7 posts
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Post by Daffodil on Nov 29, 2023 11:45:20 GMT
The two ladies next to me who had not seen Evita before told me they had been undecided whether to return after the interval as they could not follow the story.
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172 posts
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Post by justsaying113 on Nov 29, 2023 12:08:11 GMT
This sounds hideous...on so many levels. And, if people can't follow it, then Foster should hang his head in shame because - say what you like about the original material - it is a lean and fantastically linear piece of storytelling. The fact it's engaged audiences across the world for 45 years proves that. Just leave well alone.
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Post by SuttonPeron on Nov 29, 2023 12:20:35 GMT
What a shame. It´s easily ALW´s best work, and an extremely solid material. I do hope the orchestra wasn´t the 9-piece reduced version with canned click tracks...
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1,265 posts
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Post by mkb on Nov 29, 2023 12:33:06 GMT
To be entirely fair, as author of the unflattering review up-thread, I should add context. I am one of the 16 people on here with one/two-star votes for Sunset which also carries an astonishing 114 five-star ratings currently. There's every chance that the latter set will enthuse over Foster's Evita. In fact, I can't think why they wouldn't as the two shows are so similar in style. And here, the lead is acting a role rather than playing herself, which is a plus.
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1,265 posts
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Post by mkb on Nov 29, 2023 12:54:52 GMT
...I do hope the orchestra wasn´t the 9-piece reduced version with canned click tracks... The programme lists nine players. There's also an assistant MD with no instrument specified, so represumably just a cover for the MD.
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Post by SuttonPeron on Nov 29, 2023 13:54:23 GMT
What a shame!
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Nov 30, 2023 0:44:19 GMT
I loved Sunset (gave it 5 stars), but I didn't like this anywhere near as much (or at all tbh).
I felt it was quite messy with people not necessarily doing their choreographed moves in time (although given it is previews maybe the choreography will be ironed out) and some of the movement just felt unnecessary or didn't feel like it fit the show.
The camera work here felt out of place and gimmicky whereas in Sunset I felt like it suited the story telling? The only points here where I thought it worked was when they used it for Eva's 1st broadcast after meeting Peron (the song name escapes me). There were also various points where the camera was just pointing at the stairs or random floor moments and the big stationary camera at the back didn't do much. The screen showing the camera work also would start coming up and down mid projection so the lighting rig or staircase would block parts of it?
I wasn't entirely sold on the cast either. Martha can definitely sing the score, but I'm not sure about her portrayal as a whole. Tyrone felt a bit miscast here generally. I didn't like the Magaldi at all, but I was a fan of the Mistress. Peron was not bad also.
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109 posts
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Post by theatregod on Nov 30, 2023 7:57:06 GMT
Yes, it’s the same 9 piece with pre recorded backing tracks. The same as the previous tour from what I understand.
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Post by cezbear on Nov 30, 2023 8:54:48 GMT
I hated this. I hate saying that because I absolutely love Evita but found very little to like here. Although I didn't much like the Regents Park production either, and people loved that if I remember correctly? Vocally everyone was good, and Martha had some touches I liked, but overall I was disappointed I made the trek for this. mkb's review said it better than I will (I'll add for reference I DID like Sunset though).
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850 posts
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Post by BVM on Nov 30, 2023 16:23:55 GMT
Be good to hear from the other people that gave it 5 stars!
Certainly I thought the production pics released today looked much better than some of the descriptions above.
I am very sorry to hear about a 9 piece orchestra though as the Adelphi and OAT musical direction and orchestration were sensational.
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5,278 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 30, 2023 19:52:59 GMT
God it looks dreadful in those production shots.
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1,265 posts
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Post by mkb on Nov 30, 2023 23:08:58 GMT
So what do I know? I treated four family members to tickets for tonight, bought before I'd seen it myself. I had to apologise and warn them to set their expectations low. And they've just been in touch to say how much they enjoyed it. And they would be honest, so it's true. So there's hope for others.
I'd love to hear a perspective from the five-star raters who have remained silent so far.
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850 posts
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Post by BVM on Dec 2, 2023 10:10:44 GMT
4 (four) stars from What’s On Stage. 2 (two) stars from The Guardian.
Going next weekend to see for myself! I do rather like the pics though as I quite like no sets where you see the innards of a theatre combined with big lighting designs. Much more than hideous cheap cardboard sets anyway.
