826 posts
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Post by rumbledoll on Feb 2, 2024 7:53:23 GMT
Wow. You never know which show could turn out to be as marmite as this.
I personally loved it rather unconditionally (just as a couple of friends I went with) but in all honestly I enormously enjoy reading the opposite opinion, it's so enriching in a way.
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Post by shownut on Feb 2, 2024 7:56:57 GMT
Whatever the changes tonight, they appear to have added 14 minutes, playout music ending at precisely 22:14 with no technical stops or delays. If only I could say it was all worth it. Even on a £10 ticket in a prime central seat (but not the front row that was indicated at the time of booking), I feel short-changed. This is dire. Imagine a history lesson told in factoids through the prism of Radio 1 Newsbeat (i.e. dumbed down to a target audience of 12-year-old airheads) with musical snippets reimagined by the cast from Glee. No scrub that. It's far worse than that conjures up. I was entranced as I watched Live Aid on telly in 1985, but let's be honest, people -- overwhelmingly white middle class -- were there because they didn't want to miss a cracking gig, not because they suddenly wanted to solve the famines and gross inequalities in the world. A few may have been spurred to activism and action, but not the many. And most of the performers were there because, once there was a momentum, to be the one not there, would have been reputation detrimental. But let's not allow any of that stop the show's creators from imbuing the history with schmaltz and a nauseatingly faux feel-good vibe, all turned up to the max -- just like the echo on the vocals -- and delivered by a most improbably diverse set of 1980s characters. The final insult for me was the portrayal of Thatcher as a loveable, rapping rogue. Although we're meant to laugh *at* this character, it's done with such a light touch -- where Thatcher is almost in on the joke -- that there's an implied revisionism that she was not so bad really. Yes she bloody well was! I found these scenes pretty offensive. Act 1 is in solid one-star territory, but Act 2 improves slightly, and there's no faulting the effort on display from the cast. Two stars. Act 1: 19:33-20:40 Act 2: 21:01-22:14 You put it all far better than I could have and I agree (at least about the elements in act one which had us scrambling for the exit). I wasn't so much offended by the characterisation of Thatcher as I was by the insipid writing. Cringeworthy. And yes, I saw MANDELA and yes, it was that bad. What I didn't mention was the appalling crowd behaviour which also tested our nerves and didn't help an already gowdawful experience. A phone going off a couple of times, a couple next to me who seemed more interested in fiddling with their wine than paying attention to the actors (can hardly blame them) and 2 people near to us, though not together who sang along and pounded their knees/legs to the rhythm. I just can't..... |
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Post by viserys on Feb 2, 2024 8:09:19 GMT
My take from reading the reviews so far is - if you go in simply to enjoy the music (especially if you're the right age), you will enjoy this massively and if you pay attention to the book/story/dialogue, you end up hating this?
Are the songs sung in full or just snippets?
Sorry I'm asking so many questions - I'll be in London in two weeks and am still undecided whether to see this or not. I have a ticket for the Ralph Fiennes Macbeth in the Docklands which I am not sure I want to be using and might ditch for this. It WAS my time and there are people in the cast I like a lot, but I'm just not sure if it's worth the effort to change my plans at short notice.
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826 posts
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Post by rumbledoll on Feb 2, 2024 8:26:51 GMT
My take from reading the reviews so far is - if you go in simply to enjoy the music (especially if you're the right age), you will enjoy this massively and if you pay attention to the book/story/dialogue, you end up hating this? Are the songs sung in full or just snippets? Sorry I'm asking so many questions - I'll be in London in two weeks and am still undecided whether to see this or not. I have a ticket for the Ralph Fiennes Macbeth in the Docklands which I am not sure I want to be using and might ditch for this. It WAS my time and there are people in the cast I like a lot, but I'm just not sure if it's worth the effort to change my plans at short notice. I do mostly listen to this kind of music and I am certainly not the right age  I enjoyed the book as well and did not find it patronysing or offending. And it does mention that the crowd was there for the artists and not to collect for charity, and the artists were there partly because if they refused it might put a shade on their reputation (it's even joked about). Most of the time it looks like Abiola Omonua's character and Bob himself are the one ones who actually care about the dying children. But does it matter as long as the hungry get help? Does it matter how many of those 80 000 viewers grew up to be activists for change as long as at least some did? This event gave them something, if it only inspired them for a second to call and spent their pub money on this instead - that is enough. Sometimes it takes just one person to turn things round - this is exactly what it's about - you need just one person to step forward and fight for the cause enough so everyone would join - for their own reasons. I actually liked this approach - they don't say this event changed the world, but just for one day it united so many people that the hope for that change could live again. I was also curious about each individual story - sometimes the event is so big and the spotlight is given to just a few, but behind that there is hard work of many. Based on what I saw and heard to pull this whole thing off the way they did is a bit of a miracle. Maybe it's just me generally in love with the stories like this? A lot of songs are sung in full (not the Bohemian Rhapsody though). |
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Post by max on Feb 2, 2024 8:29:08 GMT
The most excruciating dialogue I’ve heard in anything - ever. ‘Young Whippersnapper Of Today’ says to Bob Geldof at the start of the show:
“But what happened, when, and why? - I want to know…..I wasn’t born then, help me understand”
Not perfect quotations there, but very close indeed. So it carries on, and would have been more credible if they’d gone that extra step and had her researching her GCSE or Uni history project, and bumping into Bob in a Cafe; because that’s how hackneyed it feels. I had to close my eyes at times, which didn’t stop me hearing it, but helped me pretend I was somewhere else to ward off the cringe.
