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Feud
Jan 15, 2018 13:36:17 GMT
Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 15, 2018 13:36:17 GMT
The main problem with Charles and Diana is that unless they totally change his personality and way of speaking it'll be like watching paint dry. Granted he may be a bit more dynamic away from the cameras, but he's fundamentally dull and boring. So where's the drama? I doubt the problems with Charles' personality are going to be the main ones that scupper the show! I suspect this is a subject that would attract a certain part of an American audience in a totally alien way to how the UK audience will react. There's a strange obsession in the US about the Royal family, that still is centralised around the 'cult of Diana', that just doesn't exist in the UK now (15-20 years ago perhaps). I'm betting the Feud subject matter will be treated with slightly more reverence by the US media, compared to the near inevitable mauling it will get (possibly justifiably so) from the UK press, but even so, it still has car crash TV written all over it. The concept is interesting, the execution will probably be 'Star Stories' territory, as the previous poster said! No matter how much Ryan Murphy thinks the idea of presenting these two as characters in an epic feud, I just look at how badly the Diana film bombed, as to what the public appetite really is for a story about Diana. Actually, a great follow up (although possibly too similar as it covers similar ground and time period as Bette and Joan) would have been Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine - sisters, rivals, and de Havilland already handily portrayed in the anthology by Catherine Zeta Jones. Epic feud between those two, going back to their early years. If they wanted to go in another direction, non-Hollywood, I would have suggested Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin - Van Gogh apparently cut off his ear in front of Gaugin (although some reports have it that Gaugin did the ear cutting!) - and their totally insane relationship! That has epic feud written all over it!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 5, 2018 12:53:49 GMT
Taking kids to Hamilton for a history lesson would be about as accurate as taking them to the Book of Mormon for a religious education lesson. Oh come on!! Hamilton may have minor historical inaccuracies, as much as any historical event likely would if it were being adapted into an entertainment format and musical! He condensed 15 Schuyler siblings (8 who lived to adulthood) into 3, he squished up timelines (Washington's retirement and Jefferson's resignation were a few years apart), but the events of the musical happened and it's a far more faithful account of historical facts than most other art forms of its type. I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable about US revolutionary history, compared to most Brits, but even I got a decent, abridged education from the musical!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 5, 2018 11:38:39 GMT
Thanks dizzieblonde that is really interesting. My daughter's school (a state school in East London) is very keen on project based learning and so, for example, teach the Russian Revolution through an immersive theatre project. Hamilton would really feed in to that. They also (thanks largely to an English teacher with a particular interest) cover quite a lot of hip hop and the like (I am so not able to distinguish all the categories!) in English lessons. They are also keen on staging musicals and do so with a largely non white cast. I wholly get the point about the lack of curriculum links and the need for some sort of funding. Would be interesting to know if the London production have explored - or intend to explore - any of this. It would definitely be worth you or the teachers contacting Hamilton West End's social media accounts, to see if they have any plans to bring the show into the scope of the arts education project, currently running in the US. The West End show would be the only production of Hamilton not doing this, as every single other production is doing it, or scheduled to do so. Definitely a good idea to push the whole 'underprivileged local state school' angle and, with an English/Drama department sounding like they're already geared to this type of learning, you might just get lucky and persuade the Ham producers to enroll your school in a pilot project! It may well be that, because the project doesn't fit quite as neatly into British school curriculum requirements, the way it does in the US, you might need to put together a decent 'pitch' showing what educational benefits UK school kids will gain from the shows. Good luck, and let us know if there's a positive response. BTW, tweeting Lin Manuel Miranda directly could have an equally interesting outcome - especially if the tweet is multimedia, and comes directly from the kids involved (set them a task to make a video that will grab his attention)! Arts education is one of his big focuses, and he seems to respond regularly to lots of young kids who contact him about his creations.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 5, 2018 10:55:57 GMT
