, and that was one of the most creatively challenging things I have done so far in my career. It was something that I've wanted to do for a long time, as well as something that terrified me every single night, but it also gave me the confidence to do my own solo cabaret in London, which I then took to New York and recorded my debut album of that. I released my album in June of this year, which is a live recording of my New York concert which I did in February. So, there's been lots of things that I've been able to do and that I've worked towards that I've just never thought would happen, not within these few years anyway.

Do you feel a certain level of pressure as you take the famous role of Maria Von Trapp in The Sound Of Music?

Of course. With a show like this, as with the Wizard Of Oz, there comes a huge responsibility, but I think you have to just acknowledge that and just release it. This role and the story and the characters are so well-loved. But I'm not here to imitate Julie Andrews, nor was I there to imitate Judy Garland. I'm just here to tell this story in the best, most honest and truthful way that I possibly can, and to just have a really joyous time doing it. The cast are wonderful, the children that I get to work with are just marvellous, and we have such a good time, and such a lovely connection and bond throughout the show. So, I acknowledge the responsibility and the pressure, but I love it. Also, getting to be blonde is very cool; I have very, very long dark hair, so getting it under that tiny little wig is an event! (Laughs)

The last question is, in The Sound Of Music, the Von Trapp family have a lot of children. Do you think in real life you could cope with that many kids?

(Laughs) Oh, I know there's a lot of children! I don't know. I think if they were all my brothers and sisters and or nieces and nephews, absolutely, because that's what they feel like. I feel like I've adopted them while they're on stage, and if they were all as charming and as lovely as these children are, absolutely I could handle it! Yeah, I would be blessed to have children like the ones in this show; they really are little beauties!

The Sound Of Music plays the Liverpool Empire from Monday September 14 to Saturday September 19. To book your tickets, click here.

You can find out more about Danielle Hope at www.daniellehope.co.uk.

Just one month until the brand new production of The Sound Of Music opens at the Empire

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

From Oz to Austria, a Palladium star brings the hills alive in The Sound Of Music

One of the greatest musicals of all-time returns to the stage in a magnificent new production which plays at the Liverpool Empire from Monday September 14-Saturday September 19 as part of a major national tour.

Playing the iconic role of Maria von Trapp is Danielle Hope, who captured the hearts of the country when she won BBC Television’s Over the Rainbow and made her professional debut as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. Danielle has since played Eponine in Les Misérables in London’s West End and Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Joining the company as Captain von Trapp is much-loved stage and television star Steven Houghton. Well-known for his longstanding television role in London’s Burning, Olivier-Award nominated actor Steven has taken on leading roles in Spend Spend Spend, Blood Brothers, White Christmas, Martin Guerre and Grease and had a Top Ten hit with ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’.

Produced by Bill Kenwright, directed by Martin Connor, choreographed by Olivier Award winner Bill Deamer, and with musical direction by David Steadman, this wonderfully lavish new staging of the classic musical coincides with the 50th anniversary of the film version, the most successful movie musical in history.

It all began with the story of the Trapp Family Singers and Baroness Maria von Trapp’s 1949 autobiography, which inspired Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse to create a Broadway musical in 1959. The Sound of Music tells the true story of the world-famous singing family, from their romantic beginnings and search for happiness, to their thrilling escape to freedom as their beloved Austria becomes part of the Third Reich at the start of WWII.

The unforgettable score features some of the most memorable songs ever performed on stage, including Edelweiss, My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, So Long, Farewell and, of course, the title song The Sound Of Music.

Joining Danielle and Steven are West End stars Jan Hartley (The Phantom of the Opera and West Side Story) as Mother Abbess, and Emma Clifford as Baroness Elsa Schrader, with Howard Samuels as Max, Grace Chapman as Liesl and Luke George as Rolf.

Completing the cast are Lynden Edwards, Philip Day, Zoe Ann Bown, Kate Milner Evans, Martin Dickinson, Lewis Barnshaw, Colin Burnicle, Jessica Daley, Grace Gardner and Katie Shearman.