41 posts
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Post by cathyfromlex on Oct 20, 2016 0:01:54 GMT
Going by your experience, mine, and others on here, it does seem that the production really matters, yes, wickedgrin. Thanks dgjbear and mallardo for the advice, will do. So it's the 1998 cast CD with the Statue of Liberty on the front, right? Yes the OBCR has the Statue Of Liberty on the cover and is 2 cd's. I saw this on Broadway with the original cast. It really was an amazing production and, pre broadway.com, etc., I didn't fully appreciate the magnitude of all the "names" I was so lucky to have seen until years later.
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659 posts
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Post by westendcub on Oct 20, 2016 9:25:37 GMT
Going tonight, signed up for rush tickets on Todaytix!
I had £10 credit so going for a tenner in stalls row H - feels a steel, I do not this musical at all so looking forward to it!
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61 posts
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Post by dgjbear on Oct 20, 2016 12:26:17 GMT
Going tonight, signed up for rush tickets on Todaytix! I had £10 credit so going for a tenner in stalls row H - feels a steel, I do not this musical at all so looking forward to it! Please tell us what you think when you've seen it.
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659 posts
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Post by westendcub on Oct 20, 2016 23:05:25 GMT
What a splendid evening that was!!
I can't quite believer how this score has escaped me before and the show in general has passed me by before, so glad I went on a whim and got myself a rush ticket this morning (great seat FYI).
The performances are strong here, and I love actor/musicians pieces and it's brilliantly done here.
Just like with 'Titanic' the set is creative and staging on a small scale is effective.
I had a few tears in its final moments, really infused and engaged audience tonight - massive standing ovation (oh and Shelia Hancock was in the audience this evening).
'Titanic' is still winning Charing Cross season for me, I look forward now to 'Death takes a holiday'.
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225 posts
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Post by madsonmelo on Oct 21, 2016 1:16:28 GMT
Only seats available are on rows L and M for the dates that I can (Dec. 1-6) and for £40, should I take? Or should I wait for day seats?
I really like Ragtime, I don't know if in this actor-instrument concept will work for me.
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1,103 posts
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Post by mallardo on Oct 21, 2016 4:33:21 GMT
Only seats available are on rows L and M for the dates that I can (Dec. 1-6) and for £40, should I take? Or should I wait for day seats? I really like Ragtime, I don't know if in this actor-instrument concept will work for me.
Have no fear, the actor/muso thing totally works. The reduced orchestrations (Mark Aspinall) are brilliant and these actors can really play!
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2,041 posts
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Post by 49thand8th on Oct 21, 2016 16:06:03 GMT
The Standard review is a little harsh but I do agree with some of it. It's definitely too busy and the band can overpower the voices but it's certainly not a gruelling night at the theatre! I've only seen Ragtime once, years ago on tour, and that was basically how I felt about the show itself -- it's too much and tries too hard.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2016 17:10:59 GMT
I don't think the show is the problem, just the way the space was used with all the musicians. I preferred the Landor production and the was staged on the size of a stamp!
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968 posts
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Post by TheatreDust on Oct 23, 2016 11:16:01 GMT
I've now been to see this a couple of times. Although I haven't seen other productions of it, so have nothing else to compare it to, I absolutely loved it at Charing Cross - for me it has been one of the best things I've seen all year. I was a big fan of Titanic too, but this surpasses that in my view.
The actor-musician approach works really well and I particularly loved the way the two pianos are used throughout. The friend I saw it with yesterday generally doesn't like actor-muso shows because that aspect can feel a bit contrived, but said in this it works perfectly.
Others on here have commented on how full the stage was. Personally I loved how crowded and busy it felt - I thought that really brought to life the rush of immigration and 'nation building' that would have been happening at the time. The set was effective and felt as if it included a few signature touches from Thom Sutherland - moving sections with well-used upper levels.
I universally loved the cast - strong performances throughout. I've always loved Valerie Cutko and thought she was great as Emma Goldman; it was also wonderful to see Jennifer Saayeng as Sarah - I think I last saw her in Zanna Don't at the Landor. However, also wonderful performances from Anita Louise Coombe as Mother, Ako Mitchell as Coalhouse, Gary Tushaw as Tateh.
