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Post by noboiscout on Mar 13, 2024 12:38:03 GMT
Yes, it is sad. Saw some great shows there.
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Post by noboiscout on Nov 24, 2023 23:41:08 GMT
Just back from seeing this tonight. Stunning ensemble work, and several standout solo performances. It would be unfair to single out anyone in particular given that it is clear all the cast have worked their socks off in pulling this production together. A cast of 33 in a small space, masterfully directed and choreographed! They put many a West End cast to shame.
Possibly the best amateur (and it was far from that) production I've ever seen. Imaginative staging, lighting and choreography. Sure, you don't get a tilting stage - but the lifeboat scene in particular, is staged brilliantly. Even heard some sniffling in the audience at the end. Kudos to all involved - including the 17 piece band. Go see it - I put my (non-existent) reviewer's reputation on the line!
NB I have no links to any of the cast or SEDOS - just a fan of the musical, having been lucky (and old) enough to see the original Broadway production, and having seen the touring version a couple of times.
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Post by noboiscout on Apr 4, 2022 10:04:02 GMT
I quite liked it. Bertie in particular was brilliant. Very similar in writing style to King Charles III, almost imitating Shakespeare as a “Future History” play. I feel that Bartlett could have dug deeper, but in all honesty this play is very much a play of today and has a limited expiry date. It’s certainly a possibility that some of the events in this play could come about. I thought at the outset that this was going to grate, when I heard the Shakespearean rhyming. Then I settled in and really began to enjoy it. I didn't find the humour to be overdone, though I can understand others not liking it. The problem with Trump and what is happening with politics in the USA and elsewhere, is that if you don't laugh, you will cry. I liked all the cast, and even though I am far from a fan of Shakespeare, enjoyed spotting the references to various plays - King Lear? Macbeth? Overall 4*
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Post by noboiscout on Nov 1, 2021 20:30:28 GMT
I can't see anything to say you have to go to a test site. There is a link on the e mail which takes you to the Gov.Uk site section where you download your test result. So looks like you use the free NHS tests. Through that would mean no proof that the test has been validly completed by the person it’s meant to have been taken by. Will that be trusted by them? The answer is that AGT won't know - they will be reliant on visitors saying they have had a negative result. So long as someone has entered the number from the lateral flow test and declared that the test was negative, will get the e-mail to show at the door - which won't probably be checked in any event.
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Post by noboiscout on Nov 1, 2021 20:27:33 GMT
I have done several lateral flow tests at home, but doesn't this require you to find a NHS testing site and to have the test there? I have found a site which is about 2 miles away from me in east London, but am taking an elderly friend as a guest, who lives in Essex, near Southend. The Essex council website has no information to say there are test sites anywhere in Essex - they suggest that some chemists may be able to assist you with a test, but then they are unlikely to be able to provide the required certification as it won't be a NHS test. This has disaster written all over it, for any visitor to London who doesn't have a test site close to their home. I can't see anything to say you have to go to a test site. There is a link on the e mail which takes you to the Gov.Uk site section where you download your test result. So looks like you use the free NHS tests. Thank you. That is very helpful.
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Post by noboiscout on Nov 1, 2021 19:46:50 GMT
And they REALLY had to stage it that way in the middle (or towards the end) of a global pandemic?! And force people to fork out for a pricey test on top of super expensive tickets? I don't think they will get away with that. The NHS free test will be acceptable as its a lateral flow test. I have done several lateral flow tests at home, but doesn't this require you to find a NHS testing site and to have the test there? I have found a site which is about 2 miles away from me in east London, but am taking an elderly friend as a guest, who lives in Essex, near Southend. The Essex council website has no information to say there are test sites anywhere in Essex - they suggest that some chemists may be able to assist you with a test, but then they are unlikely to be able to provide the required certification as it won't be a NHS test. This has disaster written all over it, for any visitor to London who doesn't have a test site close to their home.
