2,339 posts
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Post by zahidf on Feb 5, 2019 9:58:17 GMT
Thu 18 Jul – Sat 24 Aug 2019 2.30pm, 7.15pm
'The European premiere of the off-Broadway hit.
Millennial fashion designer Wes has just purchased an abandoned building, but little does he know that this forgotten gem was the UpStairs Lounge, a vibrant ‘70s gay bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans, starting an exhilarating journey of seduction and self-exploration in the summertime hear with the rush of lust, sex and incense mixed in the air.
A provocative new musical, The View UpStairs is inspired by the true story of the 1973 arson attack that the largest single attack against the LGBTQ+ community until the Pulse Nightclub shootings in Florida in 2016. Filled with a collection of beautiful love songs and power rock ballads, this is a musical about friendship, community, how far we’ve come and how far we still have yet to go. It is a story of hope; and it’s a rainbow rollercoaster you do not want to miss.'
sohotheatre.com/shows/the-view-upstairs/
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4,567 posts
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Post by Someone in a tree on Feb 5, 2019 10:34:55 GMT
You lost me at power rock ballads
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Post by missthelma on Feb 5, 2019 18:12:20 GMT
The back story to this is quite interesting and I listened to the off Broadway cast recording when it came out without any noticeable ill effects. Think this might be worth seeing
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2019 9:28:45 GMT
Edit: oops, there was a thread already. Can a mod merge them?
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4,158 posts
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Post by HereForTheatre on Apr 18, 2019 9:47:45 GMT
Threads Merged.
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Post by raiseitup on Apr 18, 2019 10:11:27 GMT
Exciting casting! I've just booked.
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Post by missthelma on Apr 18, 2019 11:19:02 GMT
That is exciting casting, wish I'd booked the other day when I was browsing, probably be a bun fight now
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614 posts
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Post by jamb0r on Apr 18, 2019 12:39:49 GMT
This looks great! Never been to Soho Theatre before - anyone have any thoughts on the cheaper balcony seats?
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Post by craig on Apr 18, 2019 12:56:40 GMT
It's a tiny theatre. I haven't been in year but remember sitting on the balcony quite happily for something once.
I had a flick through the cast recording of this and it sounds awful! Off the list.
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Post by sparky5000 on Apr 18, 2019 14:08:44 GMT
It almost lost me at “Millenial fashion designer” 😐 but it sounds intriguing! Plus I’ve always had a soft spot for Andy Mientus so might check this out!
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Post by apubleed on Apr 20, 2019 12:49:33 GMT
I have seen a production of the show and highly recommend it. It won’t change your life, but it’s worrh watching.
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Post by Seriously on May 4, 2019 20:48:22 GMT
I wonder if Andy Mientus could play Evan Hansen?
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2019 19:25:09 GMT
Tyrone Huntley completes the cast as Wes!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2019 10:53:20 GMT
Great to see the cast performing at West End Live yesterday! Tyrone Huntley can do no wrong!
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Post by happytobehere on Jun 23, 2019 12:26:16 GMT
Honestly this show had slipped my radar, and I must admit it looks quite fun based on the WE Live performance- I’ll definitely try to get myself a ticket now.
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4,359 posts
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Post by shady23 on Jun 23, 2019 12:53:37 GMT
I really enjoyed the west end live performance and will probably book now. That's the joy of West End Live... discovering new gems!
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18,700 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 5, 2019 8:45:17 GMT
Fab poster
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2019 11:33:33 GMT
First look into the rehearsal room - it's sounding incredible!
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501 posts
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Post by jampot on Jul 21, 2019 9:48:40 GMT
Goodness..Where do I start with this one. Think last night was only the forth performance. It felt it too. Great set and lighting but the music came up short...Or should I say the singing with the music wasn't really melding.The opening song gave great hope but it just drifted away from that point on. Andy Mientus really having a tough night with his songs..Cedric Neal.. and in particular John Partidge were outstanding.. trying to hold it all together (John sadly going missing for a large chunk of the second half.) Tyrone Huntley brought some comedic relief. But for me just couldn't really find its feet musically consistently...Warning for the front row..Some very intense bar brawl scenes ensue....Needs improvement.
