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Post by dan on May 21, 2021 10:05:55 GMT
So I saw the first iteration during the very lengthy previews, and the changed version once it was set (a very different second act, in fact completely different!). I’ve also read this book and loved it! I do think there’s quite a lot of snobbery about the show (alongside legitimate criticism and it can’t be for everyone!) but I absolutely loved it. It was such a huge theatrical experience and spectacle and I love seeing that, the stunts and scenery and staging etc. Really amazing. The songs suited the show well, and I really like the story (the first iteration I liked a lot more but understand why they thought that wouldn’t sell perhaps, as it was quite abstract!). I was thrilled by it, not necessarily moved by it.
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Post by dan on Oct 6, 2020 7:43:02 GMT
Surprised people have an appetite to see a musical about HIV & AIDS in amidst of a pandemic. What an incomprehensible take on Rent...?! And of how that relates to the current reality/experience.
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Post by dan on Sept 9, 2020 20:39:05 GMT
anyone else struggling to redeem their vouchers from the manchester run? I can't get the price deducted from the London price. A phone call in the morning me thinks. Was the voucher not an ATG tickets voucher? And it’s now not in an ATG theatre in London? Can’t wait to experience this show again
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Post by dan on Feb 25, 2020 8:21:46 GMT
For me, Let It Go was really effective and affective when I saw it on Broadway. It also would have made no sense to have a castle created during the song as she’s already been living there a while in the show by the time Let It Go arrives.
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Post by dan on Feb 25, 2020 8:19:29 GMT
Less than £14. Gallery. Row B. Fantastic view.
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Post by dan on Feb 20, 2020 23:08:05 GMT
Just out of first preview.... WOW. The visual spectacle is my biggest takeaway and the integration or practical effects with projection (+ lighting/sound etc) was phenomenal. One stop for a minute or two before going back to the future... but that was it. There’s a lot I could spoil.... but just go an experience it. Some great songs and superb casting too. Wild audience!
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Post by dan on Nov 9, 2019 17:19:25 GMT
I’m there Thursday...
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Post by dan on Jul 18, 2019 16:56:05 GMT
Had to contact Menier to sell on my ticket (which they’ll only do it it sells out) as there’s just no chance of me making the last train home with the 8pm start time and running time. I was so looking forward to it but now had to cancel trains etc too.
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Post by dan on Feb 20, 2019 7:47:49 GMT
I thought the show was just in between ok and good. I think I’d have liked it a lot more if I’d stumbled across it on tour or something, rather than entering a hyped up machine. Katharine clearly has a technically great voice but acting wise... just a bit blank really. I do like the romantic resolution of the story. Some good comedy moments, and I loved David Hunter, his acting, singing, character etc are all amazing. The concept of “never getting rid of me” does seem creepy and is a bit clumsily handled. The same story points and character could have been achieved less clumsily without the creep factor I think.
Just left a little cold from the show really, and maybe having seen Come From Away again recently makes it hard to not make that a relative comment, as CFA, for me, is a beautiful show filled with joy and compassion. Clearly many intense fans already going by the audience reactions to some songs and moments which just didn’t seem to make sense out of context of fandom.
I wish I’d enjoyed it more and glad for those who love it.
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Post by dan on Feb 10, 2019 16:19:50 GMT
Took my mum to see the show 1 Feb (I’d seen it on Broadway last year and was blown away and left pretty changed by it). It blew me away again and my mum was overwhelmed and adored it. I’ve never seen such an uplifting show filled with compassion, love, understanding, kindness out of such tragedy. It’s a gorgeous snapshot of how incredible human beings can be. The cast are amazing and use the simplest stagecraft to switch characters in the blink of an eye, the songs are completely fitting and tell a beautiful story. I wouldn’t want any other staging as it works perfectly. Can not wait to see it again and really hope it extends and extends through word of mouth. I also would love to see more one act shows!
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Post by dan on Dec 22, 2018 13:04:48 GMT
It certainly doesn’t need this size theatre. It fits the theatre on Broadway well. I enjoyed the show earlier this year. There is SO MUCH complaining about the “lack of ice castle” but seeing it in context, I don’t think it needed it or felt like it missed anything. More substantial set pieces would have been nice, but I know they build these things with tours in mind (that’s no justification by the way, when you’re paying broadway prices!). The new songs added a lot, cast were great, projections worked well. It was my least favourite of three shows I saw on Broadway this year, but I liked it enough. One of the better Disney adaptations to stage (behind Mary Poppins).
