Show and Stay® are Sure, so Sure They'll be Back for Good
The most recent tribute musical has taken the West End by storm and one member of the Show and Stay® team armed with a friend was lucky enough to witness the extravaganza first hand. Never Forget...we certainly won't!
The evening started in the delectably theatrical Salieri's restaurant handily located directly opposite the Savoy Theatre, which if you are planning on sampling the restaurants ample cocktail menu is most helpful. Show and Stay® would like to point out at this point that no cocktails were consumed during our evening of revelry..although a complimentary lemon liqueur did pass the lips as did the Take That and Party, well, it would have been rude not to.
For anyone contemplating a pre-theatre meal, Show and Stay would highly recommend Salieri's. Everything about this restaurant screams theatre, from the decor to the enthusiastic waiting staff - whose colourful waistcoats match the chairs, to the presentation of the food, so you can't help but get in the mood for a musical. The dishes we tried were delightful and extravagantly presented, the waiters were very attentive (particularly when asking for Show and Stay's number) and the evening began as it should, relaxed and merrily discussing the impending entertainment.
After demolishing our two course meal Show and Stay braved the wintery weather, despite it being June and made the 2 minute walk to the theatre. Never Forget clad staff ushered us through the doors to the bar, where we were pleasantly welcomed to the cocktail and programme deal. For £10 (a saving of £1) you can enjoy a glass of sparkling strawberry white wine, mixed with vodka and a dash of fresh lime and receive a programme. Show and Stay can report, all in the name of research obviously, that the cocktail is rather tasty but makes reading the programme a little harder.
On taking our seats, Show and Stay now ridiculously excited, watched the theatre fill and noted a number of couples as well as the expected gaggles of women. Take That pop tunes filled the air and finally the curtain rose. Well, what can I say, I found heaven at the Savoy Theatre! This production lit my fire from the outset. Witty and expertly acted, the seemless interlacing of Take Thats greatest hits, which transformed a relatively simply plot line, created one of the best evenings of entertainment Show and Stay has had in a longtime.
Everything from the perfect comic timing, to the quirky characters and Take That references made this a show not only for die hard Take That fans but a musical in its own right. So, OK the plot was no Volpone but it sufficed and by the end of the show we were routing for the band to succeed and praying that Babs would keep her beloved pub; with an establishment that offers "The Oasis Meal Deal - buy a pint and get a roll with it" how could you not want it to prosper.
The enigmatic cast really made this production, with each of the five leads playing their roles to perfection. Show and Stay was really not expecting to laugh quite as much as the show dictated but the script and the expertly choreographed comic timing was impeccable with notable performances from both Stephane Anellie (Jose Reize) and Eaton James (Dirty Harry) as well as the elusive gorilla, a part we are unsure who to credit with.
Each of the five leads had distinctive characters which they sustained throughout the performance, even adding quirky individuality to the group performances so that you never forgot where they'd come from. Put simply every guy transformed this musical in to an evening of quality entertainment and without sounding like a squealing teenager Tim Driesen (Adrian Banks) is a bit of a babe and ignited the adolescent crush Show and Stay may have had for Mark Owen during the height of Take That's fame, although this is merely conjecture.
The raucous applause and general whopping from the crowd in the auditorium was enough to confirm our suspicions that the audience enjoyed the show as much as we did, despite Show and Stay suffering from a mild form of musical tourette's which caused involuntary outbursts of Take That lyrics both with and without the cast. Could it be magic? Well Show and Stay certainly think so!
