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Post by Steve on Jul 16, 2024 13:19:58 GMT
The cast may be underpaid, but they are delivering up a storm of entertainment, and it's really quite wonderful. “The cast may be underpaid, but…” 😱 It does sound terrible but I think that once actors choose to do a job, they prefer having an audience to playing to empty rooms, so I won't be boycotting the Menier as a perverse show of "support" for the actors. And these aren't average musical theatre actors either: this is one of the best ensembles anywhere, with Michael (can do no wrong) Matus down the bill along with two Seadon-Youngs & Finty Williams essaying a small role, as the nicest woman in the world, to perfection. And Josefina Gabrielle perfectly characterising the funniest character (she feels like she was written for grown-ups), wisecracking up a storm in between some lovely singing. And as for the three love triangle leads, I struggle to think that anyone could do more with these roles than Schwartz specialist (Wicked AND Pippin!), Lucie Jones, Clive Rowe being so loveable and wholesome (it's required to be loveable for the Schwartz sensibility lol) that you even forgive him slut-shaming a cat, and Death Note's enigmatic supervillain, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, playing the villain again here, brilliantly sing-storming his way through "Proud Lady," trying to cuckold Rowe's Baker. Once this magnificent bunch of people, to a woman, decide to come together to sing and act so wonderfully (I can see why thedrowsychaperone wants a cast recording), who am I to boycott them (for their own good? I don't think so) to try to change the world? I leave activism to the very valuable work of Unions, and I leave actors free to take whatever work they can get, without any judgement from me, and I'll give them the audience they crave, and just go see the show and appreciate it, thank you very much.  |
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Post by Being Alive on Jul 16, 2024 13:22:47 GMT
You know what you're getting at the Menier.
They notoriously pay incredible badly (but they're a Fringe venue so they can)
No one goes into working there without knowing it's a bad paycheck - you've got to really believe in the project I think (or be well off enough that it sort of doesn't matter!)
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Post by nash16 on Jul 16, 2024 13:29:14 GMT
“The cast may be underpaid, but…” 😱 It does sound terrible but I think that once actors choose to do a job, they prefer having an audience to playing to empty rooms, so I won't be boycotting the Menier as a perverse show of "support" for the actors. And these aren't average musical theatre actors either: this is one of the best ensembles anywhere, with Michael (can do no wrong) Matus down the bill along with two Seadon-Youngs & Finty Williams essaying a small role, as the nicest woman in the world, to perfection. And Josefina Gabrielle perfectly characterising the funniest character (she feels like she was written for grown-ups), wisecracking up a storm in between some lovely singing. And as for the three love triangle leads, I struggle to think that anyone could do more with these roles than Schwartz specialist (Wicked AND Pippin!), Lucie Jones, Clive Rowe being so loveable and wholesome (it's required to be loveable for the Schwartz sensibility lol) that you even forgive him slut-shaming a cat, and Death Note's enigmatic supervillain, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, playing the villain again here, brilliantly sing-storming his way through "Proud Lady," trying to cuckold Rowe's Baker. Once this magnificent bunch of people, to a woman, decide to come together to sing and act so wonderfully (I can see why Chaperone wants a cast recording), who am I to boycott them (for their own good? I don't think so) to try to change the world? I leave activism to the very valuable work of Unions, and I leave actors free to take whatever work they can get, without any judgement from me, and I'll give them the audience they crave, and just go see the show and appreciate it, thank you very much. Steve, I fear you’re missing the shocking nature of that sentence… 🤦🏻♂️ |
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Post by Jon on Jul 16, 2024 13:34:38 GMT
The early years of the Menier were exciting and fresh and it's a shame things have gone south. It's why I think they need new blood to shake things up a bit.
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Post by Steve on Jul 16, 2024 17:43:58 GMT
Steve, I fear you’re missing the shocking nature of that sentence… 🤦🏻♂️ I know its not ideal to live with employers putting their own profit motives (and they could typically instead make massive losses, don't forget, no matter how low the pay is) ahead of the welfare of their employees, but that's capitalism, and I don't feel personally empowered to cure it or change it. As I've said, I judge that those actors (and there are A LOT of fantastic actors stuffed into such a small theatre, with such a tiny audience, that I honestly don't understand the economics of this production at all, tbh) grown up and capable enough and free enough to take whatever job they like, and I'm happy to go see it because it's so well done. Far from being "shocked," I expect capitalism to do capitalism, and don't consider that shocking in any way, unlike all the horrible things on the news right now, which are things to which I would apply the term "shocking." Hopefully, someone will see how good those actors are in this and give them better paying jobs.  |
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Post by Phantom of London on Jul 16, 2024 19:42:04 GMT
I wouldn’t expect my employer to exploit me, but acting is the ultimate carrot and stick profession with massive competition vying for very few spaces, so therefore can pay very poor wages - however this may define capitalism but exploiting people because they’re desperate for work does not sit comfortably with me and never will.
