From the dazzling spectacle of Moulin Rouge at Manchester Palace to the heartfelt passion of NK Theatre Arts’ Little Shop of Horrors, Ian Cheeseman discovers the tireless teams behind the curtain whose unseen craft makes the magic of live theatre possible.
What an amazing peek behind the curtain of Musical Theatre I had this week!
First, I went to the Palace Theatre in Manchester for an afternoon of Get Theatrical: Behind the Curtain of Moulin Rouge. The event was pitched at those who dream of working in the unsung professional roles behind the scenes.
That same evening, I was watching the dress rehearsal of NK Theatre Arts of Romiley as they had their final run-through, in show week, of Little Shop of Horrors.
Before I go into more detail, the big thing I learned was just how much passion- and how many people – it takes to put a show together. We might see as many as 20–30 actors on stage during the bigger shows, but there are just as many, if not more, without whom there would be no show.
At the Palace, after a spectacular song from Moulin Rouge to open up, we were introduced to representatives from stage management, automation, lighting, sound, wardrobe, wigs and makeup.
They told us, in detail, about their roles, and my head started to spin as I listened to their fascinating insights and watched their demonstrations. It was an initiative by Global Creatures, and there were lots of young, eager faces in the audience keen to gain any knowledge they could from the experience.
I noticed a couple of performers in the stalls who I’ve previously seen in amateur shows. I’m sure they will have learned a lot—I certainly did. I hope there are more opportunities for these kinds of events in the future. Well done, Manchester Palace. It made me want to go and see the full Moulin Rouge show again, which is, without doubt, one of the best there is.
Later that day, I was allowed to sit in the Romiley Forum Theatre as NK Theatre Arts had their dress rehearsal for Little Shop of Horrors. I’ve seen the show quite a few times, but watching their last full run-through, before show week, was really special.
The performance started a little late, so a few technicalities could be sorted out, and during the interval there were second run-throughs of a couple of the dances. There was a little creative tension when the choreographer insisted the second act couldn’t resume until the glitches in her dance sections were ironed out. The director just wanted to get on with the show. They both cared so much about what they were trying to achieve – together.
A couple of the microphones had flat batteries, which wouldn’t have happened at the Palace, even in a rehearsal. But then, NK Theatre Arts don’t have a huge army of professionals checking every detail. It’ll certainly be alright on the night, I know that for sure. What Little Shop of Horrors did have, though, was bags of enthusiasm and a very talented cast.
Poppy Priest as Audrey sang and acted beautifully, and her duet with Callum Stretton as Seymour, in Suddenly Seymour, would have been outstanding with or without microphones.
John Redfern, as the voice of the plant, and Isobel McConnell, as the operator of the ever-growing monster, threatened to steal the show.
Now that I’ve had that extra insight into what goes on behind the scenes, I’m full of admiration for the things I didn’t see. Their names are unknown to me and I won’t be asking for their autographs at stage door, but I love them all. Thank you!
There’s nothing like live theatre. It’s electrifying and exciting in a way TV and film can never be. Barry Manilow once sang a song called God Bless the Other 99, about those who fail at auditions, without whom the stars might not shine. I say: God bless all those hardworking perfectionists who fulfil the roles that help those stars on stage shine.
Little Shop of Horrors by NK Theatre Arts is at Romiley Forum until Saturday 27th September—go and see it if you can. It’s a brilliant show, one of my favourites. And Moulin Rouge is at Manchester Palace until Saturday 4th October.