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Post by Ade on Mar 12, 2022 22:41:30 GMT
Saw this this evening and I genuinely can’t believe I was in that theatre for an hour and 45 mins. It absolutely flew by! Marianne has done an incredible job of keeping the pace up. As others have said there is some stylised movement but it is largely forgotten after the first half and isn’t at all distracting when it is used. Jonathan Bailey doesn’t leave the stage for the whole thing and does a stellar job. But I have to admit I actually ended up preferring the three others - Bailey provides the constant and does a good job of that but I found myself watching them more whenever they were on.
It’s a solid 4 stars for me - some very decent performances in incredibly safe Marianne Elliott shaped hands.
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Post by Ade on Mar 12, 2022 22:33:24 GMT
Saw this this afternoon. Loved Lucie’s vocals - she was sounding really strong! Having not had the most amazing line up of Elphabas on previous visits she knocked the songs out of the park in comparison. I agree that performance-wise she is weaker but still did good. Loved Sophie Louise Dann as I knew I would. The big surprise for me was Gary Wilmott - I actually appreciated the wizard’s singing for the first time.
But as others have said what on earth is going on with the sound. Granted I was way off to stage left and near the front so I wouldn’t expect particularly balanced sound but SO many of the vocals were massively under-amplified. It was only really Lucie’s solos that felt like they’d found the volume dial. It really did let down what could have been a strong performance. I do disagree with those who have said it’s looking really tired - it actually looked great from my spot - but some of those lines really need some breathing room. None of the ‘drama’ or comedy is allowed to land because everyone flies through their lines and leaves the audience two steps behind.
All in all, last time I saw this back in 2016 I came out thinking I was done with Wicked. This time I actually came out thinking there’s life in there yet.
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Post by Ade on Jan 24, 2022 21:57:42 GMT
Same here on being tempted back. Last time I went was in 2015 and I said then I wasn’t bothered about seeing it again. But the combo of Lucie as Elphaba and SLD as Morrible has drawn me back in.
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Post by Ade on Sept 16, 2021 18:46:50 GMT
I'm really curious about supporting roles, especially the Danny Burstein one Clue- CC Craig Charles
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Post by Ade on Sept 9, 2021 14:06:02 GMT
Interestingly I feel like that Broadway review actually summarises the issues I had with the London production quite nicely. The issues with plot and music are still there despite the added spectacle.
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Post by Ade on Sept 2, 2021 21:55:44 GMT
Saw this this evening and thoughts below - some for the positive and some for the negative. I feel like overall it was a 3 star show and that’s the same view I had back on Broadway too.
- Samantha Barks absolutely smashed it vocally. I often find her voice a bit thin and was worried she had been cast for name recognition but she belted the [insert expletive of choice] out of those songs and absolutely did not disappoint. - Stephanie McKeon gave a spot on performance of Anna. There were times the vocals didn’t quite hit the mark but she is easily the most comfortable in her character. - Overall, as well as the above two it really is a strong cast. It genuinely looks like everyone up there is having an amazing time and while it’s very early days they all give a performance that screams Disney musical in the best senses of the words. - I don’t know if it’s just because I had a rubbish view on Broadway but the projections seemed far more impressive here. It’s definitely the only show I’ve seen where the projections have had their own round of applause. - The new staging of Let it Go far surpasses the original. The extra set pieces really do add a lot to it and just stop it feeling too bare up there. Definitely a change for the good. - I didn’t have too much of an issue with the pacing on Broadway but agree with others that this feels like it whips along. I actually hit the end of act one surprised how quickly it had passed. - Musically it feels like act two is the weaker half. They used a lot of the good material from the movie in act one and while Monster is a great addition and there are some lovely reprises in the second half, it feels a bit like the music is put to the side to allow them to push the story along - though you could argue the movie suffers from the same thing. - The