And certainly muscle men in black vests don’t usually make things worse.
I do see the unfavourable comparisons to Sunset though but will reserve judgment until I’ve been.
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1,098 posts
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Post by theatrefan62 on Dec 2, 2023 10:31:31 GMT
I'm surprised how good the production images look, but it does look a Jamie lloyd/ivo van hove rip off. And I question how good it actually looks on a big stage. Close up images are easier to make look good
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Post by cezbear on Dec 2, 2023 11:10:01 GMT
I actually like the photos a lot more than I liked the show. Apart from that green dress.
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Post by 141920grm on Dec 2, 2023 14:14:21 GMT
Pictures look great because they frame the show more tightly than it actually is… there are great visually thought-out moments especially when the cast fill the stage; it’s the indecisive transitions being dwarfed by the stage that’s one of its weaker points. Smaller stage might help it? Lots of great ideas and choreography but as my design tutor would’ve said, selection isn’t rigorous enough
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1,265 posts
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Post by mkb on Dec 2, 2023 21:08:13 GMT
Dominic Cavendish gives three stars in the Torygraph, and has an alternative take to any notion that Foster is copying Lloyd in style. Watching the latter's Sunset, Cavendish writes "I definitely had moments of déjà vu, to put it mildly.". He's suggesting that it is in fact Lloyd who borrowed ideas from Foster's streamed, lockdown version of Sunset.
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18,811 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 3, 2023 7:48:32 GMT
4 (four) stars from What’s On Stage. 2 (two) stars from The Guardian. East Midlands Theatre loved it!
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850 posts
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Post by BVM on Dec 3, 2023 11:15:46 GMT
4 (four) stars from What’s On Stage. 2 (two) stars from The Guardian. East Midlands Theatre loved it! Lol. All the greats. Surprised not to see ATD there 😂😱🤦🏻♂️.
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850 posts
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Post by BVM on Dec 3, 2023 11:22:06 GMT
On the who’s copying who thing, probs nobody is copying anyone.
Remember a few pages of the Sunset thread where a few people were telling the ravers such as myself that there wasn’t much new or original about this style as various people had done it in various things for years!
(I guess maybe true but the wonder of what Lloyd had done in terms of execution of the style and every tiny perfected element remained).
So I guess minimal set/workings of theatre visible/white lighting/video/modern chromatic dress is simply “a” style available to all directors. Like projection heavy has been for the last 15 years. And big physical sets were before.
Also worth saying that both Foster and Curve love the kind of style they’ve gone for on this and have used it many times before so it’s not really surprising.
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887 posts
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Post by max on Dec 3, 2023 11:28:49 GMT
On the who’s copying who thing, probs nobody is copying anyone. Remember a few pages of the Sunset thread where a few people were telling the ravers such as myself that there wasn’t much new or original about this style as various people had done it in various things for years! (I guess maybe true but the wonder of what Lloyd had done in terms of execution of the style and every tiny perfected element remained). So I guess minimal set/workings of theatre visible/white lighting/video/modern chromatic dress is simply “a” style available to all directors. Like projection heavy has been for the last 15 years. And big physical sets were before. Also worth saying that both Foster and Curve love the kind of style they’ve gone for on this and have used it many times before so it’s not really surprising. I saw a production of EVITA in London a while ago that used most of these: "minimal set/workings of theatre visible/white lighting/video/modern chromatic dress". Can't remember the director's name. Somebody Prince, I think. Gerald Prince? ; )
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850 posts
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Post by BVM on Dec 3, 2023 11:38:36 GMT
On the who’s copying who thing, probs nobody is copying anyone. Remember a few pages of the Sunset thread where a few people were telling the ravers such as myself that there wasn’t much new or original about this style as various people had done it in various things for years! (I guess maybe true but the wonder of what Lloyd had done in terms of execution of the style and every tiny perfected element remained). So I guess minimal set/workings of theatre visible/white lighting/video/modern chromatic dress is simply “a” style available to all directors. Like projection heavy has been for the last 15 years. And big physical sets were before. Also worth saying that both Foster and Curve love the kind of style they’ve gone for on this and have used it many times before so it’s not really surprising. I saw a production of EVITA in London a while ago that used most of these: "minimal set/workings of theatre visible/white lighting/video/modern chromatic dress". Can't remember the director's name. Somebody Prince, I think. Gerald Prince? ; ) Exactly lol!
