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Post by nash16 on Apr 26, 2024 2:10:16 GMT
Angela Lansbury did a cracking job of it in Blithe Spirit 🤷🏻♂️ She really did. When we mooted earpieces at the interval, Angela and her Princess Leia wig buns (perfect for hiding any hint of earpieces she could have got a full set of headphones under there tbh) were mentioned. No stumbling on lines for her. Whereas it seems Cox & Clarkson were both being thrown by the voices in their ears. Such a shame.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 23, 2024 22:38:59 GMT
We were all there tonight it seems.
Had a pre booked stalls seat, so was nice and up close. It did drag at times, but I felt, as others have said, that Patricia Clarkson really delivered.
One potentially controversial question though: are Clarkson and Cox wearing ear pieces?
Cox especially at times seemed unnecessarily stilted, and from Row B they both, at times, gave the appearance of having lines fed to them.
Anyone else suspected this?
It is a long play and Cox especially had a lot of lines.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 22, 2024 11:12:17 GMT
With the low pay and conditions for the actors at the Menier, I’m not surprised she’s bailed.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 22, 2024 11:08:59 GMT
Is the company known for poor shows? Almost universally applauded for them!
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Post by nash16 on Apr 15, 2024 22:03:49 GMT
The Guardian saying Guardian things >>>
Unclear how more Hytner and less Jamie Lloyd would help Ms Akbar's perceived imbalance. Ditto Marisha Wallace instead of Nicole S.
Imo, there is a case for other productions to be in the revival catagory (rather than The Effect), and the Almedia's King Lear would be among my contenders. Though that would mean tossing out a living woman for a very dead white bloke.
She also seems to be clueless as to how the Oliviers/SOLT machine works. Was this her first year watching/reviewing it?
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Post by nash16 on Apr 15, 2024 2:33:41 GMT
People forget Oliviers are given mainly to shows heading to Broadway. Hello, Sunset Boulevard. SOLT wanted both Dear England and Stranger Things to head over with Oliviers, thus them putting ST in that category. Likewise why Operation Mincemeat won over TBLT. The former is going to New York, the latter is not. Olivier Award wins are mainly help for marketing/making money when they cross the pond. In that case, they should have awarded Old Friends, which is definitely heading to both LA and Broadway. (Not sure Dear England is going to make it, I'm afraid, much as I loved it.) They really should have. It deserved it, and more nominations IMO. But SOLT also daren’t let Sonia Friedman leave empty handed after they gave nothing to THOC. Else there’d be trouble.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 15, 2024 1:02:58 GMT
I doubt they'll be asking Summer Strallen, given her recent tweet. What’s the little madam said now? She’s blown the whistle on the treatment of the original GHD cast during their first run, which was, tbh, pretty appalling by all accounts. I think the second cast had an easier ride, thank goodness. Not that that makes it better.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 15, 2024 0:59:58 GMT
“It’s two weeks before I’m due to make my Broadway debut. I’m midway through packing my suitcase, putting my passport in its cute little holder from Dunelm (maybe after New York I’ll be able to afford a John Lewis one) and I receive a phone call. “Hey Mr Producer!” I sing in the style of Andrea McArdle. I then see my agent is also on the line. I know what it is. They want Jinkx Monsoon to play me on matinees to get a few more bums on seats but I have told them, she can’t do a Brummie accent. “Rob”, I hear, “We are going to have to postpone”. White noise. Like that sound effect when someone gets diagnosed with an illness on Coronation Street. My legs give way and I fall onto the bed (cos I’m dramatic like that). I look at the open suitcase, resigning myself to the fact I will never get my John Lewis passport holder. Four in a Bed’s on the telly. In the space of one phone call, I’ve gone from potential Broadway star and Tony Award winner to unassuming armchair critic of Seaside Shores B&B.” When Rob was 12 they used to put on shows in the living room. When Rob was 26 their show about putting on shows in the living room was meant to transfer to Broadway. When Rob was 27 this Broadway transfer got postponed. Join Rob as they return to their family home in the Midlands and experience the greatest humbling of their life. “They’ve come home at last” Nicole Scherzinger, 2023 Sunday 26th May at 2:30pm and 7:30pm Or, when life hands you a lemon… Poor Rob.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 15, 2024 0:53:48 GMT
SOLT definitely choose which shows go where and advise the producers as such. Both of those shows had to win, so they had to split them.
I've been explicitly told otherwise and had the system explained to me by SOLT as an aside to the panel meeting this year so I'm going to respectfully disagree!
We shall, of course, agree to disagree.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 15, 2024 0:46:39 GMT
SOLT wanted both Dear England and Stranger Things to head over with Olivers, thus them putting ST in that category. SOLT don't pick the categories - the show producers do as long as it fits within the eligibility which goes to an SOLT committee as necessary. SOLT definitely choose which shows go where and advise the producers as such. Both of those shows had to win, so they had to split them.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 15, 2024 0:40:46 GMT
Why was stranger things not in best play? The question everyone is asking! People forget Oliviers are given mainly to shows heading to Broadway. Hello, Sunset Boulevard. SOLT wanted both Dear England and Stranger Things to head over with Oliviers, thus them putting ST in that category. Likewise why Operation Mincemeat won over TBLT. The former is going to New York, the latter is not. Olivier Award wins are mainly help for marketing/making money when they cross the pond.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 12, 2024 23:08:53 GMT
Seem to remember seeing Julie Yammanee playing all the female roles in Spamilton at the Menier a few years ago. Pretty incredible talent. Looking forward to seeing Cassidy.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 12, 2024 23:04:24 GMT
Back from Press. Not great, unfortunately. And as Parsley said not a patch on Octoroon. In fact this felt lazy, sadly.
