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Post by Bickers on Apr 3, 2024 8:39:17 GMT
Opening night in Cardiff last night, and a surprise with Kirsty Malpass on as Bonnie etc. The show is still as wonderful as it was in the West End, an easy 5* from me
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Post by Bickers on Nov 27, 2023 14:18:10 GMT
Rhys Humphreys does 2 hours of "Musicals, Movies and More" on Sunshine Radio Online every Tuesday night from 10pm til midnight. He loves his theatre and is also a budding thespian. An enjoyable listen!
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Post by Bickers on May 8, 2023 14:38:44 GMT
Sheridan Smith as Lola in Bugsy Malone Samantha Barks as Sally in Cabaret Kerry Ellis as Ellen in Miss Saigon
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Post by Bickers on Jan 6, 2023 10:54:47 GMT
1. Everything Everywhere All At Once 2. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio 3. Fire Of Love 4. See How They Run 5. Jerry & Marge Go Large
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Post by Bickers on Aug 26, 2022 11:17:00 GMT
I met her at a preview event for Bad Girls The Musical in which she played Yvonne Atkins. She was delightful, I was there on my own and she beckoned me over afterwards to chat with her and some of the cast. She was really kind and she has such a fab voice. Hope she's returning to theatre sooner rather than later.
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Post by Bickers on Jun 17, 2022 8:23:20 GMT
"ooh, nasty blouse" "her ears are in the wrong place for a polo neck"
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Post by Bickers on Apr 14, 2022 18:06:11 GMT
Well it's only Thursday night and they've sold out of programmes. I'm looking forward to the show starting soon but I couldn't even see a cast board up which is a shame. So if anyone who's been has a programme and no longer wants it let me know as I'd love to take it off your hands!
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Post by Bickers on Mar 7, 2022 10:25:35 GMT
Most recently, Barry Cryer. Such a huge influence on my silly sense of humour, and, by all accounts, a really lovely and generous chap. I'm so glad I got to see him on stage, both as his own show and as part of the ISIHAC team. I like to think he'd have been amused at me crying publicly in a bathroom shop which is where I was when it came on the news.
The first person I ever cried about was Dusty Springfield, I'd loved her music since I first heard her when I was around 5 years old. It was 2 days after my 17th birthday, I was alone in the house, I'd turned on the radio and it was on the 5pm news, and I just sat at the dining table and cried.
Other mentions go to Terry Pratchett, Victoria Wood, Kirsty MacColl, Tim-Brooke-Taylor, Jeremy Hardy, and Adam Schlesinger (songwriter with Fountains of Wayne, but had written for film, TV and the Tony's too).
I guess I'm quite soppy.
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Post by Bickers on Apr 23, 2021 17:42:36 GMT
A couple of years back?! It was a decade ago now! Anyway, I love William Finn's shows and welcome any additional exposure to his music but I'm just not sure this will work without massive changes to the whole concept.
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Post by Bickers on Jan 3, 2020 14:41:37 GMT
Finally got around to watching it last night and it was wonderful. Jackson was magnificent, I found her depiction of Maud to be incredibly moving.
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Post by Bickers on Dec 17, 2019 14:14:40 GMT
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Post by Bickers on Dec 16, 2019 14:45:57 GMT
I saw the singer Horse, formerly from the band also called Horse. Brilliant Scottish singer who could have been huge in the 90s, except she never even tried to fit the pop princess image. She sang her album from about 20 years ago "The Same Sky" straight through, then a selection of her most popular songs. Oh lucky you! I've seen Horse a few times (though not for a few years) and she's phenomenal. There's some cracking songs on that album, but pretty much all her stuff is good.
