'Roadshow' at the Choccy Factory

We went to see 'Roadshow', the new Stephen Sondheim musical, at the Menier Chocolate Factory the other night. I've never heard it before and (obviously) haven't seen it, so I had no idea what to expect.

It's based on the true tale of the two Mizner brothers striking it rich in Alaska in the early part of the 20th Century and who then go their own way. Each has adventures and both have good and bad luck before meeting up again later when one of them is a famous architect to build and sell a city in Florida. Which obviously doesn't happen. And then they die (sorry to give away the ending, except it's not the end).

Anything new from Sondheim is worth a listen and any new production of Sondheim at the Choccy Factory is worth a gawp - both 'Sunday In The Park With George' and 'A Little Night Music' started off at the Factory before transferring into the West End and then to Broadway, so there's good history there. Whether this will do the same or not, I don't know, but it's certainly a warm and engaging production and cast.

David Bedella and Michael Jibson make engaging brothers, good voices, acting and stage presence. I also liked Gillian Bevan as the mother and Jon Robyns as the lover of Addison Mizner. The rest of the cast play multiple parts and act as the chorus. It's an enjoyable romp through the lives of two brothers in the get-rich-quick era of the gold rush and expansion, but it has it's tender moments, such as the gay love song of 'The Best Thing That Has Ever Happened' and the love-hate relationship of the brothers.

My favourite bits of the show (showing how shallow I can be) is when the brothers or, in some cases the cast, throw money into the air to see it flutter down and gradually cover the stage and the first few rows of the audience (that included me). It's a lovely motif and, of course, it wasn't real money, but I nicked a few stage dollars anyway. I'm thinking of seeing it again...