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3,458 posts
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Post by showgirl on Jul 21, 2019 14:31:49 GMT
I gave up with this last night, which was very disappointing as I'd never heard of this musical until people here started enthusing about the fact that it was coming. So having booked on the strength of others' tastes, perhaps I should have held off pending reviews. That said, last night's show appeared sold out and as jampot said, the set is great. It was actually an issue with another audience member which caused me to leave and though I've had this problem before, it has never been so bad that it has driven me away, but it's a difficult thing to discuss without sounding size-ist. Had I been enjoying the show more (and not melting in the heat), I might have persisted but as it was, it felt like a merciful release.
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1,188 posts
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Post by theatrefan77 on Jul 21, 2019 21:19:14 GMT
Saw the second preview on Friday. It was okish. I agree that the set is great, but there was a picture in the wall of Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit -a film made in 1977-although the story is supposed to takes place in 1973. Some of the songs were good and I really like the story but some of the musical numbers fell completely flat. The drag queen number was awful, terribly executed. Maybe it will get better before the opening night but so far it's quite weak. The performers were good in general. John Partridge was the weakest link for me, i wasn't convinced by his performance.
Some people left before the end, probably because it was incredibly hot, very uncomfortable. Also found Staff quite rude and unfriendly. They didn't let us in until ten minutes before the performance and they were sending everybody to the bar, which was packed and also very hot. I don't think we'll be visiting the Soho theatre any time soon.
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356 posts
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Post by JJShaw on Jul 22, 2019 21:37:22 GMT
Saw it tonight:
Firstly we started late because they didn't open it up until 7 minutes before it started and there's quite a few flights of stairs to navigate before you even get to the theatre! The staff were friendly but this did tick me off before the show had even started. For a short show that started early I was hoping to take true advantage of having an early night.
Beautiful set, and a great venue, on the whole the sound design was pretty solid. I was stood next to one of the producers who told me that this theatre had never done a musical before, based on how it was virtually sold out and how well it fit, I think this will change I the future.
The show itself is fine, I personally think if you're going to be a one act musical you better be snappy ala Assassins and Come From Away, and there was a little fat here or have it be a two act musical (you wouldn't have lost anything from having an interval.) The score has some really good fun songs, and a fair few that seemed to blend into one.
Victoria H-B was wonderful and I didn't know it was her until the end when I left! Tyrone as Wes has a tough job as his character is embarrassingly cringeworthy and borderline insufferable. On the whole he manages to give a performance that combats that but there was quite a lot where I just really didn't like him, both performance wise and character wise.
They manage to navigate the plot idea quite well (its not a spoiler: a social media influencer from 2019 hallucinates/ travels back in time to 1973 to the gay bar The Upstairs and meets all the people who used to go there and learns about their lives.) I would give the show a very solid 3 stars.
While there were a fair few people fanning themselves throughout the show, I didn't think it was THAT hot, but I suppose I would say just have that in mind a be prepared.
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116 posts
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Post by Joseph Buquet on Jul 22, 2019 21:56:35 GMT
Saw it tonight: Firstly we started late because they didn't open it up until 7 minutes before it started and there's quite a few flights of stairs to navigate before you even get to the theatre! The staff were friendly but this did tick me off before the show had even started. For a short show that started early I was hoping to take true advantage of having an early night. Beautiful set, and a great venue, on the whole the sound design was pretty solid. I was stood next to one of the producers who told me that this theatre had never done a musical before, based on how it was virtually sold out and how well it fit, I think this will change I the future. The show itself is fine, I personally think if you're going to be a one act musical you better be snappy ala Assassins and Come From Away, and there was a little fat here or have it be a two act musical (you wouldn't have lost anything from having an interval.) The score has some really good fun songs, and a fair few that seemed to blend into one. Victoria H-B was wonderful and I didn't know it was her until the end when I left! Tyrone as Wes has a tough job as his character is embarrassingly cringeworthy and borderline insufferable. On the whole he manages to give a performance that combats that but there was quite a lot where I just really didn't like him, both performance wise and character wise. They manage to navigate the plot idea quite well (its not a spoiler: a social media influencer from 2019 hallucinates/ travels back in time to 1973 to the gay bar The Upstairs and meets all the people who used to go there and learns about their lives.) I would give the show a very solid 3 stars. While there were a fair few people fanning themselves throughout the show, I didn't think it was THAT hot, but I suppose I would say just have that in mind a be prepared. It's not the first musical at the Soho Theatre - they had Lift there a few years ago (which I found very tedious)
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2,368 posts
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Post by robertb213 on Jul 22, 2019 21:59:15 GMT
And Roller Diner. And Soho Cinders 😀
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356 posts
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Post by JJShaw on Jul 22, 2019 22:06:55 GMT
Well I guess this producer lied to me! haha! I did find it an odd thing!