bridge everyone has been talking about…meh. The way they interact with it as they go along is all very cool and yes it’s quite long but I didn’t come away bowled over with it and felt like actually most of the audience in there wouldn’t have noticed if it was the shorter original. - While the projections are as mentioned very cool, I’d forgotten just how heavily it relies on them. Aside from the two scenes mentioned above there’s a really really heavy reliance on projected walls, the big screen at the rear and the ensemble filling the space. It made me realise how sparse the Broadway staging actually was without the additions they have made here. Overall you come away feeling like you have seen your money on stage but I’m not sure you’d have that same feeling if it wasn’t for such a strong lighting and projection design. - About Hygge - so there were very evidently some parents around a bit uncomfortable during it and I audibly heard one kid say the words ‘I don’t like it’ and it’s absolutely harmless fun for the first 80% of it but the dancing line at the end definitely feels so unnecessarily…nude. I feel like the problem with it is that they just look too convincingly naked. From my front stalls seat in New York I already had to look twice, and from the grand circle today I genuinely wouldn’t have known they weren’t in their birthday suits if I hadn’t spotted the Action Man style smoothing over of down below. I mean you can literally see some impressive side cheek on the male cast and while I’m sure there are plenty in there who don’t mind the view, i can imagine plenty more come away questioning if there had actually been some stripping. - As for the audience, wow I’ve not been to one with so much noise as that in a while. I genuinely don’t mind kids making a bit of noise in the theatre and, you know what, they are there to enjoy it and experience theatre as much as I am. But it’s when parents just sit there and let them cry and moan about being bored etc. You all can sing along to your hearts content if you’re 5 and want to grow up to be Elsa, because frankly in my head I’m right there with you, but if the kid doesn’t want to be there please don’t let them ruin it for everyone else. - One last thing on the staging - I will never fail to be confused by the lift and revolve in the closing song. While on Broadway the revolve was used very effectively earlier in the production, it’s only use here is at the end and so it sort of feels a bit redundant. And I found the lift baffling before and just as much here, raising up for literally a matter of seconds before lowering again. It’s one of those cases where you wonder why, when they could have used the money to add an extra couple of icicles or bought the hygge clan a few pairs of paper pants to cover their modesty, they chose to install something which feels so pointless.
All in all, very pleased I saw it again with a good view of proceedings but I can’t imagine I’ll have cravings to return to it.
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Post by Ade on Aug 1, 2021 11:28:19 GMT
How long is it taking to get into the theatre? I’ve seen pictures of queues around the theatre. Going next week with an elderly relative (not my decision - IMO it’s too risky at the moment!). I’m concerned about him not being able to stand for so long outside, especially given the heat as apparently we will be in the middle of another heatwave… Email says to arrive 30mins-1hour before curtain. Took us about ten mins last night. Looked worse than it was because there were actually three different queues on the go.
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Post by Ade on Aug 1, 2021 11:25:57 GMT
So...the candelabra thing is how I interpreted it? They don't move horizontally any more? Sorry yes it is. They just came straight up in position. At least they did last night…
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Post by Ade on Aug 1, 2021 10:36:29 GMT
Ah I guess I’ve never noticed the miming all the way through when I was a little further back. I wonder if it’s the new sound that made it more obvious or just because I was closer.
Forgot all about the fake curtain being used at the end as well!
And yep you’re exactly right on the chandelier - it just looks a bit clunky and lacks the elegance. One of those things where if it was 80% of the size that it is, it would probably look far more pleasing.
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Post by Ade on Aug 1, 2021 9:33:44 GMT
Saw this last night and not being too regular of a visitor (have now seen it four times over 14 years) I have to say I didn’t mind a lot of the changes that have been made. It definitely felt like the lots of the original production was right there on stage and the rest felt like a solid nod to it.
