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Post by bellboard27 on Jun 1, 2016 12:44:50 GMT
Anyone catching this? I booked for its visit to the Southbank later this month. In fact I booked in February 2015 (I then asked for leave in June/July for it, only to realise that the dates were 2016 and not 2015 - so I've been a while waiting for this!). I did think this would be a week immersed in Wagner (for good or ill), but have broken it up with a booking to Into the Woods part way through - somewhat of a change!
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Post by bellboard27 on Jun 1, 2016 12:25:57 GMT
I'm sorry, but to me he is an attention seeker. OMG - this thread must be just pandering to his ego!
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Post by bellboard27 on Jun 1, 2016 11:40:25 GMT
Thanks for that reminder. I have booked a front stalls £15 ticket for Monday 13th June. Intrigued by the decidedly mixed reviews but at £15 it's a bargain! depends on what your hourly worth is if you don't like it 3 hours of your time wasted including travelling etc. possibly more then even going for free can be distressing if the show is bad enough I would not go to this even if you paid ME now (having seen only the first half) Well, I've seen the whole show and it is worth £15 and it's not a waste of one's time (but I am not an enthusiast for it either). However, front stalls is a bit of a look-up, as the set is built up on the existing stage.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 31, 2016 21:02:35 GMT
More precisely in this case: you can enjoy somethings without it being perceived by someone else to be of quality. However, whether it is of quality and what your perception of it is, may be quite different things.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 31, 2016 20:54:05 GMT
What has Cameron done to the theatre since Miss Saigon has closed? Polishing his lamp hoping for something magical to pop out?
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Post by bellboard27 on May 31, 2016 12:27:38 GMT
You are right - it is really odd. Apart from this year's panto, there is nothing advertised at the theatre, just events at other locations. Also their last press release was in October. The place hasn't closed for refurbishment has it?
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Post by bellboard27 on May 31, 2016 12:24:59 GMT
I was there last night and the point of the nudity stumped me also - including why have they now put their pants on?!
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Post by bellboard27 on May 31, 2016 12:22:51 GMT
I suppose if necessary this thread could be merged with the one on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!
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Post by bellboard27 on May 30, 2016 8:41:28 GMT
If you are interested, the Globe Theatre is something different London has to offer - its season ends in mid-October, but by then it might be a bit chilly!
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Post by bellboard27 on May 29, 2016 8:51:43 GMT
Noticed that there was already a thread on this play - could admin team merge the threads?
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Post by bellboard27 on May 29, 2016 8:14:07 GMT
Yes, being moved was lucky! Even from the middle of the stalls looking up at the surtitles was a bit of a neck strain! Fortunately it was not needed for quite a lot of this production.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 28, 2016 22:51:00 GMT
Also Threepenny Opera on Friday! Before this a return to Guys and Dolls, Dr Faustus and a couple of visits to the Royal Ballet
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Post by bellboard27 on May 28, 2016 22:33:11 GMT
I caught the last performance tonight. Sarah Kane’s play is not a bed of roses and Venables’ score and the voices enhance the text. I’m not surprised this has got good reviews. There are some issues, but overall it is great seeing the boundaries being pushed like this.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 28, 2016 22:26:29 GMT
I've got 2 weeks till I catch it, which will be just after press night, so the reviews will be entertaining!
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Post by bellboard27 on May 28, 2016 22:16:10 GMT
Go dressed as Nick Hytner and keep grumbling and saying 'I should come back'.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 28, 2016 22:08:31 GMT
I also caught the matinee. However, my reaction was quite different. The dancers are indeed good and while some of the choreography is a bit repetitive, there are some good touches, such as the first transformation. However, my main issue is with the story. Why take a great gothic horror with masses of dramatic potential and turn it into a terrible story of a put upon florist? Just as serious drama arose, it would be punctuated with a funny turn breaking up the flow of the story. For example, after Hyde first kills we were subjected to Jekyll judging a flower competition where the guys brought on their increasing large (phallic) flowers followed by the girls with their (I kid you not) nicely trimmed little bushes! Overall, it was all too much “feed me, Seymour” for me.
The opening post wanted this to surpass Frankenstein – some hope! And as for challenging Matt Bourne – not with this, I’m afraid.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 27, 2016 9:07:03 GMT
I quite enjoyed this, but I can see it is definitely a marmite play. Listening to the audience at the interval I heard one elderly couple saying that they only understood some of it and had heard nothing worth laughing at. In contrast a couple of women behind me who did not normally go to the theatre praised the set and said they hadn't laughed so much in ages. Further, if this is the sort of thing going on at the National, they would book again (hopefully they don't do this randomly or they might get a shock!).
