What’s New Pussycat? - Birmingham Rep

[david]

[drowseychap]

The first ever performance 🎭 and omg 😱 what a performance it was .. there was certainly anticipation and excitement in the air ... even before it began .. but there was true theatre magic @ Birmingham rep tonight ... from the opening scene to the last note to the immediate full and well deserved standing ovation !
A real colourful fabulous fun quality journey through the English countryside to swinging 60s vibrant London via Birmingham !! Well done all involved bringing some well deserved sunshine after rain
Such a polished performance for first preview ... dame Arlene came on before the show with the director ... wasn’t a weak cast member on that stage such a talented cast The 2 main characters were extra fabulous. Tom Jones is ❤️❤️😋😍... loved the set design and Lighting. Great use of projections just enough to add an extra layer to a gorgeous set choreography was fab such energy
The show Had lots of humour. Tongue firmly in cheek

I can honestly say it’s the best night out at a theatre I’ve had in a long time bravo all at Birmingham rep. Made in Birmingham x 👍❤️

[drowseychap]

Enjoyed it so much I booked again !! I think the 6th preview this time . A full house again a couple of changes I noticed only small ones and one or two trimmed down scenes
Started 10mins late but if on time finish time is 9.50 pm now

Wanted to see the audience reactions with a regular audience. Not first preview with family and friends etc

Omg electric atmosphere from beginning to end a real tight show definitely no baggage 🧳 here

Some real standout moments especially I who have nothing before interval
And big Mickey after the interval bought the house down and stops the show
And mary has a fab voice too
But lots more too dot & mr partridge are comedy gold and fabulous song and dance numbers

There really isn’t any weak link in this show

And the live band is second to none. Plenty of cheers and applause after the show for them too

Immediate full standing ovation again last night even before. The last song had finished !
And everyone kept standing for the bows and the reprise song
Came out smiling ear to ear again and felt so uplifted
Bravo Birmingham Rep
Made in brum.

[mrbarnaby]

Oct 14, 2021 13:42:22 GMT drowseychap said:

Enjoyed it so much I booked again !! I think the 6th preview this time . A full house again a couple of changes I noticed only small ones and one it two trimmed down scenes
Started about late but if on time finish time is 9.50 pm now

Wanted to see the audience reactions with a regular audience. Not first preview with family and friends etc

Omg electric atmosphere from beginning to end a real tight show definitely no baggage 🧳 here

Some real standout moments especially I who have nothing before interval
And big Mickey after the interval bought the house down and stops the show
And mary has a fab voice too
But lots more too dot & mr partridge are comedy gold and fabulous song and dance numbers

There really isn’t any weak link in this show

And the live band is second to none. Plenty of cheers and applause after the show for them too

Immediate full standing ovation again last night even before. The last song had finished !
And everyone kept standing for the bows and the reprise song
Came out smiling ear to ear again and felt so uplifted
Bravo Birmingham Rep
Made in brum.

I’m worried you will explode with excitement !

[drowseychap]

Mr Barnaby me too not been this excited about a show 🤔well maybe first time I saw blood brothers 25 years ago lol ... it really is that good. Hope more people travel up the brum to see it for themselves 👍

[mrbarnaby]

Oct 14, 2021 20:14:03 GMT drowseychap said:

Mr Barnaby me too not been this excited about a show 🤔well maybe first time I saw blood brothers 25 years ago lol ... it really is that good. Hope more people travel up the brum to see it for themselves 👍

The set certainly looks much more impressive than I was expecting. A good sign. Also Bronte Barbe is always fabulous. Hope I’ve spelt her name right!

[drowseychap]

Oct 14, 2021 20:56:13 GMT mrbarnaby said:

Oct 14, 2021 20:14:03 GMT drowseychap said:

Mr Barnaby me too not been this excited about a show 🤔well maybe first time I saw blood brothers 25 years ago lol ... it really is that good. Hope more people travel up the brum to see it for themselves 👍

The set certainly looks much more impressive than I was expecting. A good sign. Also Bronte Barbe is always fabulous. Hope I’ve spelt her name right!

Bronte is fantastic Dominic Anderson is fabulous too a real heartthrob ❤️pin up and such charisma for the part I who have nothing really is a stand out performance a real wow .
Also guy who plays big Mickey stops the show with Delilah

The set is very good some really great scene changes the never hold up the show and really great use of projections just to enhance the set.

