Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Broadway)

Hey readers! 

It's time for my review of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I had seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in London's West End four times (and loved it), so I wasn't so sure whether I should see the Broadway production, as I had heard mixed opinions surrounding the show. However, there are only a limited amount of shows that play on Broadway on a Monday, so I decided to give the Broadway production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a try. Whilst, as predicted, it wasn't as good as when it was in the West End, it's still a great show and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The show has had many changes, however the storyline, which I consider to be a classic, is still the same: Willy Wonka, world famous inventor of the Everlasting Gobstopper, has just made an astonishing announcement. His marvelous—and mysterious—factory is opening its gates…to a lucky few. That includes young Charlie Bucket, whose life definitely needs sweetening. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing, life-changing journey through Wonka's world of pure imagination. Get ready for chocolate waterfalls, exquisitely nutty squirrels and the great glass elevator, all to be revealed by Wonka's army of curious Oompa-Loompas. I love the storyline of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I never tire of it. Despite this being my fifth time sitting through the story, it was as exciting and fresh as always. The book of the show (written dialogue and backbone of the show) had some very significant changes to it, to the point where some people say it has been completely re-written form the London production, but luckily I didn't feel that the book changes didn't affect the show too much. As long as it's the same old story, it'll always be good. Exactly half of the songs from the original London production have been kept in the show and whilst I was disappointed that some of my favourite songs have been removed, I still think the score is terrific. My favourite additions to the score were "When Willy Met Oompa" and "The View From Here". "When Willy Met Oompa" was so strange and wacky, but I adored it! It had me in stitches. "The View From Here" has taken the place of the song "Pure Imagination" and I'm quite happy with that change, as I think that "The View From Here" is a beautiful song and excellently performed. The removals I was unhappy with were "Almost Nearly Perfect", "The Amazing Tale of Mr. Willy Wonka" and "Simply Second Nature". The biggest loss out of those was "Simply Second Nature" as I really relate to that song and I usually find it to be a large highlight of the show. Christian Borle was the perfect choice for Willy Wonka and he truly does the role justice. Christian's Wonka is bonkers and I loved it! Performing as Charlie Bucket at the performance I visited was Jake Ryan Flynn, who was brilliant. I would even say that he was better than the majority of Charlie actors I have seen in the past. He is extremely talented and has a bright future ahead! Other cast members that stood out were John Rubinstein as Grandpa Joe, Emily Padgett as Mrs. Bucket, Ben Crawford as Mr. Salt, Michael Wartella as Mike Teavee, Emma Pfaeffle as Veruca Salt, Trista Dollison as Violet Beauregarde and F. Michael Haynie as Augustus Gloop. I've read online that there a large number of people that take issue with adults being in child roles, however I personally did not have an issue with this and was able to easily suspend disbelief. I assume this was because the adult actors that were playing the children were so good. The costume and lighting design were both great and definitely deserve a mention. Now for the main reason this production is not as good as it was when it was in London... the set design. When taking the show to Broadway, they had a fresh new start to try and make the show even better than it was in England, but the set design lets it down. In London, the sets are gigantic. They would probably be my choice for the best set design in any show I have ever seen. However, the Broadway sets were extremely downscaled, to the point where there was just no comparison. I understand the stage is much smaller, but more effort could have been put into it. My only other fault for this production of Charlie is that I wasn't a big fan of the ending. For the London production, the show had quite a nice ending, with Charlie bringing his family to the factory for the first time, followed by Willy Wonka appearing one last time, by himself, to say goodbye to his glorious factory. None of that happens here and the show ends a little abruptly. Nevertheless, I still really enjoyed myself at this show!

The featured star of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is, drum roll please... CHRISTIAN BORLE!

I had seen Christian in Something Rotten as William Shakespeare three times, and all three times he was amazing. I remember being really excited for him to play Willy Wonka, as I knew it was a role he would be great at. He certainly was great; the casting directors made a very wise decision. He's a stunning actor, a stunning singer, has great comic timing and even looks the part!

Now for my final verdict of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I give Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is quite close to a four star, but I have chosen three stars on the grounds that the set design was a little weak. However, it's still a fabulous show and provides a lot of fun!

