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Post by notmymuse on Nov 30, 2019 23:19:02 GMT
Just to answer some of the previous posters, I was in this myself many years ago so know it fairly well.
It's very different to the ALW version. It puts the action in England (Yorkshire I think) and that makes for a very different piece, and is obviously less commercial. It stays far truer to the original film. I am very biased as I loved being in it, but I think it's a great musical. The score is lovely, although less catchy than ALW's.
I met Richard Taylor at a workshop years ago. He's written quite a lot including Flowers for Mrs Harris (Chichester and Sheffield) and The Go Between (which had a West end run a couple of years ago). If I was in London soon I'd love to check this out.
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Post by notmymuse on Nov 7, 2019 22:42:54 GMT
I thought R+H's Cinderella too. Impossible/It's Possible. Cinderella Story's tagline was "Anything is possible if you just believe" and Disney's 2015 version ran with "Anything is possible" and I think there are similar lines in the R+H version too.
I hope so - it's a lovely piece, I last saw it at the Chiswick Theatre (Tabard as was) a few years ago.
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Post by notmymuse on Oct 3, 2019 21:55:04 GMT
I saw this at the matinee today - the stalls looked full but the circle was perhaps 1/6th full with the upper circle closed. Hardly surprising for a new show in Manchester on a weekday afternoon, perhaps.
I'd just echo what someone else said, that they have constructed two pretty big pillars on the inside of the proscenium which play havoc with sightlines for anyone sitting not in the centre. It really cuts off huge amounts of stage and I really hope they re-think this for London. I wasn't even sitting at the extreme edges and found the pillars getting in the way repeatedly. They are basically there as scenery to make it seem set in unspecified-old-times, but they could slim them down or just cover the existing pillars of the arch, surely.
In terms of the show, it starts like a runaway train and I thought I was going to love it and would be returning for another visit, but for me it lost pace after the first 15 minutes or so and settled into being a solid 3.5/5. The songs generally sounded amazing and were often very cleverly inserted, but I found the handling of the issues around gender really clunky and a bit toe curling. I respect them for choosing to portray these characters as they were (a few line re-writes later and they could basically remove this element) but for me it wasn't done in an amazingly authentic way and seemed too cartoonish. I'm not saying they all should have sat round staring at their navels for ages, but it just didn't seem truthful and seemed cardboard and inauthentic. It's looking at a different issue, but Everybody's Talking About Jamie manages to someone be real and heartfelt, and this seemed anything but. I also think a fair few people just had no idea what was going on...
I also think it focuses on 1 set of characters too many and would benefit from a bit of cutting and paring it back to try and do a bit less. There are some very funny lines, and the singing was great from every lead. However, I think Oliver Thompsett could be given more to do - he has as lovely voice and it (and he) was a bit wasted.
The choreography reminded me a bit of Bat Out of Hell, with lots of people standing on the spot dancing without a great deal of overall movement.
Worth seeing, and to be fair the audience seemed in the main to love it. It'll be interesting to see what changes they make before London (please, remove the pillars!) and what the critics make of it. I think they'll need to sell it off Max Martin's songs very heavily to last.
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Post by notmymuse on Sept 25, 2019 11:10:30 GMT
He did Light in the Piazza in Leicester, then Pippin at the Menier, then the Cabaret tour. Then he vanished until he and played the lead in Anything Goes in Sheffield in 2015, then carried on on it's tour which got cancelled after a few venues. I've not heard of him since.
It's a shame - I used to follow him a fair bit.
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Cats
Sept 17, 2019 22:05:35 GMT
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Post by notmymuse on Sept 17, 2019 22:05:35 GMT
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Post by notmymuse on Jul 9, 2019 7:25:35 GMT
And the time the male lead in the Commitments was ill, and both understudies were unavailable so they asked Andrew Linnie (who'd been in the cast for 2 years but never studied the part) to go on with about 5 hours' notice. I think he went on for 3 weeks then landed the role on the UK tour.
I remember Carousel nearly being cancelled one night (the Savoy run I think) as there was no one to do the dream ballet, until Adam Cooper charged across London by tube to do it, which must have been an amazing experience to see.