Went last night and wasn't expecting to enjoy it but I did. I was in the position where my sixteen year old daughter had been extraordinarily keen to see it for the last couple of years and so I bought tickets to take her and her friend back on that mad day last January. I booked knowing that, because of the ticketing method, I would have to attend with them and felt this to be a shame given that so many of her other friends would have loved to go too. I would have been happy to hand over the ticket. Over the Christmas holiday I started reading Ron Chernow's book and by yesterday I was about two thirds of the way through. It's an excellent read (I'm now keen to return to it) and rattles along with some pace, just like the show. Obviously it is not necessary to read the book to enjoy the show (given its length that would be a big ask) but I really enjoyed seeing how the complex arguments examined in depth in the book were rendered into short pithy song form in the show. My charges predictably loved it all. We were in Row H of the Royal Circle, in the mid 30s, with a very good view. The legroom is poor but manageable if you're short (my partner is 6ft 4" and would have struggled). The seats are also very narrow - nothing like as good as at the Barbican, for example - and so it does all feel a bit hemmed in. A bit like the cheap front few rows at the National. My daughter, like many youngsters, is in the sixth form at an inner city school where she is in a very small minority of kids who would be defined as white British and in an equally small minority of kids with parents who are in a position to furnish them with tickets for Hamilton. I do hope that, as the run continues, schools like hers are offered deals to take groups to see it. They'd get so much out of it. Perhaps even more than this mid 50s woman with a new found admiration for the skill of Lin Manuel Miranda and his excellent crew of creatives and performers. Hamilton in the US did an awful lot to give schools local to their productions access to the show, with it's EduHam idea (Hamilton Eduction Initiative). However, and here's the big difference, Hamilton fed directly into the US History curriculum of US high schools, and so students were given massive access to the show specifically because it aided their learning of that period in their country's history. That simply doesn't apply here, and any access given would be in aid purely of theatre access to underprivileged kids, and not to assist any school academic curriculum. It's also worth saying that this was only possible because Hamilton paired up with a private foundation, who funded thousands of discount tickets, and the program as a whole. I'd say EduHam could happen here, but it would need funding - and I doubt it would come from government funds - and it would be an Arts Education program, not a history linked one, in the UK.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 5, 2018 9:37:18 GMT
Interesting to read people's comments about how well behaved the audience are. I went to an early preview and commented on this as well. The only other place I know of well behaved audiences is the NT. Utter silence during the show but pop concert like ovation at the end of each song. The silence was wonderful but quite spooky. Guess I am do used to coughing, talking, ice clinking in glasses and sweet eating that this came as a pleasant shock. This, more than almost anything else, is a good indicator of a great show! If you have over a thousand people completely transfixed for 2+ hours, to the point where they aren't fussing around with sweets, drinks etc, you certainly have a bonafide hit! It's something I didn't consciously notice at the time but, on reflection, it was a fantastically well-behaved and quiet audience.
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239 posts
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 5, 2018 8:52:57 GMT
Ah the old 'British healthcare National Insurance payments are exactly the same as buying a west end musical ticket' argument!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 4, 2018 11:45:23 GMT
When exactly is the cast change happening? Are there any rumours or firm news about new cast?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 4, 2018 11:31:20 GMT
Amen to that! I haven't had the pleasure of seeing the OBC in action - live or otherwise - so I can't draw a comparison with Philippa Soo, but my first thought when I saw Rachelle Ann Go's Eliza was also 'Disney princess', and I was so annoyed by her mannerisms and take on the character I couldn't quite see what Hamilton would ever find in her Eliza (other than the family name and money). If it gets a bit better as the story unfolds it's because of the quality of the material IMHO, not because she does any justice to the character's arc. And the lack of chemistry to me was evident with Jamael, as well - I mean, when you see Jamael's Hamilton and Christine Allado's Maria you don't doubt for a second that the spark is there... with Rachelle Ann Go there's roughly as much chemistry as you would expect between Cinderella and her Prince Charming in the original animation movie. Disappointing to hear that there's no improvement in chemistry with Jamael. I'm actually starting to wonder if the way Tommy Kail directs these actresses to play her has changed as 'Disney Princess' has been such a common complaint/observation that I've seen for post-Phillipa Elizas. I hope not. I just suspect the part tends to be played with the wide-eyed, bland sweetness that the actresses hired think Eliza needs, and it just falls short of being very good, because Angelica is near universally played with so much more depth, and is basically the more interesting Schuyler sister. The contrast is particularly noticeable in Act 2, when the Peggy actress also gets to stick her teeth into the Maria Reynolds character. At that point, when I saw the show, there were 2 actresses relishing in the interesting characters they got to play, and Eliza still being blandly sweet. Even the later scene, with her son's death (is that a spoiler when it's a historical fact from 200 years ago?!), didn't seem to rouse much more from me than 'so, now she's sad and bland'! Saying that, Rachel Ann Go has a spectacular voice, and it is used to the full in Hamilton. In terms of acting, though, she has been better served in her productions of Miss Saigon and Les Mis, so it's not that she isn't capable. I do suspect it's a director choice combined with the show still being relatively new to the cast. I have hopes that, in a few months time, I'll go back to the show and be able to see her giving a performance with much more nuance and depth. Fingers crossed that she and Jamael also manage to find a way to give the couple some chemistry and spark, as that was (as others have said) sadly lacking when I saw the show.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 2, 2018 13:58:08 GMT
