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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 8, 2016 18:51:27 GMT
I've just done a 1.30pm matinee - really - why 1.30 Producers? And I've laughed and cried and applauded ... glorious glitzy entertainment ... and bravo to a cast with a predominantly empty stage left audience who never gave up the energy ... would adore a West End transfer - but please god no 'stunt casting' 😳 Ola and James Jordan are at a loose end these days I hear...
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241 posts
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Post by justafan on Dec 8, 2016 20:28:56 GMT
I've just done a 1.30pm matinee - really - why 1.30 Producers? And I've laughed and cried and applauded ... glorious glitzy entertainment ... and bravo to a cast with a predominantly empty stage left audience who never gave up the energy ... would adore a West End transfer - but please god no 'stunt casting' 😳 Ola and James Jordan are at a loose end these days I hear... please god no
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18,845 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 10, 2016 17:53:24 GMT
Wow. That is one full-on experience. I have never seen so much sparkle on stage, Its almost enough to bring a fit on.
Brash, cheesy, camp, and HUGE HUGE FUN.
Four stars.
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5,292 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Dec 11, 2016 9:55:44 GMT
Even if this was in a position after reviews to transfer in- there seems to be nowhere free for it? Except maybe Picadilly
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40 posts
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Post by kenneth on Dec 11, 2016 18:30:23 GMT
Even if this was in a position after reviews to transfer in- there seems to be nowhere free for it? Except maybe Picadilly It's playing Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto from 26 April until June 25 so it wouldn't be arriving in London until late Summer/early Autumn....loads of time for casualties and theatre availability.
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364 posts
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Post by dazzerlump on Dec 11, 2016 18:39:31 GMT
really enjoyed this, to be honest I couldn't remember much about the film so not really sure how closely it sticks to the original plot. Some great performances and choreography though, just a shame a couple of the songs never really go anywhere, the standout moments were Love is a leap of faith and Beautiful Surprise, really worth a listen
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40 posts
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Post by kenneth on Dec 11, 2016 19:07:20 GMT
Maybe by the Summer the Aldwych, Adelphi, Shaftesbury maybe up for grabs?
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18,845 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 11, 2016 19:18:06 GMT
Sam Lips in a tight white vest didn't do it any harm. Woof.
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Dec 18, 2016 21:33:38 GMT
What is the running time please? Thinking of seeing the matinee on Wednesday.
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40 posts
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Post by kenneth on Dec 18, 2016 23:52:23 GMT
2hrs 35 mins
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Dec 19, 2016 15:34:58 GMT
Thanks Kenneth, much appreciated.
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463 posts
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Post by djdan14 on Dec 21, 2016 14:53:24 GMT
A combination of my impulsive theatre habit, early pay day, Christmas spirit and listening to everyone's opinion on here has lead to me booking an overnight in Leeds in early Jan just to see this on one of my many trips back across the country. Well you lot have never failed me yet!
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30 posts
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Post by bex1210 on Dec 22, 2016 13:00:34 GMT
Got free tickets for this afternoons show through showfilmfirst. Really looking forward to it after seeing everyone's comments
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185 posts
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Post by boybooshka on Dec 22, 2016 13:28:57 GMT
Got free tickets for this afternoons show through showfilmfirst. Really looking forward to it after seeing everyone's comments Jealous. I do wish SFF were open to you listing cities you are willing/able to visit to watch shows and not just offer you things near your postcode.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Dec 22, 2016 21:39:23 GMT
Really loved this. Second half could do with a wee bit of tightening but that aside such a fabulous cast covered in feathers and sequins - go go go
A perfect Christmas treat and such a fabulous way to end my year of theatre going
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Dec 22, 2016 23:03:35 GMT
I didn't expect this to be a jukebox musical, even though the pop music scene generally passed me by, only recognised a couple of song.
However I thought this was well acted and well choreographed (you would expect that of a show call Strictly Ballroom), however I thought it was a story that had been done before in different guises, but saying that I enjoyed myself a lot more than I expected.
At The matinee performance this had a few empty seats and just before Christmas, I would be surprised if this had the legs for the West End.
3 stars
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648 posts
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Post by ptwest on Dec 22, 2016 23:25:03 GMT
Just been tonight and really enjoyed it - a fantastic cast and loads of fun. I only booked a couple of weeks ago and the seating plan showed huge amounts unsold, but tonight was virtually full. Glad that booking is picking up as this show really deserves an audience.
