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Post by theatremadness on Jun 21, 2017 14:50:37 GMT
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Post by Honoured Guest on Jun 21, 2017 14:53:27 GMT
PICNIC seating for forum bargain-seekers!
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1,936 posts
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 21, 2017 14:55:25 GMT
I have a fondness for this daft show. The simple melodic songs have an irritating way of getting into your head! "I sit in the sun" and "I am look, look looking for a piano"! However, the sweltering heat inside the Union in the summer will not drag me inside I don't think.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 14:58:46 GMT
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jun 21, 2017 15:02:52 GMT
Hasn't Mrs L left the forum due to our reaction to terrorist incident at Finsbury Park ?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 15:06:55 GMT
Hasn't Mrs L left the forum due to our reaction to terrorist incident at Finsbury Park ? Oh has he? I didn't know. That's a shame.
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Post by The Matthew on Jun 21, 2017 15:36:35 GMT
This show is utterly ridiculous in every respect, and I love it.
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Post by tmesis on Jun 21, 2017 16:35:57 GMT
I'm a huge fan too. This is great news. The Riverside Studios production of a few years ago was superb, even though it was held in an auditorium that had all the charm of a school assembly hall. It needs very precise direction and attention to detail to pull it off. The songs and plot are silly beyond belief but it has that rare quality of charm and can be very touching at the end.
I'd give up ten performances of Les Mis or Miss Saigon for one decent performance of Salad Days.
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 21, 2017 17:35:46 GMT
Yes, I enjoyed the Riverside Studios production - I knew I had seen a revival recently but could not remember where. I did not like the traverse staging and the venue was a bit of a barn if I remember correctly.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 21, 2017 17:37:15 GMT
I have a fondness for this daft show. The simple melodic songs have an irritating way of getting into your head! "I sit in the sun" and "I am look, look looking for a piano"! However, the sweltering heat inside the Union in the summer will not drag me inside I don't think. I'm afraid my reaction is the same. I'd like to see the piece again, having loved the last production which I saw 5 times over 2 runs, but unless there is an unseasonably cold spell in August I'm not braving the Union at that time of year.
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Post by Phantom of London on Jun 21, 2017 20:41:43 GMT
I saw the Riverside production the only time I've seen a production of this show and it is very quintessential English, very quintessential terrible.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Jun 22, 2017 15:57:10 GMT
I've always thought I should see this, but I'm wary of seeing a shoddy production at the Union that'll colour my view of it...
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Post by Honoured Guest on Jul 19, 2017 17:45:56 GMT
Straight after the Union, this production of Salad Days is playing in the Main House of Theatre Royal Bath from 12 to 16 September.
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1,316 posts
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Post by tmesis on Aug 20, 2017 20:51:51 GMT
Has anyone seen this yet? Was thinking of enduring the sweltering Union next Sunday.
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Post by tmesis on Aug 27, 2017 12:54:00 GMT
Well as the temperature in London is rising my heart is sinking; I'm en route to The Union and last time it was much cooler than this and boarder line unbearable in the auditorium. It's had better be worth it but I adore Salad Days and it's been getting good reviews. Trouble is, I'm going on to the Prom this evening and RAH is not known for its air-con either!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2017 12:59:05 GMT
Well as the temperature in London is rising my heart is sinking; I'm en route to The Union and last time it was much cooler than this and boarder line unbearable in the auditorium. It's had better be worth it but I adore Salad Days and it's been getting good reviews. Trouble is, I'm going on to the Prom this evening and RAH is not known for its air-con either! Ooh I'm here too! Say hello if you see me!
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Post by tmesis on Aug 28, 2017 12:07:49 GMT
I hugely enjoyed this yesterday. If you saw the Riverside Studios version it's not quite in that league but it nearly is and some aspects I enjoyed more. The cast were very strong with only a few reservations about the guy playing Timothy; he was a bit underpowered singing-wise and was slightly miscast dramatically; I feel he should have swopped parts with the guy playing Nigel who was very strong. Jane was excellent. The minor roles were very solidly cast and what a talented MD - not only a great pianist but he also acted, sung and danced the role of the tramp really well. Great costumes (they can often be a bit tacky at The Union) and, although minimal scenery; a few leaves, a bit of bunting and a psychedelic piano; it all looked very handsome and fitted the 'new' space better than anything else I've previously seen.