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

Review: Hamilton (Chicago)

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Hamilton.
When planning my Chicago trip, the idea of seeing Hamilton there was thrilling, but tickets were so expensive so it looked a little unlikely. My Mum and I had a search online for tickets and we found some rear circle tickets that were fairly well priced (when I say that, I mean as fairly well priced as a Hamilton ticket can be) so we went for it! I saw the original Broadway cast of Hamilton in December 2015, and then saw the new cast on Broadway in April 2017, so to see a production of Hamilton that wasn't Broadway was so exciting. Seeing Hamilton in Chicago was just as magical as it was when I first saw the show in December 2015, and it was even better than the second time I saw it on Broadway. As I've said in my previous reviews, the choreography in Hamilton is the best I have ever seen. The choreography itself tells a story; even if the characters were not speaking, the audience would still be able to follow the story through this mesmerising choreography. The choreography is like nothing else I have ever seen onstage, it is extremely special. When I first saw the set of Hamilton, I liked it, but did not think much of it at the time. However, having seen Hamilton twice since then, I am beginning to like the set design more and more, which I believe is due to the reason that I have now noticed much more of the set. Similar to the shows choreography, the lighting design in Hamilton is the best I have witnessed at any show. I have never seen so much thought and effort go into the lighting design. The costumes are perfect, and as I said in my review of Hamilton in 2015, my favourite costume is King George's. The orchestrations were one particular aspect of the show which had not jumped out at me as being noteworthy previously, however seeing it this time the orchestrations seemed mesmerising. I could hear every single instrument, to the point where it seemed like I could feel the music. This could be due to the theatre having a great sound design. Hamilton consists of my favourite score ever written for musical theatre, and I will admit to knowing every word in the show. The lyrics are extremely well written and are like no other. It is clear that a lot of thought and effort went into the lyrics. Now onto the part of Hamilton that can either make or break a show... the cast!

Joseph Morales as Alexander Hamilton (Alternate)
The two previous portrayals of Hamilton that I had seen were Lin-Manuel Miranda and Javier Muñoz. They were extremely different from each other, with Lin's being a cocky and ambitious freedom fighter and Javier being a man of honour. As much as I liked Javier's portrayal, I struggled with it a little bit, as it was hard to get used to the role being played so differently. Luckily though, I did not have that problem at all with Joseph, I loved his portrayal of Hamilton! He played every stage of Hamilton's life perfectly and you could see the progression of Hamilton throughout the show very clearly. Joseph plays Hamilton with a lot passion and very convincingly. In addition to this, he was phenomenal in both rapping and singing. He really was a great Hamilton!

Daniel Breaker Aaron Burr
The two previous Burr's I had seen were Leslie Odom, Jr. (who won a Tony for the role) and Brandon Victor Dixon. Burr is an extremely difficult role and a lot is needed from the actor that portrays him. Daniel Breaker was the best Aaron Burr I have ever seen. He combined the best aspects of Leslie and Brandon, and in addition added a lot of his own abilities to make the role his own. Daniel nailed the comedic parts of the role and definitely had the best coming timing out of the three Burr's I had seen. His strongest point within the show is at the end of "The World Was Wide Enough", which was when I felt sympathy for him like no other Burr. Burr commits murder, and yet somehow I still felt so bad for the character. It gave me chills. If that wasn't enough, he has a wonderful voice, which is largely displayed during "Dear Theodosia". Seriously, this was a performance for the age.

Ari Afsar as Eliza Hamilton
Both Eliza's I had previously seen in the role (Phillipa Soo and Elizabeth Judd) have been excellent and I am glad to say Ari was also excellent. Ari has a stunning voice and a great stage presence. Her performance could not be faulted; she was a great Eliza!

Jonathan Kirkland as George Washington
Jonathan gave a great portrayal of George Washington. Every Washington I've seen in the show has been great and luckily Jonathan did not let the team down. Jonathan is extremely tall, which was very effective as it gave the character a high status and showed that he was an important figure. He had a powerful voice and sung like no other. It was a wonderful performance!

Aubin Wise as Angelica Schuyler (Understudy)
Karen Olivio (the original Angelica in Chicago) had just left the show a few days ago, but understudy Aubin Wise did not disappoint! She was just as good as Renée Elise Goldsberry (original Broadway cast members) and even better than Mandy Gonzalez (current Angelica on Broadway). Aubin had a large command of the stage and came across as being very powerful, exactly what Angelica needs to be and what I felt was missing from Mandy's performance. Aubin would be more than good enough to play the role full time!

