As you may have noticed on my blog, I’ve been posting quite a few show reviews from the Regent Theatre. I got involved in reviewing shows in around March time this year and its been an opportunity that I’ve loved being involved with.
I love the theatre. I think I’ve loved the theatre since I watched Annie as a little girl and my eyes welled up listening to her sing “Tomorrow” (nothing to do with her being a frizzy little ginger urchin like myself). I then got to experience theatre on the West End in the form of Phantom of the Opera and as such my love affair began.
Each time I visit the theatre I always say the same thing… I wish there was more of a younger audience. As much as the cinema is amazing for big budget blockbuster films – theres something so incredibly endearing and lovely about watching a story unfold infront of your eyes on one stage.
The cast need to be on point in order to pull of a show successfully. Of the shows I’ve seen they’ve all been amazingly talented singers, actors and dancers and I always marvel at the ability to do all three in succession night after night for a whole tour. It’s often refreshing to get a long to smaller productions to catch young actors coming through the ranks and thank the lord that they aren’t holed up in their bedrooms playing Grand Theft Auto.
I went along to Hanley’s Mitchell Arts Centre this week to see the opening of Rent – a play which tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York City’s Lower East Side in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.
The cast, which is made up of 13 musical theatre fans from One Productions, with an age range spanning from 15 to 43 years old made had previously made the trip to London to sing on stage with the cast of the West End.
Performances of the show started on Tuesday, October 28 and will run until Saturday, November 2 with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm with tickets available on the Mitchell Arts website or from the box office.
I know what you mean, I love going to theatre! I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate factory at the Theatre Royal not long ago and the audience was full of young ones, It was so lovely to see them all captivated by it :)