1,102 posts
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Post by zak97 on Jan 25, 2019 0:00:15 GMT
I always think of Tropicana fruit juice when I see this
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Jan 25, 2019 9:59:24 GMT
I was at the premiere at Bromley last night. Started about 10 minutes late at 19.40 and finished by 21.50. About 80% full helped by a 241 offer for Churchill Friends.
It's loud, it's fast moving, a bit smutty in parts and as expected a jukebox musical with a string of 1980s hits built around a preposterous storyline partly similar to that used in Benindorm show about a hotel inspector. Kate Robbins was the star for me with numerous impressions and funny lines throughout but Joe McElderry and the whole cast worked so hard and the audience loved it.
I'm astonished that a venue would cancel a run 4 months ahead before a show even starts. The critics will probably hate it but there are plenty of people like me who just want a fun night out at a musical and hopefully positive word of mouth and social media will boost ticket sales elsewhere.
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665 posts
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Post by westendcub on Jan 26, 2019 17:08:15 GMT
Wow that was far more of a mess than I expected, I was going knowing to this because I wanted to go see a naff musical but this one is bemusing because it doesn’t have a clue of what this wants to be, you start off thinking it’s going to be the weddings couples story but that feels sidelined for carry on farce in the hotel which is a shame as their arc was compelling if they focused in it!
Characters motivations don’t make sense such as the bad best friend, I mean was she in love with her best friend or just couldn’t bear to see her friend happy so was selfish & a liar (who knows?!).
Lots of the songs are clunky but one thing I did enjoy was the choreography & the ensemble were excellent!!
You can’t compare this to ‘Mamma Mia!’ in the slightest!
Oddly I still glad I went to see this as it had some good campy moments, the cast are talented & whilst this will never be troubling the West-End they could have had a ok story if they decided on what this musical to be!!
Oh and they need to cut making you learn a dance at the beginning (that was cringe & so forced!!).
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123 posts
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Post by terrylondon79 on Jan 26, 2019 18:41:04 GMT
Saw this the other night. Show is just panto for drunk hen nights. Cast seems good considering what they had to work with.
Best bit.. Calling the show club tropicana, but obviously couldn't get rights and didn't sing that song. Reminded me of Jailhouse Rock in the Piccadilly, which didn't include jailhouse rock.
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1,936 posts
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Post by wickedgrin on Jan 26, 2019 18:43:13 GMT
Yes you would think that they would check the rights before naming the show!!
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821 posts
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Post by ensembleswings on Jan 26, 2019 19:51:42 GMT
Well I’ve taken the gamble and booked this for Oxford. Managed to get decent stalls seats for less than £19 on a Saturday evening. I’m fully expecting this to be a bit of a mess so it’ll ether live up to expectations or exceed them!
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94 posts
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Post by Kim on Jan 26, 2019 21:05:34 GMT
I think if you go in not expecting much then you're fine, I preferred act 2 to act1 and the younger cast I really liked whereas put of the older ones it was only really Neil McDermott and Kate Robins I enjoyed.
They do let you take pictures during the megamix too which usually I hate but I'm a fan of 1 of the cast and thought the way things are going with tours at the mo no production pics will emerge.
They were also filming the show from the front row of the circle today but just the one camera that I saw
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Post by Seriously on Jan 26, 2019 21:53:24 GMT
I think if you go in not expecting much then you're fine. I hope they don't use that on the poster!
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4,967 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Feb 2, 2019 10:25:24 GMT
Although the tour doesn't arrive in Manchester until early June, tickets are already deeply discounted on Travelzoo.
I think that makes four venues...and counting!
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Post by Seriously on Feb 2, 2019 11:50:07 GMT
Squeaky bum time for the producers.
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3,067 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Feb 3, 2019 0:31:16 GMT
Well, I started this thread, so think I should weigh in about Thursday in Bromley.
Tacky! Offensive! Dated! are all ways you could describe this show.
It's all rather funny if you're in the mood for hen party humour and can see it as a parody.
From what I can tell, they worked out what songs they were allowed to use and then formed them into a plot. Several are used in a karaoke scene. If you don't think too much, the music and the performances are quite good.
