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Post by adamkinsey on Apr 12, 2023 18:34:44 GMT
I just can’t get over the prices after previews which I can’t make sadly. Seems an awful lot for fringe theatre. Not sure if I’m being horrible saying the that. There's fringe and there's fringe. I generally don't mind paying £35 somewhere like the Southwark Playhouse as your seat is great and your close to the action and the productions are usually great with good and often very good casting. However, with this, take La Bennett out and it looks like a university/drama school cast as they all seem so young. I was one of those that didn't rave about Georgie Rankcom's Anyone Can Whistle and so I'm wary about this one all told.
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Post by showgirl on Apr 13, 2023 3:47:31 GMT
Well, I'm thinking of taking a chance on a matinee preview, usng one of my £15 PAYG tix as I've never seen a production of this piece so am interested anyway and have nothing with which to compare it.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Apr 13, 2023 4:20:09 GMT
I highly recommend the 1995 How To Succeed cast recording. Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally (pre Will and Grace) Victoria Clark, Lillias White.
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Post by adamkinsey on Apr 13, 2023 9:41:37 GMT
It will be interesting to see how they approach this, given that part of the story is asatire round the old values of Men home being the breadwinners and the women look after the home 'Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm'. Not sure how that will work as the 2 leads are both female. And they are all very young. I'm going to say too young. One of them is meant to have worked in the mailroom for 25 years! As someone who loves the show, it doesn't bode well. I see they've now said they aren't switching genders, so women cast as men are playing the roles as men. The issue for me is the sound of what the composer wrote. Are the women going to be singing the bass lines as written in ensembles? Even if they do, the balance of sound may be off. I do love me a good SATB.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2023 11:49:13 GMT
I highly recommend the 1995 How To Succeed cast recording. Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally (pre Will and Grace) Victoria Clark, Lillias White.
This was a sublime production and my first introduction to the magnificent Victoria Clark.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Apr 13, 2023 13:09:00 GMT
It will be interesting to see how they approach this, given that part of the story is asatire round the old values of Men home being the breadwinners and the women look after the home 'Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm'. Not sure how that will work as the 2 leads are both female. And they are all very young. I'm going to say too young. One of them is meant to have worked in the mailroom for 25 years! As someone who loves the show, it doesn't bode well. I see they've now said they aren't switching genders, so women cast as men are playing the roles as men. The issue for me is the sound of what the composer wrote. Are the women going to be singing the bass lines as written in ensembles? Even if they do, the balance of sound may be off. I do love me a good SATB. Interesting. Ive always seen the voice of the book as Finch reading to himself, but now there will be a female playing a male with a female voice of the book? I guess the voice of the book will be the author??
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Post by oxfordsimon on Apr 13, 2023 15:27:51 GMT
My view is that the voice of the book is clearly that of the author. That is why it is traditionally a pre record (often with a big name) rather than the lead character reading from the text
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Apr 14, 2023 5:45:23 GMT
In the lib it says 'book voice' so I wouldn't say it was clearly the author. It wouldn't make sense for Finch to be on stage reading 'How To Succeed.. out loud and then responding to himself as he read it.
Because the voice has traditionally been a serious newsreader, why not have a famous business person read it, which would make more sense if it was the author, rather than a voice that is well known for its gravitas in other areas.
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Post by david on May 12, 2023 17:00:02 GMT
I’m hoping for a better night tonight at the SWP. Looking forward to seeing Tracie B back on the stage. Anyone else going?
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Post by david on May 12, 2023 22:52:25 GMT
First preview and I really enjoyed it. Plenty of humour and some nice vocals on show made for an entertaining evening at the SWP. Set wise it is very basic - the main feature is a very tall ladder with neon lighting. There is a back wall with a few drawers in it. The office furniture must have been borrowed from IKEA I think.
There currently are no programmes, but I could count around 5-6 musicians sat on top of the wall set. There appeared to be keyboards, drums, a few string and wind instruments. Considering it was the first preview the sound mixing was fine for me and I didn’t have any issues hearing the cast. Some nice fun songs in that score was well.
With respect to the casting if this show, whilst I enjoyed their performances, i did wonder if gender swapping the roles was the best creative decision. Having a female Finch and Biggley for me didn’t really work within the context of those characters story arcs and the relationship developing between Finch and Rosemary didn’t feel real as well as “Brotherhood of Man” I think lost something in its meaning with the gender swap. I was looking forward to seeing Tracie back on the stage who was good fun, for me it was Allie Daniel as Rosemary who had great comic delivery and was the vocal standout.
