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Post by viserys on Apr 23, 2024 7:05:28 GMT
Without knowing your tastes it's hard to recommend anything!
Quite a few of the new shows are struggling already and are likely to close in June if they can't haul in some major Tonys that will extend their lifespan. Which also (probably) means they won't come to London.
Personally I'm sorry to see that Lempicka is shaping up to be a flop, I'm a major fan of Rachel Chavkin's work (Comet, Hadestown) and it should have been the tale of a fascinating, strong and unconventional (real) woman, but apparently the book is a major mess. Still, might be one of those "rarities" you'll someday be glad to have seen.
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Post by viserys on Apr 22, 2024 17:59:28 GMT
Since there was interest in this show... the local paper published an article today wondering if Hercules was flopping due to bad ticket sales one month after opening: www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/kultur/article242154616/Disneys-Hercules-Wird-das-Musical-zum-Flop.htmlThe article is behind a paywall, but I ran it through Google Translate: Hamburg. The piece had its premiere four weeks ago at the Stage Theater in the Neue Flora, but there are still plenty of tickets available. “From zero to hero”: Four weeks ago, Hercules , the son of the gods , set out to fight for a place in Olympus – and in the hearts of musical fans. It was the first premiere of a Disney musical in Hamburg , so expectations were high for the stage adaptation of the animated film from 1997. “The stage production of the Disney sandal opera has a great ensemble and lots of show value, but struggles with weaknesses in the original film “, said the Abendblatt in its premiere review. And now advance ticket sales are also weakening. Although “Disney's Hercules” has only been running at the Stage Theater in the Neue Flora for a good month, there are still plenty of tickets available for all performances, both on the cheaper weekdays and for the weekend performances. And almost always in all price categories. If you take a look at the seating plans in the advance booking portal, “Hercules” is currently selling worse than the 23-year-old top dog “The Lion King”, but better than the newly released oldie “Dance of the Vampires” in the operetta house - and that's about equal the level of “Frozen” , which has been residing in the Stage Theater an der Elbe since November 2021. Anna and Elsa are currently celebrating their 1000th performance and will move to Stuttgart after the final curtain on September 29, 2024 to make way for “MJ – The Michael Jackson Musical”. Stage Theater Hamburg: Comparing “Hercules” musical with “Frozen” is difficult Stage Entertainment does not want to confirm that “Hercules”, like “Hamilton” before it, seems to fail due to its commercial demands: “'Hercules' has had a super start. We are absolutely satisfied with the demand," says Stage Entertainment spokesman Stephan Jaekel in response to an inquiry from Abendblatt, "in fact, booking behavior is almost at the level of 'Frozen' at the time of comparison, and this had a premiere in the run-up to Christmas , which usually provides additional incentive to buy.” However, it must be noted that “Frozen” premiered in the middle of the pandemic, that stricter access rules (only for vaccinated and convalescent people) came into force at the time of the opening performances in November 2021, and that tourism, going out and gastronomy were more reminiscent of the realm of the dead of Hercules -Enemy Hades remembered. So a comparison is difficult.
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Post by viserys on Apr 22, 2024 6:52:31 GMT
To be honest I think the broadway reviews are bit more spot on than the London raves. It was all very emperors new clothes to me. Agreed! Agreed, too! Were they really harsh towards Gayle Rankin though or more towards how Sally is being played here - which I didn't like either, especially the stupid shouty "Cabaret" at the end? I also feel Broadway is less receptive to the gimmickry of turning the theatre inside out and upside down for a semi 'immersive' experience. Somehow the reviews now make me feel more validated in not being thrilled by the show when I saw it in London (in its first months with Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley).
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Post by viserys on Apr 18, 2024 14:55:06 GMT
Nancy's song isn't a lesson to live by, it's tragic Sure, I know that, but personally I just don't want to see female characters anymore whose lives are entirely defined by men and/or whose only point in the show is to orbit around men. Much like the dreadful Miss Saigon gained a lot by casting a female Engineer and thereby redress the power balance somewhat, I think it may be a lot of fun to cast a female Fagin to offset the drippy Nancy. Anyway, don't mind me, I have very strong feelings about these issues On a selfish level I'm glad that this is another show I can happy give a miss, freeing me up for things I'd rather see or save a lot of money on shortening my London trips!
