It was really bad weather the other day with LOTS of snow so i decided to make a VERY last minute theatre trip to Newcastle Theatre Royal to see the new UK touring production of Cilla the Musical. Before i get started with my review, i'd like to say that i managed to get a good ticket a) because of the snow so lots of people had cancelled but also b) if you go there after 5:30, they discount their remaining tickets by half price in the stalls, grand circle and upper circle.
So first things first, Cilla Black was being played by Kara Lily Hayworth who has the best and the most powerful voice i may have ever heard in musical theatre. Her portrayal of Cilla was gorgeous and she got on really well with Carl Au who played Bobby. I did like Carl however i am not as fond of him as i am with Kara mainly because she was just magic. His voice was good - which was brought to light in the Act II song 'A Taste of Honey'. Brian Epstein was played by Andrew Lancel who gave a good performance of the Beatles and Cilla's manager - in summary, i don't have any bad opinions on him but no excellent ones either. He built up a strong connection with the audience so that when it was revealed that he died, it really did make you feel extremely sad and shocked which was special because very few actors can do that. The story of Brian Epstein was beautifully intertwined with the main storyline. I'm giving a very big shoutout to Pauline Fleming and Neil MacDonald who played Big Cilla and John White who worked brilliantly together as Cilla's parents - often providing a few laughs for the audience especially in the second act.
I liked the set - more so in the second half mainly because in the first, they used the concert scene a lot which annoyed me a bit but the set was more varied in Act II. The use of the lights was brilliant around the main stage - althought sometimes i felt like i was being blinded which was entertaining.
The show focuses on Cilla's rise to fame and ends with the first episode of her TV show. It also shows the relationship between Cilla and Bobby and also Brian Epstein.
This production is perfect in many ways, it left me and my mum smiling as we left the theatre, I would recommend this to everyone as it is such an uplifting and entertaining production. I give this production 4 stars mainly because of the set in Act 1 but also some more original and catchy song would have been nice.
Cilla The Musical runs until the 3rd March at Newcastle Theatre Royal before continuing its UK tour
