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Post by wickedgrin on May 10, 2018 8:48:59 GMT
I was considering asking for an upgrade but the woman in front of me in the box office queue also asked and was basically told no, so I didn’t bother even asking. But being far more attractive and flirtatious than the woman in front I am sure you would have got upgraded!
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Post by daisy24601 on May 10, 2018 11:51:40 GMT
I was also there last night and we upgraded ourselves The entire right block at the front of the stalls was empty so we sat in row K and no one turned up. Quite a few others moved up during the interval. It was a good view from there but I immediately noticed the sound issues. It wasn't always bad but especially noticeable when more than one person was singing. Simon Gordon was on as Strat last night, he was brilliant but as adrianics said, Andrew Polec is something special. I am considering going back to see him again at a later date. An absolutely bonkers show, it really does make you leave thinking "I dunno what the heck I just saw, but I LOVED it."
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Post by showtoones on May 15, 2018 3:56:29 GMT
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Post by talkstageytome on May 15, 2018 6:25:59 GMT
Most definitely the latter
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Post by martello736 on May 15, 2018 19:53:23 GMT
Watching the show tonight, it’s depressingly empty here at the Dominion. The back rows of the circle are roped off (normal from Monday to Thursday) and what is open is maybe a quarter full if that. The majority of us are sat in the £15/£25 seats in Row F and G with a small smattering elsewhere.
Had a quick nose down in the stalls, the side blocks have a sprinkling of people near the front and are empty from Row M-ish backwards with the centre block a little under half full from Row A through X. I really hope that church group is paying lots of rent and Bat is doing well at weekends because otherwise it’s an unpleasant sight.
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Post by bob2010 on May 16, 2018 11:57:37 GMT
Watching the show tonight, it’s depressingly empty here at the Dominion. The back rows of the circle are roped off (normal from Monday to Thursday) and what is open is maybe a quarter full if that. The majority of us are sat in the £15/£25 seats in Row F and G with a small smattering elsewhere. Had a quick nose down in the stalls, the side blocks have a sprinkling of people near the front and are empty from Row M-ish backwards with the centre block a little under half full from Row A through X. I really hope that church group is paying lots of rent and Bat is doing well at weekends because otherwise it’s an unpleasant sight. £15 tickets? Also from the box office?
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316 posts
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Post by martello736 on May 16, 2018 11:59:11 GMT
Watching the show tonight, it’s depressingly empty here at the Dominion. The back rows of the circle are roped off (normal from Monday to Thursday) and what is open is maybe a quarter full if that. The majority of us are sat in the £15/£25 seats in Row F and G with a small smattering elsewhere. Had a quick nose down in the stalls, the side blocks have a sprinkling of people near the front and are empty from Row M-ish backwards with the centre block a little under half full from Row A through X. I really hope that church group is paying lots of rent and Bat is doing well at weekends because otherwise it’s an unpleasant sight. £15 tickets? Also from the box office? Yes, Monday to Thursday they have a few £15 tickets on sale for each show, most of them went when the booking period first went on sale but usually in the week of the show they release a few more. If you look on the website there's still some left for today / tomorrow.
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Post by danb on May 16, 2018 12:44:12 GMT
Todaytix £15 tix tend to be in E,F and G of the Circle or the back two rows of the stalls. I would go for the circle all day long as the sound gets a bit murky downstairs. Clear view of most of the stage if you’re quite central, although the £25 day seats can be pretty much anywhere.
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Post by ceebee on May 17, 2018 23:53:16 GMT
Saw this tonight with my bro - it's a great show. Superb leads and great entertainment. Go and book/see if you haven't.
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Post by viserys on May 18, 2018 8:31:41 GMT
Man, I was there too, could have said hello!
Great show indeed and was happy to see the Dominion nearly full after the dramatic reports here. Will see it again tomorrow and write more when I get home Sunday.
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Post by danb on May 18, 2018 8:35:08 GMT
Great news that it was full; between Todaytix and tkts I think this will sell enough to bumble along til closing. Will pop along again before Heathers in a couple of weeks I think.
