4,361 posts
|
Post by shady23 on Sept 7, 2017 20:14:58 GMT
They all want to get home in time to watch Celebs go Dating on E4 + 1.
|
|
|
Post by welsh_tenor on Sept 7, 2017 21:08:59 GMT
Has anyone else noticed the Orchestra has gotten a lot faster for some reason as of late as well? Especially during Defying Gravity which I just heard back as someone has posted the one from Tuesday on YouTube, and in the theatre I thought there was sound issues or Alice stumbled over her lines, but the Orchestra is playing ridiculously fast, the poor girl can barely keep up with them and it sounds like some instruments are being interrupted by others because of the faster pace. Just me? Audio? I'll take a listen!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2017 21:21:13 GMT
Has anyone else noticed the Orchestra has gotten a lot faster for some reason as of late as well? Especially during Defying Gravity which I just heard back as someone has posted the one from Tuesday on YouTube, and in the theatre I thought there was sound issues or Alice stumbled over her lines, but the Orchestra is playing ridiculously fast, the poor girl can barely keep up with them and it sounds like some instruments are being interrupted by others because of the faster pace. Just me? Any links please ?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2017 21:28:19 GMT
Has anyone else noticed the Orchestra has gotten a lot faster for some reason as of late as well? Especially during Defying Gravity which I just heard back as someone has posted the one from Tuesday on YouTube, and in the theatre I thought there was sound issues or Alice stumbled over her lines, but the Orchestra is playing ridiculously fast, the poor girl can barely keep up with them and it sounds like some instruments are being interrupted by others because of the faster pace. Just me? Any links please ? I'll PM it to you, I don't wanna post illegal bootlegs on here haha.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2017 21:34:17 GMT
Any links please ? I'll PM it to you, I don't wanna post illegal bootlegs on here haha. Everyone else does it
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2017 21:37:50 GMT
I'll PM it to you, I don't wanna post illegal bootlegs on here haha. Everyone else does it Does that make it right though?
I used to do it, got yelled at for doing it a year or so ago (which is a running theme on here for me, being the only one called out, so I'm used to it now), so don't do it anymore.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2017 22:17:58 GMT
Everyone else does it Does that make it right though?
I used to do it, got yelled at for doing it a year or so ago (which is a running theme on here for me, being the only one called out, so I'm used to it now), so don't do it anymore.
No, it doesn't make it right. But it happens all the time I must admit I've posted links here a few times and never got told off. I guess I've just been very lucky.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2017 22:24:48 GMT
Does that make it right though?
I used to do it, got yelled at for doing it a year or so ago (which is a running theme on here for me, being the only one called out, so I'm used to it now), so don't do it anymore.
No, it doesn't make it right. But it happens all the time I must admit I've posted links here a few times and never got told off. I guess I've just been very lucky. Course you haven't got told off love, very few do. But there are a couple on here who get called out for whatever they do haha, just how it is, I'm used to it.
|
|
4,361 posts
|
Post by shady23 on Sept 7, 2017 22:39:53 GMT
I may be in the minority here but I don't listen to audios of shows I've not seen. I don't see the point. The sound quality is usually terrible, you haven't got the crucial accompanying visuals and the titles "omg best ever etc etc" are off putting enough.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2017 23:08:33 GMT
Hey all, now on the train home so will post my thoughts of tonight's performance. Laura Pick is a fantastic Elphaba. Tonight was only her 4th? show I believe but she's already established some great characterisation and has a beautiful voice. Of my 18 Elphabas, she is the only one I've ever seen be better in Act 2 than Act 1, which makes me very hopeful for her as it's difficult to nail the Act 2 performance so she can spend time working on fine tuning and adding nuance rather than still putting together her character. Her voice is very light and operatic almost, she has a definite Natalie Andreou quality and glides over all of the notes with ease. All three of the big songs were brilliant, No Good Deed I would say being her signature number. She isn't a huge belter or indeed a huge riffer but her effortless grasp of the score means that all of the songs sound great. Her diction is second to none, I think her and Natalie McQueen have the best I've seen, not a single word is lost through mumbling or Hatton back-phrasing. She did