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Post by HereForTheatre on Apr 10, 2022 20:28:08 GMT
What did Eddie mean when he said he cast himself? So he produced this or something?
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Post by HereForTheatre on Mar 17, 2022 17:28:53 GMT
Id have thought this would be ripe for a regional full revival. I've always expected Curve to do it but nothing seems doing.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Mar 13, 2022 8:19:00 GMT
Oh that's my fave bit of the show as well. Goosebumps. It's a shame we don't get the original version here but I'm sure that the new version will be good in it's own way also. I'm still excited to see it.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 21, 2022 12:09:08 GMT
Is it Disney producing though? I don't see any mention. I mean I'm not bothered if it's a brand new production, just curious.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 12, 2022 14:23:26 GMT
Hope it doesn’t mean that Billy Elliot will be actor/muso. I would rather doubt it? It's not like Curve are known for doing them, this is the first one I can think of they have done? Apart from Sister Act but that wasn't really a fully in house production nor directed by Nikolai. Beautiful lends itself to being an actor/muso piece because it's about making music and the lead character plays piano, that's I'm sure why they decided to do it in this case. Billy Elliot is entirely different. I wouldn't worry.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 12, 2022 11:57:19 GMT
Pretty clear it's going to be quite different from the original, a lot more intimate and you can see from the cast, a lot younger too. I think this will be interesting, we'll have to wait and see but I wouldn't be surprised if many don't come to the conclusion it would have worked potentially better with this sort of treatment from the off. It really seems to fit.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 12, 2022 9:09:21 GMT
Isn't Deadline based in and for the USA? I can't imagine many West End/UK theatre exclusives via that platform. Why would they?
I can't imagine we will get anywhere near as much UK theatre gossip from him and most production companies and PR's will give exclusives to WOS and The Stage now.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 11, 2022 11:12:26 GMT
She has confirmed on twitter.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 10, 2022 19:10:38 GMT
I saw this today. I had covers on for all the lead 3 roles.
It's one of my fave films and I like how they adapted it, it felt very magical. I was always wrestling with whether i wished it was bigger more technical production though. On one hand sometimes the arty and basic scenery on a stick approach felt like it let the show down a bit but then on the other I wondered if anything too big and technical would have taken away some of it's charm too. I'm still not quite sure. Ultimately I do think it was cleverly staged and was a nice magical afternoon at the theatre and they nailed the flying bed, which is key. All the performances were very good but I don't think the Ms Price really captured the characteristics and personality from Angela Lansburys version, it felt a bit too prim and proper for me, I don't know how Dianne Pilkington plays it, I'd have been interested to see. Probably Sam Lupton was my fave performance of the evening as Emelius.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 5, 2022 8:41:19 GMT
They are selling tickets to a musical not a solo concert.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 4, 2022 8:01:46 GMT
No I love to hear a little bit of riffing in shows as long as they can pull it off. The issue is if they try things they can't actually do and it sounds awful.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 3, 2022 9:39:16 GMT
It will be interesting to see if once she settles in she does start being a little more adventurous with the score and adding little bits of her own riffing and such in there, to start off with she probably just wants to play it safe and to the book until she's settled in and more confident.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jan 29, 2022 20:42:36 GMT
You don't really get Theatre producing household names like Elaine Paige and Micheal Ball do you.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jan 29, 2022 20:12:44 GMT
Wait this makes me want to see Drifters Girl tbh.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jan 29, 2022 20:06:22 GMT
I liked that by Chelsea Halfpenny, I didn't know what to expect from her.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jan 29, 2022 19:51:57 GMT
It's a primetime Musicals concert in a 12,000 seater arena featuring lead performances from many of the top West End and Touring/Regional musicals on at the moment and full orchestra. I don't know what it could do to improve on that. There's a couple of odd song choices fair enough but some performers may not be available and maybe in some cases they want to give a taster rather than perform the lead song. This will ultimately be about getting people to book tickets to see the full show.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jan 29, 2022 19:33:46 GMT
Who was that Beast? Is he the lead?
