Heels of Glory at the Chelsea Theatre - my first visit to
this rather lovely venue - has its roots deeply planted in the London cabaret
scene. Authors Vogue and Link have crafted an amusing
show that celebrates drag, trans-gender identity and the subversive cabaret
scene in one hilarious action-adventure musical. It gaily mixes The Avengers
(the old ATV series, not that Marvel CGI nonsense) with Drag Race and while the
recent outing at the Chelsea is very much a scratch performance, I look forward
to seeing the show at its next stage.
The same could be said for Molly Wobbly at the Leicester
Square. Certainly, my interest was piqued by the show, not least for
its colourful production history since it began life as a ten-minute musical
idea by Boyd. The first act of Molly Wobbly is exceptionally witty and well
crafted, flush with strong production values and even stronger, committed
performances.
The disappointment comes in the second act, where the
dynamism falters in favour of cheap laughs, deus ex machina
resolutions and a vaguely unsatisfying conclusion. The second half needs work,
but the question is, will it get any work? Has the author frozen the show with
this good-looking boutique production in the West End?
Let's hope not, as there is so much potential there.
I approached Happy Ending with trepidation, not least
because it's a musical set on an oncology ward. I will say however, that
after the first 10 minutes I had to check my publicity to see that it actually
was a musical, as there hadn't been a song yet. In fact, there were only 4
songs in the whole piece and despite all the best intentions, four songs does
not a musical make. It's not a bad play but it's a deeply flawed attempt at
musical, that requires a lot more work if it is to move forward.
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