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884 posts
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Post by lonlad on Jul 22, 2019 22:23:39 GMT
Was there tonight as well and was surprised at how bland and predictable the whole thing was -- gosh, a lot of great actors must REALLY want a summer job to have signed on for this? Tyrone H does well with an impossible role but most of the rest are trapped in embarrassingly stock roles and Victoria HB must wonder why she of all people has cornered the London market in Puerto Ricans onstage. The theatre was perfectly comfortable but the show is too long regardless of the temperature. I don't think the reviews will be kind. The standing ovation at the end was far from complete and seemed very perfunctory. Oh, and for the person above critiquing Andy Mientus's vocals, he sounded just fine this evening.
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41 posts
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Post by althea on Jul 23, 2019 11:19:17 GMT
Saw this last night and agree with everything that's been said. The show itself is fine but it's far too long and doesn't have enough story to carry it through. Found myself counting which characters had already sung their numbers and then trying to work out how many more we were going to have to sit through. Cast are fantastic but the show just doesn't live up to its potential. Also why is VHB playing the mother to a 25 year old? That was incredibly strange.
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Post by missthelma on Jul 23, 2019 11:43:06 GMT
I was also there last night (Do we need a collective noun for when two or more board members are present? A cloud of... A judgement of.... perhaps?)
There is a fascinating and powerful story to be told about The Upstairs Lounge and it's denizens which probably needs a mini-series or long movie to do it justice, paging Ryan Murphy? There is also a sparkling comedy to be made about the culture clash between LGBT people from the 70's and now. By trying to force both these narratives into this fairly short musical the author does both sides a disservice and actually produces a piece which fails to fully satisfy on most levels.
There is a lot that is good, as mentioned by most the set is excellent and many of the performances are very good. I think any flaws from the actors are probably more attributable to the writing than anything else. Cedric Neal and Carly Mercedes Dyer could have done with a lot more to work with but are fabulous when they are given a chance. Declan Bennett was also very good but I have a bit of a soft spot for him so may be biased. Tyrone Huntley and Garry Lee do what they can but they don't really have characters, more a set of stereotypes, to play.
The music is, well I've sat here for five minutes trying to think of a word, it's repetitive, and indistinguishable and like a Sainsburys' Basics version of a Jim Steinman song; there's nothing wrong with it but you know there's something missing. The staging of the drag queen number is also dire. And bizarrely for a musical there were too many songs! This was possibly due to their samey-ness or maybe because it was very much, brief set up, song, set up, song without allowing much room for characters to establish. Having said all that I found the last twenty minutes very effecting and moving, it was the best part of the show and worth the admission.
A quick word about Andy Mientus and wondering what the others thought from last night, nothing wrong with his acting or singing but he seemed very very uncomfortable, almost awkward when he sang his solo numbers. Not having seen him before, is that his style? Was it just me? Are his numbers in the wrong key or something? (musically ignorant here)
Couple of housekeeping points, there are a number of shows on at this theatre it seems with staggered starts. This is quite poorly organised and seemingly left to one rather surly (hardly surprising) soul to deal with. The 7:30 show was called in before ours at 7:15 and it was as mentioned a late start. The show is advertised online as 1hr 45 min, in the programme as 1hr 35 and the usher said two hours, as we entered. Just be aware if you are going for transport, it was somewhere between the two longer times last night. The front row is dining room chairs which gave me a horrifying flashback to Found 111, and there are also some seats on stage. People don't get overly involved but if you hate that type of thing be aware. The other seats are fold down two-fers a la Almeida.
The downstairs areas are uncomfortably hot but I found the theatre itself okay. However it did smell like a gym changing room that had been used for a porn shoot at the end. I was near the front and was hit by the stench as I climbed the stairs. Vile
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Post by missthelma on Jul 23, 2019 14:42:19 GMT
However it did smell like a gym changing room that had been used for a porn shoot at the end. Going to regret asking, but how do you know that missthelma ? I couldn't possibly comment.
