London Trip March 2010 -- Day 9

We had a quiet day of reading and relaxing. Early in the evening David picked us up and drove over the river to the Union Theatre where we were to see Once Upon A Time At The Adelphi. At the tiny theatre we met his friend Chris who had already seen the show and, a good sign, wanted to see it again.


Direct from Liverpool -- Once Upon A Time At The Adelphi

The show was a big hit in Liverpool when that city was European Capital of Culture in 2008. It came to London in 2010 to a much smaller venue, staged by its original director.

The book is slight, but charming enough. The action deals with a grand old Liverpool hotel, The Adelphi, in the glamorous 1930's and today.

There are many snappy character roles and lots of songs, most of which are quite good. The songs are sung and danced beautifully. The Union Theatre is very small and the surprisingly big production numbers have those of us sitting in the front row ready to duck during some of the full-out choreography. It's intimate musical theatre, sometimes in your face -- some times (almost) in your lap.