Friday, November 2, 2018

Allelujah! yes 3 cheers for the new play


https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/alan-bennett-
allelujah-first-look-photos-released_47106.html#&gid=1&pid=2
The choreographer, Arlene Phillips, assured us that she was told her dance troupe could dance, even though they were actors in their 70's and 80's.  This did not turn out to be the truth and she began at square one, teaching them how to use their bodies to give us the kind of show I saw.
Yours 'til the stars lose their glory / Yours 'til the birds fail to sing / Yours to the end of our life's story / This pledge to you dear, I bring...
I had a fantastic evening at Alan Bennett's new play Allelujah!

I was warmed up to the play, having looked forward to it for a number of weeks, so when the first of marvellous jokes began to tumble off of the stage and into the audience, I was already laughing out loud.

But that was nothing compared to hearing the laughter in my voice when the second act began with the people in the Beth Hospital doing either jitter-bug or jive, all partnered up and doing the steps that I remember so well from the 50's.

That clip deserves to go down in history with the famous Gene Kelly scene in Singing in the Rain.

The other amazing fun-fact is that when writing the play, Alan Bennet only wrote in the manuscript "choir sings".  So the musician in the creative team got to work with a selection of old tunes, many of which I could sing part of, some of which I could sing all of, and a few of which I could not sing at all.

The show begins its music with "Yours 'til the stars lose their glory ..." 

I think that tune must have come from my mother and dad's time.

If the show gets an encore in a city near you, it is well worth seeing.

I should have been prepared for a few salty tears to roll down my cheeks.

And why didn't I think that I might also writhe in pain a little -- seeing people grow old sucks.

Arta

No comments:

Post a Comment

If you are using a Mac, you cannot comment using Safari. Google Chrome, Explorer or Foxfire seem to work.