flub a couple of lines, the most notable of which being in Defying Gravity when she ran on shouting "the guards are coming up, I'll have to barricade the door!" and then when Sophie said "Elphaba, listen to me!" she realised her mistake and pushed Sophie out of the way and said "'NO! They really are coming! I have to barricade the door!" It made me laugh if nobody else. I think there are definitely things Laura could improve but for a 4th performance it was outstanding. Sophie Evans, I'm sorry to say, is in my eyes a woefully miscast Glinda. She is very strong in certain areas, her voice is beautiful, especially in Thank Goodness and the finale, and her "taking Morrible away" section is absolutely hilarious, but the positive parts are few and far between. Sophie gave it her best shot, I don't doubt that for a moment, but she just isn't right for this role. Her line delivery is incredibly unnatural, she's focusing so hard on a "Glinda voice" (that manages to be wildly variable and inconsistent) that it's hard to really believe anything she says. The comedic moments are completely lost, half of the time she doesn't realise a line is meant to be funny so races through it without emphasising it at all, and the other half she's straining so hard for a laugh that she over emphasies the line to the point where it stops being funny. Her tendency to turn to the audience whenever she has anything important to say just serves as an uncomfortable reminder we're watching "Sophie Evans as Glinda" and not Glinda herself. Her Popular was probably the least funny I've seen, the "toss toss" was good but the rest was a mess of squeals and incoherent jumps that come together to form an annoying and seemingly unnecessary break to Elphaba's vastly more interesting story. Glinda is a difficult role but I'm afraid to say that Sophie Evans "does not have what it takes". Tom Andrew Hargreaves gives an adequate Fiyero performance. I'm conscious of the fact this was his first Show so it's probably not fair to slate him too much, but he certainly has a lot to work on over the course of the next year. His voice was almost impossible to understand or hear during Dancing Through Life, the orchestra and ensemble mostly drowned him out and his Ben Freeman style mumbling ensured anything that did get through made no sense at all. He was again quiet but slightly better in As Long As You're Mine, I think Laura brought out the best in him. His acting was good though and I look forward to seeing him grow into the role. Aimee Fisher makes an outstanding Nessa. I'm not sure how many times Aimee has gone on but it's only a handful, so for her to be so accomplished and at ease is a real testament to her as an actress. She looks VERY much like Eden Espinosa, so it made me happy when an Eden-esque belt came out in Wicked Witch of the East. She was fierce and unapologetically feisty and I really enjoyed her performance. Her and Laura could easily be twins, so together they gave a convincing performance as sisters, and I'm very excited to see her as Elphaba one day, I think she'll be great. Jack Lansbury is a great Boq. After a tumultuous couple of years I'm glad to see someone play the role with conviction and without trying to add bucket loads of unnecessary regional quirks to the character. He was funny, especially just before Dancing Through Life and clearly enjoys playing the role, which reflects in his performance. Melanie La Barrie is an absolutely hilarious Morrible. She played the role completely unlike any other portrayal I've seen but still managed to kill it. She is very deadpan and reserved but has impeccable comedic timing which translates into a performance that had me laughing hysterically almost from start to finish. Her little asides to herself and general irreverence towards everyone else on stage, coupled with brilliant facial expressions create genuinely one of the best things I've seen in Wicked. My favourite moment is in the finale when she sees Glinda banishing the Wizard and tries to subtly sneak out, she totally detracts attention away from what's happening in front of her but it's so funny that it doesn't matter. I love her. Andy Hockley is a good Wizard. He's got a great voice and makes the most of Wonderful. He does lack Mark Curry's natural comedic flair which is a shame but it's not a big enough role for it to really matter. I hate to call out ensemble members but the guy playing Witch's Father tonight (Ashley Birchall) was atrocious. Utterly atrocious. Not only did he not know any of his lines, his performance was so pantomime and stupidly attention seeking that I was desperately hoping he would go off sick during the show. As Frex he completely missed Melena's face when he was meant to kiss her and he mumbled some incoherent nonsense that was certainly not the script to Nessa in Dear Old Shiz and almost thrust the shoe box into Laura's face. In the classroom scene as the teacher he was trying so hard to be mystical and funny that he