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Post by Ade on Jun 12, 2018 7:35:42 GMT
Nearly booked something for that date the other day. Very pleased I didn’t as there’s no way I’m missing the last one of this. Phew!
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Post by Ade on Apr 19, 2018 22:27:23 GMT
Hear hear. I've been watching Shakespeare since I was a kid and it's wonderful to see a truly diverse audience enjoy an immersive experience. Far removed from the middle England mob. Give me youthful noise and vitality any day. The Bridge Theatre audience were definitely NOT diverse the night we saw it. Glad to hear it was on your visit though. It was incredibly diverse when I saw it too. Probably one of the most diverse audiences I have seen.
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Post by Ade on Apr 18, 2018 18:07:35 GMT
Now extended until February 2019! Clips from the show, Adrienne sounds and looks incredible! Interesting they have only really included the more concerty elements in here. Not surprising really, but I would hope that when they come to do a more coherent trailer it shows some of the story led pieces too.
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Post by Ade on Apr 13, 2018 22:12:40 GMT
Saw this tonight. Dear lord, Adrienne Warren is a powerhouse. I found some of the sound design quite odd though from my seat in the stalls. The shift in volume when a big song was coming on was VERY obvious. Not something I have ever noticed so clearly before.
Loved the musical itself. Agree that the first half is the stronger half - it just felt like there was more story to it. And I very much like how the music was integrated. I hate jukebox musicals where the songs are chucked in and don’t really sit well with the plot (Mamma Mia...). Plenty of these songs, if you didn’t know them already, could easily have been written for the piece.
As for the staging, I loved it. It never felt bare and actually felt like far more thought had been put into it making the most of the set than I have seen in a lot of shows that are perhaps a bit more complex.
Agree with previous posters that there was a definite vibe at the start that a lot of the audience were there for a tribute act type performance. This is very much not that! But there was enough at the end to keep them happy.
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Post by Ade on Apr 12, 2018 17:03:20 GMT
I saw this at the final matinee yesterday, having previously seen this early in previews. For the matinee, I got a front row day seat (online), right at the side, which I think is a good place to sit if you're attending on your own. There are no armrests in the front row and the seats are packed closely together, so you can end up very cosy with the seat neighbours otherwise. This has changed a lot from the previews, making it a stronger show. Lots of cuts so this was a few minutes shorter and some additional music added (mostly the original songs with new lyrics). I can't be certain I've got these right as it's a few months since I saw the preview, but some things I noticed: Little Wooden Head moved to the first half, filling the long period without any songs. No longer sung in the second half at all. Pleasure Island sequence trimmed (thankfully). Some smoking in this sequence, which I don't recall previously. Lots of trims to the Fox's dialogue, in particular the political jokes. The whale sequence looked to have been simplified and I'm sure it had a coloured backdrop before. It looked less impressive from the front than further back. I don't know if this will tour, but the set looks designed to tour and I could see it having a Christmas run somewhere. And Joe Idris-Roberts was as charming in the Pinocchio role as before. Can’t be sure about all of the above but, at the first preview, the whale sequence definitely didn’t have a coloured backdrop and there was smoking in the Pleasure Island scene. I remember because my other half commented to me on the former saying it looked very plain and I commented to him on the latter.
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367 posts
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Post by Ade on Mar 25, 2018 7:46:52 GMT
I saw this at yesterday’s matinee and have to say it fell very flat for me. Everything just felt a bit, well, overdeveloped. If you’d told me this was a Rufus Norris production i would have believed it because of the amount going on and the lack of focus. The plot itself felt very underdeveloped though. At no point did I feel anything for any of the characters, and some key moments just seemed to fizzle along when they should have been real moments of tension.
I didn’t mind the performances themselves but there was nobody who particularly stood out as being exceptional. All in all I’m glad I saw it, but it goes on the disappointing pile for me.
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Post by Ade on Mar 22, 2018 22:55:59 GMT
You must have been very nearly in front of me then as she was two rows in front and just to the left of me. Oh no, what a shame we didn't know! I'll say this about Joely, she looks great and she loves her crisps. I didn’t spot the crisps but I did spot the tears. And you’re right, she does look great.
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Post by Ade on Mar 22, 2018 18:13:08 GMT
And had Joely Richardson not been crying in the seat in front of me also You must have been very nearly in front of me then as she was two rows in front and just to the left of me.