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Post by viserys on Apr 18, 2024 13:32:25 GMT
I guess Oliver is similar to Annie or Joseph in that many people have been part of am dram/school productions, so it was their intro to musical theatre and a new big revival every 20 years or so is the right time interval to haul the next generation into the theatre.
Personally I couldn't care less, it's even mildly amusing to me that Carousel keeps getting trashed for supposedly promoting domestic violence while nobody seems to have a problem with a character like Nancy, whose only raison d'etre in the show seems to be belt out a drippy song how she'll stick by her evil violent boyfriend, who beats her.
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Post by viserys on Apr 14, 2024 17:53:31 GMT
Love that for once being abroad is an advantage as I can comfortably watch on TV in Germany. No real surprises for me so far.
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Post by viserys on Apr 13, 2024 7:26:58 GMT
Lyn Paul played the lead in Blood Brothers for a long time, too, no?
Julie Yammamee was also in Priscilla, IIRC.
Not a cast I would personally book for, but definitely names. It just sort of reflects my own feelings that we haven't really had big "diva names" in the West End for a longer while with people like Imelda Staunton (who I'd still class more a TV/movie actress than a musical theatre diva) hogging classical diva roles like Mama Rose, Sally and now Dolly, or American divas like Stephanie J Block being brought over for Kiss Me Kate (and soon Vanessa Williams in Rrada), while potential proper West End divas like Hannah Waddingham seem to be lost to television and her own shows. Maybe it's also a reflection of the fact that we've mainly had shows that don't put anyone in particular center stage (like Six) or the deluge of "small quirky shows" that are all well and nice, but also don't lend themselves to propelling someone to the A-League.
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Post by viserys on Apr 11, 2024 10:18:29 GMT
Actually she's the main draw for me, too. She was out the night I went to see that steaming pile of seagull poo Jamie Lloyd cooked up and while I had a ticket for the most recent Macbeth, I ended up not going. So third time lucky.
But I thought "Oscar winner Rami Malek of Bohemian Rhapsody fame" would have been a bigger draw as such.
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Post by viserys on Apr 11, 2024 9:26:13 GMT
me, too - got exactly what I wanted.
Guess Rami Malek isn't that much of a draw, despite winning an Oscar. Nothing compared to the fuss around Tom Spider-Man Holland for sure!
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Post by viserys on Apr 8, 2024 18:46:16 GMT
Do we know exactly where in Germany? I have friends just outside of Cologne. In Hildesheim at the Theater für Niedersachsen - they've been doing great work with musicals for some time now! Bit far for a day trip from Cologne (I'm in Cologne, too!) but it's worth going for a weekend. We combined the last trip to Hildesheim with a visit to nearby Hanover and the Herrenhäuser Gärten, the gardens of the (no longer existant) castle that spawned the Hanoverians who took over the English throne. Mind that it will run in repertory from September, so before you all plan something, wait for the exact dates when it will be on. www.tfn-online.de/
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Post by viserys on Apr 8, 2024 16:29:06 GMT
If you want any help/questions answers, hmu! I'm definitely going.
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Post by viserys on Apr 8, 2024 13:43:35 GMT
ceebee - you (and maybe others) might be interested to hear that Groundhog Day will have a German production in autumn, even with English surtitles. Not quite as far to fly as Australia
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Post by viserys on Apr 6, 2024 18:15:30 GMT
I wish they would announce the date a longer while ahead, I keep missing it because I have to plan my London trips a few months ahead. I'm already booked for the Broadway Flea Market in September, because THEY announce the date a long time ahead.
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Post by viserys on Apr 4, 2024 16:17:26 GMT
Can we assume this will be on sale elsewhere, too? I really don't feel like paying 9€ shipping to continental Europe for a 15€ CD-set.