I only saw the Kings Cross version of the show. I happened to get a cheap day ticket a while ago, and went in completely blind, with almost no knowledge about the show, or what the story was about. The staging was excellent (very unusual, given the stage location), and sound was clear and not over loud, IMO. I knew nothing of any of the performers, and have rarely been bothered about understudies performing in the place of the listed actors (the one exception was when Glenn Close was in Sunset Boulevard at the ENO - I spent several nervous days leading up to my scheduled show with fingers crossed hoping she'd be there - she was!). I'm not sure how In The Heights staging change from a street scene to a club one would make someone want to go home - but everyone has their own foibles! Besides, apart from having the same composer, the two musicals aren't the same, and you really can't judge one unseen by your views on the former!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 2, 2018 12:02:06 GMT
I agree completely @snutte - London producers see what's happening in New York and want to prevent the same from happening in London, so they take new measures. That's fair and in my opinion a good thing. I mean Hamilton is currently the hot ticket, but before that, Harry Potter took similar anti-tout measures in London (and it will be interesting to see how the secondary ticket market for that will develop on Broadway) and if these things work for popular theatre shows, they might be introduced for other area like pop/rock concerts and sports events too. Even if it may appear drastic, I much prefer this to the New York approach of producers resting their hands in their laps and shrug it off with "well, there's little we can do..." when it comes to rip-off pricing. Touting just isn't the odd greasy guy lurking by the theatre entrance with six tickets for the evening performance anymore, there are criminal organizations using sophisticated bots to scoop op tickets by the hundreds and I feel something had to be done to stop them and Cam Mack has done a great thing to do so. In fairness to the Broadway producers, there is actually rather little they can do - because NY state law has been written in favour of the resale sites. Broadway wanted to ban resale - and they are attempting to pass new legislation to combat it - but the principle of ticketless systems has been massively pushed back, by the companies wishing to keep making the profits they do. As far as I know, NY has very recently made it illegal to use bots to purchase tickets - but that really will take time and energy from law enforcement to clamp down on the sellers, rather than the primary sources being able to control the sales. Their philosophy, of raising prices to the point where primary sales are pricey enough to somehow put off the resales, is a very much failed idea! I applaud the Hamilton UK producers for finding a workable system, that is finally effective against all but the worst touts. 3 out of the 4 major resale sites simply don't have any Hamilton tickets to sell - the last one, Viagogo, is entrenched in their rapidly failing position that restricting resales is 'illegal', and won't back down from advertising the tickets! It'll take a little time, but I'm betting the tickets will fade away from that site. We're still less than a month from opening night, and the tickets are still classed as hot. In a couple of months, the new booking periods will be opening up more and more availability, and simply driving away any desire for urgent tickets. It's also worth repeating viserys comment that resales are often supporting criminal organisations - this is not a victimless crime, and resale money can be going towards very unsavoury individuals. It's a bigger issue than just expensive Hamilton tickets, and ought to be treated with the seriousness it deserves - so it amazes me when people whine about the new ticketing system, when it's clearly being implemented to combat people doing illegal things!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 2, 2018 11:32:56 GMT
It's funny that you say that. My neighbours, who are in their seventies, say more or less the same to me: 'This one is for young people only'. Their reasons might be slightly different though. Originally they wanted to see it. They have been reading about it and being regular theatregoers they ask their son to get them tickets as a Christmas present. When their son explain he would need to give them the money as they needed to book it themselves and go through all the security at the theatre to get the actual tickets, my neighbours thought that it was too much fuss and couldn't be bothered. They then ask for tickets for another show where they can go to the theatre 'the normal way", their words, not mine. Their son got them tickets for Harry Potter which he handed to them. They are delighted and looking forward to see it next week. I can't help but wonder if the producers of Hamilton are shooting