The show really is bonkers, with quite the most preposterous plot of any musical. It needs playing straight with minimal camping-up for it to work, which is what they did, and then this quintessentially English, ridiculously tuneful and above all, touchingly innocent blossom will flower.
**Temperature update** They had excellent air-con on Sunday and Act 1 was really cool. Act 2 was a bit warmer but more than OK
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Aug 28, 2017 12:53:10 GMT
I'm going to see this when it comes to Bath in a couple of weeks. Glad it's being well received.
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Post by Andy on Sept 9, 2017 22:17:32 GMT
Saw this today at the matinee. I'd just repeat what tmesis said. It was overall very fun. We'd booked normal seats but we were asked to sit in the picnic seats, I think because the people still to find a seat would've struggled sitting on the floor. The picnic seats added to the fun, avoiding the odd high kick and having actors share the seats with us a couple of times. I have a bit of a mystery I'm hoping someone can help solve. Before the start we were told the actress who plays the aunt was indisposed and so we'd be having someone else. The aunt showed up near the start during a song with Tim's parents telling him to find something to do. Don't think we saw her again after that but thought nothing of it. Now I've been looking at the Union theatre's website and found a production photo showing a woman on the phone in a beauty salon. That wasn't in the show I saw today. A bit of research says it was Jane's mother. Reviews mention a duet near the end with Tim and Jane's mothers, We Don't Understand Our Children. For me today it was a solo by Tim's mother. I have no recollection of seeing Jane's mother at any point in the show. I've found an article saying the aunt and Jane's mother are played by the same person in this production so it seems like they cut the mother's part instead of having the stand in play her. Or is it just a coincidence and I didn't see anything different to what others have seen recently? It hasn't affected my enjoyment at all, I'm just curious if I did see a slightly cut down show and if so what other changes there might have been.
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Post by notmymuse on Sept 10, 2017 10:13:44 GMT
Sounds like the actress who plays Jane's mother/Tim's aunt was indisposed, so they covered "Find Yourself Something To Do" as she has important lines, but then cut her hairdresser scene when she's being Jane's mother (which is a bit of filler anyway and doesn't do much to advance the plot - it's just her having a fairly short one-sided conversation on the phone which is tittersome but not hilarious) and made "We Don't Understand Our Children" a solo when it's usually a duet (but most of it is sung together, so it's not a big change and wouldn't be much noticed).
Those are probably the only real changes. The song sung by the nightclub singer is usually done by the actress playing Tim's mother I think, so I assume that remained? The rest of the plot is mainly the principles.
I'm really glad you enjoyed it though - such a lovely show.
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Post by Andy on Sept 11, 2017 11:24:34 GMT
Thanks for those extra details. The nightclub song was included so sounds like there weren't any other major changes. It certainly didn't ever feel like anything was going on while I was there.
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Post by ruby on Sept 13, 2017 22:39:47 GMT
Saw this in Bath tonight and thought it was delightful. I only knew one song from it and had no idea of the story so it was new to me.
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299 posts
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Post by macksennett on Sept 15, 2017 9:55:02 GMT
What is running time?
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Post by david on Mar 16, 2018 13:00:05 GMT
A quick look at shows at Salford’s Lowry theatre is showing that this is playing 25th - 29th Sept. Looks like there are only evening shows happening. Tickets £29.50 for a stalls seat in the Quays theatre.
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Post by fossil on Mar 16, 2018 14:57:39 GMT
This is also on at the Exeter Northcott 30th Oct - 3 Nov with matinees Wednesday and Saturday. It is the production that was on at the Union Theatre and Bath. It is touring so I suspect more dates will be announced. Having just watched the video at www.rdww.co.uk/salad-days/ I am very tempted to see it again.
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Post by SageStageMgr on Sept 5, 2018 17:19:19 GMT
This opens in Brighton tonight - anyone else going?
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Post by robertb213 on Sept 5, 2018 17:20:54 GMT
I might try and see it in Coventry in a couple of weeks 😀
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Post by SageStageMgr on Sept 5, 2018 20:09:14 GMT
Right; reading back through this thread, I have to laugh. I don’t think I’ve ever been so far apart opinion from the consensus.
I’m not one to leave early from shows - sure, if something is just not my cup of tea, I might go at the interval on occasion, with due respect to what the production is trying to achieve - especially with a long journey home in mind.
But this was something else. I lasted 35 minutes. Unquestionably my personal worst ever touring musical production. Frankly, a new low in professional musical theatre.
I should say at this point, that the review was the (part of the) show I saw, on opening night, on the first show of the whole tour. I’m sure aspects of the below will improve - they honestly couldn’t get any worse, so it’s pretty much a given.
And the reason I left is as it wasn’t getting any better in my personal view, although that’s not to say that the second act wasn’t potentially a lot better.
The audience was small tonight, with the higher levels closed. They were muted throughout, and two parties had left (one hadn’t come back by the time I went). But taste is subjective and I’ve seen people leave perfectly good shows, so this shouldn’t colour any opinions.
There was a wobble at the top of the show, with the followspot flickering a bit on the front curtain. But the show went up on time, to its credit.
Now, I’ve listened to the cast recording once or twice in the past and found the material inaccessible, because it feels somewhat dated even by “old fashioned musicals” standards. But I recognise there are a few ear-wormish tunes. I certainly wouldn’t say I was a fan of the material before booking, but I’ve been won over by shows of its kind more times than I care to remember. I often find having low expectations helps me to enjoy a show more and not judge everything too critically or by world class standards.
The house curtain flew out. A gazebo centre stage housing the pianist/MD, a percussionist and what appeared to be an all-rounder. A band of three, excluding the plot-central actor musician at the “magic” piano. If I’m wrong and more actor-musicians arrive throughout the show, please tell me and I’ll edit my review so it isn’t misleading.
I should mention at this point that a premium seat on Saturday night for this show costs over £45 to book through ATG online.
The set is embarrassing. While I was watching, it consisted of a gazebo, some patio furniture and the upright piano with a flowery pattern painted on it. The cyclorama (the plain white screen at the back of the stage) various colours, lit by a row of LED lights underneath. That forms the “backdrop”. “An American in Paris” used projection cleverly, although I wasn’t mad crazy about the show, it was a top-price worthy West End experience. This has coloured LED bulbs. And I paid £30 for my seat at THAT show.
The production values are atrocious, across the board. It looks way below recent amateur productions which I’ve seen (such as a brilliant “Chess” in Lewes). It is without doubt the single cheapest looking professional touring musical I have ever, or likely will ever see.
The first thing I noticed as the show started was the state of the floor. Good grief!!! I don’t even know where to start. I’m guessing it was recycled from either a different long-running show elsewhere, or this production but in a much smaller space of the Union. It has dirty black scratch marks all over it (not part of the design) and should never have been allowed to open in that condition.
But the worst part is that it doesn’t come close to fitting the (already not massive) stage at the Brighton Theatre Royal. The “playing space” stops about 3 feet short of the wings. How can something like this happen?! As a theatre professional myself I would be ashamed of this work. I wouldn’t let this happen in an amateur show either.
Worse, the hanging black cloth masking was nowhere near flush to the floor, in fact, it was at least a foot clear of the floor. This means a) it looked really naff and b) you could see the feet of the actors waiting to enter (more interesting than the stage theatrics).
The lighting was dreadful. Sub am-dram. The followspot wasn’t lighting the principal actors’ faces! Far too many shadows on the stage - and they lit the whole thing rather than just the playing space, making that gap between the floor and the bare stage look even more prominent as the actors awkwardly rushed to the wing masking.
I could hear everything loud and clear, the microphones worked and the musicians were playing in tune.
The performance was very flat, there wasn’t applause where there should’ve been. It was very muted and bemused by those around me, although I tried to lead a bit as I felt a bit bad for the performers.
The acting was very stilted and awkward though, I’m afraid. It seemed under-rehearsed (unsurprising given the general lack of money which has gone into this show). One number in particular, “Find Yourself Something to Do” was a mess. Actors out of time with each other, with the band out of time with them. It was head in hands bad, like the first time they’d done it in full. I’d suspect here that this was an issue with foldback (the singers being able to hear the band and vice-versa) rather than ability.
I hand on heart can’t remember a cheaper, poorer standard professional tour of musical theatre in this country.
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Post by wickedgrin on Sept 5, 2018 21:39:35 GMT
Oh god! I'm going tomorrow!!!!
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Post by robertb213 on Sept 5, 2018 21:52:13 GMT
Maybe I won't see it in Coventry after all! 😉
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