Spandau Baddie: Martin Kemp Meets Vicky Edwards

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Vicky Edwards

Martin Kemp tells Vicky Edwards why his musical theatre debut is going with a bang-bang…

Photo credit: Alastair Muir

From gangster Reggie Kray to evil control freak Steve Owen in EastEnders, Martin Kemp is extremely good at being bad. Currently on tour in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang playing the Childcatcher, arguably one of the most iconic villains of all time, Martin is drawing on his previous roles for inspiration, but admits that there’s unchartered territory to explore when it comes to the character that regularly tops the polls of movie monsters.
“The Childcatcher is an exaggerated version of everything I have ever done before, but it comes from a completely different angle,” explained Martin. “He’s a step away from reality; all the characters are really, especially in the second half when we go to Vulgaria.
“In the first half I play a character called the Junk Man, but in the second half that kind of Alice in Wonderland thing happens and the Junk Man becomes the Childcatcher. Robert Helpmann did an amazing job [in the film], but my physicality is not the same as his; I don’t have his ballet background, so instead I try to bring a bit more horror to the role.”
Judging from the booing that fills the theatre before he has even set foot on the stage, he’s clearly doing that very effectively.
“Kids are scared of the name: Childcatcher. When the Baron says “Call for the Childcatcher!” I can feel the tension in the theatre and then I hear the boos,” he laughed, adding, “But that’s part of the whole experience. If you haven’t laughed, cried and been scared then you haven’t seen a good show. You need to be taken to all those places.”
And with cheers at the curtain call almost taking the roof off the theatre, it seems that it’s a journey that audiences of all ages are delighted to undertake. A co-production between Music & Lyrics Limited and West Yorkshire Playhouse, this brand spanking new reimagining of the much-loved Sherman Brothers musical is winning critical acclaim as well as standing ovations.
“Ten years ago I saw the show in London and the main thing I remembered about it afterwards was the car,” said Martin. “But now it’s very much about the story. It amazes me, but every night I walk out of stage door and people are there saying how much they loved the whole show. From old people who saw the movie on their first date to kids meeting Chitty for the very first time, the demographic is extraordinary. Yes, it’s changed from the book, and then again from the film and again from the original stage musical, but it really works. We’re sending people home with big smiles on their faces.”
As for his fellow cast members, mention them and it is Martin with a big smile on his face. “It’s a great cast,” he enthused. “I’ve worked with Michelle [Collins] before and it’s lovely to work with her again, but they are all brilliant performers.” And so they are. Funny men Jason Manford as Caractacus Potts and Phill Jupitus as Lord Scrumptious and Baron Bomburst are joined by Martin and Michelle, as well as Andy Hockley of Phantom of the Opera fame as Grandpa Potts, and West End leading lady Amy Griffiths as Truly Scrumptious. Add to that a world class company of singers and dancers and you have a show that is dazzling, star-studded and that absolutely lives up to the ‘fantasmagorical’ praise.
But while the story of Chitty might have been knocking around for a good while, musical theatre is a new challenge for Martin.
“One reason I am here is that I have never done a musical before and I thought this might be a nice way to dip my toe in. I love trying new things and I love working with new people.”
That happy-go-lucky, have-a-go attitude wasn’t always there, however. In fact, as a child he confesses that he struggled with crippling shyness.
“I’ve been doing this a while now but at the age of eight I was incredibly shy, so my mum sent me to Anna Scher’s drama workshops,” said Martin, who knows first-hand what an advantage drama classes can be to children.
“What drama clubs give you is a small amount of this magic dust called charisma. I always say that I owe everything to Anna Scher because she formed my personality as a kid.”
Pointing out that whether you become an actor or join a band or you just use that acquired confidence to get through interviews when you’re 16, Martin is certain that drama clubs are a fantastic way of developing both character and life skills.
As for children watching live theatre, absorbing stories close up rather than on a screen, Martin loves the way they get totally involved.
“Adults watch, but kids believe and become part of the world they see unfolding; they just dive in,” he nodded.
“For Chitty we recently did what is called a ‘Relaxed Performance’ for children with disabilities and conditions like Autism. The show was adapted around the audience’s needs and it was a wonderful thing to be part of.”
A member of one of the most popular bands of all time, star of movies, TV and now a musical, Martin certainly can’t complain of always doing the same old same old.
“I have always changed it up a bit and I like never knowing what’s around the corner,” he laughed, although actually this time he does know what is coming next.
“I have just finished a year on tour with Spandau which was wonderful, but it’s this great big machine that needs five artic trucks and a 100-strong crew. When you play huge arenas the size of Wembley you know that to people at the back you’re just a speck of dust in the distance and that you’ll never get to meet those people. So in May I am doing the sort of antidote to not meeting people with a show that’s going to tour called An Audience with Martin Kemp. I’ll be travelling around England chatting about my life and career and taking questions from the audience. Yeah, it’s going to be different and fun,” he grinned.
With such a busy professional life, relaxation, he says, comes in the form of painting.“That’s my down time. Sometimes it shuts me off from the world and I lose myself completely.” Asked what he paints and the smile that stole my sixteen-year-old heart lights up his face again. “I paint rock ‘n’ roll,” he says with a chuckle.
Super-talented, funny, warm and with rock ‘n’ roll artistic flair to boot, however brilliantly nasty he is as the Childcatcher, in real life Martin Kemp is a total sweetie.
Vicky Edwards