themselves on the foot but using a system which might alienate some theatregoers from a different generation. Personally I think the Hamilton ticket system is just a big gimmick, a PR stunt to attract publicity, but I understand that some people might disagree. I don't believe it's a gimmick - it's a genuine way of combating the touts, who would almost certainly have swarmed all over the ticket allocations, and removed a large number of tickets from normal sale. I genuinely would expect more theatre companies to use this, or a similar method of selling, to combat secondary sales. It's clearly taking people some time to come to terms with the new ticketless process - the idea that only the card holder (and their guests) can enter the theatre is very different from people previously used to holding physical tickets, and doing with them what they want (reselling, gifting etc). It's very clear to see that the situation with Hamilton has radically altered the secondary sales sites - they are currently offering a number of just single tickets on Viagogo, obviously an attempt to get even one paying customer through the doors, along with the tout! I'll be very interested to see if the theatre are operating a watch list, and are aware of suspicious repeat customers. As for saying Harry Potter was the 'easy' option, their website says: Please note that we reserve the right to refuse admission to customers with tickets purchased on re-sale websites. Tickets purchased through either of our official ticketing platforms must not be sold or advertised for sale on the internet, in newspapers or elsewhere. Any ticket advertised for sale in this way will be automatically void. Please note, the credit or debit card that you used to purchase your ticket, or confirmation email will be required as proof of purchase when you get to the theatre.This is, in essence, a near identical T&C to Hamilton, and they reserve the right to ask for the credit card the tickets were booked with. Now, in practice, the Harry Potter production hasn't clamped down on gifted tickets, and are only targeting people who can't provide a direct email from the primary selling site (they have turned away people who've bought secondary sale tickets) - but the Potter production tickets are, basically, set up to increase their security to Hamilton levels, at any time they choose! If they decided to implement the credit card check at the door, that would mean tickets gifted in any way, except where the person gifting was also present, would be turned away. Hamilton isn't unique doing this - numerous gigs are now ticketless, with credit card ID being used to get in. It's a rather 'stuck in mud' attitude to just say "too complicated, won't go", instead of understanding this is how ticket sales are evolving, in a world of more and more sophisticated tout/bot/secondary sale pushes to strip tickets from primary sales sites, and force genuine theatre-goers to pay well over the odds for tickets. In any case, when I went to the show last week, the audience was far from just a 'young people's' thing - the age range ran the whole gamut from pre-teens to the elderly.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 30, 2017 21:41:19 GMT
Really enjoyed hamilton this afternoon first experience in a box seat. All went well apart from the merch prices!😣 The prices are pretty horrific for what they're selling - but there is a seemingly endless queue of people waiting to pay for any piece of Hamilton merchandise! I sucked it up and bought a couple of things - and have justified it to myself by working out that my delayed train on the way down to London will give me a delay repay almost exactly equivalent to the amount I spent! Which box did you have, and how was your view? I didn't look closely and couldn't see what kind of chairs they had - the stalls seating was extremely comfortable, so hopefully the box chairs are comfortable too?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 29, 2017 8:43:54 GMT
What time does this come down on an evening show? Hotel or train back to Brizzle? If you're end of row, or very close to an exit, especially in the stalls, the route out of the theatre can be very fast. I was on the last row of stalls, had only 2 people to get past, and I was out of the theatre less than 60 seconds after the final bow. Because the entrance to the Victoria tube station is just a 1 minute walk from the theatre (I used the new Cardinal Place entrance), from curtain down at just after 5.15pm, I was in Euston station just after 5.30pm. I was lucky that a train pulled in just as I was walking onto the platform, so that sped up my transfer time. I guess it depends what time the last train is for you. I wouldn't risk a train time less than 45 minutes after curtain down, if you have to cross London to get to the mainline station, just to allow for the night time tube timetable, which are less frequent than during peak periods. if you're in the upper levels, or stuck in the middle of a row, you'll spend a great deal longer getting out of the theatre.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 28, 2017 19:15:01 GMT
Just got out of the matinee performance - fantastic show, thoroughly lived up to all of my expectations. It was the full compliment of the primary cast, and any of those reported early teething problems with the cast aren't apparent to me. Jamael Westman came into his own in the second act - in the first act, he was a tiny bit subdued (for me) for the 'young, scrappy and hungry' teenage Hamilton, but that's just a personal preference and I'm betting I'll reflect longer and better on his performance later on! Michael Jibson is a total scene stealer and Giles Terera is brilliant.
