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Post by raiseitup on Mar 7, 2016 23:03:52 GMT
Just got back from seeing this - fun show with some very catchy songs. Great cast, Florence Andrews can belt like the best of them, Simon Lipkin and Daniel Boys are a dream on stage. I think I preferred Catherine Tate in Assassins, but she has her moments in this, I feel like she could do more with the character, so over the run could be even funnier. DJW looked a little lost for much of act 1 and was looking to Lipkin a lot.
The main criticism at this point is act 2 needs tightening up, some of the scenes dragged and repeated themselves, but that's exactly what previews are for. For a first preview though it was in a pretty good shape.
There's some great little musical references everytime Daniel Boys comes on, which the audience were lapping up - Les Mis and Wicked being the most obvious. Cavin Cornwall was indisposed one day before the first preview, so Gabriel Vick - the writer - had to step in.
Also, anyone who's booked the very cheap seats (aka me) you'll be pleased to know that the there is very little obstruction, occasionally a few actors block your view and its a slightly to the side view, but they're an absolute steal.
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Post by Steffi on Mar 8, 2016 8:11:27 GMT
What was the running time? Watching the matinee on Saturday and trying to figure out what time it will most likely be finished.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2016 8:38:18 GMT
Thanks for the review, Raiseitup. It's a relief to hear about the cheap seats!! I also would like to echo the question about legroom.
I've never seen Daniel Boys before so I'm particularly looking forward to that!!
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Post by raiseitup on Mar 8, 2016 9:06:34 GMT
Any idea what the legroom is like at the front? Off to see this tonight, really looking forward to it! Very tight, there's a small metal bar running around the edge of the stage which the lights and such are attached to, there's not much room between that and the front row. You can rest your feet on the top of it but the FoH staff were having a fit anytime anyone cut across or even stepped on the stage. Left the theatre at about 10:10 last night, I imagine by opening night this will probably be closer to 10.
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Post by The Hoff on Mar 9, 2016 0:08:46 GMT
I watched the show tonight and absolutely loved it. Two songs in act two had tears streaming down my face I was laughing so much! I went in knowing absolutely nothing but the name of the show, and although it took me about 15 mins to get into it I think it has great potential. I did feel it was a little over formualaic (if that's the right expression) in the show structure, story arc and mix of song genres, but most shows are similar format these days as they seem to be what audiences like. The music is great though with western and Latin influence, and if you listen to the lyrics it is great satire of America and what actually happened in this era.
Catherine Tate had moments of playing 'Catherine Tate' which got the laughs, but I agree with raiseitup she could do more with it as she grows into the character. I love Simon Lipkin in everything he does and he was once again excellent in this. He did corpse twice during the show which only added it to it the atmosphere. Once where DJWs zip was flying low and they had a bit of banter trying to fix it at the front of the stage while breaking character momentarily. And in his superb comic duet with with CT during "sugar daddy" (I think this could become a new gay anthem). Daniel Boys was very funny as Mr Potts and the theatre luvvies adored all the theatre references. Florence Andrews shone as Candy and was a very strong leading woman with a great tone during her western influenced songs.
I sat in C10 front row. Perfect view looking face on and a cracking price at £19.50. Leg room is pretty much non existant as a metal bar runs along front of stage (same level as the row). I'm 5'10" and I had to switch between having legs bent back and feet to the side and then placing them on the metal bar. The performers come up very close when dancing so I only put feet on the bar during less frantic scenes! Other audience members had feet up the whole show. If you can help it don't go for a seat less than seat 8 in row C on stage left side (not sure of equivalent number on stage right side) as you are on the side at quite an extreme angle, especially in first two seats and most the action happens at the front of the stage facing straight so you will have quite a restricted view of faces. But I guess a great view of the backs of the cast if that's your thing!
A solid three stars and think it could hit four stars by opening night.
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Post by loopyjohn on Mar 9, 2016 9:36:25 GMT
Really enjoyed this last night. Nice to see a fresh, fun, new show. I wasn't sure what to expect but this feels like an old school musical comedy - in a good way - which never takes itself too seriously. The real life events that the show draws inspiration from are stranger than fiction. No puppet for Simon Lipkin this time.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2016 11:35:46 GMT
No puppet for Simon Lipkin this time What the fiddlestick??? Does he know what to do with his hands?
