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Post by schuttep on Dec 31, 2016 11:20:01 GMT
Hamilton will sell out its entire run in 3.5 seconds but get mixed reviews: the cast will ham it up.
Imelda Staunton will commute between concurrent productions of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Follies and Gypsy. Sondheim will write the score for Who's Afraid.
The 2 productions of Oscar Wilde's Salome (RSC and National) will hire the same actors and director and stage it in a butchers shop.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 31, 2016 11:06:33 GMT
For me that's Sheffield Crucible's Flowers for Mrs Harris, with it's wonderful song Rain on Me.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 29, 2016 18:23:25 GMT
Cyrano. I know you said don't ask, but was this the Kenwright/ Wildhorn production? If so, do you have ANY info on this or have heard any material? Sadly not. It was a musical by Dutch team Ad van Dijk (Music), Koen van Dijk (Book and Lyrics), and Sheldon Harnick (additional Lyrics). It was at the Neil Simon Theatre in NY 1993-94. Truly awful.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 29, 2016 11:24:33 GMT
For me I would love to see a first class production of Tennessee Williams' Cat On A Hot Tin Roof or John Osbournes' Don't Look Back In Anger. Anything by Tennessee Williams is good - we're getting The Glass Menagerie. I think you mean John Osborne's Look Back in Anger - again anything by him would be welcome
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Post by schuttep on Dec 21, 2016 10:57:17 GMT
The NT is really on a roll at the moment, and with Angels in America (ticket sales limited to 2 per booker per play) and Follies coming up, I predict an exceptional year ahead.
I'm two-thirds of my way through The NT story (850 pages) and it wasn't always the same - some plays in the past (Richard Eyre's reign) played to 20%-30% capacity.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 21, 2016 10:53:28 GMT
I used to go to the Charing Cross when it was The Players but the new layout made this seem like a totally different space. I've been to both the Players and Charing Cross theatres but the layout seems the same to me.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 21, 2016 10:46:55 GMT
March of the Falsettos had a West End run in the late '80s. Sorry if you meant some other Falsettos. Falsettos is a combination of March of the Falsettos and its sequel Falsettoland. But thanks for the elucidation.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 20, 2016 21:36:38 GMT
Big River Flowers for Mrs Harris Falsettos Cyrano (don't ask!) Jeanne Our Husband the King (later Kings and Clowns - based on the 6 wives of Henry VIII) Will Rogers Follies.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 20, 2016 21:32:16 GMT
Having been a theatregoer since 1974 I usually don't get too many, but this year was:
Lowry Lyric, Manchester: The Girls Park 90, London: Hello Norma Jeane Wilton's Music Hall, London: All That Fall Bristol Old Vic: Long Day's Journey Into Night St Paul's Church, London: Godspell Arcola, London: Kenny Morgan The Bunker, London: Muted.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 13, 2016 9:29:11 GMT
I saw this on Sunday among a sparse audience, which was a shame. First act a little over-long but much better second act. And lovely songs beautifully sung by everyone: Tori in particular but also the WE veteran Helen Hobson.
Totally agree with bellboard27's review of the theatre/staff etc, although I did think the stage area was very much overlarge in comparison to the space allocated for the audience.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 12, 2016 12:04:26 GMT
My partner and I choose to do Christmas differently. We always spend a few days in a European city. My partner keeps hoping for snow on Christmas day but it's never happened yet. Otherwise we don't really have any must-do habits.
As far as the theatre is concerned, my partner hates seeing shows with a Christmas theme after Christmas!
Woohoo - my 100th post!!
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Post by schuttep on Dec 12, 2016 12:00:02 GMT
I won't buy Premium seats on principle, but I've sat in them when the seat has been discounted.
I prefer top price seats but in some theatres (e.g. the National) sometimes cheaper seats are as good.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 10, 2016 10:32:57 GMT
Thank everyone. No more detours.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 8, 2016 9:21:23 GMT
And I think it is Lydl, isn't it? I think in Wales it's Llydll.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 7, 2016 14:14:23 GMT
Lots already booked for 2017.
