| Zorro by The Gipsy Kings (average star rating 3.3) |
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REVIEWED BY MKWEB |
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09-Apr-2008
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As an absolute fan of all Zorro movies I was so excited to be going to the theatre to write a review for this theatre production.
This retelling of the famous story of Zorro is represented to the audience with impressive stable talent. Produced by John Gentz responsible for all Zorro movies and co produced by novelist Isabel Allende an award winning novelist.
Matt Rawle is perfect casting as Diego, son of a Spanish nobleman. He leads a double life as a foppish magician by day but by night he's the masked avenger righting wrongs and saving the odd damsel in distress but always one particular Luisa (Aimie Atkinson) the love of his life from childhood to adult hood, you thought that would be enough not only does Diego have charm and chorizema but he expands his major characteristic “hero” by saving his imprisoned father from inevitable death who is captured by Ramon (West End musical star, Adam Cooper, who played the grown up Billy Elliot at the end of the film).
There are some terrific high energy sword fights accompanied with lots of acrobatic swinging through the air on ropes in true Zorro style and many “Z’s” carved.
However there is the music of the Gipsy Kings which shoots deep into the audience hearts. The music enhances the emotion of romance, dance and love in the scenes, singers with such powerful voices able to hit every note with such projection that fills the whole theatre and leaves you with goose bumps. The dance is true flamenco style with velvet layered well tailored traditional dresses and banging of shoes to apply a high impact beat to make the heart race even faster.
There was one character that particularly stood out, the feisty lover, Inez, played by Lesli Margherita who lights up the stage. Her presence and aura owns every scene because of the way she holds herself accompanied by a few jokes here and there, which immediately make the audience feel, connected to the actors.
The set was quite beautiful every single nook and cranny and detail, from lighting to actors sitting high up on rope ladders in dull lighting to supply the essence of the scene. At the beginning the set is very close to the front of the stage but through the production it is slowly un-rapped to create the vision of market scenes, back streets in California as well as boats and beaches.
This is a must see musical and is only here for a week so grab the chance to let Zorro come alive for you and your family this Easter break.
I would like to congratulate the whole cast on such a successful theatre production and wish them good luck in the future at London.
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Zorro |
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Reviewed by: 15-Apr-2008
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A great disappointment. Some good ideas and great music but it does not hang together yet. Even allowing for first night nerves this is a long way from being ready for the West End and lacks sharpness.
Much more importantly it has some structural problems that need serious work, a supporting actor who cannot sing, too many scene changes which takes away from the production and an overall lack of any purpose. To me it felt like a cross between a school play and a pantomime and needs a director to direct it, firmly. |
PRESS RELEASE |
ZORRO, with original music by the Gipsy Kings, comes to Milton Keynes Theatre from 8th – 12th April as part of a World Premiere UK Tour before its arrival in London’s West End. This new musical promises to retell the dramatic tale of a romantic hero with extraordinary aerial acrobatics, spectacular sword-fighting and incredible magic – all set to the famous red-hot Gipsy Kings beat brought to the UK stage with the authentic colours of traditional Flamenco.
Directed by Christopher Renshaw, whose recent UK and Broadway credits include The King and I and We Will Rock You, the show has sensational choreography by internationally renowned Spanish choreographer and flamenco dancer Rafael Amargo.
Featuring an incredible new score by Latin music sensations the Gipsy Kings, and also including some of their biggest smash hits Bamboleo, Baila Me and Djobi Djoba, this spectacular, epic new production stars Matt Rawle, Adam Cooper and Aimie Atkinson. The cast of 30 includes a host of the West End’s leading musical theatre performers who will be joined on stage by some of the world’s leading Flamenco dancers.
Christopher Renshaw leads a multi award-winning creative team which includes RSC associate stage designer Tom Piper, co-composer and musical arranger John Cameron (Les Miserables) and Olivier award-winning author Stephen Clark (Martin Guerre, The Far Pavilions).
Matt Rawle takes the title role of Zorro. Matt made his West End debut in Miss Saigon and has since gone on to appear in the title role of Martin Guerre and as Che in the hugely acclaimed production of Evita in the West End. He also recently appeared on the Milton Keynes Theatre stage alongside David Essex in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects Of Love.
Adam Cooper stars opposite him as Ramon. Previously a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, Adam famously took the lead role in Matthew Bourne’s male Swan Lake before branching into musical theatre starring in On Your Toes, Singin’ in the Rain and more recently as Sky Masterson in the long running West End hit Guys and Dolls.
