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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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Post by viserys on Feb 19, 2024 19:41:29 GMT
Simon Oskarsson. I saw him on Saturday evening after Donal was on for the matinee. He was okay. I heard from two people independently that Donal was struggling during the week and cracked more than once on the lalalalaas, whereas Simon didn't crack and did a good job, especially considering he can't have had that much rehearsal time yet. I think they might want to take Donal out for a few days longer so he's fully rested for opening night.
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Post by viserys on Feb 18, 2024 14:54:22 GMT
Hi everyone, I've joined the forum recently so I thought to make a first for what used to be my favourite musical, Hadestown. When it first opened at the NT, I unfortunately missed it, but had the privilege to see it twice on Broadway, with the original cast. I was completely in love. The set, the actors, the story and the music were perfection. I was very excited to see West End production, and attended a performance on 13/02 (I was sat in the stalls). Unfortunately, it wasn't to my liking at all. In fact, I couldn't wait for it to finish. My main problem were the actors playing Orpheus and Eurydice as they were quite underwhelming. Orpheus couldn't hit the high notes which were signature for the role and were present throughout the performance, and would fall flat on many other parts. I really wish they adjusted the songs to fit his voice, which was noticebly powerful in songs like "Wait For Me". I found Eurydice shrilling, with her portrayel lacking calm and, as another forum member (Afriley) said, sweetness in her voice. That was noticeable in several songs such as "Flowers", "Hey Little Songbird" and even "Doubt Comes In". Unfortunately I won't be seeing this production again, which is a shame because I intended to book it several more times. I rate it a 2/5 Hi Matthew, very happy to read this, as I am very much in the same boat and it's somehow good to know that I'm not alone. I saw Hadestown at the National Theatre, fell in love with it and went to New York three times to see it on Broadway (well, I saw other shows as well, but HT was the main thing which I saw a total of five times across these trips) I also felt that the London production is let down by its performers, although for me Eurydice was the smallest problem, I quite liked Grace's portrayal! That said, while Eva Noblezada has a great voice (and a better voice than Grace) I never really liked her whiny crybaby approach to the part, I so much preferred Solea Pfeiffer when she took over and Grace plays her in a similar "tough lonely wanderer" vein. As for Orpheus, I wonder if Dónal Finn has already shot his voice with a role outside his range? I've heard from two independent sources that he was pretty terrible and he's been off twice - Friday and Saturday evening so far. I saw the understudy Simon Oskarsson on Saturday afternoon and he was decent enough, as I never expected him to match my memories of Reeve Carney and his insane high notes and I was also aware that it was only his second performance and he probably hadn't had a chance to rehearse all that much yet. My main problems were Persephone and Hades though. Where one hurt or angry look was enough for Amber Gray and Jewelle Blackman to convey a wealth of emotion, Gloria Onitri tended to ridiculous overacting at times and Zachary James was no match vocally or acting-wise for any of the three Hades performers I was fortunate enough to see in New York. It was easy for Melanie La Barrie to walk away with this show, but that said, I am not sure what the reasoning behind her casting was. Sure they changed from male to female on Broadway, but I had always thought this was more a one-off stunt casting for Lillias White and more importantly, to give legends like her and before her André de Shields a chance to perform on Broadway again when good roles are SO rare for people that age. I'd rather seen a similarly aged legend get given the role of Hermes in London. Anyway, I am booked once more for July already and I do hope that Dónal Finn will turn up then, but beyond that I think I will also rather cherish my memories of the amazing people I was fortunate enough to see in New York.
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Post by viserys on Feb 17, 2024 6:49:40 GMT
Afraid I'm in the meh camp for this. I was ready to just sideline all the political stuff and generational debate and just enjoy the music, but was disappointed by a) the music-blather ratio (far too much talking) and b) that most songs were shortened, chopped by more blather and so on.
The whole thing had something "Gen Z school project" about it, the way most of the cast sat in the stadium seats in the background waiting their turn to sing and they had made sure to give as many people a chance to shine as possible. I never got a proper 80s vibe from the characters' looks either. Props to Collette Guitart for braving that awful mullet though.