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Post by anthony40 on Mar 9, 2016 17:29:09 GMT
Booked. Going tomorrow night. Very excited!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2016 19:10:31 GMT
Going Saturday, front row so taking knee-pads. Cast is amazing.
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Post by anthony40 on Mar 9, 2016 21:43:59 GMT
If anyone is there tomorrow night, say hello
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Post by foxa on Mar 9, 2016 22:14:30 GMT
We're going on Saturday.
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Post by showgirl on Mar 10, 2016 4:50:08 GMT
If anyone is there tomorrow night, say hello Hello!
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Post by paplazaroo on Mar 10, 2016 9:27:48 GMT
Really enjoyed this last night, it's a bit of a rarity as its a new show that really recalls goofy Broadway shows like batboy and honeymoon in Vegas.
It's a good bit of escapism with nice performances from Lipkin and co. Worth supporting to encourage people to make more new work!
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Post by showgirl on Mar 10, 2016 22:41:36 GMT
Well, that was great fun! A little too long, but I had no trouble staying awake; only with seizing up due to the notoriously limited legroom at the St James. Really good, not only to see a new musical but such a worthwhile one, ticking all the boxes in terms of plot, score, production, etc.
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Post by gra on Mar 10, 2016 23:47:30 GMT
Also saw this tonight. Generally enjoyed it. Some great performances.
But definitely felt it could have 20 minutes trimmed from Act 2, where I found myself losing interest at times.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2016 0:18:11 GMT
This didn't quite work for me. It's great fun, but the script quality is wildly uneven across the evening.
Poor Simon Lipkin has to wait AGES for his comedy gold moment, but he seizes it when it comes.
Some lovely voices (not just in the showy roles) and some great choreography. And kudos to the guy who was on after only 3 days' rehearsal!
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Post by showgirl on Mar 11, 2016 4:41:41 GMT
It would definitely benefit from tightening up a little, ideally actually cutting rather than just speeding up. I didn't know who I was watching as the only person I had heard of (and seen a couple of times, imho spoiling the productions in question by both dominating them and being mis-cast) was Catherine Tate. To my relief she didn't have the same adverse effect in this and acquitted herself well when singing, though her accent soundly oddly more Australian at times.
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Post by partytentdown on Mar 11, 2016 11:18:22 GMT
Also saw this last night. The front row seat I had for £10 was an amazing bargain despite the view being blocked a few times, as you're essentially on the same level as the stage.
The second half does need a trim, there was a good 5-10 minute stretch where I had no idea what was going on with the plot. Something about soap. But it was nice to see a good old fashioned comedy. Catherine Tate is Catherine Tate, not completely sure how she ended up in this, but she does an alright job. Simon Lipkin is funny (sans puppet) and Gabriel Vick does a good job standing in at the last minute! The leading lady (sorry not sure of her name) is also very good.
I don't think this would survive very long in the west end but can see it becoming a staple of am-dram companies in the near future, and there's definitely a future gay anthem in there in the form of the 'beard' song.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2016 3:34:42 GMT
Wow. Saw this tonight and I'm struggling to find anything positive to say about it. It screams of a show that has had no workshops at all.
Lazy script writing and godawful score, saved only by Bill Deamer's choreography. Catherine Tate and Simon Lipkin I enjoyed but everything else just felt so forced.
I'm so disappointed, as I went in wanting to love it with such high hopes.
Maybe I just didn't 'get' it?
