"Threads" by Williams Creatives.
Sue Townsend Theatre Leicester.
When one of them is given devastating news the threads that bind this family together are tested, but no-one can take away the family you choose. Featuring songs such as "The Best", "You to Me Are Everything", "Like a Prayer", "Time After Time", "Wishin' and Hopin'", "Material Girl", "What's Up", "There Must Be An Angel", "Missing", "Fields Of Gold", "I Say A Little Prayer" and many more.
Joshua Taylor-Williams is playing Marcus, and anyone who has seen Joshua on stage before will know what a fantastic voice he has. Full of soul, and with a storyline like this, his bluesy, soulful, gospel-tinged vocals really come into play. This is also a very emotional role that he has written for himself and you can really believe the agony he goes through on stage with his character.
Richard, Marcus' partner, is played by Matt Brown, who had to step into the role at the last minute due to Alex Tomlinson, who was cast as the original Richard took ill and was unable to perform. If this information had not been made available, you wouldn't have noticed that Matt was not the original actor. Matt and Joshua created real chemistry throughout, making you believe that the characters were a real couple.
To be a gay couple in the 1980s when the AIDS virus was rife was not ideal in the eyes of the small minded; to be an interracial gay couple was even worse, and that real sense of fear was brought to the fore, especially as Richard was a doctor.
Ellie Thompson plays Marie, and to say that this is Ellie's first leading role on stage came as a surprise because there were no signs of nerves, taking on such a big, as well as emotional role. Apart from being a cracking little actor, the other thing that hits you is that amazing voice she has. Equally capable of belting out some wonderful dance numbers, she injects feeling into the ballads, and doesn't just sing them, but she performs them. Plus, she gets to wear some gorgeous costumes throughout with this role.
Natasha Plummer plays Kayleigh, who is Marie's devoted sister. Natasha is one of those triple threats in theatre; she can act, has a great voice and can dance, and when she flashes that smile, the stage lights up.
Thomas is Marie's fiance and is played by David Jones. Everyone in the little family of friends are over the moon when he proposes. Marcus creates the wedding dress and we see Thomas and Marie marry. Later down the line though we get to see a darker side of Thomas which brings on the next chapter of the story!
Isla Singleton plays Kathryn, daughter of Thomas and Marie. I am not sure how old Isla is in real life, but when we first see her character, she is twelve years old, and she makes a really convincing twelve-year-old. I loved her rendition of Madonna's "Material Girl".
John-Joseph Boyle plays David. David is a cameo role who only appears in the second act. I won't say too much but when David and Marie meet, he is in the frame for leaving her with a most unwelcome gift!
In the hospital where Richard works and Marcus volunteers, there are several characters that play other threads in both Richard and Marcus' life. Rocco is played by Andrew Parkin and gives an incite as to what his life is like with the AIDS virus when Marie volunteers for the day.
Bertie Black plays Angelou. I've seen Bertie play quite a few roles in the past, but this part surpasses anything I have seen him in before. Again, I won't give too much away, because I enjoyed seeing the real side of Angelou revealed, and also explained why Bertie discarded his facial hair especially for this role. There's sadness deep within this character, something I'd not seen Bertie play in the past, as well as some lovely comic moments. We also get to hear Bertie's distinctive vocal style on some brilliant 1980's pop classics. I can guarantee fans of Bertie have never seen him perform like this!
Sarah Brown plays The Wedding Planner, among other roles. In this main scene the script shows just how overwhelming planning a wedding can be. One thing I noticed about Sarah is that whatever role she has, she is going to give it 110%, and that shows in this production.
Sue Green plays the Priest, who we see on several occasions in this production. Sue, as this character, gets to wear the most spangliest black shoes a Priest is ever going to wear, and have you ever seen a harmonica playing Priest before? Although the majority of Sue's appearances on stage are more sombre, that harmonica scene is one not to be missed.
Callie is played by Ranata Maynard, and I love seeing Ranata on stage as she is another who just emanates warmth and light, especially with this latest role.
Emmeline Pearson plays The Wedding Singer and is the Musical Director of "Threads". I loved her version of "Don't Know Much" as the last dance of the wedding; beautifully understated. The choice to use a stripped back version of Tina Turner's "The Best" at the end added something very special to the story as well as the whole production. A great song to close on as well.
The Ensemble consist of Jen Smollett, Sasha Tabberer, Phoebe Harris, Ranata Maynard, Emm Pearson, Sarah Brown and Sue Green.
Written by Joshua, it's along the lines of a musical version of "It's A Sin" that was on Channel 4 a few years ago, telling the story of the AIDS epidemic and how it not only affected the LGBTQ+ community throughout the 1980s and 1990s, but how it affected those people left behind by the victims of one of the most horrific diseases in history. There is a lot of sadness and loss but it's also well countered with comedy and a wonderful soundtrack. A nice use of wordplay though using "Threads" to depict Marcus' costume making and the threads that run through friendships and relationships which tie the characters to each other. My only criticism would be that it was slightly too long at three and a quarter hours including the interval.
Cathy Robinson makes her Directorial debut with "Threads" and she did a great job. Its pace has been metered really well. Most of the time it is fast moving, and then in the more sensitive parts of the play, the foot is taken off of the pedal and we can appreciate the character's feelings. The ensemble pieces give the right feeling for the wedding scenes as well as the other church services and club scene. I also loved the catwalk section which also allowed the cast to use the auditorium as a performance space.
Choreographed by Jade Afflick-Goodall. There are some big choreographed scenes in this musical but my favourite section must be the "Like A Prayer" scene, swiftly followed by "There Must Be An Angel" which starts right at the back of the theatre and ends up on the stage. So many songs and so many scenes to choreograph.
Sharon Brown is the Project Manager for Threads and also worked backstage as the Stage Manager. It was lovely to be greeted by Sharon as we walked through the doors of the Sue Townsend Theatre; nothing was too much trouble for Sharon and she created a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
There's several moments that highlight the use of digital media in "Threads". It moved the timeline on smoothly and also brought back memories of some of the TV reports from this era. At the end there is a montage of Marie's life showing Kathryn's early life with images of baby Kathryn, played by Finley Richards, as well as young Kathryn, played by Matilda Singleton in atmospheric grainy film images, the digital media sections were put together by John-Joseph Boyle.
Great lighting by Tom Brooks but there were a few issues with the sound by Dan Edwards. This was first night so the glitches with feedback will, I'm sure, be sorted out by tonight. The music playback at times was at times just a little loud and a few of the mics, especially Joshua's at times failed. Fortunately, we were only sitting on the second row from the front so we could hear over the music but a few rows back and I am sure the vocals, senza amplification, would have been lost. Mic issues seem to be a common thing in many theatres unfortunately, hopefully this will also be rectified for tonight's performance.
The set was split into two with Marcus and Richard's flat on the audience's left and all the other scenes on the right. This is where stage management excelled with the setting up and removing of chairs, props etc for the various sections of the musical.
And finally, I must mention the costumes designed by Caitlyn Mummery. Marcus actually had me believing in my mind that he was the creator of all of these amazing costumes we saw on stage. Glitter and glam in the catwalk section with some very quick costume changes at times, and I loved all of the bright scarves that Marcus wore at various times.
Another success for all involved at Williams Creatives, methinks!
"Threads" will be performed at the Sue Townsend Theatre in Leicester until Saturday 8 July.
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