I give it three stars for the great cast, even if many of them are wasted and the whole thing being mildly entertaining, but it certainly didn't bowl me over and did leave me with a sour feeling about Gen Z constantly finding fault with everything the oldies do, having weaponized "being offended" about everything, while not doing much at all that just tries to help.
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Post by viserys on Feb 14, 2024 8:34:54 GMT
It does come across as a bit frothy, which is a bit ironic since it's written by a white man.
But I think it's fair to be critical of the writing and how it presents Live Aid and whether it worked or not. And I suppose people could argue till the cows come home whether "white saviour syndrome" was something terrible at the time or not - at least those people got together and raised a lot of money and HELPED - what do today's pop stars do apart from polluting the world in their private jets and singing an endless succession of bland songs about love and relationships? Gen Z (if that's what the writer belongs to, he looks older) is always happy to find fault with everything the oldies did back in their times, but what are they actually DOING that actively helps and changes the world for the better?
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Post by viserys on Feb 13, 2024 16:31:26 GMT
Wow. Someone needs to do something about it.. There’s nothing to do. They’re selling a product and have every right to do what they did. They come across as a horrible company for doing it, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing wrong with it. I think there must be something that can be done in this case. Everyone has joined the queue at the same time, but only some people can buy at the lower price, others are charged a higher price. It's basically "bad luck" for being assigned a high number in the queue and surely that's unfair. I don't know how to express this well, but hopefully you get my drift
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Post by viserys on Feb 13, 2024 12:58:31 GMT
£125 and above showing. Maybe no markups but no bargains Could have bought a ticket for £25 on Love Theatre (but didn't).
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Post by viserys on Feb 12, 2024 18:44:33 GMT
no it's complete rubbish
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Post by viserys on Feb 12, 2024 12:53:24 GMT
Thank you for your level-headed review, which matches the more critical tones among Dutch musical fans. I feel the Dutch press was suffering from that "look what WE can do here" syndrome that often blights regional reviews and whoever wrote the English-language review on Whatsonstage seemed to have taken a bit of that herb so widely available in Amsterdam.
I wonder if Judas was suffering from the fact that musical theatre A-lister Freek Bartels dropped out at short notice and they had to find a quick replacement in "whoever is available".
I'm not a fan of Van Hove by miles, but I thought I'd take a punt on this as JCS has such a strong score and book it would survive any kind of directorial mutilations.
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Post by viserys on Feb 11, 2024 16:28:49 GMT
Is there a song list for this?
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Post by viserys on Feb 11, 2024 9:32:02 GMT
Brilliant. Methinks my credit card will take a bashing when I get there next Saturday.
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Post by viserys on Feb 11, 2024 6:06:44 GMT
On Broadway you got the tote bags cheaply when you bought something else, I have two of them and love to carry them around and carry my favourite show with me.
Are these proper mugs or the same metal (probably plastic) mugs they have on Broadway?
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Post by viserys on Feb 10, 2024 15:27:18 GMT
I just watched the movie again (before seeing the show next week) and what struck me is - you need to know what you're getting. The first time I watched the movie, I was bored, because I kept waiting for some proper plot to kick in and just sat there wondering what the fuss was about.
Now I watched it again knowing that not much would happen beyond "a whimsical trip back into childhood" and I just let myself in for that, reliving the joys of childhood discoveries and the blurring of reality and fantasy along with Mei and Satsuki and when reality finally struck hard, I was moved to tears. Needless to say I'm now much more looking forward to the stage show and see how it's been translated. "Hot cocoa and warm blankets movie" is a wonderful description.
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Post by viserys on Feb 8, 2024 14:31:16 GMT
After the Six Royalty Loyalty Scheme on Broadway now the Hadestown Passport. I really like that productions are finally acknowledging the repeat attenders and hyper fans and encourage/reward them.
