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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2017 8:16:25 GMT
Mmmmm....damning with faint praise there Ryan? Would you recommend going to see this for a reasonable price? Yes sure. If you like Audra she's terrific and some of it is very funny plus it's a nice treat to see her acting on stage rather than concerts. Vocally, it's a very good impression and Audra does drunk very well. It may just be me but when she's talking she sounds just like Liza - "did you know my momma was Judy Garland? That's right, Dorothy!", "and so I said to dear Bobby, that's Bob Fosse, oh I miss him so much", "Halston!" - which I found most distracting. I don't think I'd sit on the stage unless I was sat around the tables directly on each side of Audra. While you're within spitting distance of La McDonald, I would guess that the rest really probably spend most of the time staring at her back most of the time. Most of the interaction was with those two tables and the couple of tables at the front of the stalls on the left hand side (if you're looking at the stage), particularly the one right at the bottom of the stairs leading to the stage. To be honest, not much happens and Audra is pretty much front and centre for most of the show so as long as you can see the front of the stage, it's probably a good view.
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Post by schuttep on Jun 27, 2017 9:39:14 GMT
This is a superb version of a concert Lady Day gave later in life. By this time, Lady Day's a star, and she knows it. She's also a drunk, and she knows it. She's also a bully but turns around her negative moods on a dime.
Audra does a superb channelling of LD, including the voice, which I believe was once compared to burnt molasses. The songs are mostly well known (I even knew the Bessie Smith Pigfoot) and AM does drunk very well, including a very believable (and therefore shocking) stumble down stairs.
Lady Day's story is told (not in a linear fashion) in the inter-song banter, which makes it fascinating and unpredictable.
1.5 hours of pure bliss for me.
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 27, 2017 9:58:01 GMT
Unless you win the Today Tix lottery for £20 though, the stage seats, stalls table seats and front row stalls are £99.50 on the Delfont Mackintosh website! Too expensive for me.....
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 27, 2017 11:02:14 GMT
Others will almost certainly know more, but I'm sure the stage seats/tables have shot up from 'just' 70-something.
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Post by partytentdown on Jun 27, 2017 11:25:50 GMT
Saw this last night and sneakily move down from the top level to the middle as it was half empty. Quite pleased we weren't on stage as many seemed to have a view of her back. I think I would have got more out of this if I knew Ms Holliday's songs a little better but overall it was enjoyable.
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Post by Baemax on Jun 27, 2017 11:37:30 GMT
Others will almost certainly know more, but I'm sure the stage seats/tables have shot up from 'just' 70-something. It seems very probable, Delfont Mackintosh are quite into dynamic pricing these days.
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Post by n1david on Jun 27, 2017 11:45:23 GMT
Others will almost certainly know more, but I'm sure the stage seats/tables have shot up from 'just' 70-something. Onstage seats were £89.50 when booking opened. Interestingly, when they opened booking in 2016 before Audra's pregnancy, they were £99.50.
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 27, 2017 11:46:23 GMT
Others will almost certainly know more, but I'm sure the stage seats/tables have shot up from 'just' 70-something. It seems very probable, Delfont Mackintosh are quite into dynamic pricing these days. After all, why bother trying to attract five theatregoers for a good night out in the cheap seats, when just a fifth of the effort results in the same income, and Ms McDonald has some company!
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 27, 2017 11:53:39 GMT
Others will almost certainly know more, but I'm sure the stage seats/tables have shot up from 'just' 70-something. Onstage seats were £89.50 when booking opened. Interestingly, when they opened booking in 2016 before Audra's pregnancy, they were £99.50. Living in the 'grim' north, I can only really do matinees, and for mid-August, which will now be my earliest opportunity, they're a more reasonable £72.50 (or even £62.50 for a cabaret seat without a table, or view). I still think it will be the gods for me, or perhaps the TKTS booth!
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 27, 2017 12:56:44 GMT
Currently not on TKTS. Lot's of availability at these prices of course. Dynamic pricing gone mad - clearly there is not sufficient demand for this show at these prices. I will be watching to see if they come down - even at the last minute! Surely they don't want empty tables and front stalls seats?
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Post by partytentdown on Jun 27, 2017 13:01:18 GMT
I imagine they are using the day seat applications to fill the stage seats?
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Post by poster J on Jun 27, 2017 14:11:39 GMT
Unless you win the Today Tix lottery for £20 though, the stage seats, stalls table seats and front row stalls are £99.50 on the Delfont Mackintosh website! Too expensive for me..... Or you walk up to the box office and get a day ticket for £20. Bar stools on the side of the stage mostly hidden from audience view but that allows you to lean and move around and thus get a much better view than a lot of the people at the on-stage table seats who just saw her back!
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Post by popcultureboy on Jun 28, 2017 7:31:29 GMT
Quite a few 3 star reviews today taking issue with the play, which can't have been what they were hoping for.
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Post by moelhywel on Jun 28, 2017 8:15:57 GMT
5 star review in the Times, ends with "get a ticket".
