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Wildgoose
A band you really cannot miss are WILDGOOSE, who are
3 lads from the Coalville area. Their last gig at the
West End club showed what talent they have. The set
started with an old favourite, Fast Car; a hard, rocking
number with some very original words. This was closely
followed by another of their self-penned pieces, Vampire
(featured on the BBC/Talent jukebox)again a song with
some excellent drum work, and clever lyrics. The band
did the usual covers; giving them all their own unique
touches - I particularly liked 'Every Rose has it's
thorns' - almost better then the original! Their next
big gig is at Pride Park in Derby, for the Jubilee Celebrations
in the summer. If you get chance, go and see this very
talented trio; Joel Wildgoose (lead guitar/singer) Steve
Tanner (Bass guitar/singer) and Chris Bentley (drums),
I guarantee you will enjoy every minute, and come out
stone deaf!!!!
Lynne Tanner
Coalville, Leicester
Rent - The Musical
Well
... what can I say about RENT The Musical that hasn't
been said a million times before? Not a lot, but all
I can give my verdict on the musical.
I don't know how other people who have seen RENT reacted
to it, but all I can say is that June 23rd was a truly
magnificent day for me ... the best day of my life.
I could never have imagined it would have been so spectacular.
I had an idea, from reading rave reviews and visiting
various Rent websites what it was about, and I must
admit, I wasn't really sure how I would take to it as
it deals with so many powerful issues such as AIDS,
rent riots and homelessness. But, after the first 10
minutes, I knew I was going to witness something special
... something I have never witnessed before.
As I settled down into my seat, I had no idea what my
eyes were going to witness. Here, my journey had began,
and I was planning to enjoy every single moment...
The first character to appear on the amazingly designed
set was Roger Davis (Damien Flood) accompanied by a
prop - a guitar. His arrival was followed by the eagerly
awaited appearance of Mark Cohen, of course, ex-Coronation
Street-come-pop star Adam Rickitt.
I personally was extremely excited at the appearance
of Adam, as I have been a huge fan since his pop star
days, and, seeing someone of his status and incredible
good looks was breathe-taking. T
he most striking thing about the character that Adam
played, Mark Cohen, was that he obviously had training
to perfect his effective New York accent, which in my
opinion was utterly convincing and very endearing.
Clad in a diamond-patterned cream sweater and bright
orange trousers, complete with black-rimmed spectacles,
his entrance was nothing short of dazzling. I have to
admit as I'm not a theatregoer.
I wasn't familiar with any of the cast apart from Adam
Rickitt, but as I was drawn further into the musical
I realised what a group of talented artists they really
were. Their wonderful voices sent shivers down my spine
so powerful.
The main characters who's voices were particularly distinctive
were Roger Davis (Damien Flood) and Mini Marquez (Debbie
Kurup). Helen's York's performance of "Over The Moon"
was truly brilliant. Getting the audience (including
me!) to "Mooooooo" along with her was a unique touch
to the musical.
Although, having mentioned the powerful voices of Damien
and Debbie, and of course the rest of the cast, I have
to say that I was impressed with Adam Rickitt's performance.
Not that I thought he wouldn't be able to cut it as
Mark Cohen, but it was because he was a rookie at theatre.
The scale of songs in Rent ranged from rock, blues to
soul, gospel and even tango! Although every song in
Rent is excellent I have my personal favourites, and
those has to be Damien Flood's performance of "One Song
Glory", which was breathe-taking, "Seasons of Love",
Debbie and Damien's "Without You" and Adam and Damien's
performance of "What You Own".
I had an idea of the main themes and plot of Rent, yet
I found it difficult at occasions to understand some
of the things that was going on.
Having not read the programme before the performance,
that is the reason. Having single out certain cast members,
every single cast member of Rent have shown me that
they all have extreme talent, and from reading their
biographies, it goes to show by the amount of work in
theatre they have completed.
I am in full praise of Rent and the issues it dealt
with so magnificently and accurate. As I haven't been
to the theatre in a long while seeing this wonderfully
amazing musical has inspired me to visit the theatre
on a regular basis.
I'd recommend Rent - The Musical to everyone - Don't
be out off by the issues of the musical it is by no
means depressing - it's upbeat, with an amazing score
with a delightfully vibrant cast.
I could go on and on about Rent as there is a lot more
to say about the wonderful cast and the musical itself,
but quite frankly, it would take me a good while. After
seeing the cast in action, I know that they will go
a long way from here...
How would I sum up RENT in 5 words: Amazing, powerful,
breathe-taking, emotional and superb.
Stars out of ten: * * * * * * * * * * 10/10
Rebecca
Hannah Jones
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