Paint Your Wagon - Everyman Liverpool

I saw the penultimate performance of the show's initial run on Saturday and after approaching it with very little idea of what to expect, I have to admit I hugely enjoyed it. Although the Everyman is local to me, this was actually the first time I'd been there. The whole place seemed a hive of activity and I was really impressed with the auditorium itself - not the biggest in terms of capacity, but a pretty large (trapdoor-filled) performance space nonetheless, with the audience seated in the round with four or five rows in the stalls, and a tiny circle of two rows of seating at one end, curving round two corners.

I completely agree with notmymuse about the nuanced, hugely likeable performances. Patrick Brennan oozed charisma as Ben Rumson, while Emily Hughes radiated charm, spirit and vulnerability as his daughter Jennifer, with a perfectly pitched performance from Marc Elliott alongside her as Julio. The real strength of the musical is probably its score and songs such as Wanderin' Star were given the full foot-stomping, showstopping treatment. I Talk To The Trees is an ear-worm I've not been able to get out of my head since! This could easily be a musical where it's only about the score, however I thought the Everyman company really succeeded in bringing the sense of community very much to the fore too. If there were characters here which could easily be two-dimensional, it says a lot for the strength of the performances that I found myself increasingly invested in them over the two hours 40 minutes I was in their company. The time absolutely flew by.

If there's a few rough edges here and there, that only adds to the appeal of the whole thing. I thought the cast multi-roled very effectively and while there might not always have been attempts to hit the big notes in certain numbers, the cast could certainly all comfortably deliver a tune. Emily Hughes in particular had a lovely tone and twang to her voice, while Zelina Rebeiro shone in the big song and dance numbers in the ensemble. It was also lovely to be approached by Zelina in the audience of Spring Awakening last night, introducing herself and thanking me for my tweet about the show and her performance on Saturday. It's a small world!

Overall, I thought Paint Your Wagon was an infectious, raucous, joyful piece of theatre staged and performed with huge aplomb. At times it was hard to know where to look, there was so much happening around the stage. I'm certainly tempted to take a second look when Paint Your Wagon returns for shorter runs over the summer, while I've also booked to see the Everyman Company's The Big I Am, an adaptation of Peer Gynt, later in the season on the strength of this production. The Everyman has certainly struck gold with its 2018 company and their take on Paint Your Wagon. If you're a fan of the likes of Fiddler on the Roof, Calamity Jane or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, then this is a must-see before it rolls out of town on 14th July. It's a uniquely authentic take on a rarely-performed, effervescent musical treat.