[happytobehere]

I wish I could see this but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get up to Birmingham before the 14th do we think there’s any chance the show could continue somewhere else?

[david]

Train and front row ticket sorted for the 23rd. Had a watch of the clips on YT and looks great fun.

[Deleted]

Oct 15, 2021 14:58:33 GMT happytobehere said:

I wish I could see this but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get up to Birmingham before the 14th do we think there’s any chance the show could continue somewhere else?

I’d be surprised if it didn’t, it has been reported that they had ambitions of London and Broadway and it has its own website and socials probably for a future life. Plus the word of mouth in previews has been very positive. 😊

[drowseychap]

It does have a very strong creative team behind it previous Tony and Olivier winners etc , Arlene came onstage before the first preview said she was very nervous about it as we were the first audience to ever see it but so excited about the show , heard talk in the interval of hopes of a west end transfer Everything was made in house at Birmingham Rep and celebrating 50 yrs at New Rep theatre. They are really hoping it will do well

[properjob]

Saw this tonight and it is a bright uplifting show, just what we need coming out of lockdown.
Much better than your average juke box musical. Although I've never read the book I suspect having a plot and then adding songs makes for a much better show. However I fear it will make a few apperances in the bad behaviour thread with drunken singing along. I think the show makes a mistake in appearing to encourage this for one song.
There isn't a weak link in the cast and Arlene makes the ensemble work very hard but too great effect.
The production values are sky high so I am assuming they hope for a life for it after this run and I can see it having one.

It looks to be selling well and I overheard a couple of conversations which implied to me it was reaching people who only go the theatre occasionally.

I spotted a couple of the mischief team in the queue for the bar who I assume were up to support Harry who is perfect in this.

[mkb]

Attending the Birmingham Rep on Thursday evening, little did I know that I had booked for the 50th anniversary - to the day - of the venue's inaugural production at the current site.

We were all handed a celebratory card with a packet of sweets, and Co-Artistic Director Sean Foley began the night with a seven-minute speech extolling the virtues of the city's only professional producing house.

Graham Winteringham, the 98-year old architect of the Rep, is a regular attendee and was here to enjoy the latest show. He was received with warm applause from the near-full audience.

It turns out that the answer to the question What's New Pussycat? is a front door. Despite being part of the original design, the Rep has never had one, being blocked by the local planners. Fifty years later, that omission is being rectified, and most of the front of house is currently hidden behind hoardings while work continues.

But what of Pussycat? A retelling of Henry Fielding's 1749 novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, transplanted to 1960s London, and set to the music and lyrics of songs popularised by Welsh baritone and former tax exile Tom Jones, what could go wrong?

Astonishingly, nothing at all. In fact, the whole affair is a work of genius, a jukebox musical like no other.

The kaleidoscopic set and lighting design at once signal that we're here to have fun, and have fun we do. A strong cast are clearly having a ball too, with special mention to Ashley Campbell as Mr Partridge, Rebekah Hinds as The Girl In The Polka Dot Dress, and Harry Kershaw as William Blifil, who all deliver comedy par excellence.

Janet Bird's dazzling Technicolour costumes and Arlene Phillips' energetic choreography are a treat for the eyes; the orchestrations and sound design similarly reward the ears. My feet just wouldn't stay still, tapping along to tunes mainly familiar, some less so, but always having surprisingly apposite lyrics.

This is 100% theatrical tonic to counter the blues of the real world. Go see it! You won't regret it.

Five stars.

Act 1: 19:13-20:16
Act 2: 20:41-21:35

(Scheduled start was 19:00, but is normally 19:30. There is ample time before the last weekday train back to London if anyone fancies a trip up.)

[BurlyBeaR]

It’s sounding a bit &Juliet-ish. Tell us about the seats in the rep. Anything to be aware of?  Legroom? There’s an info note about the front row seats when you click to book but it doesn’t show in full on my iPad “seat is slightly….” something. What’s that?

[mkb]

I usually sit in the centre of the front row or the one behind (as they are cheaper). Both offer excellent views. The front row has slightly less leg room but I've never felt uncomfortable.

[TallPaul]

The full warning is "Seats slightly below stage level."

[mkb]

Oct 17, 2021 9:15:35 GMT TallPaul said:

The full warning is "Seats slightly below stage level."

