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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 8:11:51 GMT
Guys, use the report function. The mods aren't omnipresent, they have lives outside this place. Even if they're very interested in a particular production it still might take them a while to get to a thread, but less time if people have gone "huh, that's an awful post. better report it". If someone posts something that you consider objectionable - an attack or a link to a bootleg or scurrilous rumours - then *instead* of engaging, we should use the report function. The person who rises to the bait and attacks right back when they see a post they perceive as objectionable is always going to look like the idiot in the long run, and engaging with the post in the meantime is just going to give the poster fuel to keep going.
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Post by jamb0r on Sept 4, 2018 9:12:11 GMT
Just received an email to say tonight's performance has been cancelled due to "one of the company being taken ill".
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Post by raiseitup on Sept 4, 2018 9:18:54 GMT
She was absolutely fantastic in Act 1, hope she recovers ASAP.
Parsley's right about one thing though, the show isn't ready and I don't think that's going to be resolved in the next couple of performances. Lighting and sound need a lot of work. Katie Prince said we were watching the very first full dress rehearsal of the show, and to the cast and crew's credit there wasn't a single show stop in the first act, it just needed some tightening during transitions, etc. She also said that they hadn't been able to do a proper sound check yet, and the second half of act 2 was done on a single lighting cue.
As for the first act, I really enjoyed what I saw, on the other hand my partner couldn't bare to sit through any more of it and escaped at the interval... The first act is clocking in at 1hr 20 and it's just too long, some of the protest scenes feel repetitive and there were several false endings where I thought the interval was coming.
It's very Hamilton-lite. Some parts of the staging and music sound they were lifted directly from it. The music takes from quite a few different genres and blends them together with ranging success. I enjoyed the music while watching it but couldn't tell you a single melody now. Also, I hate to compare to Hamilton again, but its characters are so clearly defined, so even when actors are doubling up it's easy to follow. This was not the case for Sylvia, there were A LOT of characters and most are all wearing the same thing, coupled with mic issues, I was lost several times.
What was wonderful was to hear so many gorgeous voices on one stage, there wasn't a weak link among them and Bev got a few limited opportunities to give us a belt or two, I hope she has a big number in Act 2.
Oh, and Winston Churchill's mother is a total scene stealer.
All in all, I think there's definitely some potential here and I hope I get to see the finished product.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 9:37:37 GMT
Parsley's right about one thing though, the show isn't ready and I don't think that's going to be resolved in the next couple of performances. Lighting and sound need a lot of work. Katie Prince said we were watching the very first full dress rehearsal of the show, and to the cast and crew's credit there wasn't a single show stop in the first act, it just needed some tightening during transitions, etc. She also said that they hadn't been able to do a proper sound check yet, and the second half of act 2 was done on a single lighting cue. As for the first act, I really enjoyed what I saw, on the other hand my partner couldn't bare to sit through any more of it and escaped at the interval... The first act is clocking in at 1hr 20 and it's just too long, some of the protest scenes feel repetitive and there were several false endings where I thought the interval was coming. It's very Hamilton-lite. Some parts of the staging and music sound they were lifted directly from it. The music takes from quite a few different genres and blends them together with ranging success. I enjoyed the music while watching it but couldn't tell you a single melody now. Also, I hate to compare to Hamilton again, but its characters are so clearly defined, so even when actors are doubling up it's easy to follow. This was not the case for Sylvia, there were A LOT of characters and most are all wearing the same thing, coupled with mic issues, I was lost several times. What was wonderful was to hear so many gorgeous voices on one stage, there wasn't a weak link among them and Bev got a few limited opportunities to give us a belt or two, I hope she has a big number in Act 2. Oh, and Winston Churchill's mother is a total scene stealer. All in all, I think there's definitely some potential here and I hope I get to see the finished product. First full dress rehearsal No proper sound check One lighting cue for the second half of act 2 A cancelled preview And then a cancelled dress rehearsal Of a show that’s running for less than 3 weeks And of which they were performing segments Back in early April Sounds amazingly professional Thanks for confirming my suspicions That this show was far from ready and this was an ongoing problem going back some weeks or possibly longer |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 9:53:33 GMT
www.thestage.co.uk/news/2018/hip-hop-musical-sylvia-delays-opening-night-old-vic/Press night moved from 11th to 17th sept This was yesterday before the cancelled show The explanations from the OV Sound like the usual creative BS cover all The show is only running until 22nd Seems a bit weird to have only 6 shows post PN Perhaps they are wanting to transfer it Hence the short run It’s amazing and astounding They are so behind When they were performing parts of the show As far back as April 4th
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 4, 2018 11:02:39 GMT
Guys, use the report function. The mods aren't omnipresent, they have lives outside this place. Even if they're very interested in a particular production it still might take them a while to get to a thread, but less time if people have gone "huh, that's an awful post. better report it". If someone posts something that you consider objectionable - an attack or a link to a bootleg or scurrilous rumours - then *instead* of engaging, we should use the report function. The person who rises to the bait and attacks right back when they see a post they perceive as objectionable is always going to look like the idiot in the long run, and engaging with the post in the meantime is just going to give the poster fuel to keep going.