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jan 29, 2022 9:28:38 GMT
Was meant to be at Wicked Tuesday night. Sadly had to cancel as a family member has tested Positive for Covid, & I don’t want to risk it .... So I shall be checking in on here for the reviews of Lucie Checking on here for reviews?! Almost everyone already loves this performer as shown with all the posts in previous pages, they already love the show - and they are paying to go to her very first performance. A performance full of screaming, cheering fans of the show/the performer who are specifically there to see her. It will be unanimous raves from every single person who posts, saying she is their new favourite and one of the best to have ever done it. It will be how the show is in amazing shape, how the atmosphere was electric and how they are rebooking to see it again, because she is just going to get better and better. It will have surpassed even their high expectations. The first "unofficial audio" clips will be on YouTube/Tumblr etc within an hour of curtain down. I don't think so. I rather trust most TheatreBoard users to be fairly objective. If a performer doesn't fit a role or has improvements to be made that is usually clearly stated even when the poster likes the performer or was excited to see them in the role. If Lucie does get acclaim and positive feedback.....will that really be too hard to believe that it's because she was actually good? Not really showing you think much of your fellow board members here does it.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jan 25, 2022 11:35:14 GMT
I understand that the parliamentary party can trigger a no confidence vote but what about the opposition? They can trigger another vote of the whole house of commons? I know we went through all this with Theresa May but I can't remember how all that happened.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jan 25, 2022 10:02:51 GMT
It appears the police are now set to investigate the parties, according to Sky News.
The point here is that whilst all this is going on there's really serious issues that aren't being dealt with like the cost of living crisis and the situation in Ukraine, not to mention the fact that Covid isn't over and people are still dying. The Prime Minister is not in a position to get a grip of these things whilst the whole operation is in save Boris mode. He just has to go, that's not to say he will.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jan 24, 2022 17:19:51 GMT
Who will tell him it's over? If there's a no confidence vote triggered this week after the report comes out and he wins it, they can't try again for another year. There's no way he resigns in the meantime unless something else even more serious crops up.
I think the question is if the report coming up this week is so damning it could make any no confidence vote successful.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jan 24, 2022 8:42:40 GMT
I don't know what anyone else thinks but I can't see him being gone anytime soon, It seems unlikely the report will be so damaging he will resign and you sense that the party could be split enough he could even survive a no confidence vote. I mean, if they have any sense whatsoever he's got to go, why on earth would you defend and stick with a man who is leading your party to almost certain defeat at the next election. Maybe I'm wrong but he's still here this time next year imo?
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 21, 2021 9:13:02 GMT
I think it's time for an awards that are for touring and regional theatre, I know a few awards do encompass them such as the WOS Awards and UK Theatre Awards but they seem a bit limited. What we need I think is an awards on the same scale as the oliviers specifically for regional and touring shows, that includes all the technical and creative awards as well. It's a shame that the great work we see on regional stages isn't really rewarded in the same way as London shows are.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 17, 2021 14:30:33 GMT
It's making a name for itself by producing very good shows actually. When was the last brand new versions of West Side before 2019? (there wasn't)There was. The REX Manchester was first to do a brand new production in April 2019, eight months before Curve’s production. Which I why I said versions not version.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 17, 2021 10:22:50 GMT
The curve is really making a name for itself staging very recent shows that need no revival any time soon, on the cheap. Depressing. It's making a name for itself by producing very good shows actually. When was the last brand new versions of West Side before 2019? (there wasn't) When was the last brand new version of A Chorus Line? When was the last fully staged production of Sunset Boulevard? And a streamed version? When was the last new production of A Color Purple outside London ever? (there wasn't) And a streamed version? When has there been a new version of ALWs Oz since it's London run 12 years ago? (there hasn't) Adrian Mole was a brand new Musical that made it to the West End. Many people have been asking for Billy Elliot to come back or be revived since it closed and that will even be a brand new version. I agree that Beautiful is a bizarre choice but they are clearly going for a more intimate approach with actor musicians that could actually be quite interesting and please don't make out that Curve are just making a name for themselves just by putting out "cheap" productions of recent shows when they are actually making a name for themselves by putting on quality new versions of shows that get critical acclaim. It smacks of snobbery and maybe you could try going to watch the shows rather than calling one of the top regional theatres that is doing great work "depressing" from the comfort of your armchair when it's anything but. Is the problem that Curve isn't located in Chichester?
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 17, 2021 10:11:44 GMT
Actor-muso is Curve's gimmick for touring shows and always has been. Sarah Travis will do great things with the orchestrations, and it's not bad thing to reinvent it a little - actor muso feels quite apt for most of it being about song-writing anyway. I'd rather this than the original production go out again... The only actor musician tour I can think of they have done recently, and even this was 6 years ago, was Sister Act? Nikolai has done a few more actor muso tours like Calamity Jane but they were pre Curve days.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 10, 2021 9:33:36 GMT
I wouldn't be shocked about it but I hope that &Juliet can go on tour after it finishes up in the West End.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 6, 2021 12:02:06 GMT
They are flying in someone (unnamed) from the US and rehearsing up more understudies so they can deal with this Covid situation according to The Stage.......and who's betting that performer from the US will be for one of the two lead roles and end up staying....