The running time tonight was around 140 minutes.
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Post by Steve on May 14, 2023 23:29:44 GMT
Saw the Saturday matinee, and was thoroughly entertained, though never dramatically. Some spoilers follow. . . The flaw is the book, which allows the main character (if the role can even be called a character, it is so thinly defined) to coast along so easily (that's the intentional running joke) that there are no dramatic stakes for the first two hours. The music and performances are a joy, however, with Gabrielle Friedman's likeability, as corporate ladder climber, J Pierrepoint Finch, off the charts. That's a boon, as the character's likeability makes us root for him to have an easy time of it, and the dramatic flaw of the book ensures that that is exactly what happens. If there are few thrills, there are many good laughs, and Annie Aitken's ditzy seductress is particularly on point in milking every line for maximum mirth. Allie Daniel, as Pierrepoint's affable and endearing love interest, displays charm and vulnerability in the role, which affords the audience a much needed dose of sentiment. I was bowled over by how much cheery charisma Taylor Bradshaw brings to the small role of Mr Bert Bratt. If you just watch this one actor's performance, you learn more about corporate survival than from anything written in the play text, with the character's instinctive fear of failure and gleeful opportunism, go-getting glad-handing and toeing the line, a constant rollercoaster of a joy to behold. All the characters make a good fist of the singing, with Friedman a highlight. I particularly enjoyed hearing "Rosemary (Superstar)" and reminding myself that this is a rare instance where ALW isn't borrowing from ALW, though the evident similarity may all be a mahoosive coincidence lol. The choreography of all the characters moving constantly around the tiny stage is a delight. 3 and a half stars of musically and comedically great, undramatic fun, for me.
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Post by apubleed on May 15, 2023 11:25:13 GMT
Sorry if I'm confused but why is ALW being mentioned in the context of this show?
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Post by Steve on May 15, 2023 12:22:52 GMT
Sorry if I'm confused but why is ALW being mentioned in the context of this show? ALW has nothing to do with the show, of course, which is why he definitely isn't borrowing from himself here.
And the song is called "Rosemary," not "Rosemary (Superstar)," which I cheekily called it.
But if you can listen to Frank Loesser's principle "Rosemary" motif WITHOUT thinking about ALW's later "Jesus Christ Superstar" motif, you have a sharper, more malleable, more brilliant and more focused mind than I do lol.
Here's a permitted clip of Daniel Radcliffe singing "Rosemary" on Youtube:
Listen to it and try NOT to compare the songs, and try NOT to sing along to the fake lyric, "Rosemary Superstar," in your head.
I'm not saying one song influenced the other, of course. I'm just saying there's a recognisable similarity there.
For the record, I think ALW's "JCS" is an improvement on "Rosemary," whether or not one song influenced the other.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on May 15, 2023 13:45:43 GMT
Not once in the 35 years of knowing How to Succeed, did I ever think it sounded like Superstar. Even listening to it above, I still don't hear it, probably because the time signatures are different.
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Post by mrbarnaby on May 16, 2023 6:41:16 GMT
Sorry if I'm confused but why is ALW being mentioned in the context of this show? ALW has nothing to do with the show, of course, which is why he definitely isn't borrowing from himself here.
And the song is called "Rosemary," not "Rosemary (Superstar)," which I cheekily called it.
But if you can listen to Frank Loesser's principle "Rosemary" motif WITHOUT thinking about ALW's later "Jesus Christ Superstar" motif, you have a sharper, more malleable, more brilliant and more focused mind than I do lol.
Here's a permitted clip of Daniel Radcliffe singing "Rosemary" on Youtube:
Listen to it and try NOT to compare the songs, and try NOT to sing along to the fake lyric, "Rosemary Superstar," in your head.
I'm not saying one song influenced the other, of course. I'm just saying there's a recognisable similarity there.
For the record, I think ALW's "JCS" is an improvement on "Rosemary," whether or not one song influenced the other. This is ridiculous. They sound nothing alike
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Post by matty on May 16, 2023 6:56:41 GMT
Saw this last night and really enjoyed myself, although was dismayed when the 130mins (incl interval) running time listed on the SP website turned out to be false. We started about 5 mins late and I left the theatre at just before 10.20pm - I think it should finish usually about 10.05 according to the sign I saw.
