One of our highlights of this year came around eight months ago when we were invited to be a guest judge in the latest season of The King’s Royal Variety Show (which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2024/03/25/kings-final-production-review/) which was a weekly talent search-style competition eventually won by the brilliant Carrie Sauce. It was at the aforementioned Variety show where I was first introduced to the Scottish-born Chloe Von Schuss. Throughout the entire competition, Chloe Von Schuss (who we were lucky enough to interview on our YouTube channel which you can watch at https://youtu.be/_rtqD4Gq9RY?si=9Mf2ySIgU18cnZCJ) dazzled her way to the final four with her love of camp, musicals theatre classics from productions such as Carrie and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. This is why it came as no surprise when I discovered that Thomas (aka as Chloe) is the flag bearer for a brand new musical theatre company in Cardiff called Unexpected Productions. As I was first introduced to this emerging company via Thomas/Chloe I thought it made perfect sense to open the entire show with a rendition of “Pure Imagination” from Gene Wilder as not only were the vocals a treat for the ears but also helped to build the excitement from the audience as to what they will see throughout the rest of the show. For those who don’t know, this number was made popular by Gene Wilder during his role as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Thomas’ natural showmanship made him a perfect cast for this role even if it was just for this singular number!
One of the greatest attributes of this show (and by association Unexpected Productions) was the cast and crew’s ability to transform the intimate stage above the docks conservation club to pay homage to some of the most iconic musicals to ever exist! From clever use of props, choreography, amazing costumes and even lighting effects the team were able to offer a fast-paced tour through iconic musicals. It was very impressive to see what the cast and crew were able to do with a compact stage and I for one cannot wait to see what they are able to do with an official stage in their upcoming show A Magical Musical Christmas at the University of South Wales coming soon!
Those who know me in real life will know that just performing Christmas I made my directorial/choreographical/producer debut in a school production of Beauty and the Beast and so I know first-hand how difficult putting this show together truly especially, especially when trying to put together some of the more iconic costumes from the show. However, unexpected productions did not seem fazed in the slightest as they showcased a series of the most well-known numbers from this Disney classic. The team behind Blast to the Past also decided to take on one of the most spectacular numbers in the show “Be Our Guest” and despite only having a cast of six people and a compact stage they were able to put together a wonderful, whole-cast,l dance-heavy number complete with amazing vocals throughout. One of my highlights during this production was the incredible Alex Biscoe who took on the role of the iconic Mrs Potts who helped to spearhead the performance perfectly! Staying within the the world of Beauty and the Beast but at an almost totally contrast to the cast-inclusive dance spectacular, the next performance came from the incredible Jack Cunningham who took on the role of the prince to deliver the moving “Evermore.” This was a wonderful performance of the powerful song which stripped back all the theatrics of the early Beauty and the Beast number to force the audience to focus on the incredible vibrato being showcased throughout.
One of the musicals that I believe does not get the attention it deserves is the eccentric Suessical which is a madcap adventure through some of Dr Suess’ most iconic characters and so I was very excited when Unexpected Productions decided to pay homage to this wonderful musical. Both Jack Cunningham and Alex Biscoe (as Horton and Gertrude mcFuzz respectively) captured the innocence of their characters flawlessly as they took to the stage to deliver the adorable “Notice me, Horton.” The two voices worked perfectly together as they showcased an array of beautiful harmonies throughout the number which on top of the characterisations made for a highly entertaining performance! The entire cast decided to bring an end to the first act of this production with a beautiful rendition of the Anne classic “Tomorrow” as every single person flooded to the stage to deliver this iconic number. I personally thought that this was the perfect way to bring an end to the first act as it left the audience feeling positive and excited to see what the second act could bring. This cast clearly made a conscious effort to make sure the audience left feeling excited for the rest of the show as they clearly worked hard to showcase a wonderful selection of harmonies throughout the number.
