Boy Out The City at the Turbine Theatre
Rating: 4 stars
On until: 13th November
Tickets link: https://www.theturbinetheatre.com/whats-on/boy-out-the-city

Boy Out The City is an hour long one man show by performer extraordinaire Declan Bennett, born out of spending lockdowns by himself in the countryside and the anxiety that follows along with it. The piece also delves into earlier pressures in his life that led to feeling trapped within and with one’s self.

The play is incredibly fast paced as the audience is taken on this journey. From Declan and his boyfriend moving to the stillness of Oxfordshire from London at the start of lockdown to baking endless amounts of banana bread. But we also hear of stories from his youth, such as leaving Coventry for the first time and discovering Sister Act 2. The script was incredibly witty at times, but also had really good heart to it creating a really lovely human experience between Declan and the audience. I also have to commend Nancy Sullivan’s wonderful direction as well, the use of lighting in particular moments were really special and made the piece pop. The Sister Act 2 lip sync, was something else (in a positive way!)

Overall, I think the play has really great potential to be a smash hit across the fringe theatre scene. The 60 minute run time truly flew by and I had a great time. Definitely one to catch for the rest of this week.

Six The Musical at the Vaudeville Theatre
Booking until: 1st May 2022
Tickets:https://www.nimaxtheatres.com/shows/six-vaudeville/

I was lucky enough to be given a chance to revisit Six The Musical on the west end earlier this week. The smash hit musical continues to make its mark in the London Theatre scene and has now made the permanent move to the Vaudeville Theatre. I did really love the production back at the Arts Theatre as it was wonderfully intimate without being too overpowering. I also feel like those who did see it at the Arts now have bragging rights for life because the musical just keeps going from strength to strength.

In the new home, there’s a few upgrades from the Arts, including some adjustments to Gabriella Slade’s already excellent costumes and the choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille has more room to breathe in the bigger space. The actual piece itself continues to excite and entertain audiences as it has done since it started in a tent in Edinburgh all those years ago. I think it’s so important that the long running shows continue to change and evolve as time goes on. Especially with a show like Six which has people flocking back to it time and time again, it keeps the show fresh (this was my 8th time seeing the show!)

What I also love about Six is how much they hype up their understudies. At the performance I attended, I was lucky enough to be treated to Collette Guitart’s Jane Seymour, Cherelle Jay’s Anna of Cleves and Hana Stewart’s Catherine Parr, all fantastic performances. The range one must have to be able to pull off all six queens is commendable and I’m glad they (and Zara Macintosh & Bryony Duncan who are also alternates/swings on the show) get to have their moments in the sun. There’s quite clearly a strong unity between the cast that absolutely shines on the stage.

This week is the last week for the current cast of queens, all of whom have done incredible work in bringing these characters to life. There will be a new batch of queens in the cast from the 16th November, but if you are looking to catch this current cast you only have until Sunday. But, the thing with Six is that it’s so well written that anyone could play the characters and truly make their own mark on them, which is thrilling to see. Still an absolute fabulous time at the theatre and I’m very glad I got to see it in it’s new home.

Until next time,