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Post by ladidah on Jul 11, 2023 11:07:33 GMT
Did they think you were going to recreate it in your living room!?
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Post by mkb on Jul 11, 2023 11:27:10 GMT
*On a completely show unrelated note, I also experienced one of the rudest audience encounters in a while when getting to my seat. I was in the front row on the far left, but I'm not familiar with the Garrick so accidentally entered from the right side door and had to cross over to my seat, passing the stage. There was more than enough space for me to walk and no one batted an eyelid, until I got to an older man who decided to extend his feet to touch the stage as I approached, blocking me from walking. It was clearly deliberate, but I politely asked him, "Sorry, can I please get past you" to which he answered "Sorry are you a part of the show? NO". I was slightly taken aback by how unnecessarily rude he was, so just said no I'm just trying to get my seat, then had to walk over his leg, almost losing my balance and falling into the stage. I was there alone tonight and the exchange made me feel really anxious and annoyed as I was waiting for the show to start. I just don't understand why some people go out of their way to be horrible to others, especially since there was about a metre of space between the people at the front and the stage, and he was clearly just trying to make an example of me for entering through the wrong door. I'm getting angry just reading that. What a nasty piece of work! I think it would have ruined my night - at least I'd struggle to be receptive to comedy once I'd been annoyed like that. He would have got both barrels from me. I have regularly had tuts from entitled people who have to stand to let me into a row, who clearly believe that everyone further in should arrive before them, but this goes well beyond that.
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Post by Jan on Jul 11, 2023 17:42:40 GMT
I agree the man who wouldn’t let me past was just an entitled pest! I also go to the theatre alone a lot as I have a habit of buying last minute cheap tickets on the day, so it defiantly won’t affect me doing that, but it was just very annoying at the times! You've just reminded me of an experience I had last time I went to see a play on my own - Dancing At Lughnasa in the Olivier. I'd sat down and I took a photo of the stage - I often do this partly so I can look back at what the seat view was like for future bookings and partly as a visual record of what I saw and when. I don't post them anywhere. Anyway, I'd taken the photo and the elderly couple behind me tutted to each other really loudly and then said "SETS ARE COPYRIGHTED". I ignored them and took another. That’s true though isn’t it, sets and costumes *are* protected by copyright.
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Post by musicbox on Jul 11, 2023 18:03:12 GMT
*On a completely show unrelated note, I also experienced one of the rudest audience encounters in a while when getting to my seat. I was in the front row on the far left, but I'm not familiar with the Garrick so accidentally entered from the right side door and had to cross over to my seat, passing the stage. There was more than enough space for me to walk and no one batted an eyelid, until I got to an older man who decided to extend his feet to touch the stage as I approached, blocking me from walking. It was clearly deliberate, but I politely asked him, "Sorry, can I please get past you" to which he answered "Sorry are you a part of the show? NO". I was slightly taken aback by how unnecessarily rude he was, so just said no I'm just trying to get my seat, then had to walk over his leg, almost losing my balance and falling into the stage. I was there alone tonight and the exchange made me feel really anxious and annoyed as I was waiting for the show to start. I just don't understand why some people go out of their way to be horrible to others, especially since there was about a metre of space between the people at the front and the stage, and he was clearly just trying to make an example of me for entering through the wrong door. I'm getting angry just reading that. What a nasty piece of work! I think it would have ruined my night - at least I'd struggle to be receptive to comedy once I'd been annoyed like that. He would have got both barrels from me. I have regularly had tuts from entitled people who have to stand to let me into a row, who clearly believe that everyone further in should arrive before them, but this goes well beyond that. Yeah that's exactly how I felt at the start of the show, I had entered the theatre feeling really relaxed and looking forward to seeing the play, but I felt so uptight and annoyed for the first little while. I agree some people feel that paying for a ticket entitles them to behave in whichever way they want, when really it's an age old accepted norm that if you go to a show you will probably have to stand to allow others to enter your row at some point. It's not as if the other person wants to brush past you - if there was another way to get there without disturbing others I'm sure people would do it! You've just reminded me of an experience I had last time I went to see a play on my own - Dancing At Lughnasa in the Olivier. I'd sat down and I took a photo of the stage - I often do this partly so I can look back at what the seat view was like for future bookings and partly as a visual record of what I saw and when. I don't post them anywhere. Anyway, I'd taken the photo and the elderly couple behind me tutted to each other really loudly and then said "SETS ARE COPYRIGHTED". I ignored them and took another. That’s true though isn’t it, sets and costumes *are* protected by copyright. Technically all intellectual property is protected by the intellectual property act, but this is only applies when someone is planning to sell and make profit from someone else's work without permission. It doesn't apply if someone is simply taking a photo of something to enjoy for themselves, otherwise we'd all be in jail for listening to music or watching a film at home.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 11, 2023 18:25:39 GMT
Sounds horrific. Thank god I didn’t buy for the Lowry.
