Scott Matthewman » Arts

Coming soon: Our House the Musical comes to HIgh Wycombe

Scott Matthewman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:25:33 +0000

I get a load of press releases about theatrical productions at work. Mostly I either ignore them, or pass them on to more relevant people*. However, I just wanted to share this poster for the Wycombe Swan’s forthcoming youth project – a production of the Madness jukebox musical Our House:

Jamie Sansom

It always gladdens the heart when a design comes through that is more than just a photo with a couple of straplines attached.

(...)
Read the rest of Coming soon: Our House the Musical comes to HIgh Wycombe (481 words)

Image: The Union ♥ Wilton’s aftershow party

Scott Matthewman — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:50:28 +0000

While we’re on the subject of photoshoots, exactly a week prior to seeing Children of Eden, I was fulfilling a similar function at The Union ♥ Wilton’s, a showcase of numbers from The Union Theatre’s recent repertoire of musicals, performed at (and in aid of) Wilton’s Music Hall in East London. Wilton’s has a unique atmosphere (and I don’t mean in that musty, damp way that the Union itself had) – it’s a genuinely beautiful, character-filled space which also lends a unique acoustic air to shows that are put on there. Unfortunately it is literally falling apart at the seams, and after being turned down for Lottery funding its present Capital Fund is struggling to maintain the building in its current state, let alone perform the repairs that can ensure this magnificent space can be savoured for generations to come.

It was a beautiful evening of theatre, and I’d like to thank the organisers of the evening for the invitation to share it with them.

To find out more about Wilton’s and its Capital project, go to www.wiltons.org.uk.

Gallery: Children of Eden aftershow party

Scott Matthewman — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:17:48 +0000

Yesterday, I was kindly invited by Kevin Wilson PR to attend a charity concert in aid of Crohn’s and Colitis UK, with a one-off performance of Stephen Schwartz’s musical Children of Eden. With a book by John Caird and best on the book of Genesis, as Bibically inspired musicals go, it’s… well, it’s better than Godspell.

Seriously, there were some great musical performances (especially from Louise Dearman and Lauren Samuels) and it was great to see so many current and future West End stars come together, donating their time for such a worthy cause.

The reason I was invited was, once again, to take party pictures for The Stage. Because Friday was the company’s own annual party, the pictures won’t be in the paper until February 8 at the earliest, but you can see them here first. They’re also visible on my Flickr account.

Crohn’s and Colitis UK homepage

Quick poll: Which West End musicals have you seen?

Scott Matthewman — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:00:44 +0000

As Christmas approaches, a little end-of-year fun on the blog.

In 2011, I’ve caught up with many of the long-running West End musicals I had yet to see. I was curious to work out just how many I had seen – but then I wondered how my lovely readers/Twitter followers/Facebook friends had seen, too.

So here’s a quick poll. For each of the West End musicals currently running, just state which you’ve seen, which you’d like to see, and which you have no interest in seeing (labelled ‘avoid’ because it’s shorter)…

Update: The survey is now closed. Thanks for all who contributed!

Now, remember, this is just a bit of fun. So if you and/or your mates are madly, passionately in favour of a show, please don’t repeatedly post that you love it. Once is enough! If you do adore one particular show, why not add a comment explaining why?

Gallery: Above the Stag’s 3rd birthday party

Scott Matthewman — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:45:18 +0000

For the third of my party collections to be featured in this week’s issue of The Stage (see also the Sheffied Crucible 40th birthday party and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas press night), I went to Above the Stag’s 3rd birthday party.

This theatre, established in a room above the Stag gay pub in Victoria, has established a reputation of hosting mostly gay, often musical productions that are usually highly enjoyable. Monday’s event saw a collection of monologues, short scenes and musical numbers from recent shows. Even those productions which didn’t work too well in full length could contribute something pithy, moving and/or funny to the mix, resulting in a highly enjoyable evening.

Gallery: Best Little Whorehouse in Texas press night photos

Scott Matthewman — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:17:25 +0000

The same day as the Sheffield Crucible 40th birthday party, I went to the Union Theatre to see a revival of the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which I reviewed for The Stage. And then after the show, the Union’s small bar space played host to the cast and producers.

Gallery: Sheffield Crucible’s 40th birthday party

Scott Matthewman — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:47:28 +0000

I haven’t updated the blog recently — a sign, as ever, that I’m quite busy. I’ve been at several parties recently as a photographer for The Stage – so much so that, once again, this week’s back page ‘Scene Around’ section exclusively uses my photos.