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580 posts
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Post by AddisonMizner on Oct 23, 2016 15:10:08 GMT
Having seen the matinee yesterday (22nd October), I have to (mostly) agree with the above post in how much I really, really enjoyed this. I have never seen the show before, but it has long been on my 'want to watch' list.
The running time absolutely flew by. The piece was absolutely beautifully directed (it was a delight to actually see Thom Southerland hovering around the theatre during the show), and I agree that the actor-musician concept worked brilliantly (though I am generally a fan of this). The score sounded so full. I did not feel that the stage felt cramped at all, and the staging matched the sprawling epic-ness of the material. The use of lighting was also atmospheric.
However, my one big qualm with the production is the singing. The score is lovely, and has moments of ravishing beauty, but I did not feel that the cast had the voices to do the songs justice. There were more than a few times that I felt that some of the performers were shouting rather than singing, and that this was replacing genuine emotion. This took me out of the show a few times, which was a real shame.
TITANIC is still winning for me. That had a beautiful production, beautiful score and beautiful singing.
4 stars.
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Oct 23, 2016 16:00:07 GMT
Cheers guys
Going to listen to this on my afternoon walk now.
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170 posts
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Post by musicalfloozie on Oct 25, 2016 18:50:11 GMT
I saw this last night and whilst I enjoyed it I didn't love it. Performances from Coalhouse and Mother were stunning and the staging was good, although sometimes as said previously a little busy on stage,it just didn't blow me away like Titanic did. I just can't put my finger on what was missing, maybe it was just me being slow but it just seemed very bitty with the storyline and as didn't flow easy in my mind maybe I missed something!! All in all though an enjoyable evening watching people give there all to a production.
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241 posts
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Post by justafan on Oct 28, 2016 4:50:48 GMT
What's the running time please - sorry if this has been asked before 😀
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1,714 posts
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Oct 28, 2016 7:08:36 GMT
What's the running time please - sorry if this has been asked before 😀 2 hours 40 mins including the interval.
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571 posts
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Post by westendwendy on Oct 31, 2016 23:27:03 GMT
Saw this tonight.
It is over staged, a tad too loud and in your face, too many cast on stage always, runs at 160 mph and doesn't really breathe but goodness THIS SHOW WAS AMAZING.
It was a sensational night at the theatre - wow wow wow!!!!
The singing wasn't perfect, the odd miss casting (Ako Mitchell as Coalhouse) but goodness there are talented people on this Charing Cross stage.
At 17.50 for the benches - it was the best musical of the year. 9/10
I've booked again to see it.
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241 posts
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Post by justafan on Nov 2, 2016 20:01:15 GMT
Loved it ... stunning ...
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Post by partytentdown on Nov 5, 2016 15:00:18 GMT
Today's matinee cancelled due to cast indisposition (although it wasn't announced until everyone arrived...)
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 5, 2016 22:56:14 GMT
Well I am odds with Ms Mountford on this, who needed 2 Nurofen to get through this show, however if a top rate score causes you to have a medical condition then clearly then you are in the wrong job. For me the score was glorious in an otherwise dreadful production, firstly the racist book doesn't work, as there is no central protagonist. Also the actor-musician concept strangulated any attempt at acting, firstly: it made the stage clattered and when you tried to focus on the action, all you could see were actors playing instruments in the background, secondly an actor needs to have a bit of recovery time between playing their role and needs time to refocus and thirdly actors have a hard job playing their acting roles well, without being distracted by playing their instruments, nothing should distract an actor from their primary profession.
The stage is for acting and the pit is for musicians and never the two should twine.
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2,706 posts
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Post by Cardinal Pirelli on Nov 5, 2016 23:09:26 GMT
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Post by d'James on Nov 5, 2016 23:19:59 GMT
Expect me to go to the Theatre less then. Haha.
Are all those courses created by Craig Revel Horwood?!
Hmmm. Can't say I'm thrilled if that's the way it's going, but what can I do.
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2,786 posts
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Post by couldileaveyou on Nov 5, 2016 23:32:41 GMT
the racist book doesn't work, as there is no central protagonist. that's exactly the point, it's a choral piece, it's meant not to have a central protagonist.