Poor CHF having to do this, has she not got any musical stuff lined up?
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Post by musicbox on Jul 11, 2023 22:29:13 GMT
Sounds horrific. Thank god I didn’t buy for the Lowry. Poor CHF having to do this, has she not got any musical stuff lined up? To be fair, as much as it is a total downgrade for Carrie and I can imagine she herself knows the script is horrible (I was really amazed at her saying the line about not marrying the prince because he’s too fat for example), she also comes over as the best thing in the show as her song at the end breaks up the terrible attempts at humour - maybe that’s a silver lining for her? There was so many young people with Carrie tour T-shirts on last night as well, I can only imagine what they must’ve been thinking.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2023 23:23:10 GMT
I don't think Al should really be breaking the 4th wall to make cheap club comic jokes at the audience in a play unless there is warnings about that on the show website etc ?
Carrie was saying the line as a character so that would be like for example in Heathers where they mock the fat girl Martha so I don't see that as an issue regardless of what Carrie's size may be.
CHF will bring in some of her fanbase so you could understand them casting her.
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Post by musicbox on Jul 11, 2023 23:59:29 GMT
I don't think Al should really be breaking the 4th wall to make cheap club comic jokes at the audience in a play unless there is warnings about that on the show website etc ? Carrie was saying the line as a character so that would be like for example in Heathers where they mock the fat girl Martha so I don't see that as an issue regardless of what Carrie's size may be.CHF will bring in some of her fanbase so you could understand them casting her. I absolutely agree, but she was also very vocal about disliking the body shaming lines in Cinderella. I still think that criticising ALW on such a public forum was very misjudged, especially since Georgina who kept totally silent is now starring as the lead in a major ALW show at the Palladium. (I'm not defending how the cast were treated in any way by the way).
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Post by mkb on Jul 12, 2023 0:20:44 GMT
You've just reminded me of an experience I had last time I went to see a play on my own - Dancing At Lughnasa in the Olivier. I'd sat down and I took a photo of the stage - I often do this partly so I can look back at what the seat view was like for future bookings and partly as a visual record of what I saw and when. I don't post them anywhere. Anyway, I'd taken the photo and the elderly couple behind me tutted to each other really loudly and then said "SETS ARE COPYRIGHTED". I ignored them and took another. At a London theatre last year, ushers were walking round with the usual no photography, no phones icons held aloft on A4 cards. I have never considered this is intended to preclude you from checking email and social media before the show and during the interval, but the elderly couple behind thought differently, told me to put my phone away and then made catty comments about the type of person I must be when I carried on surfing. As someone who always tries to be considerate of others in the theatre, and who would never dream of getting my phone out during the actual performance, I was both annoyed and upset by their comments. Happily, they didn't return after the interval.