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Post by toomasj on Dec 3, 2023 13:56:27 GMT
I saw yesterday’s matinee and I absolutely loathed this. Shame as Nikolai is a lovely guy and great to work with, but I really hated every aspect of this production. This kind of staging is really just not my cup of tea even when done slickly and stylishly. Stage looks bare, set is janky, performances are far removed from the characters I know. The singing was generally okay.
What was the deal with the muscle men? It was like someone staged Chicago based on a hallucinogenic fever dream they half remember.
Some shows simply don’t work with the Van Hove/Lloyd style and this is one of them.
1* and wish I’d left at the interval: it was only the long journey and the fact I had a time specific train back which kept me there. If anything the second act was worse.
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5,278 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Dec 3, 2023 20:33:56 GMT
This looks bare because… they have no money. It’s the same with every musical they stage. They have a huge stage and no money to fill it.
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6,338 posts
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Post by danb on Dec 3, 2023 21:13:51 GMT
Are we getting to a stage where we’d rather have no revivals than half arsed cheapo ones? I know that our expectations need managing in a recession and that it should be the impetus that creatives need to try and do more with less; but not if they just serve up bland, insipid, watered down retreads. I’m looking to Starlight to see if they actually spend any money or expend any creative energy on it.
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1,098 posts
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Post by theatrefan62 on Dec 3, 2023 21:34:13 GMT
Are we getting to a stage where we’d rather have no revivals than half arsed cheapo ones? I know that our expectations need managing in a recession and that it should be the impetus that creatives need to try and do more with less; but not if they just serve up bland, insipid, watered down retreads. I’m looking to Starlight to see if they actually spend any money or expend any creative energy on it. Why revivals? Surely it applies to all shows. Revival or new. We don't want to see bland cheap looking shows regardless.
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6,338 posts
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Post by danb on Dec 3, 2023 21:38:35 GMT
You can at least pretend that it was your intention if a new show looks cheap & under-produced. It’s a stylistic choice. If you revive something that used to be shiny & nice with lesser production values it becomes blatantly obvious. Sunset avoids this by sounding glorious, filling the stage with quality talent and having a clear aesthetic. Perhaps ‘Evita’ should have tried a bit harder.
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443 posts
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Post by theatreliker on Dec 4, 2023 7:09:09 GMT
This looks bare because… they have no money. It’s the same with every musical they stage. They have a huge stage and no money to fill it. Wasn't a huge fan of this but... I prefer the stripped back look of their productions rather than when they put a cheap looking set on it which dwarfs the stage (like The Wizard of Oz). It is a huge stage and so why fill it with set just for the sake of it? Admittedly there's probably a better midpoint. West Side Story and Billy Elliot achieved this better imo.
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Post by toomasj on Dec 4, 2023 7:33:53 GMT
This looks bare because… they have no money. It’s the same with every musical they stage. They have a huge stage and no money to fill it. Wasn't a huge fan of this but... I prefer the stripped back look of their productions rather than when they put a cheap looking set on it which dwarfs the stage (like The Wizard of Oz). It is a huge stage and so why fill it with set just for the sake of it? Admittedly there's probably a better midpoint. West Side Story and Billy Elliot achieved this better imo. The set and costumes alone, as much as I hated them (and I really hated them) weren’t even the biggest faults in my opinion. It was just so soulless. The chap next to me described it as “hollow”. The Kenwright tour was miles ahead of this. Dreadful.
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5,278 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Dec 4, 2023 9:06:42 GMT
This looks bare because… they have no money. It’s the same with every musical they stage. They have a huge stage and no money to fill it. Wasn't a huge fan of this but... I prefer the stripped back look of their productions rather than when they put a cheap looking set on it which dwarfs the stage (like The Wizard of Oz). It is a huge stage and so why fill it with set just for the sake of it? Admittedly there's probably a better midpoint. West Side Story and Billy Elliot achieved this better imo. I don’t mean fill the stage with scenery.. I mean have a proper design concept- all of their musicals (in my opinion) have looked completely uninspired visually and clearly a huge part is to do with the budgets they have. This is no slight on them- god knows putting on a show is getting harder and harder. It’s just the reality of the situation.
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