Chris De'Sean Lee as Marquis de Lafayette / Thomas Jefferson 
Chris was very good in both roles, however I am still struggling to have anyone in those roles who isn't Daveed Diggs (original Broadway cast member). Daveed was phenomenal in these roles and it was like the roles were written for him, so he is very hard to match. Having said that, Chris certainly did a good enough job with both roles, as opposed to Seth Stewart (replacement on Broadway) who had a good Thomas Jefferson but struggled with Lafayette.

José Ramos as John Laurens / Philip Hamilton
José acted and sung both roles exceptionally well. This dual role requires a vast amount of versatility from the actor, and José certainly has this quality. The moment of his performance which is the real stunner is Phillip's final scene, where he plays the role with heartbreaking vulnerability.

Wallace Smith as Hercules Mulligan / James Madison
Wallace is good as Hercules Mulligan, but he truly comes into his element when he portrays James Madison. James Madison has limited stage time, but Wallace delivered the lines of Madison hilariously and had impeccable comic timing. I would even go as far to say that he was my favourite James Madison.

Samantha Marie Ware as Peggy Schuyler / Maria Reynolds
Samantha played Peggy quite differently to how I've previously seen the role, but was still good and certainly left an impression, despite limited stage time. The highlight of her performance though, is her portrayal of Mario Reynolds. Her version of Maria Reynolds seemed to be quite manipulative, something which I thought worked very well for the role.

Alexander Gemignani as King George III
Alexander does have a good voice, however he doesn't quite match up to the two previous King's I have seen (Jonathan Groff and Taran Killam). The King generally seems to work better if it is portrayed as being quite camp, but this wasn't how Alexander chose to play it. Alexander was by no means bad, however I just preferred the performances given by Jonathan and Taran.

In summary, the sit down production of Hamilton in Chicago is a stunner. If anyone is thinking of seeing Hamilton, I would urge them to see this production instead of the current Broadway production. Not only is it much cheaper to see it in Chicago, but it is also much better!

The featured star of Hamilton is, drum roll please... DANIEL BREAKER!

This is a cast full of extraordinary talented actors, but this decision came easily. Whilst in America I saw 14 shows, and in all 14 shows I did not see another performance like Daniel's. This is an outstanding and phenomenal performance; I doubt I will ever see another Burr like Daniel's. Daniel left the Chicago company of Hamilton yesterday, but will be joining the show in New York in a weeks time, so anyone seeing his performance on Broadway is in for a treat!

Now for my final verdict on Hamilton. I give Hamilton...

This rating is obvious; I think my review gives enough explanation as to why this is a 5 star!

Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

Review: Idina 2017 World Tour

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Idina 2017 World Tour.
Whilst in Chicago, I spotted that Idina Menzel would be performing, for one night only, at the Chicago Theatre. I had seen Idina in If/Then whilst is was on Broadway and thought she was a terrific performer, so I thought this could be quite interesting. It also appealed to my Mum a lot, so we  got some tickets and saw her concert. The performance was very enjoyable and Idina, along with back-up singers and a fantastic orchestra, put on a really fun show with a large amount of good songs. Idina entered the stage and the first thing she said was "Hello Detroit!", before immediately dropping to the floor in embarrassment, realising that this was Chicago. She told the audience that she would spend the next two hours making it up to the audience, which she certainly did. Idina was brilliant. She provided us with some beautiful vocal performances, with songs from Frozen, Rent and Wicked. Idina is a great performer and entertainer; to keep an audience engaged for a whole two hours is a very hard task, but she pulls it off. All the songs were great, but I personally think that the highlights were: "Seasons of Love" from Rent, "I'm Not That Girl" and "Defying Gravity" from Wicked, "Perfect Story" from her album named "Idina", "Wind Beneath My Wings" from the film Beaches, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel and last but not least "Let It Go" from Frozen.
 I enjoyed her music a lot and I will most likely have a listen to her new album when I have some free time. The orchestrations were great, with the pianist and the drummer standing out. Sometimes in a large theatre, such as the Chicago Theatre, the sound design is not so good, however on this occasion the sound design was great and I could hear every word perfectly, despite being in the circle. The sound was very well amplified. I really liked the way Idina connected with the audience and made everybody feel included and a part of the show. She interacted with the audience often, and even invited certain fans to take selfies with her during the show. One particular moment of audience participation that was great, was that when she performed "Let It Go", she invited younger children onto the stage with her to sing the song alongside her. All in all, this was a truly brilliant performance. It's a concert I would highly recommend to any musical theatre fans, Frozen fans, or simply Idina Menzel fans!