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Post by noboiscout on Sept 26, 2021 13:22:46 GMT
I thought Parliament were supposed to be doing some kind of enquiry into rising theatre costs? What happened to that? Inflation only can't account for the fact that the price of top-price seats in the early 2000s now give you only the worst of the restricted view seats in many West End houses. I saw Shining City at Stratford Theatre Royal yesterday for £10 (standard price - row B). Not West End I know, but what a bargain. Tickets for The Music Man on Broadway are priced up to $699 plus booking fees. Cheapest ticket I could book for a play on Broadway for trip after Christmas (Chicken and Biscuits), £57. I agree West End prices have gone up considerably in the past 2-3 years, without any explanation. West End theatres seem to be pricing high and then reducing prices if sales aren't going to plan. But I still believe that they are good value compared to New York. Got 2 front row Upper Circle tickets for The Lion King at the Lyceum last week for £35 each, thanks to dynamic pricing.
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Post by noboiscout on Sept 19, 2021 10:10:04 GMT
Very much enjoyed Georgia Tapp at the matinee yesterday. More than can be said about the show generally. First Act is gloomy (set/lighting) and the music is all a bit dull as are the songs generally (apart from Bad Cinderella, which I do like). The second Act perks things up significantly. Was not impressed by Ivano Turko. He can sing and dance - what little dancing he gets to exhibit, in Act 2. His acting however, didn't convince.
Not an appropriate show for 6-10 year old's who will be bored senseless, as was the little girl sitting in front of me, leaving at the interval with expensive tickets having been wasted for child and parent/guardian.
All in all this would be a great show, if you rewrote the music and story for the first Act. As it stands, it's 3 stars from me....just.
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Post by noboiscout on Sept 19, 2021 9:28:52 GMT
In one of the small breaks between the performances, they screened a teaser for a new production to be announced in October (or November, I can’t remember). It was a black and white video of a woman in the backstage of a show, I think. I wasn’t paying it too much attention, but then Ruthie said the only hint she could give that that it was a Sondheim show which hasn’t been produced in a long while! Obviously that got me excited and curious. Could it be that the gods heard my prayers and A Little Night Music is coming back? Thats good news. Could be Night Music or possibly Passion which hasn't been done in a long time. I'm hoping it's the former and not the latter. Please God, not Passion. Haven't we suffered enough in the past two years...?
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Post by noboiscout on Aug 20, 2021 22:10:54 GMT
2* from the Guardian for this. Don't think I'll bother. A complete dogs dinner. Concept, writing, acting and direction, all failed to hit the mark for me. When you can't care about any of the characters, you can't (well I can't) care about the play itself. Circle nearly empty. Stalls full, and a rousing round of applause at the end. I'm happy for those who enjoyed it, but a big disappointment for me.
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Post by noboiscout on Jun 13, 2021 21:50:44 GMT
Difficult to say without being there and having never been in the Ally Pally theatre. Often what people think is a "great acoustic" actually just creates a mess of reverb with sounding bouncing everywhere and every instrument bleeding into every mic, the Albert Hall added the acoustic baffles to the roof (the mushroom looking things) but it can still be a bit of a nightmare. A 28 piece orchestra was probably flooding the vocal mics out, and given the venues age decent speaker rigging points for good coverage were probably few and far between. Sound is never good the first time, people in a space changes the acoustic properties, and adrenaline makes every performer behave differently to the tech and dress runs. Pretty much most threads over in the musicals board has people saying "sound needs work" when in early previews. Just a shame when preview one is also the penultimate performance. Yes firefingers: There was definitely a 'mess of reverb' this afternoon. I think the bare brick walls won't have helped, and it is a barn of a venue - with 2000 fewer seats than original configuration - and then only about 450 tickets sold due to social distancing out of current capacity of 916. I'm sure a lot of the sound issues would have been improved if this hadn't been a 2 performance 'run'. Having said that, I could hear all the lyrics - from the circle, and I've been to a lot worse - cf Chess at the Albert Hall - the worst ever.