The first party of the batch was a lunchtime celebration marking the Sheffield Crucible’s 40th anniversary. The actual anniversary is next month and will be marked by events at the Crucible itself, but last week artistic director Daniel Evans and the Crucible team came down to the Delfont Room in the Prince of Wales Theatre to celebrate with their London-based friends.

Review: Pink Martini – Symphonique, Royal Albert Hall

Scott Matthewman — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:21:18 +0000

Editor’s Rating
Rating

I’m not ashamed to say that I first found about the music of Pink Martini when a song of theirs was featured in a Citroën car advert. The song was Sympathique:

Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement oublier
Et puis, je fume

A rough translation in English: “I don’t wanna work, I don’t wanna eat, I just wanna forget. So I’m havin’ a fag.” Not exactly the typical backdrop to a car advert, but it was enough for more to seek out the band’s first album (also titled Sympathique) — and my love affair with Thomas Lauderdale’s band and China Forbes’s vocals had begun.

For those who don’t know Pink Martini, they are a twelve-piece jazz orchestra which appropriates songs and styles from all over the world. As I described to The Prompt blog back in June:

I suppose you might classify them as light jazz, but they absorb influences from around the world like musical magpies – you never know whether their next track is a Japanese folk song, a twisted take on the great American songbook or inspired by a traditional Hebrew prayer. They’re constantly surprising and I can’t wait to see them live at the Royal Albert Hall in October.

Well, October is here, and last night I got my first taste of Pink Martini live – in the Royal Albert Hall, backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra.

And now I can’t wait to see them again.

(...)
Read the rest of Review: Pink Martini – Symphonique, Royal Albert Hall (568 words)

Gallery: Third Floor press night afterparty

Scott Matthewman — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:40:19 +0000

Last night I went to the press night of Third Floor, a new play by Jason Hall, starring Craig Gazey and Emily Head – both most recognisable in public eyes for their recent television roles (Coronation Street and The Inbetweeners respectively).

Afterwards, I went along to the afterparty for the usual The Stage photo duties. A selection will be in next week’s paper, but some are included below.

Gallery: Cool Hand Luke afterparty

Scott Matthewman — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:48:40 +0000

Last night, I went to the press night of Cool Hand Luke, a new stage adaptation of the book that was previously adapted as a film starring Paul Newman. I may well write up a review shortly, but I have a pile of hard-boiled eggs to get through first…

Anyway, the main reason I was there was, once again, to snap some pictures for The Stage‘s party pages. The sprawling party, spread across several huge rooms of the Waldorf Astoria, made it hard to find all the celebrities who were there – but a selection of snaps I did manage to get are below.

Video: Him & Her – series 2 preview

Scott Matthewman — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:15:40 +0000

I enjoyed the first series of BBC3 sitcom Him & Her, written by Stefan Golaszewski and starring Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani as a couple of young slackers who are adjusting to living together.

A second series is on its way, and the BBC3 website has released a short preview video.

You can also hear my interview (recorded prior to series 1′s transmission) with stars Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani via The Stage website.

Link: Love Arts

Scott Matthewman — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:25:30 +0000

Love Arts: Dating for arts lovers presented by The Stage

Our new venture at work. It’s “soft launching” on Monday, with some targeted email campaigns. Signups before the “official” launch on October 13 will get a free one month subscription.

Link: The legacy of Sarah Jane Smith

Scott Matthewman — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:48:22 +0000

Over on TV Today, I’ve previewed the first story in the new, final series of The Sarah Jane Adventures:

First and most importantly, there is the joy. Joy at a children’s drama series that has shown that – in a genre where primary colours and slapstick tend to dominate – imagination, wonder and emotional truth still have their place. Joy at a series which spun off from Doctor Who with such confidence that it hasn’t felt the need to constantly reinvent itself (yes, Torchwood, I’m looking at you). Joy at a show that knows that, while it is squarely aimed at children aged 6 to 12, the audience doesn’t mind that their heroes are older kids led by a woman in her sixties.

Link: Confidential canned

Scott Matthewman — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 09:30:12 +0000

In today’s column on The Stage, I give my opinions on the departure of BBC3′s documentary series Doctor Who Confidential.

What Confidential has done, and for which will always get full credit from TV Today, has been to pull back the curtain and show a new generation of enthusiastic, imaginative youngsters that there are careers in the creative arts that don’t revolve around being on camera, that for an actor to look good on set takes a huge amount of effort from a large number of people.
But after six years, there’s only so much “look how we blew things up this week” we can take.