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Post by viserys on Mar 30, 2024 8:54:26 GMT
Foreign traveller here, too, mostly focused on musicals. I really mourn the loss of in-person day seats as they were something you could actively control by being there early enough. And being a tourist with nothing to do, it was great for me, get to the theatre around 8-9am (depending on a show's popularity), wait in line with a coffee and a good book, get a cheap ticket, walk off happily.
Today's options are all a game of luck - getting tickets in online rush/lottery is by no means guaranteed, dynamic pricing can go any which way and you never know what seats are left. It's great for locals who can just keep checking the booking website until a great seat at a dynamic discount pops up for a show they want to see and head out - but not for anyone outside London.
And as others have mentioned, hotel prices have become insane as well, so between that and being forced to book theatre tickets at full price ahead if I really want to see something, my London trips have become so much more expensive, that I struggle to justify them.
An additional factor for me is that when I spend half a day traveling from the continent to get to London, I want to see something big and spectacular. Small "quirky" shows with a cast of four and one basic stage set certainly have their own merits, but are just not worth travelling for. I might squish one of those in if I have a free slot and the subject interests me (which has become rarer and rarer, too).
Funny enough this has steered me more towards Broadway of all places. While lots of people moan (rightly) about the (regular) prices on Broadway, it's much easier for out-of-towners to get discounted tickets to all but the most hyped shows - most do in-person rush at the box office and TKTS still does 40-50% off for lots of shows on the day of. And right now Broadway has tons of interesting new big shows with half a dozen more already in the pipeline. And while hotel prices in Manhattan used to feel insane, London is now almost on par with them, so the only "obstacle" that remains is the higher flight price to get across the Atlantic.
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Post by viserys on Mar 28, 2024 10:04:58 GMT
I'm with d'James here. A FEW changes and re-workings are certainly okay, but there's a limit to that, I think. People return to existing shows (when they are being revived) to hear songs they loved before and want to love again.
Would you go and see Evita if songs like "Don't cry for me Argentina" and "Oh What a Circus" are missing?
At least when ALW sort of re-launched the show in 1992, he called it The New Starlight Express.
Now... people have been buying tickets under the assumption they're seeing something that resembles the show they remember and love.
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Post by viserys on Mar 27, 2024 14:13:09 GMT
I am still boggling at new names like "Oil Slick" Where are you seeing these? Cast members have been sharing some of the roles they are playing on their individual Instagram pages, one gal shared that she's covering Greaseball, Belle and ... Slick Oil (not Oil Slick, though that hardly makes it better). Some other new names are Grey Wolf, Orange Flash and Blue Horizon, which I assume are new names for the engines? And one guy plays Tassita the Quiet Car.
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Post by viserys on Mar 27, 2024 11:59:08 GMT
I am still boggling at new names like "Oil Slick"
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Post by viserys on Mar 27, 2024 10:13:30 GMT
A woman as Greaseball, lack of Poppa, and a suspiciously short runtime? Pass. Hard pass. Poppa is Momma now But yea, Greaseball seems the weirdest role of all to genderswap, since he's very much another clone of ALW's faible for Elvis (like the Pharaoh in Joseph and the Rum Tum Tugger in Cats). I suppose they think that a guy all the girls fawn and swoon over doesn't wash in today's climate, but what do I know. I HOPE there is a concept behind all of this, but after all the earlier hamfisted changes... who knows.
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Post by viserys on Mar 27, 2024 9:46:09 GMT
says it's the professional debut for most of them, at least the leads (which I clicked on).
Wonder why only the leads are named with roles but not all the minor roles like Buffy/Belle, Ashley/Carrie (whatever the latest names are), C.B./Caboose, Dustin, the Rockies...
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Post by viserys on Mar 22, 2024 17:06:18 GMT
I wonder if a London return will happen if it's a success on Broadway, Very likely I'd say, both Groundhog Day and Hadestown came back (eventually) and Tammy Faye has even stronger Brit ties with Elton John and Katie Brayben. However the Palace is a huge barn to fill and Elton alone doesn't sell tickets (Lestat, anyone?), so I wonder how much pulling power it has.
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Post by viserys on Mar 8, 2024 14:58:35 GMT
Bonnie Tyler?
