Dates and Times: May 30th and 31st, 7:30pm .
Place: Edinburgh Playhouse in Scotland.
There were two cast changes on the first knight, Amy Ellen Richardson as Demeter, Barbara King was injured and Sally Whitehead as Jennyanydots as Karen Clegg is off having a baby.
The set for this show was quite good you have left to right the car tyre the car boot and a brass head board from a bed. The lighting was better than in the London production and the sound was terrific. I do think towards the end of the London run that the set and lighting were showing their age a bit.
I will just go through the highlights:
The Tugger played by Stuart Ramsay, what a change in seeing someone different than John Partridge for a change. I loved the bit at the end of his song he turned his back to the audience and squeezed his but with both hands. At the end of his song he stuck his tail into the mouth of Rumpleteaser to stop her screaming! And during the Jellicle ball he sneaks up to Cassandra and Bombalurina and pinches their butts as well.
Munkustrap by Norman Bowman, I have heard some do not like the way he sings, his voice is ok he just sings it a bit differently. I must admit he is not as thin or as lean as some of the other actors that have played the role.
Guy Paul, Mr Mistoffelees I saw him play the role in Paris in 1989 and was really looking forward to seeing him but he went of injured at the interval to be replaced by Adrian Edmeades, I think.
The Rumpus Cat by Matthew Cole no star trap to jump out of he just appears at the back of the set.
Skimbleshanks by Matthew Gould appears on the headboard and then jumps off it to the car boot, cool! However there is one thing that spoiled this song was the light they used at the front of the train, its way too bright every one were I was sitting could not see a thing.
Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer by Tom Dwyer and Katy-Jo Howman. At last they have stopped using the funny accents, its called cockney accents it comes from people who generally live in the East End of London, It has never sounded right ever since I heard it the first time. They did work well together and at the end of the show they did their cartwheels thing again. Tom was not on the other night I cannot remember who was on he was not bad it was his voice that was not strong enough.
Now for the ladies, I am completely biased in this and I will not apologise for it.
Barbara King, Demeter. This is the lady I wrote to ask for a chance to have my photo taken with her with her make up and costume on. I met her before the first night to say thank you for allowing this and to give her some flowers, Roses.
Ten minutes before the start of the second show on Saturday she met me at the stage door. She dragged both me and the stage door guy out side for the photos.
I must admit I was complete out of it during the second show I have no real clue if anything different happened.
Also, as I was sitting at the end of the row Barbara winked at me when she went past and stayed by my seat whilst waiting to go on stage.
Jemima by Sally Bayes, nice sweet voice but my god such a big actress she was taller than me. I think the have stopped using cute looking acresses with wide open faces and just gone for good singers.
Bombalurina by Emma Tunmore I hate to say it I hated her voice it is the worst I have ever heard she seemed to by shouting rather than singing her lines. I hardly noticed her at all.
Grizabella, Chrissie Hammond - WOW! why on earth did they not use her instead on Elaine Paige in the video.
Last but not least Summer Strallen, Cassandra. I loved this lady on stage. You seemed to notice her more on this tour than on the London stage and I also think she has lost some weight.
Just before the second act she crawls toward the steps to get on stage and started to rub herself against the Usher standing on the steps, the poor man went bright red and I turned to the person next to me and said that’s the best pussy he is ever going to get and unfortunately Summer heard it she kept staring at me as she went across the stage.
That’s it; if I can get my scanner working I will try and send you the photos of Barbara King and me.
Yours truly, Steve.