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Post by noboiscout on Jun 13, 2021 20:57:25 GMT
I hate to say it, but I found this a bit disappointing. Not overly...I'm still glad I went, but it wasn't as good as it should have been. Mainly because the sound balance at the matinée was diabolical. I don't know if they had time to do proper sound checks, but Act II in particular was a barrage of sound that became unbearable at certain moments (‘Too Much in Love to Care’ in particular sounded like a shouting match). I know it might seem overly nitpicky or ungenerous of me to be so critical when this is one of the first things to be put on in a long time, but honestly to have quite so many things go wrong in the same performance is a bit difficult to overlook. The star of the show should have been the 28-piece orchestra, but they seemed unfamiliar with the score. The entr’acte was the worst I’ve ever heard it played. The flute came in too late, and then when it did it was doing a completely different time signature to everyone else, and then the strings were all over the place leading to a total cacophony. The strings also gave the weirdest interpretation of the countermelody to ‘Too Much in Love to Care’ I’ve ever heard, and just seemed to give up on getting it right. The underscoring of the spoken dialogue didn’t work in multiple places…certain bits of music are supposed to be timed with certain bits of dialogue, and very rarely was it done right. I don’t know if that’s because the performers had their backs to the orchestra and the MD and there was no MD camera. On multiple occasions the lighting cues were missed. The first half of the mad scene at the end was in darkness, until someone remembered where Mazz Murray was and then hurriedly focused the lights on her. This wouldn’t normally have been an issue if they had just done this as a concert, but there were parts (such as this) where it seemed they wanted to semi-stage it. Because the director doesn’t seem to have made a decision on that, that led to weird inconsistencies (e.g. the company being on stage during ‘With One Look’, but not in other scenes set in the mansion that only feature Joe and Norma). The worst lighting moment was the most crucial in the show: where Hog-Eye is supposed to focus the lights on Norma as the music climaxes when she makes her return to the studio…it was all completely out of time with the music. Several of Norma’s lines were flubbed. The biggest issue was in the first Act, which Ramin Karimloo managed to save by giving a gentle reminder with an ad-libbed line (Karimloo, to his credit, didn’t use a script unlike most of the other performers). Mazz Murray then came into Act 2 with a script, presumably so as to avoid that happening again. Except it did, crucially in the final mad scene. The speech that closes the show was missing various lines…and it’s a little odd for Murray to forget certain lines in that scene given she’s known she would be playing this part for quite some time. Hopefully a lot of the above will have been addressed for the evening performance. Overall, I did like Murray's Norma, particularly vocally (and much prefer her vocals to Ria Jones’s…that’s just a matter of personal taste). Acting-wise she needed more direction as the characterisation didn’t seem particularly complete or nuanced. But she was most of all let down by the sound balance which overamplified her too often. Even though it was ‘As If We Never Said Goodbye’ that got her the standing ovation, for me she was at her best delivering ‘With One Look’, and seemed to be channelling Betty Buckley. I thought, though, that her delivery of some of her spoken lines was a bit odd. Unlike so many, I’m not generally a fan of Ramin Karimloo’s performances, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by his acting this time, which seems to have improved a fair bit since I last saw him. My biggest criticism of him used to be that he was often too sharp and shouty, and today this only really applied to his delivery of the title song (although he did go completely off pitch in a reprise of ‘Girl Meets Boy’ in the second act). It seemed like he hadn’t quite managed to get dressed in time ready for the big finish in the clothes number, so they had to repeat a few bars at the end of the song, but no matter. Zizi Strallen was fine, as was Jeremy Secomb as Max…though neither was a standout (and I still think the best Maxes to date have been George Hearn and Fred Johanson). Two weird decisions: forgetting to find any kind of costume for Cecil B DeMille, who looked like someone’s lost uncle who had just happened upon the stage of Alexandra Palace, and the decision to change the line ‘no-one ever takes a black friend to a restaurant’ to ‘no-one ever takes a bad guy to a restaurant’. I understand that the line is uncomfortable; it always has been for me…but I would prefer it DID make me uncomfortable so as to serve as a reminder of the racism that was endemic in Hollywood in the 1950s, rather than pretend it wasn’t there. Loved the venue, though, and the social distancing worked fine. Quite a few of the audience members seemed to be other MT performers. Thanks for the detailed review. I agree with nearly everything you say, though on the whole I did enjoy the afternoon, very much. More rehearsal - and direction needed to make it a more polished performance. Mazz was a bit too strident, and needed to be more fragile in many scenes - but I was impressed by her singing. I love a bit of Ramin, and he did well. I did think he was going to drop his pants after the not so quick change - into black tie (Tuxedos are a lot cheaper to rent apparently, or maybe he wore his own! Zizzi was fine, but most of the Bettys I've seen in the last 10 years have been difficult to warm to. Jeremy Secomb sang brilliantly, but his character did need rounding out. And poor Cecil B De Mille - costume must have been lost at the dry cleaners. I did wonder how much Amy Powers was paid for 'lyrics development' for changing 'black friend' to 'bad guy' - the latter making no sense, and indeed 'whitewashing' the only reference to racism in the musical for no reason that was clear to me.
