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Post by liverpool54321 on Aug 16, 2017 22:34:51 GMT
Got lucky and managed to get a return after about 15m wait. Row C, seat 22 - just about the perfect place in theatre as most of the action seemed to take place directly in front of us.
Aside from 15m technical halt during first half when main mics failed it was a great night. Never seen it before or been to the theatre. Drew McOnie choreography revelation after Bat Out Of Hell last week. Tyrone probably edged it on biggest cheer. 3rd show I've seen him in that I am aware of.
All round a very good performance and really enjoyed the outdoor setting.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Aug 16, 2017 16:17:17 GMT
Planning to try get a return for tonight. Anyone any experience of doing this at Regent's Park? Probably too late for a plan B given location and later start time. Will try be there by 6.30pm.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Aug 9, 2017 22:09:43 GMT
Brilliantly bonkers sums up my description. Plus loud, very loud. Clearly an audience pleaser. Screaming at the end was more deafening than watching Mo winning last Friday.
Not sure who the understudy was playing Falco tonight but very impressive.
I would definitely recommend sitting down at the very front in the centre. Was in Row B. Row A fine but if smaller may find you are looking at one of the surround speakers placed along front bar. Very low stage so easy to see everything. Plus the rear scenes don't feel quite so far away.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Aug 9, 2017 8:21:17 GMT
TodayTix seems to be the best value at the moment if you only need 1-2 seats. I got Row B middle section of stalls for tonight.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Aug 9, 2017 8:18:22 GMT
A number of stalls seats for matinee releases this morning. Managed to get good front row box seat for my mum.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jul 14, 2017 18:54:07 GMT
There are 20 songs used in the show according to the programme. At what point does it become a musical?
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jul 13, 2017 16:33:30 GMT
Last few days of this show. Seems to have been a slow burner in terms of ticket sales - tonight and Friday seem to be almost sold out but plenty of tickets available for Saturday. Lots of Twitter comment - bit like the first time round seems to have had quite an impact on those seeing it. The later reviews all seem to have been good. Baz gave it 4 stars.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jul 12, 2017 22:35:30 GMT
Saw tonight's preview and thought it was wonderful. Helps if you like Bob Dylan but the arrangements are so good I guess this doesn't matter. For me Shirley Henderson was outstanding - had goosebumps when she sang Like A Rolling Stone, and as for her dance moves - boy can she move those hips!
I can see why people found the story lines hard to keep track of, but having been forewarned by this forum I made sure I stayed alert and managed to follow every detail. I was on the tube by 10.10 so it's definitely running just under 2hrs 30m at the moment.
Will go again towards end of the run.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jul 2, 2017 20:29:00 GMT
There's a few returns available for show on 9th July if you are quick.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jun 29, 2017 12:26:53 GMT
Finally managed to get to see this last night. Still as powerful as ever and with a slightly different production layout to Southwark Playhouse it worked better with the band adjacent to stage area.
It seems to have divided critics this time round. 2 years ago it was sold out at Southwark and had a mix of 5 and 4 star reviews. This time it has attracted likes of Guardian and Times reviewers, but reviews range from 2 stars to 5 stars (West End Wilma). The difficulty with this show is that it is not for the light hearted. It's sad that a number of reviewers were critical because of the content - they appear to have failed to do their homework and discover that this is a very blunt, hard hitting political musical that deals with a very sensitive and emotional subject matter. This is not Mary Poppins. This is a real shame as they are playing to half empty houses each night when the place should be packed as it is a real powerhouse show with a very strong story line. Musically it is also very strong. Songs are very lyrical, reflecting the fact that it theoretically takes place within the Coup Coup Club run by the military, and is in cabaret format. The song lyrics at time, especially those from the General will shock - especially as they are sung in such an upbeat way. Its 2 years since I last saw the show but I remembered immediately every song when sung.
There has been some re-working for the new production although I was unsure exactly what. I didn't recall the church scene in first half but that just could be my memory failing. Cast appeared to be same as original production. Rob Castell as the General is outstanding. His calm approach in the first half as he interacts with the audience whilst singing some very dubious lyrics is worth the price of the ticket on its own. Rest of the cast are equally strong and you get to enjoy Alexander Luttley's fan dance! As with the original production the 4 musicians double up as members of the cast. Anne-Marie Piazza shows what an impressive and powerful singing voice she has, as well as being an accomplished multi instrumentalist.