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Post by alece10 on Mar 12, 2016 6:51:06 GMT
Wow. Saw this tonight and I'm struggling to find anything positive to say about it. It screams of a show that has had no workshops at all. Lazy script writing and godawful score, saved only by Bill Deamer's choreography. Catherine Tate and Simon Lipkin I enjoyed but everything else just felt so forced. I'm so disappointed, as I went in wanting to love it with such high hopes. Maybe I just didn't 'get' it? According to the programme 2 workshops
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Post by alece10 on Mar 12, 2016 6:59:09 GMT
Well it just shows that we cant all like the same things. I went last night and really enjoyed it. Very funny with some good musical numbers. If I heard the score once more then I think several would stick in my brain. As my friend said at the end "that was bonkers" which it was and obviously that's the intention, not taking itself seriously, even though the subject matter of atomic bombs is very serious. Great cast and some powerful voices. I agree that a bit could be shaved off act 2, probably the slapstick routine with the guns. Catherine Tate was very funny and her voice more powerful than when she did Assassins at the Menier. Daniel Boys big number in act 2 was a gem with all the theatre references which only a section of the audience got, seemed to be most of the gays in the audience, and I had to explain it to my friend at the end who hadn't picked up on it at all. Not sure if it could transfer to the West End but I had a great night. And who knew that Simon Lipkin could tap!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by showgirl on Mar 12, 2016 7:34:48 GMT
I'm definitely in the "positive" contingent on this one. My approach to musicals is different to seeing a play: when I go to see a musical, I'm simply hoping to have good time and I undoubtedly did.
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Post by Steve on Mar 12, 2016 9:28:57 GMT
I enjoyed myself. But due to it's diffuse story focus and inconsistent tone, the sum of this sometimes exhilarating, sometimes baffling, new production is less than it's many wonderful parts. This is a Bing Crosby/Bob Hope Road movie crossed with Dr. Strangelove. Smooth Bing Crosby type, Joey (Dean John Wilson) deserts from the army to join his hapless brother Lou (Simon Lipkin), in Atomic-era Las Vegas. On the way, he meets his Dorothy Lamour, Candy Johnson (Florence Andrews) and falls in love. So when bumbling Lou needs to find contestants for the Miss Atomic Bomb contest, which he is fronting for the mob (ever at risk of having his feet shot off), Joey suggests his new fancy, Candy, for the part. . . But that's only one take on the story, because this is not a show that settles on who it's lead characters are, or who the principal villains are, or what story it wants to tell. You could just as easily describe Florence Andrews' Candy as the lead character, a sheep farmer unexpectedly landed with her deceased grandmother's debts, relentlessly pursued by evil debt collector, Mr Potts (Daniel Boys). Her bestie, gawky fashion designer Myra (Catherine Tate) urges her to disown the debts and leave town, but will she? Is Potts the principal villain? Is it the Mob? Or is it the Army, who are conducting gung-ho atomic tests, while hunting down army-deserter, Joey? The madcap nature of the scattered premise makes it almost impossible to invest in any of the characters. Perhaps that's the point, that all these players are merely pawns in the USA's great game of Atomic Testing, that they all merely shards of the US Government's insane Cold War Atomic propaganda, like in Dr Stangelove? Certainly the zany tone of the opener, "Atomic City USA," backs that up. And the Act 2 opener, "Cold War" is a marvellous satirical song in this vein, stompingly rhythmically compelling. But, oh, what a hasbeen target for a modern satire? Dr. Strangelove covered this ground 50 years ago, when this was actually topical and daring. It's a shame this musical never makes an effort to draw obvious parallels to all the endless Governmental deceit we are surrounded by today. Other songs I liked reflect the haphazard tone; entertaining, but jarringly leading in different emotional directions:- (1)"When Things get Rough" is a sensitive pretty duet, with Florence Andrews and Dean John Wilson singing over each other and together in harmony, as their characters bond and fall in love; (2) "That Girl (is Miss Atomic Bomb)" is a comic tour de force, especially for Simon Lipkin, who steals the whole show and makes this song a highlight; (3) "Where There's Sheep, There's Hope" is a silly comic song about sheep, reminiscent of Mel Brooks, rendered as a gospel lament; (4) "The Sun Went Down" is achingly sincere, a too-late-attempt to give the show a genuine heartfelt resonance, where Florence Andrew's Candy reveals a soul as deep as the well of Andrew's big open eyes; (5) "Sugar Daddy" is a brilliant comic counterpoint to the tenderness of the "When Things Get Rough" lovesong, a duet to be celebrated by beards everywhere, looking to pretend to the world that they are what they're not, which allows Lipkin, together with Catherine Tate, to hit comic nirvana again. I loved the acting in this show: Simon Lipkin and Daniel Boys are hilarious, and Florence Andrews is the most sensitive and affecting, ably supported by Dean John-Wilson. But overall, the story threads meander, none of them gaining the momentum to deliver the comic and emotional pay offs that such sterling songs, and acting, and singing deserve. The overall effect is overload and anticlimax, like a workout where you did ten different exercises for 5 minutes each, and you never quite hit the spot with any of them. 4 star performances in a 3 star musical: 3 and a half stars.
