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Post by jgblunners on Jan 26, 2023 11:08:43 GMT
What you're suggesting makes little sense to me. Why would people who havent seen a show because of the various changes made, suddenly go and see that same show just because Earl Carpenter is in it? Because a brilliant performance can lift a mediocre production. The reverse is not true. I’ve always wanted to see Earl as The Phantom after hearing people rave about his performance, but assumed that I would never again get the chance. Now that I have the chance, I’m going to take it, and I believe that I’m more likely to enjoy this new version of the production if I’m also seeing a performer I’m excited about.
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Post by jgblunners on Jan 20, 2023 10:01:46 GMT
I think Earl Carpenter might be the bait that finally tempts me to visit Phantom again!
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Post by jgblunners on Jan 20, 2023 9:57:12 GMT
I've seen both of them in the role and they are both sensational. If I had to pick, I'd go for Betsy, but a big part of that decision is that I thought the Toronto/Broadway production was overall better than the Manchester/London one.
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Post by jgblunners on Dec 28, 2022 8:08:06 GMT
Wow, what an amazing production! What’s with Sid Sagar though? Same monotone voice throughout the show, just with the volume turned up to show anger at the end. Considering he has the last lines it’s very disappointing. Otherwise… wow! I think this is a directorial choice as Omari Douglas was exactly the same, totally bland. Omar Baroud was marginally more engaging but still clearly following the same template.
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Post by jgblunners on Dec 27, 2022 15:50:25 GMT
Here’s my contribution… I saw 78 performances this year, up from 53 in 2021 and 39 in 2020 but not quite back up to the 2019 level of 122. I started by drawing up separate top 5s for musicals, plays, and opera. Based on that process, I’d say it’s been an excellent year for opera, a mixed year for musicals, and a poor year for plays. I’ve decided not to include opera in my overall top 5 since we tend to focus on plays and musicals in this thread. Here’s what I settled on:
1. Cabaret (Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre) 2. Crazy For You (Chichester Festival Theatre) 3. To Kill a Mockingbird (Gielgud Theatre) 4. Iphigenia in Splott (Lyric Hammersmith) 5. Oklahoma! (Young Vic)
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Post by jgblunners on Dec 12, 2022 11:12:16 GMT
18 piece band and back in the end-on configuration. Great news!
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Post by jgblunners on Dec 9, 2022 10:00:27 GMT
To be fair, both the Guardian and Times reviews highlight the excellence of the dancing. No-one’s questioning that. It’s just that while audiences are probably willing to overlook the flaws in the material, the critics are not! Oh that's fair (I think it deserved 4 stars, but...) - but I'm wondering how the fairly major flaws in Hex were overlooked in that case! How anyone could give Hex a positive review is a mystery to me!
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Post by jgblunners on Dec 9, 2022 9:58:27 GMT
I’ve been back to Cabaret at each cast change and while Callum is excellent and almost as captivating as Eddie was, I think Madeline is the weakest Sally so far. That’s not to say she’s not talented - she clearly is - but she is also clearly less experienced on stage than the other Sallys. With a few more years’ experience under her belt I reckon she’d be brilliant, but I feel that at the moment she doesn’t exude that confidence and magnetism that the other Sallys have had.
As a side note: Emily Benjamin, the alternate Sally, is exceptional, and anyone on the fence about whether to book a performance where Madeline is off shoud just take the jump. You won’t be disappointed!
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Post by jgblunners on Dec 9, 2022 9:49:55 GMT
That’s a shame for Lydia but I must say I’m thrilled that I’ll now be seeing Patsy Ferran. I’ve thought her fantastic every time I’ve seen her on stage.
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Post by jgblunners on Dec 9, 2022 9:46:36 GMT
To be fair, both the Guardian and Times reviews highlight the excellence of the dancing. No-one’s questioning that. It’s just that while audiences are probably willing to overlook the flaws in the material, the critics are not!
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Post by jgblunners on Dec 7, 2022 13:42:47 GMT
Carolee Carmello as the step-mother is the only thing remotely exciting about this transfer…
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Post by jgblunners on Jun 10, 2022 12:22:40 GMT
This is exactly true - if you find promo footage for their productions of Julius Caesar or A Midsummer Night's Dream you can see how the entire stalls are ripped out and turned into a level area, where people stand and are able to move around. The upper levels are extended to wrap (almost) all the way around and are still regular seating. Whether the 'immersive' area will in fact have club style seating in this production (for the Hot Box club) I don't know - I don't expect it to but there's always a possibility! Does that mean that if you have a seat you're going to be looking not only at the cast but also at several hundred audience members milling around? I think I'd find that pretty detrimental to concentrating on the show. In the previous 'immersive' productions at the Bridge all of the performance has occured on raised platforms within the standing area, so it's fairly easy to focus. It's not like the actors are getting lost in the middle of the crowds.
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Post by jgblunners on Jun 10, 2022 12:16:05 GMT
All a bit...bland though isnt it Honestly it will be worth it just to hear LMTO - they are superb and the score will sound amazing.