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Post by viserys on May 21, 2018 6:34:34 GMT
As promised, I'm going to write a bit more following my double treat this weekend. Let me begin this by saying, sheesh, you guys don't half make a girl feel anxious. After the doom-mongering here I had pretty much expected to find myself among a few hundred lost souls in the vast emptiness of the Dominion Theatre. So I was a bit surprised and very happy to see the theatre virtually full on Thursday (couldn't see the back of the circle admittedly from the front stalls) and again on Saturday Evening. Then, tellingly, I spotted one gap in the middle of the stalls, presumably where the most grossly overpriced premium seats are. And if half the theatre has been filled through discounts, so what, it only shows that people DO want to see this, they just aren't willing to pay crazy prices like on Broadway and if this teaches West End producers a lesson, even better. I had seen this in its very first incarnation in Manchester only and my first thought was that it looks so much better on the huge Dominion stage, so I'm glad it's found a home here. Most of the tinkering with the book has been beneficial too, though I do think it was a bad idea to cut "It just won't quit" early on as it gives us a better introduction to the two leads we're meant to care for. I'm not going to gripe about the book, I think it's perfectly serviceable, albeit clumsy at times, but there are plenty musicals with worse books and let's not start mentioning the opera canon. And as a feminist who's heartily sick of the countless musicals in which women only ever bleat about loving/wanting/needing a man, it's nice to see strong females throughout here, from Zahara telling Jagwire she doesn't love him to Sloane leaving her jerk husband Falco and even Raven isn't just your moony-eyed damsel in distress needing rescue. If I find one fault with the production, it's the often too busy choreography, where I think they should have trusted in the songs (and performers') strength, most notably in the wonderfully moving "Objects in the rear view mirror" and in "Bat out of Hell". And what was up with the strange bopping around in "For crying out loud", I was just thinking, "For crying out loud, can you just stand still for a bit?" I had the full first cast in both performances, and they only got better since Manchester. Even Christina Bennington has discovered facial expressions along the way since last year and improved quite a bit. Though speaking of facial expressions, who told Andrew Polec it was a good idea to spend most of the show with that bug-eyed open-mouthed look. Combined with his mad hair it was more deranged clown than the sexy young rock god everyone is in love with and such a perfect waste of a pretty boy. But his and Rob Fowler's powerhouse performances are still pretty much out of this world and the best thing I've seen in the West End for a long time, though there isn't a single weak link in the cast. The atmosphere was great both evenings and I counted at least five middle-aged blokes in Show-T-Shirts in the front stalls alone, with standing ovations both evenings. So I'm really not longer worried that this will be some terrible sad flop, this will be here for a while, at least as long as they can keep finding performers on this incredible level (have I mentioned yet how much in love I am with Danielle Steers? That girl can SING). I know I will be back more than once before this year is over
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Post by ceebee on May 21, 2018 7:20:08 GMT
Can the feminist define her interpretation of a "middle aged bloke"? 😂
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Post by viserys on May 21, 2018 7:35:42 GMT
Only fools rush in where angels fear to tread But I'd place those guys in the "were already around in Meat Loaf's heydays" category, with the guy sitting next to me moving his lips to most of the songs, mercifully quietly, but still, aaaargh. Also, I realized that I have pretty much reached middle age myself when my thought of the leading man is not "whoa, he's hot!" but "sheesh, someone should feed that boy properly", so it's all good...
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2018 10:12:49 GMT
Saw on Andrews Instagram the cast watched the Royal Wedding on the many stage screens before the Saturday matinee.
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Post by ceebee on May 21, 2018 17:01:37 GMT
Only fools rush in where angels fear to tread But I'd place those guys in the "were already around in Meat Loaf's heydays" category, with the guy sitting next to me moving his lips to most of the songs, mercifully quietly, but still, aaaargh. Also, I realized that I have pretty much reached middle age myself when my thought of the leading man is not "whoa, he's hot!" but "sheesh, someone should feed that boy properly", so it's all good... Phew, it wasn't me then. Panic over. 😁
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 8:34:11 GMT
Another great show last night. We had Simon Gordan as Strat and Georgia Carling as Raven. Otherwise 1st cast. Sat row G of Circle (last row of the front section). 75 quid at weekend but 35 quid on a Monday - great value. Can't see faces but it's a big show and an overall view from there is fabulous. Even really appreciated the much criticised choreography. Sound and lighting excellent.
