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Post by distantcousin on May 15, 2019 15:33:57 GMT
I wonder who you saw last year? I assume it wasn't Adrienne Warren, based on that! Just checked back through my old posts. Last year I saw Jenny Fitzpatrick.
Ah, that's interesting. Funnily enough I saw her years ago in an unofficial Tina musical that predated this once, called "Soul Sister" - she was the alternate in that one too.
It's a living!
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Post by distantcousin on May 15, 2019 11:18:55 GMT
Saw this again on Monday with a Lucky Dip ticket. And enjoyed it more second time around. Was there unfashionably early as the booking said the latest time to collect was at 7pm. So I was there in case they did the allocations live. But they were already allocated and I had an excellent seat in the centre of the second row Stalls. Perfect place to sit for this as the stage is low. Aisha Jawando was on as Tina (the alternate). Excellent and many times better than the person I saw play the role last year. I think this is better second time around as you realise it's not going to be a particularly great jukebox musical and you can just enjoy it for what it is. The other change was the audience was much better behaved (or all the noisy ones were much further back). There was some kind of raised voice argument going on at the back of the Stalls in the first half and the odd phone, but these were mostly drowned out by the music. Would be interesting to see how the Lucky Dip ticket allocation compares with that for the Rush tickets. I wonder who you saw last year? I assume it wasn't Adrienne Warren, based on that!
I saw Aisha last year and thought she was fine, but nothing outstanding.
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Post by distantcousin on May 8, 2019 19:35:55 GMT
So it's all set in Ireland?
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Post by distantcousin on May 1, 2019 19:47:36 GMT
Next year, look - it's Martin Guerre... Don’t joke. The reworked version is due to open at the Old Vic I look forward to that!
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 29, 2019 9:17:09 GMT
It may not be going to the Adelphi, but I hear it is transferring for a holiday run. When you say "holiday", do you mean "Christmas"?
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 28, 2019 10:53:00 GMT
I think Jeremy Taylor is lead Raoul right now, I’ve noticed quite a few other less-than-favourable reviews of him actually! I think Raoul is a bit of hard sell. If he’s too fit and swoonsome he pulls focus from the Phantom and he’s labelled ‘smug’. If he’s too wet he’s a drip. Fresh faced enthusiasm is whats needed, and a spot of swashbuckling ‘derring do’. The sort of thing Xavier would have done well ten years ago. He can’t just be a fantastic voice; he needs stature which rules out lots of ex-Marius’s. Jeremy Taylor should be great at this as he made a good job of Fiyero. What’s the problem?
Taylor is definitely playing it smug and charmless. I can't remember many of the ones I've seen in the distant past to compare, but I thought Patrick Wilson got the balance right in the film.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 25, 2019 9:15:47 GMT
I mean personally I don't mind to the point of not going but the average cinema is just a hell of a lot more comfortable than the theatre so the have you never seen a film point only goes so far. Bigger, wider seats, better cushioned, more legroom, easier to pop out if you need to. I can easily sit in a cinema for 2 and half hours but I know now this is going to mean I'm going to start hurting at some point. There's a reason I always try and book aisles in the theatre and am happy to sit in the centre in the cinema. And when I finally went to All About Eve the seats were painfully uncomfortable and I could have done with an interval. I don't actually see why there wasn't an interval, it wouldn't have interrupted the dramatic flow as there wasn't any really. It's an odd listless play which particularly in the first hour just kind of happens and I might easily have left. After that it picks up the pace with the confrontation after the audition, the scene between the two friends when Margo can't make the performance and the restaurant scene all sparking a greater level of interest. The ending though goes on forever and despite the title when Margo isn't on stage the whole thing falters. Other than that I generally agree with previous comments, the video adds nothing but performance wise Anderson & Ovenden strong, James less so but comes to life in the restaurant scene, Dolan was excellent but she and Stone have no chemistry to the point where it's hard to care about their marriage falling apart. Sheila Reid was off but Phillipa Peak filled in well, if a little too young while Stanley Townsend seemed to be performing in a different play with a performance you could see from orbit.
Summed up better than I could have!
It makes you wonder with such talent around, they can still come up with something so mediocre, yet so high profile.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 24, 2019 9:37:10 GMT
David's run ends 11th May from what I know and he doesn't have an alternate. He's well worth seeing, I saw him twice and his Final Lair scene blew me away! Couldn't agree more. The Final Lair scene reduced me to tears, a feat other Phantom has achieved (and I've seen a few!).
There were little touches in that final scene that were, for me reminscent of Jack Nicholson as The Joker
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 23, 2019 14:05:28 GMT
I do wonder if eventually Phantom will have a compete overhaul. Given all the recent chit chat re Les Mis original not being iconic enough to keep going according to Cam Mac. I don't think it would ever change to the touring version as it just simply isn't as good as the Les Mis version so is no contest for the original. Surely they should do SOMETHING just to update it a bit though. It needs it IMO. Perhaps they'll only wait until after Hal Prince carks?!