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Post by Bickers on Dec 13, 2019 20:38:28 GMT
You see BurlyBeaR, I've loved Nick Abbott for the last 20 years! He never fails to make me laugh, though I can understand how he's not to everyone's taste. He's a lot tamer now than he used to be, his shows from the Talk Radio years (when I first heard him) were so anarchic to me at the time and he's been my radio hero ever since. I'm not a Steve fan, I used to listen but realised the more I did, the more bitter and bitchy I was becoming. That much vitriol first thing in the morning wasn't good for my soul. Though I do respect his abilities, being able to command that audience for that length of time, with almost no time off for holidays, and without taking any calls (except at Christmas) is seriously impressive.
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Post by Bickers on Dec 11, 2019 14:20:19 GMT
I was at Cardiff on Monday night, and Joseph Anthony was on for JVJ. The make up and wigs aged him well later on but he looked so young to start with, he could only have been about 6 when he was first imprisoned! A lovely voice though, and acted the part well. He had to repeat on of his lines when he dropped a piece of the Bishop's silver, but handled that with no problem. I did feel like he was rushing through his lines at times, particularly in the first half of Act 1, didn't notice it at all in Act 2. All other principals were on.
I haven't seen the show since the 25th Anniversary shows, culminating at the Barbican just over 9 years ago (I'm still trying to forget the movie). For me, the casting for that was spot on, and I think this time round was always going to be hard to live up to my expectations. Consequently there were a few things I found disappointing, not desperately so but I'd say the show was very good rather than amazing. I found the sound wasn't always great, and there were lines that I simply couldn't hear as they blended in with whatever the ensemble were singing at the time. Orchestra was lush though, not enough shows have such a magnificent orchestra! I missed having the dates and locations in the projections, although I've seen the show a few times previously, the timeline would be helpful, particularly for newcomers.
Nic's Javert was fabulous, a wonderful voice and such a presence on stage. I actually felt sorry for him during his suicide for the first time, and the projections worked wonderfully for this scene in particular (although they were generally good, very atmospheric).
It was great to see Katie Hall again, having now become her own mother, as it were, since the last tour. She still has a lovely voice, and I really felt for Fantine's plight. She was the main person I preferred over the 25th cast, as Madelena Alberto's portrayal was a bit too angry and not quite for me.
I also enjoyed Eponine and her On My Own was very well received. I did wonder why, though, when all the rest of the cast were using southern English accents, did she retain the actress' Scottish accent? I didn't dislike it, don't get me wrong, but just wondered why other regional/national accents weren't retained? (sorry if this has been covered elsewhere, I haven't read the whole thread). I know the last tour essentially had the good guys as southerners and the bad guys as northerners which was a bit suspect, but I liked hearing a few different accents at least.
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Post by Bickers on Dec 5, 2019 13:11:02 GMT
Regarding Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott. I saw them back in 2014, and whilst they were good, I absolutely hated the audience. I had a similar experience when I saw the Beautiful South as a youngster and, whilst I'll continue to support their music, the audience factor will put me off from going again.
Oooh, what was wrong with the audience?
I actually had tickets for kd lang earlier this year and didn't go, as I was so horrendously tired.
They were just really rowdy and shouty, very drunk, felt like a football match crowd. I didn't think the stage invader was as funny as everyone else did. Maybe I'd had a fun bypass that day, but I don't enjoy big crowds of drunk people so I just found it all really awkward. I also didn't think having three support acts was necessary, meaning the main show started later than I was expecting and I had to miss the end of the set in order to catch my last train home.
Hopefully it was just a bad experience for me and I wouldn't necessarily recommend anyone else didn't go to see them as the show itself was good, a great mix of their old and new stuff, and Paul and Jacqui are still in great voice after all this time, and Paul still knows how to knock out a cracking tune.