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Post by Jan on Jul 12, 2023 6:30:44 GMT
That’s true though isn’t it, sets and costumes *are* protected by copyright. Technically all intellectual property is protected by the intellectual property act, but this is only applies when someone is planning to sell and make profit from someone else's work without permission. It doesn't apply if someone is simply taking a photo of something to enjoy for themselves, otherwise we'd all be in jail for listening to music or watching a film at home. That's not the case in two areas that I know about - publishing and visual arts. For example you're not allowed to make a single photocopy of a whole magazine or a book even if it is only for your own personal use. Also while art galleries will normally waive copyright restrictions and allow you to photograph their artworks on a non-commercial basis they will normally ban it if they are showing stuff for which they don't own the copyright, loans and so on. I don't know about music but I'd be amazed if you were allowed without permission from the copyright holders to record a live concert on your phone even if it was just for your personal use - I mean I assume people do this but I'm guessing it is technically a breach of copyright law and there's no "personal use" exception.
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Post by ladidah on Jul 12, 2023 7:16:04 GMT
I can't see this lasting the run
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Post by mrnutz on Jul 12, 2023 8:59:46 GMT
You've just reminded me of an experience I had last time I went to see a play on my own - Dancing At Lughnasa in the Olivier. I'd sat down and I took a photo of the stage - I often do this partly so I can look back at what the seat view was like for future bookings and partly as a visual record of what I saw and when. I don't post them anywhere. Anyway, I'd taken the photo and the elderly couple behind me tutted to each other really loudly and then said "SETS ARE COPYRIGHTED". I ignored them and took another. That’s true though isn’t it, sets and costumes *are* protected by copyright. It is true, yes - but why is it any of their business?
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Post by Rory on Jul 12, 2023 9:29:04 GMT
I can't see this lasting the run Seems to be selling reasonably well. They'll not pull it before a tour. Certainly seems to be doing better than Spitting Image which unfortunately appears to be limping along til 26th August.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Jul 12, 2023 10:17:52 GMT
That’s true though isn’t it, sets and costumes *are* protected by copyright. It is true, yes - but why is it any of their business? You were technically in the wrong on this one though so I don't see the big deal. It's not like they got up and got an usher to come over to you. Bit odd to say people should just ignore bad behaviour. And yes I take photos too, but I'd hold my hands up if someone called me out on it.
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Post by kittyfleur on Jul 12, 2023 10:38:46 GMT
I can't see this lasting the run Seems to be selling reasonably well. They'll not pull it before a tour. Certainly seems to be doing better than Spitting Image which unfortunately appears to be limping along til 26th August. Is the CJ really selling well though? It keeps popping up on discount ticketing sites. I think some of the seats are even papered.
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Post by sph on Jul 12, 2023 13:14:54 GMT
It is true, yes - but why is it any of their business? You were technically in the wrong on this one though so I don't see the big deal. It's not like they got up and got an usher to come over to you. Bit odd to say people should just ignore bad behaviour. And yes I take photos too, but I'd hold my hands up if someone called me out on it. In theatres, it's become slightly complicated. Technically you could say that taking photos is not allowed because of the copyright, and when a new show opened at any of the theatres I worked in, we were often briefed on stopping this from happening. HOWEVER, people would do it anyway and then tweet them, and then the production would often retweet them and thank them for coming and ask for more people to share theirs! So yes, while it might technically not be allowed, a show's presence on social media has become a large part of what sells it, and many producers are happy to look the other way regarding copyright as long as the show is getting lots of exposure. In short, taking a photo before a show is so common nowadays and such a large part of creating an online buzz that very few places are going to stop you.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2023 13:36:41 GMT
I don't think Al should really be breaking the 4th wall to make cheap club comic jokes at the audience in a play unless there is warnings about that on the show website etc ? Carrie was saying the line as a character so that would be like for example in Heathers where they mock the fat girl Martha so I don't see that as an issue regardless of what Carrie's size may be.CHF will bring in some of her fanbase so you could understand them casting her. I absolutely agree, but she was also very vocal about disliking the body shaming lines in Cinderella. I still think that criticising ALW on such a public forum was very misjudged, especially since Georgina who kept totally silent is now starring as the lead in a major ALW show at the Palladium. (I'm not defending how the cast were treated in any way by the way). Thanks for advising CHF had been vocal about the lines in Cinderella so I agree it is ironic she is happy to say the lines in a much "lesser" show.