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Post by viserys on Mar 7, 2024 9:53:03 GMT
It was a JOKE… remember those? Steve is clearly a very discerning and passionate theatregoer. Exactly that's why I thought it was very strange you commented like you did. Given how many toxic comments you leave across various threads, it was not clear to me that this one was meant to be a joke, especially with the ROFL emojis that were added to it. To me, it's the winking emoji that conveys irony/a joke. Anyway, I apologize for misreading this particular situation, which doesn't change the fact that the general tone of the forum has become pretty toxic more recently. As I have no intention of seeing MJ, I'm outta this thread now
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Post by viserys on Mar 7, 2024 7:37:02 GMT
I think any credibility went out the window when saying “I loved Thriller live” 🤣🤣 It's this kind of toxic post that makes me want to engage less and less with this board, let alone post my thoughts and review. God beware anyone who might veer off the general consensus that Stephen Sondheim Is God, ALW is the Anti-Christ and that jukebox musicals are generally terrible rubbish? Can we just accept that tastes are different to begin with and that it is absolutely possible to both enjoy a highbrow piece from time to time AND some switch-your-brain-off fun show?
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Post by viserys on Mar 5, 2024 8:54:25 GMT
The only Disney musical that was properly aimed at an adult audience was "Aida" which was also the one that wasn't based on a movie.
Movies that were based on adult-themed materials like Hunchback were watered down to the point of tedium to make them palatable to the typical Disney audience. Hercules definitely falls under the typical family fare though, snappy dialogues, a goofy hero and sassy heroine, funny sidekicks and a pantomime baddie. If it gets kids interested in Greek mythology, all the better, but even Lion King has a more grown-up feel about it than this.
Sadly Stage Entertainment has gone to ridiculous length to scare off the audience. Gotta love the new price categories of "Premium Front Row", "Premium Plus" and "Premium" before regular Category 1 begins somewhere around Row 20 and is still way above 100 Euro. I'll sit back and wait for the Dutch version, that will a) have fairer prices to begin with and b) far more generous discounts in due time.
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Post by viserys on Mar 1, 2024 6:23:57 GMT
Wait - is that for real?? yes, I got the loyalty card when I went Visit 6 gets you a badge, Visit 12 the signed poster. While I'm not sure it's an amazing incentive (those who see a show so often will likely also be frequenting the stage door to get stuff signed there) I love the fact that some productions are starting to reward fans. I hope somewhere down the line we might see "see us 10 times, get the 11th visit for free" offer or some genuinely special thing like a Meet & Greet.
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Post by viserys on Feb 26, 2024 12:41:52 GMT
Orpheus - Simon Oskarsson, Tiago Dhondt Bamberger Eurydice - Madeline Charlemagne, Miriam Nyarko, Beth Hinton-Lever Hades - Christopher Short, Waylon Jacobs Persephone - Lauren Azania, Ryesha Higgs Hermes - Waylon Jacobs, Allie Daniel, Winny Herbert
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Post by viserys on Feb 26, 2024 11:38:00 GMT
If this is now the official pinned introduction thread, maybe it should be renamed, so that not only new members feel like they should say hello, but all the oldies can introduce themselves too?
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Post by viserys on Feb 23, 2024 10:04:19 GMT
Yea, but Bochum keeps being updated as well, most recently for the 30th anniversary following the TOP workshops, which is an update that hasn't been properly staged in the UK so far. So this is still an update for the UK, but it could also be an update of this update...
Considering the amount of times this show has been fiddled with, I don't think it's wrong to wonder what exactly will arrive at Wembley. An "update of an update" might also mean that they have realized how shockingly misguided some updates were and have reversed them, such as the godawful new version of the overture or the supposedly feminist but ultimately regressive and sexist change from Poppa to Momma.
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Post by viserys on Feb 22, 2024 13:28:02 GMT
The WOS review was a fun read, too. Sounded like a Five-Star-Review, except that she was miffed by the ending... which she could/should have seen coming.
I have no idea what the ES's writer's problem with the Wall was or why it bothered him so much in a show that's overall so very meta.
Ah, well, happy overall with the reception.
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