I arrived at the theatre an hour before performance time, and it was an absolute scrum! Completely crazy packed in the stalls bar and in the corridors, as the theatre staff didn't open the doors to the auditorium until less than 30 minutes to performance time. As my seat was in row T (last of the stalls), I decided to chill out in the bar area, as the crowd thinned, and just went in 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. As others have mentioned, if you don't want to queue for merchandise before the show (and the usher closed that queue 40 minutes before start time), don't bother arriving until 30 minutes before performance time. That will be when the auditorium doors have been opened, and the sheer crush of people has started to drift inside, leaving more room to move!
The seat I had, T9, is a great seat, as the seats are offset, and it's very unlikely that you'll have a head directly in front of you, and the rake is very pronounced at that point. The circle overhang causes just a few minor problems when cast are on the downstage balconies, but they are very few and far between, and the price I paid for the ticket is a bit of a bargain. I did notice that the price of the rear stall tickets has gone up considerably in the new booking period, and that clearly reflects the strength of the seats, even with a restricted view.
Finally, security is extremely tight - I was asked for all 3 pieces of ID on my way in, and I was a solo seat - but, as others have discovered, the process is rapid and smooth (unless you're stuck behind a woman in a large party who can't find her bit of information!). My advice, don't be that person, get your sh*t together and be prepared to produce all the required information (ticket confirmation, ID and credit card) even before you've got to the theatre front door!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 22, 2017 20:24:10 GMT
Well, back row of the stalls is now top price! There were some really decent seats available at top price for midweek July performances. Alas though, already used up five of my six allowed in this booking period. The prices have shot up in a load of areas of the theatre, so my original booking for that row, and for Royal Circle seats later on in the run, are looking damn good value for money! Many of the rear Royal Circle seats, once at the lowest price tier, are now at the top price level. Clearly, those eye lines are better than they'd first thought, and they're pricing accordingly! BTW, isn't July the new booking period, so your allowance gets 'reset' at that point? With them releasing just one month at a time, I wonder if there's going to be an actual ticket limit, in the same way they did so far, for these drip fed ticket releases (perhaps a max of 6 per booking, rather than 6 per booking period).
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 22, 2017 9:17:43 GMT
Tiny tubs of ice cream with a wooden spoon (now mostly plastic - terrible development!) are an absolutely vital part of any interval experience! I have no idea why it's an 'only in Britain' thing, but my entire childhood is full of memories that the only times we got ice cream, as a treat, were at the theatre or when the ice cream van came jingling by the house (in the summer)!
To be fair, a tub of ice cream is a 'quiet food' - no rustling sweet wrappers, no crunching noises! I'm going to go out on a limb and say this is one national theatre tradition that should be adopted far more widely! Clearly, ice cream can't be brought in from outside for temperature reasons, but I would hope that people entering a theatre can make it through one act of a performance, before needing to have food! Then they can buy their tubs from ushers carrying giant boxes on their stomachs, and everyone can have a second act without dealing with the people next to them working their way through a party pack of Pringles - which happened to me the other month!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 21, 2017 14:44:12 GMT
Has anyone had a problem with the expired credit card workaround, when they came to swiping the card for your tickets? The card I booked with is no longer active as I cancelled it this summer. No problems when going in. They could still swipe it to print out my ticket. Did you update your card, or just leave the cancelled one against the booking? I'm just wondering if these tickets will print out, with either card swiped, or it is just one card (current or expired) registered against each booking?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 21, 2017 13:33:03 GMT
Has anyone had a problem with the expired credit card workaround, when they came to swiping the card for your tickets?