I agree with plenty of the other posts that the new proscenium upon entry doesn’t compare, although my main gripe here is with the poor attempt to cover in sheeting rather than the proscenium design itself. A few napkins draped around the sides and the two (what look like) washing lines at the top just looks a bit cheap. That said I loved the addition of the set piece reforming and rising up from the stage. It gave something else to focus on after the chandelier had gone up and just made the whole fake proscenium on stage a little more impressive. About that chandelier, it’s quite the beast! If anything it almost felt a bit too big - so much so that it almost feels like there’s not quite enough detail too it and so it comes across a bit plastic-like. I’ve never been as close as I was last night so this might just be because I was nearer to it, but I started to wonder if Cam Mack had got the paper maché out and made his own. That said, everyone seemed to be lapping it up. In terms of some other noticeable changes, the horse at the end of act one I actually quite liked and got a gasp from a few around me, the post-interval fake curtain does look atrocious but thankfully is just used the once, and the lack of movement of the candelabras does make it ever so less dramatic but again most people won’t even notice.
For the sound I have to say I didn’t spot too much of a difference. In fact the only point where I noticed the lack of orchestra was during masquerade when the drummer is on stage and it immediately made me realise just how much better having some percussion down in the pit would have been. That said, I can’t imagine many would spot the difference if they weren’t already aware. Again I’m not sure if it’s because I was closer, but is the whole of the title track now mimed? It definitely appeared to be from my seat, as the vocals sounded noticeably different throughout. I was always under the impression that they were pre-recorded up to the boat’s appearance and then made a brief transition to live until Christine’s high notes at the end when the pre-recording kicks back in.
As for the performances, this is where the show was most lacking for me. Loved Lucy St Louis’s performance and her vocals were good overall but at times they just didn’t seem to have enough power. I liked to feel like I’m in a safe pair of hands with Christine, but I always had that ‘is she going to hit the note?’ feeling for some reason. Killian was good overall but definitely lacked the charisma - I just didn’t get a sense of why Christine would be so intrigued by him. Even in the final lair it just seemed to be lacking that despair that makes you feel for him.
All in all, it was still a solid 4 star. A very very similar production with a good, but just not the strongest, cast at the helm.
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Post by Ade on Jun 14, 2021 17:41:01 GMT
Can’t help but be cynical and think that ALW’s threat to open and be arrested was an empty one, fully aware that he was going to be in the trials anyway…
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Post by Ade on Mar 20, 2021 18:18:34 GMT
There will be a huge ice staircase for London Well when 42nd Street leave their staircase behind and you have some spare blue Dulux, what you going to do?!
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Post by Ade on Jan 5, 2020 15:14:34 GMT
Yeah I'm addicted to this and yet it's utter trash. Some of them have properly got me thinking. Have to say I agree with the Nicola Roberts prediction for Queen Bee. Hedgehog is annoying me but I'm sort of leaning towards Rhydian too, but there's also something Luke Evans in the voice. Unicorn I really don't think is Barrowman - the voice just doesn't sound like him (although he could be masking ;-) it). I'm leaning towards someone like Mika for that to be honest.
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Post by Ade on Oct 31, 2019 20:11:55 GMT
With regards to the flying. In the original, i'm pretty certain she flew up to the upper circle over the right hand side of the audience. On Monday she only went up to the dress circle, but to the other side of the audience. Am i imagining this or has it changed? She definitely went to the upper circle level when I saw it last week. Oh this is annoying if it is stage right she flies from. I booked that side of the auditorium under the loges based on my memory of her flying the opposite side.
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Post by Ade on Mar 1, 2019 22:26:35 GMT
A pleasant enough evening and I’m glad I have seen it. It’s good but there’s something that feels very amateur about much of it. It feels like a veryone on the stage is ‘acting’ - lots of running off stage and big open-armed stage hugs. Also lots of projections that look like they managed to get a deal on istock - they were entirely unnecessary and cheapened the design. They clearly spent the budget on the unnecessary lift. I think the problems are with the uninspiring direction and clunky dialogue rather than the performances or plot. Still, it moved along at a nice pace and was an enjoyable Friday evening. A solid 3 stars from me.