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18,845 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 23, 2016 11:11:05 GMT
I didn't expect this to be a jukebox musical, even though the pop music scene generally passed me by, only recognised a couple of song. However I thought this was well acted and well choreographed (you would expect that of a show call Strictly Ballroom), however I thought it was a story that had been done before in different guises, but saying that I enjoyed myself a lot more than I expected. At The matinee performance this had a few empty seats and just before Christmas, I would be surprised if this had the legs for the West End. 3 stars If The Girls can make it to the WE then I don't see why this shouldn't, its waaay better. Did you enjoy the rest of your northern tour PoL?
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Dec 23, 2016 12:42:26 GMT
I agree with you on that, it's better than the Girls. I never said the Girls should go to the West End.
The West End isn't a barometer of decency anymore, for heavens sake they've just announced they are going to do a pantomime again, we must be laughing stock of the world now.
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155 posts
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Post by synchrony on Dec 30, 2016 1:17:11 GMT
Saw this tonight. The show was stopped by the stage manager (?) about 2/3rds of the way through Act One, and Sam was replaced by his understudy :-$ I hope he's alright? Anyone know what happened?
Understudy did well and had good crowd support. I loved Gemma's voice, Scott's parents and Barry.
Trouble is, I didn't love the songs (esp some of the lyrics), I really love the film which made making comparisons hard to avoid. So for that reason a 3* from me. But I was glad to have had the chance to see it and had a good night out.
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Dec 30, 2016 13:15:17 GMT
Sam has injured his ankle apparently. Dale White is on today in his place.
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1,722 posts
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Dec 31, 2016 16:39:00 GMT
I brought my year's theatregoing to a close with a trip across the Pennines to see yesterday's matinee performance. With Sam Lips injured the previous day, with Dale White being required to step in part way through the evening show, it was Dale who would be performing from the outset for this particular performance and, according to the ushers, perhaps for the next fortnight or so. It would be his first time performing the leading role in its entirety.
For the first five minutes, it was pretty much exactly the show I was expecting, as the manic compere JJ Silvers, played by Richard Dempsey, hammed it up and introduced us to the various waltzing couples taking to the stage, one of which was the central character Scott and his partner Liz. From this opening scene, it's established that Scott wants to rail against the system and add his own steps to those permitted in competitive ballroom dancing - that's pretty much all we get in terms of his character development throughout the entire show. Several confrontations between Scott and his parents later, it's essentially still the same discussion about the same dance steps and whether it's the winning or following your heart that really matters. Scott's parents are rather cliched, thinly sketched characters - the over-zealous and fearlessly competitive mother, determined for her son to succeed on her terms, and the browbeaten, quietly spoken father who you just know will eventually find his voice. It was a nicely pitched performance from Stephen Matthews as Scott's dad but for me it isn't Scott or his family where the real heart of this production lies.
It's with the introduction of Gemma Sutton's Fran to the stage that by far the most engaging aspects of Strictly Ballroom begin to emerge. All the glitz and glamour of the opening scene are juxtaposed as we meet the bespectacled Fran cleaning the dance hall. The parallels with Cinderella continue throughout the piece but it's here that the comparison is most apparent. Although Gemma undoubtedly has more to work with as Fran, she invests her with such heart, warmth and fragile spirit that it's impossible not to be rooting for Fran to fulfil her dream of dancing with Scott. Gemma highlights once again what a truly wonderful, versatile actress she is, watching her on stage is an absolute joy. There's terrific performances alongside her from Fernando Mira and Eve Polycarpou as Fran's parents who command the stage whenever they appear. While much of what is happening around them is knowingly ridiculous, the trio of Gemma, Fernando and Eve's performances shine out, providing depth and characterisation lacking elsewhere that enables the musical as a whole to go beyond feel-good, dispensable fun.
It's no surprise that Drew McOnie's choreography presents a series of wonderful spectacles to behold, with dazzling sequins aplenty, an equally glamorous set, and a camp-o-meter set to off the scale. There's no weak link in the hardworking ensemble, with Lauren Stroud catching the eye, particularly in the early scenes as the hilariously demanding Liz Holt, and Charlotte Gooch twinkling as brightly as any character named Tina Sparkle really should. When the dance sequences and the more interesting characters combine, as they do in the finale to Act One, as Rico and Abuela teach Scott the paso doble, the result is an all-out epic assault on the senses that's breathtaking to behold.
