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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 23, 2016 18:51:24 GMT
If you sit in the front row then be prepared to be part of show at some point. Had my head and glasses well and truly pawed by blind girl. Will be interested to hear if the blind girl fall during the chase is normal. Couldn't decide at the time but certainly worked as a routine.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 23, 2016 17:07:55 GMT
The guy we were sat next to at Toxic Avenger this afternoon had flown in from Germany to see Glenn Close tonight and was visibly upset by the fact she would not be appearing. Fortunately he picked the best antidote in being at Southwark Playhouse for matinee.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 23, 2016 17:04:41 GMT
That was unbelievable. Funniest show I have seen in years and definitely one of the hardest ever working casts. Still in preview so expect the odd mishap - but they simply added to the quality of the show. Best moment probably when the blind girl shouts "go screw yourself" and inadvertently sends her vibrator flying across the floor. Took her a while to regain composure from that one. Yes it flys very close to PC but clearly a hit with the audience this afternoon with very load cheers all round at the end.
Hope the critics "get" it. I will be telling all my theatre friends to grab a ticket.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 23, 2016 12:57:12 GMT
Perhaps everyone needs my wife's approach to theatre. When I mentioned the Glenn Close saga she simply said ..which one was Glenn Close.
I'm not a lawyer but I spend most of my dealing with commercial law issues. My take on this is that the promotors are sailing very close to the wind, as they have with Funny Girl. Selling a show by promoting a name above that of the show itself, and allowing this to influence the ticket price, could constitute a contract that overrides any disclaimer about a no show, especially if a court determined insufficient messaging was made at the point of sale if the star fails to perform. Personally I would be happy with any good understudy. Loved Funny Girl with and without Sheridan. That said I'm fortunate that rarely have to pay the full price for these bigger shows.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 19, 2016 20:57:21 GMT
From what I've read and heard, that may be a record... That's what comes from having a housemate in the early 80s who was a massive Joy Divison and Smiths fan. Still , four songs more than I could probably name by Sondheim!
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 16, 2016 15:22:56 GMT
Caught the penultimate show today. Loved it. Only knew 4 songs but great interpretation and contemporary dance. I'd love to see a longer show in a bigger concert venue as a one off. Full house as have been most shows from what I hear. No one left early - guess people finally heard about what to expect.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 15, 2016 16:48:29 GMT
Friend has 3 tickets for this Saturday evening for sale. No idea what price is but will be face value. If anyone interested let me know and I can put you in touch with them. Think tickets are paperless.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 12, 2016 18:45:59 GMT
Wondering if anyone has seen this yet or do I need to wait to see the press reviews from tonight to make my mind up whether to book. Ferns McCann has several hundred thousand Twitter followers but doesn't look like many are theatre goers as still quite a lot of tickets left.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 9, 2016 18:53:06 GMT
Also at the matinee today. Not a big fan of ALW and never seen Sunset Boulevard before but really enjoyed the whole show. I was more drawn to the non Glenn Close music scenes but can see why people on here have commented about how great it sounds with a full orchestra and she is a bit of a star. For me the stand out voice was Siobhan Dillon. Not sure if I have seen here before but will keep an eye out in future. I thought the staging worked really well and most of the time I was oblivious to the fact it was only semi staged. Might have to persuade my mum to go buy a ticket.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 2, 2016 17:28:40 GMT
Saw the sold out matinee today. New to Zeller but will keep eye out for future plays. Very clever script and some very good straight acting that helped to make it extremely funny at times. Not as pacy as I feared and easy to keep up with the dialogue. Will not give away any spoilers, but suffice to say, The Truth is a very apt title. Definitely recommended and can see why it got 4 and 5 star reviews.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 30, 2016 9:39:09 GMT
We're also booked for matinee next Saturday.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 26, 2016 23:55:50 GMT
Saw this today and after what felt like a slow start turned into a really good show. I thought there was the odd gem amongst the songs and would like to have hear Emma Williams sing a bit more. Agree with other comments that Tracie Bennett felt a bit miscast. I thought she played the role very well but always felt like it was a younger person pretending to be someone older. I guess this was deliberate when casting given the dance routines she does. Definitely a 3.5 to 4 star for me.
As for the nudity, all very tasteful and should be remembered that both sexes appear naked. I thought the original disrobe scene was very funny.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 25, 2016 20:28:14 GMT
The interview on Radio 4's Front Row tonight was a fascinating insight into the world of Sonia Friedman. Well worth a listen on Iplayer.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 19, 2016 18:19:48 GMT
Wondering if the critics who gave this 1 star had accidentally wandered into Wicked by mistake. We saw the matinee and absolutely loved it. The musical styles bounce around a bit but nothing felt out of place for that part in the script. The 5 main leads were excellent and even though Catherine Tate the weakest in terms of vocals, still hit all the right notes. She also fluffed her surname right at the end but proceeded to ad-lib her way out to great applause.
Think first time I have seen Daniel Boys live - love his voice and in particular the parady of Les Miserable with the clause number. I could listen to Florence Andrews all day long.
For me I thought the gags were great set pieces in the beauty pageant got very strong applause from the audience. Simon Lipkin and Catherine Tate's comic timing was spotless today, especially in their marriage song.
Well deserved standing ovation at the end. If I wasn't booked up for shows for several weeks I would definitely see it again.