Now for my final verdict on Idina 2017 World Tour. I give Idina 2017 World Tour...

My rating of 4 stars was easy. It's not something I would give 5 stars to, but it's miles ahead of a 3 star. I have only been to one or two concerts in the past, so this was a great experience!

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

Review: An American in Paris (US Tour)

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of An American in Paris.
I had seen An American in Paris on Broadway, and I was planning to see it again in London, so I did not originally intend on seeing the US Tour of An American in Paris during my time in Chicago. However, just by pure coincidence, my hotel was right next door to the Oriental Theatre. I decided to just go to the theatre and enquire about tickets, and I found out that $25 rush tickets were available. How could I refuse?
I adored the show on Broadway, and I know from experience that tours are usually very downscales, so I was a little wary that it would not be as good. I am over the moon to report that this tour is just as good as the Broadway show, and I enjoyed myself even more second time around! There were no major changes that lessened the show and some of the cast members were even better than the Broadway cast I saw! The highlight of An American in Paris is the choreography. In my eyes, An American in Paris is the second best choreographed show I have ever seen (my personal number one favourite for choreography is Hamilton). The choreography is stunning from beginning to end and it is what makes the show as mesmerising as it is. The score of An American in Paris is very special. I have had the cast album of the show since I saw it on Broadway last August and it is one of my favourites to listen to. My personal favourites from the score are " 'S wonderful" and "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise". Sara Esty, who portrays Lise Dassin, reminded me so much of Leanne Cope, the original Lise. Sara sounds and looks like Leanne; they could be twins! Sara's dancing is utter perfection and cannot be faulted in any way. She also has a beautiful singing voice and is a fantastic actress; a triple threat! The role of Jerry Mulligan is currently being portrayed by McGee Maddox, and he is also a phenomenal dancer and singer. He seemed to be very suited to the role. In the role of Adam Hochberg is Etai Benson. I felt that I understood the character of Adam more than I did when I saw it on Broadway. This time around, I picked up on the troubles Adam was facing after being a solider at war, and therefore I felt more sympathetic towards the character. Nick Spangler is in the role of Henri Baurel, and I actually preferred his portrayal to Max Von Essen's, who performed the role on Broadway. Nick made the characters emotions and motivations clearer, which made him more relatable and likeable. He also reminded me of a young David Hyde Pierce. As I mentioned earlier, after a show has been on Broadway and begins to tour, it general becomes very downscaled. However, An American in Paris seems to be an exception, as it still excels in set, lighting and costume design, which was a very pleasant surprise. This is an absolutely marvellous production and I urge all to go and see it if you have the chance. An American in Paris is going to several other locations throughout 2017 and 2018, so make sure to take a look on your website, as anyone who sees this is on for a real treat.

The featured star of An American in Paris is, drum roll please... SARA ESTY!

All cast members are amazing, but Sara's performance is something very special. It can be very rare nowadays to find a triple threat (amazing at acting, singing and dancing) and that's what makes Sara's performance so unique. I would be very interested to see which show Sara joins next, as any show would be very lucky to have her.

Now for my final verdict on An American in Paris. I give An American in Paris...

I haven't given any show 5 stars since April, so I think my rating speaks for itself. This is one of the best shows around at this moment in time; I adore it! Everything in the show is absolutely perfect and there are no flaws whatsoever!

Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

Review: Spamilton

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Spamilton.
Before heading to the Windy City of Chicago, I had a long search online to look up what was happening on the Chicago Theatre scene during the few days I was on holiday there. Being the Hamilfan I am, Spamilton was very appealing to me. I went to the Royal George Theatre to see what the ticket situation was like and I was able to get a student rush ticket, so I saw Spamilton on my first night in Chicago. It was also a good time to see it, considering I was seeing Hamilton 4 days later. Spamilton is an extremely well written show and is fantastically witty. Spamilton takes on a large amount of musicals (including Hamilton, Gypsy, Chicago, The King and I, Assassins, Camelot, The Book of Mormon and Sweeney Todd), but re-writes the lyrics to add humour and to make them revolve around Hamilton and its original Broadway cast. An example of this would be, the show features the song 'Finishing the Hat' (from Sunday in the Park with George), but changes the song to make it 'Finishing the Rap'. The lyrics that feature in Spamilton are the cleverest I have seen in quite a while. In my spare time, I love searching up musical theatre songs that have been re-written for humour, so this made Spamilton ideal for me. Spamilton is performed by a cast consisting of Yando Lopez, Eric Andrew Lewis, Becca Brown, Donterrio Johnson, David Robbins and Adam LaSalle. The cast are truly outstanding. They provide non-stop laughs, and if that wasn't enough, they all have phenomenal singing voices. They're voices were so good, that I would even say that they are better singers than some actors I have seen in the West End and on Broadway. This cast of seven gelled very well with each other and all complimented each other's talents nicely. Every single one of them brings a very special quality to the show. The Royal George Theatre had a very small stage and therefore no real set, except for a poster saying 'Spamilton'. This means the actors have to work extra-hard to transport you to their world, which they did excellently. Spamilton has a fairly small budget, which the cast mention themselves during the opening song, so I went in not expecting too much from any of the design aspects. However, to my surprise, the costumes were brilliant. They were very detailed and fantastically designed, so that was an extremely pleasant surprise. I had the time of my life at Spamilton and would urge all theatre fans, whether you live in New York or Chicago, to go and see Spamilton. It is a must-see for all theatre fans!

The featured star of Spamilton is, drum roll please... BECCA BROWN!

All 7 actors in Spamilton was very, very talented, so this was always going to be a hard one to choose. However, having seen Spamilton a week and a half ago, the actor who is the most memorable is Becca. She has to play a total of 12 characters, more than any other actor in the show. Despite this, all 12 characters felt very unique and each character she brought in was hilarious. In addition, she definitely has the strongest voice within the cast. Maybe Becca will join Hamilton someday!

Now for my final verdict on Spamilton. I give Spamilton...

Spamilton is a definitive 4 star; a good show which I would highly recommend!

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below. 

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

Review: The King and I

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of The King and I.
The King and I is an old classic; almost all the theatre fans that I know have seen the show. It was something I had always had an interest in seeing, but the only production playing in the past few years was on Broadway and I always seemed to run out of time in New York before I could see it. I did see the film last Christmas and really liked it. I was delighted when I saw it was playing at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during my Washington D.C. trip, and as I'm sure you can imagine, I was really excited to go and see it. I loved the majority of the performances, the score, storyline and costumes, however I do feel this production was in the wrong venue. The best thing about this production is Laura Michelle Kelly as Anna Leonownes, who gives an award worthy performance. She was the driving force behind the show from beginning to end, remaining flawless throughout. Laura has a beautiful voice and was the perfect choice for Anna. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the show as much as I did without her performance. Other cast members who stood out were Jose Llana as the King of Siam, Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang, Anthony Chan as Prince Chulalongkorn and Brian Rivera as Kralahome. They all gave outstanding performances, of which I enjoyed watching. The score of The King and I, despite being 66 years old, does not come across as being dated and still comes across as being delightful. My personal favourite songs from this Rogers and Hammerstein score were 'Getting to Know You' and 'Shall We Dance?'. The story of The King and I, Anna Leonowens, a widowed governess with a young son, who is sent to Siam to tutor the young children of the King of Siam. She ends up having a large influence on the royal family and helps to form the next monarch. It's a truly heart warming tale and shortly after seeing the show I found out, to my surprise, that it was based off of a true story. The costumes were excellently designed for all characters. They were very authentic for 1862, the year the show takes set in, and helped to transport the audience to this time period. As much as I loved all of these aspects, there were a few faults to this production, which may mainly be due to the venue the show was playing in. The show is at the John F. Kennedy Centre of Performing Arts Opera House, filled with 2,300 seats. This is a huge theatre, and I personally feel the show would have benefited from playing in a smaller theatre. As a result of the venue, the sound design did not work so well. Originally, it was a little too quiet and it could be difficult to hear the performers during certain scenes. However, I think they realised the error, but the sound design got worse and the performers were echoing. Hopefully the sound design has been sorted out since that performance. The lighting design also became an issue from time to time, which could have been because of the large venue as well. I have been told that the set design has been largely downscaled from the original Broadway production, however I question whether it has been downscaled too much. The set design  seemed too plain, and may have been nicer if it had more detail to it. My only other criticism for this production was the accent of the child who plays Louis Leonowens. The accent is supposed to be English, but being an English native I can tell you for sure that this was not an English accent. This could be the fault of the dialect coach, so I hope that the dialect coach is able to rectify this mistake for the rest of the tour. Despite these flaws, nothing can take away the fact that this is a marvellous show. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and recommend it to those who live near a theatre where this is playing.