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2,545 posts
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Post by viserys on Nov 6, 2016 6:27:54 GMT
firstly the racist book doesn't work I'd like to know why/how you consider the book to be racist?
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 6, 2016 14:00:41 GMT
the racist book doesn't work, as there is no central protagonist. that's exactly the point, it's a choral piece, it's meant not to have a central protagonist. The choral piece would apply to how the score is delievered, the central protagonist is what is the central character in the book, where the plot stems from, this is missing in Ragtime. The script is full of derogatory racist terms, that became unnecessary.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2016 14:30:29 GMT
It might be considered a racist term today, but that was the language used back then. It also packs an emotional punch to the story because of its effect. It's a period piece. Should we gloss over history to make it more pleasing?
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1,037 posts
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Post by jgblunners on Nov 6, 2016 14:33:32 GMT
that's exactly the point, it's a choral piece, it's meant not to have a central protagonist. The choral piece would apply to how the score is delievered, the central protagonist is what is the central character in the book, where the plot stems from, this is missing in Ragtime. The script is full of derogatory racist terms, that became unnecessary. I haven't read the novel on which the show is based, but from descriptions from other people I gather that it also does not have a central protagonist, so the author and the creative team behind the musical clearly want to focus on the relationships between people, and the way they affect each others' lives, rather than telling the story of one particular person. Interestingly, in the programme for this production one of the creative team (I think it might actually be the author of the novel, but I can't remember) mentions how different people he speaks to have very different interpretations of who the 'central' character of the piece is. With regard to the racism - to remove the slurs from the script would be to dilute the hatred and abuse that immigrants and people of colour at that time were subjected to. Since one of the purposes of the story is to make clear to us just how badly these people were treated, it would be detrimental to the piece if we weren't shown these shocking scenes.
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2,786 posts
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Post by couldileaveyou on Nov 6, 2016 14:56:33 GMT
that's exactly the point, it's a choral piece, it's meant not to have a central protagonist. The choral piece would apply to how the score is delievered, the central protagonist is what is the central character in the book, where the plot stems from, this is missing in Ragtime. The script is full of derogatory racist terms, that became unnecessary. Have you read by any chance the original novel? if you do, you'll notice that there is no protagonist even there... it's just how the story is conceived, you might like it or not, but it's not a deficency of the book at all, it's a narrative choice.
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Post by viserys on Nov 6, 2016 18:30:30 GMT
It's been many years since I read the original novel (probably around the time the musical came out) but I also think that Ragtime was never meant to be the story of ONE protagonist and more of a caleidoscopic vision of the "new nation" and its various people - the WASPish family and Mother's emancipation, the Jewish immigrants from Eastern European (as represented by Tateh) and the struggle of people of colour to be respected as equals. I remember there's also a movie version around with a young(-ish) Mandy Patinkin as Tateh and Debbie Allen as Sarah.
I find the development of the central characters Mother, Coalhouse and to a lesser extent Tateh (the leap from penniless immigrant to "Baron" is stretching it somewhat) easier to follow than, say, that of the people in Titanic, who often appear for little more than one song and remain mere ciphers. If anything perhaps, they should have trimmed some of the lesser characters and focus more on the leads, but again, I think it's how the story is meant to be in the first place. Like Titanic wants to be all about the ship itself, Ragtime wants to be more about the young nation USA.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Nov 7, 2016 12:36:13 GMT
This is not a racist piece It uses racist language to tell of race relations
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Post by profquatermass on Nov 8, 2016 19:50:58 GMT
The novel is a great work of radicalism that has been adapted to become a liberal film and musical. But to call it racist because characters use the language of the period is simply extraordinary and something of an insult to Doctorow
The film is no masterpiece but it's worth seeing for the cast. James Cagney came out of retirement to play the police chief
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 8, 2016 22:03:04 GMT
firstly the racist book doesn't work I'd like to know why/how you consider the book to be racist? The whole book is proliferated with racial slur, unlike Memphis where the department boss uses an unacceptable term or Penny Pingleton mother makes a similar slur in Hairspray, the audience gasps, but the point is made and the show moves on, unlike Ragtime that is determined to remind you every several minutes, in case the audience might forget what they were already told minutes before.
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