Hello, Dolly!
Tonight, I took my mum to see Hello, Dolly, at the Kings.
The first time I saw Hello, Dolly was an amateur production by the theatre group I'm in, so I knew roughly what to expect. It's not one of my fave musicals, but this was Mum's night so I picked something I thought she'd like to do (it was a birthday present).
Anita Dobson played Dolly - she played Angie Watts in Eastenders (a Brit soap for my flisties who are outside the UK) and my mum has always liked her.
Darren Day played Cornelius Hackl, and I was not sure whether to boo him or not. I didn't cause that seemed unfair. For anybody who doesn't know, Darren Day has a reputation in Britain as being a serial love rat, mostly because he got one of Hear'say pregnant and then bolted as soon as the baby was born leaving them both to it.
I didn't really know the rest of the cast.
Anita Dobson is a very good singer - she couldn't dance, really, but she made it look like she could. I watched her feet, and she just kind of stepped in place while doing the upper body movements. But her voice made up for it. She had good comic timing, and the court room scene was hilarious, and done very well. But sometimes she overdid it, putting on this Rikki Fulton laugh that jarred. Her 'jazz hands' were a bit annoying as well, but on the whole it was a good performance.
The dancers were excellent, especially the men in the Waiters' Gallop - there was one dancer in particular who was just fine. Mmmm-mmmm. But I digress. Darren Day wasn't a dancer either, and he has let himself go a bit, but his singing was superb. Despite his reputation, I can see why women fall for him. There's a vulnerability there, that I guess could make you lower your defences. It was probably just an act, after all he was acting, but all the same it sort of brought out my maternal, protective instincts. Or maybe he genuinely is that vulnerable; I guess he could also be thoughtless with people's feelings - the two aren't mutually exclusive. He is still attractive.
I could have done without the bang at the end of the first half though - did not want. I don't like loud bangs or sudden noises. The last birthday party I was at, one of my acquaintances (no way I'd consider her a friend) noticed that I jumped every time someone let off a party popper. So she got as many of them as she could and sat popping them all, because "It's so funny to see you jump." Yes, it was undoubtably hilarious to the small minded. I bet the 110m hurdles have her in hysterics.
Still it was a good night, and I guess I needed it. I wish they hadn't made so much of the two female leads being widows; that's still a bit close to the bone for my mum, but she seemed to weather it okay.
So, all in all, it was very well done - a sharp, funny, well paced musical.
The first time I saw Hello, Dolly was an amateur production by the theatre group I'm in, so I knew roughly what to expect. It's not one of my fave musicals, but this was Mum's night so I picked something I thought she'd like to do (it was a birthday present).
Anita Dobson played Dolly - she played Angie Watts in Eastenders (a Brit soap for my flisties who are outside the UK) and my mum has always liked her.
Darren Day played Cornelius Hackl, and I was not sure whether to boo him or not. I didn't cause that seemed unfair. For anybody who doesn't know, Darren Day has a reputation in Britain as being a serial love rat, mostly because he got one of Hear'say pregnant and then bolted as soon as the baby was born leaving them both to it.
I didn't really know the rest of the cast.
Anita Dobson is a very good singer - she couldn't dance, really, but she made it look like she could. I watched her feet, and she just kind of stepped in place while doing the upper body movements. But her voice made up for it. She had good comic timing, and the court room scene was hilarious, and done very well. But sometimes she overdid it, putting on this Rikki Fulton laugh that jarred. Her 'jazz hands' were a bit annoying as well, but on the whole it was a good performance.
The dancers were excellent, especially the men in the Waiters' Gallop - there was one dancer in particular who was just fine. Mmmm-mmmm. But I digress. Darren Day wasn't a dancer either, and he has let himself go a bit, but his singing was superb. Despite his reputation, I can see why women fall for him. There's a vulnerability there, that I guess could make you lower your defences. It was probably just an act, after all he was acting, but all the same it sort of brought out my maternal, protective instincts. Or maybe he genuinely is that vulnerable; I guess he could also be thoughtless with people's feelings - the two aren't mutually exclusive. He is still attractive.
I could have done without the bang at the end of the first half though - did not want. I don't like loud bangs or sudden noises. The last birthday party I was at, one of my acquaintances (no way I'd consider her a friend) noticed that I jumped every time someone let off a party popper. So she got as many of them as she could and sat popping them all, because "It's so funny to see you jump." Yes, it was undoubtably hilarious to the small minded. I bet the 110m hurdles have her in hysterics.
Still it was a good night, and I guess I needed it. I wish they hadn't made so much of the two female leads being widows; that's still a bit close to the bone for my mum, but she seemed to weather it okay.
So, all in all, it was very well done - a sharp, funny, well paced musical.