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Post by tom on Dec 8, 2017 20:41:55 GMT
At the show this evening. Interval at mo and loving it so far. Think this size production suits the piece. Contrary to what the producer of BILB was saying... The
Cast
Sound
Glorious!
Enjoying it WAY more than the performance I saw of Les Mis a few weeks back.
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Post by tom on Nov 25, 2017 19:36:54 GMT
Heard a few more songs from the broadway recording and the more I listen, the more annoying it gets. Wish I hadn’t booked for this now. Shame you can’t transfer tickets. Not st all excited but I’m hoping it’ll surprise me as it must be this popular for a reason!?
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Post by tom on Nov 20, 2017 22:06:47 GMT
Break a leg tonight as TWIW starts previews... can't wait to read reports Still looks very empty most nights. I am booked to see this early December - wondering if I should have a plan B in case it doesn't last that long!
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Post by tom on Nov 5, 2017 23:46:36 GMT
Saw the show on Saturday and was disappointed. In my opinion the current cast are one of the weakest in a long while. I like Killian Donnelly but he wasn’t right for the part of valjean. He is too young and not physically strong looking enough to be believable. He has a very good voice but his Bring Him Home was not the show stopper it should have been. Hayden Tee was all sorts of wrong as Javert. He spoke sang and sounded hoarse. The Male ensemble cast were generally far too young to be believable as burly prisoners/ gang members. Marius was like 15 years old and didn’t have the vocal power needed. Eponine needed major work on her diction, although I liked her “On My Own” on the whole. You couldn’t hear a word she said in “A Little Fall if Rain” though. Not a fan of Cosette at all. No power. She hit notes with staccato with a very young sounding unpowerful bell like voice. Fantine had potential. She was very quiet when speaking and during the factory scene but started “I Dreamed a Dream” very well. When it came to belting however, she was shouting in the wrong key! The guy playing thenardier was good. A very good balance of humour and menace. He had a good voice too. Overall, I think the score is amazing but the show is so lacklustre when the cast is not right.
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Post by tom on Oct 18, 2017 21:02:02 GMT
Marisha is good but hugely overrated by some in my opinion (including Marisha herself!) Glad there’s some new blood as I’d not bother returning if she took over. Once seeing her as Effie is enough for me. I would go back to see amber though and even Karen to see how she’s improved.
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Post by tom on Sept 24, 2017 8:34:11 GMT
Post above from Princeton is correct. He injured his Achilles earlier in the year, and was replaced last minute by Sam Edwards for On The Town. Will probably be a while before he does the jump. Ben Lewis also didn't pick Christine up and place her in the boat. She lay down where she fainted and then ran to boat when the lights went dark. Very odd.
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Post by tom on Sept 21, 2017 5:48:21 GMT
I'm not sure if I like Kelly Mathieson. I don't think she looks like a Christine. I also think she sounds too mature for the role/too trained/not innocent or sweet enough. At times she sounds like one of those 40 year old Broadway Christines from a few years back. I also don't like that she sings the Broadway cadenza. The one they normally do in London has much more charm I think. When I visit the show I would love to see Amy Manford. I saw Kelly this week and her voice is actually really strong. Was not convinced by her acting though. She overacted in my opinion and it was too much. Agree about the Think of Me cadenza.
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Post by tom on Sept 6, 2017 21:40:11 GMT
Rachel, Louise and Mark (athough he was only average)
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Post by tom on Sept 6, 2017 21:31:43 GMT
Not kept count of how many times I've seen the show but it is not anywhere near as high as some despite the number of cast members I have seen - just more spread out.
ELPHABA: Rachel Tucker Jennifer Dinoia Willemijn Verkaik Mandy Gonzales Kerry Ellis (Based on her first run - lower later on) Shona White Nikki Davis Jones Louise Dearman Alexia Khadime Natalie Andreou Gemma Atkins
GLINDA: Louise Dearman Katie Rose Clarke Dianne Pilkington Gina Beck Suzie Mathers Savannah Stevenson Charlotte Scott Carina Gillespie Helen Dallimore Lucy Van Gasse
Not bothering with Fiyero because I can't remember them all and it is a boring part.