Stand Up… You’re Rockin’ This Boat! Brian May Attends Royal Caribbean’s Production of ‘We Will Rock You’ On-board Inaugural Anthem Of The Seas Cruise

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Corinne Tuddenham-Finn

Imagine this… stepping out of your suite on-board Royal Caribbean’s inaugural sailing of Anthem of the Seas two hours before curtain-up, closing the door and swinging around to be face-to-face with Brian May, snuggling lovingly into the

neck of his partner, Anita Dobson, as they walked along the corridor, only for her to turn and look me straight in the eye and say, in her Eastenders cock-er-ney accent…

“‘ello darlin’, you alright?”

At that point, I knew this performance was going to be special… the cast were playing, tonight, to the Master himself. This company had to nail it.

I sit in the front row, I always sit in the front row, perhaps too close but I need to feel the emotion and the effort put in by the cast. Months of rehearsal, careful application of costume and make-up cannot be wasted on a seat further back in the auditorium… just a general synopsis is not my style, I have to feel a production… cast vs me – game on.

Transferring a production from the West End to a cruise ship is no mean feat, the word ‘logistics’ is holy. Fact one – you’re in the middle of the ocean, if anything ‘kicks off’, evacuation is gradual and there’s nowhere to run. Fact two – the dressing rooms for the cast and the storage for the sets have to be compact and very bijou. Fact Three – your audience is multi-cultural upon each sailing – colloquial ad-libs and audience cognition of dialects and comedic one-liners differs, depending on your demographic. I could punctuate with more ‘facts’, but you get the gist… it’s difficult and this performance had to prove it was possible to bring one of the most successful productions from the West End to Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines..

I sat with Brian May’s eyes searing deep into my neck, haunting Mercury tones in my ears, the curtain went up…

We Will Rock You (often abbreviated as WWRY) is a musical based on the songs of Queen with a book by Ben Elton, a storyline set 300 years in the future. The musical tells the story of a group of Bohemians who struggle to restore the free exchange of thought, fashion, and live music in a distant future where everyone dresses, thinks and does the same. Musical instruments and composers are forbidden, and rock music is all but unknown.

Although the musical was at first panned by critics, it has become an audience favourite, becoming the longest-running musical at the Dominion Theatre, celebrating its tenth anniversary on 14 May 2012. The London production closed on 31 May 2014 after a final performance in which Brian May and Roger Taylor both performed.

I have to open with the Royal Caribbean band, they had this sewn up, the cast were in capable hands and nurtured through every track. Impeccable to the point of perfect interpretation of the true heartbeat of Queen, difficult to acclaim highly enough.

Amanda Coutts played Scaramouche, a sarcastic, hard-bitten cynical girl and Galileo’s love interest. A rebel, deeply introverted and complex, a goth teenager, an awkward loner, a misfit. She uses her self-deprecating wit to cover her sensitivity and vulnerability, brittle, hard and bitter, headstrong and stubborn,defensive. Amanda’s Romford-esque delivery enthralled the audience, perfect timing, cutting script, all made sense, making the character charmingly sweet with a vicious edge.