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Post by bellboard27 on May 25, 2016 9:16:16 GMT
Anyone been to this ROH production at Lyric Hammersmith? I am not going till the last performance (where I have been bumped off my cheap front row seat to something better due to production changes). Having recently seen Cleansed at the national and given that ROH is not shy on controversial staging, an opera based on a Sarah Kane play is an interesting prospect!
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Post by bellboard27 on May 25, 2016 9:08:33 GMT
Have also booked a preview. That week is Opera North's Ring Cycle week on the Southbank which I am at, so taking a break from 19 hours of Wagner seems like a good idea to me!
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Post by bellboard27 on May 24, 2016 10:54:06 GMT
I enjoyed this. The voices were great. The design for the first half was brilliant and mad. The opening scene had the whole chorus arranged on four levels as a huge wood carving slowly coming to life. We had Oedipus meeting his father at a road junction peppered by road works for familiar from the M25 – indeed as he gets angry, Oedipus starts throwing the traffic cones. When he encounters the Sphinx, this turns out to be a mad woman sitting in the cockpit of a wreck of a WWII plane, which springs to life as he approaches. The second half is more dramatic and serious and the design shifts to something more sombre, avoiding distraction from the story.
The opera itself is a mixed bag. It adds to the Greek source material – indeed it has a positive ending. Some of the music is excellent, but at other times it drags. The audience reaction at the end was positive. George Hall in The Stage gave it 2 stars. I can understand his criticism of the opera (but do not share it), but he describes it as visually unrewarding. For this he should poke out his eyes and wander the ROH blind like Oedipus until he sees the light.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 24, 2016 10:37:50 GMT
Although this thread is titled about the tour, I didn't want to start a new one for the show at the Gielgud.
Just to note regarding tickets, as Theatremonkey's site says day seats arefront row (row B) at £15. However, for most shows, the afternoon before one or more of these seats appear for £15 on the Delfont M website. (they also appear on Todaytix with a £3 fee added). So, you can get a cheap front row seat without the hassle of going in person!
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Post by bellboard27 on May 21, 2016 7:56:10 GMT
All or Nothing, the MOD Musical is returning to the Vaults from 27 July to 27 August.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 21, 2016 7:51:29 GMT
At the Open Air Theatre last night. The whole venue is no smoking, so smokers are directed to a place by the gate. A woman lit up near the loos and was asked to go the smoking area by a member of staff. Instead she put out her fag. Once he left, she just continued to chain smoke through the interval! Other staff did not react. I can understand someone innocently lighting up as they are in the open air and assume it should be fine. But once their mistake is pointed out, it's different.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 20, 2016 14:34:05 GMT
I thought all the clapping was to keep the air circulating in theatres without air conditioning. Well, you live and learn.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 20, 2016 14:13:24 GMT
For Press Nights there can be good discounts or last minute offers as theatres want to appear as full as possible. I remember the Old Vic did some half price offers for a few remaining seats for The Crucible and there are currently cheaper than usual grand circle tickets for Aladdin for press night. I'm sure if I think about it I can remember other examples.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 20, 2016 11:56:57 GMT
Just got an offer from Ticketmaster reducing tickets originally priced at £178 to only £170 (plus compulsory £3 postage fee). Is it possible for anyone to resist this bargain of the century!
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Post by bellboard27 on May 19, 2016 14:45:59 GMT
Damn I wish I knew how good this was going to be (from the vast majority of much-reliable posters on here), gutted I didn't buy a ticket and now no EP/£15 tickets left! Hoping for maybe a transfer/NT return. I'd definitely have never seen PPT without a transfer and hype and that was one of the most incredible experiences I've had in a theatre, so maybe The Flick will be released to a wider audience too! *crosses fingers* The next performances are for the first two weeks of June, so maybe a Friday Rush opportunity nearer the time?
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Post by bellboard27 on May 19, 2016 10:09:35 GMT
The NT often releases tickets after being sold out or nearly sold out, for reasons others have said. However, while some might be last minute, others go on sale quite some time in advance (like the £15 ones for The Flick). So, the only thing to do is keep an eye on things. This contrasts with some other places (including ROH) where extra tickets are usually released 2-3 days before the performance (and also on the day). I usually take 'sold out' to mean 'no more tickets available for the moment'!
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Post by bellboard27 on May 19, 2016 9:30:16 GMT
I thought this was excellent (got a great cheap ticket a couple of days in advance for front row of Amphitheatre - so great view). Indeed, following the novel worked well for me - the scenes in Act 1 that some people think were over long were just the opposite for me. It is important to set up the relationships to emphasise the tragedy later. I particularly loved the dancing in the operating theatre! The audience reaction was also very positive. I left feeling very please to have caught this.
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Post by bellboard27 on May 18, 2016 11:10:30 GMT
So this would be a film of the musical of a film?
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