cont... Act II starts with probably the clunkiest moment, Night Boat To Cairo, as Good Joe and Sarah arrive to marry in Las Vegas. If you've ever been to the Luxor Hotel, you'll know it's decked out like an Egyptian pyramid, with barges taking guests to their rooms, but it felt a bit contrived and corny, as if it was just written to shoehorn the song in. (Hey, might just be me)
Wings Of A Dove involves the whole cast as Good Joe and Sarah tie the knot in a Caribbean stylee, and as you'd expect it's a rollicking, colourful arrangement. However, it's probably the last foot-stompin' highlight for a while, as Joe's ordeal in prison/rise to glory is charted. There's also a sub-plot about Sarah's boss, sleazy Scot Cameron, and his attempts to woo her - with differing results in the Good Joe/Bad Joe storylines. -------------*BIG PLOT SPOILER*---------------- Basically, the story now revolves around 25 Casey Street, which is earmarked for demolition to make way for a new property development. And this is where the story takes a twist, as Bad Joe fights to save it and Good Joe, 'helped' by some thugs, puts cash before family and tries to trick his mum to move out, with tragic results. It's a neat idea. Most of the tale has been concerned with (supposedly) Bad Joe's decline - but in the end he does the right thing. 'Good' Joe turns out to be a greedy git who'd sell out his own mother. -------------*SPOILER OVER*--------------------- Highlights of the more sedate Act II include the second of the new numbers, the excellent Back In My Arms Again. I don't know how this will sound with Suggs/Carl at the mic instead of Sarah, but it's a damn fine ballad which could bring a tear to a glass eye. The reworking of White Heat into Margate is also surprising but welcome, as Joe's mum and dad reminisce about where and when they first fell in love on a holiday to the seaside. It's a twist on a Madness favourite that works. It Must Be Love and The Sun And The Rain pick the pace up, and the show ends with Our House, as each of the characters are re-introduced. For a West End show, it's certainly not the whizz-bang finale you might expect. However, afterwards we were told that the ending is still being worked on and a bigger climax can be expected in future. To sum up, I may be biased, but as a cynical old hack fearing the worst I was impressed. It's as slick as you'd expect from a multi-million pound West End production, and there are certainly a few wrinkles to iron out - particularly in Act II - but I'd certainly go and see it again. They've obviously treated the Mad material with a great deal of respect, and any changes in lyrics/arrangement are for the benefit of the show, without detracting from the songs. And to hear 40 people singing and dancing on a West End stage to Our House, Baggy Trousers and Wings Of a Dove is something to behold, I promise. There aren't may laugh-out loud moments, although the brief mickey-takes of Titanic and Chitty-Chitty Bang bang went down well (I'm sure there were more - anyone?). But one thing that is impressive is the scenery and backdrops which are very inventive - Chelsea Bridge, schools, chemists, terraced houses, prisons, all drop in and slide away as the story rattles on. The shots of Primrose Hill, clouds scudding across the sky and THAT rollercaoster all stick in the mind too. Clever stuff. ______________________________________________________________ Visit the Total Madness Mailing List website for: news, members section, madmeet info, list charter, competitions, & more... http://www.madness7.com Contact the TMML Moderators at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and in the message body put: unsubscribe total-madness