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Post by dan on Nov 7, 2018 18:01:22 GMT
I hope they do the Sexist Egotistical.... song from the last tour instead of the broadway Dance of Death/Cowgirl’s Revenge/Potion Notion/Joy to the Girls songs....
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Post by dan on Oct 2, 2018 18:21:13 GMT
It must be the same Kenwright your? Under creatives there isn’t anybody listed for illusions... so guessing there aren’t any. This just reminds me how bad I found the last tour and how it’s possible for different productions to make a show go from one of your favourites to one of your least. Great casting though... so who knows.
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Post by dan on Sept 14, 2018 12:02:03 GMT
I didn’t expect this announcement to garner so much negativity. I remember seeing the touring production, going in with virtually no expectations and was blown away. I loved this show and booked a few more times on that tour. I thought the story was great (as is the movie) and the songs works so well, and that cast was great. I’m not completely convinced by this casting yet but will hopefully see it with an open mind. I just hope they have the most up to date Egotistical Bigot song as I loved that and it’s not in the original version (cast recording) or amateur productions I’ve seen. I’m looking forward to a really fun show.
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Post by dan on Jul 28, 2018 19:46:31 GMT
This and Come From Away were my favourite things when I visited in February. Absolutely adored the show. I won the lottery and got a front row ticket and the immersion was fantastic. The cast were incredible and I was lost in the story from start to finish. Couldn’t recommend it more... I do wish there were more one act shows. The theatre was lovely too and we got to meet one of the chickens in the preshow (Effy I think).
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Post by dan on Jul 27, 2018 8:28:22 GMT
I wish I’d enjoyed this more than I did. I love the venue, and most of the cast were absolutely terrific. The staging was good. The songs were sung really well. I liked the orchestrations. It just didn’t hang together for me. I was so very aware that I was watching a show, which may seem an obvious statement, but I can typically get wrapped up or lost in what’s happening. But throughout I was very aware of where I was and what I was watching. I liked “Alex”’s voice, but he reminded me of somebody else and I couldn’t quite buy the performance in the role. I did like his voice a lot. I couldn’t invest in the story, which is my major issue here, I knew nothing of the story beforehand and just couldn’t quite engage with a story of lots of rich family members fall in lust (love?) with each other over time. I hope others got more from that story and the show, but for me there was a definite barrier between me and the show. I do love this venue though! There were a few fantastic numbers and separate parts, but for me they couldn’t hang together cohesively.
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Post by dan on Jul 22, 2018 9:48:53 GMT
I’m surprised by the mixed reception here, but everything can’t be for everyone. I saw this yesterday and absolutely loved it. The film struck me in a very raw emotional way, and the climax of this show got me in a similar way. Perhaps the impact of that moment (story 4) depends on personal experiences / work / life etc as well as how engaged in the show you are. I had tears streaming with the power of that moment. I wasn’t sure how they’d do the monster, and initially I wasn’t sure about it, but ultimately it worked really well for me. The stories were great, the school scenes are quite caricatured but I think some of that is the point... everything outside of the “fear” and “truth” is either mundane or caricature, in a good way (for me). I liked the staging, the music (which did feel quite Imogen Heap), the cast... but I did go in expecting to like it because of my love for the film, so completely unbiased. If it isn’t selling well, it’s a real shame. The matinee yesterday wasn’t sold out, but relatively full, and an immediate standing ovation. I really would recommend. It’s a real shame if the production or story doesn’t engage you, because I think you’d then miss the resonance and power of the climax.
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Post by dan on Jul 22, 2018 6:18:28 GMT
I saw this last night (seat N47 by the way, which had a terrific view and more than enough leg room, vertically speaking...) and thought the show was fantastic. I loved the cast and hadn’t heard any music from it beforehand, but it all felt very contextual, so not sure how much of an enjoyable experience the cast recording would be separate to the production (might give it a go). All the Alisons were phenomenal and the kids were incredible. I love the nuances of the story and storyTELLING and attaching memories to certain objects or words that then become songs about emotional memories, just a great story telling device. It does pack a nice punch, and I wish, for me, it had just something a little more at the point of story climax for her dad. I have to say though, I’d had a VERY emotional experience in the afternoon at the Old Vic down the street with A Monster Calls, so was still processing and dealing with some of the devastation of that (phenomenal show by the way), and took some adjustment to then engage fully with Fun Home... the little boy who led the kids’ commercial song was astonishing too. I do love the design and staging and linking it to how memory does or doesn’t work very well.
