352 posts
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Post by Raven on Feb 19, 2017 18:47:23 GMT
This may well be a question with an obvious answer, but I'm not sure from the website... Is La Strada at the Other Palace and subsequent tour a musical, or a play with music? It's being described as a "musical adaptation" on the official Other Palace website: www.theotherpalace.co.uk/theatre/la-strada/So from that I would personally say a musical. |
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Post by theatremadness on Feb 19, 2017 18:47:38 GMT
This may well be a question with an obvious answer, but I'm not sure from the website... Is La Strada at the Other Palace and subsequent tour a musical, or a play with music? Having seen it, my mind wants to say play with music - and some gorgeous music at that! There is lots of singing and music throughout the whole show and the cast all play live, but it's very much in keeping with the style of the show and where they are in the story, i.e pubs, circus, chapels etc. I thought it was a really stunning show (though there have been multiple changes made during their first week and I saw it right at the beginning so not 100% sure on what those are), but I thoroughly recommend it!  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 18:53:13 GMT
This may well be a question with an obvious answer, but I'm not sure from the website... Is La Strada at the Other Palace and subsequent tour a musical, or a play with music? The Other Palace is actually the last date of the tour which started a week ago at the producing theatre. It's an adaptation of a film, with actor-musicians performing the songs, so it sounds closer to a play with music than to a musical. But, hey, what's a musical nowadays? www.lastradalive.com/ |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 20:09:50 GMT
At first glance I read that as "last rad alive" and was most confused. |
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Post by welsh_tenor on Feb 23, 2017 9:35:19 GMT
A show report should be sent nightly to the relevant creative team, this details *anything* that happens during a show. Missed acting cues, missed lighting cues, missed sound queues, technical difficulties, mistakes in choreo, if someone doesn't bring on a prop - those sorts of little things. Just stumbled upon this thread and this particular post made me laugh about a post-show report due to technical difficulties! 😂 |
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Post by d'James on Feb 23, 2017 18:25:14 GMT
How does it work with costumes in shows? Do they make three sets (depending on numbers of understudies) or do they all share the same costumes? Maybe it depends on the show.
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471 posts
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Post by mistressjojo on Feb 24, 2017 1:45:27 GMT
How does it work with costumes in shows? Do they make three sets (depending on numbers of understudies) or do they all share the same costumes? Maybe it depends on the show. That reminded me of a production of Evita I saw many years ago. It was sold out on the promise of Julie Covington coming to perform as Evita, but she cancelled about a week out & a local musical theatre performer who knew the part had to step in at short notice. Unfortunately the new leading lady was a bit larger than the missing star, and the white ballgrown was quite visibly not laced up at the back , and other costumes could be seen to be held together with clips & tape! So in this case, it seems there was only one set of costumes. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2017 7:29:48 GMT
How does it work with costumes in shows? Do they make three sets (depending on numbers of understudies) or do they all share the same costumes? Maybe it depends on the show. That reminded me of a production of Evita I saw many years ago. It was sold out on the promise of Julie Covington coming to perform as Evita, but she cancelled about a week out & a local musical theatre performer who knew the part had to step in at short notice. Unfortunately the new leading lady was a bit larger than the missing star, and the white ballgrown was quite visibly not laced up at the back , and other costumes could be seen to be held together with clips & tape! So in this case, it seems there was only one set of costumes. I'm fascinated by this story of Julie Covington's promise to perform the part... Where and when was this? (Tim Rice writes in his autobigraphy about a meeting with her to discuss the role; he thought it was a done deal, but she refused it. Enter Elaine Paige!) |
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471 posts
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Post by mistressjojo on Feb 24, 2017 7:54:43 GMT
That reminded me of a production of Evita I saw many years ago. It was sold out on the promise of Julie Covington coming to perform as Evita, but she cancelled about a week out & a local musical theatre performer who knew the part had to step in at short notice. Unfortunately the new leading lady was a bit larger than the missing star, and the white ballgrown was quite visibly not laced up at the back , and other costumes could be seen to be held together with clips & tape! So in this case, it seems there was only one set of costumes. I'm fascinated by this story of Julie Covington's promise to perform the part... Where and when was this? (Tim Rice writes in his autobigraphy about a meeting with her to discuss the role; he thought it was a done deal, but she refused it. Enter Elaine Paige!) This was in 1989 in Sydney, Australia. Don't know if it was intended to go to other cities. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 24, 2017 12:25:24 GMT
When dance shows are revived, such as your West Side Stories, Chicagos and your 42nd Streets etc etc how is the choreography recorded in order to revive it accurately?