And if by the time we get to review a post everyone has already taken it upon themselves to tell the OP off then you’re kind of making the moderators redundant.
This thread has been edited. The original remark remains, along with a representation of the objections to it and the OP’s apology. Let’s move on please. |
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Post by foxa on Sept 4, 2018 15:08:19 GMT
I have tickets for tomorrow....
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 15:16:38 GMT
The short run suggests a shorter than usual rehearsal time (less than a month or about that?) If anyone knows the contracts then they could give us a better idea. They will not have been rehearsing since April, that will have been a one off for marketing.
As Larry Gelbart once said (and oft quoted by Mel Brooks) ‘if Hitler’s alive I hope he’s out of town with a musical’ .
Unless you’ve done it you really don’t realise how such a show is often there by the skin of its teeth by first performance.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 23:28:41 GMT
The evening performance for tonight
Weds 5th
Is no longer on sale
I hope this doesn’t mean it’s also been cancelled
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2018 23:29:03 GMT
The short run suggests a shorter than usual rehearsal time (less than a month or about that?) If anyone knows the contracts then they could give us a better idea. They will not have been rehearsing since April, that will have been a one off for marketing. As Larry Gelbart once said (and oft quoted by Mel Brooks) ‘if Hitler’s alive I hope he’s out of town with a musical’ . Unless you’ve done it you really don’t realise how such a show is often there by the skin of its teeth by first performance. They had 6 weeks of rehearsals |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2018 9:12:00 GMT
Tonight’s show also cancelled
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2018 9:23:09 GMT
Are there no understudies for this?
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Post by foxa on Sept 5, 2018 9:40:28 GMT
Yes - just got the email (cast illness.) It has such a short run I don't know if I'm going to be able to reschedule. Just trying to check dates with my daughter.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2018 9:45:55 GMT
Are there no understudies for this? Not for a run this short- and even if there were, they wouldn't have been rehearsed yet as the show hasn't even started previews... |
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Post by Mark on Sept 5, 2018 9:47:28 GMT
Are there no understudies for this? Well Beverly Knigt must have as she is out of the show this Saturday. That's a lot of cancelled performances, and if there isn't an understudy ready for the actor who is ill, I hope it's a lesson learned to be a bit more prepared. |
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Post by alforshort on Sept 5, 2018 9:59:09 GMT
There are understudies for this show - there's a list of them in the programme. They just haven't been rehearsed in yet as the show was behind schedule already.
It didn't seem under-rehearsed on Monday, just that they hadn't finished teching yet. The issues all seemed to be with lighting / sound / transitions (at times they seemed unsure if there would be applause between numbers or not so the band left it a few seconds before coming back in). A Monster Calls only closed on the 25th, could the issues be due to insufficient time allowed for tech?
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Post by charmedjean on Sept 5, 2018 10:40:47 GMT
It looks as though they have added in 2 additional Thursday Matinees during the run. Quite excited to see this production.