Aimie Atkinson, the winner of the BBC Voice of Musical Theatre 2006, makes her major musical debut as Luisa.
This legendary story of good versus evil has been a source of enduring fascination and has been the subject of a best selling novel by producer Isabel Allende and several major motion pictures.
Created in 1919 by pulp writer Johnston McCulley, the iconic character Zorro has been featured in film, live action and animated television series, books, comics and even in a soon to be released Nintendo Wii game. Zorro is the secret identity of Don Diego de la Vega, a fictional wealthy caballero and master swordsman living in Spanish California, who defends the people of the land against injustice.
Zorro’s adventures reached a broad audience with the Disney’s television series which began in the late 1950s. The Mask of Zorro with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones was a 1998 blockbuster and was followed by The Legend of Zorro in 2005. Filmed entirely in Spanish, Zorro: la Espada y la Rosa (Zorro: The Sword and the Rose) aired in 2007 on the US Spanish-language TV network Telemundo. The series is currently airing internationally.
Isabel Allende’s 2005 bestseller Zorro: A Novel is the classic tale of the origins of the Zorro legend and reveals how the young Diego de la Vega became Zorro. Her imaginative tale weaves together Spanish and Californian history, mythic folk tales, pirate adventures and Native American legend.
ZORRO producer and New York Times-best selling author Isabel Allende has sold more than 52 million novels in 30 languages. Allende was born in Chile in 1942 and began her career as a journalist and television presenter in Chile and Venezuela. Her novels - The House of the Spirits, Eva Luna, Of Love and Shadows, Daughter of Fortune, Paula, The Infinite Plan, Ines of My Soul, My Invented Country – have been translated into more than 27 languages and have been bestsellers in Europe, the US, Latin America and Australia. Her 1982 ‘magic realist’ novel The House of the Spirits propelled her to international fame and was adapted into a film with Meryl Streep, Vanessa Redgrave and Jeremy Irons. Isabel has been honoured at several US universities as a Doctor of Letters and she has received countless international academic, humanitarian and literary awards including Ambassador to the Hans Christian Andersen Bicentenary in 2004.
The Gipsy Kings are that rare thing – an international household name famous solely for their music. This most successful Flamenco musical group is popular from Brazil to Iran honoured at The Alamo in Texas and celebrated in China.
The Grammy Award-winning The Gipsy Kings consist of two bands of brothers: the Reyes (Nicolas, Canut, Paul, Patchaï, André) and the Baliardos (Tonino, Paco, Diego). The band was formed when the teenage Reyes boys began backing their father Jose. Jose Reyes, singing alongside guitarist Manitas de Plata, did much to popularise flamenco internationally and John Steinbeck, Charlie Chaplin, Pablo Picasso, Miles Davis and Salvador Dali were amongst the duo's admirers. Jose's death was devasting yet led to a fortuitous encounter with the Baliardos on the St Marie de la Mer Gitan pilgrimage. That night they passed round a guitar, shared songs and wine and agreed to work together. Initially, the Reyes and Baliardos busked on the streets of Cannes and played weddings and parties; young men mixing flamenco with Western pop and Latin rhythms. When an American admirer told the band their name Los Reyes meant "The Kings" in English they realised they were born to be Gipsy Kings. In 1987 The Gipsy Kings’ self titled debut album introduced the world to 'rumba Gitano', the sound of South America's rumba rhythm married to flamenco guitars. With Bamboleo the Gipsy Kings scored a huge international hit and since then the Kings have never stopped singing to the world. Their total album sales worldwide now exceed 18 million and on their new album, Pasajero, the Gipsy Kings continue their epic musical journey.
Rafael Amargo is one of the most famous Spanish flamenco dancers. Whilst he adheres to the purest flamenco style he has cleverly assimilated other types of dance, influenced by his studies at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York. The Spanish artists Luis Gordillo and Esperanza D´Ors have supported his career and he has been photographed by Bruce Weber, Annie Leibovitz and Christopher Makos. In 2002, he was awarded the Positano Leonide Massine Prize in recognition of his work as a choreographer and a dancer, an award previously given to Rudolf Nureyev, Maurice Bejart and Lindsay Kemp. El País awarded Rafael Best dance show of 2000 for his show Amargo, and he won again in 2002. He has also won four Max Awards (the most important performing arts awards in Spain), three as Best Dancer and one for the Best Dance Show of the year.
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