158 posts
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Post by broadwaylover99 on Dec 13, 2017 18:00:09 GMT
Has anyone sat in what they're calling the restricted view seats? What are they like?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2017 18:04:57 GMT
Has anyone sat in what they're calling the restricted view seats? What are they like? I did. I'm not gonna lie to you, if you like a clear view of the whole stage, its not for you. There is a thick pillar not directly in front of you, but about a metre in front of the front row. I was on the third row so further back. It blocks about half of the smaller ring in the centre of the room HOWEVER because the cast never stop moving, and really do make an effort to move around constantly, it isn't that big an issue, there is barely one number that happens on that platform, and even then, they only are brief moments. When the cast sre talking, even to one another, there is an active effort to move around the whole space. I think no matter whrre you sit in the theatre, you are blocked at some point by other performers anyway, or their bscks are turned away from you. So its just based on personal preference. I was fine with the view.
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1,718 posts
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Dec 17, 2017 12:01:22 GMT
There's so much to admire about this production. The Menier have clearly gone to a lot of effort with their theming of the bar and the auditorium itself certainly looks the part as a big top with the audience in the round. I enjoyed the interaction with the cast before the show. They seemed to mainly target younger members of the audience who looked completely enchanted by the close-up tricks.
The full ensemble numbers like Join The Circus, Black and White, and Come Follow The Band are a whirlwind of energy that are quite a spectacle to behold. It was great to see Bethany Huckle again after enjoying her performance so much in Half A Sixpence. Celinde Shoenmaker's vocals were show-stealing while Laura Pitt-Pulford was terrific as always.
So many elements of this production are worthy of five stars. It's baffling why they chose to undermine all of this by casting Marcus Brigstocke as Barnum. This isn't Sarah Harding levels of ineptitude by any means but it's clear from the opening number that Marcus is out of his depth and there's a gulf between him and everyone else in the company.
He's most comfortable when adlibbing with the audience and comes across as charming enough but crucially there's never any sense that he's the greatest showman. He looks more like a lost little boy surveying all around him in starry eyed wonder and admiration. At least he actually tries to sing though, unlike Brian Conley talking his way through every song on the recent tour.
While Marcus didn't derail the production completely for me, there's no doubt this could have been truly sensational with a stronger performer in the titular role. All of the other elements are in place. I still left the Menier feeling exhilarated but when the greatest showman is no longer the star attraction in his own story you know that something has gone wrong somewhere down the line.
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3,059 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 17, 2017 12:45:15 GMT
Brian Conley took a few goes on the tour of the Chichester production. (and he wasn't very high!) At the performance I saw, he nailed it first time. I saw him twice at different venues. First show took two goes (bit of joking around with the audience about distracting him after the first attempt). And, the second show, he got across first time. I suspect Brian Conley nailed it most of the time.
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1,210 posts
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Post by musicalmarge on Dec 21, 2017 23:10:03 GMT
The worst show I’ve ever seen at the Menier. The person who cast the Marcus Brigstock thingy in the lead role needs to be shot - he can’t sing or act and was like a dork rather than a showman! He fell off the tightrope three times and has a big bum. Dreadful...
Bad staging, a two legged elephant, an over acting ensemble (ok the acrobats and lead woman Laura Pitt-Pulford were good) but the production was badly directed, had restricted sight-lines and the narrative and story that was just lost.
What a shame. 4/10
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Jan 6, 2018 1:06:47 GMT
As the old adage goes - give someone enough tightrope and they hang themselves.
My issue with Marcus and that he sung, but I couldn’t her him sing, despite being in the small Menier and he being miked, his voice had no strength to it. He fell off the tightrope 3 times, but not going to be critical of that, as it is a very hard thing to do and near impossible you have to sing too, so no mean feat, but not being able to sing is unforgivable. However other parts of this production were very decent, I thought Celinde Schoenmaker was breathtaking and Laura Pitt Pulford puts a smile on anybodies face.
3 Stars
If I was at acting school I would definitely learn to tightrope walk and juggle, it might just land you that role and make you a Star.
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Jan 6, 2018 1:24:04 GMT
See Michael Crawford tightrope walk, move to about 9:30, if he slips he would’ve broken bones for sure.
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1,510 posts
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Post by anita on Jan 6, 2018 10:22:50 GMT
He got across on the second attempt on Wednesday but I agree with you Phantom - he is no great singer. However I still enjoyed the show as the ensemble are great.
