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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 21, 2023 16:02:30 GMT
Having gorgeous pictures of Charlie all over the tube would certainly get me into the theatre. Perhaps having them perform more on television (not that that is an easy thing to do) could help as well. People, in this day and age, want to know what they are getting before spending a lot of money on theatre tickets. I also think they should market more to the LGBT+ community on this one.This is going to be a dumb thing to ask but why? It's a musical with Gershwin songs, it's not exactly La Cage Aux Folles or Kinky Boots. I'm wondering why too. I've not seen this production yet but I don't recall anything gay-orientated in the Regent's Park production (unless you count Samuel Holmes, who played pretty much the same camp character in CFY as he has in the half a dozen other shows I've seen him in since!). Has this Chichester production had a re-write to make some of the characters gay or something?
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 18, 2023 19:44:34 GMT
Well you should like it MORE. It’s in another league to that awful Regent’s Park version- which basically ripped off the Stroman choreography. As I really enjoyed the Regent's Park production & that was the first production I saw I'm not expecting to like this one as much because usually when I love the first production I see of a show & see it multiple times then it's the definitive one in my mind & no matter how good any subsequent productions I see are they can't replace that first one as definitive for me.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 17, 2023 12:12:09 GMT
Despite previous comments on here that the lottery seats offered on Fridays for the following week are better than those offered on Mondays for 4 weeks ahead, when the lottery email arrived a few minutes ago I thought I'd have a look for 2nd August. Several front row seats were available so, as an inveterate front-rower whenever ticket prices allow it, I immediately snapped one up. If anyone tells me front row doesn't allow feet to be seen then I'm not bothered. I saw the Regent's Park transfer 8 times at the Novello from the front row & only being able to see the dancers from the knees up in no way impeded my enjoyment of that production. I only hope I like this production even half as much as that one (I very much doubt I will like it as much).
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 13, 2023 21:13:21 GMT
I went for the equalish numbers of both option but the option I actually need would read "I see ballet, opera, musicals, plays (mostly Mischief) and a bit of improv".
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 13, 2023 13:08:39 GMT
I’ve seen Don John booed at the end of Much Ado About Nothing, I doubt the actor took it as a criticism of his performance - it’s not Opera after all. I've seen a Pinkerton get pantomime booed so it does occasionally happen at the opera too. The tenor looked rather upset by it. He wasn't British so may not have understood that it was aimed at his character rather than his performance. Hence why I think pantomime booing certainly has no place at the opera, though I dislike it at plays & musicals too (I never go to pantomimes).
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 10, 2023 21:06:15 GMT
I've just signed up for the lottery & the confirmation email says you get re-entered automatically 4 times before having to re-sign up. Has anyone worked out if, given their are 2 draws per week, that's 4 draws or 4 weeks you are automatically re-entered for? I don't actually want to go until 2nd August, as that's the next time I have a free matinee slot on a day CFY has a matinee. so would want the lottery on 28th July. That is 2 and a half weeks and 5 draws away, if I've calculated correctly, hence knowing if I'll need to re-enter or if it'll be covered by my entry today would be useful. Worried I have signed up too soon & will get offered tickets for when I don't want to go, then won't be able to get a ticket for when I actually do want to go.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 7, 2023 15:26:17 GMT
Yes. I found it tedious both the production and musically. I LOVE Cosi but the others leave me cold and bored. Mozart was not a good dramatist, in my book I seem to remember rather enjoying it, though I from what I recall there was only one really good aria in it. I like most of Mozart's major operas, if done in decent productions with casts who can act as well as sing, and Nozze is among my favourite half a dozen operas.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 7, 2023 15:21:00 GMT
Thanks FrontroverPaul. It sounds pleasant rather than unmissable. A full orchestra and a large choir - with performances by the men, the women or all depending on the song - plus four excellent soloists who I think were from the choirs. Two of the four soloists listed on Cadogan Hall's website, Hannah Pedley & Toby Stafford-Allen, are opera singers who I've seen in the past. Therefore I would have thought all the soloists were professional soloists rather than choir members.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 7, 2023 13:07:13 GMT
Rodgers & Hammerstein Concert at Cadogan Hall. May I ask how this was? I'd thought about going but decided not to, as I'd been to a similar concert last year & I'm rather short of money at the moment.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 7, 2023 13:03:55 GMT
I've left two operas in the interval because I found the productions unbearable: WNO's Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria and ENO's Peter Grimes (which won that year's Olivier so my opinion was evidently a minority). I found aspects of both productions repulsive and disturbing. Other than that, the only other time I've left in the interval was Titanic at Southwark Playhouse on a boiling hot day when their aircon wasn't working & by the end of Act I I thought I was either going to pass out or be sick if I didn't leave. I did seriously think about leaving the NT's The Light Princess in the interval after a scene in Act I that made me have a panic attack but decided to stay & fortunately there was nothing Act II that was as bad. I've never left anything out of mere boredom, I just think of something else if I'm bored. Was that La Finta Giardiniera in 2006?
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 3, 2023 16:15:49 GMT
You are actually the only person I know who's ALSO interested in opera and ballet and I don't even know you in person! One friend likes ballet (but rarely goes to see one live) and my Mom likes opera as well as musical (but not plays) and that's about it. But generally I only hear from musical-loving friends that they're going to see a play when it's a star they're interested in seeing on stage. You must know a few other people besides me because there are a (admittedly fairly small) number of us who post in the Opera & Dance section on here. I know, mostly online rather than in person, a number of people who like opera, ballet & some musicals, usually the more dance-heavy end of the musicals spectrum. I'll admit I'm not a big play-goer, or at least not serious plays. When I do see plays they're almost always comedies.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 3, 2023 15:04:56 GMT
Thanks. I'll have a look at London Theatre Direct. I thought Nimax did dynamic pricing but looking at tonight's performance if they have brought the prices down they're still too high for me.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 3, 2023 15:00:42 GMT
Most musical fans rarely branch out into plays or opera either. Surely some must? I can't be the only one! This year the 35 performances I've seen have been made up of 7 ballets, 5 opera, 1 operetta, 4 musicals, 2 plays & 1 improv group (before anyone says that doesn't add up to 35, I've done multiple viewings of some, especially ballets with different casts). Admittedly sometimes I think I & my bank account would find it easier if I didn't want to see several different genres of theatre!
