The reviews for this show were pretty brutal, but since they mostly seemed to focus on the material itself, which we already knew we liked, Karen, Gill and I still went in with open minds. I had seen the show in New York and they'd seen it in London, so we all knew more or less what to expect! And while it wasn't the same as those productions, obviously, we all felt it stood on its own quite nicely.

The set for this production was mostly rough wood, with stairs on both sides. There was the cage that pulled out from one side, and some minimal living room and revival set pieces that were moved on and off stage. Quite simple, and I thought it was quite effective. The sound for the most part was better than it had been in New York, although there were still a few parts where the actors got drowned out a bit (I noticed it particularly in "Comfort and Joy").

Not having seen the show since New York, I was surprised to note the music changes, particularly in "Watcha Wanna Do?" (now called "Hey Freak"), and the replacement of "Inside Your Heart" with "Mine, All Mine". I can't say that I thought either change was a vast improvement, but they didn't really hurt anything either. Although, my mind did wander to Wicked as she was singing "As long as you're mine..."

As for the cast, Jay T. Schramek was really good as Bat Boy. I don't know if anyone will quite live up to Deven May in that role for me, but he certainly came close. Jayne Lewis and Laura Caswell both did nicely as Meredith and Shelley, though again, I preferred their New York counterparts. David Rosser was probably the weakest of the four, but nothing to really complain about!

The supporting cast were also for the most part wonderful, particularly Steven Gallagher, whose Ruthie was hysterical. I was distracted by Graham Coffeng, who reminded me a LOT of Jimmy Fallon when he was playing Rick. :-) Probably the only one who didn't work for me was Cara Leslie, she had this very dry, deadpan delivery as the Mayor that just didn't seem to suit the character. But that could just be my personal preference. We had an understudy for Mrs. Taylor/the Reverend, but she did a fine job.

The theatre was barely half full (about 4 of 7 rows), and the audience had to be one of the most undemonstrative crowds I've ever been among. The applause after each song was pathetic, even on numbers where people had seemed really into it (like "Children, Children"). We wanted to go find some of the cast members afterwards, to tell them that some people actually DID enjoy it, but we couldn't locate the proper door. :-) I hope that more people will ignore the reviews and check it out for themselves - it was a great way to spend the afternoon!