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6,333 posts
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Post by danb on Jan 6, 2018 11:06:15 GMT
The worst show I’ve ever seen at the Mernier. The person who cast the Marcus Brigstock thingy in the lead role needs to be shot - he can’t sing or act and was like a dork rather than a showman! He fell off the tightrope three times and has a big bum. Dreadful... Bad staging, a two legged elephant, an over acting ensemble (ok the acrobats and lead woman Laura Pitt-Pulford were good) but the production was badly directed, had restricted sight-lines and the narrative and story that was just lost. What a shame. 4/10 Shame that such a fan of the venue doesn’t know it’s name...MENIER!!!! 😂
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2018 11:41:12 GMT
The worst show I’ve ever seen at the Mernier. The person who cast the Marcus Brigstock thingy in the lead role needs to be shot - he can’t sing or act and was like a dork rather than a showman! He fell off the tightrope three times and has a big bum. Dreadful... Bad staging, a two legged elephant, an over acting ensemble (ok the acrobats and lead woman Laura Pitt-Pulford were good) but the production was badly directed, had restricted sight-lines and the narrative and story that was just lost. What a shame. 4/10 ... you make that sound like a bad thing?!
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6,316 posts
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Post by Jon on Jan 6, 2018 12:22:19 GMT
What a surprise that musicalmarge didn’t like it! And insulting performers to boot as well!
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716 posts
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Post by indis on Jan 6, 2018 21:24:12 GMT
is having a big bum now a criterium🤣🤣🤣 this disquafies the whole critic instantly
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176 posts
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Post by tom on Jan 7, 2018 8:31:41 GMT
Saw the show at yesterday’s matinee performance and it was just OK. I expected much worse from Marcus from what people were saying. His acting wasn’t that bad although he should have had more presence but his singing was not anywhere near strong enough. Celinde was the standout for me and I thought Harry Francis was good as Tom Thumb. Also, some of the ensemble who did the acrobatics etc. Didn’t like the annoying pair who opened the second act - not funny! The show itself just isn’t that great. I didn’t really like or care about any of the characters and the music isn’t anything special. Marcus made it across the rope in one attempt by the way.
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7 posts
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Post by stagey19 on Jan 9, 2018 17:10:12 GMT
Has anyone sat in what they're calling the restricted view seats? What are they like? I sat in the restricted seats! I booked seats B43 and B44, which at the time of booking came with a warning stating "This seat comes with a restricted view at certain points during the show." Well... I wasn't impressed when I sat down and there was a HUGE pillar in front of me, blocking at least half of the stage! Not exactly what you call 'certain points during the show'... I complained to the theatre after the show that the warning provided had been misleading, after which they adjusted the warning to clearly state the seats are behind a pillar and they gave me gift voucher. I would not recommend these seats at all. They are not worth £25 each. I do think the staging for Barnum makes it very difficult to find any seats that offer an unrestricted view during the entire performance. As it is staged in the round, there will be cast members blocking your view at certain times during the performance. And there are a few pillars to be aware of too. All in all, I did not like this production enough to come back to it in an 'unrestriced' seat.
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1,210 posts
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Post by musicalmarge on Jan 9, 2018 18:41:46 GMT
The worst show I’ve ever seen at the Mernier. The person who cast the Marcus Brigstock thingy in the lead role needs to be shot - he can’t sing or act and was like a dork rather than a showman! He fell off the tightrope three times and has a big bum. Dreadful... Bad staging, a two legged elephant, an over acting ensemble (ok the acrobats and lead woman Laura Pitt-Pulford were good) but the production was badly directed, had restricted sight-lines and the narrative and story that was just lost. What a shame. 4/10 ... you make that sound like a bad thing?! I don’t get why you think the bodies of actors can’t be commented on. It’s all about casting. Body shapes, sizes, height, weight etc are constantly mentioned at the audition panels I’ve sat on and certainly are by agents, creatives and casting directors. It’s the business. Simple. An actors body is part of their brand/casting and there’s nothing insulting about it. Big bum might be harsh to some but the fact is his physicality was wrong for the role as was Marcus as a talent in general.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2018 18:45:50 GMT
... you make that sound like a bad thing?! I don’t get why you think the bodies of actors can’t be commented on. It’s all about casting. Body shapes, sizes, height, weight etc are constantly mentioned at the audition panels I’ve sat on and certainly are by agents, creatives and casting directors. It’s the business. Simple. An actors body is part of their brand/casting and there’s nothing insulting about it. Big bum might be harsh to some but the fact is his physicality was wrong for the role as was Marcus as a talent in general. Whilst I was making a joke about you saying a big bum was a bad thing, what does Barum having a big bum have to be a bad thing. He looked perfectly proportioned and fine bodywise on that stage, and not one other person on here has commented on it, so why is it an issue? Its like last year when a member on here commented that Carrie Hope Fletcher was "too large" to play Truly Scrumptious. Like, come on people, don't be dicks about peoples body, its that simple. Yes it may be brought up on audition panels, but these people get cast, so therefore the creatives are happy to have those body types portraying these roles for these specific productions.