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Post by dan on Jul 15, 2018 11:24:15 GMT
The immersive experience was great. Very much all around us and interacting with everyone, whether it was torches in your face asking if you’d seen drug dealers, or people in the club getting you to dance along, or just coming and chatting to you, or begging... performance was all around and in three different large spaces. It was terrific and I’d thoroughly recommend it. I hope they manage to tweak the sound or that last night was a blip.
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Post by dan on Jul 15, 2018 7:53:35 GMT
I saw this last night. I love these productions and the immersion, it’s a stunning venue for this type of production and show. It was fantastic and the use of space was great. The trouble is the sound mix was pretty awful, often not being able to hear any lyrics or sometimes not even any noise when somebody was singing. It was a real shame. I know the songs and story so was fine, but my friend had no idea what was happening half of the time due to this problem. We didn’t have this issue when we saw Parade last year so I’m not sure what the sound guy was thinking really as he was walking around with the audience and his equipment. Despite that, great cast and production.
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Post by dan on Jun 8, 2018 7:50:53 GMT
Fell in love with this show in NYC this year so I’m so thrilled it’s coming over here. Jenna Russell please...!
Really the most heart warming, life affirming, humans being decent and caring, Show I’ve ever seen.
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Post by dan on Jun 5, 2018 21:22:49 GMT
The walking through the door illusion isn’t the same as the disappearing / reappearing one. The door illusion is just done through a projection so was easily recreated on the first tour. They couldn’t possibly do the “blue room” illusion on tour, you need wing space pretty much the size of the stage and it takes a lot of precision. And lighting!
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Post by dan on Jun 5, 2018 16:56:43 GMT
Yes, broadway had the same illusion,it just felt a little smaller to me (narrower stage/illusion area?). The illusion is my most “mind blown” moment I’ve ever had in a theatre.
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Post by dan on May 25, 2018 17:00:14 GMT
Got a £10 ticket today for opening night in Leicester, front row.
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Post by dan on May 17, 2018 13:27:26 GMT
Not that an ice castle wouldn’t work at some point, but it wouldn’t make any sense during Let it Go with where that song is now placed in the story, chronologically. She’s already in her castle by then in the stage musical, as far as I recall from seeing one of the previews.
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Post by dan on May 14, 2018 16:38:41 GMT
There's also a bit of pantomime, and some audience participation. Thankfully, even though I was sitting on row A, I wasn't picked on! ) Alas,visiting alone on Saturday afternoon in Nottingham, I was picked out on row A! 🤦♂️😳
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Post by dan on Apr 20, 2018 23:05:48 GMT
I saw a clip of let it go. And no will not post where I got it or how I saw it. So let it go. What concerned me was the lack of anything. Isn't Elsa Magical ? Snow can represent warmth to Elsa or protection to her and be cold to others and sign of fear. I don't know. Like why did not get her to literally make snow that could of been falling down into a castle ! I’m not sure if the clip you watched took in the whole song or stage... but she certainly does conjure a lot of magic during that song, largely shown through projections, but also some practical effects too. I don’t think clips of video projections ever do them justice but they certainly felt huge and impactful in the theatre.
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Post by dan on Apr 19, 2018 21:00:22 GMT
I guess shows can’t be for everybody. Personally, this has quickly become my favourite show (out of many many MANY shows!). I think I’d agree with the quote about the best British score, I think the cast is remarkable, the singing / harmonies / arrangements simply chillingly beautiful, the staging and set are immersive and creative, and I love the story. I’m sorry some people don’t enjoy it, but we can’t all enjoy everything. I’m really gutted I won’t get to see it again after 5 May!
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Post by dan on Apr 15, 2018 21:54:08 GMT
Literally my favourite new thing... this show continues to blow me away (third viewing yesterday) and it makes me so sad that it’s not more widely known and experienced... I think it’s the most incredible new piece of work and art and I can’t wait to see it again. I bought a print of the artwork for sale too which I love. I wish I could go A LOT more but just booked in for the last show now. I’m desperate for the score as well! Louis blows my mind each time, as does everything else about it. After having some time for it to truly sink in since first viewing, I think it’s my new number one show (competing with Parade...)
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Post by dan on Mar 19, 2018 17:21:25 GMT
So yes, they did announce at least three more weeks of tickets today...I’d booked for 14 April thinking it’d be the last show, so hopefully I get to see it another time after that too!
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