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Post by westendcub on Sept 5, 2018 11:51:54 GMT
Meant to be there tonight but now rescheduled for Monday (Bix Office handled this very well) but silver lining I’m now going along to see ‘Blood of Brothers’ with a friend in Bromley!!
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Post by foxa on Sept 5, 2018 13:10:26 GMT
Ah - Westendclub - I emailed the box office and they haven't responded. Did you call?
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1,503 posts
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Post by foxa on Sept 5, 2018 13:32:37 GMT
I called and have arranged new tickets. They say it's taking them a long time to get to the emails.
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Post by zahidf on Sept 5, 2018 14:54:47 GMT
They changed my ticket to press night so SHOULD hopefully be done by then
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Post by firefingers on Sept 5, 2018 15:59:46 GMT
Understudy going on for tomorrow's performances, Maria Omakinwa. I'm seeing the evening one.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2018 16:15:01 GMT
There are understudies for this show - there's a list of them in the programme. They just haven't been rehearsed in yet as the show was behind schedule already. It didn't seem under-rehearsed on Monday, just that they hadn't finished teching yet. The issues all seemed to be with lighting / sound / transitions (at times they seemed unsure if there would be applause between numbers or not so the band left it a few seconds before coming back in). A Monster Calls only closed on the 25th, could the issues be due to insufficient time allowed for tech? You won’t find understudies rehearsing until after opening as a matter of course, it isn’t about readiness it’s just the best use of the time (the press don’t see the understudy, well not unless it’s like the Matt Lucas situation). With what seems to be a technical show they probably know the staging but that’s not the same as having it ‘in their bones’. There appear to be two issues here, firstly illness of the lead at the worst possible moment (possibly exacerbated by the stress of having a new, untested show riding on them) plus an insufficient technical period. We’ve probably heard of nightmare techs that last for days, with so many cogs in the ‘machine’ then a week suddenly becomes nowhere near enough. The strangely short run just adds to the concern of not being ready. Hamilton could cancel shows readily and that production was already tried and tested but here, with three weeks of a run? That’s crazy pressure. Given how Zoonation productions tour forever it is likely that this will be around for a while though. |
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Post by ali973 on Sept 5, 2018 16:30:30 GMT
Understudy going on for tomorrow's performances, Maria Omakinwa. I'm seeing the evening one. They were both in The Bodyguard. I saw Maria as understudy Nikki. In the right range, the girl can sing beautifully. They should extend its run. |
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Post by alforshort on Sept 5, 2018 16:45:51 GMT
There are understudies for this show - there's a list of them in the programme. They just haven't been rehearsed in yet as the show was behind schedule already. It didn't seem under-rehearsed on Monday, just that they hadn't finished teching yet. The issues all seemed to be with lighting / sound / transitions (at times they seemed unsure if there would be applause between numbers or not so the band left it a few seconds before coming back in). A Monster Calls only closed on the 25th, could the issues be due to insufficient time allowed for tech? You won’t find understudies rehearsing until after opening as a matter of course, it isn’t about readiness it’s just the best use of the time (the press don’t see the understudy, well not unless it’s like the Matt Lucas situation). With what seems to be a technical show they probably know the staging but that’s not the same as having it ‘in their bones’. There appear to be two issues here, firstly illness of the lead at the worst possible moment (possibly exacerbated by the stress of having a new, untested show riding on them) plus an insufficient technical period. We’ve probably heard of nightmare techs that last for days, with so many cogs in the ‘machine’ then a week suddenly becomes nowhere near enough. The strangely short run just adds to the concern of not being ready. Hamilton could cancel shows readily and that production was already tried and tested but here, with three weeks of a run? That’s crazy pressure. Given how Zoonation productions tour forever it is likely that this will be around for a while though. Sorry I wasn't very clear - I meant that presumedly, if the show hadn't been so far behind with the tech, there's a chance the understudy could have been put in in time to prevent the cancellation of today's performance and maybe even yesterday's. |
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