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Post by emsworthian on Nov 17, 2022 12:10:28 GMT
Apart from the Queen Mother, another example of a part in The Crown being miscast and underwritten was Prince Edward. I only realised who the actor was meant to be by a process of elimination.
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Post by emsworthian on Nov 9, 2022 9:32:12 GMT
I saw him in "Love For Love" in Chichester. It was great to see a legend on the stage.
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Post by emsworthian on Oct 15, 2022 13:37:51 GMT
Now Therese Coffey has waded in with the ridiculous, not to mention highly dangerous, notion that pharmacists will be able to give out antibiotics without the patient first going to a GP. She then openly admits to breaking the law by sharing her medication with friends and family. I'm genuinely running out of expletives and exhalations of exasperation for this Government. They've gone so far below the bottom of the barrel I don't know what else they can do. They will, though. www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chemists-to-prescribe-antibiotics-under-coffey-health-plan-gjvfnb6q5Whenever I've been prescribed antibiotics, the doctor has stressed the need to complete the course and not to stop taking them when I feel better. I am not a medical expert but it seems to me that you can't just take a couple and expect them to work.
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 22, 2022 11:31:09 GMT
Overheard at Chichester Theatre during the interval of "Crazy for You": Woman to friend: "Rather than musicals set in America, I prefer to see musicals set in England, like "Phantom of the Opera"." Or Les Miserables, I assume? I don't get people who go to see an American musical and then complain about it being "too American". Some years back I heard someone voice this complaint, again at Chi, during the interval of "Guys and Dolls." I felt like saying: "The clue is in the title. It's "Guys and Dolls", not "Blokes and Birds"."
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 19, 2022 7:06:50 GMT
Well yes- Zangler is a much more fun role 16 Musicians and a conductor... Sorry. Miscounted.
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 18, 2022 8:40:50 GMT
I saw this yesterday and loved it. The dancing was sensational and it was lovely to hear Gershwin's melodies being performed by a full, lush orchestra. There were 14 musicians. In the past people have criticised the band/orchestra at Chichester for sounding tinny, but this was full throttle.
I too preferred Charlie Stemp as Bela Zangler rather than Bobby but I think that is just the way the part is written - Bela is much more fun.
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 18, 2022 8:20:13 GMT
Overheard at Chichester Theatre during the interval of "Crazy for You": Woman to friend: "Rather than musicals set in America, I prefer to see musicals set in England, like "Phantom of the Opera"."
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Post by emsworthian on Jun 19, 2022 7:18:13 GMT
I saw it yesterday afternoon and enjoyed it enormously. I actually found it funnier than "The Unfriend", although in parts it was heart-wrenching; I was in tears at the end and so was the woman next to me. The acting was superb, particularly Alex Jennings and Phoebe Nicholls.
The theatre was about 75-80 per cent full. I did wonder what the attendence would be like as a friend organises block booking discount tickets for the local U3A and there wasn't a single request for tickets for this play. Their loss, I say.
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Post by emsworthian on May 31, 2022 8:19:50 GMT
I saw it on Saturday and enjoyed it on the whole; there were several laugh out loud moments, although I could have done without the toilet humour in the second half. I loved the fact that in the shot of the front door we saw that it was No 9.
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Post by emsworthian on Apr 13, 2022 10:50:33 GMT
Thanks for the review, meister. I read the book a little while ago and found it predictable and, as you say, the characters were stereotypical. I decided not to buy a ticket and after reading your review, feel that I made the right decision.
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Post by emsworthian on Mar 15, 2022 11:13:09 GMT
I'm not sure if this belongs on this thread but here goes: Yesterday I felt so depressed by the news that I took out a month's subscription to National Theatre Live and watched "London Assurance". I found it hilarious. It made me nostalgic for the days when the NT was fun. OK I wouldn't want an entire season of Victorian comedies but it would be good to have a few more productions there with a sense of joy. Perhaps "Jack Absolute..." will bring this.
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Post by emsworthian on Mar 13, 2022 16:48:49 GMT
It there wasn’t one, which is in a way very sad. Normally their artistic announcement is met with great anticipation, with speculation ahead of the very announcement. So after a difficult 2 years there first full announcement should have been met with great excitement. So I read in to it that no thread must mean board members including myself are very disappointed with what is being proposed. Which is a shame. Mark me down in the disappointed camp. My initial reaction to the programme was: "Agatha Christie, Alan Ayckbourn and Enid Blyton. This is what you would expect to see from the local Am-Dram Society." Probably it will get the coach parties in but I am not excited.
I have had my ticket for "The Unfriend", booked pre-Covid, rolled forward. However, I am upset that "Assassins" is not rescheduled. Given Sondheim's death and the fact that Daniel Evans is supposed to be a big fan of his works then I expected to see one of his musicals.