Killer Queen (Allyson Kaye Daniel), the villain, an iconic figure, ruler of the world with an amazing rock/soul voice. She’s camp, sexy, voluptuous, feisty, funny, powerful and power crazy, ruthless, the BOSS. Every man’s dream of an older woman with a strong bi-slant. Allyson carried this character to the extreme, gorgeous and so 80’s-inspired… sexy!

Khashoggi (Preston Hammond), Killer Queen’s second-in-command, the head of Globalsoft’s police and carries out Killer Queen’s dirty work. A smooth operator, ruthless and heartless, attractive, sophisticated, intelligent, sinister, cruel, cold but charming. Preston’s interpretation of this character had me enthralled, secretly my favourite. Enticing with a ‘Las Vegas’ kind of spin. I wanted to know more about this character and doors were left open… very enticing.

‘Pop’ doubles as the Rebel Leader of the Bohemian movement, a rather pompous figure who has made himself an expert on the legend of rock and is perhaps a bit too pleased about it! An elderly librarian trying to figure out the exact date the music died. Bar man, ex-rebel, a hippie stand-up comic, a cross between George Carlin and Robin Williams. Pop is worldly with a natural curiosity and passion for life and music.

I met Kevin Kennedy back in January when he was appearing in Norwich Theatre Royal’s pantomime production of ‘Peter Pan’, playing the evil Captain Hook, and it was during our conversation that he enlightened me of the forthcoming production aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Anthem of the Seas, playing the part of Pop, following his highly successful run at the Dominion Theatre, London.

The words ‘Kevin Kennedy – Family Man’ run through the core of Kevin like a Blackpool stick of rock – his family values are never far away from his thoughts and the household of three giddy females rocks his world. A Mancunian, married to Clare, became infamous as the character ‘Curly Watts’ in ITV’s Coronation Street, falling in and out of skittish catastrophes, including the scatterbrain marriage to Raquel Watts (Sarah Lancashire). Kevin appeared for 20 years in the UK’s longest-running television soap as the UK’s favourite supermarket-worker. Kevin and Claire now live in Brighton with their two beautiful girls, and promoting their alcohol recovery charity Addiction Management UK Limited. As I disembarked, the family were due to join Kevin for a few days, and to say he was excited… an understatement. Life on the floating city makes you value your family and home, Kevin was certainly feeling the draw.

If the costumes didn’t give it away, then the music certainly did. So slash up your pussy bows and consign your neat little A-line skirt right to the back of the wardrobe… the 80’s aggro chic, cod mod, naughty fashion and punk frock – aggro chic, was played out with a vengeance. The costume design of the production thrived on schizophrenic tension and the ‘up yours’ style was the perfect Hyde to ladylike chic’s Jekyll. Inky black ‘goth’ lips, distressed suits and long silver chains, spiky hair and heavy black eyeliner… every street style from punk to goth to mod to rudeboy to biker was plundered with all the enthusiasm of Sid Vicious raiding the minibar at the Chelsea Hotel.

The supporting cast consolidated the production. Every conceivable angle, from the audience’s point of view, was covered. Enthusiasm, professionalism, vocal co-ordination and costume intricacy was accomplished to perfection.

Galileo (Alex DeLeo), a young man, a rebel and the central character. Attractive and sexy, vulneraable, sensitive and doesn’t really fit in, restless, headstrong and stubborn. Tense, living on his nerves, a dreamer. Alex vividly portrayed a young man, a dreamer, on a mission to accomplish something with his life, trying to find the right way to fulfil his dreams. This character required strength but with a thread of vulnerability which Alex completely radiated.

The production, produced by Alex Marchant, directed by Tony Edge with Tim Hammond as Musical Director, under the management of Nick Weir, Vice-President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, achieved a challenging goal, to put a superior show on the high seas, achieved previously so successfully on the safe ground of blighty, without running adrift with logistical anomalies associated with cruise productions.

And what did Brian think?

He joined the cast on-stage at the end of the performance and was visibly moved … the new production of ‘We Will Rock You’ is in safe hands.

Images copyright Shane Finn at Visual Devotion

www.visual-devotion.co.uk

Royal Caribbean Productions creates, produces, and manages the largest premium entertainment operation at sea! From full Broadway musicals, to Las Vegas style production shows, and even ice and aqua spectaculars; no single production company provides more exciting opportunities to both entertainer and audience member. Our core team is always seeking the best talent from around the world as we constantly strive to create inspiring shows, events, and spectaculars onboard Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises.