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Post by danb on Jul 16, 2024 20:42:58 GMT
Lucie seems to pick & choose her work, likewise Clive Rowe. I very much doubt they’re being oppressed. That’s not to say that those further down the cast list aren’t on pence, sharing a dressing room with 9 others. At some point they’ve been fed the line that you have to suffer for your art, and work your way up, pay your dues blah blah blah. Ten years ago The Menier WAS a big deal doing quality work that straddled popular & fringe theatre that people wanted to see. But engaging alternative theatre spaces are two a penny now, and it isn’t the juggernaut it wants to be.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Jul 16, 2024 22:15:07 GMT
It's much better than the 1989 London version (aka the Director's Wife) 
That's hilarious! But SO true !! I can't believe i've never heard that before.
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Post by argon on Jul 16, 2024 23:43:05 GMT
Is Stephen Schwartz still hanging around he was there last week in the audience making what seemed to be judicious notes. He was greeted with lots of praise from audience members on leaving maybe for his other works rather this fairly mediocre piece.
3 stars just
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 16, 2024 23:46:39 GMT
You’d think he would be in Boston , what with his brand new musical starting previews there tonight.
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Post by thedrowsychaperone on Jul 17, 2024 9:01:15 GMT
 Hello Menier publicity team!! Although that was my quote, not @bvm 's 😅 |
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Post by Being Alive on Jul 17, 2024 9:30:09 GMT
Well that's a questionable way of getting pull quotes...
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Post by BVM on Jul 17, 2024 10:00:10 GMT
Hello Menier publicity team!! Although that was my quote, not @bvm 's 😅 Oh my God that’s hilarious. I’m not even going until Saturday! |
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Post by galinda on Jul 17, 2024 10:14:54 GMT
For those you have already seen this any recommendations on the best place to sit for this?
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Post by westendwhistledown on Jul 17, 2024 10:26:47 GMT
wait...does this mean...WE'RE BEING WATCHED?!?!?! Hello Producers!!!
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Post by Being Alive on Jul 17, 2024 10:28:00 GMT
We've been being watched for years
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Post by blamerobots on Jul 17, 2024 10:32:09 GMT
Hahahahaha I saw that and thought "hang on this name is familiar...!" It is easy to forget this forum is wide open to the internet... there's 448 unregistered people browsing the forum right now  Hello, Menier Chocolate Factory! |
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Post by wefox on Jul 17, 2024 10:58:26 GMT
For those you have already seen this any recommendations on the best place to sit for this? Seats 6 - 17 Seats 37 - 51 Anything higher will mean you are going to be watching the actors backs as most of the show is directed face on from the "cabaret " seating I would not recommend "cabaret"seating. Looks uncomfortable and you gave to keep shifting to let actors get past Please note the "cheaper" seats (red/yellow) shown on the theatre's plans are behind pillars. book.menierchocolatefactory.com/tickets/series/BAKERSWIFE/the-bakers-wife-1013286?startDate=08-20-2024Personally I would wait to see if you can get an offer on the "better" seats So 35 is behind a pillar? Uh oh 🫣 |
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Post by alece10 on Jul 17, 2024 11:26:53 GMT
I've got a cabaret seat. Should I take a cushion?
