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Post by demelza on Mar 26, 2024 20:20:11 GMT
I saw this last night and had a good time! Yes, the show needs a lot of work, but I'd much rather see an original piece like this than something like Cruel Intentions or Clueless... the cast were great and I hope the writers go back to the drawing board with this one as with some rewrites and restructuring I think this could be a pretty good show in a smaller space! But the cast are absolutely what elevated the piece... I did find myself laughing at the end when I shouldn't have due to the staging of the final moment
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Mar 22, 2024 20:22:51 GMT
I was at the matinee today! It was my first Rose Bruford show, and I hadn't realised it was an actor-muso one when booking so that was a nice surprise! I think it added a really nice extra layer to the storytelling aspect of the show (Loved Barkilphedro on the sax!) There were several members of the original production in the audience and I thought it was great to see them supporting the production.
There were some really lovely performances in this, I particularly thought that Dea had a wonderful voice and presence, and I was glad to see the puppets! I wasn't sure if they'd have them or not.
It's a show that means a lot to me, so I hope that this is only the start of more productions cropping up!
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Mar 21, 2024 21:13:20 GMT
Anyone been to see the Rose Bruford shows at the Greenwich Theatre? I'm off to see The Grinning Man tomorrow. Saw the original London run quite a few times so I'm intrigued to see what this production will be like
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Mar 17, 2024 22:00:52 GMT
Footloose 24-27th April Legally Blonde 1-4th May Grease 8-11th May
All at the Palace Theatre, Southend
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Mar 16, 2024 23:32:40 GMT
Oh dear. Who produced this one? I'm going to Wild About You and am considering Pippin too, are either of those the same producers?. I agree Side Show was fantastic. Sisco produced this! Carter Dixon McGill is doing Wild About You and I think their concerts are normally decent. Pippin is Aria Ents & Carter Dixon McGill if I remember correctly?
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Feb 28, 2024 23:32:59 GMT
I was also at press night yesterday and enjoyed it. I went in with low expectations and they were exceeded — I have also been waiting to see Jack Davenport on stage for many years now so the play could have been three hours of him reading the dictionary and I would have had a good time! The script is somewhat muddled, but I thought that the performances by all the cast were what really shone (and the brilliant work from the Stage Management team!) and elevated what otherwise could have been a dreary night at the theatre
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Feb 12, 2024 14:30:01 GMT
Am sure they've asked Matt Lucas to reprise Thenardier, but would he want to do it? I can't imagine he'll want to do it!
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Feb 12, 2024 13:46:31 GMT
I didn't realise this was having another go around! Might have to see if I can fit a visit in to my schedule — I loved it when I saw it the first time with Hadley Fraser and Caroline Sheen back when the Other Palace was still the St James!
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Feb 12, 2024 13:42:12 GMT
I wonder if they'll stay with the tour as it travels or if Valjean and Javert will change depending on where in there world the tour is. Isn't it speculated that Peter Joback's upcoming London run is in preparation for the scandinavian leg? I suppose that would be a good way of doing it in order to boost ticket sales
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Feb 12, 2024 13:39:31 GMT
As much as I enjoy Jamie Muscato as a performer I am a little disappointed that Aneurin Barnard seemingly isn't making a return, but I guess they can't make it work around his filming schedules. I was really hoping they'd be able to make it work for him!