Gallery: The Lion King’s 5000th West End performance

Scott Matthewman — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:18:02 +0000

Last week, I was invited to the Lyceum Theatre by Disney Theatrical to see the 5000th West End performance of The Lion King.

I’ve reviewed The Lion King before on the blog, so nothing else to add there. Once again, though, the main reason for my being there at all was to take photos for The Stage’s party page. Some will be in print in Thursday’s issue, but a selection are below.

Bill Bailey covers Gary Numan’s Cars – in French

Scott Matthewman — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:39:16 +0000

Via guardian.co.uk:

Let’s Kill Hitler (and let’s keep it spoiler-free)

Scott Matthewman — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:42:33 +0000

Last night, I went to the National Film Theatre to see a special preview of Let’s Kill Hitler, the first episode of the second half of the current series of Doctor Who, which is due to hit BBC1 this forthcoming bank holiday weekend.

At the end of the last episode, a cabal of the Doctor’s enemies had absconded with Amy and Rory’s new baby, Melody Pond, who they said was to be bred into being a weapon in the war against the Time Lord. And in the final scene, we learned that River Song was indeed Melody, all grown up.

That episode answered many questions, though mostly in part rather than fully, and asked many more. Let’s Kill Hitler does the same, pushing the season’s story arc on in many new and exciting ways. There are some truly thrilling moments and discoveries which, as Steven Moffat reasoned in the post-airing Q&A, are best experienced as you watch the episode, so I’ll endeavour to keep this piece as spoiler-free as possible. And in that spirit, if you comment on this blogpost, I ask that you do the same…

(...)
Read the rest of Let’s Kill Hitler (and let’s keep it spoiler-free) (361 words)

Gallery: Napoletango after show party, London Coliseum

Scott Matthewman — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:00:14 +0000

Readers will recall that I didn’t enjoy Napoletango the show. But I was at the after-party to take some shots and, while I didn’t get too many, it was good to get at least some.

And the wine at the party – which had, apparently, been flown over from Italy especially – was very nice indeed, a big improvement on most after-party beverages…

Gallery: Twespians Summer Party

Scott Matthewman — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 10:54:29 +0000

On Friday, I popped along to the Lyric Hammersmith, venue for the Twespians Summer Party. It was good fun, and as usual it was great to reunite with old friends and make some new ones. And when the weather is fine, as it was on Friday, the Lyric’s roof garden is one of the most convivial theatre bar spaces going…

A selection of photos:

Off Cut Festival bloggers’ choice update

Scott Matthewman — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:23:37 +0000

Last month, I wrote about being part of the Off Cut Festival’s new “bloggers’ choice panel”, selecting four 15-minute plays to be part of the 28-strong programme for the festival in October.

Earlier this week, the festival organisers mailed the bloggers’ panel to let us know that one of the 24 plays that were selected by them, not us, had had to drop out. And so, filling its place in the festival schedule was one of the plays which we heard as part of our selection process, but which didn’t make our final four.

That means that New Age comedy Skyclad (I’m afraid I don’t know the author’s name) has joined this year’s Off Cut Festival.

(...)
Read the rest of Off Cut Festival bloggers’ choice update (120 words)

Link: How rude should theatre critics be?

Scott Matthewman — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:32:02 +0000

“How rude should theatre critics be?” asks the Guardian’s Michael Billington. Rudeness is, of course, subjective – a critic should be thinking about writing an honest review first and foremost, not how other people are going to perceive what they’ve written.

Gallery: Betwixt! after-show party pictures

Scott Matthewman — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:30:12 +0000

After seeing Betwixt! the Musical, it was off to the aftershow party, where for the second time in a week I was on photography duties for The Stage’s Scene Around pages.

A selection of these photos will, therefore, be included in the paper, but a wider selection is now available on Flickr – and below.

Is musical theatre colour-blind?

Scott Matthewman — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:35:51 +0000

Colour-blind casting. It’s a phrase that’s used to mean that the ethnicity of the cast performer isn’t taken into account when casting a role. And in practical terms, that tends to mean that a role traditionally played by a white actor is being played by a non-white one.

In ‘straight’ theatre, it’s almost taken as given these days – despite the same examples being trotted out time after time (David Oyelowo’s Henry VI for the RSC, forever cited whenever the topic arises, was 11 years ago in 2000, for goodness’ sake).

But in West End musical theatre, there do seem to be precious few examples.

