London Palladium
Alexandra Burke, Jason Donovan and Technicolor coat-wearer Jac Yarrow are among a cast whose performances ooze personality and mischief
While Andrew Lloyd Webber bumpily steers his latest £6m production into being, there is this smooth operator of a show from his musical archive. Together with Tim Rice’s lyrics, it fashions strong material from an age-old story – with its music at least.
The cast here is a winning one too, under the direction of Laurence Connor. Enlisting Alexandra Burke as the Narrator (she doubles up in other parts too) ensures a strong musical delivery from her central role, but she brings plenty besides her voice, from silky movements to minx-like touches. The only odd note is her costume – shiny leggings, sparkly trainers and high ponytail, which give her the look of an aerobics instructor.