again starting talking nonsense, and did the entire thing in a stupid voice with unnecessary gestures and movements. As Ozian Official he forgot to shout "take him out to that field there" so there was a long pause and Sophie had to turn round and give him an angry look, at which point he shouted a line of his own creation that vaguely but not really resembled what he was meant to say. The new ensemble other than that one person are pretty good. It struck me how much a lot of the newbies look very much like old cast members. The new Julienne Schembri is the spitting image of Jeanine Dinger who used to do that track, the new Ella Nonini looks like Rachel Muldoon and the new Helen Woolf looks like Pippa Buxton. There was a slight costume malfunction in Popular, Laura's dress, and I use this word as it's probably the most accurate description of what happened - exploded - at the beginning of the scene, leaving her awkwardly clutching what was left over herself so she didn't flash the audience. Got to give Sophie her due in this instance, when she went over to sit on Elphaba's bed she did the most incredible manoeuvre I have ever seen and with one hand managed to re-dress Laura so quickly that without knowing the show you wouldn't have known that that wasn't part of it, and with no uncomfortable sights for the front of the stalls. Maybe dressing is where Sophie's talents lie It was quite a poor audience, had I not started it there would have been no applause after I'm Not That Girl, and in curtain call (LOVE that they've swapped Wizard and Fiyero by the way) I was the only one in the front portion of the stalls at least, to stand up when Elphaba and Glinda ran out. I can imagine it must have been quite demoralising, although it did mean that Laura gave me a wave and Sophie smiled and blew me a kiss; I can't help feeling that she probably wouldn't have done if she knew what I thought of her Glinda
|
|
2,051 posts
|
Post by infofreako on Sept 8, 2017 1:07:37 GMT
I think its a valid point and one that has contributed to my apathy towards the show right now. The orchestra seem in such a hurry for whatever reason and its been the case for some time
|
|
18,916 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 8, 2017 4:06:13 GMT
Everyone else does it Does that make it right though?
I used to do it, got yelled at for doing it a year or so ago (which is a running theme on here for me, being the only one called out, so I'm used to it now), so don't do it anymore.
A post of yours was removed because you included a bootleg of 42nd Street which had opened a matter of a few days earlier. It was pointed out at the time that posting a bootleg of a brand new production was more likely to cause us difficulties than one of a show that's been running for over a decade and already seen by millions of people. People in the industry do read this forum and we have been asked to take down posts containing copyrighted material. There was no yelling. We just don't want to get the forum closed down.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2017 5:20:56 GMT
Does that make it right though?
I used to do it, got yelled at for doing it a year or so ago (which is a running theme on here for me, being the only one called out, so I'm used to it now), so don't do it anymore.
A post of yours was removed because you included a bootleg of 42nd Street which had opened a matter of a few days earlier. It was pointed out at the time that posting a bootleg of a brand new production was more likely to cause us difficulties than one of a show that's been running for over a decade and already seen by millions of people. People in the industry do read this forum and we have been asked to take down posts containing copyrighted material. There was no yelling. We just don't want to get the forum closed down. It should be one rule for all. Copyright material is copyright material. A producer of Wicked could as much easily come to you and shut the forum down as someone from 42nd Street, its not fair to pick up on just one person doing it when others do the same thing just based on the show itself. And as for the yelling, I didn't mention names of the people doing the yelling, but when you get constant negativity from certain people for a solid few months, you start to realise the yelling all moulds into one. Its alright boo, I'm used to it, like I said.
|
|
18,916 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 8, 2017 5:37:21 GMT
There's certainly an argument for banning all clips, but given the impact that would have on people's enjoyment of the forum we try to be reasonable about it. A clip from a production which is a decade old and is widely covered on much bigger platforms like YouTube is more likely to get a "pass" but even so we wouldn't allow a bootleg of the entire show because that could still impact on sales. So far we havent been asked to removed a clip of a long runner, however we have been asked to remove clips of recently opened shows.