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Post by Ade on Mar 8, 2018 7:02:30 GMT
Just ditched my ticket, life's too short! I see from my booking confirmation that they were restricting tickets for this to 4 per customer. Same here, which I don’t like to do. But after hoping that Shakespeare would force Rufus to create something half-decent, it seems my hopes were misguided. I’m just going to flat out avoid his productions from now on.
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367 posts
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Post by Ade on Mar 3, 2018 10:12:13 GMT
So i had tickets to this the other week and had to cancel because of a cousin’s wedding. Then I got new tickets for tonight and now having to cancel because of snow. A shame because I was looking forward to seeing it but I just think it’s not meant to be.
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Post by Ade on Feb 28, 2018 19:19:52 GMT
Saw this last night. Rufus obviously had his regional accent score card out..this really ran the gamut. Pretty much everyone in the bar at interval was ticking them off... In my eyes this is quite a fail. Admittedly we can hope that the poor lighting and slack pacing will be corrected during the preview period, but the design concept (is this Mad Max?) is baffling, and the whole thing seems (to me) quite painfully over-worked and over-staged. Goodness gracious, so much ACTING - ("the sheer ACTING of Meryl Streep") - the witches speaking backwards, running around or hobbling about like 3rd year drama students, the horrific rave/party scene, Banquo staggering around constantly...poor Anne Marie Duff wearing an ill fitting plastic frock...plus a neverending soundscape grumbling on in the background...enough with the bass clarinet and the "reclaimed" instruments already! I really wanted to love this. Macbeth can be terribly exciting if it's whipped through at pace. I just think that this version was over-thought...my advice - calm down, let it speak for itself, and do it at top speed! Oh and of course...lose the Porter. Ah well Rufus, keep trying. Rave / party scene? Oh dear. How does it compare to the dreadful one at the start of Everyman ? I was about to say the same thing. Did he not learn his lesson?!
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Post by Ade on Feb 27, 2018 19:00:47 GMT
I cannot be bothered to write a full review of a preview on my site so you are getting my rant, which I hope to all the Gods it improves because it cannot carry on like this. Too long, too slow and just all round poor production of a play that can be quite interesting, especially the supernatural element and the faith Macbeth has in these witches to commit acts he wouldn't have even considered before meeting them, the dynamic of the marriage just isn't there, the sense of Scottishness or even monarchy isn't there. There aren't bad performances as such but I feel like they weren't given anything to explore in depth so are relying on their own skill at Shakespeare/Performance rather than a refreshed look at the text. I think RuNo has seen a lot of good directors (Farber, Hytner etc) fill that Olivier stage and taken a lot of their style and signature. I am now wondering if Norris is like Emma Rice and is just indifferent to Shakespeare. I am not saying you need to be an SRB-esque obsessive but it's biggest failing is understanding why it is being staged like that and why now? Hytner's Julius Caesar has clearly looked at the rise of Corbyn, Trump and rally politics. This felt like a passable fringe production that had access to an expensive smoke machine. I expect more of the National Theatre but that probably says more about me. I did tweet about it if you want to read my interval tweets thread Nooo I’ve taken a chance on this. So nearly gave it a miss but decided to bite the bullet because I’m trying to see more Shakespeare. What had originally stopped me was the Rufus Norris factor. Aside from Mosquitoes which was more passable I have not enjoyed anything I have seen from him at the National because it has always feels like each production has lots of ideas that don’t really amass to anything or end up feeling very disjointed and amateur. Living in hope that this is just one opinion or that it will improve.
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Post by Ade on Feb 25, 2018 18:09:18 GMT
Anyone able to explain what level of audience interaction there is and what position in row B gets interacted with. I have tickets for the end of row B (low numbers) and really not a fan of audience interaction.
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367 posts
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Post by Ade on Feb 23, 2018 8:34:45 GMT
A peek of the designs for this on Baz’s tweet last night. Looks like a black box staging for the most part.
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Post by Ade on Feb 22, 2018 18:23:45 GMT
The Guardian didn't give it a very good review. They gave it 4 stars...
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Post by Ade on Feb 21, 2018 18:07:12 GMT
Loving this NT Live trailer. Goes a long way to capturing the feel of the production.
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Post by Ade on Feb 21, 2018 17:53:06 GMT
The upcoming shows all sound very interesting and I have to say I really love the poster design for each show, especially Julie. Agree. After some very unappealing designs lately this is quite a nice set.
