The Mayflower in Southampton should be the primary venue for Regional Touring musicals and over the past 12 months we have now loved Fisherman’s Friend, Les Misérables, Dreamgirls, The Osmonds, Six, and My Fair Lady all of which have visited the large south coast venue. They will need to have been more than happy to safe the UK Premiere of The Spongebob Musical which performed there final week earlier than a regional tour of seventeen extra venues by means of to September. However, there is just one phrase to sum up the expertise of seeing this present, disappointing.
Yet after all, if you’re aged between 4 and 6 years outdated you could benefit from the vigorous inane motion, bonkers characterisations, and cheerful tunes and in an Easter vacation week, the Mayflower was full of those younger youngsters who sat quietly by means of the two- and half-hour present having fun with its silliness. However, will there be sufficient of those bookers to maintain the present by means of its lengthy regional tour? Richard Arnold, from Good Morning Britain, turns up on a TV display as Perch Perkins and Alex Gaumond, an skilled West End performer, does the French voice-over to aim to sew the story collectively and add a contact of high quality.There are moments that work. Squidward Q Tentacles’ costume of 4 legs works very nicely and each motion he does makes you smile together with a enjoyable faucet dance routine. Richard J Hunt with giant pink claws and a sideways stroll makes an entertaining Eugene Krabs, the proprietor of the Krusty Krab café and Sara Freer has enjoyable stomping across the stage as his daughter, Pearl Krabs. Sam Beveridge provides a little bit of pirate mania as Patchy opening each acts together with the foolish “Poor Pirates” music earlier than freely giving a Nick Watch to somebody within the entrance row! You can’t fault the power and squeaky voice of Lewis Cornay (who was wonderful within the great Whistle Down the Wind on the Watermill final 12 months) as Spongebob as he bounces across the stage and climbs up and down a number of transferring stairways in a continuous efficiency.
Musical theatre lovers will quickly take pleasure in extra acquainted high quality exhibits but when any went final week to the Mayflower, they’d have been disillusioned until they have been aged between 4 and 6. It should be hoped that these younger kids will return for Snow White and the seven dwarfs this Christmas which is able to certainly be a present with excessive manufacturing values, memorable tunes and leisure for all ages in a method that SpongeBob may solely disappoint.Review by Nick Wayne
Rating: ★★
Seat: Stalls, Row W | Price of Ticket: £24.50