(...)
Read the rest of Is musical theatre colour-blind? (629 words)

Gallery: Journey’s End cast party

Scott Matthewman — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:56:34 +0000

After attending Journey’s End yesterday, I stayed in the Upper Circle for the cast party.

Some of the photos I was taking will shortly turn up in the back page party photo section of The Stage. They’re also on my Flickr site, but I’m going to test WordPress’s gallery abilities by including some of them here:

Big Finish Drama Showcase: Unintelligent Design

Scott Matthewman — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:31:15 +0000

Regular readers of my blog will recall that I’ve been reviewing Big Finish’s Drama Showcase series of audio dramas, released at roughly monthly intervals. The fourth and final release in the current series, after an unforeseen delay, has just been released – and, in my opinion, Unintelligent Design is the best of the lot. Listen to the trailer, which explains absolutely nothing:

A full review follows – but first, links to my earlier reviews of the Drama Showcase series:

(...)
Read the rest of Big Finish Drama Showcase: Unintelligent Design (395 words)

Much Ado about cast recordings

Scott Matthewman — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:53:57 +0000

Whenever a new musical comes to the West End, there’s always a bit of a buzz about a possible cast recording. Different productions take wildly different views: Love Never Dies put its cast recording on sale so far in advance that it was more of a concept album than a record of the eventual stage production, in any of its reworked forms. Legally Blonde the Musical waited until there was obvious demand for a West End version in addition to the original Broadway recording, while Stiles and Drewe’s magnificent music for Betty Blue Eyes may eventually be available next month (although a sampler CD was issued with the Evening Standard newspaper as part of the show’s initial publicity drive). And while Ghost the Musical, which holds its press night tomorrow, hasn’t officially released its cast recording yet, it’s currently available to listen in a streamed form on the show’s Facebook page.

What’s unusual, though, is for a straight play to release a cast recording. But the production of Much Ado About Nothing currently playing at Wyndham’s has done just that.

(...)
Read the rest of Much Ado about cast recordings (164 words)

Elsewhere…

Scott Matthewman — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:26:44 +0000

I’ve been quite on here for a while, but that’s partly because I’ve been so busy. I haven’t been to the theatre that much (trying to recover after a glut), but did get to see The Railway Children at Waterloo Station. It’s really, really good, but must put my thoughts together more coherently on that one…

I have written one or two things as part of my day job, though. Arthur Darvill, popularly known to BBC1 viewers as Rory Williams in Doctor Who, is currently playing Mephistopheles in Doctor Faustus at Shakespeare’s Globe. I interviewed him for The Stage:

“We have giant puppets that are going to take over the whole space and small puppets that are devils. It’s hilarious. There are people walking around on stilts all morning trying not to fall over. What Matthew’s done brilliantly is to bring all those elements in immediately. I think if those things were just added on, it’d feel like they weren’t serving the story. But everything is geared towards telling the story in the most concise, interesting, entertaining, brilliant way.
“It’s quite lucky for me because I’m just playing Mephistopheles. There are so many other people who are playing numerous parts. They can turn up as a monk, a demon goat, a fiery devil. There’s going to be a lot of running around. I spoke to the costume department and they said that, for the 16 of us in the cast, there are over 110 costumes. I’ve only got two.”
Away from the Globe, it is difficult to broach the subject of Darvill’s future plans without running into problems with Doctor Who spoilers. Such is the secrecy around future storylines that the actor can’t discuss whether or not he will be returning to Cardiff. One newspaper interview started parsing the tenses in which Darvill talked about his role in Doctor Who to try to determine whether he was done with the show. Darvill finds the situation hilarious, saying all he has to do to fuel more speculation is “just keep my mouth shut”.

Also Doctor Who-related, today I wrote a piece in praise of the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, which is a wonderful and highly emotive issue celebrating the joyous life of Nicholas Courtney:

One of the sadder duties of working at The Stage is occasionally having to report on the death of an actor whose work you have loved. But when it’s someone who evidently was adored, not just as a character, but as a person by just about everybody who ever met them, the loss can be immeasurable.
If we devoted as much space to the recently departed, their legacy and a commemoration of the lives they touched as those people deserved, we wouldn’t have the time or space to devote to anything else. So I think it’s only right that we should commend another publication for producing a marvellous tribute to a man who, as actor, Equity councillor, husband, drinking partner or friend, has left a profound hole in the acting profession by leaving us: Nicholas Courtney.

Do buy the latest issue of DWM: it’s a wonderful memorial to a man who quite clearly touched the lives of everyone he met.