Is it written down like a score or a script? If so is every single step recorded or just the "gist" of the routine which allows future choreographers some license to add their own bits?
If it's filmed, what did they do before entire shows were filmed?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2017 12:32:53 GMT
When dance shows are revived, such as your West Side Stories, Chicagos and your 42nd Streets etc etc how is the choreography recorded in order to revive it accurately? Is it written down like a score or a script? If so is every single step recorded or just the "gist" of the routine which allows future choreographers some license to add their own bits? If it's filmed, what did they do before entire shows were filmed? There's a form of writing called 'dance notation' which allows it to be written down: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_notation or dancenotation.org/lnbasics/frame0.html
Of course for contemporary work there's also recordings made as well, which helps!
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Post by nick on Mar 29, 2017 12:01:43 GMT
When dance shows are revived, such as your West Side Stories, Chicagos and your 42nd Streets etc etc how is the choreography recorded in order to revive it accurately? Is it written down like a score or a script? If so is every single step recorded or just the "gist" of the routine which allows future choreographers some license to add their own bits? If it's filmed, what did they do before entire shows were filmed? My wife was a choreologist - recording dance on paper. There are two systems, Benesh and Laban. Benesh uses a larger version of music paper with the lines representing head, chest, waist, knees and feet. Then imagine stick figures with most of the lines removed so just the extremities are there. It's used mainly for ballet. Laban is a completely different system. I'm not sure how well it is used. Choreographers will often have a personal choreologist to record a new ballet but it's reconstruction is usually a combination of that plus finding original performers to aid in the reconstruction. I don't think video/film is used very often. |
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 29, 2017 12:06:29 GMT
Isn't it true that in order to obtain permission to professionally stage West Side Story, you have to 'recreate' Jerome Robbins original Choreography? Impossible without notation.
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Post by Jon on Mar 29, 2017 16:48:41 GMT
^Yes, along with several other shows, including "Fiddler On The Roof" and "A Chorus Line" as two examples. Most R&H also has to be done to a specification. The rule often applies to shows if they are professional productions in major venues. 42nd Street uses the same Gower Champion choreography with some new choreography from Randy Skinner although I don't know if it required like it is with the Jerome Robbin shows. I do worry that requiring a show to replicate choreography or if it the same as the original ends up making feel like dated and like a museum piece. Cameron Mackintosh's approach to refreshing his productions while some would see it as a way to save costs is better than touring a tired old production. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2017 17:12:42 GMT
I do worry that requiring a show to replicate choreography or if it the same as the original ends up making feel like dated and like a museum piece. Is there any particular reason why choreography should date? Nobody worries that the music may make a show feel like a museum piece. |
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Post by Jon on Mar 29, 2017 17:17:45 GMT
Is there any particular reason why choreography should date? Nobody worries that the music may make a show feel like a museum piece. Choreography doesn't date but just replicating what came before isn't always a good thing. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2017 19:51:16 GMT
Is there any particular reason why choreography should date? Nobody worries that the music may make a show feel like a museum piece. Choreography doesn't date but just replicating what came before isn't always a good thing. The point I'm making is that nobody worries about replication of the music or the speech making a show feel dated so why is the movement treated differently? Nobody would say "replicating the music isn't always a good thing". If the choreography is a major part of the performance shouldn't it be on an equal footing with the score and the libretto rather than being considered disposable? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2017 20:06:19 GMT
What is text and what is production?
That's the point here and, through pretty much all of theatre history, text ends with what is said, played and sung. Any interpretation of that is not an original text. Dances, blocking, performance style, characterisation etc, have to change otherwise all you have is slavish repetition and the inevitable lack of connection of the performers with the material. Brook goes so far as to say that, after a couple of years, any particular production is dead. I'd give it a few more years than that but, in general, I agree.
So why did Robbins etc. demand it? Ego partly as they couldn't face being seen as less integral* and, secondly, money, so that they could harvest royalties by forcing others to copy their interpretation.
*and no, West Side Story doesn't need those dances, in fact they are dated, just as Bennett's Chorus Line work screams out 'the 70s' .
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Post by sherriebythesea on Apr 5, 2017 22:42:38 GMT
Is it ever proper to move to a better seat if it is empty? Easy enough to check online if it is available maybe? I've had people tell me they would never do it and, equally nice people says of course they do.