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Post by viserys on Feb 8, 2024 8:03:03 GMT
So... Hugh Jackman himself with regular tickets around the £250 mark, premiums £500 and the last corner in the upper circle £100?
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Post by viserys on Feb 8, 2024 7:47:23 GMT
No, someone working on the show has confirmed the cancellation on Reddit, saying they were hoping for the fall instead now.
It was madness to begin with and certainly in this extremely crowded spring season. Part of me feels sorry for Rob Madge, but even if he is not producing himself, surely he could and should have said, no, this is too big for me, let's do it in a small Off-Broadway theatre or book a week's run at a place like 54 Below or The Green Room to see how the material goes down in New York and create a bit of buzz. You can always upscale later if it's a huge success, but once you've crashed and burned on Broadway, you're pretty much done.
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Post by viserys on Feb 5, 2024 17:07:21 GMT
I’m obsessed with Chess på svenska (2002)! Not that I can speak or understand Swedish but I don't need to, I can feel it all through the music and singing. Love this interpretation and Helen Sjoholm, just wow what a voice. Her delivery of Lämna inga dörrar på glänt (Nobody’s Side) is the best version I’ve ever heard. Tommy Korberg puts in a cracking performance too. Helen Sjoholm has a fine voice and has been associated with both Denny & Bjorn for quite some time. She plays the female lead in Kristina in a concert version of the musical at Carnegie Hall, New York, on 23 and 24 September 2009. She sang as her previous title character while Russell Watson sang as Karl Oskar. Vocally, she was in Mamma Mia- Here we go again. In the scene where they're dancing at the party, she can be heard singing Hasta Mañana. She also sang extensively with Benny Andersonn's band. Late to this particular party, but fans who discover Helen Sjöholm only belatedly might want to check out the movie Så som i himlen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_It_Is_in_Heaven) - her role isn't big but she sings one of my all-time favourite songs in this, the gorgeous "Gabriellas sång".
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Post by viserys on Feb 5, 2024 15:20:36 GMT
Donate them somewhere?
I still haven't had a chance to visit the West End Flea Market and thus don't know if it's any good, but the Broadway Flea Market always has tons of old playbills, souvenir brochures (and indeed London programmes) that are very popular with fans and collectors. The proceeds go to Broadway Cares.
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Post by viserys on Feb 2, 2024 8:09:19 GMT
My take from reading the reviews so far is - if you go in simply to enjoy the music (especially if you're the right age), you will enjoy this massively and if you pay attention to the book/story/dialogue, you end up hating this?
Are the songs sung in full or just snippets?
Sorry I'm asking so many questions - I'll be in London in two weeks and am still undecided whether to see this or not. I have a ticket for the Ralph Fiennes Macbeth in the Docklands which I am not sure I want to be using and might ditch for this. It WAS my time and there are people in the cast I like a lot, but I'm just not sure if it's worth the effort to change my plans at short notice.
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Post by viserys on Jan 30, 2024 12:13:42 GMT
What / how much is Danielle Steers singing in the show?
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Post by viserys on Jan 25, 2024 6:05:28 GMT
Yes - I can't remember the Joseph area, but I do remember the Cats section looked a bit like the junkyard and for the Starlight Express section they had used old seats from actual German regional trains, which was brilliant.
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Post by viserys on Jan 24, 2024 19:41:49 GMT
Yes, the "Backstage Restaurant" - the first one was in Essen actually when they opened the Colosseum Theatre there. Stuttgart then got a copy inside the SI Centrum, where the two theatres were (well, still are). One of the few truly inspired ideas they had.
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Post by viserys on Jan 24, 2024 12:22:53 GMT
They went bust and most of the theatres went to Stage Entertainment. The biggest irony is that the only theatre/production Stage Entertainment did not want was the Starlight Express Theatre in Bochum - and that's still going strong, while Stage Entertainment has by now closed/sold three of Stella's old theatres and most of their shows sell terribly. partytentdown - if you want more detailed information or have questions, feel free to PM me. I witnessed the rise and fall of Stella throughout the 80s and 90s and at one point wrote a bit of a "book" on the development of musicals in Germany - never even tried for publication, just as a way to explain the madness here in Germany to foreign musical lovers, but it did mean I compiled a lot of information.