I'm also in the odd situation of holding 2 separate bookings for the same performance (2 sets of 2 seats, booked months apart). One was my first booking, on a now expired card, that I subsequently updated to my new card via Ticketmaster. The other booking was on this new card. How do I approach this - obviously, they're all under the same name, it's members of my family with me, but do I need to get the card swiped twice, or does the system cleverly know that the card has been used for 2 purchases for seats in different parts of the theatre, or do I need that original card (which I've kept) to get the original booking?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 21, 2017 9:40:54 GMT
The thing is, reviews from critics aren't just about selling tickets. They're a part of the history around a show. In a couple hundred years when some enterprising historian wants to write the ultimate historical document about the London production of Hamilton (hey, academia can get niche) then the reviews written at the time are going to be a valuable primary source of information. And I don't think there's a historian alive who ever wished they had *fewer* documents to plough through. When the show opened on Broadway, there were plenty of reviews - enough to fulfill any historian's need to document the event! A West End opening of an existing Broadway musical is certainly an event that needs documenting, but I doubt it needs the sort of 'historical event' marking in the way you're stating it! At this stage, the existing West End crowd - the ones most 'normal' musical openings are needing to alert to their existence - are fully aware of the musical. For this particular opening, the critics are there to reaffirm what the Broadway ones did - that it's a great musical, worth seeing, go buy tickets! if this message gets out to the masses, the mainstream media job has been done - internet blogs just can't do that for Hamilton!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 21, 2017 9:09:58 GMT
Totally agree with the strategic decision not to give comps to the 'usual suspects' of internet based writers/blogs. Hamilton is the rare musical that can reach far, far beyond the average musical theatre-goer, and into the wider general public - if, if, they can get the right sort of publicity. Tabloid newspaper coverage will get the message out beyond the usual circles, and I expect heavy duty coverage on all the main news channels about the opening night, tomorrow morning. Why expend energy trying to attract the existing theatre crowd - who already know about this, and have mostly bought their tickets (or are trying)? Hamilton is a transformative work, that changes the game of musical theatre. This is the opportunity to draw in a brand new audience, who will then possibly start to discover the rest of what's on offer, but they are doing a job of expanding the potential audience base, by making sure people know this isn't you're average 'Andrew Lloyd Webber-esque' musical theatre experience!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 20, 2017 13:43:32 GMT
Thoughts on yesterday's matinee: It really is a fantastic show. I had seen it previously in New York, but I enjoyed it more this time because I was a lot more awake. Seeing a show after waiting on a cold sidewalk for 9 hours is not the way. Giles Terera: What a performance! And the standout for me. Wait For It in particular was goosebump worthy. I definitely think he will be the front runner for all the major awards. Lisp? I think a lot of people are over-reacting here. Leslies was much more pronounced. Ash Hunter was on as Hamilton. He still has a bit of a way to go, and he seemed a bit unsure of himself at times. I'm sure he will grow into the role. Rachel John - Sublime. Satisfied was one of my standout moments Rachelle Ann Go - I really liked her Eliza, particularly Burn which I thought she did great justice to. Obioma Ugoala - He was great! Really liked his Washington Jason Pennycooke - he really can do no wrong. He was funny, charming and had a lot of stage presence Michael Jibson - Perfect, his deadpan really worked. Audience loved him. Another highlight: the sound and diction - VERY crisp. I could follow everything My seat in row T, seat 11 was a great view, considering it is £32 cheaper than both the row in front and the box behind, and just five rows ahead you're looking at £200 a ticket. I missed a few short moments on the far stage left balcony. But I was chuffed with it for £47. Mark, I'm in row T in a week's time! Good to hear the view is decent. BTW, did you get your merchandise in the interval? I remember you saying that you planned to avoid the pre and post show crushes at the merchandise stall by getting your stuff in the interval?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 19, 2017 19:57:33 GMT
On the theatre. First the sound where we were was very good. We sat in a Royal Circle box and every word was clear and easy to follow. Incidentally the view was good (tiny bit missed) – and, as usual with boxes, loads of space, table for drinks, etc.