That aside, loved the songs, cast was great - I'm not sure what the gender swapped casting added, but I didn't hate it.
I would love to see this done in a bigger theatre with a bigger cast - while it was great, you can tell that those songs are dying to done even bigger.
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Post by Steve on May 16, 2023 8:27:49 GMT
Not once in the 35 years of knowing How to Succeed, did I ever think it sounded like Superstar. Even listening to it above, I still don't hear it, probably because the time signatures are different. I think ALW's "JCS" is an improvement on "Rosemary," whether or not one song influenced the other. This is ridiculous. They sound nothing alike
I was referring to the motif, not the whole song.
In Tim Rice's autobiography, "Oh What a Circus," he refers to the similarity.
In his review of Rice's autobiography for "The Independent," David Benedict writes of Rice: "his equivocal depiction of his erstwhile writing partner is a quietly lethal cross between assessment and assassination. Beneath the praise he justifiably heaps upon Lloyd Webber, there's a faint beat of resentment. We are told at least three times that life is tougher for lyricists who cannot recycle their words, whereas composers regularly disinter dead tunes. He ensures we learn about previous appearances of the music of the title song in Sunset Boulevard, and drops in references to Lloyd Webber's alleged borrowings - from the slow movement of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto reappearing as "I Don't Know How to Love Him", to the central phrase of "Rosemary" from Frank Loesser's How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying triumphing as the basic chords of "Jesus Christ Superstar".
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Post by frankubelik on May 16, 2023 9:06:59 GMT
Back to the production! A favourite "Musical Comedy" from the Golden Age which I found to be well sung (but quite why they are miked in this venue is baffling), played by the band and was overall enjoyable. The gender switching is unnecessary, does not work and with some strange directorial choices some performers are battling with the style. Not a fan of Ms Bennett who resorts to her standard gurning, is spectacularly unfunny and I wonder why she would accept such a role. Also the leading performer simply lacks the charm, charisma (and previously mentioned) style for this in my opinion. There was a terrific production at Chichester in 2005 (with Joe McFadden) which was pitch perfect and even the Jonathan Groff concert at RFH got much of it right. Maybe some issues will be ironed out during the previews.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on May 16, 2023 9:20:47 GMT
The motif of just 3 notes? Seeing as the same song, Rosemary, has big chunks of Grieg's Concerto in A Minor in it, it just comes off as a cheap dig at ALW.
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Post by shownut on May 16, 2023 10:41:54 GMT
Saw this last night and really enjoyed myself, although was dismayed when the 130mins (incl interval) running time listed on the SP website turned out to be false. We started about 5 mins late and I left the theatre at just before 10.20pm - I think it should finish usually about 10.05 according to the sign I saw. That aside, loved the songs, cast was great - I'm not sure what the gender swapped casting added, but I didn't hate it. I would love to see this done in a bigger theatre with a bigger cast - while it was great, you can tell that those songs are dying to done even bigger. I was there last night as well. Bolted at the interval but husband stayed for Act 2 which he said was slightly better than Act One, but not much. I thought it was badly cast, amateurish and mis-directed. Tracy Bennett must have lost a huge bet to be tied up in this mess. H2$ is a period piece that doesn't work at all unless it remains in the time, place and style for which it was intended OR has a brilliant director/concept that can take it to new places. The most recent Broadway revival, which stayed true to the classic vibe of the show, was thrilling. This production was the opposite and dull as hell. That said, I am glad others have found something to enjoy in it.
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Post by adamkinsey on May 16, 2023 11:23:45 GMT
Sorry, but no. I wanted to leave at the interval but sat it out and sort of regretted staying. Some good singing and a nice band but felt like a university rag week show and not a professional piece of musical theatre. I've seen far better amateur productions and ones with bigger budgets too. This looked cheap and basic. I'm afraid as I didn't enjoy Anyone Can Whistle (bar Alex) I think I need to add Georgie to my "Directors To Avoid" list. Jamie Lloyd is on said list too.
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Post by FJ on May 16, 2023 15:22:47 GMT
I’ve got a spare row A ticket for this Thursday evening (18/05) if anyone wants it. Bought 2 tickets with my PAYG credits and my friend can’t go now so free if anyone wants the spare.
