5,279 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Oct 31, 2023 22:29:55 GMT
The Shaftesbury stage isn’t huge at all.
I don’t remember it looking small there- just remember the show being dreadful.
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Post by robertb213 on Oct 31, 2023 22:34:10 GMT
This was a massive miss for me. I normally love an obscure cult musical but this was a case of excellent leads saving a poor production of a weak musical that couldn't decide what tone it was trying to go for. Some of its charm may have been lost from the dodgy sound and I will give the cast recordings a try, but otherwise I'm very glad I didn't pay for it!
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Post by Matt on Oct 31, 2023 22:40:37 GMT
Here’s my longer review-
Very mixed feelings about Bat Boy tonight. It’s one of my favourite shows of all time so it was great to see it on stage again, but the sound at the palladium was absolutely f***ing awful. The sound person bringing in the mics far too late, the vocals getting drowned out.
But I feel it will suffer the same way the original London run did, people think it’s trying to be serious when it’s supposed to be absolutely bonkers. People were for sure laughing along with it, but there was a lot of laughing at it. I thought Jordan Luke Gage actually did a great job, but I can’t help but compare his characterisation to Deven May, a lot of the quirky bat boy mannerisms weren’t there that makes the character, but props to Jordan for not directly copying Deven. Victoria Hamilton-Barritt was incredible and completely understood the assignment.
But why the hell did they use the broadway score over the London one??! The songs added in London are SO much better, also cutting Children, Children is absolutely criminal. I had lots of issues with this but I was just so so happy to see it on stage again. If it was revived it would need a hell of a lot of changes.
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Post by steve10086 on Oct 31, 2023 23:43:48 GMT
Can only echo the previous comments - sound was awful, lots of the wit and charm lost, missed “Children, Children”, and missed the flash cards section in “Show You A Thing Or Two”.
Also a lot of the original humour was in the casting and which actors played which roles, with plenty of doubling up to comic effect.
Too big a theatre for a lovely little show. Still enjoyed this evening, but not the right setting at all.
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Post by keyspi on Oct 31, 2023 23:50:26 GMT
Glad this only cost me £15.
The sound was poor, the "set"/digital screen were amateurish and the whole thing just seemed rushed and not well put together at all.
JLC, Jodie Steele, Trevor Dion Nicholas and Tosh Wanogho-Maud's performances were the only ones I truly enjoyed
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865 posts
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Post by BVM on Nov 1, 2023 7:17:18 GMT
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Post by Someone in a tree on Nov 1, 2023 7:37:45 GMT
This was so poor.
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5,279 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 1, 2023 9:43:19 GMT
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865 posts
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Post by BVM on Nov 1, 2023 9:57:12 GMT
They really are. I know stagedoor is on another thread but the Jordan fangirls are next level. Had 2 (two) Bonnie and Clyde performances borderline ruined by them. In fact the second one I had to move from front stalls to somewhere safer at the interval. It’s a real shame as I think Jordan has a stunning pitch perfect and pure musical theatre voice but increasingly he’s known for the fan girl circus.
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865 posts
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Post by BVM on Nov 1, 2023 10:04:41 GMT
Make no mistake though casting directors watch this nonsense and these stars are hot property due to the $$$ they bring with them. Even if it is only day seats and discounts it gets word across social media like wildfire.
But as I say JLG is genuinely very talented so do hope he finds a role befitting of that next.
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Post by capybara on Nov 1, 2023 11:37:44 GMT
This is an utterly bonkers show ripe for a London revival - in the right hands. The book is crazy but also funny and deliciously camp in its enactment.
Nobody understood the assignment quite as well as Victoria Hamilton-Barritt. Hilarious. Jordan Luke Gage hit all the right notes (literally) as Edgar, complete with his wonderful BBC accent.
Meanwhile, Trevor Dion Nicholas really grew into the piece and, by the end, was getting most laughs as the villainous veterinarian. And Jodie Steele was excellent as Shelley. The cast gelled together well.
It’s just… it is *so* bonkers. It needs ironing out because Larry O’Keefe’s score is impressive, if more experimental than what he went on to produce with Legally Blonde and Heathers.
It’s a weird thing to say about a show that’s been around decades but it has potential. I’d like to see it revived in a more intimate setting than the barn that is the Palladium. Hopefully a smaller space would resolve some of the sound issues that also plagued Death Note in the same venue earlier this year.