Your post with the bootleg of 42nd Street was just 2 weeks after it opened, an incredibly sensitive time for the producers who are perfectly entitled to exercise control over what material is put out to the public for a brand new show.
|
|
1,037 posts
|
Post by jgblunners on Sept 8, 2017 6:28:07 GMT
Just listened to an audio of DG from the media night and dear lord the flying section is horrifically fast! It sounds like poor old Alice barely has time to fit all the notes in. If it's been like that since cast change, surely the music supervisor should've flagged it up by now?
|
|
4,361 posts
|
Post by shady23 on Sept 8, 2017 7:05:57 GMT
Sophie Evans, I'm sorry to say, is in my eyes a woefully miscast Glinda. Glinda is a difficult role but I'm afraid to say that Sophie Evans "does not have what it takes" Very interesting review. I genuinely enjoyed reading it and respect your opinion. I dont understand, however, why after posting the above, you are tweeting her telling her how wonderful and funny she is/was and how much you love her Glinda? * bangs head against wall *
|
|
18,916 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 8, 2017 7:17:00 GMT
😆😆😆
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2017 8:14:33 GMT
Sophie Evans, I'm sorry to say, is in my eyes a woefully miscast Glinda. Glinda is a difficult role but I'm afraid to say that Sophie Evans "does not have what it takes" Very interesting review. I genuinely enjoyed reading it and respect your opinion. I dont understand, however, why after posting the above, you are tweeting her telling her how wonderful and funny she is/was and how much you love her Glinda? * bangs head against wall * I'd tell Patti LuPone she was a great Glinda for a few brownie points (after I filmed her whole performance on my iPhone of course)
|
|
|
Post by singularsensation10 on Sept 8, 2017 8:16:21 GMT
I love the spectacle of the show, the music and the story - it all comes together in a fantastic bundle. But that said, whilst I could literally watch & listen to Defying Gravity on loop, for me it's about seeing different actresses tell the story. If you look at my list I've seen it 24 times with 12 different Elphabi. I won't go back week after week, but aim to catch each cast to see a different take on the role - and there have been some amazing ones and some not so good ones.... This is exactly the same as me - I have seen it 57 times over 11 years, my first show was when I was 11 years old on 23rd September 2006 matinee. I wasn't obsessed growing up, it's been part of my life since I was 11 and going back time after time in my teenage years just means I still go back now to see new casts and their understudies. At one stage I loved the social more than anything, I had lots of crazy fan friends so went with them - others I went specifically to see a new cast member. I haven't been specifically for the show since 2006 really.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2017 9:52:11 GMT
It was quite a poor audience, had I not started it there would have been no applause after I'm Not That Girl, and in curtain call (LOVE that they've swapped Wizard and Fiyero by the way) I was the only one in the front portion of the stalls at least, to stand up when Elphaba and Glinda ran out. I can imagine it must have been quite demoralising, although it did mean that Laura gave me a wave and Sophie smiled and blew me a kiss; I can't help feeling that she probably wouldn't have done if she knew what I thought of her Glinda If Sophie blew me a kiss, I wouldn't care about how terrible some of the performances might have been. I'd probably go home thinking this was the best show I've ever seen. That's testosteron for ya.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2017 10:29:35 GMT
It was quite a poor audience, had I not started it there would have been no applause after I'm Not That Girl, and in curtain call (LOVE that they've swapped Wizard and Fiyero by the way) I was the only one in the front portion of the stalls at least, to stand up when Elphaba and Glinda ran out. I can imagine it must have been quite demoralising, although it did mean that Laura gave me a wave and Sophie smiled and blew me a kiss; I can't help feeling that she probably wouldn't have done if she knew what I thought of her Glinda If Sophie blew me a kiss, I wouldn't care about how terrible some of the performances might have been. I'd probably go home thinking this was the best show I've ever seen. That's testosteron for ya. Why do you think I tweeted her telling her she was amazing? *scrawls "I love Sophie" into a notebook over and over again*