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Post by Jon on Jul 12, 2023 13:49:50 GMT
I think pre show taking a picture is fine but during the show itself is a no no.
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Post by starlight92 on Jul 12, 2023 14:04:17 GMT
The overall show quality aside, actors breaking the fourth wall to pick on audience members gives me severe anxiety, so I won't be going to this!
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Post by ladidah on Jul 12, 2023 14:09:48 GMT
I couldn't take it. I won the Hamilton lottery years ago and was in the front row. Having the actors occasionally catch your eye was terrible!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2023 15:02:47 GMT
Very few plays the 4th wall is broken really. The Mouse That Roared sprang to mind but that is probably more improvisation. Even in the Rocky Horror Show we get the Narrator responding generally to heckles or well known responses to certain lines. Really it is panto where the Dame, Ugly Sisters or main comedy protagonist will react with people in the front few rows.
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Post by robertb213 on Jul 12, 2023 15:34:25 GMT
They've asked press not to attend until 27th July now so perhaps they're realising it's not working and need some time to re-work it.
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Post by musicbox on Jul 12, 2023 15:56:36 GMT
The overall show quality aside, actors breaking the fourth wall to pick on audience members gives me severe anxiety, so I won't be going to this! This is exactly how I felt, had I known that it was an interactive show I wouldn’t have booked, never mind sit in the front row as I also have pretty severe anxiety. I was literally on edge for the whole evening and had a headache after with the sheer panic that Al was going to pick me. He actually selected the person sitting next to me and made fun of his glasses (Hilarious I know) and I almost had an aneurysm thinking he was looking at me at first. I had in my mind that if he did select me then I would simply ignore him until he gave up, but during the part where he asked a man to stand up and recite his name and where he was from, Carrie was also on stage as the kings mistress, and was also chanting cmon get up and waving her hands as if to suggest get out of your seat to the man, so I can imagine the pressure would be too much to say no! Basically it’s someone who suffers from anxiety’s worst nightmare and it really should be advertised as being that kind of show - call me naive, but I honestly thought I was going to see a lighthearted historical play with some singing, not a borderline offensive Al Murray stand up show with a plot thrown in.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 13, 2023 6:48:32 GMT
The overall show quality aside, actors breaking the fourth wall to pick on audience members gives me severe anxiety, so I won't be going to this! I had in my mind that if he did select me then I would simply ignore him until he gave up, but during the part where he asked a man to stand up and recite his name and where he was from, Carrie was also on stage as the kings mistress, and was also chanting cmon get up and waving her hands as if to suggest get out of your seat to the man, so I can imagine the pressure would be too much to say no! Some years ago at a Priscilla tour, and that bit at the start of act 2 where they would get members of the audience up on stage to dance. I was in a stalls aisle seat so I knew I was at risk, but I also knew I wasn’t going to be dragged up onto that stage. Needless to say I was picked. The actors have a really short amount of time to get the victims up and after realising I was staring straight ahead not making eye contact she physically grabbed my arm with two hands and tried to pull me out of the seat. The sight of this very slight female trying to pull very large me out of the seat while I made myself into a dead weight must have been...interesting. In the end as she wasn’t taking the hint I made eye contact and the the panic on the poor woman’s face as time was running out was such that shook my head and said “NO” very firmly. She gave up and tried the man in front who was apparently gagging to do it because he leapt up so all was well.