Three stars.
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Nov 1, 2023 12:02:49 GMT
For me this was great fun and a hugely enjoyable evening. Yes the sound was a bit naff and the lyrics on group numbers hard to follow but I was expecting that from previous concerts.
I envisaged something much darker whereas it was played strictly for laughs. Bat Boy looked more like Spock Boy but Jordan and the whole cast were great, it didn't feel like a concert and the enthusiastic mainly young audience around where I was sitting meant a great atmosphere and a well deserved standing ovation.
From hardly sold on 1 October to full house (almost) on 31 October albeit with discounting and seat filling was quite an achievement.
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Post by toomasj on Nov 1, 2023 12:44:43 GMT
For me this was great fun and a hugely enjoyable evening. Yes the sound was a bit naff and the lyrics on group numbers hard to follow but I was expecting that from previous concerts.Firstly, I am really glad you enjoyed your evening. I enjoyed the show at the time with Emma Williams way back when, and found it a charming, off-beat couple of hours of escapism. However, I really must say that the highlighted part above really sums up why I won’t pay for these anymore, short of a bargain/comp. Poor sound/under-rehearsal is such a consistent problem, and at ostensibly a £100+ experience for some, I think it’s a real piss-take at this stage. I know as well as anyone the difficulties in staging these productions, the extremely limited time in the venue, a handful of rehearsals (the first full run a few hours before the house opens) and you’re on - this is the reality of things. I also understand this is commercial for-profit theatre. But I simply can’t support the practice. I don’t want to have an evening where 9 times out 10 (my personal anecdotal experience), pick-up cues for mics are missed, the band is out of time with the singers/one another, the actors are on-book/flub lines consistently, or even fail to be on stage on time. This shouldn’t be “expected”, it’s just very poor standards. And it’s absolutely the norm. The irritating thing is if they booked just one extra day for tech, the quality and fluidity of the performance would rise exponentially. But they don’t (money) or can’t (venue is booked), so we get the afternoon dress/evening you’re on fiascos like this and Evita.
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Post by partytentdown on Nov 1, 2023 13:28:04 GMT
Thinking about this overnight, I think what has made me cross about this is that there just didn't seem to be any love or care involved - I don't mean that the cast and band etc weren't giving it their all, but what was the point of this? It looked cheaply thrown together, it was badly staged in terms of the sound and lighting, it was clearly under rehearsed, and yet they were trying to charge £100+ for some tickets. There were no programmes or cast lists. The whole thing had an air of laziness.
Artistically, there didn't seem to be any purpose in terms of developing the piece from the writers' perspective - it wasn't some kind of workshop for a future production, in fact they reverted most of the changes made in the last major staging. It didn't seem to be some kind of passion piece for anyone involved. It's not a particularly rare piece that people have been desperate to see reimagined for years. It just happened to be Halloween and the Palladium was available.
Why? Why would a producer care about doing this show, now, in this format?
I guess it can only come down to one thing - they did the sums and realised they could make a quick £.
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Post by Matt on Nov 1, 2023 13:58:15 GMT
Thinking about this overnight, I think what has made me cross about this is that there just didn't seem to be any love or care involved - I don't mean that the cast and band etc weren't giving it their all, but what was the point of this? It looked cheaply thrown together, it was badly staged in terms of the sound and lighting, it was clearly under rehearsed, and yet they were trying to charge £100+ for some tickets. There were no programmes or cast lists. The whole thing had an air of laziness. Artistically, there didn't seem to be any purpose in terms of developing the piece from the writers' perspective - it wasn't some kind of workshop for a future production, in fact they reverted most of the changes made in the last major staging. It didn't seem to be some kind of passion piece for anyone involved. It's not a particularly rare piece that people have been desperate to see reimagined for years. It just happened to be Halloween and the Palladium was available. Why? Why would a producer care about doing this show, now, in this format? I guess it can only come down to one thing - they did the sums and realised they could make a quick £. Passion project.