Them there's the story a couple of years ago from a regional theatre (Liverpool?) of no one being able to play The Witch when the actor was taken ill so someone in drama school who had just done it emailed the theatre to volunteer and ended going on for a good while.
I remember once watching an (uninitially) hilarious amdram version of love on the dole in Birmingham, where the older male lead kept dramatically pausing before saying his lines. Sadly, no one had told the prompt, who assumed he'd forgotten them and so prompted him. When this happened for the third time right near the interval, he screamed at her and was clearly very angry. Come the second act, the director appeared in his place, script in hand...
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Post by notmymuse on May 27, 2019 9:41:04 GMT
What a great question! I'll kick myself later for not remembering more but:
- Sunday in the Park with George with Jenna Russell and Daniel Evans
- Pipe Dream at the Union (they announced the run just after I booked to go travelling for the exact time it was on) - I would have loved to have seen all the R&H shows so hoping someone brings it back one day...
On reflection, I guess my list of "shows I nearly didn't see but am massively glad I did" is much longer, so on balance I can't complain!
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Post by notmymuse on Feb 25, 2019 23:30:39 GMT
I loved this when I saw it on tour a few years back (with Evelyn Hoskins I think?). Funny, with some lovely songs. Pleased another Sheffield-originated musical is having another lease of life at Chichester.
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Post by notmymuse on Feb 14, 2019 9:48:57 GMT
I enjoyed this when I saw it a week or so ago, but as it was late starting (and had the longest interval of all time) I had to leave early. Can someone tell me what happens exactly after Caroline hours back and tells Noah they'll be friends again? I've read what's on Wikipedia but could do with more detail! Thanks.
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Post by notmymuse on Jan 9, 2019 8:31:17 GMT
I loved that shop. I still miss visiting it on days I go to London for a theatre trip. I bought my (signed) copy of theatre monkey's book there! I think they were even the record label for Rebecca Caine's CD although I may have made that up, but I remember going there to buy it. It was great browsing all the stuff that pre-internet you had no way of knowing existed.
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Post by notmymuse on Dec 18, 2018 8:56:06 GMT
I'm sure the upper circle level at the Dominion was closed in the super cinema days as it was used for the protection equipment? Trafalgar Studios used to be one theatre with two levels. I remember they "temporarily" made it into two stages years ago and never put it back again. If you look closely in Studio 1 you can see how they did it. It made the rake much better.
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Post by notmymuse on Oct 20, 2018 11:34:46 GMT
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Post by notmymuse on Oct 20, 2018 11:28:03 GMT
I've not seen any news articles about this one, but this is Waterloo East's Christmas Musical - and may explain why Hope Mill pulled it? www.waterlooeast.co.uk/a-christmas-story-the-musicalI came across the cast album of this a couple of years ago and it's not bad at all. I'm very tempted to give it a go.
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Post by notmymuse on Oct 18, 2018 14:14:34 GMT
Hi there - I'd say it's done every other year or so somewhere in London. Keep an eye out on fringe/off West End venues as one or the other of them tends to do Carousel every now and then. Try www.offwestend.com for listings, or londontheatredirect have pretty good listings too. It's been done a couple of times over the last decade or so in London (I can think of twice, but I may well have forgotten one or two short runs). I can't see a reason for it being done on the West End any time soon, but you never know! If you can see it on the fringe I would go for it - I've seen it three times, and the production I saw in the basement studio of a theatre in Catford remains by far my favourite performance of it. Good luck!
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Post by notmymuse on Oct 7, 2018 15:59:23 GMT
The last revival I know of was at the Watermill 3 or 4 years ago. I want amazingly blown away by it. I suspect it'll be lucky to have a fringe revival one day but that's probably it.
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Post by notmymuse on Sept 13, 2018 7:06:40 GMT
I saw the UK tour too and write enjoyed it. I think Bonnie Langford was in it and she was great.
I can't stand Brian Conley however, and if it is indeed him in it, I'll give it a miss. His turn in Barnum was the last straw.
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Post by notmymuse on Sept 12, 2018 6:55:54 GMT
I'd imagine it'll be the same version as the West Yorkshire Playhouse did in 2014 - which also featured Emma Williams as Betty. It reviewed well at the time so hopefully Curve will do as good a job.
