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Post by Kenneth_C on May 25, 2019 4:30:29 GMT
"Mormon" is the obvious choice (and the only acceptable answer).
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Post by Kenneth_C on Jan 25, 2019 6:45:53 GMT
Stephen Daldry's production of AN INSPECTOR CALLS
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Post by Kenneth_C on Dec 8, 2018 22:23:46 GMT
Tonight: A new adaptation of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Jefferson Mays (and only Jefferson Mays!)
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Post by Kenneth_C on Sept 21, 2018 15:46:20 GMT
I caught Pinter 2 last weekend. Though I was unfamiliar with either play, I thought it was one of the best things I saw during my London vacation. The 2-play structure worked brilliantly, with the cotton-candy-colored "The Lover" serving as the appetizer to "The Collection". Terrific performances all around. It was a truly delightful evening at the theatre. At the Stage Door after: There were 20-25 people waiting. David Suchet came out first to either sign or take photos (not both, per staff instructions). John Macmillan and Hayley Squires left together, but did not stop for any interaction at all. (I suspect they thought no one was interested in them, but I would have happily asked them to sign.) Last, but not least, was Russell Tovey -- who was apparently having a blast and spent a good 20 minutes or so with us. Once again, staff had instructed us that he would only pose or sign, not both. However, I was one of the first people to have a picture taken and, when he saw the programme in my hand, he asked if I wanted it signed. I told him that staff had told us it was either one or the other; he just rolled his eyes, took the programme out of my hand and proceeded to sign it.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Sept 14, 2018 15:05:36 GMT
Back in London for the next 5 days.
Friday - Tina, The Musical Saturday matinee - Foxfinder Saturday evening - Pinter Two: The Lover/The Collection Sunday matinee - Eugenius! Monday - Aristocrats Tuesday - Hamilton
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Post by Kenneth_C on Sept 2, 2018 16:47:42 GMT
My annual visit to London starts today and I am well & truly booked up.
Tonight (Sunday) - Jeremy Jordan at Cadoghan Hall Tomorrow (Monday) - The Lieutenant of Inishmore Tuesday matinee - Othello at the Globe Tuesday evening- Everybody's Talking About Jaime Wednesday - King Lear Thursday matinee - Heathers, The Musical Thursday evening - The Importance of Being Earnest
Then it's off to Paris for a week before I return for another round.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Aug 27, 2018 5:08:51 GMT
Movie-wise, it would probably be The Sound of Music. I find the stage version to be immensely inferior. (Practically intolerable, in fact.)
On stage, I'd have to go with South Pacific, with Oklahoma and The King & I close behind. (I've never seen Carousel on stage, but I have real problems with that piece, despite it featuring some of my favorite R&H.)
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Post by Kenneth_C on Jul 26, 2018 15:11:33 GMT
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Post by Kenneth_C on Jun 16, 2018 20:36:10 GMT
Tuesday, at the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills
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Post by Kenneth_C on Mar 22, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Tonight: Julius Caesar (NT Live broadcast)
Sunday: The Book of Mormon (North America Tour)
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Post by Kenneth_C on Feb 18, 2018 20:02:51 GMT
I wonder who will be cast for the US tour next year. It will be hard to equal this cast.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Feb 8, 2018 18:33:32 GMT
I hate not being able to select my seat. So I just kept putting different single seats in my cart, until I could get one that I wanted.
Then I got an error message (to contact the box office) when I tried paying with my credit card. I'm not about to do that from the U.S., so switched over to PayPal and the transaction went straight through.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Jan 29, 2018 12:55:08 GMT
Well, that was stressful. Ticketmaster UK doesn't give as much time per page as Ticketmaster US. I had to race the clock a couple times -- getting new password, credit card not working, etc. -- and literally clicked on the "Continue" button with 1 second remaining. Twice.
But, all is well. Got my ticket for mid-September. Having dutifully checked the Monkey beforehand, I was aiming for central Stalls Row D -- but those seats weren't even offered (I got the map). Ended up with F35 for £100. As the £200 Premium price began the next seat over, I'm good.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Jan 25, 2018 19:29:38 GMT
New booking period (July through Dec 15, 2018) opens on Monday January 29. As I'll be in London in September, it looks like I'll be up at 4:00AM on Monday...
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Post by Kenneth_C on Jan 16, 2018 6:51:26 GMT
Now extended through Oct 06, 2018! So nice of them to extend so I'll be able to see it on my annual visit later this year. Booked!
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Post by Kenneth_C on Jan 15, 2018 21:10:42 GMT
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Post by Kenneth_C on Nov 30, 2017 1:08:33 GMT
Something Rotten! at the Ahmanson in L.A. on Saturday.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Nov 29, 2017 20:00:13 GMT
Am trying to book tickets, but Delfont Mackintosh is not cooperating.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Nov 24, 2017 16:23:33 GMT
I well remember seeing a production of this in LA - starring Chris Pine, who was excellent! - and the raked stage was so blood-smeared that the actors had to cling to each other at the final bows to keep from slipping on the gore. Got a big laugh from the audience. I saw it there, too. It was my first experience of a McDonagh play and I had no idea what I was about to see. {Spoiler - click to view}When the lights came up on that final scene -- with the blood and body parts strewn all over the stage -- it was so ridiculously over-the-top that I had to laugh. Which was the whole point. Loved it so much, I went back to see it again and have been a diehard McDonagh fan ever since. (Saw Three Billboards last week, and it's terrific, too.) But now I have a choice to make... Well, since you asked: Do I time my next visit to London to see A. Turner in Lieutenant? Or go a bit later in the year and see J. Broadbent in A Very Very Very Dark Matter? Oh, who am I kidding? The choice is as clear as the gifs in this thread.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Nov 10, 2017 6:46:59 GMT
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Post by Kenneth_C on Nov 10, 2017 6:38:18 GMT
I love McDonagh's work.
