Jerry's Girls - Menier Chocolate Factory

[Dave B]

24 hour offer on Today Tix for £15

[anthem]

Apr 22, 2024 11:12:17 GMT nash16 said:

With the low pay and conditions for the actors at the Menier, I’m not surprised she’s bailed.

Presumably she would have been well aware of these before signing up? Do we have to read anything else into the reason given?

[tmesis]

I so wanted to enjoy this and was hugely looking forward to it but, allowing for the fact that tonight was the first preview, this was seriously lacking. All three performers were trying hard but the whole thing totally lacked charisma and sparkle. Why The Menier couldn’t have assembled a more starry cast baffles me. Jerry’s Girls as an entertainment definitely works but these ‘girls’ are completely underselling it. Applause was tame throughout. Also, from where I was sat (very end of row C) the band was too loud, although those further from the musicians may have had a better balance.

Act 1 50 minutes
Interval 15 minutes
Act 2 35 minutes

[shownut]

I was there tonight as well and even a starry cast couldn’t have saved this mess. First preview or not, this show isn’t fixable.

On the plus side, it was short.

[solangelafitte]

Oh that's disappointing. You'd imagine it'd be easy enough to make an evening of Jerry Herman songs enjoyable!

[Scswp]

May 19, 2024 11:12:47 GMT solangelafitte said:

Oh that's disappointing. You'd imagine it'd be easy enough to make an evening of Jerry Herman songs enjoyable!

You’re absolutely right! Herman’s songs are classic ones, so even just sung centre-stage with a microphone, it should be, at least, decent.

I’m amazed it’s so short, particularly the second act. Some of the songs are only ‘extracts’ - why not sing the whole song?

I’m seeing this next Saturday. Hopefully, something will have ‘changed’ by then.

[normasturban]

I enjoyed it?

It’s a musical revue, with cheap tickets and performed very well.

I wasn’t blown away but it was a pleasant evening.

[Scswp]

May 19, 2024 12:41:35 GMT normasturban said:

I enjoyed it?

It’s a musical revue, with cheap tickets and performed very well.

I wasn’t blown away but it was a pleasant evening.

That’s good to hear.
What was your experience of the sound mix and where were you sitting if you don’t mind my asking?

[normasturban]

May 19, 2024 12:52:41 GMT Scswp said:

May 19, 2024 12:41:35 GMT normasturban said:

I enjoyed it?

It’s a musical revue, with cheap tickets and performed very well.

I wasn’t blown away but it was a pleasant evening.

That’s good to hear.
What was your experience of the sound mix and where were you sitting if you don’t mind my asking?

Fifth row. Sound was pretty good. I could hear everyone but Cassidy’s mic seemed a bit low.

[beanbag85]

Just seen Sunday show which was very well received.
It's a musical revue not an intellectual exercise and if you approach it on that basis you'll have a fun time.
3.5/4 stars from me.

[robertb213]

I enjoyed it! Would've preferred a plot, could've been a bit longer with fewer songs shortened but I liked it. The women do a great job and really show the songs off. It's worth it for Cassidy's torch songs alone. But lots of people complaining on exit that it didn't have a story, what was the point etc. So word of mouth might not do well.

[frauleinsallybowles]

Enjoyed this today also. Thoroughly enjoyed hearing Jerry Herman’s music sung live, a lot of which is not regularly performed. Some flubs from Jessica Martin during La Cage aux Folles and she seemed visibly upset with herself. A curse word was uttered when she messed up a joke and the musical director cued a few of her lines to try to get her back on track.

A question: was the collision/fall by Julie intention? I assumed it was but Gooch’s Song went after so I second guessed it actually being intentional?

[shownut]

May 19, 2024 18:15:27 GMT beanbag85 said:

Just seen Sunday show which was very well received.
It's a musical revue not an intellectual exercise and if you approach it on that basis you'll have a fun time.
3.5/4 stars from me.

I wasn’t looking for an intellectual exercise (its Jerry Herman). I merely hoped for a decently constructed and performed revue.

Great that you enjoyed it but even as a light piece of entertainment I thought it was pretty bad.

[mrbarnaby]

This all sounds so low rent. I’m avoiding.

[normasturban]

May 19, 2024 18:44:34 GMT frauleinsallybowles said:

Enjoyed this today also. Thoroughly enjoyed hearing Jerry Herman’s music sung live, a lot of which is not regularly performed. Some flubs from Jessica Martin during La Cage aux Folles and she seemed visibly upset with herself. A curse word was uttered when she messed up a joke and the musical director cued a few of her lines to try to get her back on track.