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Post by noboiscout on Jun 9, 2021 20:16:36 GMT
Bizarre to think that Maz is only 4 years older than Ramin. Could have been worse. I got it into my head that Zizzi was playing Norma, when I first heard about it!
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Post by noboiscout on Jun 9, 2021 14:13:18 GMT
Thanks for posting the Instagram links! I'm going Sunday, and looking forward to it - but what grated with me was the £5.75 booking fee per ticket booking fee. I know the Alexandra Palace isn't big/busy enough to merit having it's own booking system (perhaps - fringe venues often manage to have their own) but such high fees is not a good way to draw in the punters.
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Post by noboiscout on Jun 8, 2021 18:21:00 GMT
What do you think ALW will do/should do if June 21st gets put back by a couple of weeks as seems to be under consideration at the moment? Cancel previews and defer the opening? Go ahead with previews at reduced capacity? I think we can discount him going ahead despite government advice because despite all the bravado about suing the government that would presumably be breaking the law and I doubt they’d do that. He's not going to be a happy bunny, that's for sure. I thought all along that it was a provocative (and chancy) move to sell all seats - if opening is delayed again, he will tear into the government for not being able to organise a proverbial in a brewery, and for BJ ruining the creative industries by his actions - or inaction. I suspect ALW will just have to postpone opening once again - but cue letters to the papers, signed by a lot of the producers.
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Post by noboiscout on Dec 27, 2020 17:35:23 GMT
Hmmm. I like Sunset Blvd but aren't a massive fan, so only booked the stream following the first enthusiastic reviews here. While I don't regret buying it, it didn't quite cut it for me - certainly not in the same way Hope Mill's "Rent" did, which was 99% fabulous (the 1% goes to the Roger-serenading-the-towel direction decision which ruined "Your Eyes" for me). Anyway, yes, the use of the full theatre was quite inspired and on the whole I would agree that it was certainly the most ingenious creative way to create a musical streaming experience I've seen so far, both the use of the house, the 50s-style credits and the way they wove some pics of young Norma or Paramount in. Casting-wise Danny Mac saved the show for me, he was the best Joe Gillis I've seen in... oh, perhaps ever. Just perfect. But I couldn't warm to Ria Jones at all, she was far too much smiley chirpy slightly-batty Aunty Next Door for me with not even a hint of the haughty and yet brittle demeanor of a former superstar. And while it was nobody's fault but enforced social distancing, I felt like there was no chemistry between the leads at all. "Perfect New Year" was almost painful to watch as they tried their damn best to convey emotion with looks and smiles, but this truly needed physical nearness to "sizzle" between them. So, I'm glad your comments here made me watch this creative version and I AM glad to finally have seen Ria Jones (who seems to have become THE Norma Desmond in recent years), but I'm afraid she isn't my cup of tea and I'd rather wait for a properly staged version of this show to come around again. I think that is a very fair appraisal. I do love Ria in the role, but agree with your comments. Much better chemistry between Fanny and her when seem 'live/. She can play it more than 'slightly batty' aunty, but I guess it was a bit trial and error, as to what they thought would come across best in this stage/film, hybrid. Definitely worthy a £20 punt though.
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Post by noboiscout on Dec 27, 2020 17:20:02 GMT
Three of my theatre 'boyfriends' rubbished this. I have to say that I really enjoyed it. For those Netflixers put off by the poor reviews from the critics, I'd say give it a go.