First became aware of him with In Bruges (which has now become one of my Xmas holiday staples). Since then, I've seen a number of his plays, including The Cripple of Inishmaan with Daniel Radcliffe at the Noel Coward, Hangmen at the Royal Court, and the Druid production of Beauty Queen of Leenane. My favorite remains the stellar production of The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A. starring Chris Pine.
I've been looking for something to schedule my next trip to London around. A Very Very Very Dark Matter just might be it!
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Post by Kenneth_C on Nov 8, 2017 20:35:36 GMT
I think they may have been filming this when I saw it a couple weeks ago. There were several cameras set up in the orchestra. (Behind me, fortunately.)
It's a charming show, albeit a bit short & slight. There's not much to the story, but the music is wonderful -- could have actually used more of it -- and the performances were excellent. Can guarantee that Katrina Lenk will be a major contender for Best Actress at the Tonys next year.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Nov 3, 2017 19:17:13 GMT
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban at Springsteen on Broadway last Saturday.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Nov 3, 2017 19:13:29 GMT
There is a real chance the Leading Actors/Featured Actors in a Play races at this years Tonys will be just the gays... and Mark Rylance. The eligibility deadline for next year's Tony Awards is April 26. Boys in the Band doesn't begin previews until April 30.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Nov 1, 2017 16:09:44 GMT
A word to the wise:
Even if you cannot afford/obtain tickets to see Bette, this production deserves to be seen.
The solution is simple: Get tickets to see Donna Murphy, instead. She is absolutely fantastic in the role. And you still get the rest of the fabulous cast (including David Hyde Pierce, Kate Baldwin, and Tony winner Gavin Creel), the ensemble, the costumes, the dancers, the works. Discount tickets for Donna can be found at telechargeoffers.com, starting at $99.
I have seen both Donna and Bette and, trust me, you will not be disappointed.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Oct 24, 2017 14:41:03 GMT
Guys please. The play is great and as a spectacle it is sensational. It will run on the West End and Broadway for decades. No, Cursed Child is not great. Sorry. I also wasn't aware that length of run was a measure of quality. I guess that means The Mousetrap is the greatest play ever written.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Oct 23, 2017 17:38:39 GMT
Is it really that good of a play? NO. Instead of being "well worth seeing", I'd rate it was "well worth avoiding, saving your time & money, and seeing at least 2 other things". I was so excited to see it and haunted the website for weeks in order to grab tickets for my London visit. But I ended up hating it. And I say this all as a Potter fan. In fact, I can't figure out why Potter fans like it, as it distorts numerous characters and violates established pieces of Potter lore. (I am even more surprised that J.K. Rowling signed off on some of this stuff.) It's exceedingly poor fan fic, overly long and ultimately pointless -- but gussied up with theatrical effects and magic tricks.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Oct 22, 2017 7:18:27 GMT
Tonight (Sunday): Hamilton at the Hollywood Pantages. Featuring the best Hamilton company currently on the boards.
Then, a quick jaunt to NYC mid-week.
Thursday evening: The Band's Visit. A presumed prime contender for next year's Tony Awards. Friday evening: Torch Song. Off-Broadway revisal of Harvey Fierstein's 80s epic, starring Michael Urie and Mercedes Ruehl. Saturday matinee: M. Butterfly, starring Clive Owen and directed by Julie Taymor. Saturday evening: THE BOSS. Springsteen on Broadway. The reason for this trip. (Plus, it's my birthday.) Sunday matinee: Kinky Boots, starring OBC members Billy Porter and Stark Sands. Sunday evening: ?
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Post by Kenneth_C on Oct 10, 2017 20:29:40 GMT
There's a whole segment that goes on for 10 minutes nearly that's about the blind girl dripping her stick then everyone breaking character telling her where to go to get it and directing her. The stage hands, the band, all of them. There's a bit where a spotlight shines on a spot different to where Toxie us standing so him moving to it. There were some other things I can't really recall but we're defo play goes wrong style. You could argue that the whole bit of the mayor coming out to tell the guy to hurry up and stop singing and get on with it is that sort of thing too. I honestly cannot remember anything like that happening in the two previous productions I saw. At the Hollywood Fringe, since it was in a tiny black box theatre, the director added a stagehand that moved or carried panels that looked like comic book pages to indicate scene changes. But that was the director's addition to compensate for the lack of any type of set. Towards the end of the play, the stagehand (who was the director's daughter) started showing some attitude, but it was very cleverly-done and not nearly as "meta" as TPTGW.
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Post by Kenneth_C on Oct 10, 2017 5:29:15 GMT
I saw this at Southwark and then again at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and I can't recall any Play That Goes Wrong type humor.
Have they rewritten the show?
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