A question: was the collision/fall by Julie intention? I assumed it was but Gooch’s Song went after so I second guessed it actually being intentional?

All of this is scripted. Including the curse word and the moment with the musical director.

It’s a character moment that Jessica Martin’s ‘character’ is struggling before she has her big Hello Dolly moment.

The fall is also intentional as it takes some time for things to thaw between the two women again.

[frankubelik]

It's all pretty cheap and low rent but Jerry's songs just about save it. The framing device is rather pointless and the staging such as it is was less than inventive. I think with these revue-style shows there has to be an engagement with the performers and there is one who simply has a cold demeanour and an unlikeability factor (for me) which was offputting. There is a general lack of poise overall. On another note, the Menier foyer (where the restaurant used to be) has turned into a terrible ramshackle junk shop with boxes and chairs piled into a corner and an overpowering musty smell. It is very unwelcoming. Surely Mr Babani could smarten this up?

[BurlyBeaR]

Poll added.

[capybara]

For the most part, a musical theatre revue does what it says on the tin. Jerry’s Girls is an enjoyable whistle-stop tour through the back catalogue of the revered composer Jerry Herman, performed by an established trio of West End triple-threats.

Here, the Menier audience is treated to stalwart Jessica Martin, alongside Cassidy Janson and Julie Yamanee. All three women do a sterling job in bringing alive Herman’s hits spanning decades, although the song list does rely heavily on both Mame and Hello, Dolly.

At its heart, Jerry’s Girls is a bit of a stagey fever dream. There is no pause for breath and the women move seamlessly between hits such as ‘Put on Your Sunday Clothes’ and ‘Movies Were Movies’, connected by the somewhat loose plot of the trio being part of - one would assume - a Jerry Herman musical revue.

The fast-paced, toe-tapping ensemble numbers take place, for the most part, in front of a big red curtain, while Herman’s more thoughtful, touching numbers are reserved for when the three women retreat to their dressing rooms, complete with Hollywood-lit mirrors. The transitions between the two settings feel a little clunky and contrived at times but for this type of revue, it’s best not to overthink it.

Jerry’s Girls is at its best when all three women are performing together, hoofing away to nostalgic Broadway show tunes. Martin brings a certain gravitas to the group, although she’s not afraid to be the butt of the jokes either, while Janson simpers, demonstrating why exactly why she is an established West End leading lady. But it is Yammanee who proves the highlight, her comic touch lending itself naturally alongside her wonderful vocal ability.

It’s a very basic production, both in terms of its concept and choreography. The ‘plot’ is a little distracting and unnecessary; in fact, Alex Parker’s recent concert held at Cadogan Hall set the standard for how Herman’s music ought to be performed outside of their intended shows. Unfortunately, Jerry’s Girls lacks in genuine sparkle and charisma.

However, it is also a show that says - to quote that famous La Cage Aux Folles number - ‘I Am What I Am’. Or, rather, it is what it is. At two hours including an interval, this is a quick spin through Herman’s hits, performed beautifully by a talented trio of women. Is it really needed? Probably not. Is it a couple of hours of light fun for a musical theatre obsessive? Definitely.

Three stars.

[Scswp]

I saw this yesterday and I enjoyed it. Yes, it’s a bit like a mini-concert of Jerry Herman hits framed around an onstage/backstage device, but for me, it worked.

Herman penned many great tunes and, although shortened, they’re all on display here.

The three ladies delivered the songs well. I think Cassidy Janson was given the best material ‘vocally’, but I think in terms of telling story through song, Jessica was the standout for me (maybe the range of emotions in her material was wider). However, I enjoyed all of their performances and actually found the ending (before the finale number) with just Jessica left onstage quite poignant. There was a moment somewhere between determination and desperation relating to how performing shapes her life. It was a brief moment, but she played it very well.

A big cheer to these three ladies. Herman musicals are old-fashioned and I don’t hear the music performed live very often, so it was really refreshing to hear all of these well-known songs performed so well and so up-close.

[Steve]

Saw this tonight and had a great time!

Some spoilers follow. . .

The organisational distribution of Jerry Herman's songs felt very "Opening Night" to me, with introspective Dressing Room mirrors for each of the three actors, and Julie Yamanee as the First Woman (young), Cassidy Janson as The Second Woman (middle life), and Jessica Martin as The Third Woman (post menopausal).