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Post by Ade on Feb 12, 2019 20:50:05 GMT
I'm confused? The ending changed? Can someone else (in spoiler tags) Thanks {Spoiler - click to view} To my knowledge there have been three endings: New Eve goes crazy jumping around the room, screams at the audience and it ends (I saw this one). New Eve puts on the red dress and spins around. Play ends (I've also seen this one). New Eve looks in the mirror and winks at the audience. Play ends.(Haven't seen this one yet) So I saw the last of these three. And that was last Tuesday. So it sounds like they have stuck with that one.
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Post by Ade on Feb 5, 2019 22:52:04 GMT
I think they are being quite strict about the no re-entry rule too. A girl in front of me disappeared about an hour in and didn’t return. Her belongings and her friends were still very much in the auditorium so I can only assume she was told she couldn’t return. Oh really? That's not what they're claiming on twitter! Hmm maybe she was otherwise incapacitated then. But she definitely left her stuff and I spotted her friends exchange a confused ‘where is she’ about 20 mins after she had gone out.
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Post by Ade on Feb 5, 2019 22:27:19 GMT
Maybe the people who can’t ‘hold it in’ should go to relaxed performances? I agree that it’s unfair on those people to go worrying they will be caught short and then not allowed re-entry, or simply not go because of the running length, I think they are being quite strict about the no re-entry rule too. A girl in front of me disappeared about an hour in and didn’t return. Her belongings and her friends were still very much in the auditorium so I can only assume she was told she couldn’t return.
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Post by Ade on Feb 5, 2019 22:13:24 GMT
Ok so... it’s ok. I enjoyed it but didn’t love it. The direction is just nonsense. There are some very tense moments but, like with Network, there’s an obsession with what else is going on on the stage rather than the main action. We were in the side dress circle and the sight lines at times were dreadful, and I can imagine anyone in the balcony barely saw anything. They have even installed screens up there because there are huge portions they would miss without them. It’s a solid adaptation as far as the writing goes - very faithful to the film. Gillian Anderson was largely serviceable - didn’t have the gravitas it felt it needed but it’s previews so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. Lily James as Eve was decent. She jumped from sweet girl to calculated without any shade in between, but that was a small point. Julian Ovenden as Bill was good. Sheila Reid as Birdie was good. Stanley Townsend as Addison also good. Stand out for me was Monica Dolan as Karen - by far the most convincing performance. All in all it has the makings of a decent production but let down by some terrible choices from the Van Hove.
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Post by Ade on Feb 5, 2019 22:11:54 GMT
Can you post how they've changed the ending in spoiler tags please? I was there on Saturday and probably won't be able to see it again so I'm interested to know. Sure {Spoiler - click to view} From what I remember on Saturday at the end the girl who appeared in the bed, picked up the red dress did some strange dance and started running around like a crazy person and then screamed and it ended. Yesterday she just picked up the red dress and put it on and spun around in a circle like she was dreaming of being Eve/a star and then it ended. Ah today had another new ending then. I have no clue how to do spoilers or I would put it here.
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Post by Ade on Jan 31, 2019 23:24:49 GMT
Ooh here comes the Sweet Charity announcement from Baz He’s dragging it out! Isn’t he just. I was just about to say, does anyone else wonder whether he drags it out this long on purpose or just takes this long to compose each tweet? Part of me believes it’s the latter.
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Post by Ade on Jan 31, 2019 23:12:01 GMT
Ooh here comes the Sweet Charity announcement from Baz
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Post by Ade on Jan 26, 2019 14:15:08 GMT
Have to say I am intrigued based on the arrangement of the sample track online. It’s a shame it’s another jukebox but I am pleased to see something new heading for the west end. New productions seem to be in abundance on Broadway and are few and far between here now. It makes financial sense to start somewhere small BUT that often means if it’s successful it transfers to a larger theatre without really adapting to that space, and the expectation of ‘west end’ production values is lowered as a result. We also seem to be relying a lot on small spaces these days at the detriment of people taking risks in larger theatres. They’re doing the right thing by opening in Manchester to build some buzz prior.