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Post by jgblunners on Jun 10, 2022 10:13:00 GMT
Big Hollywood star going in at the end of the year. Hope this one works out as it would be a huge coup. Nope. A recent Oscar winner who has always wanted to play the role and appear on the London stage…. I could see Rami Malek being a brilliant Emcee…
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Post by jgblunners on Jun 10, 2022 9:38:38 GMT
Extra date added on the 2nd of August. Additional cast also announced: Joel Harper-Jackson as Freddie, Frances Mayli McCann as Svetlana, Ako Mitchell as The Arbiter. Link: www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/further-chess-cast-drury-lane_56689.htmlFor those who have seen Joel before, does he have the rock voice for Freddie? I'm always disappointed when people can't deliver on the big rock notes in Pity the Child (which Tim Howar did brilliantly at the Coliseum). Also they are both fab performers and will do very well in this but I can't help feeling that Frances Mayli McCann will look more like Hadley Fraser's daughter than his wife!
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Post by jgblunners on Jun 10, 2022 9:31:22 GMT
So how have they done this sort of thing in the past at The Bridge? Do they take the stalls seats out and extend the stage out with areas for people to stand? I think the stalls are gutted and full of prommers but you can sit on the upper levels. I could be wrong but I sense you get a very different perspective from sitting and standing. This is exactly true - if you find promo footage for their productions of Julius Caesar or A Midsummer Night's Dream you can see how the entire stalls are ripped out and turned into a level area, where people stand and are able to move around. The upper levels are extended to wrap (almost) all the way around and are still regular seating. Whether the 'immersive' area will in fact have club style seating in this production (for the Hot Box club) I don't know - I don't expect it to but there's always a possibility!
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Post by jgblunners on May 26, 2022 8:55:37 GMT
Does anyone know which version of the show they're doing - the west end or touring version? Another Night At Darryl's is one of my favourite songs from the show and I'm really excited to hear Danielle perform it, but I hated the fact that on the tour they turned it into a group number for all three women and I hope that this concert is using the solo version that's on the cast recording.
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Post by jgblunners on May 24, 2022 21:49:36 GMT
Carly someone is playing Polly Mercedes Dyer? Don’t tease, that would be incredible.
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Post by jgblunners on May 6, 2022 11:24:37 GMT
Now get Rebecca Trehearn in as Svetlana and I'll buy a ticket She’d be sensational! There is an awful quality video on YouTube of her singing Someone Else’s Story on a Welsh TV show, and even with the grainy sound her rendition is incredibly moving. I can’t imagine how amazing she’d be live.
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Post by jgblunners on May 6, 2022 10:00:23 GMT
Booked Chess instantly - LMTO playing that score with Sam Barks as Florence seems unmissable to me. I’m less tempted by the other two concerts.
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Post by jgblunners on May 5, 2022 13:12:33 GMT
LMTO also tweeted this, so it could be a season of concerts?
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 11, 2022 9:34:18 GMT
Of course the natural successor to the line of top-class performers who have played this role - Bernadette Peters, Reba McEntire, Anna-Jane Casey - is… Amber Davies?! What is the world coming to?
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 6, 2022 10:47:21 GMT
Wow, that’s a pretty impressive season! One of the most exciting in years for me. I’ll be first in the queue to see Lisette Oropesa in the new Alcina and the several starry names in the new Rusalka. Pleased to get the opportunity to finally see Turandot and Don Carlo as well.
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 19, 2022 17:03:26 GMT
Well I know nothing about the musical or the movie on which it’s based, but the CFT Prologue scheme is doing a ‘buy 3, get 1 free’ scheme at the moment so I’ve taken a punt on this as my free show - will be interesting to see what I make of it!
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 19, 2022 12:41:29 GMT
Oh god, what a horrible logo.
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 19, 2022 12:32:24 GMT
Has anyone sat at the end of the rows E or D in the Stalls? They’re showing as restricted view on the Seating Plan but the pics from those seats look great. Any ideas why? I suspect that they will have masking at the sides of the stage, making the opening of the proscenium much less wide than appears in those pictures, so you’re likely to have a restricted view of whichever side you’re sat on.
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 18, 2022 12:25:18 GMT
Can’t wait to hear Beverley sing the score. I do hope the new duet Alan Menken was writing for Whoopi and Jennifer will be in it. So is Lesley Joseph Mary Lazarus? She was going to be Mother Superior on the Tour with Brenda Edwards wasn’t she? Yes, she is Mary Lazarus. Full cast is now listed on the website: www.sisteractthemusical.co.uk/london/#castcreatives
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 18, 2022 12:12:49 GMT
Amazing news! Beverley will smash this out of the park, I can't wait!
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 17, 2022 10:25:26 GMT
A cracking cast! Anoushka Lucas as Laurey Williams, Arthur Darvill as Curly McLain, Patrick Vaill reprising his Broadway role as Jud Fry, Liza Sadovy as Aunt Eller and Marisha Wallace as Ado Annie.
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 16, 2022 10:25:15 GMT
Oops it looks like we were all super keen and now have 3 different threads for this - BurlyBeaR I think some merging is required!
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