Of course, the older you are, the better the songs you get, because you realise you're the butt of life's joke, as you lose everything you once had, and also you're the butt of life's tragedy as you lose everything you once had.

So its great that Jessica Martin is so wisecrackingly funny as the butt of the "Take it all Off" joke where punters urge her to "put it all back on" and as the butt of "We need a Little Christmas," where she's the only one who doesn't get a cute green Elf costume lol.

And she's equally great with her poignant time-has-passed-me-by material, with "I Don't Want to Know" and "La Cage Aux Folles" particularly knowing and moving. And she gets to be Dolly!

Cassidy Janson, who is such a talented comic actor, gets a little short-changed for comic material being cast as a mid-life chanteuse. Yet still, when she gets to drop comic voices (squeaky Bernadette Peters) and act a little knowing and camply exaggerated, her funny bones still show through to put a smile on your face.

But it's as a mid life mistress character, a mistress being a classic outsider, that she gets to mellifluously soar here, with a wistful smokey sweetness to her voice that morphs into a passionate tortured belt in the course of a couple of minutes. Her "I Won't send Roses" and "Best of Times" are particularly fabulous.

Julie Yamanee, as the young inexperienced ingenue, generally gets the worst songs, the ones without the emotions of having lived, but her "Look What Happened to Mabel" is lovely exception to that rule, building to a genuine crescendo.

When the three ages of woman perform together, the interaction can be touching as when age comforts youth with a subtle touch, but more often it is feisty and life affirming, all three ages united and determined to stand up to adversity and proclaim together "I am what I am," which I found immensely uplifting.

Yes, this is a revue, it doesn't invent the wheel, but it is funny, knowing and moving in turns, and its good intimate easygoing and emotional entertainment to the tune of 4 stars for me, as a fan of Jerry Herman's songs.

Looking forward to "Hello Dolly" now.

PS: the sound levels were fine for me, and I could hear all the words sung, despite sitting close to the orchestra at stage right (audience left) as all voices were well miked, to equal and even decibelage.

[Dr Tom]

I know the reviews for this are a bit mixed, but I saw Jerry's Girls last night on a heavily discounted ticket and really enjoyed it.

All three performers were on excellent form and any minor issues earlier in the run were gone.

Perhaps my memory has faded, but this seemed different in structure to the version at the Other Palace. My recollection is that version had narration between clusters of song, but this was sung straight through. The staging was obviously different. This seemed a lot shorter (it really didn't need an interval, but I appreciate why there is one). Wikipedia doesn't help here, as the version described there is completely changed again.

There are lots of excellent costumes and memorable songs (most only played in short form). Jessica Martin was the standout to me. I know she's done musicals, but I can only ever really remember seeing her on stage in panto (and hearing her when she was a Doctor Who audio companion). She'd make an excellent Dolly Levi.

Great to spot the lovely Jason Yang-Westland and Michael Lin in the audience as well (the latter presumably enjoying a break between Hello Dolly rehearsals to enjoy a bit more Herman).

Definitely worth seeing in the closing weeks, especially if you can get a discounted ticket. They also have a free book giveaway area in the upstairs section where the restaurant used to be, which is always worth looking through.

[jr]

Not sure I understand the lukewarm reviews and some of the comments here.
I saw this today and it gave what I expected. It is a revue with a good band and three very good performers. Some numbers are better than others but the good ones are very good. Cassidy Janson was the standout, though I think she overdid the American accent. Having the songs out of context, why having an accent? Or at least do a French accent for songs from La cage!

If you go, don't expect much and let yourself enjoy the music and the performers.

[Someone in a tree]

I really enjoyed this, camp and sassy fun.

Great to see Jessica Martin on stage again and 'twas lovey to be introduced to Julie Yammanee.

[Being Alive]

Cancelled this evening due to cast illness - was my only opportunity to go so that's a shame.

[dlevi]

What a miserable show. Cheaply designed sets and especially costumes which must have been renovated come from a low-grade chairty show- horribly directed (there seemed to be a lesbian /multi-generational subplot which was not only unnecessary but embarrassing to witness and for the actors. The arrangements were thin. The choreography was amateurish and sadly the performers, try as they might, could not make any of it work. The audience went along with it all but not with any enthusiasm, only obligation. The whole thing was sad. It also bore very little resemblance to the original Jerry's Girls first seen in a cabaret in NYC with a cast of 6 and then later on Broadway with a cast of 11. Mr Herman deserves better.