Now for the negative - this show has an awful problem with bad behaviour. I get that the Meatloaf fans are gonna be there and that they like to sing along (though I'd rather they didn't). But the amount of smartphones lighting up the dark (so obvious from back of Circle) and people standing up mid show and also some shouting out was infuriating. Circle seemed to have every other row empty. Row in front of me had family where all 4 of them took there shoes off and draped their feet over row in front. Row in front of that also had 3 lads putting feet over row in front. Like seriously, where do these people think they are?
As I left, there was a really rough woman in Circle bar who had been told by usher during show to keep quiet having a MASSIVE drunken rant at him. Poor guy was actually really calm and professional. I always feel ushers should do more to tackle bad behaviour. But having witnessed this, wouldn't surprise me if they are too scared.
I honestly think there should be a clearer announcement at start of show that people might actually take notice of....
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 9:07:12 GMT
The ushers probably can't wait for this show to close because of the behavior it brings. To go from the crowd of matinee ladies and quieter audiences at An American in Paris to what they have now, I can't imagine they enjoy it very much.
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Post by steve10086 on May 22, 2018 9:48:09 GMT
A very clear and unequivocal announcement does need to be made at the start of the show. These people are convinced they are entitled to sing/dance during the show. If anyone complains they simply refuse to accept they are behaving badly. It needs to be made incredibly clear to them that this is not acceptable.
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Post by danb on May 22, 2018 10:38:41 GMT
A very clear and unequivocal announcement does need to be made at the start of the show. These people are convinced they are entitled to sing/dance during the show. If anyone complains they simply refuse to accept they are behaving badly. It needs to be made incredibly clear to them that this is not acceptable. My directions to these sorts of people are usually firm but fair...along the lines of “shut the f@ck up roughneck, I’ve paid good money to hear them sing not you. If you want to do karaoke p£ss off back to Pontins!” But I’m not very nice so that’ll be why. 😈
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Post by steve10086 on May 22, 2018 10:54:25 GMT
A very clear and unequivocal announcement does need to be made at the start of the show. These people are convinced they are entitled to sing/dance during the show. If anyone complains they simply refuse to accept they are behaving badly. It needs to be made incredibly clear to them that this is not acceptable. My directions to these sorts of people are usually firm but fair...along the lines of “shut the f@ck up roughneck, I’ve paid good money to hear them sing not you. If you want to do karaoke p£ss off back to Pontins!” But I’m not very nice so that’ll be why. 😈 Sounds perfect!
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 11:34:11 GMT
A very clear and unequivocal announcement does need to be made at the start of the show. These people are convinced they are entitled to sing/dance during the show. If anyone complains they simply refuse to accept they are behaving badly. It needs to be made incredibly clear to them that this is not acceptable. Literally know idea why they can't do this! Something along the lines of.... "Please can we remind you to switch off mobile phones. Please switch off rather than silencing as vibrating and getting phones out with their lit up screens is distracting for the cast and fellow audience members - please show them your courtesy to make this a great show for everyone. And whilst we love our enthusiastic audiences, please save your singing and dancing for the end. Enjoy the show!" Or something like that. How hard can it be?
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Post by wickedgrin on May 22, 2018 12:39:40 GMT
Something along the lines of.... "Please can we remind you to switch off mobile phones. Please switch off rather than silencing as vibrating and getting phones out with their lit up screens is distracting for the cast and fellow audience members - please show them your courtesy to make this a great show for everyone. And whilst we love our enthusiastic audiences, please save your singing and dancing for the end. Enjoy the show!" Far too polite... my announcement would go something like...."Turn OFF your f****** phones. Do NOT sing or dance along during the show. There are armed police patrolling the auditorium and offenders will be taken out and shot".