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 23, 2019 14:02:32 GMT
Does anyone know if David Thaxton a) does all performances? b) has any holiday coming up? No massive desire to see Phantom again but would like to just for Thaxton - loved him in Les Mis and JCS! Thaxters was absolutely SUPERB - highly, highly recommended. He has it all!
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 23, 2019 14:01:41 GMT
And what about those fireballs that the Phantom chucks at Raoul in the graveyard fight 😂 Paul Daniels has much to answer for!
Although the bit with the flames at the end of the Masquerade scene is enough to singe yer eyebrows if you're in the first few rows like we were!!!!!
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 23, 2019 14:00:25 GMT
Thanks for all the seat advice everyone! Much appreciated. I'll try and forget the spoilers before I see it in a few weeks So I saw the show the other day - sat in stalls O4 as advised, and had a perfect view! I very rarely sit in the stalls but I'm glad I did. Loved the show - the costumes and sets were stunning. The overture and the scene where they go in the boat was incredible, really spine-tingling stuff for someone who hasn't seen it before! One question though; what was with the random robot doll thing of Christine(?) that the Phantom had in his lair at one point? Obviously showing his lust for her, but there was no reference to it that I can recall (may be wrong, not being very familiar with the show) and it just seemed a bit random and made him seem more predatory when I got the impression the story was ultimately trying to elicit sympathy for him.
Funnily enough, I went recently with 2 first timers (and only semi-regular theatre-goers) and the doll/automaton confused them too.
Another thought the body that was hung was Carlotta! I must admit when actually having to explain it as Buquet, it comes across as rather lame and inconsequential! (doing away with a barely featured character who's probably not registered with most of the audience)
One friend also speculated about how The Phantom could have posssibly learned all these skills living separated from society with no access to schooling, mentoring etc...
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 19, 2019 11:07:09 GMT
Unfortunately the show needed mic'ing at the Union. Couldn't hear any of the lyrics over the music.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 18, 2019 20:41:04 GMT
I always hoped that Elaine Paige would record Friendly Fire - how fabulous would that be!?!?
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 18, 2019 9:20:06 GMT
Fantastic news - let's hope does some London dates. Wonder which PSB songs the two existing ones are.... I would hope one is the amazing "Friendly Fires"
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Cash
Apr 17, 2019 16:19:30 GMT
Post by distantcousin on Apr 17, 2019 16:19:30 GMT
I would not pay by card for anything less than £5 - utterly ridiculous. Fully agree, a real annoyance when someone pulls out a card to pay for a couple of small items but contactless payments have made this quicker. I also got fed up with having bank statements longer than my arm because of every last transaction. Couldn't see the wood for the trees.
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Apr 16, 2019 22:02:47 GMT
Post by distantcousin on Apr 16, 2019 22:02:47 GMT
Oh, I'd say roughly the same number as those who have touched the card machine keypad before it's your turn.🤮🤮 When you are out and about in public do you wear disposable gloves and carry disinfectant with you, while wearing a surgical mask, to avoid all the germs, dirt, skin flakes, mites, snot, phlegm, urine and other bodily fluids that exist on every single object and surface you come into contact with and inhale with every breath?! I always wear gloves when I'm out and about. When I get money out of a cash point I use an old receipt or some other bit of paper so I don't have to touch the keypad or touchscreen. Contactless is great - as are automatic taps! All the supermarkets installing self checkouts is nightmare as they won't work unless you have bare skin.
Do you have a condition?
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Apr 16, 2019 22:01:32 GMT
Post by distantcousin on Apr 16, 2019 22:01:32 GMT
I would not pay by card for anything less than £5 - utterly ridiculous.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 16, 2019 13:47:18 GMT
I would love to know the editorial reasons behind why they think enormous close ups of the leading actors (to the exclusion of anything else really) is a great representation of a show. The Dreamgirls one immediately springs to mind. I've got some great ones from the 90's that featured the actual sets... Unlike viserys I find brochures more essential than programmes (and brochures often feature cast info as well). More often than not reading people's credits can be like watching paint dry, and that sort of information is also generally available on the show's website.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 14, 2019 10:41:54 GMT
Brilliant to see this. Which reminds me of a pet peeve I have. So many of the brochures for the bigger West End shows these days feature hardly any photos of the sets. Just maHOOSIVE photos of the cast in close ups. (or dance ensembles)
I get the need for some of those, but surely a record/souvenir of what you were looking at all night in terms of set (or sets) is equally of value. Whoever designs them these days, or is giving the briefs to the designers seems to ignore them now. It's a shame.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 14, 2019 10:37:35 GMT
If it's any consolation, listened to the Cher Show cast album today - Adrienne sounds more like Tina than the lady on that does Cher. I beg to differ- I think Stephanie Block is great. But it’s the same problem of why listen to it when you can have the real thing!