The cast do want they can, but they’re dealing with a script that keeps promising a big pay off/event that never actually happens.
It’s set in a post-Covid world, which is referenced but without any insights. The characters constantly talk about themselves or Do you not remember in college when…? ad nauseum.
Our actions in life have consequences. Great. But maybe show them? And make them dramatic?
The monologues sadly become tiring, so by the time the last few characters get their moment we’ve tuned out. And again, we anticipate a pay off from them. Guess what? Doesn’t happen.
If they’d had an interval we would have left. Maybe every American play shouldn’t be transported to us.
We’ll see what the reviews say.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 11, 2024 12:32:48 GMT
Cherry Jones playing Ma Joad. Great to see her back in London.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 7, 2024 23:34:52 GMT
Stop supporting this kind of cash-grab concert.
They do no one any favours.
And the amount of time that sound team will have had to get everything right will have been ridiculously small.
Stop feeding the beast.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 5, 2024 12:03:18 GMT
So about £27.5k a year. A decent starting salary outside of London for somebody at the beginning of their career. Is that the very base before cover/understudy payments? 🤦🏻♂️
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Post by nash16 on Apr 5, 2024 12:01:41 GMT
The worst it can be for ensemble is equity minimum of £880 per week for 8 shows, plus the additional add ons for understudies, performances on etc. A basic of £3520 p/m isnt bad for your first professional job straight after college. It’s sadly a lot worse than that.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 5, 2024 0:31:48 GMT
A long shot, but {Spoiler - click to view} Does anyone know the name of the song the jukebox plays in act 3? Stones. Gimme Shelter.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 4, 2024 23:14:20 GMT
Breathtaking rudeness on Twitter/X about Francesca's casting. I hope she is shielding herself from it. It baffles me that audiences wouldn’t be expecting an actress of colour to star opposite him. The rules of casting changed about 5 years ago, and it’s now, thankfully, the norm. Where have they been?
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Post by nash16 on Apr 4, 2024 21:04:11 GMT
I don’t think much set will be moving as there’s so many BMX tracks, as well as the expected roller skate ones, in this production.
Also I think most of the cast are grads because the pay is so appalling. They’d struggle to find more established willing to take such a pay cut.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 2, 2024 1:27:15 GMT
The melding of tones does not work and is the principal stress fracture in this piece. The light and fluffy melodramatic sweep of the Brief-Encounter-style forbidden affair is at odds with the earnest and gritty feminist tale of a woman fighting for the creation of the NHS and for her own self-determination. I didn't care much for the romance as I couldn't see the attraction of Jack Davenport's George, and any chemistry feels artificial and very much acted. Include an affair in the plot by all means -- political operators have them all the time it seems -- but I would have kept it real and dirty, not elevated it to Cowardesque levels of dreamy sentimentalism with accompanying Rachmaninoff soundtrack. The only thing saving us from the muddled script and wholly misguided direction is Keeley Hawes, who is terrific as Dr Iris Elcock, the Superwoman who manages to juggle being a GP with being a mother and housewife, and still has time for both local and Westminster politics and specifically to champion the genesis of a public health service. The scenes where she is battling her corner are the more interesting ones, although the dialogue veers into cliché and predictability far too often. Disappointingly, Elcock turns out to be an entirely fictional creation, not even a composite of a number of women. Quite why we have snippets of the score from Vertigo at various points in the first act I couldn't fathom. It sets the mood that we're watching a thriller where all is not as it seems, and that's completely inappropriate. The revolve is pointless, unnecessary, overused and incredibly distracting. Clearly someone decided they wanted a monochrome theme throughout, but then presumably someone else pointed out that black props might be invisible, so they went for blue. Why blue? No idea. But not the newspaper; that could have been on blue paper, but, no, it's stubbornly black on white. The two directors, just like Jamie Lloyd, betray a vast ignorance of the cinematic genre to which they seem to believe they are paying homage. High definition video, here in a multitude of inauthentic aspect ratios, and 24 frames-per-second 35mm celluloid have an entirely different look and feel. They are chalk and cheese. It's possible to use electronic tricks to make the former resemble the latter (although far from perfectly) but none of these directors bother. Their attempts to evoke the romanticism of the silver screen is epic only in its failure. This also means that when not contending with the incessant rotation of the stage floor, the audience is further distracted by the modern, hi-tech camera being paraded about as obtrusively as possible. With some serious workshopping and rework, there could be a good four-star play to be found here, but this ain't it. The ill-judged and ham-fisted directorial choices only compound the problems. We would be firmly in two-star territory were it not for Hawes who keeps it interesting. Three stars. Act 1: 19:33-20:40 Act 2: 21:00-22:10 Excellent review, MKB. You described its failings perfectly. Such a wasted opportunity.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 1, 2024 0:33:56 GMT
Probably could fill a thread just for behaviour we'll get out of MJ. I went yesterday for the matinee and got the expected people singing and dancing, few people taking out phones to record, an argument after some queue cutting for the men's toilet at the interval, parents bringing 3 young kids and one of them falling asleep after 30 minutes (and she was a snorer) and a fair amount of drunk people for a matinee show. I feel bad for the staff doing this show on a Friday or Saturday evening. Lot of people moving in and out of the theatre too. More than I've seen at any other show I've been to. There was no warning to not sing along which I was surprised by. Thought they'd make it clear that wouldn't be acceptable Can we have Titan’s suggested “Bad Behaviour at MJ” thread, moderators? It’s a brilliant idea.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 1, 2024 0:22:01 GMT
And did everyone else who paid money want to hear you sing along, eat, drink and chat? Did you even SEE this show? We were all singing and chatting and eating. Why do so many have an issue with this?