A lot of this could be ripped straight from 1980s TV sketch shows. You can just imagine aspects appearing on Little and Large or Cannon and Ball. Must be hard on most of the cast, who weren't alive at the time. Frankly, if you can't remember that far back, this probably won't work for you.
The humour isn't exactly sophisticated. The level is along the lines of "I'll just jump over this puff" (referring to the furniture, not the very camp man lying on it). There are lots of gay jokes, many as offensive as they were in the 1980s, but here they're acceptable if you treat this as parody.
Joe McElderry is very easily the start this is based around. Our Joe is really popular with the audience too. Everyone loves Kate Robbins, who pulls off all her impressions from Spitting Image. And I thought Kane Verrall was brilliant, who I've seen recently in Twang! and The Sound of Music (and his camp style here worked much better than it did for his Rolf).
It is all a bit of fun. Totally forgettable, but if you go in looking to brighten up a dull evening, and you like being surrounded with lots of drunk women, you'll have a good time.
And there's a fun moment in Making Your Mind Up, which I saw coming, but also shows how much they've designed this all to appeal to straight women and gay men.
I booked with a Groupon deal and was rather surprised to find my seat wasn't preallocated. I did end up with side Stalls, fifth row, with an excellent view (particularly with the wide seats and good rake in Bromley), but I was lucky in that there were lots of seats free. So plan ahead if you use Groupon elsewhere.
I hope sales pick up, but there are lots of offers everywhere. The whole idea of this one is rather a hard sell. If they base the advertising more on 1980s nostalgia (apart from a brief "future looking" nod at the end), almost all of this could have been performed then. We can see how things go, but I'd book early in the tour just in case.
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472 posts
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Post by Deal J on Feb 3, 2019 12:12:12 GMT
Thanks for this - I’d been wondering about this one and whether to go along for a laugh. The humour isn't exactly sophisticated. The level is along the lines of "I'll just jump over this puff" (referring to the furniture, not the very camp man lying on it). There are lots of gay jokes, many as offensive as they were in the 1980s, but here they're acceptable if you treat this as parody. Definitely not booking for this, then. I don’t see “gay=funny” as acceptable, parody or not. Unless I’m missing something from the context?
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Post by Seriously on Feb 3, 2019 13:02:46 GMT
I'm sure co-director Sam Holmes won't mind me saying he's not the butchest stick in the box.
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5,292 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Feb 3, 2019 21:28:37 GMT
(Awaits announcement they are cancelling the tour)
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Feb 3, 2019 21:35:08 GMT
My local venue (Sunderland Empire) has just done a social media post promoting this. No discounts yet but I had a look for the Saturday matinee and very few tickets sold in the stalls.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2019 21:36:11 GMT
(Awaits announcement they are cancelling the tour) Is this speculation or insider info mrbarnaby
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2019 21:37:24 GMT
(Awaits announcement they are cancelling the tour) As you're our resident Psychic, are we expecting this to happen?
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5,292 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Feb 3, 2019 21:52:34 GMT
(Awaits announcement they are cancelling the tour) As you're our resident Psychic, are we expecting this to happen? Oh I don’t know! The circles I move in are too classy to be involved in tosh like this!! Just speculating following the many reports that it’s selling badly.
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Feb 3, 2019 22:19:42 GMT
There is definitely a market for this, maybe it's just too expensive or maybe there's not been the promotion needed to sell tickets. They really need get Joe on the daytime telly circuit for a start.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2019 22:27:01 GMT
Sales for Edinburgh are diabolical. The theatre is pretty much empty all week. I feel for the cast, who will undoubtedly be doing a great job, but will be stuck in a cheap, tired production with little public interest.
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38 posts
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Post by avfan on Feb 4, 2019 11:24:16 GMT
I wouldn't write it off that quickly. I haven't seen it and probably won't but sales this week and next are strong especially at the weekends. Of Course Edinburgh is dire, the arse has fallen out of the advance sales market on tour and now, unless you're a Wicked or Les Mis, 70% plus of your sales come in the final 4 weeks. Not my type of show but I think, at this stage, looking at the on the week sales, and one week out that it will last the tour.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2019 11:27:49 GMT
I'm not even sure that the sight of Kate Robbins as a Spanish maid singing the theme from 'Minder' can save this entirely but at least her and Joe Mcwhatsit have a go. I think even Larry Grayson would have taken Joe aside and asked him to tone it down a notch or two to be honest.