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Post by demelza on Feb 9, 2024 15:49:07 GMT
Another go? I loved the show when I saw it off-broadway, liked it well enough the first time it was at the Other Palace, but it's been so flogged to death over here now that it's exhausting
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Feb 2, 2024 10:10:50 GMT
Booking process went much quicker than I thought when I got placed into the queue! Haven't been to the Victoria Palace before so I'm looking forward to visiting a new to me theatre! Seatplan says there's not a lot of legroom on the seat I've booked but hopefully it won't be too bad. Hope we won't have to wait too long for a cast announcement and I do hope plenty of the OLC will be involved. The closest I've ever been to seeing Aneurin Barnard in theatre is when I was sitting a few seats along from him at a performance of Groundhog Day the first time it was here 😂
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Jan 30, 2024 20:42:12 GMT
Tbf I did see Aneurin Barnard teasing something on twitter last week! I really hope that is the case — forever kicking myself that I missed the original London production
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Jan 23, 2024 22:11:33 GMT
How well is Dolly selling? Could it/might it move to Drury Lane after its stint at the Palladium? If the cast could extend surely it would be easier to move the panto from the Palladium to Drury Lane this year. But I doubt Imelda will be able to extend. Elf is touring this winter again as no long run. Is there a second set already built? There was an arena tour of the musical alongside the Dominion prod this christmas just gone so there's already two sets in existence
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Post by demelza on Jan 23, 2024 21:20:02 GMT
A few things- The Greatest Showman is seeking a non traditional space- not Drury Lane There will likely be a filler in there for Xmas next year- something depressing like Elf.. and then a big show will move in early 2025. That show could very well be Beetlejuice. Sounds like you've heard the same rumblings I have! I heard Elf and then Beetlejuice today. Elf I wasn't surprised to here, but I thought another show would be a more likely pick for TRDL than Beetlejuice would be. Surely that would do better in a smaller house? I could see it in the Adelphi but I don't think BTTF's looking to close any time soon
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Post by demelza on Jan 21, 2024 13:54:10 GMT
Yes, it was all of the above, thank you 🙂 We booked it before they announced who was performing and had wondered if Earl Carpenter would be in it, but obviously not. However they were all fantastic and it was such a good night. They had a bit of banter with each other, including a moment where the three men asked the two Christines who was their favourite Phantom (hoping they picked one of them) and they both said John Owen Jones, which got some laughs. It was such a treat to hear such a fabulous orchestra. We are very lucky to have the Halle up here. I kept thinking that I wished they could do a whole concert of Phantom, but I don't think that will ever happen! I think Earl's out in Japan doing a concert atm, based on what I've seen on Holly-Anne Hull's tiktok recently! How lucky you got to see Celia Graham! Funnily enough, I was wondering the other day what she was up to
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Post by demelza on Jan 16, 2024 20:32:55 GMT
Has Paige already left? Was just on the Phantom website and her bio seems to be gone. Unless I've just completely lost my mind, which is an option. I feel like she went from being on a lot to not much at all the last couple of months. Do hope she's alright whatever the reason was for her leaving anyway. Paige left last week, I believe! Same, I hope she's alright. Was hoping I'd get to see her in the role as I'd heard good things from a few friends who had seen her but sadly that won't happen now!
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Jan 12, 2024 17:48:41 GMT
I haven't seen any announcements about casting for this yet, so I imagine they're waiting until they're a little closer to opening?
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Post by demelza on Jan 10, 2024 20:53:33 GMT
I also thought Ryan Molloy was too old for Frankie. I preferred Scott Monello. I saw Mark Isherwood as Tommy who was excellent as was Stephen Ashfield as Bob. Also enjoyed Wayne Smith as Bob Crewe. Have seen the tour quite a few times and my two favourites were Tim Driesen and Luke Suri both excellent as Frankie. Hope it tours again soon. Mark Isherwood is excellent! Only saw his Tommy once but saw his Nick and Gyp a few times! Agree with greeny11 re: Michael Watson. Think he was the Frankie I ended up seeing the most — I saw him quite early on and wasn't too keen on him at the start but he really grew into the role and I really loved his performance. I believe he's swapped performing for being a Life Coach these days, which is a shame
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Post by demelza on Jan 7, 2024 21:28:51 GMT
Thinking about this, was SINATRA not planning a West End stint? Is this still happening? I know it wasn’t well regarded here, but I love the music, so would like to see it. I also know that Jeanine Tesori wants to bring KIMBERLY AKIMBO over. Could we see that in 2024? I don't think an immediate transfer was ever planned? If I remember correctly, Birmingham was always meant to be the pre-town tryout for the Broadway run. Perhaps it could end up touring like The Cher Show did?
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Jan 7, 2024 21:25:29 GMT
As others have said — check out your local charity shops! Most of my musical theatre vinyl has come from them. Got Evita for 50p about ten years ago from an oxfam!