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Post by capybara on May 17, 2023 11:05:28 GMT
Is this more or less mental than Anyone Can Whistle? That production was borderline but Alex Young carried it and was worth the entrance fee alone.
I’m more nervous about this because I’m genuinely intrigued to see this classic musical but I am not convinced this version of it is the greatest representation.
Reviews have been fairly mixed so far, it seems.
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Post by winonaforever on May 17, 2023 18:36:38 GMT
I was at the Saturday matinee. That's the last time I'll EVER book for a show without first finding out who is in the cast.
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Post by Mr Snow on May 18, 2023 7:21:26 GMT
Well we enjoyed it.
For once the blind (is that the right term here with so much variety) was never a distraction and probably part of the 'modernisation ' or softening of the misanthropy of the original. After all, if the old man who exploits his position to employ a much younger girlfriend is comically played by a woman, it's somehow less creepy.
Enjoyed (nearly)all the cast but Ainee Aitken had a spectacular voice when given the chance. Re Orchestrations worked, good band. But I missed the original for "A secretary..." Worth checking out.
Have never really liked HTSIB. They also tried to soften Pierpoints sheer narcissism and it left the actor in no man's land. Would like someone to revive where's Charlie or Greenwillow, amazing to think Loesser may be remembered as a One hit wonder.
Fun evening out, but the piece is not suited to todays thinking. Needs to be revived as a period piece in 100 years - "Come and see what life in offices was really like".
Last night probably 2/3 full. There's a lot of mouths to feed...
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Post by FairyGodmother on May 18, 2023 7:55:02 GMT
Would like someone to revive where's Charlie or Greenwillow, amazing to think Loesser may be remembered as a One hit wonder. I always forget he wrote musicals at all to be honest — my instant association is with his one-off songs (Heart and Soul, Baby It's Cold Outside, Two Sleepy People etc). Oh, and Hans Christian Andersen.
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Post by FrontroverPaul on May 18, 2023 9:59:02 GMT
I Just don't understand the thinking behind the gender swap which for me just seemed weird and didn't work !
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Post by MoreLife on May 18, 2023 13:51:19 GMT
I saw this production earlier this week and enjoyed it, although admittedly I thought that Act One dragged a little, but that's down to the book and to a plot whereby - as Steve pointed out above - the protagonist is not actually challenged, and even when something resembling a hurdle comes up, they get over it with stroke of luck after stroke of luck.
I saw another production of HTSIBWRT years ago, but I'm certainly not familiar with (or even fond of) the material as some here are, so perhaps I went in with no specific expectations and I was just happy to be lightly entertained, and I felt that the show delivered precisely that.
The cast is indeed very young, with the obvious exception of Tracie Bennett, but that did not bother me at all, as they're all competent singers/dancers/actors. Some performances actually stood out for me, especially Allie Daniel inhabited Rosemary in a very earnest and heartfelt way, which is not the easiest thing to do when your role is written pretty much as a stereotype and has barely any arc. All in all, however, this production sat around the 3.5/5 stars for me.
I didn't think that there was necessarily a major "design" behind the choice of gender-swapping the casting for some of the roles, just as there often isn't one when an actress is cast in a traditionally male-cast Shakespeare role. It's curious to see how much more of a "strong" reaction this choice elicits in this context, where with Shakespearean revivals it's often welcome as a breath of fresh air offering some new approach, etc. At the same time, I don't think it was just a "gimmick". I'm not sure that all the swaps worked equally well, as I was not always convinced by Gabrielle Friedman's Finch, but in general I thought it was just a beautiful way of honouring the fact that in 2023, in contrast to 1961 when HTSIBWRT was first staged, there's a pool of performers to choose amongst who can give more of a voice and representation to the whole LGBTQIA+ community.
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Post by oxfordsimon on May 18, 2023 14:51:56 GMT
Representation does matter. But it is better to be represented in work that is true to the communities you are seeking to represent rather than trying to change scripts/scores just to be representative.
Gender switching in Shakespeare only works when the intentions are followed through completely with respect to the social structures and language of the original.
For example, changing Brutus to a female character only works if you change or cut the language that repeatedly calls Brutus 'an honourable man'. As the RSC recently found, failing to deal with this contributes to a failed production.
I don't want to see any community inserted into someone else's story. Be authentic and let them tell their own.
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Post by theatre22 on May 18, 2023 17:39:09 GMT
Just received an email saying tonight’s show has been cancelled due to a cast injury.
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