As an aside, we were on the back row and I would suggest anyone thinking of going to see this should aim to be nearer the back as some of the song and dance routines use the full width of the stage. It was our first time at this theatre (fond memories of its predecessor) and I am sure we will be going again. I see what people mean about the leg room though.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 12, 2016 22:55:04 GMT
Out of interest did Jamie Parker normally come on at the end wearing mission uniform and playing the drum. Seemed to be a lot of cast laughter going on suggesting last day antics.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 12, 2016 19:31:38 GMT
Caught the matinee this afternoon on its last day at the Savoy. For me a game of two halves. Drags a bit first half aside from Cuba scene. 2nd half was fantastic though with no let up in the tempo.
Think the packing up for the move was a bit ahead of schedule. Scene in first half with telephone call was minus the telephone which was missing. Some good on the spot improvisation followed and deserved applause. Personally I liked the way Adelaide was portrayed.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 7, 2016 12:17:24 GMT
Assuming Sheridan does transfer I guess over a 6 month run with 8 shows a week it is inevitable she will be forced to miss the odd show through illness etc. Is it normal for lead roles to do a 6 month run with no planned holiday during it?
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 4, 2016 14:55:02 GMT
Mark Shenton was also there yesterday and tweeted afterwards what a star Natasha is. Also commented on how good Darius Campbell is which I also had failed to spot first time round.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 4, 2016 13:41:21 GMT
No surprise there. I'd encourage people to go as bound to be returns and Natasha is great in role.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 3, 2016 19:13:13 GMT
Wonderful afternoon at Menier. Hard to believe it wasn't Sheridan on stage with great performance by Natasha. Similar in looks and mannerisms on stage. Better singer in my opinion albeit not quite the power of Sheridan. Full standing ovation at end. Number of empty seats. They missed a treat. Only criticism was time it took to boost volume on Natasha when singing - seemed to be pre set to Sheridan. Final number was a belter.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 3, 2016 14:23:35 GMT
Will get a chance to compare the two today. Looking forward to seeing Natasha. Will be interesting to see how many empty seats there are. I suspect quite a few at matinee will have been before as originally sold to supporters.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Mar 2, 2016 10:09:15 GMT
Planning to be at matinee Thursday. Seen Sheridan once in Funny Girl and twice would be great but as others have said, it is all about getting your priorities right and if that means not being able to perform, so be it. Her tweet response was interesting as infers that she will fulfil remainder of Menier but she left a question mark over longer term plans.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Feb 19, 2016 10:17:31 GMT
We are also booked for the 23 April matinee. After a quick read of the storyline it sounds like something akin to Bat Boy.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Feb 13, 2016 17:31:40 GMT
Saw the matinee today and overall impressions were that it is very good. Not the most melodic score in the world and reminded me a lot of Assassins with heavy use of repeated songs during it. Fortunately the repeated bits are good and work well as it helps to reset the scene with a few subtle word changes.
I thought the production side was 5 star. It's a bit of a whirl wind and the 100-105m flew by. The only bit I failed to hear/understand was how Willie actually died so I will need to investigate this one. Strong supporting cast and I agree with the critics that Howard Jenkins and Andre Refig make convincing brothers.
I'm not a big Sondheim fan but glad I got to see this.
Should add that Union Theatre felt a bit like Alaska at times, so worth wrapping up for.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Feb 11, 2016 17:38:55 GMT
There will be a Q&A on 21st February with the cast. At the moment tickets only on sale to members. Also an additional matinee added on 3 March, again initially on sale to members.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Feb 10, 2016 11:25:28 GMT
I need to get my booking in for this. Out of interest what are the sight lines like? I think we normally end up in Box M at the theatre which is at the end of dress circle on left side. Works fine as long as stage use not too deep.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Feb 6, 2016 20:01:16 GMT
Saw the matinee today. Had picked date when main cast members due to be present and no one disappointed on the day. Really enjoyed the show on so many different levels. The choreography, music, singing, humour and human touch all came through. Matt Henry stood out for me. Despite his music career side being managed by a friend I had never heard him before but thought he had a great soulful voice, and played the role of Lola perfectly. Also really enjoyed Amy Lennox as Lauren, especially her rendition of Charlie. Might have to go again.
Slight aside, amazed how many transvestites were in the audience. Clearly seen as a great opportunity to get that best frock on and come out and party.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jan 30, 2016 20:03:03 GMT
Ok so not really a play, or a musical, or opera or dance, nor really mime despite being part of the London Mime Festival.
Saw the matinee today and really enjoyed it. Not for the faint-hearted as some of the moves and body manipulations leave your hands sweating. I've seen Circa before but never with a choreographed piece to music. The Monteverdi works are performed live by a small ensemble with Soprano and Tenor.
Well worth catching final day tomorrow. Sitting towards rear of stalls feels a better bet as easier to take in all that is happening on stage.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jan 28, 2016 22:25:09 GMT
Hugh Dennis was originally in talks to be in this.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jan 24, 2016 23:01:00 GMT
Saw the matinee yesterday. I loved it but wife didn't get into it at all. Thought the entire cast excellent and enjoyed the score. Also sat in front row - yes the smell of Jerry's corn definitely comes across, especially when sat right next to him when he is eating.
Out of interest, is the 2nd half done in a way that mimics the documentary? Conscious that both leads appeared to be playing to an audience and assumed was based on them being filmed.
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