Off Cut Festival 2011: Selecting the bloggers’ choice

Scott Matthewman — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:31:43 +0000

Last night was good fun, as I joined with fellow bloggers Luke, Alison, Ian and Havana at The Actor Works in Wapping to select four 15-minute plays to go forward to October’s Off Cut Festival.

The Off Cut script reading panel had already decided upon 24 such plays to go forward to October’s festival. We were going to listen to readings of another eight, and collectively would decide on the final four scripts that would make up the 28 Off Cut Festival 2011 submissions. Or, in festival organiser Daniel Brennan’s words:

The reading panel selects 32 plays, all of which they would be happy to have in the festival. From that 32, 24 are put into four groups to best reflect the diversity of writing style/genre/tone/casting in order to present the most exciting, interesting and varied programme for the audience. The remaining eight are presented in a rehearsed reading to a panel of eminent theatre bloggers, who then choose their favourite four. Those plays will join the original 24; one in each group.

(I know. I can’t believe he thought I was eminent either.)

(...)
Read the rest of Off Cut Festival 2011: Selecting the bloggers’ choice (540 words)

An Apprentice quick quiz: Who patronises the over 50s better?

Scott Matthewman — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:05:58 +0000

In last night’s episode of The Apprentice, the two teams were asked to produce dummy magazines for an untapped market sector. One team – and look away now if you don’t want spoilers – suggested targeting the retired market with a magazine entitled Hip Replacement.

They lost. But not before being told by all and sundry that their approach to the market sector was demeaning and patronising.

And yet, what do I find inside my issue of The Guardian this morning? A supplement called Living Choices for the 50+. Which, if anything, makes Hip Replacement seem positively enlightened.

As a test, here are ten headlines. Five are from Hip Replacement, five from the insert that came with The Guardian. Can you tell which is which?

Don’t forget the kids
Health insurance: time to compare
Taxing stuff
Pension power
Gas: comfort and safety
Retirement enters a new age
Don’t worry, be happy
Ensure to insure
Fit as a fiddle
Age doesn’t come alone

Can you tell which is from the ‘patronising’, fictional Apprentice magazine, and which from the real-life supplement?

Answers below…

(...)
Read the rest of An Apprentice quick quiz: Who patronises the over 50s better? (73 words)

A busy theatre week – and prompted questions

Scott Matthewman — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:37:36 +0000

I’m having another busy, theatre-related week both during the day and at evenings, so finding the time to blog is proving tricky. A quick round-up of what I’ve been up to:

Monday: Matthew Morrison in concert, HMV Hammersmith Apollo

I eschewed watching Glee‘s disappointing second season finale in favour of seeing one of the stars, Matthew Morrison, in his one London gig. It was much better than I truly expected – although that’s more because of the large number of songs he performed that weren’t from his self-penned album. Best performance of the night was a great performance of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, which has become synonymous with Glee. Sadly for Morrison, the performance was by former *NSync member JC Chasez…

Wednesday: Zombie Prom, Drill Hall

Last night I went to a performance of Zombie Prom at the Drill Hall, off Tottenham Court Road. It’s this term’s performance by students of the relatively new Musical Theatre Academy, which is based in the same building. It was a fun interpretation of a musical which I first saw and reviewed at the Landor Theatre. The choreography in particular plays on how the strict school policies turn the kids into mindless automata long before romantic lead Jonny becomes a fully-formed, rotten-fleshed zombie. Special mention to performer Samantha Hull, who successfully blurs the line where choreography stops and character begins. Of the principal characters, unsurprisingly Sam Hallion’s Jonny is the best of the bunch, although Hallion himself doesn’t really come alive in the role until Jonny dies. Kay Victoria Hindmarsh does the difficult job of playing a woman a generation older than she really is seem easy.

Tonight: Off Cut Festival Bloggers’ Choice

Tonight (Thursday) I will be one of a number of bloggers helping the Off Cut Festival finalise their short list of new plays. Our panel will be read eight scripts, and between us we’ll select four to go forward to the next stage. It’s my first time judging new playwriting, so I’m incredibly excited.

(Update: I’ve now blogged about the Off Cut Festival Bloggers’ Choice evening)

On top of all that, last week a new blog called The Prompt asked me to complete their Quick Quiz – where they send the same 11 questions to various people who have some involvement in theatre.

My answers went online last Wednesday, but it occurred to me that I hadn’t to linked from here until now.

But enough about me – what have you been up to all week?