And even though I knew the story, and the closing scene, it still hit me emotionally with a tear in the eye.
Still 5 stars from me.
Running time was exactly 2 hours 30 minutes. Looks like they have trimmed it back a bit from earlier performances.
First time at Arcola Theatre. Travelling from South London was brilliant as overground train went door to door. Theatre is about 2 minutes walk from Dalston Junction station so really easy to get to if on that line.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jun 16, 2017 20:46:39 GMT
I thought there was a thread for this but couldn't find it. Never sure if this one classifies as musical or play with a various songs in it.
Now on at the Arcola theatre following sold out run at Southwark Playhouse a couple of years ago. Still one of the best bits of fringe theatre I have seen, and certainly the story line that's has hit me most emotionally. The finale is a serious tissue job.
Not yet seen this time round as invite to preview fell on same day I was booked for Harry P. Best seats are at the cabaret tables if similar to last time, with action taking place around you.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jun 16, 2017 20:36:58 GMT
I thought it was great. New cast seemed to very at home with roles. My only criticism was the key character who emerges through the play - felt it came across as very amateurish the way role was played - a bit too pantomime for a baddy.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jun 14, 2017 21:58:03 GMT
Thanks for all the comments. The rail goes all the way up main stairs. We discovered once up there it is the lack of rail down to row A that is the problem. Even I found steps down very bad as much deeper than normal steps and nothing to hang on to.
Staff very nice and they did offer to do heavily discounted upgrade to stalls but as already at top of mountain decided to give it a miss. For 2nd show we swapped so I squeezed into row A in grand and my mum had row T in stalls. Fortunately an aisle seat and people in front small enough for her to see around. As a seat I would recommend it. Excellent view and loads of leg room. The view from Row A in grand circle also really good. Only had to lean forward for couple of bits but I am 5ft 10inches . Mum who is probably 4'10" had to lean forward most of time. Had been worried might be too hot there today but air cooling system was excellent.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jun 13, 2017 16:43:51 GMT
Just realised that ticket I booked ages ago for matinee tomorrow which my 91 year old mum was going to use is in Grand Circle rather than Dress. Having read the reports of the stairs and lack of hand rail not prepared to let her risk it. Too late to cancel. What do you think the chances are of me being able to exchange for something more suitable if I turn up at the box office late tomorrow morning? Unfortunately I probably won't be able to get there for 10am.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jun 10, 2017 21:59:13 GMT
We saw the matinee today and found it captivating. Agree totally with what others above say. I could watch Audrey Brisson all day long.
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Post by liverpool54321 on May 28, 2017 12:05:35 GMT
Another review of Annie having seen the matinee yesterday. Overall impression probably 4 stars. Let's do the negatives first. One of the noisiest audiences since the mistake of seeing The Snowman at the Peacock Theatre. Except this time this was adults determined to delve into sweet bags every time there was a quiet number. Although a number of teenagers and even the odd crying baby (so much for no one under 5 admittance rule) in the audience, it was predominantly adult and given the huge cheer for Miranda when she first appeared, they had come for one main reason only.
The role itself is not too dissimilar to her normal TV persona so in that respect she fits in well. She was able to keep up with the dance routines and yes, she never had any real kind of accent throughout, but it didn't really seem to matter. The bit I was unclear about was the singing, or lack of. Never having seen this staged before I was unclear if the idea was that when singing solo she was supposed to be totally out of key. On harmonies she was fine. Overhead conversation on way out with one Miranda fan to another "I never knew Miranda could sing". to which the other person replied "I don't think she can. I think she's supposed to sound like that in the role."
So those are the negatives. And remember, Miranda's role is actually fairly minor compared to others. The lead playing Annie was very good. Not the most powerful singing voice but could act and conveyed the role very well. Alex Bourne and Holly Dale Spencer are the standout performers, along with the orphan girls who sing and dance as well as any west end show I've seen with children. Yes, on the opening number you could accuse some of shouting their words, but that was the way the song was probably written and designed to be performed. Alex and Holly have great singing voices.