(Not that I wouldn't like to, but that NDA is pretty water tight)
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1,159 posts
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Post by Steve on Jul 23, 2019 16:18:49 GMT
I absolutely LOVED this, a time-traveling love affair between the seventies and the now, that sheds light on both past and present, while allowing a hugely talented ensemble to live their best lives, acting and singing their hearts out, carving out distinctive and interesting characters. Spoilers follow. . . I do think that two things will massively enhance the enjoyment of this show:- (1) Knowing in advance that this is essentially a true story, concerning events leading up to the deadly 1973 attack on a New Orleans gay bar, allows lighthearted events of the show to be seen and appreciated through an essentially tragic prism, like the jubilant playing of the band in "Titanic" or Judas' love for Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar," or like every interaction in the war play, "Journey's End." This is a musical building to something, and knowing where it's going makes every scene feel alive; (2) Knowing the songs helps alot! This is not "The Lion King" or "Mary Poppins," where the songs instantly grab you. While it's essentially a Rock score, with a few ballads, the songs are not as catchy as "JCS" or "Tommy," and like in shows such as "Light in the Piazza" or "Caroline, or Change" one's experience of the piece is massively enhanced if you have heard the songs beforehand, and can appreciate the astonishing vivacity and talent and bravura performances of these amazing actors and singers bringing the story alive. So with those two caveats, which I myself admit to falling on the right side of, I must say I felt this show truly exceptional! For aficionados of Regent's Park's Open Air original version of "Jesus Christ Superstar," you will be delighted by the fact that both Jesus (Declan Bennett) and Judas (Tyrone Huntley) are back, and fascinatingly appear to have swapped roles. This time, it is Huntley who is a kind of Jesus of the Social Media Age, Wes, a man preaching freedom and love through hashtags and followers and instagram videos. And it is Bennett who is the Judas, jealous, marginalised, side-lined, angst-ridden, twisted Dale. And the potential saviour of both is the holy spirit of Andy Mientus' gentle, ordinary, laid-back soul of seventies loucheness, Patrick. It's a beautiful symmetrical set-up, that is echoed not only in the well-defined characters, but also in the initially absurd plot, which humorously and dreamily envisions our Social Media Jesus buying a burned out derelict old building, then time-traveling back to the seventies to meet it's exuberant denizens, destined to become holy ghosts. . . For me, characters and plot fuse brilliantly to create a show of revelatory effect. And the acting and singing of this particular show carried me away completely! From the fiery opening burst of John Partridge's strange and edgy closeted Elton John, "Some Kind of Paradise," to Tyrone Huntley's now-defining social media paean, "Hashtag Householdname," to Andy Mientus' contrasting soulful seventies scene-setting in "What I did today," to Declan Bennett's morose and foreboding, angry and loathing, forthright and and haunting "Better than Silence," to Tyrone Huntley's defining love song, uniting generations, "Crazy Notion," this is wall to wall living theatre, that breaks down walls between past and present, and performer and audience. I was deeply affected. And the central characters are backed up by an ensemble equally as good as they are. In fact, there is simply nothing so exciting as experiencing Carly Mercedes Dyer's Beverley-Knight-electric vocal tear up the song "World outside these Walls," in which she spells out the dangers of being different in the not-so-halcyon recent past; there is nothing so funny as Victoria Hamilton-Barritt slyly smiling and singing about how her drag queen son "looks better in make-up than me;" and there is nothing so comprehensively accomplished as the tour-de-force acting and singing of Cedric Neal's part of "Theme Song," in which the doomed bar is revealed to be not much different from the bar in the TV show "Cheers, where everyone knows your name, except this bar is on the deck of a seventies Titanic the night it sinks! So for me, I loved this show pretty much unconditionally, with the one exception of an explaining speech at the end which is just a bit too expository for my taste. Anyway, incidentally, I don't know how you get them, but there are a couple of onstage seats at either end of the set, and the people sitting in them looked pretty happy, though I think you'd have to be a bit extroverted to sit there, as the audience will be looking you over, every time a character circles your orbit. For me, 5 stars.
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