bellboard27 - which box did you sit in, and how much action do you think you missed? I've booked a Royal Circle box, after seeing 2 seats come up last week, and am second guessing my decision, as they are side views, and I'm worried about losing part of the stage. Glad to hear there's lots of space in the box - they used to have 4 seats per box, so only being 2-seat boxes should make for a much more comfortable experience.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 18, 2017 10:37:49 GMT
I agree - I went to see it on Friday, and enjoyed it, as a very pleasurable way to spend a couple of hours, and to envelope myself in a John Williams score that was like coming home, every time I hear the opening chords! I've loved Star Wars since I was a child, and have had enjoyment from every single one of the films made. I mean, there's always a Jar Jar Binks fly in the ointment-type bit of a film that you have to skate past in order to enjoy the rest(!), but on the whole, they're great fantasy films, that stand up to repeated viewings and the passage of time. I honestly think the problem with this film is the fans! You know the ones I'm talking about - those that have spent the past year dissecting every frame of The Force Awakens, and have attributed deep meaning to every eye blink! I really do think you have to stop yourself from going too deep with any of these films - and it's very easy to blame Disney, but the paper-thin narrative isn't unique to this installment! For sure, it definitely felt like the middle film in a trilogy, with not quite enough forward drive to sustain 2.5 hours - and the Leia thing (you know what I'm talking about) was laughably strange - when something like that brings to mind Mary Poppins, and you're just wondering where the parrot-handled umbrella is, I suspect it means they got the scene wrong! Did 15 minutes need editing from the film? Yes! Did they ignore quite a lot of the set-up from the 1st film, and skew off in different directions? Of course - but just because the preconceived notions of the hardcore fandom weren't acquiesced to, doesn't make it a bad film! Mind you, when the least character says "This isn't going to go the way you think", you need to pay attention to that! My takeaway - they weren't sure what to do with Finn for the duration of this film, given Ray was off on her own adventure, so they sent him on that fool's errand just to give him screen time. He'd have been better off being stuck in carbonite! Mind you, I quite liked (in a strange way) that the 2 male 'heroes' were the ones who basically destroyed the resistance, whilst the women around them salvaged what they could from it all! Also, the moral of the story is, if Justin Theroux is the man you're looking for in a casino, don't go running off with Benicio del Toro, no matter how roguishly hot Benicio looks!! I've seen so much complaining about the Leia thing, but from a really weird perspective of 'powers' rather than the aesthetics of it - and I'm like, dude, it's a fantasy story set in space where people can effectively move things with their minds. Don't sweat the details. If you start really thinking about it, none of it will make sense! I've seen an interesting defense of the casino diversion, and I'm hoping it will turn out to pay off in the next episode, but we shall see. I did quite like the wider view and the deliberate reflection of our own society, and the shades of grey it brought. I agree a lot of the butthurt is fans disappointed that their carefully-crafted theories turned out to not only not be true, but not even really be relevant to the story. People forget that the original trilogy was a made-up-as-they-went -along serial and not actually a grand space opera with an overarching story arc worked out in advance. I definitely didn't mind the thought processes behind Leia having extraordinary powers to save herself - that felt entirely within canon - it was just I felt the execution of the scene was framed a little 'off'. Perhaps a different shot, other than her gliding through space? I also appreciated the message in the casino scene, that was being conveyed about the people who make money from a galaxy in a permanent war setting. The imagery in the stolen ship, that showed some anonymous person was selling military equipment to both the First Order and Resistance - that was pretty damn on the nose, for me! 'Space opera' is absolutely how this series of 9 films should be referred to - like soap opera, in space! If anyone is looking for the meaning of life in these movies, they will certainly come out disappointed! All that being said, it's still the most plainly enjoyable film this year! How can you not enjoy seeing Luke and Leia, Chewie, and the Millennium Falcon back on screen? Those things have made me smile for decades, and this film was no exception.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 18, 2017 9:24:46 GMT
I'm glad I went to see it as early as possible, it was nice to be able to just enjoy it before getting on the internet and seeing all the thinkpieces and blogposts explaining why I shouldn't. I agree - I went to see it on Friday, and enjoyed it, as a very pleasurable way to spend a couple of hours, and to envelope myself in a John Williams score that was like coming home, every time I hear the opening chords! I've loved Star Wars since I was a child, and have had enjoyment from every single one of the films made. I mean, there's always a Jar Jar Binks fly in the ointment-type bit of a film that you have to skate past in order to enjoy the rest(!), but on the whole, they're great fantasy films, that stand up to repeated viewings and the passage of time. I honestly think the problem with this film is the fans! You know the ones I'm talking about - those that have spent the past year dissecting every frame of The Force Awakens, and have attributed deep meaning to every eye blink! I really do think you have to stop yourself from going too deep with any of these films - and it's very easy to blame Disney, but the paper-thin narrative isn't unique to this installment! For sure, it definitely felt like the middle film in a trilogy, with not quite enough forward drive to sustain 2.5 hours - and the Leia thing (you know what I'm talking about) was laughably strange - when something like that brings to mind Mary Poppins, and you're just wondering where the parrot-handled umbrella is, I suspect it means they got the scene wrong! Did 15 minutes need editing from the film? Yes! Did they ignore quite a lot of the set-up from the 1st film, and skew off in different directions? Of course - but just because the preconceived notions of the hardcore fandom weren't acquiesced to, doesn't make it a bad film! Mind you, when the least character says "This isn't going to go the way you think", you need to pay attention to that! My takeaway - they weren't sure what to do with Finn for the duration of this film, given Ray was off on her own adventure, so they sent him on that fool's errand just to give him screen time. He'd have been better off being stuck in carbonite! Mind you, I quite liked (in a strange way) that the 2 male 'heroes' were the ones who basically destroyed the resistance, whilst the women around them salvaged what they could from it all! Also, the moral of the story is, if Justin Theroux is the man you're looking for in a casino, don't go running off with Benicio del Toro, no matter how roguishly hot Benicio looks!!