Amadeus, Strictly Ballroom (Leeds), Mary Stuart, Sweet Charity (Manchester), Promises Promises, Rent, St Joan, Sex with Strangers, Dreamgirls, a profoundly affectionate passionate devotion to someone (- noun), Educating Rita (Derby), The Glass Menagerie, An American in Paris, Twelfth Night, The Frogs, Shirley Valentine (Richmond), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, The Wild Party, School of Rock, The Life, I Capture the Castle (Watford), The Crucible (Richmond), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Abigail's Party (Richmond), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Wonderland (Wimbledon), City of Glass (Hammersmith), The Ferryman, Working, Titus Andronicus (Stratford), Salome (Stratford), Anatomy of a Suicide, The Tempest, The Addams Family (Cardiff), Road, The Wedding Singer (Portsmouth).
Things to book: 42nd Street, Dead Funny, Follies, Company, Angels in America, The Play That Goes Wrong.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 7, 2016 14:02:45 GMT
I think he has mistaken this thread for the Sondheim thread. Ah, wait till you start shaving, Michael! Then you'll appreciate Sondheim.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 7, 2016 9:20:54 GMT
Following my previous comment I won tickets at the end of last week for the Brighton production and went along open to being converted. As a 40 something guy I still dont quite get the fuss but having seen it I have more of an idea why people are so affected by it. My daughter in her early 20s loved it and hasnt stopped talking about it since. Maybe if I had seen it at that age I would have appreciated it more. Possibly. But I maintain it's timeless. I saw the original Broadway cast when I was in my late 40s; I had read reviews but wasn't at all sure I'd like it. Half way into the first song, I knew I loved it. And all my friends (between 45 and 55), who've seen it since adore it and we're all seeing this incarnation, albeit at different theatres.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 7, 2016 9:14:16 GMT
Will have seen 86 shows by the end of the year plus a few cabarets.
Highlights are (In chronological order): Grey Gardens - Southwark Playhouse Wit - Manchester Royal Exchange Long Day's Journey Into Night - Bristol Old Vic Cyprus Avenue - Royal Court Flowers for Mrs Harris - Sheffield Crucible Beautiful - the Carole King Story - Aldwych Yerma - Young Vic The Roundabout - Park 200 Kenny Morgan - Arcola Side Show - Southwark Playhouse Blue Heart - Richmond Orange Tree.
M'eh: Hand to God - Vaudeville If You Kiss Me, Kiss Me - Young Vic The End of Longing - Playhouse Allegro - Southwark Playhouse No's Knife - Old Vic Bits of Me are Falling Apart - Soho
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Post by schuttep on Dec 7, 2016 8:56:30 GMT
...the adorable Callum Howells as Arpad are the best things about the show. That little Welsh lad is one to watch. He's adorable. And only 17 years old. What a find!
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Post by schuttep on Dec 5, 2016 10:02:32 GMT
Gosh, this takes me back saw this more years ago then I care to remember at Wyndhams ( I think ) with Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers I saw it in 1999 with Charlton Heston and (his real life wife) Lydia Carke in a "lame" (Evening Standard) production.
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Post by schuttep on Dec 5, 2016 9:53:36 GMT
I saw this yesterday and thought it was charming. Scarlett Strallen and Mark Umbers as good as ever. And the lovely song Vanilla Ice Cream.
Aside: the building directly to the right of the Menier (set back from the road) has a number of market stalls inside selling food and drink. At the bar buying drinks was a certain Eddie Redmayne. I've heard he's an actor?
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Post by schuttep on Nov 29, 2016 16:38:18 GMT
Somebody crowd me with love Somebody force me to care Somebody make me come through I'll always be there Frightened as you to help us survive, Being alive, being alive, being alive, being alive.
From Company, of course. It's not at all strange that many of the lyrics quoted are Sondheim.
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Post by schuttep on Nov 28, 2016 9:27:41 GMT
Couldn't find a thread for this so I started one www.youngvic.org/whats-on/once-in-a-lifetimeHave tickets to see this on Monday (but I am also seeing Candide, Dreamgirls and Side Show next week so I might be theatred out Would be interested to hear what people think if they go. The cast seems pretty good and it could be a fun comedy but I wasn't a huge fan of the director's The Trial or Annie Get Your Gun tbh. Please forgive this slight detour, but where is Candide on, theatrelover123, please?
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Post by schuttep on Nov 26, 2016 9:09:00 GMT
Thanks for the link. Indeed there is a good reason; my question Why has been answered.