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 15:32:58 GMT
Something along the lines of.... "Please can we remind you to switch off mobile phones. Please switch off rather than silencing as vibrating and getting phones out with their lit up screens is distracting for the cast and fellow audience members - please show them your courtesy to make this a great show for everyone. And whilst we love our enthusiastic audiences, please save your singing and dancing for the end. Enjoy the show!" Far too polite... my announcement would go something like...."Turn OFF your f****** phones. Do NOT sing or dance along during the show. There are armed police patrolling the auditorium and offenders will be taken out and shot". Ha! Literally, I think that’s what it might take!
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 15:41:23 GMT
They're lucky they got that sponsorship deal with how this is selling. Just looking at the rest of this week, even closing the rear of the Circle hasn't helped. I assumed it would be a big hit based on this apparent huge fanbase, but in a normal theatre it would be fine, but here it just only just about half full.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 16:12:20 GMT
They're lucky they got that sponsorship deal with how this is selling. Just looking at the rest of this week, even closing the rear of the Circle hasn't helped. I assumed it would be a big hit based on this apparent huge fanbase, but in a normal theatre it would be fine, but here it just only just about half full. Yeah I thought this would be another We Will Rock You. Wonder what the economics are of running a show at the Dominion as it must be a hard venue to fill for open ended runs. Can anyone remember how full WWRY generally used to be? Bat must have been expensive to put in though dunno whether a 50% full Dominion would cover running costs and return a decent profit...
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 16:32:27 GMT
They're lucky they got that sponsorship deal with how this is selling. Just looking at the rest of this week, even closing the rear of the Circle hasn't helped. I assumed it would be a big hit based on this apparent huge fanbase, but in a normal theatre it would be fine, but here it just only just about half full. Yeah I thought this would be another We Will Rock You. Wonder what the economics are of running a show at the Dominion as it must be a hard venue to fill for open ended runs. Can anyone remember how full WWRY generally used to be? Bat must have been expensive to put in though dunno whether a 50% full Dominion would cover running costs and return a decent profit... Well in a similar size theatre, Wicked only needs 1000 people a night in to cover its running costs, which in fairness is only half the theatre. But the difference is that has already recouped, and almost always sells more than half, especially on the weekends. This is why when some predict it will close soon you kinda hafe to give the side eye. But Bat is very expensive and in a huge theatre. Its a bit of a question mark.
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Post by ellie1981 on May 22, 2018 17:35:46 GMT
I know Meat Loaf isn’t all that well these days, but has he even mentioned the show or been involved in the publicity? I know it’s Jim Steinman’s show, but him giving it an endorsement would be very effective. I can’t think of another jukebox musical opening for a living artist where they haven’t gone on any sort of publicity tour - even Benny and Bjorn did a lot for Mamma Mia when it first opened.
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Post by david on May 22, 2018 17:44:38 GMT
If I remember, Meatloaf did a fair bit of PR for the show when it opened in Manchester, but for the London opening, I have to agree, apart from cast appearances on tv and radio which they have already done, I think appearances by him and JS might help boost ticket sales if there are lots of unsold seats.
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Post by danb on May 22, 2018 18:06:51 GMT
A very clear and unequivocal announcement does need to be made at the start of the show. These people are convinced they are entitled to sing/dance during the show. If anyone complains they simply refuse to accept they are behaving badly. It needs to be made incredibly clear to them that this is not acceptable. Literally know idea why they can't do this! Something along the lines of.... "Please can we remind you to switch off mobile phones. Please switch off rather than silencing as vibrating and getting phones out with their lit up screens is distracting for the cast and fellow audience members - please show them your courtesy to make this a great show for everyone. And whilst we love our enthusiastic audiences, please save your singing and dancing for the end. Enjoy the show!" Or something like that. How hard can it be? Apparently there is a large framed poster to this end in the foyer. I think they should threaten to send Falco round with his jump leads to any bad behaviour.
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