Angelas Ashes - Tour

Another vote of confidence in this production, which has a lot of charm to it.

The refurbished theatre looks great. My first time back in the Fairfield Halls in quite a few years.

I booked the front row, which was Row F, but when I arrived there were two extra rows in front. I did end up moving to the real front row, as the theatre unfortunately wasn't too full. There were only two other people on that row, but they didn't return after the interval (they may have moved, although not sure why, the front row view was perfect with a low stage). The rake looks good throughout.

Not sure why the attendance is so low. There's lots of advertising at East Croydon station, including on the ticket barriers and I saw large adverts in the Evening Standard. And the reviews have been excellent.

This is a small cast show. I remember the book well (and the sequel 'Tis). I'd say this is a more off a nod to those books rather than a full retelling, so some of the book incidents I remember most visibly don't make the musical. The child parts are all played by adults, with the lead character going from around age 6 to 20 (then picking up the story in his later years), which looks a little odd, but makes sense. The McCourt family only ever show two children, although others are mentioned - the typical large Irish family.

This is a musical, but it could also be classified as a play with musical interludes. The music is pleasant, not overly memorable, but it works in the moment.

Running time about 2 hours 25 minutes.

As I say, I enjoyed this. Hopefully it can fit in a few more takers before it moves on from Croydon at the weekend.

I was there for the final show last night, when I'm glad to say there were rather more in attendance than has been reported at some performances above (though the two front rows - never on sale - remained empty, must be odd for the cast!). I found the staging incredibly reminiscent of Titanic (not surprising, perhaps). I knew the subject matter going in, and while there's no denying the grim themes, they're lightened by a healthy dose of black humour. I liked the score and when the whole cast sang... oh my, that alone was worth the price of the ticket!

I sat initially centre Row F (front row) and despite the high stage the view was great. It did however take an age to get out at the interval, so I moved for the second half to the front of the rear Stalls from where I could make a swifter exit at the end of the show. Not only did I have a 2 hour drive home, but I was on a mission to get back to my car within 4 hours as the parking price doubled thereafter!

As a side issue, I'm scratching my head trying to work out where the reported £41 million price tag for the venue's refurbishment has actually been spent... the seats in the theatre are unchanged and distinctly threadbare and there was no evidence within the auditorium of any upgrade. Hopefully the concert hall has benefited more, but reading up on the project, it seems to have been pretty disastrous.