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Post by Steve on Jul 13, 2023 22:28:57 GMT
The overall show quality aside, actors breaking the fourth wall to pick on audience members gives me severe anxiety, so I won't be going to this! Saw this tonight, and it's not very good, though there are enough laughs that it isn't a total washout, and Carrie Hope Fletcher is a saving grace of the production. As regards the interactivity, only the front row was seriously harassed (though for the less anxious, there are two excellent comedy moments that victims will be dining out on for years), and nobody behind Row B was picked on at all. For safety's sake, if you are Row D of the stalls, or behind that, I'd think you can rest easy. As far as that shrivelled knob of shrunken humanity that stuck his leg out, in the anecdote above, is concerned, it's a shame Al Murray didn't see it and roast him the entire night. It's not just that it's totally uncalled for to make somebody feel bad, like that, but as the ladies is on the left side of the theatre, and the gents is on the right, there are actually good reasons to cross from one side of the auditorium to the other, and back again. Some spoilers follow. . . At the beginning of this, we are told it's a true story, and that's undoubtedly the reason this production isn't funny enough. Conformity to the facts of the story of Colonel Blood's notorious attempt to steal the Crown Jewels results in the cardinal sin of the principals lacking comedy characterisation. Blood and his gang are just not funny, in themselves, even if the facts of their true life plot are absurd and astonishing. Most good laughs come from comedy characterisation: the audience learns the character, predicts how they will behave, and laughs when they do it, or don't do it. Luckily, there are some good comedy characters on the periphery of the robbery plot:- (1) Carrie Hope Fletcher's brat who loudly disrespects her parents, but fawns over potential suitors, is a comic archetype that Fletcher plays to the hilt. Couple that with the fact she sings 4 and a bit ok-ish songs beautifully, and she's the show's highlight; (2) Adonis Siddique's wide-eyed yes-man Footman, with a funny moustache, who lives in terror of the King's whims, and barks out instant agreement with everything the King says, is a hoot every time he does it; (3) and one of the peripheral plotters is an actress, characterised as an egotist obsessed with her own performance, so Tanvi Virmani scores some big laughs every time she indulgently demonstrates her larger-than-life acting skills. Al Murray, as King Charles II, should be funnier than he is, given his established stand-up persona, as a bigoted blunt instrument who cuts through flowery targets, but here, the fact of the real Charles II's fondness for France undercuts Murray's typical anti-French shtick, and the substitute of his supposed hatred of the Dutch doesn't really work as we just don't understand any reasons he would hate them, so the joke is too thin for big laughs. Indeed, Murray has two very funny moments, and one is anti-French after all (the French may go in for handrails, but we English don't do "safety"). The other funny moment is the funniest moment in the whole show and involves a member of the front row and Al Murray at his punchy stand-up best! Mel Giedroyc gurns wonderfully, but in a part with no established character traits, so it's in her secondary more minor part, as a French Noblewoman, that she gets good laughs out of her comic skills, culminating in the other front row victim with a happy story to tell, and the second biggest laugh of the show. All in all, the unfunny plotters do what the real Colonel Blood did, and it just isn't funny or entertaining, yet the laughs on the periphery, coupled with Carrie Hope Fletcher's singing, lifted this to a worthwhile 2 and a half stars for me. PS: We got out at 9:40pm tonight, making the current running time (including one interval) 2 hours and 10 minutes, but I think by press night, the plan is to get the run time down to 2 hours total, as advertised.
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Post by Jan on Jul 14, 2023 6:35:33 GMT
The overall show quality aside, actors breaking the fourth wall to pick on audience members gives me severe anxiety, so I won't be going to this! Just out of interest has anyone ever seen audience interaction/participation listed amongst the trigger warnings ? Because it absolutely should be, it ranks way higher than sudden loud noises and gunshots in my view. In the 1980s I was right at the front of the stalls for a Dame Edna show - you could literally feel the anxiety in the audience. Same feeling, though for an entirely different reason, at the Deborah Warner/Brian Cox "Titus Andronicus", we knew what was coming.