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Post by Bickers on Dec 4, 2019 10:00:14 GMT
I did the 'classic lesbian triple' this year, Melissa Etheridge, k.d. land, and The Indigo Girls. 2nd time seeing Melissa and she was incredible, such a stage presence and the venue of Birmingham Town Hall was excellent. k.d. lang was in fabulous voice and wonderfully charismatic. As with Melissa's show, I like the 'classic album played in full' concerts, and the extra songs at the end were an added plus. I'm a huge Indigo Girls fan, it was my 12th time seeing them, so I always know I'm going to have a great time. I hate the Shepherd's Bush Empire though, and the O2 priority entrance thing in general. I had a dreadful view, mostly of people's heads, but still loved the show and as long as they keep touring the UK I'll continue to see them. Had the added bonus of bumping into a couple of friends at the gig too, so that was nice.
As for best gigs ever? Even though I'm not a massive fan, thanks to my beloved who is, I got to see Kate Bush's Before The Dawn concerts which was incredible. Almost more theatre than a gig anyway. The Urban Voodoo Machine are one of the best live acts in Britain today, with their own brand of "bourbon soaked gypsy blues bop 'n' stroll". I've seen them a couple of times, but the best show was back in 2013, incredibly emotional as the night before the gig one of band members died of an overdose. Not a happy gig but such a passionate tribute to one of their fallen brothers, the energy that came across from them was so strong. Also a really friendly bunch, they always mingle with the crowd for drinks afterwards. The Indigo Girls at Union Chapel in 2002, with readings from the author Sarah Waters. It was a really different show, the venue is beautiful and I was in a front pew after queuing for hours. Plus it's the day I first spoke to the wonderful woman who I'm now married to.
Regarding Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott. I saw them back in 2014, and whilst they were good, I absolutely hated the audience. I had a similar experience when I saw the Beautiful South as a youngster and, whilst I'll continue to support their music, the audience factor will put me off from going again.
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Post by Bickers on Nov 4, 2019 13:29:50 GMT
It's funny what different views people have. I saw the show for the second time on the 26th October and it was even better than the first time I saw it. Mendel seemed more neurotic and less pervy, and I'm Breaking Down was much less frenetic, and the reaction to it was better for it.
Elliot Morris was on as Jason and he was wonderful, such a powerful voice for one so young and, although his accent slipped a couple of times, his acting more than made up for it. Also Natasha O'Brien was on as Dr. Charlotte and, if you hadn't known she was the understudy, you'd never have guessed. Such a good voice, and I enjoyed her interactions with the other Natasha as Cordelia.
I dispute Mr Snow's claims that every note had a word on it, a number of the songs had intro music for instance. Act 1 in particular is very wordy but not every single note is sung on!
It is a shame you didn't stay for Act 2 as it is truly moving piece of theatre. Many sniffles and tears from all around me, including from my wife who was unsure about attending as she hadn't liked the music she'd heard before the show but was openly crying by the end and thought the show was excellent. Almost a full ovation from a mostly full theatre (I was near the back and could only see a handful of empty seats) and a very mixed audience divided well between the ages and genders.
I really recommend seeing this show before it closes if you haven't had the chance already.
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Post by Bickers on Oct 29, 2019 12:35:33 GMT
3-28 November in Cardiff according to the WMC website
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Post by Bickers on Sept 27, 2019 12:00:40 GMT
woefully inadequate provision of ladies toilets, having the queue back out into the bar area wasn't very nice, and the gents having to squeeze past the queue of ladies to reach their facilities wasn't much fun for any involved. The system was much better in the old setup when they were downstairs and had many more cubicles and space available. Quick tip on the loos front, there are still toilets downstairs, and lots of them, you can access them from the theatre auditorium by a door in the left corner at the very front of the stalls. There's a sign on the wall there but it's not very obvious. Alternatively, you can usually use the stairs in the foyer (to the right of the auditorium doors) but sometimes if there's a show on in the studio they may be blocked. But you can always access those toilets from the auditorium and there's more cubicles and space. Thanks, that's well worth knowing for next time. I asked an usher if the toilets were still downstairs and was told no, so perhaps something was on downstairs that afternoon.
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Post by Bickers on Sept 27, 2019 11:02:19 GMT
I was at the Saturday matinee and loved the show - certainly tears were shed, even though I've listened to the music for years and knew what was to come.