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Post by notmymuse on Sept 1, 2018 20:53:59 GMT
I caught this afternoon and am really pleased I did. It's a great concept and has some really catchy numbers in it and is very different to anything I've seen.
Huge standing ovation from the audience afterwards, with the actors and musicians obviously genuinely pleased with the reaction (I guess this would have been the second performance?).
For me, this still would benefit from some work and some edits/re-writes - which would probably make it worthy to a bigger West End theatre and a longer run. I thought it ran out of steam for a while about 2/3 of the way through, and perhaps changing one of the queen songs might help. I also thought the ending was a bit clunky and rushed. I'd also like another song sung by all of the queens half-way through.
But that said, it was great and really fun and different and well deserving of the reaction. Let's hope it sees a life beyond what's been currently announced.
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Post by notmymuse on Jul 8, 2018 10:00:19 GMT
I caught this last night and really enjoyed it.
For me, I loved the performances of the two leads and the king's chief wife. I found the king really absorbing and convincing, and Anna was beautifully played and sung.
It's a bit of a museum piece in some ways and you have to view it as such, but having seen Fun Home just a few hours before, I was stuck by how easily this passes the Bechdel test, and is probably 60 years or so old now. There are interesting themes about the ridiculousness of both cultures, Anna is a strong and bold character (her scene with Tuptim towards the end I find genuinely moving and really believed her bravery), there was criticism of Western Imperialism and more.
I found the pace slower than I'd expected, and the spectacle less than I'd imagined, bit it was so engrossing I didn't mind and this didn't detract. I think young children will struggle though (at least the one behind me did...).
But so glad to have crossed this off the bucket list and it's hard to believe this could be done much better.
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Post by notmymuse on Jul 8, 2018 9:51:28 GMT
I can't believe TM was in the same audience as me and I didn't know! I feel almost famous by association! I would have said hi. Shame.
Anyway, having booked ages and ages ago, I enjoyed this yesterday. For me, it wasn't my favourite thing ever, but a solid 4 stars.
I loved middle Alison who was great, the kids were fab, and Jenna Russell was in it, which was reason enough to be very happy. She delivered a devastating "days and days". Someone needs to write her a great one woman show. Or re mount shows casting her in every role...
I was left a bit confused by the ending, and with TM, I wanted it to be a bit more clearly telegraphed. It left me with more questions than answers in a way - was the father bipolar? And was that supposed to be related to the stress he was under and the situation he felt himself in? Was the house a metaphor for his own life - potentially beautiful but falling apart due to its situation?
Seeing it on pride day, and comparing the freedom Alison had in her sexuality a generation later with her dad's likely experience and what that had meant for him was really sobering. I think we take our freedom for granted so much sometimes and it's been hard won and is very precious, I remembered, watching this.
I wasn't sure Kaisa Hammerlund's voice was ideally suited to the part of Older Alison as she seemed to struggle a bit with the highest notes.
Very glad I caught this.
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Post by notmymuse on Jun 30, 2018 9:47:26 GMT
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Post by notmymuse on Apr 28, 2018 22:28:06 GMT
Oh and why was there a Celine Dion song in the second act? I recognised it instantly, did Meat Loaf do a cover of Celine?! Yes and no. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_All_Coming_Back_to_Me_NowHe wanted to do it but Steinman wouldn't let him. Even took him to court to stop him! Gave it to Celine instead, but Meatloaf did it a few years later.
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Post by notmymuse on Apr 20, 2018 23:11:48 GMT
Ooh I've got tickets in the Grand for the Alex on Saturday. May have to ring up and see what's happening to them. I had grand circle seats booked tonight and was upgraded to row C dress circle in the middle, so hopefully you'll have similar! The set is amazing for this, considering it's a touring show. The projections are also lovely. But apart from the set, I didn't love it. 2.5 stars. It was pretty dreary for me, and my family are (were) Tyneside ship builders and I still wasn't very moved. The score has some nice moments, but generally I found it a bit mundane. The cast were fine but I couldn't understand most of what the drunk guy said/shouted and the sound levels weren't great, especially near the start. I'm glad to report though that I send to be the minority. Half standing ovation in the dress circle.