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Post by David J on Mar 12, 2016 14:26:14 GMT
Still in the lobby waiting to go in
Some unknown technical error apparently
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Post by David J on Mar 12, 2016 14:42:35 GMT
Finally about to start
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Post by David J on Mar 12, 2016 14:49:33 GMT
Well when I say about to start...
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Post by David J on Mar 12, 2016 16:06:09 GMT
So this started 20 minutes late
I confer with most that this is a zany enjoyable musical with a cast that putting everything into it
The story just lacks focus
The sheep song I could tell was going to be pointless every time the farmer tries to interject with the bad news
Did Catherine Tate's manequinn song go anywhere?
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Post by Steffi on Mar 12, 2016 18:18:42 GMT
I was there this afternoon too. I enjoyed it because of some brilliant performances the stand outs for me being Stephane Anelli and Simon Lipkin. Dean Jon Wilson does a good job too. Nice surprise to see David Birrell in the cast too. The show itself is a bit pointless. Some nice songs but the story just seemed very random.
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Post by terrylondon79 on Mar 12, 2016 18:26:48 GMT
Really wanted to like this. Just didn't quite work. Feels like the team just couldn't quite get it to work. One of the writers (his first piece) was in front of us the whole time frantically jotting stuff on his ipad. Checked online and it looks like this is now the third version of the show they've put on in less than a week! Some good songs and after the start where there was a lot of off notes, the cast seemed to hit their stride. Hopefully they sort our there problems and have success.
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Post by anthony40 on Mar 12, 2016 18:59:25 GMT
So I caught a performance of this on Thursday night and actually quite enjoyed it.
I didn't know much about it in terms of the story lines, music, etc but was attacked by both the cast and the fact that it was a new musical.
They announce at the off set that this was the 5th preview performance.
I can only echo what a lot of people have already said. It's not perfect but it is a lot of fun. Sure they could trim and tighten Act 2 but all in all, all the cast are working hard, the costumes and dancing were great, sharp and on the era and in terms of the music I found myself tapping my foot. That beard song is just brilliant and HAS to be recorded!
The Miss Atomic Bomb fashion parade is quite amusing.
Whist I understand the role of the professor, I didn't quite get the role of the character with the red spikey wig.
I was sitting in the back row, to the right of the lighting box. With the exception of a seat or two, a full house and it appears to selling extremely well.
Catherine Tate, I liked her. She's a character actress and this role suits her. By the way that IS NOT an Australian accent. it was Southern And her voice actually wasn't too bad.
Simon Lipkin- after seeing him in Rock of Ages, Assassins and The Lorax this actor is really growing on me. He's a solid bloke and seemed to be enjoying himself. He taps (again) who knew?
Daniel Boys with a dodgy wig is suitably smarmy and is a role he's vey good in.
I also Dean John-Wilson and Florence Andrews look good together and vocally are a match
I also liked the projections but for me what was majorly lacking are sets.cast record
For me, tighten up Act 2, chuck some more money on sets and despite Gabriel Vick tweeting it wasn't going to happen, get out a cast recording.
I also arrived at the theatre straight from work incredibly early and whilst I appreciate they want to do the best they possibly can, what was good to see were the cast bonding, and Gabriel Vick running around frantically running though notes with Catherine Tate. Even throughout the show and intermission sitting along side Adam Long, each taking notes.
If you want to meet the cast, and they all seem very friendly and up for it, my recommendation is to either arrive early or just hang around for a bit after the show. I had a pic with Daniel Boys. So good to see him in another show.
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