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Post by noboiscout on Dec 10, 2020 18:14:28 GMT
I'm very much looking forward to watching this tomorrow - I love the Broadway cast album. Regarding Corden's casting, I found this Guardian article very good for explaining why performances like the one he has reportedly given are distasteful or even offensive. Interesting that the Guardian film critic gave it 4*. I'm surprised Corden camped it up so much or was allowed to do so by Murphy. Certainly going to e worth watching, to make up my own mind - if I can make it the whole way through!
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Post by noboiscout on Aug 29, 2020 22:00:19 GMT
I really enjoyed this, even Darren Day with his slightly pointy nipples. Great performances filmed in a variety of settings. Sam Tutty looking fresh faced with a very big microphone, Ruthie Henshall in a bubble bath, Alison Jiear dancing barefoot down the aisle of a church, Ria Jones, blink and you'd miss her, Danyl Johnson looking gorgeous in skinny jeans.
High production values and beautifully directed. I recommend as was happy to have donated £15 to Hope Mill to have had the opportunity of seeing this. For me it worked better than a fully staged theatre version.
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Post by noboiscout on Jul 23, 2020 11:32:08 GMT
Is wearing a face mask for the full performance at an outdoor event, necessary? I would have gone to this - but not prepared to wear a face mask, when one is not required in bars, restaurants etc. And yes, I do wear one on public transport and will do so in shops from tomorrow.
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Post by noboiscout on Mar 13, 2020 9:55:49 GMT
I saw it a couple of nights ago. I do agree that Sam Crane was good and yes, comparable to Rafe Spall in DOE. I loved the staging, the polished standing in for someone following him and different characters. Two things;
First, it's self-referential bits about how good a play it is and how good the writing is were very OTT and well.. undeserved IMHO. Good, but nothing like that good.
Second and actually this may be a problem with me and not actually with the play, there are so many references in it that I felt a lot was going over my head. I found myself thinking that it was a play which should have a required reading list before you go and see it. Sure, I might not be smart or well read/educated enough to have appreciated it but a couple of times it almost felt like it was rubbing my face in it.
Still, I enjoyed it and I'm glad I went.
I am happy for anyone who enjoys something they have seen - so this is not a dig at you asfound! I really disliked this - self-indulgent, unpleasant, twaddle. That is not to take away from Sam Crane's performance, which was excellent. The play is very well written - but too clever by half, for me.
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Post by noboiscout on Mar 11, 2020 12:54:54 GMT
I fear that if I was producing this musical, that I'd throw in the towel at this stage, and cancel the production. Nobody will come away from this well, now.
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Post by noboiscout on Feb 26, 2020 14:48:30 GMT
Where do I want to sit for this, please? Pit (short end) or sides? Best seats are what they call the 'bar seats' which are down in by the runway/stage. Unless you are concerned about actor's spit.. Have seen it twice now and wouldn't want to sit elsewhere in the theatre.
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Post by noboiscout on Feb 9, 2020 15:15:24 GMT
That's a good point. I read that Joel Dommett said it in an interview (which I haven't watched.) Just finished watching tonight's on catch-up, then saw your comment so had a quick look back at it. Pre-reveal there's lots of wide shots of the audience from various angles. Post-reveal it's all shot quite near to the stage, there's a couple of weird angles, and you only really see a small number of people between the stage and the 'judges'. There doesn't appear to be anyone on the opposite side of the stage by that little walkway they use to get backstage. Also FWIW I saw Curtains this afternoon and while I knew Jason Manford could carry a tune, he was a stronger singer by far than I think I've given him credit for. I’ve read the same interview where Joel has said it’s done without the audience... and last night’s episode really threw me because the audience clearly are there watching! That said, when the unmasked singer has performed ‘unmasked’, they have usually turned towards the panel and performed to them, rather than the audience, which I thought made sense if the audience wasn’t actually there. Maybe the production staff have been dragged along to fill in the audience seats for the unveiling now? That was my thought = they must bring in anyone who is hanging around on the production team to fill in the front few rows. I can't believe how much I'm liking this. I think it's the fact that it has some real 'stars' willing to dress up that makes it fun. e.g. Jake Shears looked like he was really enjoying being a unicorn!
