Just For One Day - Old Vic / Shaftesbury

Sorry I’m not certain on the names. There’s a character based in Ethiopia who shows Bob around and is the voice of the impoverished in the show. I think it’s actually Amara played by Abiona Omonua.

I saw it last night and loved it. Was only a toddler at the time so don’t remember the day itself, but the music is definitely my music!

The only thing I didn’t like was the Jemma character. I can see what they were trying to do with the character and her storyline so maybe it was just the actress’ performance but it came across quite sanctimonious to me, especially during My Generation

I did get goosebumps of anticipation knowing the In The Air Tonight drum solo was coming up and it didn’t disappoint

Overall I would recommend if you just want to enjoy the music and story of the day and not the Gen Z would have done it better message

The only reason I lasted until the interval before leaving was that I was mid-stalls with no way out. This is REALLY bad, to the extent that I was squirming in my seat feeling sorry for the cast with the nonsense they were being asked to perform. Can't fault the music, but the whole thing felt like a self-congratulatory, white-saviour cringe TED talk put on by a sixth-form drama class at the end of term. How it got beyond a workshop stage is beyond me. Wooden acting, unbelievable dialogue, endless monologues to the audience, everyone rushing stage front at the end of seemingly every semi-song to punch the air. It was relentless cliche after cliche. This feels like a serious misfire for The Old Vic.

No the underlying message at the end is "it's time for the next generation to step up and make their mark".

I found the end inspiring, but it also challenges people of that generation to actually BE the difference. Less talk, more action.

Nice way to welcome a first-time poster. Thank you for your opinion ix

Sad to hear about the wooden acting at the Old Vic. I know it’s got lots of brand new talent. But some of the older actors are highly experienced. National and RSC level. But it’s all down to personal opinion.

Very good post. I agree with you. This musical is based on a time when England was an entirely different place.

Wholely disagree with the above (and am a bit staggered at what you're insinuating too)- just because I paid £10 doesn't mean I'm any less invested in the show than you are because you paid full price - I was super excited for the show and really wanted to love it - I'm not disappointed because I paid less than you did 😂...

Also, I say keep the tech bows - the sound is a massive part of the bits of this show I enjoyed so getting to see the people who made that bit happen is great IMO

Just don't like the insinuation that you're more invested in this than other people because you bought an expensive ticket and others didn't - have a nice day!

I was at the first preview on Friday and had been able to grab one of the £10 seats for it - one of the circle ones where a pillar is in the way, but you know it will be since the moment you make your booking, and it's thin enough that it doesn't disrupt the experience all that much (especially when you've only paid a tenner!). 

In fact, I have to say, to me the £10 ticket has the opposite effect to what suggested above by another poster.  Because I have paid so little, I am really keen to give the production a chance and open to being entertained.  Even more than that, as I'm fully aware it's a preview and I've not been ripped off, I am more inclined to let them get away with things that don't go as smoothly as they should, or even to tolerate flaws in the material.  On the other hand, when I've paid charged full price I become really demanding, question every little flaw and have no mercy for poor performances! 

Friday night, while I did think that the material wasn't flawless (more about this below), I was absolutely satisfied that I'd received plenty of good quality entertainment for those £10, so I did cheer the whole cast and crew at the end - yes, the stage managers and sound people too, because to get that machine to run that smoothly at the first preview, they must have done a hell of a good job, and totally deserved their brief moment of recognition at curtain call.     

Moving on to the show itself, I didn't have a close, personal connection with the moment in time when the concert took place, nor am I really a big fan of most of the artists whose music was performed.  Yet many of those songs are part of a universal soundtrack to our lives, and especially some of them have become anthems, as it were, so clearly a lot of that material felt pleasantly familiar and it was performed beautifully by a cast of inspired vocalists.  Most of them - especially the younger ones - have clearly been cast because of how beautiful they sound when they sing, because of their energy and because of how they move on stage, not so much because of how they act... but they're there basically to recreate the vibe of a huge rock concert, so those are exactly the qualities they need.  

While I was roughly familiar with the story and meaning of the event, I didn't know all the details of how it was put together and so, while the book does have a bit of that Wikipedia/Ted talk vibe, I was pleased to learn a few things through the night.  The show never tries to investigate the plight of human beings faced with hardships and famine, that's not the story it wants to tell... so to me it made sense that the best acting actually comes in the comedic moments involving Julie Atherton's character.   What I found weaker, though, were the moments where the Ted talk gets slightly preachy/rhetorical - not so much because of what it's trying to say, but because of the form, which IMHO gets a little too didascalic.  Injecting some more pace in some of the scenes especially at the beginning may help - I think the audience needs to be able to relate a bit more to the characters and feel what they feel rather than just learn about their stories, and the nostalgia angle alone is not always enough.  

The way I perceived it, the underlying "message" - which some posters above have asked about - is an invite for the younger generation to look at what the older generation tried to to through music and getting people together, learn from the mistakes that were made at the time, and try to do better, whilst bearing in mind that a profound change can only come if the powers that be get involved.  For sure, today's youth would have different tools to use, take a different approach etc. but the (maybe slightly naive, maybe tinted with rosy nostalgia lenses) core message is: look at what we did, we were proud of what we achieved even if it was a bit improvised and tentative, and we may not have changed the world but we tried, and you can and should have a go, too.      

Given the response on Friday, I think this show shouldn't struggle too much to find an audience.  To me it feels much more refined than the average juke-box musical, and we've seen plenty of crappy ones have a fairly successful West End run, so why not this? Of course it's not life-changing theatre, but for a night of enjoyable entertainment it hits the mark.  

I wasn’t even born (in a country 2500 miles away) when Live Aid ‘85 happened but I loved the show! So I don’t believe it comes down to age.. I was with two friends who, being older, remember the day and exact place where they were listening or watching.
I only got to see the recorded version about 15 years ago but it had a tremendous effect on me and needless to say I dig this kind if music much more than contemporary stuff.
It was pretty emotional.. I cried a lot, wanted to sing in full voice and jump off my seat more times than I could count. And I can’t wait to hear that version of Blowing in the wind again!
I found the whole thing endlessly inspiring and getting to know how it came about was much more entertaining than reading Wikipedia. The actor playing Geldof really impressed me with how well he did the mannerism and phasing of the famous lines. Mrs. T/Mr.G battling duo was hilarious!

No offence taken at all. Thank you for the welcome.