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 28, 2017 10:04:55 GMT
The reviews I would say are generally very good but not raves - apart from Mark Shenton (5*) who raves about virtually everything to make his reviews meaningless.
Am currently trying the £20 lottery tickets on Today Tix this week for this but am notoriously unlucky when it comes to lottery seats!
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Post by poster J on Jun 28, 2017 12:56:23 GMT
Quite a few 3 star reviews today taking issue with the play, which can't have been what they were hoping for. Taking issue with the material is probably less of a problem than taking issue with Audra's performance though, so provided the critics are generally kind about her it might not be so much of a problem. I doubt they'll change the marketing much given it's currently focused on her being a hugely celebrated Broadway star.
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Post by popcultureboy on Jun 28, 2017 23:13:07 GMT
And that is exactly why it isn't selling. Broadway stars don't really mean much to a lot of people here, so they aren't much of a selling point. The show really needed across the board 5 star raves saying things like "kill to get a ticket" to boost its profile. The majority of them boil down to "the play's not up to much but Audra is fabulous". That's not going to pull people in.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2017 0:22:53 GMT
It was raved about on Broadway.
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Post by popcultureboy on Jun 29, 2017 7:00:03 GMT
So was the recent revival of Hair, which was paraded across the pond with its Broadway cast intact. Nobody cared and it closed early. It doesn't always translate and Audra is not enough of a name here to sell a show.
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Post by lonlad on Jun 29, 2017 9:17:39 GMT
The reviews here more or less identical to Broadway, where no one has ever rated the play. Audra is the obvious occasion and the question is whether she will matter enough to UK audiences. I suspect she won't, which is a shame, especially if they price it unrealistically.
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Post by moelhywel on Jun 29, 2017 9:41:06 GMT
I've booked to see this because of the opinions of people on this board and because of her performance at the Oliviers, where I thought she was way above every other singer there. However I'd never heard of her before and, I suspect, the same applies to the majority of the British public, who therefore won't be rushing to buy tickets for a show that doesn't get rave reviews. I know I wouldn't have done, especially as I don't live in London.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2017 22:04:44 GMT
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Post by Snciole on Jun 29, 2017 22:28:46 GMT
Those prices are ridiculous but I suspect the summer programming is aimed at American tourists, not casual British theatre goers in town for an afternoon/evening.
The play is very basic but McDonald is a very charming performer, in tune with what made Billie what she was. As a more contemporary reference it felt like watching the final days of Amy Winehouse-ropey performances from a woman who had the talent but not the heart to give her all to audiences. A richness that leaves you feeling empty.
Ultimately I don't think audiences want to see Holiday in the way they want to see Jackson (Thriller), The Beatles (Let it Be) or even Meatloaf (Bat Out of Hell).
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Post by Julieta on Jun 30, 2017 4:54:44 GMT
I saw this yesterday from one of the stage seats at the back (table 6 next to the piano). It was a TodayTix lottery ticket for £20 and at that price was a wonderful experience. Yes, when she's singing facing the audience we didn't see much of her face, but on the other hand we had a great view of her interactions with the pianist. It was very special to be so close and we didn't feel at all exposed as the front tables might have done.
I didn't like the look of the "Bar Stool" seats as they appeared to have an awkward side-on view with a pillar in the way, but then again for £20 still fine.
The performance by Audra is incredible and I found it quite moving. The musicians are great too.
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Post by Being Alive on Jul 4, 2017 10:34:23 GMT
To anyone that has been, how would Grand Circle row C be? The theatre is high rather than seats going far away right? What ae we thinking? (want to go on Saturday!)
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Post by Being Alive on Jul 4, 2017 11:15:03 GMT
^High, but close. Legroom isn't great up there, and people will lean forward. As upper circles go, it's one of the best, and as the stage is high I think sightlines are better than usual. I'm assured the upper circle boxes have an excellent view, too. I can always rely on you theatremonkey. I'm tall, but for 90 mins I'll cope!
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Post by vabbian on Jul 4, 2017 21:04:08 GMT
Saw this tonight. 3.5/5
1. Row G of the Royal Circle is a bargain. Secluded and great view, managed to get ticket for £5.50 after discount!
2. Fantastic lead performance and singing, however I thought it could be more upbeat? I wouldn't like to see it again. It didn't reach any finale or climactic finish as one would hope at the end of a show. I liked the dog. It should be titled DOG & LADY DAY.
3. The seats on the stage are daylight robbery! You would have to pay me to sit there...
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Post by vabbian on Jul 4, 2017 21:08:59 GMT
Also I have the same surname as Billie Holiday!! That totally blew my mind!!!
I was gonna scream
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Post by lonlad on Jul 5, 2017 8:29:02 GMT
Um, in what way could Billie Holiday's tragic and harrowing life story "be more upbeat"? I'm sure she would have wished for that as well instead of dying at age 44.
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Post by michalnowicki on Jul 5, 2017 11:04:01 GMT
Um, in what way could Billie Holiday's tragic and harrowing life story "be more upbeat"? I'm sure she would have wished for that as well instead of dying at age 44. My thoughts exactly... It's kind of like saying that Les Mis could use more jazz hands...
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