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Post by noboiscout on Jan 30, 2020 9:33:32 GMT
Just saw this on the NT site: Running Time: Approx 4 hours, including 2 intervals Wow. Just randomly checked a production currently running here in Germany: 2 hours 30 incl. interval. Absurd. I'm not sure who'll be more horrified: my 15-year-old daughter or my 85-year-old mother-in-law... As you say, two and a half hours is about right. Perhaps they're going to go over the top with the resources of the Oliver...really more of a Lyttelton play, I would have thought. I think I'll get a credit note. It may be stunning, but that's too much of a (possibly) good thing. I could go see up to 4 shows at the Vaults festival in the same running time!
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Post by noboiscout on Jan 4, 2020 23:29:45 GMT
Surprisingly good performances from nearly all the singers, and I agree that the format is strangely compelling. Having said that, I would be happy just watching Joel Dommett filling his tumber dryer!
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Post by noboiscout on Jan 4, 2020 23:26:26 GMT
Saw this show Saturday evening. My expectations were sky high, so I was prepared to be disappointed, esp as I had seen #juliet the night before which I really liked. Well I was not disappointed. I was really into the story and the characters. I struggled whether to hate, dislike, like or love Evan, but I believed his motivations. In the end I loved him. I was a little surprised by the ending, but considering the relationship he builded with connor’s family, I accepted that and I found it refreshing that it ended rather well, while I expected that dramatic finish. I was very moved by the story. Everyone who had a difficult time at school will understand Evan’s way of working out things. I always love a set design with as little as possible on stage. Combined with lights you don’t need big sets to create great moments. All in all this been one of the most moving nights in theatre in a long time. I accept it wil not be everybody’s cup of tea. But in 35 years of visits to London, having seen hundreds of musicals/plays, I think Dear Evan Hansen is one of the best. Chess, I saw this on the 28th December and loved it all. Evan/Sam had me in tears for his two first solo numbers. I think that only this and The York Realist at the Donmar have moved me, in the past year of shows. I thought all the cast was great, and the direction. I can understand why some won't like it, but I would definitely recommend. The audience that night were totally silent (at least in the Grand Circle) and absorbed. The sound design was also perfect, and I could hear all the lyrics and dialogue. In ways it reminded me of Next to Normal - perhaps in the music. I'm looking forward to seeing it again.
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Post by noboiscout on Nov 25, 2019 18:55:31 GMT
I saw this over the weekend and feel that it had been slightly overpraised in some circles - the *** Sunday Times review got it about right. Much will depend on how much you know of the story already. The first half is the stronger, with some inventive staging and an inspired depiction of the scale of the challenge facing Simpson and Yates. The use of Simpson's sister as a narrative device is also an interesting move. After the interval, though, it's all about his (long) struggle to survive, and here I don't think the play adds anything to the book or the film.
The show carries a language warning. I'm quite relaxed about robust vocabulary in the right context, but here the repetition just felt egregious, and I was embarrassed for the parents of young children in the audience. I agree youngoffender. For me this stage version managed to strip most of the drama out of what is (in book and on film) a very dramatic story. Not keen on the casting especially for Joe's sister. And the changes to the actual story and what happened in reality, left me very disappointed.
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Post by noboiscout on Sept 11, 2019 5:17:17 GMT
I’m wanting to see this in London on Saturday but it seems sold out. Are the grass verges like day seats. Just turn up? Or do you have to book in advance They are bookable online. Not sure if they are likely to have any on the day.
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Post by noboiscout on Sept 1, 2019 17:11:27 GMT
If you’re coming tonight, buy a programme when you get here if you want one! They’ve sold out of the matinee allocation by the interval. Quite a few disappointed people! Really disappointed I couldn’t get a program this afternoon. Bit stupid not selling people them when they had the boxes of programs under the desk. Hope no one wants them this evening and they are left with loads they can’t sell! That is stupid. They should have kept selling them whle there were buyers. Great show though!
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