But what really stuck me to my seat during the almost total standing ovation, was the way People of Colour were ‘used’ as characters (and therefore also as performers). I can’t stand the use of ‘Black’ as cheap shorthand for ‘here’s the grit and integrity of our show' - particularly when it’s ultimately so cynical. (Ditto ‘look how modern we are - here are some non binary people, so we dare/shame you to say our show isn’t politically sophisticated'). There are three female characters in Bob’s life who bring some voices of measured logic, a healthy scepticism about Bob’s messianic demeanour (or others projecting that onto him), and citing but never expanding upon a more complex view of ‘Africa’. All are played by Women of Colour. So what happens to them? They all get won over. So their bit of grit serves only to shine more golden light on Bob when their reality checks are overcome.
In the worst of these moments, Bob is in Africa feeling either a fraud, or naive to believe he could solve this thing. But it’s interspersed with ‘poor me’ (aka ‘great me’) lyrics culled from Message In A Bottle by The Police. Sort of like this:
(“Just a castaway an island lost at sea, oh”)
‘I’m a fool to think I could change this’
(“Another lonely day, noone here but me, oh”)
I’ve let everyone down, the money isn’t getting through’
(“More loneliness than any man could bear
Rescue me before I fall into despair, oh”)
Aid worker who’s previously told us that she was the one at the cliff face doing the toughest most horrendous work, wordlessly puts a comforting hand on Bob’s shoulder. Equivalence after all.
When the Aid Worker sings ‘Blowing In The Wind’ it’s musically beautiful, but what is that music? We’re told by Young Whippersnapper Of Today that Africa is a land mass of many countries - you can’t just say ‘Africa’ as if it’s just one thing. Yet in the ‘Africa’ scenes we get exactly that most cliched ‘just one thing’: the typical burnt ochre and red back projection, and the typical deep drone music that’s shorthand for ‘Africa’ when alongside those scattered open chords on piano (that has no place in traditional African music as far as I’m aware). This is ‘Africa’ via movie or natural history musical shorthand. Then the British Aid Worker sings in that clipped ‘more perfect English than the English’ accent that some African people have. Why? She doesn’t speak that way. Has she discovered her inner deeper African-ness? Another miracle emanating from proximity to Saint Bob I guess.
The show constantly names the pitfalls it could fall into, as if identifying a problem innoculates you against blundering on into every pitfall anyway, without making any change to meet the problem you just named.
Earlier in the thread someone mentioned ‘Come From Away’ and I thought this show was going to be lots of atomised stories of what people were doing ‘Just For One Day’ in 1985. Instead it’s a pretty straight-line hagiography of Bob Geldof. Though the dialogue is terrible, the direction makes it worse. Some of Bob’s declarations and objections to protocols would have played better seethed under his breath in realistic pressure situations, not declaimed in broad theatrical brush strokes played out front.
What Bob Geldof did was amazing, hugely laudable, I admired him at the time. This show is an invitation for the audience to pat itself on the back for being part of it - that’s okay, it’s valuable to celebrate a moment when people came together for something bigger; but it over balances into smug self congratulation all round. Geldof’s closeness to this production is a big problem it seems. It takes a flawed maverick to do something as brilliant as he did with Band Aid and Live Aid, but this show is now cleaning him up and burnishing his sainthood - all the while with ‘Nowadays Bob’ cracking on that ‘Young Whippersnapper’ is really annoying for making him tell this story, as he just wants to stop being associated with it. Don’t do a musical then! It would have been a stronger statement and a stronger show to take him out of the picture altogether, and let the achievement of Live Aid speak for itself in more innovative ways that come at the story at a tangent, and spread the light around.