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 6, 2021 11:28:35 GMT
Spoiler tags in case this is indeed a spoiler {Spoiler - click to view} I note this line from the wiki plot synopsis
"Zach calls Paul San Marco, who has been reluctant to share his past, onstage for a private talk, and he emotionally relives his childhood and teenage years, his early career in a drag act, facing his manhood and his homosexuality, and his parents ultimately discovering his lifestyle and disowning him for it"
But unless I'm remembering this part completely wrong his parents didn't disown him in this production at all, in fact Paul said that hi parents were unbothered and his father told he was proud of him for the first time? So has this plot changed for the Curve production or is this a change made elsewhere too?
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 5, 2021 14:39:15 GMT
Hi all! I recently moved to London from New York and have been lucky enough to see lots and lots of theatre since the reopening in May. Immersing my American palate in the West End has been a fascinating experience, and I’ve started feeling the urge to share my thoughts with other theatre lovers. I’m going to begin my New Year’s resolution a month early and start reviewing everything I see (along with some high/lowlights from the last few months). Hopefully my slightly distinct perspective can bring something a bit new to the boards! First up: Frozen @ Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (01/12/2021 Evening Performance) For me, Frozen is by far the best animated musical film since The Lion King. I saw it in cinemas four times in the winter of 2013. However, when the musical was announced to be premiering in New York a mere five years later, I was mega(musical) dubious. Time is often the best friend of screen-to-stage adaptations, and I suspected that audiences had yet to distance themselves from the film enough to accept anything other “Frozen! Live!! On Stage!!!”. Now, I have nothing against a Disneyland musical with a Mascot-style Nemo floating around, but this material is certainly rich enough to warrant something a bit more creative. Production shots and reviews quickly confirmed my fears, and word that the ice palace was designed sans grand staircase sealed the deal. I decided to save my pennies to go see Frozen II instead (also fantastic, by the way). Fast forward a few years to Christmastime in London, I find myself sitting in Drury Lane (holy f**k what a spectacular theatre) with modest expectations and massive excitement. I must say, I was quite charmed by it. Is it essentially the movie spat out on stage? Yes. But it’s done with care, class, and the tiniest bit of cheek. My biggest problem with the show was the length. I found the storytelling rather thin, and would’ve liked some more time with the supporting characters. The scenes and songs from the film are translated well, but any new music feels like filler. I particularly liked the opening sequence (through “For the First Time in Forever”), with surprising bits of stage-magic, well-done narration from the ensemble, and a final chorus that gave me chills. After that, I found the production numbers competent, but only occasionally stirring. Though I usually love Rob Ashford’s choreography, it gets lost behind the hoop-skirts and nude illusion suits. Even “Fixer Upper”, which should be a riotous act-two romp, felt rushed and undercooked. There isn’t enough of a build into or out of the dance break to grant us a spectacular final button, and that might’ve been the biggest shame of the evening. The cast is uniformly strong, with the clear stand-out being 2nd cover Emily Lane as Anna, (partially because hers is the only character given enough development to really get the audience invested). She carries us through the evening with warmth, whimsy, and a poised determination (and appears to be having the time of her life doing it). Samantha Barks blows the roof off the place with “Let It Go”, but otherwise lacks the material and stage time to add substantial depth or nuance to Elsa. Special shout-out to the cast of “Cats” for their cameo appearances in both acts. Very camp. The design is positively splendorous with just the right balance of golden-age glitz and modern-day technological magic. Yes, the set and costumes are gorgeous (all those Swarovski crystals!), but I was most impressed by the lighting. Paired beautifully with a subtle impressionist projection design, Neil Austin is able to bring just about enough drama to key moments to make up for the stilted book writing. There were two moments of stagecraft in the first act that really made me gasp: one involving a neverending set piece, and another a truly spectacular quick-change. Its a shame that brilliance wasn’t exceeded or even matched by anything in the second half. Critiques aside, Frozen is largely successful as a family-friendly, magical, and occasionally moving spectacle. I enjoyed myself immensely, and so did the seven-year old Elsa sitting next to me, whose opinions should be given far more weight than mine. Welcome! We look forward to reading more of your contributions!
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