I think they always say that in case there is a very high stage, but my eyes have never been lower than stage level, and usually, as with Pussycat, about a foot higher.

[properjob]

Oct 17, 2021 8:32:32 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

It’s sounding a bit &Juliet-ish. Tell us about the seats in the rep. Anything to be aware of?  Legroom? There’s an info note about the front row seats when you click to book but it doesn’t show in full on my iPad “seat is slightly….” something. What’s that?

It is very steeply raked (think lecture theatre) and so legroom and view over the row in front is good everywhere. A typical theatre of its time where everyone is in a single seating bank and like all of those the very end of the rows are a bit too far to the side so I would go further back to get more central for the same price.

I sat in row E and think I was actually a bit close to take it all in and could see the the edges of the wigs.

We went up 5 mins late and I think that will happen a lot as they do bag searches as you enter the auditorium rather than the building which leads to long queues just before the start time so take account of that with train times.

[mkb]

Yes, they've been stupidly doing the bag searches at that point for several years, ever since the security threat level was raised. So any terrorist planning on planting a bomb can just leave it in the toilets or foyer instead. Crazy, and causes delays as you say.

[TheatreTwittic]

Interestingly when I went yesterday there didn't seem to be doing bag searches, I had it open ready but they didn't want to know! The crowd were very excited to read on the warning 'partial nudity' and while I won't post spoilers, how you can call that partial I shall never know 🤣

I loved it. In some ways there is a bit of likeness to and juliet including some of the themes and similar to and juliet even if you're not an avid fan of Tom Jones (the artists) it's equally enjoyable.

Now it's officially past previews I've written up a review and so you can see my full thoughts, but I short a super slick, really enjoyable night out. The cast were spot on, Delilah brings the house down and the plot is well crafted too.

Bridgerton meets Mills and Boon is how I'd describe it. 10 minutes of the first act have some similarties with Never Forget including rain scene. For those who have seen it please tell me I'm not the only one who thought that 🤣

Fullreview: thetheatretwittic.com/2021/10/17/review-whats-new-pussycat-at-the-birmingham-rep/

[BurlyBeaR]

Booked.
Now to find a train that doesn’t take 2 hours to travel 70 miles. 90 minutes each way is the best on offer, astonishing that two of the UK’s major cities are so poorly connected.

TallPaul will probably turn up in a minute abd tell me there’s a secret magic train that only takes 45 minutes (but isn’t avaiable in any of the schedules like the mystery late service between manc abd Sheffield! 😐)

[alison]

Oct 17, 2021 15:22:05 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Booked.
Now to find a train that doesn’t take 2 hours to travel 70 miles. 90 minutes each way is the best on offer, astonishing that two of the UK’s major cities are so poorly connected.

TallPaul will probably turn up in a minute abd tell me there’s a secret magic train that only takes 45 minutes (but isn’t avaiable in any of the schedules like the mystery late service between manc abd Sheffield! 😐)

I live a couple of stops further down the Birmingham-Euston line.  Unfortunately, after about 10pm trains aren't able to run on the fast lines (I think because of works on the line?) so they have to travel on the slow lines instead.  If I see a full length evening show in London my train in takes around 55 mins, the train back takes 1h 40.  And if, God forbid, I want to see one on a Saturday night I have to find an alternative method because the slow lines are closed too, so the last train out of London is 9:42.

[BurlyBeaR]

I’m doing a matinee so I’ll probably get home just in time for my cocoa and a cuddle with Walter Hottle Bottle

I haven’t been to Brum for work for a couple of years but even at peak commuter time it can’t be done on the train in less than 90 mins. More often more. And the crush at Wolverhampton is always 😖

[TallPaul]

I wouldn't dream of giving timetable advice to an expert, BurlyBeaR. And because you've left it to the last minute, as usual, I suppose all the cheap advance tickets have now gone? At least you'll be able to use your senior railcard. 😁

[Dawnstar]

Oct 17, 2021 15:22:05 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Booked.
Now to find a train that doesn’t take 2 hours to travel 70 miles. 90 minutes each way is the best on offer, astonishing that two of the UK’s major cities are so poorly connected.

I think 90 minutes for 70 miles sounds pretty good compared to my train options when I want to travel to Birmingham. For me it's 2h40 minimum for what Google maps tells me is 97 miles.