On the whole, Dale White was impressive as Scott. He had a believable chemistry with Gemma Sutton and conveyed the conflicting emotions of his character particularly well in the second act. The most obvious moment to shine, however, as Scott practices alone, felt somewhat underwhelming and undercooked, but that aside Dale otherwise did a great job.
As for the score, it's a strange hybrid of jukebox and original music that works reasonably well but the end result is predictably inconsistent in terms of quality - the new songs certainly don't come close to eclipsing Time After Time, Love Is In The Air, or Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps. The opening number, When You're Strictly Ballroom, is easily the strongest of the music written by Eddie Perfect.
Overall then, for a show that earned mixed reviews on its debut in Sydney in 2014, it feels like this new incarnation must have taken a fair-sized leap in the right direction and undoubtedly now makes the best of the source material. It's certainly not subtle in ramming home its message about following your heart and the book is clearly not without its issues but as the confetti rained down for the finale and the entire audience rose to their feet to give the cast a standing ovation at the conclusion of Love Is In Air, it did feel like this is a potential hit musical in the making. With five star production values, the sense of spectacle and entertainment never really lets up from the outset. There's plenty of laugh out loud humour ("Pam Short's broken both her legs and I wanna dance with you") and while the production never takes itself too seriously, the characters of Fran, Rico and Abuela lend the story the heart, soul and warmth it needs to truly triumph. I don't mind admitting I was genuinely pretty taken aback to feel quite so moved by it all.
If you want to discover for yourself whether you can dance any steps you like, there's a nice moment of audience participation for a couple of unsuspecting people on the front row. Nice if you're sat safely tucked away with no chance of being plucked from the third row anyway! Other than avoiding the front row if you don't want to risk a brief cameo on the stage, the show is well worth catching if you can make it to Leeds before 21st January. I'd love to see it cha-chaing its way back to this side of the Atlantic after its run in Toronto. It was the perfect way to end 2016.
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Post by richey on Dec 31, 2016 16:58:46 GMT
Just come out of this afternoon's matinee. What a perfect end to 2016. I loved it! Dale was on again as lead and apart from a few slip-ups it was hard to tell he was understudy. The big dance numbers were fantastic and the end of act one gave me goosebumps, the dancer playing Rico was amazing. The fact there's quite a few hunky dancers is also an added bonus. So glad I got a last minute ticket for this, would love to go again but its looking pretty much sold out.
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18,845 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jan 1, 2017 13:33:32 GMT
If it doesn't make it to the WE I reckon it would do well on a UK tour. It's much better than Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2017 13:52:44 GMT
It's going to Toronto next year, I've heard.
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463 posts
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Post by djdan14 on Jan 6, 2017 22:33:07 GMT
Well what a good start to my theatre going for 2017 that was! Fully recommend for anyone suffering from the January Blues, you won't be disappointed!
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Post by kenneth on Jan 12, 2017 0:59:53 GMT
I would love Strictly Ballroom to transfer to the Piccadilly....it's such a feelgood show and the audiences adored it and gave spontaneous standing ovations each time I saw it (3 times) i also think it will do well as it has the Strictly brand and I also think audiences want to be entertained in this post Trump/brexit world. it did get some sniffy reviews (la Shenton) but it didn't deserve that...audiences are voting with their debit cards and it is now sold out in Leeds....a Producers dream, surely?
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Post by schuttep on Jan 12, 2017 9:55:18 GMT
I saw this on 7 January 2017 matinee and it was delightful. And funny.
It wasn't until the interval that a friend said it was the understudy playing Scott - I would never have guessed.
This deserves a long life beyond Leeds.
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572 posts
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Post by princeton on Jan 12, 2017 12:00:37 GMT
It wasn't an understudy on 7 January mat. Sam Lips had been out for a few performances since going off half way though the show on 29 December - but he came back on Friday 6 Dec (although the WYP didnt actually take down the cover signs that day). Dale White who played the part in the interim is one of the dance captains and was a ballroom champion in his childhood - so I'm sure he was great.
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Post by Musicality21 on Jan 14, 2017 23:12:46 GMT
I've just come back from seeing this tonight and it's one of the most fun, entertaining and joyous nights I've had at the theatre in a long time!
The entire cast were fantastic, the songs were good, and the dancing was just brilliant. I laughed a lot, smiled a lot and clapped a lot.
And I just love the West Yorkshire Playhouse so much. The way it's laid out is brilliant and we were only three rows from the front so felt so much a part of the action. I think even if you were sat further back you would still feel like this.
I would love this to well and go to the West End or tour as it deserves to be seen and the audience seemed to love it.
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