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Post by musicbox on Jul 14, 2023 10:26:22 GMT
The overall show quality aside, actors breaking the fourth wall to pick on audience members gives me severe anxiety, so I won't be going to this! Saw this tonight, and it's not very good, though there are enough laughs that it isn't a total washout, and Carrie Hope Fletcher is a saving grace of the production. As regards the interactivity, only the front row was seriously harassed (though for the less anxious, there are two excellent comedy moments that victims will be dining out on for years), and nobody behind Row B was picked on at all. For safety's sake, if you are Row D of the stalls, or behind that, I'd think you can rest easy. As far as that shrivelled knob of shrunken humanity that stuck his leg out, in the anecdote above, is concerned, it's a shame Al Murray didn't see it and roast him the entire night. It's not just that it's totally uncalled for to make somebody feel bad, like that, but as the ladies is on the left side of the theatre, and the gents is on the right, there are actually good reasons to cross from one side of the auditorium to the other, and back again. Some spoilers follow. . . At the beginning of this, we are told it's a true story, and that's undoubtedly the reason this production isn't funny enough. Conformity to the facts of the story of Colonel Blood's notorious attempt to steal the Crown Jewels results in the cardinal sin of the principals lacking comedy characterisation. Blood and his gang are just not funny, in themselves, even if the facts of their true life plot are absurd and astonishing. Most good laughs come from comedy characterisation: the audience learns the character, predicts how they will behave, and laughs when they do it, or don't do it. Luckily, there are some good comedy characters on the periphery of the robbery plot:- (1) Carrie Hope Fletcher's brat who loudly disrespects her parents, but fawns over potential suitors, is a comic archetype that Fletcher plays to the hilt. Couple that with the fact she sings 4 and a bit ok-ish songs beautifully, and she's the show's highlight; (2) Adonis Siddique's wide-eyed yes-man Footman, with a funny moustache, who lives in terror of the King's whims, and barks out instant agreement with everything the King says, is a hoot every time he does it; (3) and one of the peripheral plotters is an actress, characterised as an egotist obsessed with her own performance, so Tanvi Virmani scores some big laughs every time she indulgently demonstrates her larger-than-life acting skills. Al Murray, as King Charles II, should be funnier than he is, given his established stand-up persona, as a bigoted blunt instrument who cuts through flowery targets, but here, the fact of the real Charles II's fondness for France undercuts Murray's typical anti-French shtick, and the substitute of his supposed hatred of the Dutch doesn't really work as we just don't understand any reasons he would hate them, so the joke is too thin for big laughs. Indeed, Murray has two very funny moments, and one is anti-French after all (the French may go in for handrails, but we English don't do "safety"). The other funny moment is the funniest moment in the whole show and involves a member of the front row and Al Murray at his punchy stand-up best! Mel Giedroyc gurns wonderfully, but in a part with no established character traits, so it's in her secondary more minor part, as a French Noblewoman, that she gets good laughs out of her comic skills, culminating in the other front row victim with a happy story to tell, and the second biggest laugh of the show. All in all, the unfunny plotters do what the real Colonel Blood did, and it just isn't funny or entertaining, yet the laughs on the periphery, coupled with Carrie Hope Fletcher's singing, lifted this to a worthwhile 2 and a half stars for me. PS: We got out at 9:40pm tonight, making the current running time (including one interval) 2 hours and 10 minutes, but I think by press night, the plan is to get the run time down to 2 hours total, as advertised. Yes, the reason for me crossing was exactly because I was at the toilets which are on the other side! Unfortunately it happened about 15 minutes before show time, but I have to admit I was very pleased when a massive drop of water from Carrie's bowl landed straight on the man's head in the opening minutes of the show - karma anyone? In terms of the interaction, Al pointed out and interacted with a lady in the front row of the circle on the night I was there. I felt that it was incredibly strange as you could barely hear her answers, so maybe he's been given notes to stop that and sticks to the front stalls now. I also found the constant anti French and Dutch jokes so incredibly unfunny as there was just no basis for them. I've seen CHF in a couple of more acting driven things where I've felt she was the weakest by far, but she totally saves this show from disaster.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Jul 14, 2023 10:45:43 GMT
The overall show quality aside, actors breaking the fourth wall to pick on audience members gives me severe anxiety, so I won't be going to this! If Assassins transfers beware, that has some too and you wouldn't necessarily expect it. I do agree, of all the content warnings its amazing that audience participation isn't one of them.
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Post by ladidah on Jul 18, 2023 6:51:56 GMT
A friend went to see this last night, said there is a lot of 'interaction' with the front rows still
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Post by Rory on Jul 18, 2023 7:58:17 GMT
Neil Morrissey was on Sunday Brunch and was talking about the audience participation. Sounded pretty full-on!
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