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367 posts
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Post by Ade on Feb 15, 2018 10:37:42 GMT
A Broadwayworld B friends from Broadway C the suggested Instagram pics from various people Thanks
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Post by Ade on Feb 15, 2018 8:23:17 GMT
The ICE CASTLE IS IN!!!!! Omgggggggggg Where have you seen that?
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Post by Ade on Feb 14, 2018 18:38:09 GMT
I was so hoping this was just a rumour with no validity to it. I actually don’t have a problem with any of them individually. But the combination of them all feels a bit plonked together.
I think that’s the problem. Ball could be interesting because he is older than normally played and probably will sing it well, Janson I think will be a great Florence, Burke I don’t think will butcher the role at all and will probably do a decent job of acting it, and it’s nice to have Head on board as a throw back to the original cast. But put them all together in one production and it all feels a bit square pegs for circular holes.
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367 posts
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Chess
Feb 13, 2018 16:14:50 GMT
via mobile
Post by Ade on Feb 13, 2018 16:14:50 GMT
OK, well, I was really looking forwards to this, but I really hope this cast isn't the actual cast. I just cannot see that Alexandra Burke and Michael Ball would gel together on a stage at all. I just can't see it. I’m presuming they weren’t aiming for Ball if the Gaga rumour was also true then because I really can’t see Gaga and him having a connection!
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367 posts
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Chess
Feb 13, 2018 13:11:06 GMT
Post by Ade on Feb 13, 2018 13:11:06 GMT
Has this rumour actually come from anywhere reputable? I can't believe that they think they are going to be able to sell the stalls at £105 and £150 per seat with those names.
I actually don't have any problems with the cast themselves, but it all seems so run of the mill and not at all worth the price tag.
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Post by Ade on Feb 12, 2018 20:04:29 GMT
More tix released today for (previously sold out) The York Realist and amazingly, there are still several dates with tix left, especially 22 Feb. Most dates circle only but some stalls. Based on the position of them it looks like they have sorted out sight lines and released them. Circle, lower numbers are all marked at restricted view.
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Post by Ade on Feb 9, 2018 12:20:58 GMT
Rebecca Trehearn is playing Charity!!! I’ve been considering booking for this. Definitely am now.
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Post by Ade on Feb 9, 2018 7:11:55 GMT
I see Select Your Own Seat is turned on on ATG now. Wow there really isn’t a lot left. I’m quite surprised unless they have held a lot back.
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Post by Ade on Feb 8, 2018 17:30:10 GMT
Is it true that Baz might have a Chess announcement tonight?? If it isn’t and they still haven’t sorted it, at this stage they just need to grab an Elphaba, pinch a Phantom, find a Broadway name and sort someone from a soap who can sing-speak all the words. Surely anything would be better than nothing right now.
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Post by Ade on Feb 4, 2018 12:41:37 GMT
I find a lot (not all) of the American stars on Graham Norton to be a complete pain in the rear. It's usually either sit there and say nothing or hog the whole thing. Neither is entertaining. Give me guests like Vicky McClure or Keeley Hawes any day. I'm a big fan of Norton though. I don’t mind it when they hog the show, so long as they interract with the other guests and don’t just plug their film/show. The worst is when the entire couch is made up of the cast of one film, like last week with Mission Impossible. I couldn’t care less about how they did the stunts on set. Completely agree. Hate those weeks. I like the surprise of guests who don’t know each other well having good banter. I don’t expect it to just feel like one stop on a press tour.
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Post by Ade on Feb 4, 2018 8:10:06 GMT
How many tickets are still left to shift? Are they still dependent on a big name? Haven’t seen much marketing for this around London so far, apart from the occasional poster with the horrible quote “You know it so well”... The use of the black on white makes it look like the concert too. I really don’t get why they use the black on white design. It looks so dated and does nothing to bring in new audiences. To be honest if I saw it and wasn’t already familiar with the show I would probably write it off and give it a miss.
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Post by Ade on Feb 3, 2018 23:15:21 GMT
Cuba doing some singing on Graham Norton right now.......... This has actually put me off seeing it until he leaves... although I found him incredibly irritating throughout.
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Post by Ade on Feb 3, 2018 8:11:33 GMT
Hoorah! There had better be some Jonny B action there. I’m hoping so too. I’ve had to give up my tickets to The York Realist because of other plans and was looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about.
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