At Royal Caribbean Productions you will find so much more than a gathering place of unparalleled talent, but also a comfortable working environment created specifically to foster new talent alongside seasoned professionals from every background. The production staff consist of award-winning creative professionals from Broadway and West End Theaters, to Broadcast TV and Film, and even Themed Entertainment, they strongly believe that bringing together different points of view and challenging themselves everyday is the only way to consistently create the future of the Cruise Entertainment Industry.

www.royalcaribbeanproductions.com/

About Brian May…

Brian Harold May, is a British musician, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band . He uses a home-built electric guitar, called the Red Special. His compositions for the band include “We Will Rock You“, “Tie Your Mother Down“, “I Want It All“, “Fat Bottomed Girls“, “Flash“, “Who Wants to Live Forever” and “The Show Must Go On“.

He was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2005 for “services to the music industry and for charity work”. Brian attained a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College in 2007 and was Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University from 2008 to 2013. He is an active animal rights advocate and was appointed a vice-president of animal welfare charity the RSPCA in September 2012.

In 2005, a Planet Rock poll saw May voted the 7th greatest guitarist of all time.He was ranked at No. 26 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time“. In 2012, May was ranked the 2nd greatest guitarist of all time by Guitar World

www.brianmay.com

About Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas…

The Tailor-Made Man | Theatre Review

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Paola Berta

The Tailor-Made Man, set in Hollywood during the 1930s, is a musical theatre show, which
still strongly maintains the quality of a play.

Exceptionally staged – at the Arts Theatre in London, West End – its creative team,
includes super talented choreographer Nathan M. Wright who, in between his many credits,
also counts the mass movement choreography of the London Olympic & Paralympics
2012.

The stars studded musical production has brilliant actors in the leading roles: Faye Tozer, Mike
McShane and Dylan Turner. Faye Tozer (from the band pop band Steps) delivers
an outstanding and energetic performance certainly not inhibited by the vocal tone
variations the part requires and the upper class mannerism of the early 20th century. Also,
starring undying talent Mike McShane and classically, impeccably beautiful, as much as
skilled, Dylan Turner that has already landed roles in Mamma Mia! (Prince of Wales)
and Grease (Victoria Palace) just to mention a few. Full of character Bradley Clarkson
also gives a captivating and dynamic performance. Worth a mention is Kay Murphy
who gives a funny and outstandingly performance in the role of Pola Negri, the famous Polish actress.

Claudio Macor co-wrote ‘The Tailor-Made Man’ book with Amy Rosenthal, adapted
the play and directed it. ‘The Tailor-Made Man’, was nominated for Best New Play in 1995 and
for writer of the year and then some years later was made into a musical. The music is by Duncan
Walsh Atkins and Adam Meggido.

‘The Tailor-Made Man’ is a true old Hollywood story that brings back memories of when
the homosexuality was far from being socially accepted. It is the true story of William ‘Billy’ Haines who was a movie star at MGM, and then became a famous interior designer in Hollywood. It highlights the emotional difficulties, openly declared gay men had to go through including work discrimination
and episodes of verbal and physical violence, all of this surrounded by the Hollywood
creative melting pots of sophisticated artists and a bit of sentimental twist.

The musical will run for a limited eight weeks season until the 6th of April.

http://www.thetailormademanlondon.com/

Written by Paola Berta

Les Miserables Movie Musical Exclusive Review

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Frostie

Les Miserables’ movie musical – screened for cast and crew members at the Odeon Cinema in London, Leicester Square on the 4th of December 2012 – soon to be released in the cinemas.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the cast and crew screening of ‘Les Miserables’ on the 4^th of December 2012 at the Odeon cinema in London, Leicester Square.

In a speech, held before the screening, award winning British film and television director, Tom Hooper, did thank all the cast and crew in the cinema making his dream come true.

Sir Cameron Mackintosh admitted that it had been their dream to make a movie musical and the fact Tom Hooper asked him on this amazing project was a really good thing as the director came up with an amazing vision of how he wanted it. Tom had in fact suggested disaggregating all the scenes for filming purposes to then put them back together in the movie. Mr Mackintosh admitted making a movie and especially a movie musical takes so much more work than putting together a theatre production. He funnily mentioned how the lack of sleep was a constant thing during the production!