Dance routines were very good. Clearly not on the scale of 42nd Street but perfect for this musical. Swinging the children around whilst they clutch their Christmas presents between their feet is probably not as easy as it looks. I was busy waiting for the Riverdance routine throughout. I can only imagine it was the tap dance routine at the cinema scene. This was clearly designed to portray the film they were watching - might have been made more realistic by running a strobe lighting set-up to help portray effect of watching an old movies. The idea was actually quite clever - just needs to be made a bit clearer for those who don't realise song and dance routines were all the rage at that time in film.
Set design was effective. Hard to say what the long term plans are for the show are if always deemed to be limited run. I would not describe the set as low budget though and it clearly has minimum 6-9 month run in mind given likely cost.
2nd half is definitely better than the first. And the youngest orphan girl who looks about 4 years old pretty much stole the show.
Audience reaction - aside from the whoops from neighbouring seats who were clearly friends of either Jonny Fines and Djalenga Scott, was virtually a full standing ovation. Yes they love Miranda, but on this occasion I think they went away preferring Annie just that little bit more.
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Post by liverpool54321 on May 21, 2017 21:22:40 GMT
Manage to get to see this yesterday. All this talk of will it, won't it extend forced my hand as my Winter/Spring theatre fest soon to come to an end for 6 months aside from odd mid week shows.
Overall impression was it was good, but not brilliant. I thought the script was witty and song lyrics well crafted. Where I struggled a bit was with the music. It seemed to bounce all over the place and for the most part was not very memorable. I got the felling Gary Barlow had sat down with a list of different styles of songs in a musical, and then proceeded to write a song for each.
I liked the way stage set worked although I still don't get what all the cupboards symbolised. Great cast performance who do a sterling job stripping off as they do. There is little left to the imagination.
We sat in Stalls row J25 and J26 which at the end of the row was lower £35 seats. Really good view from here and much better value than £70 adjacent seat.
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Post by liverpool54321 on May 14, 2017 9:20:26 GMT
I too finally made it to this show yesterday for the matinee. No technical issues for us and full main cast from what I could tell.
Struggled at start to understand what was being said. Not sure if that was just me adjusting to cockney time. Overall verdict fab show and Charlie Stemp amazing. Some great co-ordination in song dance scenes- nothing dropped. They looked like a cast really enjoying it, right down to the Status Quo improv in the encore.
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Post by liverpool54321 on May 6, 2017 20:49:34 GMT
Forgot to mention the band. If it wasn't for the fact you could see the conductor on TV screen I could have sworn it must be recorded as such a big sound. Never realised it was a 12 piece band. They should come out for their own applause.
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Post by liverpool54321 on May 6, 2017 18:27:49 GMT
What a wonderful show. Hadn't even heard of it before Thursday. Couldn't fault the cast and the 1hr 40m run time shot by. Great set design - as good as anything off west end. Bargain at £17 and £19 a ticket. The armchair guy was excellent and some great singing and dance routines. I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a fun cheap night out.
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Post by liverpool54321 on May 5, 2017 23:12:55 GMT
My mum is planning to do a group booking for 18 people to see 42nd Street in October. What is the best way to go about doing this?
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Post by liverpool54321 on May 5, 2017 19:33:20 GMT
Going to the matinee tomorrow. Is it straight run through or do they do it with an interval?
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 28, 2017 22:10:49 GMT
Saw the late added mid week matinee yesterday. Thought it was great fun and loved the twist at the end. Not been to Menier before with stage in one corner. Liked the way curtain was used and also the way cast all muck in to do the final scene change. And I got to be that close to Helen George!
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 28, 2017 10:46:12 GMT
Big Dylan fan and can't stop playing this. This could be my 2017 Groundhog Day moment.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 22, 2017 23:25:05 GMT
Guess I'm in the minority with this one as I didn't feel it was too bad. No denying it is far too short. If this ever reappears in the future thenI suggest they explore the individual characters more, and build in additional songs that reflect this. Too little known about the background to each person apart from the lighthouse keeper.