I'll probably go to see "The Southbury Child" as I am a fan of Alex Jennings and it will be good to see Charlie Stemp again so I'll go to "Crazy for You". But as for "Murder on the Orient Express" - surely everyone knows the denoument by now? The highlight for me of the 70's film version was the music by Richard Rodney Bennett.
I know that some on this board rave about "Our Generation" but I am yet to be persuaded to devote nearly 4 hours of my life to watch this. Similarly, "Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads" has its admirers but I can't stand football so I'll give it a miss.
Considering this is the Festival's 60th year, I am underwhelmed by it. The only production that excites me is "The Wind in the Willows" by the Youth Theatre in December.
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Post by emsworthian on Feb 19, 2022 16:00:23 GMT
I was upset about the deaths of John Lennon, Victoria Wood and Richard Briers (although I never met Richard Briers I felt that I knew him as he had been around for so long and had a bloke next door persona). I was also upset about the death of Tim Brooke-Taylor. Although he was 80 when he died, as Victoria Coren-Mitchell said: many live well into their 80s and beyond these days and it's sad to think of all of those jokes he would have made that we are missing out on.
The only celebrity I remember crying over when I was young and there was a ventriloquist called Dennis Spicer, who was killed in a car crash. I remember watching him on TV perform at the Royal Variety Performance in November 1964 and my grandma and I were roaring with laughter. Exactly two weeks later he was dead. I think it was my first awareness of how cruel and arbitary life can be sometimes.
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Post by emsworthian on Feb 13, 2022 11:28:55 GMT
We saw it at Chichester yesterday with Adrian Lester as the guest star. The 1st half of the show I found the comedy a bit hit and miss but I loved the second half. An article in the local paper said that they shoehorn in a couple of jokes regarding the star each performance but I was surprised by just how many jokes they managed to get in about Adrian. I particularly liked the reference to the TV show "Trigger Point" being the follow-up to a character in "Only Fools and Horses."
Adrian LesDennis, as they called him at one point, was a good sport and I was so glad that the guest star wasn't one of the "Loose Women" crowd.
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Post by emsworthian on Feb 11, 2022 16:02:24 GMT
After having said on this thread how I ration out my theatre-going, I now find I am double booked. I forgot that pre-Covid I bought a ticket for We Will Rock You at the Kings Theatre, Southsea, and have booked for a family trip to the Saturday matinee at Chichester of The Play What I Wrote. I can't manage any other slot this week and Kings won't give me a credit note. C'est la vie. Has your booking for We Will Rock You has been postponed from the scheduled date when you initially booked the ticket ? If so I think you may well have a legal entitlement to a refund. The theatre says that when a show is rescheduled you have a certain period - a week IIRC- to let them know if you can't make it to the rescheduled date in order to get a refund. I forgot all about it and exceeded that period.
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Post by emsworthian on Feb 7, 2022 15:35:38 GMT
After having said on this thread how I ration out my theatre-going, I now find I am double booked. I forgot that pre-Covid I bought a ticket for We Will Rock You at the Kings Theatre, Southsea, and have booked for a family trip to the Saturday matinee at Chichester of The Play What I Wrote. I can't manage any other slot this week and Kings won't give me a credit note. C'est la vie.
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Post by emsworthian on Feb 3, 2022 12:22:59 GMT
It's tranferring to Chichester in the main theatre. I can't see the typical elderly Chichester audience being interested in nearly 4 hours of teenage angst. It’s in the Minerva, thankfully. Apologies. I misread the CFT Spring brochure. I just hope for the audience's sake there are plenty of intervals.
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Post by emsworthian on Feb 3, 2022 8:56:21 GMT
I saw it yesterday and loved it. I went after reading 5 star reviews but I was already a fan of Monica Dolan. She is great in this but then so are all the cast of 4. The upper section of the theatre was closed but the lower section looked pretty full (80-90 per cent I'd guess). The audience seemed engaged and appreciative and for me the hour and a half flew by.
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Post by emsworthian on Feb 3, 2022 8:41:01 GMT
It's tranferring to Chichester in the main theatre. I can't see the typical elderly Chichester audience being interested in nearly 4 hours of teenage angst.
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Post by emsworthian on Feb 1, 2022 9:38:53 GMT
I have just booked for tomorrow's matinee of "Doubt" at Chichester. I was rather uncertain (ironic given the play's title) whether to see this or go to a local screening of "Leopoldstadt" on Thursday evening. I know some of you go to half a dozen or more shows a week but I have family commitments and have to space out my theatre-going.
It got rave reviews so I am looking forward to it.
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Post by emsworthian on Jan 22, 2022 17:46:11 GMT
Another indulgent production! Meanwhile, where’s Jack Absolute? Our Generation might turn out to be good or great, though I'll wait for some comments and/or reviews. But yes, indeed, what has become of Jack Absolute, which was likely to have had wider appeal? The NT should at least acknowledge that they had also programmed this and should provide an update. Likewise Standing At The Sky's Edge. Our Generation is also coming to Chichester. That is for the Spring season along with an adaptation of Kate Mosse's"The Taxidermist's Daughter". I read her book and hated it so I am not thrilled about the Spring season so far.
