Skip to main content

Review of Iconic The Show at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

Settling down to write this review and knowing what it is to contain makes it clear to me that the majority of those at Royal & Derngate last night are not going to agree with me. Howeever, I went to Iconic The Show based on good reviews so I think the record needs setting the other way a little to protect the few.

Iconic The Show is an evening "celebrating the most iconic movie tracks of all time", and it tries to do this it really does, but sometimes try as you might, Iconic ends up being the result.

The first enormous showbreaking problem is how just one technical decision can pretty much destroy a production. For whatever reason, Iconic's sound engineers choose to drive the volume of the show up beyond sensible levels. So you have a vastly uncomfortable volume, which while I am sure many people loved, is clearly destroying the sound quality with the distortion is creates. The singers themselves are I am pretty sure excellent and the quieter numbers appear to suggest this, however quiet this show does rarely and we are never far from a high-octane number which rattles the building and leaves the speakers with no give to create quality audio. The level is so high that even some of the speech is broken.

I left at the interval from my seat in the stalls with a headache (which however you look at isn't clever) and returned from it having sneaked up to a back seat in the circle. It was much quieter here and therefore more comfortable, but it did tend to highlight even more the clarity that was being lost in the audio as lyrics were often left unheard.

So if this show is all about noise, so be it. It gets it right and the audience appeared to be lapping it up, However, then we have the structure of the show itself. It is built around a flimsy and pretty pointless tale of a future where cinemas are non-existant and this is a secret den to see films of old come to life. Creating this story are the kind of comedy sketches and material that any reputable end of pier show would discard into the sea. This is really a poor effort, with dialogue created via the sledgehammering of film titles and classic quotes into it. It is poor and no matter how many times you say to the audience that "it don't get any better than this" after each groan is going to make the situation better.

Another weird decision is for a show which has the opportunity to mine decades of classic films songs, it then chooses to spend its first forty minutes just on James Bond themes. A totally lazy decision, which as it developed truly made me wonder if I had come to the wrong show. Then there is the family show theory, a joke early on suggests that Steve struggles to understand this and yes I can see that. Moments don't fit into a family friendly show and to be honest most of the songs origins don't either, with many coming from 18 certificate films, and even if is comically done, the reenactment of the ear removal scene from Reservoir Dogs doesn't make it good wholesome entertainment. Then there is the fact that it is more than a tad misogynistic, with an early scene depicting two ladies ripping the clothes of another down to her underwear and then spending most of the show gyrating in various forms of limited clothing make it generally not one for little Johnny to attend.

Then there is the fact that I don't need to hear a fellow performer state that the creator of this show is a "genius" at the finale as I can't help but think this is either scripted (by the genius), sycophantically simpering on the part of the performer, or just really sickenly egocentric. I also don't need that star to go outside the theme of a show he has created and perform a song simply because he is famous for performing it. Is he that shallow that he thinks it can't work without it?

Steve said in (a likely) scripted aside to the audience early on during one of those "comedy" scenes that "for anyone who hasn't seen me before they are going to think this is s**t. However they'll get it later". Well sorry, Steve I didn't and whether 600 or whatever are raving about this and dancing out their seats, you can't disguise the fact that at a standard ticket price of £26, this is pretty poorly constructed and cheap entertainment. However for those that are Steinman fans, and there appear to be plenty, I am sure you loved it. For me, I think this is extremely poorly produced material and let that be a warning to you.

«½


Performance reviewed: Saturday 3rd June 2017 at the Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton.

Iconic The Show was at the Royal & Derngate Saturday 3rd June 2017 only 
and continues its tour throughout 2017 and with dates in 2018. Details of dates and locations can be found at http://www.iconictheshow.com/

For further details visit the Royal & Derngate website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/

Popular posts from this blog

Review of The Jolly Christmas Postman at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

The Northampton Royal and Derngate have a tradition of producing a family play in the Royal Theatre alongside a spectacular pantomime in the Derngate, offering a more subtle Christmas treat for a family audience. However, this calendar staple has been missing since 2019, when the fine Pippi Longstocking graced the Royal stage and an unmentionable virus reared its head. Based on this triumphant return this year in the guise of The Jolly Christmas Postman , it has been heartily missed. Adam Peck has truly lovingly adapted  The Jolly Christmas Postman  for the stage from the original story by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. From the beginning, this is a proper cracker of theatre entertainment that captivates an occasionally distractable audience of all ages. The story follows the adventures of a friendly postman beset by an influx of mail on Christmas Eve and his adventures with an assortment of Fairy-Tale characters. What is, in essence, a kid's show aimed primarily at young children ...

Review of The New Adventures of Peter Pan at Castle Theatre, Wellingborough

As if by magic, the pantomime season is once again upon us, and first out of the Christmas hamper of "He's Behind You" antics is The New Adventures of Peter Pan , now playing at The Castle Theatre, Wellingborough. So, do the pantomime gods shine down on this new show, or is it about to get panned? Let us find out. Brought to the stage by producer and director Martin Cleverley, The New Adventures of Peter Pan provides little new to the age-old tale of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan but ploughs through much of the expected pantomime staples. So, expect to see a dame, in the guise of Mrs Smee, those as mentioned earlier "He's Behind You" antics, a nice sing-along, and some awkward or successful audience participation, depending on the show you see. Oh, and of course, The Twelve Days of Christmas and a jolly party at the end, as always. When you have seen one pantomime, you have seen the format forever. However, The New Adventures of Peter Pan is nicely enter...

Review of Cinderella at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

Over the last few years, the annual Royal & Derngate pantomime has been produced by Evolution Productions and from the pen of Paul Hendy. It is safe to say they have been crackers, bringing everything you expect and more from traditional pantomime. This year, they are all back, this time with their take on the very traditional story of Cinderella . So, does the magic dust fall once again successfully on the stage of the Derngate? The answer is yes, as Evolution and Hendy prove they have found the magic formula to create another successful pantomime for Derngate. There are moments this year, though, where it is too clever for its own good, with some exceptionally good jokes lost to the panto audience (yes, I got the Hacker joke, but the tumbleweed reaction suggested it didn't hit the audience present). Cast-wise, it is a solid and assured collection of performers who don't always hit the mark. Joanne Clifton, as the Fairy, is a perfect fit for panto with her infectious smile...