In terms of story there was, I thought it was OK. We debated afterwards whether additional dialogue rather than simple one liners would have been better, but that was not the nature of the play. For me the music was reasonable. Yes some of the lyrics were a bit too straight forward. I would have liked the rest of the cast to have their own songs rather than sticking to the concept of the walls singing. No faulting the band and actual singing was fine.
I think the stage set is great. Rather than build a lighthouse up into the sky, do the opposite and create the inner part of it by going down instead. The circular walking simply reflects the fact that that's pretty much what you do with a lighthouse when getting about. Doubling up as the sea and use of projected visuals all made sense to me.
I guess there is lots you could do to develop the concept. I'm curious as to what possibly got left out as I find it hard to believe the theatre thought it was taking on such a short production.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 20, 2017 21:58:44 GMT
Saw the live version and really enjoyed it. Great view from stalls Row M, helped by Row L being kept clear to enable access for film crew. I wish I had done my homework in advance re plot. Having never studied Hamlet I had to rely on my mum who was with me for some half time guidance. Can see why people say David Haig is the star of the show.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 19, 2017 11:27:40 GMT
Several decent stalls tickets on sale at the moment for live broadcast tomorrow at £10. Picked up middle of row M.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 17, 2017 10:45:13 GMT
Think I stand corrected. Yes, he is has recently completed course at Mountview. I got confused by the age his agent says he can portray! One to keep an eye on in the future.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 16, 2017 18:39:59 GMT
Easter Sunday so seemed appropriate to visit Honk. Looked like a full house. Definitely one of the hardest working bunch of actors I've seen. Most were multi tasking, with both acting and playing instruments. We came away having really enjoyed it, including my 91 year old mum whose first experience of theatre was Charles Laughton in Peter Pan!
I wasn't sure what to expect in advance and was expecting it to be something mainly for the kids. Very few kids in the audience and clearly a show for all ages. Songs aren't memorable but good play on words. For me, given the staging limitations, budget etc, I thought it was done very well. Loved the snow scene. I can understand earlier comment about uniforms making it difficult to distinguish who was who, but the script ensures everyone gets introduced.
I've only been three times to the new theatre and in each the staircase was used as part of the set. Personally I don't have a problem with this. I presume the upstairs acts as dressing room area. Very hot in there today. I've yet to do a summer visit. Hope they sort some sort of cooling system soon.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 15, 2017 21:24:21 GMT
Having read the earlier comments I wasn't sure what to expect this afternoon. But we came away having really enjoyed it. In some ways it had helped seeing the comments above as it had allowed me to think through the basis for black and white, and the extremely dark lighting throughout the theatre.
In some ways it's an immersive experience as the auditorium is very dimly lit before, interval and after. For me the contrast of black and white worked. This is a musical with a mission and there is a lot said in it about the way blind people were viewed as "abnormal". Keeping all the blind children all in white, and "normal" people all in black helps to emphasise the contrast between the two. I'm guessing the spinning house which serves as the blind institution, is also deliberately white to relate it to being blind.
Some nice tunes and good singing. In terms of style, it reminded me a bit of Les Miserables, albeit on a much reduced scale. Large part of cast are children and despite the odd cue mistake they do a great job as it's not always easy to find where you're supposed to be when the building you are in is turning. Seventeen year old Jack Wolfe is the real star of the show. Sings well and portrayed the right emotion for the role of Braille.
As for the revolving stage set, we both agreed that at times it felt like half s turn was sufficient, but we weren't too bothered by it. We also liked the lower stage at the front which was the domain of the children. Again emphasising the way they were looked down upon. We were sat in the balcony so looking almost down on the stage. I expect the view and perspective is different from the stalls.
My wife chatted to the guy who runs the theatre and he explained that with this being a new musical they have allowed a long preview time to see what works and what needs to change. I suspect it is already different from the first couple of shows and by the time they get to press night we may find a bit less spinning.
I would say only 1/3 to half full today. Front section was pretty full and a number opted to sit at the front of rear section. They will be hoping for a good press night to sell seats going forward. Some decent videos might help as it's very hard from the current publicity to know what to expect.
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