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Post by emsworthian on Jan 20, 2022 12:50:46 GMT
I saw Kriss Akabusi in panto at Woking IIRC some years ago. All he did was come on, round around the stage for a bit and then laugh before running off stage. I think he did that a couple of times. It was completely pointless.
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Post by emsworthian on Jan 2, 2022 10:50:14 GMT
1. There is a major scandal involving Met Police. 2. There are public calls for Cressida Dick to resign. 3. She stays.
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Post by emsworthian on Dec 13, 2021 17:15:44 GMT
Is this musical based on the Rufus Norris version of "Sleeping Beauty", which was staged at Chichester in 2018? I didn't see that but everyone who did said it was very weird. I noted that when Chichester did "The Wizard of Oz" as its Christmas production the following year, the publicity stressed how traditional it was, which to me implied that "Sleeping Beauty" the previous year hadn't been well received.
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Post by emsworthian on Dec 1, 2021 8:03:04 GMT
For those who use a Kindle, Brian Cox's book is on offer for 99p today Thanks for the tip, altamont. I downloaded it, read it and found it an enjoyable read, if somewhat rambling. (Especially in the early section about his childhood. He seems to think that if he doesn't shoe-horn in an anecdote about a famous person on every page, the reader will get bored.)
It is a shame Marwood didn't get to ask a question about Spike Lee as Cox really rates him as a director and goes into quite a bit of detail about his mastery of film techniques. Cox says it is a shame that Lee is known as the "black film director" rather than one of the all time great directors, like Hitchcok or Bergman. Just don't ask Cox anything about Harry Potter.
I was surprised about the "hands-on" at the University robing story on this thread as Cox is very supportive in the book of the Me-Too movement.
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Post by emsworthian on Nov 11, 2021 10:53:09 GMT
Our Generation is a co-production with Chichester FT. CFT has just announced it for 2022 together with The Southbury child (a co-production with the Bridge Theatre) and The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse (this is a production postponed from 2020 due to Covid lockdown). I am quite enthusiastic about The Southbury child with Alex Jennings but less so about the other two. I read the Kate Moss book, from which the play was adapted, and hated it.
The rest of the Chichester 2022 programme will be announced next year. I can't remember it doing it this way before - announcing some of the programme so early.
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Post by emsworthian on Nov 11, 2021 10:38:55 GMT
I went to his book launch at the Palladium the other night (I got a half price ticket including a signed book, and there were hundreds of them left unclaimed on seats at the end of the evening which shows how highly he is thought of by the general public): we were asked to text questions to him, I sent one asking what it was like working with Spike Lee and Edward Norton on 25th Hour that didn’t get asked, just as well going by that quote from the book but I think he has been having a serious amount of smoke blown up his arse telling him he is the best thing since sliced bread , I have not seen Succession and am not in a rush to see it but he seems to now think he is Gods gift but he has always been a supporting actor to me rather than a lead character. I love Succession and I think Brian Cox is great in it but it seems to be very niche - at least over here (I don't know what the ratings are like in the US). On BBC's Pointless a little while ago there was a fairly easy question about Succession which was a pointless answer which indicates that none of the 100 people surveyed for the show had heard of Succession.
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Post by emsworthian on Oct 15, 2021 9:55:24 GMT
The theatre is another of Matcham's. The auditorium was saved when they demolished the original theatre and reconstructed in the modern shell. I used to go reguarly when I lived in Fulham.
I saw this production when it was on in Chichester at the Minerva and I felt it benefitted from the intimate setting, which added to the sense of claustrophobia. I wasn't sure that it would work as well in the main theatre at the Lyric but I am glad you enjoyed it, Dave B.
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Post by emsworthian on Sept 16, 2021 18:11:33 GMT
I'm a little wary of Roy Williams after This is England - as someone who talks and walks those streets almost every day it felt like he'd been away from the manor for too long. Plus, I'm not sure I want Ibson re-imagined. Had one eye on The Beauty Queen of Leenane for a while. Also, as someone mentioned to me, the casting of Closer is one to watch for. There is just so much dropping this week - literally North (Kiln, Arcola), South (Young Vic), East (Stratford) and West (this, Bush), and central-ish (Royal Court).
It is a joint production with the Chichester Festival Theatre. I saw it at the Minerva last week and really enjoyed it. It is ideal for the small Minerva, which really brings home the caustrophobic atmosphere.
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Post by emsworthian on Sept 10, 2021 11:24:53 GMT
I am really shocked and saddened. I read Sher's biography "Beside Myself" a couple of years ago and found it astonishingly frank. I also admired how multi-talented Sher is - he is also a gifted artist.
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