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Post by max on Jul 17, 2024 11:31:44 GMT
For those you have already seen this any recommendations on the best place to sit for this? Seats 6 - 17 Seats 37 - 51 Anything higher will mean you are going to be watching the actors backs as most of the show is directed face on from the "cabaret " seating I would not recommend "cabaret"seating. Looks uncomfortable and you gave to keep shifting to let actors get past. book.menierchocolatefactory.com/tickets/series/BAKERSWIFE/the-bakers-wife-1013296?startDate=09-03-2024Please note the "cheaper" seats (red/orange) shown on the theatre's plans are behind a pillar Personally I would wait to see if you can get an offer on the "better" seats Hi Producers! The above comment on seats is interesting, but I booked before this, so if still needed could you prompt the director to draw out the action into the cabaret area, so that if a character speaks from the 'stage' favouring the cabaret seating, the character talking back to them (from the cabaret area) is favouring the audience in higher numbered seats. I often like to sit on the outer reaches of various stage configurations, as the stage pictures can be more interesting, and it's quite a good test of whether the director can.... direct. Ta very much. |
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Post by Steve on Jul 17, 2024 11:33:09 GMT
I've got a cabaret seat. Should I take a cushion? Look on the bright side. At least you won't be squished between two people on either side of you. That has to be worth a few quid lol. |
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Post by alece10 on Jul 17, 2024 11:42:10 GMT
I've got a cabaret seat. Should I take a cushion? Look on the bright side. At least you won't be squished between two people on either side of you. That has to be worth a few quid lol. Thats exactly why I chose the cabaret tables as I'm not small and it's usually me doing the squishing. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 17, 2024 11:50:42 GMT
Hello Menier publicity team!! Although that was my quote, not @bvm 's 😅 As I said the other day in another thread, the industry just cannot bring themselves to mention TheatreBoard by name, despite the fact that for every negative comment here there’s a positive one. And they’re all sat there in their offices not doing their “very important work” but scouring the forum. If it wasn’t so pathetic it would be funny. |
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Post by wefox on Jul 17, 2024 12:01:55 GMT
So 35 is behind a pillar? Uh oh 🫣 I think your eyeline may just "clip" it but as you are looking towards the main stage you should be OK. Thank you 🙏 |
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Post by Steve on Jul 17, 2024 12:18:42 GMT
What a mess of a musical it is. Random guy forces himself on the bakers wife against her will, she’s not interested at all. Then he loves her. Then they run away together even though she’s given not a smidgen of interest, and then they disappear for most of Act 2 and then she comes back after deciding she prefers the Baker. PLEASE. While I agree with the first reviewer of this production that it's a 5 star production of a 3 star show, I do think mrbarnaby is right that the book is the principal weakness. It's like the show was written to teach kids lessons, yet the show itself concerns adult themes. Some spoilers follow. . . In the Seventies, there was an orange cat called Charley that used to interrupt kids' programming to teach kids lessons. A kid would be about to do something silly, and Charley (voiced by Kenny Everett lol) would intervene. The catchphrase was: "Charley says:" as in, "Charley says 'Don't talk to strangers,'" or "Charley says 'Don't play with matches." The presentation of the themes of this show are so didactic and simplistic that I kept having Charley moments, or Pompom moments, as that's the name of the Baker's cat lol. EXCEPT, the lessons you learn just don't feel kid appropriate: As in, Charley says "Don't cuckold your husband;" or Pompom says "it's nasty to call cats 'sluts' even if you are just displacing your resentment of your wife onto your cat;" or Charley says "its only ok to cuckold your husband if your husband isn't 'warm;" or Pompom says "The value of a spouse is how 'warm' they are, so go ahead and cheat on him if your lover is also 'warm;" or Charley says "Foursomes are cool as long as you call your Hefner-brides your nieces;" or Pompom says "intractable conflicts are easily solved when you're thirsty for fresh warm bread;" or, Charley says "Don't decide to cuck your husband because you heard a nursery rhyme one time." The sense of adults being infantilised is so strong with this show lol! In "Wicked," it worked, cos it was teen themes of alienation aimed at teens; in Pippin, the humour and wildness made the simplistic dissection of all of life feel utterly delightful; but here, there is a mismatch between the adult themes and the didactic, simplistic, fable-like, lesson-for-children presentation. I think if you can get past this flaw (I deducted one star for being patronised), everything else about the show is wonderful:- So many good tunes, with "Bread" being such a delightful ensemble chorus of cheeky food teasing; Lucie Jones acing legendary audition song, "Meadowlark" in context; An absolute smorgasbord of musical talent, all working at the top of their game, in such a tiny space; Josefina Gabrielle and Norman Pace, as husband and wife, zinging sick burns back and forth, with Gabrielle hilariously winning every time; Clive Rowe as the loveable Baker, and former Baker (at the Union Theatre), Michael Matus, as the Marquis, anchoring all the storytelling so effortlessly, likeably, humorously and melodiously. Schwartz is a great songwriter, and these are all such great songs. For me, all in all, an easy 4 stars, and the weirdness of the tone is something everyone should experience at least once, I think. |
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