First things first - this was my first time to The Other Palace, having been there previously as the St James. I don't like the refurb, and there is a woefully inadequate provision of ladies toilets, having the queue back out into the bar area wasn't very nice, and the gents having to squeeze past the queue of ladies to reach their facilities wasn't much fun for any involved. The system was much better in the old setup when they were downstairs and had many more cubicles and space available.
I couldn't even see the merch stand when I arrived at the theatre because there was so much crowding in the public area! I have sensory and spatial awareness issues, so the busyness in there was quite overwhelming. Good to see how popular it was though, but I feel they're trying to cram too much into a limited space which sacrifices visitor comfort. I did see quite a number of younger people (mostly female) who seemed to be on repeat visits.
Speaking of comfort, no real issues with legroom for me in row D - but I'm 5'3". I can see how uncomfortable it would be for anyone with longer legs. Plus I was in the centre of the row - if I'd been nearer an end with people trying to come past I have no idea how someone could squeeze past, even with people standing up.
Now onto the show. Albert Atack was on as Jason and he was wonderful. A great presence and a lovely voice, he lit up the stage every time he was on. I'm seeing the show again in a few weeks and I'd be interested to compare one of the other boys if they're on, but I'd be thrilled to see Albert again as he was so good. Minor blip for him as he lost his glasses during the bows at the end but all handled very well.
Daniel Boys as Marvin. I thought he took a while for his voice to warm up, the first few numbers he seemed weaker. But generally I enjoyed his performance. Marvin isn't the most sympathetic of characters, particularly in Act 1 and he didn't shy away from his negative characteristics.
Oliver Savile as Whizzer, I thought his voice often sounded reminiscent of Stephen Bogardus who originated the role which I enjoyed. I did get slightly distracted in Act 2 when he had his head covered in hospital, as I realised that from certain angles he looked like a younger Rob Brydon and I had to suppress the urge to giggle because of this! I don't think he was the strongest performer but he did a fine job.
I thought Laura Pitt-Pulford had a lovely voice as Trina and her more serious numbers were sung beautifully and acted well. I think she overdid the comedy though, and it spoiled 'I'm Breaking Down' which should have been the stand out in Act 1. Whilst the song obviously does have funny moments, I think the way it was played took away from the fact she is meant to be having a breakdown and it should have been darker (which can be done without inserting swear words into it too, I didn't think that was necessary). Interestingly, they used the original version of the song, not the re-written one used in the 2016 Broadway production.
Joel Montague as Mendel had enough endearing quirkiness to bring the role to life well. I was wondering how they were going to change the lyrics to suit him as he doesn't have the look of the "wirey psychiatrist" mentioned in 'Days Like This' in Act 2 but they changed it to "weary psychiatrist" instead which worked fine. At times his relationship with Trina bordered a little on the creepy side in my opinion (though that's how it's written, rather than his performance), but he shared some lovely moments with Jason. You wouldn't know he was brought into the cast at such short notice.
Gemma Knight Jones and Natasha Barnes make the most of their roles. I was pleased to hear Dr Charlotte get namechecked with a sound effect in the hospital as it has always bugged me how the characters are never actually named on stage and you only know their names by looking in the programme, for characters who seem to be such good friends with the rest of the cast it's strange how they are never mentioned by name and are just 'the lesbians from next door'. I would like one day for a production to cast a Dr Charlotte who lives up to her comment that people say she's "very dykish" - all the women who play her seem to be really feminine and it would be nice to have a beautiful more butch lady on stage, or at least a boyish looking woman. But they sang the roles beautifully and that's the most important thing.
I wasn't over-enamoured by the photo set-up, as all the images seemed very pixelated which cheapened the effect, and some of the gaudy colours were too much for me. I like the rest of the set, however, with the moving furniture blocks serving as beds, tables and chairs when appropriate. I also liked the split level staging with the stairs (though I don't know if you'd miss some of this sat at the back of the theatre), and the use of the centre of the set as a wardrobe/extra door when needed.