Agree with what others are saying though that this is likely to either take off through word of mouth or to dive. I’ll definitely be booking out of intrigue.
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Post by Ade on Jan 20, 2019 21:01:34 GMT
Nope. The whole thing went on for a good ten minutes and was in a spot that caused quite a lot of annoyance with people having to move for them to carry her out. Also when we left the ambulance was still outside the dorfman entrance. did the actors carry on as if nothing was happening ? Yes, to be fair they were very quiet about the whole thing. I’m sure there would have been some people oblivious to it
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Post by Ade on Jan 20, 2019 17:36:35 GMT
Anyone think that the woman who fainted was actually a plant? (don't be funny -- I don't mean a pot of ivy or something) Nope. The whole thing went on for a good ten minutes and was in a spot that caused quite a lot of annoyance with people having to move for them to carry her out. Also when we left the ambulance was still outside the dorfman entrance.
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Post by Ade on Jan 18, 2019 14:34:58 GMT
Also an opinion piece in The Guardian by Suzanne Moore (seek it out if you want, it's written second hand and as sensationalist as you can imagine). I suppose it's at least about the play to 'justify' the titillation but that's the difference between tabloids and broadsheets, a manufactured veneer of distance.
Can anyone give an idea of the directorial style being used? Any of her multimedia work or actor focused? More like Mitchell's stripped back naturalism or like Cleansed's 'Total Theatre plus'? I'm assuming no line of chairs, ballgowns, random slow motion sequences or particulate matter falling from above for this one. Or a continuous background drone. Ade? None of the above. Just a truly baffling use of handheld microphones.
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Post by Ade on Jan 17, 2019 20:37:41 GMT
This looks to be by the person who dashed up at the curtain call to give Cate a present. The gift was a bag, my sources tell me, adding that it was "weird and silly" and that CB looked shocked but tentatively took it. I'm imagining it being handed to an assistant backstage with a crisp "Get rid of this." Yes she looked quite perplexed when she dashed up and handed it to her. Not appropriate at all to just pounce mid-bow like that
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Post by Ade on Jan 17, 2019 13:59:52 GMT
Blood?! Well that's replaced snow as my main concern. In a Richard ii almeida way Ade or more realistic? Not seen Richard II so can’t say. So the shaving foam is the primary mess on this one. There are two main moments where blood is used but in a smudge across the skin type of way rather than splattered on the walls.
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Post by Ade on Jan 17, 2019 13:57:00 GMT
This is getting some people very excited on Twitter! Actually, I wonder if this is partly why they’ve decided not to NT Live it? This sort of content would find difficulty getting mainstream distribution if it was in a film - there’s all sorts of issues with various international ratings boards. This looks to be by the person who dashed up at the curtain call to give Cate a present.
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Post by Ade on Jan 16, 2019 22:42:28 GMT
Ok... so I have little positive to say about this. And when I say ‘little’ I’m still trying to think of something. I’ve never seen anything by Crimp before and if this is anything to go by I won’t bother again. It’s an absolute mess of a play, and not in a good way. Don’t ask me what it was really about because I’ve not really any idea. It seems more concerned with finding ways to spray water, blood, shaving foam around the place than to really find any depth in the characters. It’s a shame because at its core Cate Blanchett and Stephen Dillane are doing their very best to try and improve the material. The other four largely didn’t need to be there.
I was facing the stage in the top tier so had a nice clear view but because of the shape of the proscenium I do wonder what the sightlines are like nearer the stage at the top. Admittedly they had some seats blocked off but still...
And for those who were asking there was no sign of ID checks beforehand.
Have to give a mention to the FOH team who did have to carry someone out half way through with far less disturbance and noise than your average punter unwrapping a sweet.
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