#BrumHour Networking with Birmingham
Join #BrumHour Sundays at 8pm on Twitter to network with #Birmingham
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Business
  • Community
  • Theatre and Arts
    • Theatre Reviews
  • About #BrumHour
    • Sponsoring BrumHour
    • BrumHour Archive (2015-18)
Photo by Richard Davenport
7th November, 2019

Review: Curtains at The Alexandra, Birmingham

Please note this post contains affiliate links.
BrumHour was invited to see Curtains by The Alexandra.

By Dave Massey twitter.com/BrumHour

Please note this production contains misogyny and onstage gunfire.

Curtains at The Alexandra

Directed by Paul Foster, book by Rupert Holmes based on Curtains by Peter Stone, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb

1959 Boston, USA: A New York-based production company is putting on a new musical in the hope of taking it to Broadway. The musical is a version of Robin Hood set in the Wild West: Robbin’ Hood, and it has received terrible reviews even before its proper opening night.

Robbin’ Hood leading lady Jessica Cranshaw (Nia Jermin) has collapsed on stage during the final curtain call and has been taken to hospital. The rest of the company is arguing about the poor reviews when Homicide Police Officer Lieutenant Frank Cioffi (Jason Manford) turns up to announce he’s investigating Jessica’s murder.

Jason Manford (Centre) Photo by Richard Davenport

Cioffi puts the theatre into lockdown, but with the theatre company so unaffected by the death of their leading lady everyone could have a motive: Georgina Hendricks (Carley Stenson) who is suddenly the new leading lady, the Director Christopher (Samuel Holmes) and Bambi (Emma Caffery) who wants to be the lead herself.

A musical whodunnit comedy sounds like a clash of genres, Fame meets Cluedo, Curtains plays with its situation with laugh out loud moments and sweet music and lyrics and a somewhat confused audience. The American origins makes its approach to getting on with things in adversity seem quite insensitive to a British audience. Even its reiteration that The Show MUST Go on sounds forced by British “standards”.

Photo by Richard Davenport

Not having a character to trust in the production where anyone can be the villain means we, the audience become observers, even Frank keeps getting distracted from the task at hand, his lust for actress Niki Harris (Leah West) and his desperate wish to be in musicals is blinding his judgement throughout.

The music is great and songs like The Woman’s Dead and In the Same Boat, will echo around for days. Set wise, the stage is fairly stripped back throughout acting as the back of the theatre with limited props around most of the time.

Photo by Richard Davenport

I found Curtains to be a fun, silly, cheeky and loud production, and even the direct lampooning of theatre reviewers couldn’t stop me from enjoying myself!

Jason Manford is surprisingly good, particularly his singing voice and the support of this ensemble cast really helps bring out the very best in all of the actors.

Photo by Richard Davenport

At two hours and forty minutes including interval, this is a fairly long production which contains TWO (cuttable) overtures!

Curtains is at The Alexandra until Saturday 9th November. Book tickets with BrumHour’s affiliate link >> HERE <<.


Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Review: WNO – Carmen at Birmingham Hippodrome Lost masterpiece “discovered” at Birmingham Museums
Dance Hub Birmingham. Photo by Simon Hadley
Theatre and Arts

Dance Hub Birmingham invests in three dance projects

Angeliki via Facebook
Theatre and Arts

Review: TILTED Circus Night at West Midlands Circus and Creation Centre

Photo of actress Emily Owens
Theatre and Arts

Interview: Emily Owens from the cast of Les Misérables coming to Birmingham Hippodrome

Search

Recent Posts

  • Soon: Summer Sundown at Twycross Zoo closes with Simon Webbe
  • Events announced for Birmingham Heritage Week 2022
  • Dance Hub Birmingham invests in three dance projects

Categories

  • Business
  • Community
  • Experience
  • Food and Drink
  • Gift Guide
  • Theatre and Arts
  • Things to do

Follow BrumHour on Twitter

My Tweets

Archives

Back to top
  • Business
  • Community
  • Theatre and Arts
    • Theatre Reviews
  • About #BrumHour
    • Sponsoring BrumHour
    • BrumHour Archive (2015-18)
© BrumHour 2021
 

Loading Comments...