(AD – PRESS NIGHT) BUGSY MALONE HULL REVIEW
HULL NEW THEATRE
TUESDAY 25TH OCTOBER 2022
*** 3/5
It’s a travesty that it’s taken me this long to see one of my favourite movie musicals on stage. The songs are so feel-good and whilst it’s not the most complex musical in the world, it’s a cutesy, upbeat show. Here’s a look at my Bugsy Malone Hull review from last night.
PRE-SHOW THOUGHTS
As I said above, I’ve never Bugsy Malone as a show on stage. Whilst my dad hates the show, it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. Sure, it’s not the best acting on show and it’s a bit cheesy but the songs are super catchy and it always puts you in a good mood afterward.
THE CAST
I’ll start by saying that I’m hoping I’ve got the right cast members. The company has told us that the Knuckles team was on for the younger cast members but I’ve no idea what that even means! UPDATE: It’s on their website!
I’ll start with Marcus Billany on as Bugsy Malone (1st cover). As a Cottingham native (just outside of Hull), it sounded like he had a lot of family and friends in the crowd. He had a star turn as Bugsy, showing maturity. He was such a polished performer. I just wish he had more chances to sing and dance because as shown in the finale, he was amazing!
However, the girls steal the show. Avive Savannah Williams as Blousey and Taziva-Faye Katsande as Tallulah are out-of-this-world talented, they literally carry the show. For kids, they really do seem mature and seasoned. Both had beautiful vocals and filled the stage in every scene they were in.
Charlie Burns as Fat Sam was hilarious and definitely personified the ‘big boss’ personality of his character. Ava Hope Smith as Lena/Babyface also had a star turn in her short time on stage. She’s as cute as a button!
Mohamed Bangura as Leroy was a real highlight too. Whilst he’s only introduced in the second act, his role is memorable and his acting and dancing are fantastic. Ellis Sutherland as Fizzy and Rayhaan Kufuor-Gray as Dandy Dan round out the kids’ cast. However, I struggled to hear them!
THE MUSIC
Let’s face it, the best part of Bugsy Malone is the score. Ordinary Fool remains one of the best musical theatre ballads (Williams’ rendition was beautiful but too short). Every song is catchy and you could hear people singing (not my favourite part).
I’ve always loved the music and the orchestra, led by Connagh Tonkinson as musical director, was phenomenal. They made a lot of beautiful noise (sometimes too loud) but I thought the music just filled the entire room.
THE PRODUCTION
I’ll start with the choreography. I knew it was Drew McOnie’s instantly. He’s incredible at putting his own twist on traditional theatre choreography. Every dance scene was spectacular. It just deserved a bigger stage and ensemble to make it even more dynamic. I was thrilled that the dance scenes were also extended because they were the real highlight.
My main issue was with the sound. Some microphones were really clear, others sounded muffled and some were incredibly difficult to hear. In fact, the smaller the performer, the worse the sound seemed to be.
I also wish there had been a trigger warning before the show. Of course, there were a lot of gun sounds because of the custard guns. However, there was also one scene with a tonne of strobe lighting. Whilst it didn’t affect me personally, many people around me were struggling to see. The scene went on for quite some time too.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Whilst the cast was great, I felt like the other production aspects were a little haphazard. The sound was a bit off, the set itself and scene transitions were a bit clunky and at times, everything felt a little high school production overall. Maybe it was first-night problems but it was still a good show.
Bugsy Malone will be on in Hull until Saturday 29th October before continuing on its UK tour into next year. If you enjoyed my Bugsy Malone Hull review, you can find more of my theatre reviews here. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more stagey adventures too.