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Post by tom on Sept 2, 2017 16:57:08 GMT
Saw Marisha this afternoon which means I have now seen all 3 Effies. Marisha was excellent but I still think Amber was better. Definitely vocally. The acting marisha may have been slightly better if not a bit too over the top. Karen was decent. On a side note, the second act was delayed due to some commotion in the circle. No idea what happened as I was in stalls. Think someone was removed. Anyone know?
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Post by tom on Aug 26, 2017 16:09:33 GMT
I know a lot of songs but it was the first time I saw a whole production. Only issue I have as a Christian with the piece itself is the strange ending. The story should not end with the death. As a non-Christian I prefer the musical the way it is. Nothing in the musical shows Jesus to actually be the son of God. It is shown as it could feasibly have happened and how I personally imagine it would be. If he rose again then it would be as far fetched as Wicked! (Obviously this is my opinion and I am not saying others aren't entitled to their own)
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Post by tom on Aug 7, 2017 21:56:29 GMT
Marisha has just tweeted that she's on tonight as Effie straight from holiday.... I don't like the way marisha comes across on twitter. She's very self promoting and She retweets everything that mentions her. She's the only main Effie I've not seen and from the videos I've seen it looks like she goes over the top with the screeching but want to see her myself to judge. She doesn't come across as a team player. In it for herself.
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Post by tom on Jul 30, 2017 11:50:49 GMT
I preferred Tanya to Eva in Miss Saigon but was she understudy or alternate?
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Evita
Jul 30, 2017 10:12:10 GMT
via mobile
Post by tom on Jul 30, 2017 10:12:10 GMT
Not physically crumpled, she just couldn't get through her solo, started off out of key and then lost confidence. Luckily, the actor playing her mother joined in to help her out. Oh OK. I was imagining her bursting into tears or something. When I saw a previous tour with Rachael Wooding as Evita I am pretty sure the little girl soloist was miming to a prerecorded track. Is Buenos Aires sung live now too? I much preferred the tour version to the revival at The Adelphi. The set was obviously inferior but it just felt better to me somehow.
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Post by tom on Jul 25, 2017 12:19:38 GMT
I was taking my niece who loved it. I dont see why Miranda would get any more laughs than her understudy as long as she played the part the way it was written? You don't really understand acting then. Ok 🙄
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Post by tom on Jul 25, 2017 5:51:01 GMT
Or perhaps, and this is a long shot I know, there are some people who actually find Miranda Hart funny and therefore their laughter isn't fake. They simply find her funny. Just a thought . .
...and why buy the ticket in the first place if you don't like Miranda or people "fake" laughing at her?
I was taking my niece who loved it. I dont see why Miranda would get any more laughs than her understudy as long as she played the part the way it was written, so not sure why people finding her funny would make them laugh more? Anyway, I stand by my review of the show being boring and the set and production being far too cheap for the prices being charged. The cast were good though.
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Post by tom on Jul 22, 2017 18:14:03 GMT
Miranda off again today for both shows Yep. I'm at the matinee today and glad to have someone who can sing the role and that people won't fake laugh at everything they say and do. Well that was as dull as expected. Never really liked Annie. Some decent performances but zzz!
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Post by tom on Jul 22, 2017 13:00:38 GMT
Miranda off again today for both shows Yep. I'm at the matinee today and glad to have someone who can sing the role and that people won't fake laugh at everything they say and do.
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176 posts
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Post by tom on Jul 17, 2017 21:41:26 GMT
For me hasn't been the same since October 2012 ... Haven't seen this current cast once. How do you know it hasn't been the same then? 🙄
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Post by tom on Jun 2, 2017 20:22:34 GMT
I thought Karen was really good but then I saw Amber...a whole other level!
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Post by tom on May 12, 2017 19:29:59 GMT
The recording is OK but it has all the same issues I had with the show - Liisi's voice is not one I enjoy listening to apart from in Listen which was also her only amazing vocal when I saw the show live both times and Joe Aaron Reid's voice is generally weak. Amber is obviously the star of the show and she sounds amazing on this as does Tyrone. Never got to see Ibinabo as Lorrell as she was off the first time I went and she sounds decent. I saw Candace (who was good) and Asmeret Ghebremichael (who was superb) and I think Asmeret sounds best of those. Adam J Bernard is excellent on the recording but is better in person. I think as a stand alone cast recording it is not solid (and consistent) enough compared to the other Dreamgirls recordings out there. It is a shame there are weak links in an otherwise amazing cast.