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Post by notmymuse on Mar 24, 2018 14:17:33 GMT
Interesting interview on Londontheatre.co.uk with Zizi Strallen. She talks a fair bit about the changes they've made from the Leeds production, including her character no longer singing at all, and the songs that are in it.
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Post by notmymuse on Mar 17, 2018 20:11:35 GMT
I caught this at the matinee today. I’ve never been to the Everyman before and it’s a nice theatre. Not particularly big, although there was much drama before we started with more people sitting in the wrong seats or having attended the wrong performance than I have ever known.
Anyway, I’m not sure what to make of this. For a Lerner and Loewe, I’m surprised this isn’t staged more often. It ran for a fair while in its day and had a good few famous songs in it - in fact, the score is generally very strong. I’d not seen it before so couldn’t pass up the chance of ticking a classic off my list.
On reflection, I really enjoyed this. I think If you take it on it’s own terms as a rep piece, with the strengths a cast that’s also performing A Clockwork Orange and Othello can bring to it, you’ll really enjoy it. The acting was just great, and not a dodgy accent in sight. After some of the hammy acting I’ve seen in the West End over the last couple of years, the cast were very strong indeed as actors. They were believable, nuanced and human.
The strange thing is doing a musical with a rep cast when most of them would never be cast even in a fringe production of a musical in London. Marc Elliot had the strongest voice by some way, and sang fine, but none of the rest of the cast appeared to be trained singers. They could hold a tune but I’d expect the same quality of singing from any decent Am Dram company. And the same on the dancing front - few of them were decent movers, and many were obviously struggling.
I can only think this is a choice of the director. In a way, like the Les Mis film, people singing like ordinary folk has a air of authenticity about it in a funny way. In the same way, people of all shapes and sizes dancing like normal folk is also more real, in a way. So it works, but don’t expect to hear beautiful MT voices soaring over the theatre. But the rep element really adds something. Most solo numbers involve many ensemble members, and few of them are off the stage for long at any point. It kept the production fast moving and interesting.
The libretto is also odd. Looking at the original cast, the film and the Encores revival, the songs performed seem different, as do elements of the plot (in some pretty big ways). I think they made changes to give the women more agency (which is a very good thing, given what happens even in this version), and to add more comedy, which was also welcome. But I think Julio’s ostracism is underplayed and there’s little violence like other versions have. The residents of this frontier town are remarkably well behaved.
So it’s very worth seeing and is really performed with heart and spirit. I’d like to see another cast of MT performers sing the heck out of it, but I doubt they could stage or act it better.
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Post by notmymuse on Feb 16, 2018 22:01:29 GMT
I didn't see this one coming! I didn't much enjoy this at the National, it just didn't work. The staging was interesting but the novelty wore off after a bit. The best thing was hearing Rosalie Craig sing the crap out of the score. She's probably my favourite West End singer - such an amazing voice. I like the score to hear live, but it's not one I want to listen to at home so I'd consider going to this for sure.
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Post by notmymuse on Feb 15, 2018 9:09:16 GMT
Just announced for Chichester, with Clare Burt returning. I was so going Daniel Evans would bring this with him to Chichester from a Sheffield. Such a lovely piece. Hopefully this will result in West End transfer...
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Post by notmymuse on Feb 9, 2018 19:52:51 GMT
I've seen this show three times, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) it's really how Charity is played and by whom that makes all the difference. I saw the West End version a few years ago and hated it. I had to see a friend in an Am Dram version a while later and loved it. The woman who played Charity was sweet, believable, vulnerable and you rooted for her.
So I'd usually give this a miss, but I can't wait to see what someone of Rebecca Trehearn's calibre can do with Charity. After her Show Boat I think she may make this really special.
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Chess
Feb 3, 2018 21:58:51 GMT
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Post by notmymuse on Feb 3, 2018 21:58:51 GMT
I wonder what Siobhan Dillon and Xavier are up to at the moment?
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Chess
Feb 3, 2018 19:41:01 GMT
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Post by notmymuse on Feb 3, 2018 19:41:01 GMT
Hilty has a concert and a 2 week residency in the US during the ENO run so she's out. Emma Williams hadn't announced what she's up to yet so she may be a possibility for Svetlana or Florence?
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