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Post by partytentdown on Nov 1, 2023 14:15:28 GMT
Thinking about this overnight, I think what has made me cross about this is that there just didn't seem to be any love or care involved - I don't mean that the cast and band etc weren't giving it their all, but what was the point of this? It looked cheaply thrown together, it was badly staged in terms of the sound and lighting, it was clearly under rehearsed, and yet they were trying to charge £100+ for some tickets. There were no programmes or cast lists. The whole thing had an air of laziness. Artistically, there didn't seem to be any purpose in terms of developing the piece from the writers' perspective - it wasn't some kind of workshop for a future production, in fact they reverted most of the changes made in the last major staging. It didn't seem to be some kind of passion piece for anyone involved. It's not a particularly rare piece that people have been desperate to see reimagined for years. It just happened to be Halloween and the Palladium was available. Why? Why would a producer care about doing this show, now, in this format? I guess it can only come down to one thing - they did the sums and realised they could make a quick £. Passion project. sorry?
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Nov 1, 2023 14:40:54 GMT
Thinking about this overnight, I think what has made me cross about this is that there just didn't seem to be any love or care involved - I don't mean that the cast and band etc weren't giving it their all, but what was the point of this? It looked cheaply thrown together, it was badly staged in terms of the sound and lighting, it was clearly under rehearsed, and yet they were trying to charge £100+ for some tickets. There were no programmes or cast lists. The whole thing had an air of laziness. Artistically, there didn't seem to be any purpose in terms of developing the piece from the writers' perspective - it wasn't some kind of workshop for a future production, in fact they reverted most of the changes made in the last major staging. It didn't seem to be some kind of passion piece for anyone involved. It's not a particularly rare piece that people have been desperate to see reimagined for years. It just happened to be Halloween and the Palladium was available. Why? Why would a producer care about doing this show, now, in this format? I guess it can only come down to one thing - they did the sums and realised they could make a quick £. I think that the proliferation of these concert performances is very much based on the point in your last sentence. They are relatively cheap to stage and so low risk financially. I have very little understanding of the workings of show business but this is how it seems to me as a simple punter Apply for rights, book, partly cast, and announce a concert performance, start with high ticket prices and sell what you can. If the show is selling well add a second performance. When sales slow and the performance date(s) approaches, reduce the prices on the website and also do a 24 hour promotion with an agency at even lower prices (that's when I booked, paid £35 for Bat Boy, seat was originally £95) . Next make it part of a seat filling "service" but at a price of £10- £15, which is more than just an admin fee so the promoter/venue probably gets some of the revenue from that. There may also be more secret seat filling services to use. I was chatting to a man recently whose employer/occupation I won't name but he told me of their access to VERY cheap seats for some shows. All that plus skilful use of social media and you're on track for a far quicker and safer return on investment than from a full run. Compare Evita and Love Never Dies concerts with Aspects Of Love or Bat Boy with Ain't Too Proud. Almost certainly profitable concerts but loss-making full productions. My apologies if I've got the procedure completely wrong, it's just a layman's view. I will continue to attend and enjoy the majority of concert musicals and am grateful to get the chance to see shows like Bat Boy for the first and possibly only time.
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Post by zahidf on Nov 1, 2023 14:44:28 GMT
I remember enjoying it in its original london run and then at Southwark. I dont really see it succeeding in anything bigger than a fringe theatre
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Post by Matt on Nov 1, 2023 15:23:03 GMT
sorry I was meant to delete the majority of your post. You asked why the director put this on, I think it was just a passion project of a show he really wanted to put on regardless of the outcome.
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Post by dlevi on Nov 1, 2023 16:33:05 GMT
I was happy to see how this scrappy less-than-successful off-bway and very unsuccessful west end musical play to capacity crowd at the Palladium. Unfortunately, the truly awful sound, the under-rehearsed cast and edits to the book were all misjudgments which made the evening more "meh" than it should've beenFrom what I gather the sound is always a problem at these one night things so I'm going to take a pass on the forthcoming events.
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Post by BVM on Nov 1, 2023 16:48:13 GMT
The sound isn't always bad at the concerts.
Was crystal clear at Chess, Evita and Love Never Dies. Maybe it helps when the concerts are in venues where a musical is already playing. I guess those three made full use of the Frozen sound system!
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Post by darreno on Nov 1, 2023 17:44:50 GMT
I enjoyed my night at the Palladium. Felt like an exciting event and the hype around the place is nice to be a part of.
Sound was poor, didn't do the performers or material justice.
Was cool to see Jodie Steele as she's a big part of the development of several characters that I love.
VHB is just ridiculous. Absolutely brilliant. She just gets EVERYTHING that's great about musical theatre. Having seen her in Hex and Cinderella, I was looking forward to her performance and she exceeded my expectations.
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