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Post by n1david on Mar 25, 2023 14:53:47 GMT
I saw this last night at the Park and I found it sloppily written ( with an occasional laugh out loud line), amateurishly acted - with the exceptions of Sara Crowe ( who found comic gold in some of her reactions and line readings) and Donna Berlin as the pragmatic stage manager. Mr Gatiss's staging is awkward and unconvincing. The initial meeting ( or rather reunion) between Mr Bradshaw and Mr Hallard happens off-stage and the awkwardness of their situation is dismissed very quickly. As for the rest of the play I suppose you could dismiss it as "a bit of fun" but there are hints throughout that Mr Hallard actually wanted to write a semi-serious play about lonely people finding themselves through a group effort. As the drama unfolds in the second act I sat there bewildered: Were we supposed to care about any of these people? Mr Bradshaw and Mr Hallard's lack of chemistry doesn't help. I just found the whole evening to be mildly funny and instantly forgettable. And to have the shortest of snippets of ABBA music between scenes and a longer excerpt for the bows makes me feel as if they're cheating ABBA fans of what they probably came for. 2 stars from me. I made the mistake of booking for this on a whim despite not enjoying Hallard's previous work and went to see it last night. The above from dlevi summarises my point of view perfectly, so I won't waste my time trying to write my opinions. Having said that large parts of the audience seemed to find it hilarious so I was definitely in a minority. |
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Post by cherokee on Mar 31, 2023 14:34:14 GMT
Thoroughly enjoyed this. The audience gave a collective "ahh" of empathy when Paul O'Grady's voiceover started at the very beginning of the show.
And the whole thing was heart-warming, joyful and hilarious. Sara Crowe an undoubted highlight - she really deserves more acclaim - but as a fan of ABBA, it ticked all the right boxes for me. I ended up with tears in my eyes, and sevearal audience members were on their feet by the end.
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Post by Latecomer on May 20, 2023 16:44:14 GMT
A friend of mine went night after me and totally hated it plays to ever gay cliche and stereotype dated and offensive … and said that 2 hours he will never get back … just goes to show how marmite shows can be 😊🎭 Saw the first half of this at the Oxford Playhouse and also hated it. I agree re cliche and stereotype and didn’t care a jot about any of the characters by half time. Soooo glad to leave. It did remind me how great Abba songs are! Also made me realise that my London theatre-going recently has been excellent!  |
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2,496 posts
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Post by zahidf on Jun 26, 2023 9:07:16 GMT
On at the Criterion theatre for 4 weeks from 17th August
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Post by partytentdown on Jun 26, 2023 9:52:18 GMT
Well I certainly didn't expect to see that.
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Post by mattnyc on Aug 19, 2023 16:27:58 GMT
Had a great time this afternoon. Audience filled solely with women age 50+ and gay men who seemingly all loved it. Act one I’d give 4 stars, act two I’d give 3 but the overall show was a blast and I’m thrilled I got to see this one.
For everyone talking about the curtain call from before all I’ll say is that its been fixed and will leave everyone VERY happy.
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4,211 posts
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Post by anthony40 on Aug 19, 2023 19:18:59 GMT
You know the irony of this show is that in a horrified tone of voice Benny from ABBA questioned "Did they think we looked like drag queens?" and here it happening in this show, but just not in the traditional way that you expected.
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Post by mattnyc on Aug 21, 2023 11:09:07 GMT
Free ticket for tonight posted on noticeboard
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904 posts
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Post by lonlad on Aug 22, 2023 11:22:33 GMT
Saw this on Friday and thought it was ghastly. The 2 star reviews in the Standard and Telegraph are spot on. The plot doesn't even kick in till after the interval and the entire set up is beyond preposterous. Thank heavens, though, for Sara Crowe who not for the first time (Private Lives anyone?) walks away with a production.
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Post by ladidah on Aug 22, 2023 11:26:51 GMT
I am not sure if I would like this or not, such mixed reviews!
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2,496 posts
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Post by zahidf on Aug 22, 2023 11:59:01 GMT
saw it last night. Was a fun show overall, bit Am Dram in places though. Fun Q and A with Mark Gattis and his husband after
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4,804 posts
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Post by Mark on Aug 26, 2023 21:16:46 GMT
Well it was really good fun that’s for sure. Some clunky transitions aside I thought the actors were all very good and the story worked for me. Worth a watch.
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3,349 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 28, 2023 14:39:06 GMT
I saw this last week with a heavily discounted ticket and enjoyed this much more than I expected. The second half is very predictable, but otherwise it's performed well. Plus, you can see the enthusiasm of the actors shining through.
This one is crying out to be turned into a jukebox musical, but I imagine that the songs of Abba are just not available for licence. The closest we got really were some snippets of Abba songs, song instrumentals, and as much of a dance as everyone could get away with at the end. A shame really, as there were a few audience members decked out in their finest Abba gear.
Quite watchable and this fits perfectly into the Criterion.
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Post by partytentdown on Sept 5, 2023 12:22:38 GMT
Saw this a couple of weeks ago, it's a bit of fluff but really shouldn't be what the West End is aspiring to host. The plot was nonsensical and other than a couple of good comic turns, the acting and the set left a lot to be desired. I don't mean this to be derogatory but it really was like am-dram with a budget.
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Post by drmaplewood on Sept 5, 2023 13:32:02 GMT
Saw this a couple of weeks ago, it's a bit of fluff but really shouldn't be what the West End is aspiring to host. The plot was nonsensical and other than a couple of good comic turns, the acting and the set left a lot to be desired. I don't mean this to be derogatory but it really was like am-dram with a budget. Similarly I had very low expectations and it was fine but really had no place being in a West End house, filler or not. |
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Post by Being Alive on Sept 5, 2023 13:36:23 GMT
Agree - it was fine (and as someone who's dealt with ABBA tribute bands from a booking perspective before it was spot on!) but has absolutely no business being in the West End, regardless of filler or not.
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Post by punxsutawney on Sept 5, 2023 14:05:02 GMT
Has it sold relatively well versus Bleak Expectations, or are the houses still pretty empty for this? It's not been a classic summer for the Criterion...
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Post by partytentdown on Sept 5, 2023 14:09:06 GMT
I would say it was about half full when I saw it (and my mid Stalls ticket was £15)
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Post by ladidah on Sept 5, 2023 14:15:54 GMT
I think this only got where it did because of the names attached to it
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2,761 posts
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Post by n1david on Sept 5, 2023 14:18:55 GMT
Has it sold relatively well versus Bleak Expectations, or are the houses still pretty empty for this? It's been very heavily papered, I've seen it offered for virtually the whole run. |
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Post by partytentdown on Sept 5, 2023 14:45:08 GMT
It does feel like a lot of favours have been pulled...
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5,183 posts
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Post by Being Alive on Sept 5, 2023 15:03:11 GMT
I barely paid for a ticket - I'd be charged more for a large coffee in starbucks than I paid...
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