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Post by viserys on Jan 22, 2024 7:30:57 GMT
I always believed this would sell well - the workshop performances at the Other Palace a few years ago sold very quickly. My only surprise is why it took them so long to take the plunge! It's tricky - ALW is by no means a "bestseller" anymore as Cinderella and Aspects of Love proved and even the revival of Cats (the behemoth of a hit show in the 80s through early 90s) didn't do all that well. So it was by no means guaranteed that another ALW revival would suddenly become a smash hit. My guess is that apart from nostalgia one big factor is ticket prices. So many current shows charge huge sums for small casts, small bands, mono stage sets, etc. - with Starlight Express people KNOW they will get spectacle, so they are far more prepared to spend big in advance without worrying if they'll be getting their money's worth. I also said from the start that I personally think the location in Wembley is a pro, not a con, as it's far more accessible by car without having to drive into the West End from the regions and cheaper and more convenient too when travelling with the whole family.
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Post by viserys on Jan 19, 2024 13:57:34 GMT
cuts/changes to the book took out most of the jokes and the character development of the two female leads. Plus they cut the first 2 songs so the first 10 minutes or so feel a bit flat. Those were my main quibbles too, it took a long time to get going without the upbeat "Fortune favours the brave" at the beginning and I dearly missed the beginning and end with Amneris coming alive to sing "Every story is a love story" and at the end melt back into a statue. The thing I absolutely did not understand is why they eliminated every reference to Aida being a slave - I understand slavery is a touchy issue in the USA, but there's no way around that Aida was one and in fact that despite being enslaved she was strong, proud and unbowed made her such a compelling figure both for the audience and for Radames who fell hook, line and sinker for her. Instead they seemed hellbent on showcasing her and her mom as some tough-ass warrior princesses - at least in my opinion it was a completely misguided attempt to create stronger female characters in a show that had compelling strong female characters to begin with. I also wasn't a fan of the new orchestrations - so much of "Aida" is great, just because it's all-out gorgeous power ballads drowning you in sound and the cast was barely given a chance to shine. Finally, the original version had a minimalistic concept but still put money on display, as in "My Strongest Suit" - this new version just looked cheap throughout.
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Post by viserys on Jan 17, 2024 9:10:38 GMT
It's getting some very weird shows I don't know what you consider "weird" but Broadway is starting into an absolute bumper season with 12 musicals (so far) announced and an eclectic mix for everyone - jukebox, movie/book adaptations, revivals and brand-new stuff. Also thematically a huge variety from a drippy love story like Notebook to introducing strong women like Tamara de Lempicka to a broader audience and adaptations of well-known classics like The Outsiders and The Great Gatsby. Not all of them will be GREAT, but surely the choice alone is amazing and certainly an improvement over the last years when so much rubbish aimed at teenagers was brought to Broadway (before Covid). As for London, the mix is far less eclectic and interesting for me personally, but still quite a few new shows coming in, both great stuff (Hadestown) and meh stuff (MJ/Mean Girls) from Broadway, some big and very different revivals like Hello Dolly and Starlight Express and quirky new English shows as per the Observer's article. So, not sure what's there to moan about really, especially when it comes to Broadway.
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Post by viserys on Jan 11, 2024 12:53:45 GMT
Note that this is an oddball schedule; most shows have only one 3pm performance on Sunday except a few weeks per year. They'll probably update it next week to the normal schedule.
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Post by viserys on Jan 9, 2024 11:34:54 GMT
Ouch, poor Carrie. For clarification alicechallice, I'm German myself, I find it strange and weird to see this post in a British theatre forum to begin with (and would find it just as strange if a Brit barreled into a German theatre forum shrieking about Gary Lineker or Wayne Rooney). And yea Beckenbauer "bought" the world cup 2006 for Germany, which was not a good look.
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