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Post by nash16 on Apr 1, 2024 0:20:47 GMT
You’re right. JFOD brings the cosy, the warm, the known. It doesn’t try and be new or different; rather it brings what people already love and feel safe with, and gives it to them. No worlds rocked. Nothing new or scary. And a show where you can openly sing a long and eat and drink without being shushed. We loved chatting about each memory as each new song rocked up. The fact that the cast all showed up for the final day… Made me emotional. More comfort food please. Less of the new. I binged away on comfort food. I loved it. I didn’t leave at the interval. I didn’t leave feeling confused. I would never eat and chat through a show mind. And yes the cast who must have been exhausted-showed up and completed their contracts. Thank you for agreeing with me. Really cheered me up 😏 If you don’t come with me and CeeBee for opening night (not that one!) of the West End transfer, you’re out of our group! #SoExcited
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Post by nash16 on Mar 31, 2024 13:49:44 GMT
I was at the last night yesterday. I did the matinee and evening. Very exciting see a very dashing Jonathan Bailey in the audience. It was some what emotional. The cast definitely seem to love each other. There was an electric atmosphere radiating from them. I’ve enjoyed watching the rollercoaster of this show. The amazing swings. But there is something about having the whole main cast on this particular show that makes you forgive any shortcomings that come with the sketchy script. It seems with this show-the audience reaction every night I’ve been is what could see it tour really successfully. For me the cast and their unique personalities and voices are what makes this show. It’s so diverse and gives visibility to groups that mainstream audiences might not intentionally pay to go and see. To see a trans Freddie Mercury get a standing ovation from audiences who may wince at anything woke was really powerful. Anyway, now on to see OPENING NIGHT next week! The people have spoken for The Live Aid musical. It seems the people have spoken in a different way for opening night. You’re right. JFOD brings the cosy, the warm, the known. It doesn’t try and be new or different; rather it brings what people already love and feel safe with, and gives it to them. No worlds rocked. Nothing new or scary. And a show where you can openly sing a long and eat and drink without being shushed. We loved chatting about each memory as each new song rocked up. The fact that the cast all showed up for the final day… Made me emotional. More comfort food please. Less of the new.
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Post by nash16 on Mar 27, 2024 23:14:35 GMT
Well done to the marketing team who are now swiftly deleting any negative comments on their Facebook page for the show.
Enfield Haunting thingy just left them there for all to see, but O.N. team are on it!
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Post by nash16 on Mar 27, 2024 15:22:25 GMT
Some reviews talk about the very awkward curtain call, as discussed by many here too. On the evidence of this tweeted video, it seems just an extension of the wry/baleful view of the so-called 'glamour of theatre' - they're taking the P: benefiting from the false bonhomie of the audience/cast end-of-show dynamic 'hey - we made a show happen!' while mocking it. Talk about 'have your cake and eat it': Each cast member does various self-deprecating flourishes (which are therefore self-praising) until the final one shows his arse to the audience. Lol. Something about watching it back making it more mortifying than watching it live. And you see the audience on their feet and clapping as the inane tune goes on, and you think what the hell do we become when we’re in the theatre? The definition of sheep? It maddening and also hilarious.
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Post by nash16 on Mar 27, 2024 15:19:43 GMT
Wow, this show got crucified. Surely it can't last all the way till July with that reception? They’ve already got the publicity images out with the 4* reviews and quote bites from their saviours the Daily Fail, Guardian, and Time Out. Without them they’d be in trouble.
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Post by nash16 on Mar 27, 2024 1:13:28 GMT
I don’t know why you pseudo critics were being so negative. I saw the show on Monday and thought it was great. I, along with 95% of the audience stood up and cheered at the end. Great singing, good music and a very enjoyable show. I would certainly recommend it if it comes back to the west end. Methinks the new member (who has only made two posts, both re this show) doth protest too much… Lovely to have someone involved talking about it though.
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Post by nash16 on Mar 27, 2024 0:25:46 GMT
4* in the Daily Fail.
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