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Post by cheesy116 on Apr 6, 2017 1:21:09 GMT
Is it ever proper to move to a better seat if it is empty? Easy enough to check online if it is available maybe? I've had people tell me they would never do it and, equally nice people says of course they do. I've done it at Matilda and Kinky Boots when I could only get back row upper circle seats. I checked with an usher at the interval both times to see what seats were definitely empty and they said it was fine! In the Adelphi and the Cambridge there's a big difference in the view from rear upper circle to the front of them so it was worth being cheeky and asking. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2017 7:38:00 GMT
Is it ever proper to move to a better seat if it is empty? Easy enough to check online if it is available maybe? I've had people tell me they would never do it and, equally nice people says of course they do. It's not that easy to check, most (if not all) theatres close off online booking a couple of hours in advance and I don't go to theatres that are big enough or shows that are unpopular enough that I can trust any seats that were available in the morning will still be available. Anyway, legally you shouldn't move seats, especially to a different price band, as you're then using something you haven't paid for. I have heard that theatres will sometimes demand a person pay the difference. But morally I don't see why you shouldn't, as you're not taking a seat from a person if it hasn't been sold. Just do it with grace - if you're spotted by theatre staff and asked to return to your seat, do so without arguing, that sort of thing. Asking is a bit of a gamble, as there's a chance they'll say no where you could have otherwise snuck by successfully, but I've seen people complaining about their seats and being moved by the house manager before, so it's up to you if you want to give it a go really. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2017 8:06:08 GMT
Is it ever proper to move to a better seat if it is empty? Easy enough to check online if it is available maybe? I've had people tell me they would never do it and, equally nice people says of course they do. It's not that easy to check, most (if not all) theatres close off online booking a couple of hours in advance and I don't go to theatres that are big enough or shows that are unpopular enough that I can trust any seats that were available in the morning will still be available. Anyway, legally you shouldn't move seats, especially to a different price band, as you're then using something you haven't paid for. I have heard that theatres will sometimes demand a person pay the difference. But morally I don't see why you shouldn't, as you're not taking a seat from a person if it hasn't been sold. Just do it with grace - if you're spotted by theatre staff and asked to return to your seat, do so without arguing, that sort of thing. Asking is a bit of a gamble, as there's a chance they'll say no where you could have otherwise snuck by successfully, but I've seen people complaining about their seats and being moved by the house manager before, so it's up to you if you want to give it a go really. It depends on the theatre. The WMC for example train their users to be uber strict on this, and it's only if given 'permission' by one can you manage it. Other theatres are more relaxed about it in the sense of 'if nobody's sitting in it once the show has started someone may as well' certainly at the Sherman we preferred to move people closer should they want to.
Rule of thumb generally is wait until the interval is polite, if you're going to.
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Post by Tibidabo on Apr 6, 2017 9:50:11 GMT
One of my main theatre buddies is a serial slitherer. He spots where to move and we pounce just as the lights go down. I absolutely hate doing this. I find it excruciatingly embarrassing. Apart from the obvious cafuffle if the seat-holders arrive late, what often happens is I get my bum halfway into the seat, only to find that the person in the next seat has used it to deposit their bag, coat, programme, packed lunch and whichever parts of their body they feel disposed to draping freely. I then have to spend a jolly couple of hours in close proximity to someone who I can visibly hear seething with hatred.
To answer the question. No I do not think it's ok!
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Post by cheesy116 on Apr 6, 2017 11:29:43 GMT
I also once bought a day seat at Matilda on a different visit to the one I previous spoke of. The day seats at Matilda are £5 and in the upper circle. I approached the box office before the show because I saw online there was a lot of seats still free and asked if I could sit in the stalls.... They said yes! And I know other people who have done so. I ended up on the end seat on the front row and if you know that theatre/show, you're so close at some points you could touch the characters
If you don't ask, you don't get, in my opinion.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Apr 6, 2017 11:32:45 GMT
I will generally move sideways (i.e. towards the middle) if it becomes obvious that people aren't going to come. I do always try and wait until the ushers have let the latecomers in at the designated time - I generally figure after that, there's far less risk of someone coming to the seat.
I don't think I've ever moved forward though, at least not in the theatre. I've done it at gigs where there are empty seats, but there it's generally far less awkward to move around, and similarly to move back if needed.
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