The featured star of The King and I is, drum roll please... LAURA MICHELLE KELLY!

I cannot think of anybody better for the role of Anna. Laura Michelle Kelly is the perfect fit for the role; her performance cannot be faulted in any way. I hope to see Laura in more shows in the future.

Now for my final verdict on The King and I. I give The King and I...

I wanted to give this 4 stars, as it's such a great show, but with the few design flaws I had a very tough decision to make. I decided to go with 3 stars, but if I did half stars this would receive 3 and a half!

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer

Review: Wig Out

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Wig Out.
In Washington D.C. we were fairly limited with choice for theatre shows to see, so I had a long look on several sites to see what theatre was playing and I thought Wig Out looked quite interesting. Wig Out was playing at the Studio Theatre, which was a very interesting theatre due to it being a very trendy place. Sadly though, the show itself was a let down. Whilst I enjoyed the majority of the performances, I did not care for the storyline. The show follows many storylines, but the majority of the show revolves around a competition to become the 'House Mother' of the 'House of Light'. There are parts of the show where the storyline picks up, but then it goes back to the competition to be the 'House Mother' and effectively becomes a drag show. The competition ends with no major impact on any of the characters, which made it seem like the show had an anti-climactic ending. It just seemed to be a little all over the place; there were so many different storylines to follow and there was a lot of it that just did not make sense. Wig Out has a specific target audience (mainly LGBTQ, but also African American drag ball culture) and I personally believe that a major reason I did not love the show as much as others in the audience was because I am not a part of the target audience. I suppose I would say this show was "not my cup of tea". I hate to be so negative, but another critics I have for the show is that I was not a fan of the choice to have characters narrate their actions. I could see what was happening onstage, so I just felt that the narration was really unnecessary and quickly became annoying. Luckily though, there were still some good features of Wig Out. For example, there were some excellent performances, with Michael Rishawn as Wilson, Jaysen Wright as Eric, Edwin Brown III as Venus, Desmond Bing as Deity and Jamyl Dobson as Rey-Rey standing out. They all had brilliant characterisations and physicality. There are parts of the show which are good, specifically the middle of act one. There were parts where the writing picked up and became very interesting, but sadly every time that happened, it seemed to go downhill again. My favourite storyline to follow was the relationship between Wilson and Eric. I was rooting for both characters and I would have been more than happy with the whole show revolving around the two of them. The set design and lighting design were both very effective and I thought that they worked very well. I am pleased to say that not all was bad, but I just do not think this show was for me. I hate being so negative, but there will always be the odd show here and there that isn't as likeable as others.

The featured star of Wig Out is, drum roll please... EDWIN BROWN III!

This decision didn't come to me that easily. The 5 actors that I mentioned earlier in this review were all exceptional and it was very hard to choose a favourite. In the end, I was able to whittle it down to two actors: Edwin Brown III and Michael Rishawn. I went back and forth on the choice, but in the end I chose Edwin. The show didn't really appeal to my sense of humour, but I found Edwin hilarious! His comic timing was perfect and I enjoyed following Venus's storyline. In addition to this, his physicality was very good.

Now for my final verdict on Wig Out. I give Wig Out...

There are parts of the show that deserve 3 stars, but on the other hand there are parts of the show which are on the side of 1 star. I would feel too cruel giving Wig Out 1 star, because there are parts of it which are good and therefore I award Wig Out 2 stars.

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer