449 posts
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Post by SageStageMgr on Dec 18, 2017 20:35:47 GMT
Incidentally I seat G4 in stalls for tonight - £18 todaytix app. Are they still going? Do they still sing their opera stuff? I had to google them to get the joke, I hadn’t heard of them!
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449 posts
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Post by SageStageMgr on Dec 18, 2017 20:36:16 GMT
At the interval - this is absolutely brilliant.
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372 posts
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Post by hitmewithurbethshot on Dec 21, 2017 11:46:37 GMT
£18 front row rush seats from TodayTix a few days ago - can't complain! A few thoughts on the show: This is Carolyn's show, through and through, despite how much the advertising hypes up Anna O'Byrne. CHILLS during both All For Laura's. Chris Peluso also a highlight, very believably villainous but also charming, with a near-perfect accent. Diction a little sloppy on his maybe 2 spoken lines, but I've always found it's easier to sing in a different accent than to speak in it. In general, a fantastic cast. The main issue is the material. It's very over-dramatic in a "classic ALW" way, basically trying to be another Phantom but the story doesn't really lend itself to that kind of musical. Phantom worked with its bombasic music and melodrama because of the characters and setting, the character of the Phantom himself is basically the definition of over-dramatic. TWIW however would do better as a Sondheim type show. The lyrics are amusingly cringy at times, there were a lot of points where I'd think "oh I know what they're going to rhyme this with" and the lyricist really needs lessons in subtlety. I had to laugh at the lead up to Glyde's introduction, Walter asks Anne who wronged her and she says "Sir Percival Glyde" twice and Walter repeat it, then there's the revelation that Laura is engaged to him, then when he finally enters "Sir Percival Glyde" is sung over and over just to really hammer the point home that THIS IS THE BAD GUY COMING IN. I did enjoy the clever rhymes in some parts, they worked well for Marian and the uncle, one an intelligent young woman whose mind probaly runs a hundred miles an hour, the other a sarcastic old man. The show starts very oddly and abruptly with Walter just singing "hello there", I feel it needs an overture or opening song to properly lead the audience into a sung-through musical format. {Spoiler - click to view} The ending is a little contrived: why did Glyde go to the trouble of killing Anne and having her switch places with Laura instead of killing both? If he wanted the fortune it would be in his best interest to ensure Laura couldn't stop him getting it or reveal he was in debt and had motive to fake her death that way. Especially with the asylum apparently had such lax security that Anne escape several times. It just meant that Laura and Marian could be reuinted while Anne webt through a horrible experience and was just killed when she was more useful dead than alive.
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Post by phantz on Dec 27, 2017 9:37:26 GMT
{Spoiler - click to view} The ending is a little contrived: why did Glyde go to the trouble of killing Anne and having her switch places with Laura instead of killing both? If he wanted the fortune it would be in his best interest to ensure Laura couldn't stop him getting it or reveal he was in debt and had motive to fake her death that way. Especially with the asylum apparently had such lax security that Anne escape several times. It just meant that Laura and Marian could be reuinted while Anne webt through a horrible experience and was just killed when she was more useful dead than alive. It was Fosco's idea. Glyde didn't really give a Scooby as long as he had time to take off with the money. I guess Fosco's reasoning to spare her is up to interpretation (perhaps from a sense of genuine affection for Marion?). There's no implication that Fosco is aware of the full history, of course. Interestingly, the secret in the novel is that Glyde is illegitimate and not eligible of his 'Baronet' status. Anne dies of natural causes after escaping the asylum which makes substituting in Laura easier to manage.
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501 posts
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Post by chernjam on Dec 28, 2017 1:28:11 GMT
Musically can someone tell me how the revival ends? Between the boots I've heard, the 2 times I saw the original on broadway and then the London recording - they're all different
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591 posts
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Post by AddisonMizner on Dec 30, 2017 19:47:38 GMT
I saw the show this afternoon, and absolutely loved it, with nothing but positive things to say!
I have been a huge fan of the score for such a long time, and hearing it live for the first time was truly a treat. I have often said on here that I find Lloyd Webber’s score for LOVE NEVER DIES to be his most beautiful, but actually I now believe that THE WOMAN IN WHITE is. Yes, there is a lot of recitative and repeating themes, but when they are as gorgeous as this, I don’t mind hearing them again and again. There was barely a moment when I didn’t have tingles down my spine, or tears in my eyes. At some points, I nearly burst out into fill out sobs. Remembering some moments now, I still get shivers. The score is also Lloyd Webber’s most cohesive, with all musical moments being fully related to the show. It set mood and atmosphere perfectly.
I also think that it helps that this is attached to an excellent story, with lots of twists and turns. Whoever said that they were bored with this, I do not understand, as the drama went at such a fast pace! The time flew-by! I was gripped, and knew the story beforehand. If I hadn’t have had a train to catch, I could have quite easily sat through it again.
The production itself was excellent, as were the cast. It was nice to hear singing as good as this on a London stage again.
The Charing Cross Theatre is getting to be one of my favourite venues. I can’t wait to see what they do next!
JUST GO!
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523 posts
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Post by vabbian on Jan 4, 2018 0:34:19 GMT
Saw this tonight.
I think a very dry story with a dry score, quite disappointed considering it is an ALW musical.
I do think the cast were great though, standout moments being All for Laura and the Fosco solos.
3/5
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501 posts
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Post by chernjam on Jan 6, 2018 4:46:43 GMT
Hey - other WIW fans. If you're interested in a new cast recording - tweet @womaninwhiteuk and @officialalw. Some of the cast members seem to believe that the more the producers hear and see their is an interest from fans, the more the topic will be brought up and discussed. I for one would love to hear this cast which has been pretty much praised across the board, and hear what changed ALW made
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1,876 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 14, 2018 15:44:31 GMT
Saw it yesterday afternoon. Loved it. I found it touching and heartfelt. I really believed every character, and the small scale production really found the heart of the story for me.
I thought its greatest achievement was the reimagining of Count Fosco from the fat-suited grotesque. Worked brilliantly.
The ending was bittersweet and poignant.
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1,876 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 14, 2018 15:59:31 GMT
Really liked this and a big improvement on the original staging and direction. Great set and costumes (especially considering the venue), uniformly strong cast (actually preferred all roles to the original cast and replacements). Characterisation was better, especially Fosco who is no longer a big cartoon character. Agree 100%
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Post by CG on the loose on Jan 14, 2018 16:12:07 GMT
Thank you for the reminder distantcousin and for the Monkey’s hearty recommendation... been meaning to book and happy to find a gap in my diary before it closes. Now going to the final matinee
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1,445 posts
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Post by steve10086 on Jan 20, 2018 23:51:26 GMT
Finally saw it tonight.
***** production of a ** show.
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Post by chernjam on Jan 23, 2018 15:54:57 GMT
anything else Steve???
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1,445 posts
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Post by steve10086 on Jan 23, 2018 19:53:44 GMT
Not much to say. The cast are better than the original, the staging is better than the original, the music is still as boring.
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2,379 posts
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Post by robertb213 on Jan 23, 2018 20:00:00 GMT
Hoping to see this tomorrow if I can get a rush ticket. It feels more of a list-ticking exercise for me at the moment than something I'm genuinely excited about, but hopefully I'll enjoy it. I've yet to find a Webber score that I've hated (that's just jinxed the hell out of it, hasn't it...)
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1,445 posts
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Post by steve10086 on Jan 23, 2018 20:43:39 GMT
Hoping to see this tomorrow if I can get a rush ticket. It feels more of a list-ticking exercise for me at the moment than something I'm genuinely excited about, but hopefully I'll enjoy it. I've yet to find a Webber score that I've hated (that's just jinxed the hell out of it, hasn't it...) Well I hope that you do enjoy it, but I’m a pretty big ALW fan and like everything he’s done (except Requiem), but find TWIW deadly dull. The plot, the more intimate setting, and the great performances, should keep you interested/entertained though.
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2,379 posts
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Post by robertb213 on Jan 23, 2018 21:17:31 GMT
Thank you, the cast sound pretty talented so I'm sure I'll enjoy it. A show has to be reeeeeeeeally bad for me not to find something redeeming in it! Worth a gamble at £18 anyway 😁
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638 posts
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Post by Oleanna on Jan 23, 2018 21:31:09 GMT
Hoping to see this tomorrow if I can get a rush ticket. It feels more of a list-ticking exercise for me at the moment than something I'm genuinely excited about, but hopefully I'll enjoy it. I've yet to find a Webber score that I've hated (that's just jinxed the hell out of it, hasn't it...) Well I hope that you do enjoy it, but I’m a pretty big ALW fan and like everything he’s done (except Requiem), but find TWIW deadly dull. The plot, the more intimate setting, and the great performances, should keep you interested/entertained though. I’m interested, Steve, what don’t you like about Requiem?
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501 posts
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Post by chernjam on Jan 24, 2018 3:58:56 GMT
Not much to say. The cast are better than the original, the staging is better than the original, the music is still as boring. Steve - any major changes to the score that you noticed? I thought I had read they were writing some new material. Also, musically, how does the show conclude?
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1,445 posts
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Post by steve10086 on Jan 24, 2018 7:50:15 GMT
Well I hope that you do enjoy it, but I’m a pretty big ALW fan and like everything he’s done (except Requiem), but find TWIW deadly dull. The plot, the more intimate setting, and the great performances, should keep you interested/entertained though. I’m interested, Steve, what don’t you like about Requiem? Just not my kind of thing. Apart from Pie Jesu and Hosanna it’s not something I can listen to.
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2,379 posts
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Post by robertb213 on Jan 24, 2018 19:05:13 GMT
Sorry to report that I didn't really enjoy this very much today. The cast sounded undeniably great but apart from two songs I just found it really dull. Some people left at the interval. I stayed but had to fight off a snooze by Act 2! Probably my least favourite Webber. Always worth a gamble though 😁
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1,445 posts
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Post by steve10086 on Jan 24, 2018 19:24:27 GMT
Sorry to report that I didn't really enjoy this very much today. The cast sounded undeniably great but apart from two songs I just found it really dull. Some people left at the interval. I stayed but had to fight off a snooze by Act 2! Probably my least favourite Webber. Always worth a gamble though 😁 Just be glad you didn’t see the original production then. Even worse!
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Post by critchyboy on Jan 31, 2018 11:14:48 GMT
Hi folks!
Made aww stupid error purchasing tickets today. I have two tickets for the matinee show available for £26. Can meet you at the theatre to hand Over tickets at 2pm.
Anyone
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500 posts
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Post by anthony on Jan 31, 2018 16:10:25 GMT
Going to see this again tonight before it closes. Partly because I really loved it... partly because they sold out of programmes when I last went and I want one for my collection!
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118 posts
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Post by critchyboy on Jan 31, 2018 23:43:15 GMT
After the mess up with my tickets caught the show this evening and thought it was magnificent. Hadn’t seen the original production but had heard all about the scenery!!
This was simple and the story, acting, singing and performance shone through. Wonderful!
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Post by longinthetooth on Feb 1, 2018 0:05:27 GMT
After the mess up with my tickets caught the show this evening and thought it was magnificent. Hadn’t seen the original production but had heard all about the scenery!! This was simple and the story, acting, singing and performance shone through. Wonderful! I was there too. Couldn't agree more with you about the show. I knew nothing about it, and was drawn mainly by the cast. Every single person was superb. I had forgotten Chris Peluso was in it, and was amazed when I checked the programme during the interval. Being a villain suits him!
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Post by anthony on Feb 1, 2018 10:46:21 GMT
Loved it even more the 2nd time around. The whole cast is just amazing. I really want to try and see it again before it closes, but I'm going away on Monday and won't be back until closing night, so don't think I'll get the chance. Just an amazing production, genuinely flawless. I do understand why people don't like it (I think you have to like this sort of musical, otherwise you just won't "get it").
I was surrounding by awful people (honestly my first bad theatre experience in a while), the "theatre teen" type, who think because they've seen Les Mis and Kinky Boots 20 times that they know everything and just sit and talk non-stop before and during the show and act overly dramatic (for example, loud screams following the thunder during act 2 followed by a minute discussion about how scared they are) and a couple on a date behind me, the man was trying to impress the woman about how he'd seen the original production and was clearly on Wikipedia talking about why it closed, about Crawford and his fat suite, whilst the lady just complained non-stop about how theatre etiquette is "dying".
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Post by Montmartre on Feb 1, 2018 21:42:31 GMT
Is it warm inside the theatre?
I picked up a programme for a friend and was very disappointed with it - no description of the show, no photos of the cast in costume.
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500 posts
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Post by anthony on Feb 2, 2018 17:36:17 GMT
Is it warm inside the theatre? I picked up a programme for a friend and was very disappointed with it - no description of the show, no photos of the cast in costume. First time I went, it was freezing -- people were literally sitting there with their hats on and scarfs. I think there may have been an issue with heating (as people were playing with the thermostat during the interval). It was perfect when I went on Wed, though.
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Post by Montmartre on Feb 3, 2018 21:28:29 GMT
Minimal scenery (compared to the original show), but the singing from all characters is the best I have heard in a long time. Simply wonderful. The orchestra is well and truly hidden.The theatre was full. The overhead trains to/from Charing Cross were very noticeable.
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