The film musical had just been completed before the screening and Mr Hooper ironically wished he could have had a couple of hours more to do some extra touches.

‘Les Miserables’ movie has already had the Guildhall screening in the USA where it received a great feedback but now, the main aim is to bring the production in London.

In between the mentions in Hooper’s speech, Simon Hayes and his team for the sound department and all the post production team which did an amazing work, the costume department – which had to really work out the choice of fabrics so that the microphones would not be inhibited – Steward Hilliker took care of this. The camera team which had to film several scenes with multi-cameras; it was a real challenge. Really, a great team work. Also, Hugh Jackman’s remarkable and poignant performance of Jean Valjean cannot be left unmentioned.

The live sung movie musical is much more emotionally bounding than the old school movie musical version where actors used to mime the singing on a pre-recorded track. I found the movie as poignant as the live staged version. In the theatre it is great to be present and literally breath the performance but unless you are sitting in the very first rows, you hardly get to see the actors expressions when in the movie musical you can clearly see their eyes and facial expressions. This works amazingly to get into the actors’ deep feelings highlighted by remarkable close ups that, on the big screen together with the musical effects, make the audience unavoidably feel exactly how the characters felt whilst singing those lines live to the cameras (see video link below).

The movie respects the same sequence of events of the original Boublil – Schönberg musical theatre score. The musical and emotional tension is not released till the ‘Master of the House’ entertaining scene where we even see a featured Father Christmas!

Pablo Bubar – one of the many cast members who attended the screening – explained to me how, for the revolution scene, he had been called on set for 6 days, working 13 to 14 hours per day. Crew members worked even more than 17 hours per day.

The movie produced by Working Title Films (Sarah Radcliffe and Tim Bevan) will be released on the 25^th of December 2012 in the United States and on the 11^th of January 2013 in United Kingdom.

Might this movie be the landmark for more live sung movie musical productions to come celebrating really good acting and filmmaking and I bet cinemas will be full again!

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2587403289/

Written by Paola Berta

Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch To Make Directorial Debut.

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Catherine Balavage

Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch and Producer Barry Mendel Seek Fan Support and Funding for Glasgow Musical Film GOD HELP THE GIRL at www.kickstarter.com

Belle and Sebastian’s leader Stuart Murdoch alongside two-time Oscar nominated producer Barry Mendel have launched a global rallying call to fans and investors to support their upcoming film God Help The Girl via the world’s largest, digital funding platform for creative projects http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/godhelpthegirl/god-help-the-girl-musical-film

God Help The Girl marks Murdoch’s feature film debut as both writer and director and Mendel’s first UK project following an impressive run of international box office hits including Bridesmaids, Munich, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Serenity, Whip It and Rushmore.

Offering a range of prizes starting at just $5 with more expensive items including a guided tour of the film’s locations and dinner date with Murdoch, on screen credit and even Murdoch’s Personal Gold Record for Belle & Sebastian’s debut album, Tigermilk. The team hope to achieve their goal of $100,000 USD by March 2012.

“This is a really, really good idea. We’re cutting out the middle men. It’s punk,” comments writer/director Stuart Murdoch.

“Financing models like Kickstarter are the future. I want people to realize that without them, we can’t make this movie. Their contribution is the difference between this movie existing out there in the world and this movie just being a great script and wonderful music that never got made,” adds producer Barry Mendel.

Some of the songs Murdoch wrote for the film were recorded and released on a God Help The Girl album and EP Stills in 2009.

UK producers Phil Robertson and Chris Curling of Zephyr Films and Carole Sheridan of Singer Films are working alongside Mendel on the project.

For further information and background on the project please visit:

http://godhelpthegirl.com

Frost Magazine

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Tag Archives: musical

Spandau Baddie: Martin Kemp Meets Vicky Edwards

Stand Up… You’re Rockin’ This Boat! Brian May Attends Royal Caribbean’s Production of ‘We Will Rock You’ On-board Inaugural Anthem Of The Seas Cruise

The Tailor-Made Man | Theatre Review

Les Miserables Movie Musical Exclusive Review

Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch To Make Directorial Debut.

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