The production seemed to use a mixture of the original lyrics and the 2016 production, I'm unsure why - the production seems to have been tinkered with a lot over the years and there doesn't seem to be a definitive version.
Overall, I loved the show, I'd give it a strong 4/5. I can see why people out there haven't liked it, but I'm familiar with the score and story and that probably helps a lot. Act 2 is and always has been the strongest set so I urge people not to leave after Act 1. I'm looking forward to my return visit in 4 weeks and hope it lives up to last weekend's standards, hopefully with room for improvement.
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Post by Bickers on Aug 21, 2019 8:50:53 GMT
for anyone interested, the Falsettos Facebook page has a video from the press launch event which showcases a medley of songs from the show - sounding great!
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Post by Bickers on Aug 1, 2019 12:07:39 GMT
Don't know if this still applies but when I went to the St James (as it used to be) for Urinetown, as an early visitor to the ladies toilets when no one else was in there, I opened the doors and the motion sensor lights came on, and so did all the motion sensor taps! It was quite alarming really!
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Post by Bickers on Jul 19, 2019 13:46:05 GMT
Isn't he doing that arena tour of Scrooge? Ah interesting! Wasn't aware of that. that tour was (mercifully) cancelled (obviously sad for the talented folks who lost their jobs, but it looked dreadful!) so he could be free now...
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Post by Bickers on Jul 16, 2019 15:15:39 GMT
It was more like an hour roughly for the first half in Cardiff, with the second perhaps being slightly longer because of the chat with Simon Bowman, and the encore. But the times for the evening performance seems right, not sure why the afternoon would have a longer show.
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Post by Bickers on Jul 8, 2019 21:11:12 GMT
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Post by Bickers on Jul 8, 2019 7:45:29 GMT
Act two Another Hundred People (sorry, I can't remember this one) Let It Go Journey To The Past Take On Me A Whole New World with Simon Bowman I Dreamed A Dream/On My Own This is Me I think the one you’ve missed out was Burn from Hamilton. Great evening wasn’t it?! It was excellent indeed! Yew, thanks for remembering Burn, but there was definitely another song as well, cursing myself slightly for forgetting it but there we are. For someone who was saying she had jetlag, she was incredible, if I could sing half as well as that when I'm fully with it I'd be thrilled. I agree about This Is Me, and, to a lesser extent, Let It Go, but she did both so well that I still really enjoyed them. Nice to see Simon Bowman as the guest, there was some nice banter between the pair and there seemed to be genuine affection between the pair which was lovely. He was sat a few rows behind me, and happily chatting to audience members after as well. To those going later in the tour, I'm sure you'll have a great time.
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Post by Bickers on Jul 7, 2019 22:28:50 GMT
Act two Another Hundred People (sorry, I can't remember this one) Let It Go Journey To The Past Take On Me A Whole New World with Simon Bowman I Dreamed A Dream/On My Own This is Me
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Post by Bickers on Jul 7, 2019 19:32:05 GMT
Well it’s finally happening! I’ll be at the Cardiff show tomorrow, which is now opening night of the tour. Looking forward to the Miss Saigon and Les Mis songs especially. me too, really looking forward to it. Hoping for some Disney in the mix as well. Please could you post a setlist of songs after the concert? I’m seeing her on Thursday in Birmingham, but would love to have an idea of the songs she will perform. Thanks. End of act 1 and she is in fine form. Set list so far Feeling Good Go the Distance Reflection Fast Car Drops of Jupiter Human Heart Story of my Life I'll Give My Life For You Back to act 2 now!
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Post by Bickers on Jul 6, 2019 20:50:45 GMT
me too, really looking forward to it. Hoping for some Disney in the mix as well.
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Post by Bickers on Jun 14, 2019 7:36:02 GMT
So excited about this, and really pleased with the casting news
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