Carrie Hope Fletcher: Love Letters 💌

#PRInvite #Gifted | Carrie Hope Fletcher isn't the only one returning to the Festival Theatre, as I was delighted to be invited to her latest tour, one year since the press journey began here. Thank you very much to Capital Theatres for having me again!

Star rating: ★★★★

Dear Reader. Carrie Hope Fletcher arrived in Edinburgh last night, to close her second UK solo tour: ‘Love Letters’. Her previous tour, ‘An Open Book’, was deemed ‘unmissable’ having explored a range of musical theatre songs which defined her performing career. So, it should be no surprise that Fletcher has hit the road to grace the stages up and down the country with her second instalment - but considering she welcomed her daughter Mabel into the world just seven months ago, a surprise this absolutely is. There’s no other way to demonstrate your killer work ethic, right? Though I didn’t get the chance to see her initial tour, I did manage to experience Carrie Hope Fletcher’s magic in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, where she blew me away. So, on this autumnal night in the capital city, I was so excited to see Fletcher in her own show which was conceived, written and performed by her.

For the few who don’t already know her name, Carrie Hope Fletcher is an actress, author and vlogger - and the sister of McFly’s Tom Fletcher. From the age of eighteen, Fletcher became a content creator, regularly posting singing videos and edits of her daily life and Disney travels. Though she has been a performer from a very young age - appearing in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins in London’s West End as a child star - it is hard to deny that Fletcher’s fame as a musical theatre performer was catapulted with the success of the British transfer of Heathers the Musical. From there, Fletcher has played other notable roles, including a return to Les Miserables as Fantine, originating Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, and Fletcher is soon due to tour the UK again as Calamity Jane in its latest revival. But that’s not all - she is also a skilled writer, releasing a string of novels; as well as presenter and singer (with a solo album which ranked the charts in 2018). Clearly, she’s an expert in making other people feel good about themselves too.

From the offset, ‘Love Letters’ was very different from what I expected. This was not Carrie Hope Fletcher in concert. This was a well-crafted show which was the perfect fusion of her artistry as a vocalist, and a writer. Fletcher, in essence, played herself as a character as she plucked individual letters down from a noticeboard to read and perform. She introduced each letter with a powerful monologue, speaking words which were so relatable and inspiring, matched with a song to fit the overall message. These songs were the appropriate balance of ones I’d heard of, heard before, and one’s I want to hear all over again - including classic ballads from Oliver, contemporary pieces from Beetlejuice and even a cut-song from one of my favourite musicals, Waitress. Fletcher’s vocals were well suited to each song and complimented her full vocal range. You know these are good choices when you Google the lyrics at interval and find yourself with a whole new repertoire. But - though this was the last performance on this tour, uniquely, it could also be the very first time Fletcher has performed this specific show. Prior to curtain up, Fletcher asked the audience to choose the letters they wanted her to perform. We were treated to a song she had only sang once before, and luckily for me, it was a song I had yearned to hear sung live for a very, very long time. These songs were supervised and arranged by Ben Van Tienen and musically directed by Malcolm Forbes-Peckham and really were a delight to hear.

Missing from this production, however, were some moments of authenticity and audience engagement - which for a solo tour, I do admit I expected more of. Fletcher has spoken out openly about her anxieties with standing on the stage as just Carrie, herself, and how she would rather hide behind the veil of a character. Whilst I thought this direction for the show was interesting, I also understood why she had chosen this approach. However, it was hard to deny that I, at times, felt a disconnect between the performer and her audience because of this. To remedy this, Fletcher could have integrated more genuine reactions to the pre-planned humour within the monologues. By waiting to hear the audience’s response, rather than acting too quickly on the direction she was given by Ruthie Stephens, the audience would have felt listened to and part of the conversation. Indeed, the audience were part of the production with choosing the letters, but it would have been the perfect seal to the letter if that notion had translated to the show’s atmosphere.

Joining Fletcher on tour was Bradley Jaden at this performance - well known for his career in Les Miserables. Jaden, arriving in Aberdeen later this week as Enjolras in the Les Miserables Arena Tour, duetted Fletcher with ‘Blind Faith’ from the musical Treason which they had previously worked on together, and was later interviewed before a second song. There was clearly a great chemistry between these two friends - and this is where the atmosphere of the show soared. This was one of two times where I felt the audience saw the real, unfiltered Carrie which I desperately wanted more of. Adding some extraordinary vocals to the show, Aberdeen audiences are in for a treat later this week if they have tickets to the arena spectacular at the P&J Live - with Jaden performing select dates. Jaden wasn’t the only surprise guest last night though, as the bagpipes caught Fletcher off-guard in true Edinburgh fashion. This was another highlight of the show, as we got a glimpse of Fletcher’s genuine personality and this was so endearing to watch.

With strong messages about the trials and tribulations of social media, doubts about motherhood, finding love or doing the right thing: Carrie Hope Fletcher displayed that she is not only a fantastic vocalist, but her writing is just as good. She explained that as she has gotten older, her online audience has grown up with her and this is incredibly special. Yet, she provided her wisdom for both teens and adults - and this was extremely impactful - using her platform for something so purposeful and necessary. More artists should be commended for this. Carrie - it was a real treat to see this show, and I will hold on to a lot of your words, yours faithfully.

Credits

Instagram links: @theatregramuk, @captheatres, @carriehopefletcher

Review by Joel Simpson cc: theatregram@gmail.com

Production photos supplied by Capital Theatres (Danny Khan)