A little fact many people are not aware about me is that one of the last musicals I performed in was Hairspray where I played Brad from the corny Collins show. This is why it was very exciting when I discovered that the cast of unexpected productions decided to open the second act with a selection of songs from the aforementioned musical. I thought it was a very clever idea to open the second act with a rendition of “Good Morning Baltimore” from Hairspray as not only did Alex perform this number perfectly but it also made sense in terms of narrative as in the original musical this opens the entire show so having it open the second act shows a fantastic understanding of the purpose and feel of this number! This then transitioned into a performance of “Welcome to the Sixties” which was again a high-energy, whole-cast performance! This included the return of Thomas to the stage dressed as the iconic Edna in a classic outfit and resulted in a wonderful costume change with both Alex and Thomas in wonderful matching outfits! Thomas then proceeded to do a total transformation from the wonderfully camp Edna to the very meek and nerdy Seymour to give the audience a bit of “Suddenly Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors. Now I am not the biggest karaoke fan but I cannot count the number of times I have been dragged into the stage to attempt to sing this performance and I only hope that I sound even half as good as Thomas and Becca did during this performance. The two voices worked wonderfully together and it was clear they had fantastic chemistry both on and off stage. The highlight of this number however came towards the end of the act as Bella launched into a series of incredible riffs that were an absolute treat for the ears! It is clear that singing is where Bella is most comfortable as she was able to absolutely nail this deceivingly difficult song!
One of my favourite performances from the amazing Jack Cunningham however came towards the end of the second act as he paid homage to the dark and mysterious musical Jekyll and Hyde which is based on the gothic novel by Rober Stevenson. Jack decided to grace the stage in a torn-up shirt complete with blood splatters as he dramatical collapsed onto the stage to show the audience that this performance comes at a point in the musical when the tension is at an all-time high. He started by delivering an intense monologue as both Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde both with their own unique characterisation and vocalisations. The powerful performance ensured the audience was totally captivated from the very moment the actor stepped onto the stage as many had no idea what was about to come and the purposefully frenzied portrayal continually kept the tension in the air. The way this performer was able to flawlessly switch between the two different characters so easily was insanely impressive and showed how much of a talented actor they truly are!
Those who know me in real life will be aware that one of my all-time favourite musicals is the Rocky Horror Picture Show (which we most recently saw at New Theatre Cardiff which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2022/02/13/rocky-horror-production-review/) and so any event which celebrates the cult-classic movie instantly earns bonus points from me. The entire cast flooded to the stage as they launched into a rendition of the iconic Time warp which had many of the audience members up on their feet dancing along. This came at the perfect point in the show as people had just returned from the interval and so the energy in the room had naturally dropped a bit and this number helped to get everyone back ready for the second act. It was clear that the performers were having such a great time dancing to this iconic song which encouraged even more audience members to feel safe enough to dance along! Now from a musical I have seen at least twenty-five times to a show I actually know very little about. Having only seen excerpts of Bad Cinderella on TV shows celebrating musical theatre such All-stars musicals which you can read at https://www.westendbestfriend.co.uk/news/review-all-star-musicals-itv?format=amp) I did not know what to expect but if the production is anything like the performance we saw at Blast to the Past then it is absolutely a musical I need to listen to more! Spearheaded by the wonderful Alex Biscoe as bad Cinderella herself, this was another sequence that included a great amount of acting before the singing began. What was also particularly interesting about this number is the fact that Alex began the number sat amongst the audience (the only person of the night to do so) and so even before the acting could begin, the audience was totally focused and excited about what was about to happen. One of my highlights of this sequence however was the number “Only you, Lonely you” which again stripped back on the theatrics of the previous numbers to force the audience to focus on the amazing vocals being showcased! I have to say that my favourite sequence of the entire event came towards the end of the evening as the cast showcased a whirl-wind tour of the legendary Les Miserable (which we recently saw as the all-star concert version which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2019/12/10/les-miserables-all-star-concert-review/) This began with the incredible Haydeyn Biscoe take on the legendary “I dreamed a dream” which was absolutely amazing! I know if it was me being told that I would be taking on one of the most well-known songs to ever come from musical theatre I would have been absolutely terrified but Haydeyn did not seem fazed in the slightest as they delivered this beautiful performance!
Overall, the first Unexpected Productions showcase was a heartfelt love letter to musical theatre with each performer getting a chance to showcase their own talents as well as showing what they can do as a company. The team were able to transform the intimate stage above a pub to portray a plethora of iconic shows and so I cannot wait to see what they will do as the company grows. I would rate this production 4 out of 5 stars!
Rhysreviews 