|
|
4,361 posts
|
Post by shady23 on Sept 8, 2017 10:34:08 GMT
Bradley can blow kisses at me anytime!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2017 10:58:59 GMT
Updated rankings for y'all Elphaba 1. Ashleigh Gray (x2) 2. Jodie Steele (x2) 3. Jennifer DiNoia (x20) 4. Louise Dearman (x4) 5. Alice Fearn (x17) 6. Willemijn Verkaik (x16) 7. Rachel Tucker (x18) 8. Michelle Pentecost (x2) 9. Laura Emmitt (x8) 10. Laura Pick (x1) 11. Natasha Ferguson (x1) 12. Nikki Davis-Jones (x1) 13. Natalie Andreou (x12.5) 14. Jemma Alexander (x1) 15. Emma Hatton (x86.5) 16. Jacqueline Hughes (x9) 17. Kerry Ellis (x5) 18. Natalie McQueen (x8) Glinda 1. Suzie Mathers (x34) 2. Lucy van Gasse (x1) 3. Sophie Linder-Lee (x36) 4. Helen Woolf (x11) 5. Gina Beck (x4) 6. Carly Anderson (x5) 7. Victoria Farley (x1) 8. Carina Gillespie (x13) 9. Emily Tierney (x6) 10. Elizabeth Futter (x1) 11. Rosa O'Reilly (x1) 12. Savannah Stevenson (x93) 13. Sophie "my one true love" Evans (x1) 14. Maria Coyne (x5) 15. Lauren James Ray (x2) Fiyero 1. Oliver Savile (x73) 2. David Gale (x1) 3. Justin Thomas (x3) 4. Sam Edwards (x10) 5. Kane Oliver Parry (x3) 6. Bradley Jaden (x6) 7. Jeremy Taylor (x97) 8. Matt Willis (x1) 9. James Darch (x7) 10. Tom Andrew Hargreaves (x1) 11. Matthew Croke (x7) 12. Liam Doyle (x1) 13. Ben Freeman (x4) Nessarose 1. Helen Woolf (x2) 2. Zoe George (x5) 3. Pippa Buxton (x4) 4. Aimee Fisher (x1) 5. Sarah McNicholas (x12) 6. Rosa O'Reilly (x5) 7. Lauren James Ray (x6) 8. Katie Rowley Jones (x168) 9. Natalie McQueen (x1) 10. Carina Gillespie (x3) 11. Emily Shaw (x6) 12. Lillie Flynn (x1) Boq 1. Marc McBride (x5) 2. Oliver Evans (x3) 3. Jack Lansbury (x1) 4. George Ure (x1) 5. Daniel Hope (x44) 6. Sam Lupton (x101) 7. Adam Pettigrew (x1) 8. Idriss Kargbo (x36) 9. Joe Toland (x9) 10. Iddon Jones (x6) 11. Richard Vincent (x7) Madame Morrible 1. Harriet Thorpe (x3) 2. Lucyelle Cliffe (x3) 3. Kerry Enright (x11) 4. Marilyn Cutts (x7) 5. Kim Ismay (x6) 6. Melanie La Barrie (x1) 7. Liza Sadovy (x104) 8. Sue Kelvin (x39) 9. Wendy Lee-Purdy (x1) 10. Melissa Jacques (x8) 11. Louise Plowright (x1) 12. Julie Legrand (x1) 13. Steph Parry (x2) 14. Anita Dobson (x27) The Wizard 1. Tom McGowan (x17) 2. Steven Pinder (x12) 3. Paul Clarkson (x13) 4. Philip Childs (x16) 5. Mark Curry (x47) 6. Dale Rapley (x1) 7. Sam Kelly (x1) 8. Sean Kearns (x4) 9. Andy Hockley (x1) 10. Martyn Ellis (x80) 11. Brian McCann (x1) 12. Martin Ball (x14) 13. Russell Walker (x2) 14. Christopher Howell (x1) 15. Keith Bartlett (x4)
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2017 11:03:16 GMT
13. Sophie "my one true love" Evans (x1) I love this xD ...and her of course
|
|
|
Post by Negamuse on Sept 8, 2017 14:13:30 GMT
On the "orchestra rushing" thing, I did notice that in Willemijn's very last performance they came in too quickly part way through Defying Gravity, crashing her line "you too". She covers their mistake, but it was a shame for such an important show.
|
|
|
Post by welsh_tenor on Sept 8, 2017 14:47:49 GMT
Just searched for the press night audio and it is crazy fast! The tour was renowned for being faster than London but this was faster again!
|
|
18,916 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 8, 2017 17:32:08 GMT
If Sophie blew me a kiss, I wouldn't care about how terrible some of the performances might have been. I'd probably go home thinking this was the best show I've ever seen. That's testosteron for ya. Why do you think I tweeted her telling her she was amazing? *scrawls "I love Sophie" into a notebook over and over again* What's on Sophie's wish list? Nutella? A scooter? Maybe a moped?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2017 17:43:57 GMT
If i was Sophie, top of my wish list would be a restraining order!
|
|
4,361 posts
|
Post by shady23 on Sept 8, 2017 17:53:28 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2017 17:58:35 GMT
She might as well have written 'which fan is going to buy me....'
|
|