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3,478 posts
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Post by showgirl on Feb 4, 2019 12:23:35 GMT
So you DID go then, @ryan? I was waiting to read your review or hear that you had resorted to rioting as threatened. Or both.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2019 12:27:34 GMT
So you DID go then, @ryan? I was waiting to read your review or hear that you had resorted to rioting as threatened. Or both. A friend of mine who went with @ryan described it as so bad it was hilarious, they had the best time. 😂😂
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3,478 posts
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Post by showgirl on Feb 4, 2019 13:44:43 GMT
Glad to hear that the reliable @ryan put on a good show, even if the production itself was lacklustre.
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4,631 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 4, 2019 21:41:20 GMT
Well, I started this thread, so think I should weigh in about Thursday in Bromley. Tacky! Offensive! Dated! are all ways you could describe this show. It's all rather funny if you're in the mood for hen party humour and can see it as a parody. From what I can tell, they worked out what songs they were allowed to use and then formed them into a plot. Several are used in a karaoke scene. If you don't think too much, the music and the performances are quite good. A lot of this could be ripped straight from 1980s TV sketch shows. You can just imagine aspects appearing on Little and Large or Cannon and Ball. Must be hard on most of the cast, who weren't alive at the time. Frankly, if you can't remember that far back, this probably won't work for you. The humour isn't exactly sophisticated. The level is along the lines of "I'll just jump over this puff" (referring to the furniture, not the very camp man lying on it). There are lots of gay jokes, many as offensive as they were in the 1980s, but here they're acceptable if you treat this as parody. Joe McElderry is very easily the start this is based around. Our Joe is really popular with the audience too. Everyone loves Kate Robbins, who pulls off all her impressions from Spitting Image. And I thought Kane Verrall was brilliant, who I've seen recently in Twang! and The Sound of Music (and his camp style here worked much better than it did for his Rolf). It is all a bit of fun. Totally forgettable, but if you go in looking to brighten up a dull evening, and you like being surrounded with lots of drunk women, you'll have a good time. And there's a fun moment in Making Your Mind Up, which I saw coming, but also shows how much they've designed this all to appeal to straight women and gay men. I booked with a Groupon deal and was rather surprised to find my seat wasn't preallocated. I did end up with side Stalls, fifth row, with an excellent view (particularly with the wide seats and good rake in Bromley), but I was lucky in that there were lots of seats free. So plan ahead if you use Groupon elsewhere. I hope sales pick up, but there are lots of offers everywhere. The whole idea of this one is rather a hard sell. If they base the advertising more on 1980s nostalgia (apart from a brief "future looking" nod at the end), almost all of this could have been performed then. We can see how things go, but I'd book early in the tour just in case. I was at the same performance, for a show with a virtual static set, surprised that the stage manager had to stop it for 10 minutes. However my expectations for this were non-existent and only went because I got a ticket for £12.50, however I have seen a lot worse, but saying that I have seen a lot better, I certainly didn’t leave the show disgusted and dejected and now actually struggling to remember the show, but it did come across to me as a bit end-of-the-pier.
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3,067 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Feb 4, 2019 22:20:51 GMT
Yes, how could I have forgotten to mention the show stop! But it did give some of the ladies around me the opportunity to slip out and refill their drinks.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2019 22:35:36 GMT
The Trailer. Its looks VERY camp. Too camp for me. Definitely going to give this a miss but wish it all the best.
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2,151 posts
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Post by richey on Feb 8, 2019 22:54:19 GMT
The Trailer. Its looks VERY camp. Too camp for me. Definitely going to give this a miss but wish it all the best. Oh god that sounds awful. I'm awaiting a full report from my hubby who's gone to see it tonight. He messaged during the interval to say it was as camp as a row of tents
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Post by Seriously on Feb 8, 2019 23:10:06 GMT
Is every song in the same key? And what's Joe McElderry doing with his voice? Is he trying to put on an accent?
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