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 3, 2023 11:34:47 GMT
As I now have a potential free slot tomorrow evening I thought I could fit in Aspects. However looking at Nimax's own website & at TodayTix everything still seems to be at full price. I thought there were supposed to be loads of cheap tickets available for this so where are they?!
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 3, 2023 11:30:13 GMT
I've finally managed to get a ticket for tomorrow's matinee. I would have preferred either this evening or tomorrow evening but having been checking the website for returned for weeks I had to take what popped up. It's not ideal when you want to see an understudy who's due to be on all week but you can only afford the ticket prices for 2 of the 6 days!
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 30, 2023 14:31:59 GMT
I was intending to see Aspects in the autumn, as I didn't want to go to the Lyric during the summer having found it very hot in summers when Showstopper used to do Monday nights there. I guess I therefore won't now be seeing Aspects.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 29, 2023 12:29:21 GMT
Thanks for the explanation.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 28, 2023 16:34:41 GMT
Steve What is this "shaggy dog" that you keep referring to? I've never come across that phrase as a metaphor before.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 27, 2023 19:40:14 GMT
Impressive that the ROH have got in Florez to sub for Kaufammn in Werther tomorrow evening. I succumbed to temptation & bought a ticket when I read the news.I'm not interested in seeing Kaufmann but I do like Florez & havent' seen him live for some years. I've also realised that this is the second year in a row that I've bought a last minute ticket due to a Kaufmann non-appearance. Last year it was when he (and others admittedly) dropped out of Cav & Pag.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 26, 2023 14:59:35 GMT
Yes, I got briefly excited by the mention of a loyalty scheme, only to quickly realise when I saw the details that it's absolutely no use for someone like me who does 99% of my theatregoing solo. Realistically, how many people are there who can round up a group of 5 others to come with them to see a show multiple times?
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 26, 2023 13:03:00 GMT
Pricing also rising from September to £90 for Saturdays but given lottery and new special rates there are some discounts emerging…worth it still in the week still… And Tuesdays going up to £49.50 so from the end of August there'll only be one show a week at £39.50. Thursday went up from £59.50 to £69.50 some weeks ago. Difficult to be pleased by the extensions when every time it extends it becomes less affordable.
I was hoping to see the show again next week, to catch an understudy on, but Monday & Tuesday are sold out, I'm not prepared to pay the prices of the rest of the week, and I've just failed to win the lottery, so it looks like I won't be seeing it next week.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 21, 2023 17:14:14 GMT
Did you find it worth seeing? I did, but then I'm someone likes the sort of show where there's only a handful of actors playing lots of roles & it's all a bit bonkers so I knew what I was letting myself in for (plus as a long time Mischief fan I was interested in seeing Dave Hearn in something non-Mischief). And even so The Time Machine was even more bonkers than I was expecting. It's certainly not a straightforward adaptation of the plot of the book. There were parts of Act 2 when there was a lot of audience participation that I didn't particularly enjoy. I'm not sure whether or not I'd see it again.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 21, 2023 11:15:59 GMT
That seems a rather curious decision to make it available to watch online if they want to have a London run. You'd think they'd do a London run first, otherwise people might decide to watch it online rather than go in person. I assume they'll aim for one of the smaller theatres in London as it's a bit niche to attract enough audiences for a large theatre. It's one of the strangest shows I've ever seen!
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 20, 2023 20:37:55 GMT
Has anyone heard of any other performers asking for an ice bath in their dressing room? I don't know about dancers in musicals but I've certainly seen ballet dancers posting on social media about having ice baths post-performance. I was surprised to see in the article that Stemp is almost 30. I suppose it is several years now since Half A Sixpence but he still looks very young in the Crazy For You production pictures.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 18, 2023 11:49:55 GMT
Or you had a random black Von Trapp child in the Sound of Music Have you seen the casting for the forthcoming Chichester Sound of Music? The Captain must have had at least 3 former wives!
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 18, 2023 11:48:36 GMT
I've realised that I was wrong: the show starts at 8pm on Saturday evenings! I had assumed it was the usual 7.30pm start time, especially as audience members were entering the theatre. (I would not want to arrive at a theatre with as little foyer space as the Fortune 40 minutes before the start of a show.)
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 17, 2023 22:47:17 GMT
The cast must be very good at getting into costume very fast: when I walked past the theatre at 7.19pm this evening I saw David Cummings & Claire-Marie Hall walking towards the stage door still in their normal clothes.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 12, 2023 21:29:02 GMT
I envy anyone getting rain. We've not had a drop for weeks. Nothing yesterday or today depite thunderstorm warnings.
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 10, 2023 11:44:35 GMT
Sadly it's time to resurrect this thread again! I'm on my way to London for a 2 show day. If only I'd known several months in advance that today would be the start of the first heatwave of the year then I would have thought twice about booking!
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 9, 2023 21:50:44 GMT
The narration, for me. I would have preferred the dialogue was used, but even if it had to be narration then I didn't think it worked as well last night as other semi-staged pieces I've seen done with narration. I see some of the reviewers had reservations about it too.
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