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6,333 posts
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Post by danb on Jan 9, 2018 19:02:29 GMT
I don’t get why you think the bodies of actors can’t be commented on. It’s all about casting. Body shapes, sizes, height, weight etc are constantly mentioned at the audition panels I’ve sat on and certainly are by agents, creatives and casting directors. It’s the business. Simple. An actors body is part of their brand/casting and there’s nothing insulting about it. Big bum might be harsh to some but the fact is his physicality was wrong for the role as was Marcus as a talent in general. Whilst I was making a joke about you saying a big bum was a bad thing, what does Barum having a big bum have to be a bad thing. He looked perfectly proportioned and fine bodywise on that stage, and not one other person on here has commented on it, so why is it an issue? Its like last year when a member on here commented that Carrie Hope Fletcher was "too large" to play Truly Scrumptious. Like, come on people, don't be dicks about peoples body, its that simple. Yes it may be brought up on audition panels, but these people get cast, so therefore the creatives are happy to have those body types portraying these roles for these specific productions. I agree to a degree, but if someones physical appearance is at odds with a known character from history or an existing text they are either miscast or the director has made a decision to do something different. There are ways of saying things nicely too!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2018 19:11:09 GMT
Whilst I was making a joke about you saying a big bum was a bad thing, what does Barum having a big bum have to be a bad thing. He looked perfectly proportioned and fine bodywise on that stage, and not one other person on here has commented on it, so why is it an issue? Its like last year when a member on here commented that Carrie Hope Fletcher was "too large" to play Truly Scrumptious. Like, come on people, don't be dicks about peoples body, its that simple. Yes it may be brought up on audition panels, but these people get cast, so therefore the creatives are happy to have those body types portraying these roles for these specific productions. I agree to a degree, but if someones physical appearance is at odds with a known character from history or an existing text they are either miscast or the director has made a decision to do something different. There are ways of saying things nicely too! If I didn't say it nicely, I apologise. It just annoys me when one of the flaws some members seem to consitantly pick up on is nothing more than someones body, weight or other issue that some may view as an insecurity.
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6,333 posts
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Post by danb on Jan 9, 2018 19:37:43 GMT
I agree to a degree, but if someones physical appearance is at odds with a known character from history or an existing text they are either miscast or the director has made a decision to do something different. There are ways of saying things nicely too! If I didn't say it nicely, I apologise. It just annoys me when one of the flaws some members seem to consitantly pick up on is nothing more than someones body, weight or other issue that some may view as an insecurity. I didn’t mean you silly! I was agreeing that the way that people speak online is on the whole lacking in respect and people seem to think they can get away with saying stuff they wouldn’t dream of saying face to face.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2018 19:48:23 GMT
If I didn't say it nicely, I apologise. It just annoys me when one of the flaws some members seem to consitantly pick up on is nothing more than someones body, weight or other issue that some may view as an insecurity. I didn’t mean you silly! I was agreeing that the way that people speak online is on the whole lacking in respect and people seem to think they can get away with saying stuff they wouldn’t dream of saying face to face. Oooo... well then I apologise anyway, there will be someone who is offended, there always is.
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6,333 posts
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Post by danb on Jan 9, 2018 20:09:46 GMT
I didn’t mean you silly! I was agreeing that the way that people speak online is on the whole lacking in respect and people seem to think they can get away with saying stuff they wouldn’t dream of saying face to face. Oooo... well then I apologise anyway, there will be someone who is offended, there always is. [b I’m preparing myself to forgive you.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2018 8:57:33 GMT
Anyone who has wanted to see this that is free tonight, TodayTix has £32 non-restricted (eg: not behind the massive pillar) tickets for tonight, 35% off. So if you fancy seeing it at a discount, there you go.
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1,510 posts
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Post by anita on Jan 11, 2018 10:25:46 GMT
Anyone who has wanted to see this that is free tonight, TodayTix has £32 non-restricted (eg: not behind the massive pillar) tickets for tonight, 35% off. So if you fancy seeing it at a discount, there you go. I did that last week.
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Post by Seriously on Jan 11, 2018 15:55:13 GMT
Marcus really couldn't sing in Spamalot, he just spoke most of the lines on different pitches. Why on earth someone would book him for another musical, I've no idea.
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176 posts
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Post by tom on Jan 11, 2018 19:35:05 GMT
Marcus really couldn't sing in Spamalot, he just spoke most of the lines on different pitches. Why on earth someone would book him for another musical, I've no idea. I don’t think it’s that he can’t sing - he held a tune - it’s just that there was hardly any strength or power.
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Post by Seriously on Jan 12, 2018 0:58:48 GMT
I kinda want more than "held a tune" at a musical.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2018 12:30:47 GMT
I don’t think it’s that he can’t sing - he held a tune - it’s just that there was hardly any strength or power. Agree. Just like the woman that played Solange in 'Follies'.
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4,962 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Jan 12, 2018 13:51:29 GMT
When he was interviewed for The Stage, the director said he gave Marcus Brigstocke the part because, as a stand-up comedian, he was used to interacting with an audience at close quarters.
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2,302 posts
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Post by Tibidabo on Jan 12, 2018 14:27:26 GMT
TallPaul, did someone put you on a hot wash?
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4,962 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Jan 12, 2018 14:34:58 GMT
^ What's a hot wash?
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