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239 posts
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 15, 2017 13:09:19 GMT
Going to see it tonight - looking forward to it very much! I have a super-comfy recliner seat booked, got a big bag of Maltesers - I'm ready!
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239 posts
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 13, 2017 19:07:56 GMT
Quite surprising to see over 80 seats available to Fridays show (all in the £190 range of course). Where have all these seats come from? These performances have been listed as 'sold out' for ages! Is this touts returning tickets they know they can't sell? - in which case, it's clear just how many tickets were skimmed off by the resale market! It's either that, or the theatre has kept an awful lot of friends and family freebie seats, and they're now getting unallocated ones back to sell on.
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239 posts
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 12, 2017 12:46:15 GMT
Does anyone have a merchandise price list, or pics of what's on offer? Given the kind of queues, I want to be able to make quick decisions about what stuff to buy when I get to the desk - difficult when there's nothing online about what they've actually got! They pass a price list while you're queuing How very low-tech!
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239 posts
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 12, 2017 12:14:18 GMT
Has anyone got any idea how to get a proper souvenir ticket? I’m going soon and would love something other than the slip. I know there was a hypothesis that you might get them if your card doesn’t work, but that’s a bit hard to do. Perhaps don't bother queuing for the scanner, after you've got through the ID and bag checks, and go straight to the box office window - I heard that they print out 'proper' tickets there. They will have a proportion of people with slightly temperamental cards every show, so it surely won't be an issue to queue there instead of the scanner queues.
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239 posts
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 12, 2017 12:10:43 GMT
Does anyone have a merchandise price list, or pics of what's on offer? Given the kind of queues, I want to be able to make quick decisions about what stuff to buy when I get to the desk - difficult when there's nothing online about what they've actually got!
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239 posts
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 11, 2017 16:24:24 GMT
Thanks for that - I think I might book one of the right hand boxes, as I've spotted quite a few have opened up later in the run, and I've only booked 3 out of my 6 allowed tickets so far! I wonder if the new booking period (soon?) will also reset everyone's allowances (will there still be a restriction on the number of tickets people can book)? Hi, would you be able to tell me which dates are available please? It's very odd - if you search through Chrome, like others have said, it doesn't give you a 'pick your seat' option, AND on the dates I can see there are multiple seats available, the search for tickets at that price level says 'none available'. I thought it was weird, so I opened both Chrome and Explorer, and did the same search at the same time. Explorer says tickets are available, Chrome won't show any non-premium seats. In May and June, there are multiple dates (many weekday performances and several weekend ones) with both premium and standard seats available, but the Chrome searches don't show them. Is it a bug in the system, or a very odd method of withholding tickets?! I'm wondering if there are slight issues with Ticketmaster, as I went through the entire booking process on Explorer, ticked the box to complete the purchase, and got an error message. However, when I went back into my account details, the tickets were sitting there, clearly bought and paid for! As I don't really know what's going on with this, I'd just suggest you use Internet Explorer, and do some trial searches for dates you'd like to book for. I opened a couple of tabs, searched one at a time, and then compared what was there for each date, and selected the best option for me. I can't work out if the seats are ones the theatre withheld to the new booking period they started last month, or if these are a lot of returns, from touts realising that the hassle of trying to bypass a decently watertight security system is too much trouble, and they're cutting their losses and swallowing the £3 admin fee for returned tickets - so new tickets are showing up now!
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