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Jan 6, 2024 20:11:06 GMT
I very much enjoyed the show in its original West End run and on tour. Across the runs I saw a couple of standouts, Ryan Malloy was superb as Valli and Jon Boyden outstanding as Tommy. I must admit to me the show lost some of its lustre over time, as is natural, and subsequent casts didn’t do much for me. I think I saw Scott Monello and Jon Lee, neither of which really had the chops for the role and I was spoilt with Malloy setting the benchmark so high. I thought it was all but done when I saw it last time, just very underwhelming and, dare I say, a bit “budget”. Good show but a good time to bow out. Jon Boydon was such a great Tommy! For me, this show was at it's best at the Prince Edward with Ryan Molloy, Jon Boydon, Matthew Wycliffe, and Eugene McCoy as the boys! It's sad, I used to love this show so much, but I don't know... this run at the Trafalgar failed to grab me at all
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Post by demelza on Jan 6, 2024 19:57:53 GMT
That seems a suspiciously long booking period - it used to be that a large extension indicated producers gauging interest when considering a closing notice… Anyone know how the show has been doing - it rarely gets talked about and I rarely see much publicity for it, but it is a very popular film. My office isn't far from the Shaftesbury so I have to walk past it when I go to the post office and when the midweek matinees are on the queues take up a good part of the street. Always seems to be a lot of coach trips and school groups from what I've noticed!
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184 posts
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Post by demelza on Dec 29, 2023 21:14:05 GMT
What other anniversaries and expiry of copyrights are imminent ? It used to be more common to mark them than it is now - as I remarked elsewhere the 400th anniversary of Moliere’s birth went largely unmarked in 2022. At one time the NT might have marked the Austen anniversary in some way but one assumes they will deliberately ignore it this time - as noted above these occasions are potential money spinners for regional theatres. The last Sherlock Holmes stories had their copyright expire at the start of the year in the US — I believe that means that they're public domain everywhere now, if that counts?
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Post by demelza on Dec 13, 2023 23:08:08 GMT
I saw the show for free from the back of the dress circle at the Adelphi (awful seats in my least favourite venue) and I remember very little. Gemma Arterton was predictably lovely, but I don’t remember any of the songs except the title number. And even then, I only remember there being some very forced rhymes (which I’ve surely built up in my mind to be worse than they actually are. I can’t remember the real ones so I like to make up my own. “Made in Dagenham, listening to Slade in Dagenham, I wish this show had stayed in Dagenham”). At the time I thought it was basically a Cockney “Billy Elliott”. Sadly, I can’t stand Billy Elliott. Ticket prices seem reasonable for this though. How could you have have forgotten “Come get your cat spayed in Dagenham” ?! 🤣 And all the rhymes in the cortina song! "Cortiiinnaaaa, it's leaner and it's meaner"
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Post by demelza on Dec 12, 2023 22:01:22 GMT
It has been selling on the amateur market, so clearly someone believes that enough people will turn out for a concert The am dram group I used to be in did it about 5 and a half years ago now and it was the only time they had sold out every performance! Tbf Dagenham isn't a million miles away and at one performance we did have one of the women involved in the protest come to a performance. It's a decent show and I enjoy it but a concert at the Palladium is baffling to me
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Post by demelza on Dec 8, 2023 12:20:52 GMT
Aimee and Mason were actually supposed to do It together originally, but a scheduling conflict meant Mason had to delay and go in the next pairing - I do think they'd have been utterly sensational together, considering they're the best subsequent performers of the roles since the first cast What a shame the scheduling didn't work out there! I was lucky enough to be able to see Aimee, and had hoped to make a second trip to see Mason but things didn't pan out — would have loved to have seen them together!
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Post by demelza on Nov 21, 2023 22:15:14 GMT
Ryan Reid somehow manages to get worse every time I see him. It's like I'm watching the cogs go trying to actually sing in tune, which is a shame cos Fiyero can be such a charming role if played right but he just falls flat on singing, acting AND dancing. When I saw him he was struggling quite a bit with "and it's up that I fell" in As Long as You're Mine! The notes certainly weren't going up 😬
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Post by demelza on Nov 15, 2023 17:14:05 GMT
When I’ve attended RADA events, it’s been unallocated seating. Queue up and take your pick of remaining seats. Thats what we had for Company earlier this year. Crazy system considering how great their auditorium is, complete with fixed down seats and everything! It's probably because it's a flexible space! The stalls can be lifted to the be level with the stage, but the only time I've seen it used is for the condensed Shakespeares they used to do — saw a dreadful Cymbeline that made no sense there back in 2019 😂
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Post by demelza on Nov 14, 2023 23:21:43 GMT
I know it's not a musical, but couldn't find the equivalent thread in the plays forum, but have seen that RADA are putting on Angels in America Part One at the end of the month. Very curious to see how it'll work
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