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Post by schuttep on Nov 25, 2016 10:57:27 GMT
Just read that Marianne Elliott is producing Sondheim's Company with a female Bobby. Why?
If you're going to do this, you need to have a reason for it other than "Because I can". It needs to add value.
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Post by schuttep on Nov 25, 2016 10:19:29 GMT
It's true that there are loads of great roles for women... Thing is, there's also a lot of terrible roles for women, where they are defined as being someone's wife or girlfriend or mother and their purpose in the story is to be another way of showing how the story affects our male protagonist. It would be nice if there were loads of decent roles for women too - fewer servants and sisters, more best friends and lawyers. But at the end of the day - no matter whether we're looking at great roles, or terrible roles, or decent roles - there are always FAR MORE for men than for women. Considering the planet has a reasonably even gender split in reality, it's pretty disgusting that this isn't reflected on our stages, TVs, films, etc, and even more disgusting that people in the twenty first century are still saying "that's enough now, no need to keep pushing for parity, we've already let you have some". The fact that women are sometimes defined by their relationship to a man is the way society worked for hundreds of years. Plays written during these times are - more often than not - bound to reflect these prejudices. More recent plays (unless depicting history) have a duty imho to reflect society now. And I for one welcome the changes. I agree that in the whole canon there are more roles for men than women; and I also agree that there are arguably better roles for men than women. Hopefully that is changing, not least because there are more and more amazing female playwrights. As for plays being political, I totally agree with talkstageytome that theatre has always been political, especially in the true sense of the word politics (decisions and attitudes relating to people) but also from time to time in the modern sense of politics and politicians. If you dislike the latter, it's easy to filter out seeing the latter. But Mr Harwood seems to think all plays are political which embraces the first definition, and that's just a stupid attitude when most plays have a political (in its pure sense) content - even The Dresser.
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Post by schuttep on Nov 20, 2016 10:17:18 GMT
People with a public profile expect to be accosted from time to time. Sometimes that's in an unpleasant manner. But, regardless of others' opinions of them, why should they have to put up with it? It's simply rudeness to do that to a public figure when they are being "private".
That said, I think the cast's reaction was human, humane, and spectacularly impressive.
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Post by schuttep on Nov 17, 2016 10:50:25 GMT
I think we all knew that the Front Row scheme was not doing the job it set out to do - getting new people in to see shows after they'd read a good review of it, to change the 'but it's impossible to get a ticket!' reputation the Donmar had. Instead, us canny experienced theatre goers were simply waiting at 10am on a Monday to snap them up. And many people were still convinced that it's impossible to get a ticket - it takes a long time for a reputation like that to die, especially when the people who believe it have given up actually trying. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. Like many, it means I'll see fewer Donmar productions. I'll miss the luxury of sitting in the central stalls, that's for sure! Back to the side circle for me.... I also agree with 'free' tickets being problematic. I've noticed that they've had them available on the day at the theatre, too - presumably to reduce the number of people booking 2 weeks in advance then not turning up. Though I was chatting to a young student just the other day who is doing a theatre director's course and somehow didn't know about it (or Entry Pass) and it did make me wonder how useless university theatre departments are if they're not spreading this info around to their students! It was predictable that experienced (but relatively poor) theatregoers would use the £10 scheme and snap up the tickets. It's original premise was laudable, but I can't think of any workable scheme that wouldn't have unintended consequences. I also wondered how long the Donmar would take to work out what was happening and discontinue the scheme as it stands. I agree with what's been said about free tickets: I'm sure there are similar attitudes to tickets from papering sites. I'm keen to see Arturo Ui having recently read a book on Brecht's plays, but the other offerings are a big fat yawn to me. The Donmar seems to be losing it, imho.
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Post by schuttep on Nov 16, 2016 9:25:15 GMT
The Crazy Coqs (now called Live at Zedel) doesn't do meals - if you want to eat you can do so in the cafe upstairs or main restaurant downstairs. It's a cabaret space with tables where they serve drinks before and during the show.
Saw Maria Friedman on Monday 14 November and she was on fire! This is how cabaret should be done. She was really belting them out. Iconic and utterly memorable.
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Post by schuttep on Nov 10, 2016 10:25:44 GMT
Sugar Babies (in London with Mickey Rooney and Ann MIller in 1988) and Dames at Sea.
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