Exactly. I think cast recordings of bio-musicals are pretty much redundant to begin with.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 12, 2019 18:51:13 GMT
And the issue of remembering lines at their ages.
Remember Landsbury had a prompt available via wireless earpiece, if needed.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 12, 2019 9:39:51 GMT
Haven’t heard of any of them. Probably because they all appear to be coming over from America to do this. Lloyd was clearly looking for ethnically appropriate cast members, so I wonder how much of the casting he did over there? Hopefully there will be some home-grown talent in the ensemble. I’m excited though!
Yes, seemed like ethnically focused casting was the priority above home-grown talent...
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 12, 2019 8:17:11 GMT
Always thought the film was a poor relation to Sunset Boulevard and undeserving of the Oscar in the same year although haven't seen it for years now. Thought the play exposed weaknesses in the story, it's pretty silly and inconsequential, and the tone is off, but maybe I'd think that if I rewatched the film. If Eve has such great star quality as we are told she doesn't need all the scheming beyond getting her foot in the door. As soon as she auditions and wins over New York's hottest playwright and leading critic to her talents, everything else is redundant. It's unclear if she is actually supposed to be obsessed with Margo or only pretends to be so to ingratiate herself. She's portrayed as Machiavellian but badmouthing Margo in the press is actually extremely stupid, as was telling Addison she is going to marry Lloyd before her opening night just when she wants him to write her a rave. For the story to work, I feel like it needs Eve to truly ruin Margo's life. Whereas Margo having to step away from young leading lady parts is inevitable with or without Eve. And Eve fails to seduce Bill which would have added some much needed dramatic punch. Or alternatively, if it's really a story about the brutality of aging for women, it would be better if Eve didn't scheme at all, she really was guileless, and Margo was obsessed with staying at the top but nothing she can do matters because she simply can't compete with a beautiful youth. Ironically given the title, I'm not sure we actually get to really know Eve and what makes her tick, we know what she wants but her underlying motivations are pretty opaque. Thought the decision to have a pivotal scene between Eve and Karen filmed off-stage was totally bizarre. That was balanced out with the camera in the mirror stuff which was very effectively done, probably the highlight. Hate the jarring men's costumes, I don't know why van Hove thinks it's clever to have one anachronistic element, it just takes me out of the play, did the same thing with the coffee in The Crucible on Broadway. Within the story there's some total nonsense like high schools across America having fan clubs for a stage actress in the movie era. Monica Dolan and Rhashan Stone did not make a believable couple, the acting in general was fine but little more. Would have been more interesting to see Cate Blanchett in the part, not necessarily better but to see how her more ethereal presence would have fitted in. Did think mentioning Sunset Boulevard that Gillian Anderson would be a better fit as Norma Desmond. Mind-boggling to think people will be paying £175 a ticket for such mediocre fare.
Agree 100% with this!!!!!! We thought the fan club thing was unrealistic. Dolan and the actor playing her hubby made an unconvincing couple, and the "no fixed time period" setting was frustrating.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 12, 2019 8:12:04 GMT
I thought it was interesting and entertaining, but it didn't make me "feel" that much. Glad I didn't pay for a ticket to see it in London.
Not sure if Lily James is really good enough to truly lift that role off the page.
I liked the video footage at times, but that and the exposed wing-space became fussy to me after a while.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 8, 2019 20:56:09 GMT
For me, it was all the buzz over the ALW mega-musicals in the 80's pervading the mainstream. I was always a pop charts kid, obsessed with the Radio 1 top 40 and Top of the Pops.
It was when the songs from Phantom started entering the charts and then all the press and buzz over it's opening that really made me curious and take notice of this new world/artform...
Being a TV addict and pop culture fiend, I'm sure the likes of Cats and Starlight Express then caught my attention when featured in TV light entertainment or Sat morning TV performances.
That was really it. Film musicals were not big in my house, and I've discovered over the years that unlike a lot of families, we didn't watch family films together so the likes of Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music have zero cultural capital with me.
So for me, when I think of what really made me first take notice of stage musicals, and more specifically "The West End", it just has to be "Phantom" - which is why it still holds a special and emotional place in my heart. (thought it would actually be another 5 years or so until I entered a West End theatre and watched a musical production....)
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 8, 2019 15:22:00 GMT
Interesting winner for Best Supporting ACTRESS according to Baz -
I'm saying nowt x
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 8, 2019 13:10:13 GMT
Oh, I saw Denis o'Hare at Follies 3 weeks ago. He was near me at the cloakroom collection!
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 8, 2019 13:08:56 GMT
Did I ever mention I was sat in the row in front of Antonio Banderas for "Company"?
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 8, 2019 12:55:41 GMT
I thought Rosalie totally over-egged that performance last night. I saw the show twice and neither time did she perform Being Alive like that. Presumably she was told to go ‘bigger’ for the RAH but that’s not necessarily right for tv. It all looked a bit cliched and, dare I say, desperate. Not just me then? Was completely different to what I saw at the Gielgud last December...
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