Promises, Promises @ Southwark Playhouse (from Jan 2017)

I was there tonight, I had a nice evening but a show I will quickly forget I saw.

The score is brilliant that goes without saying but boy oh boy this was clunky.

The transitions throughout the show were jarring, please can someone tell them to cull the plant pots. It was so distracting to hear so much banging around off-stage and hope they tighten this up during previews.

All I can that it was pleasant enough but it's not a Southwark standout and sadly they made the best big number 'Turkey Lurkey' too low-key.

Shame didn't know you was there this evening

I am in total agreement with your post, the act 2 opener was good and I did laugh out loud but it was overlong and the material just didn't warrant it to be!

A bit of a mis-step for Southwark with this one I am sad to report.

That's a shame Cub, maybe next time eh. The ensemble was quite beary wasn't it!

Looking forward to seeing this in a few weeks, a mate of mine is in it

Agree about the doctor not projecting his voice. Was hard to hear him when singing.
It was ok temperature wise in the evening which surprised me as I'm usually boiling there.

Yep the majority of the band did indeed walk out due to the heat, which friend on the show found ironic as the band went down with the ship on the actual vessel, but jumped ship on that performance. Air conditioning was improved and then they put in extra pipping just to the band area on that show to improve things. Problem with the aircon is it enters under seating bank on far side opposite the entrance, so temperature can vary massively around the room.

Am wondering if the people who have posted so far saw the same show that I did.

This was clunky, amateurish and WAY TOO LONG (over 3 hours at Saturday matinee).  I rarely post here, but have to say something because the music was overpowering and I couldn't hear the male lead throughout almost the entire second act. Looking around, I saw people sleeping, heard scattered and light applause at the end of each song and thought the set was atrocious- the door shimmied and got stuck several times and the bedroom hit it really hard once in the second act.

I don't want to go on and on, and am trying not to be annoying, but this was by far the worst production I have seen at the Southwark since I moved to London in 2013 (and I have seen the vast majority of musicals there). To say this was better than Dreamgirls and Rent made me literally laugh out loud.

The highlight of the entire show is the first scene of the second act, which could have been omitted and contributed almost nothing to the overall story line. 

Am just wondering if anyone else felt the same way as me...I just found the whole thing super amateurish- especially the scene transitions and the set that way too ambitious for a small theatre (have never seen so much of the set by the doors as you walk in and the stern warnings about no admittance...those with weak bladders would definitely miss parts of the 3 hour plus show if they had to step out!)

Anyway, that's enough from me. Really wanted to like this, but didn't.

Im actually remembering it more fondly "after the fact". Also bearing in mind I'd just seen the matinee of School Of Rock which couldn't have been more different.

I think if can get the run time down it will be fine. The cast are very engaging and the leads great. If there are sound/set issues then that's what previews are there for isn't it?

Those plant pots need to go ASAP...awful!!

I have to admit it's the at the bottom of the rankings of the musicals seen at Southwark...'Carrie' remains at the top followed by 'Xanadu'!

On Saturday a woman must have been desperate. She was sat on the left side of the stage so couldn't feasibly make it to the proper exit without literally walking across the stage. 

So she went backstage through the door on the left! Just marched into the wings, bold as brass!  

That must must have been a nice surprise for the actors, especially if anyone was getting changed. 

hahaha  I mean... the first act felt like it was never going to end. I was looking at my watch constantly and the lady next to me was clandestinely playing Words with Friends on her phone under her jacket. I started looking back at the sound and lighting and saw the girl on the lighting board rolling her eyes and looking very frazzled. SO much to work on...

I saw that too and then started to work out if there was a better escape route. There literally is nothing so it really was her only option. Mind you at a performance of Night Music at the Menier years ago a man was so desperate that the went behind the side curtain and relieved himself there. Much to the horror of the cast who were also behind the curtain.