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Post by tom on May 10, 2017 21:29:16 GMT
I liked Louise Dearman as Glinda more than as Elphaba. Dianne and Gina were good too but Louise for me.
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Post by tom on Apr 13, 2017 21:06:02 GMT
Afraid I thought this had a rubbish book and forgettable music but a very good cast, most of which are wasted in non-singing roles. The child we saw was excellent.
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Post by tom on Feb 25, 2017 9:32:07 GMT
It wasnt something just to be laughed off though. The muck ups you refer to at Wicked rarely if ever interrupt the flow of the performance. This clearly did!! I saw a wicked show where Andy Mace was so full of himself that he changed the accent of dr dillamond and changed lines etc. How arrogant was that? It also affected the story greatly as it turned the bits where he is taken away into comedy!? Of course the obsessives found it hilarious and there was a competition as to who could laugh the loudest to show they "got it". I felt sorry for the audience that hadn't realised it was a "muck-up matinee" I have disliked Andy Mace since. If the cast are going to do something it should not affect the performance. I don't think Mel was that bad as Roxie is a comedic song anyway and she's sort of supposed to be speaking to the audience then anyway.
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Post by tom on Dec 28, 2016 10:42:41 GMT
For me it's Jesus Christ Superstar at Open air Theatre followed by Sunset Boulevard.
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Post by tom on Dec 28, 2016 9:34:26 GMT
I know it is upsetting when an understudy is on for a role you want to see the original performer play (Amber) but how is Karen in the role? Saw the show last night through a lottery win. Heard lots of people moaning before the show re:Amber but Karen was actually really good. She got huge applause and standing O by end. Liisi was back on for Deena in the evening performance after missing the matinee and previous shows and took a while for me to warm to her. Not a huge fan of her voice until Listen. Second Cover on for Lorrell who was great apart from one messsed up line in a song. Either the guy playing Curtis was quite ill or he simply is miscast as he struggled on almost every high note. Lily Fraser was disappointing as Michelle which is a shame as I've loved her in other shows. Other standouts were Tyrone Huntley and Adam J Bernard - both have amazing voices and acted well. Overall, I enjoyed the show and there were some amazing moments but the score can get a bit samey and shouty in places. May go again to see if Amber is much better but I think she's more likely to be on a par.
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Post by tom on Oct 18, 2016 19:49:00 GMT
Alice's Defying Gravity and No Good Deed for anyone interested. A bit too shouty but better than a lot of previous London Elphabas!
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Post by tom on Oct 7, 2016 21:39:09 GMT
This question may have been asked before - so apologies if it has. Does Rachel usually do Saturday Matinee? Welcome to Theatreboard, lynnm. Yes, unless cast holidays are announced on the official web site (which is what many are currently waiting for to specifically see the standby) and barring illness, both leads do all eight shows a week. Many are waiting for Rachel to be off? Think many more are waiting for holiday dates to ensure they don't miss her.
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Post by tom on Sept 30, 2016 22:52:39 GMT
OK - I need some advice with this show. I generally love ALW shows and have seen them ALL in the WE from Jesus Christ Superstar at the Palace Theatre to Stephen Ward and all of them in between. So that's a big plus, so I don't want to miss his latest show.... BUT I hate rock music and loathe kids - especially onstage. Annie/Matilda etc. set my teeth on edge - all that stage school awfulness! "Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll kill yer tomorrow....." So do I book for this? Am I going to love it or hate it? Shall I just go for a cheap seat, but even then it's a night of my life I'll never get back if I hate it? I think that first of all you need to get over yourself and realise that a lot of the kids in shows like Matilda are actually better performers than the adults in the same shows and second of all, if you liked Stephen ward, you'll like anything!
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Post by tom on Sept 27, 2016 19:12:17 GMT
Someone said it started at 8!?
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