P.S
‘Rat Trap’ was not the first Punk Rock song to chart at number 1 as the script incorrectly states, because The Boomtown Rats weren’t even a punk band. The BBC now says ‘God Save The Queen’ by The Sex Pistols got to number 1 in 1977, though the BBC denied it at the time. The Boomtown Rats first single was released 6 months later. It’s not that this show is badly researched, instead it’s intentionally biased to see the world a certain way to skew everything in favour of Bob.
I don’t remember Margaret Thatcher being a Northern woman, but Thursday night's audience loved her, so that’s all fine I guess.
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Post by londonandy on Feb 2, 2024 8:37:13 GMT
I saw it a couple of days ago (in one of the cheap(er) seats behind a pillar in the dress circle). I am of an age where the songs were a jukebox of my youth, so enjoyed it for that, if nothing else, but the rapping Mrs Thatcher was a added bonus :-).
It doesn't try to force songs into a story line (a la Mamma Mia / We Will Rock You) but does tell the story of how Band Aid / Live Aid came about quite well. If you want to hear more about the back-story there is a very good Reunion programme on BBC Sounds - search for BBC Reunion Band Aid.
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Post by mrnutz on Feb 2, 2024 8:52:37 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth.
And I thought I’d reached peak cringe earlier during Mrs T / Mr G.
This incredibly talented cast can do so much better than this utterly confused show. Just delete the script and keep the songs (but remove the over-reliance on Queen’s back catalogue while you’re at it).
Book of Mormon meets We Will Rock You meets karaoke night at a northern Labour club on a Friday night, in a show written by Ollie Plimsolls from the Legs Akimbo theatre company.
Still, lots of dudes in their 60s had a great night out waving their arms in the air and pretending they were at a real gig, so maybe that’s its audience.
2/5
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Post by ceebee on Feb 2, 2024 8:56:02 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth. This is the funniest comment I've read in a long time. |
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Post by max on Feb 2, 2024 8:58:18 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth. And I thought I’d reached peak cringe earlier during Mrs T / Mr G. This incredibly talented cast can do so much better than this utterly confused show. Just delete the script and keep the songs (but remove the over-reliance on Queen’s back catalogue while you’re at it). Book of Mormon meets We Will Rock You meets karaoke night at a northern Labour club on a Friday night, in a show written by Ollie Plimsolls from the Legs Akimbo theatre company. Still, lots of dudes in their 60s had a great night out waving their arms in the air and pretending they were at a real gig, so maybe that’s its audience. 2/5 Yes! OMG - You've reminded me that I sat there thinking: 'this is what Legz Akimbo would do if given a West End stage - transferring from their school gyms and village halls tour'. |
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Post by ladidah on Feb 2, 2024 9:05:08 GMT
My friend saw this, this week, and said to her it felt like a GCSE drama project...
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19,777 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 2, 2024 9:11:41 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth. 😂😂 You've got to tell us. What made it so cringe? |
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Post by ceebee on Feb 2, 2024 9:15:19 GMT
You put it all far better than I could have and I agree (at least about the elements in act one which had us scrambling for the exit). I wasn't so much offended by the characterisation of Thatcher as I was by the insipid writing. Cringeworthy. And yes, I saw MANDELA and yes, it was that bad. What I didn't mention was the appalling crowd behaviour which also tested our nerves and didn't help an already gowdawful experience. A phone going off a couple of times, a couple next to me who seemed more interested in fiddling with their wine than paying attention to the actors (can hardly blame them) and 2 people near to us, though not together who sang along and pounded their knees/legs to the rhythm. I just can't..... Yes I had a knee pounding singer who knew all the words to Rat Trap (a first, I think). I've already said I enjoyed this show but having been twice now it certainly attracts a large number of a particular demographic. But I didn't expect any different tbh. On a positive note, it provoked my kids (15/13) into asking if I could show them footage from the actual concert. I then showed them the Cars / Drive video. I then told them: "Your generation's job is to try and avoid the mistakes of the past and make the world a better place." Trite, perhaps, and wishful thinking. But beyond the nostalgia and slightly preachy tone, I hope this show raises awareness of the power of collaboration and inspires the next generation to do their own thing to improve a pretty fractious world. |
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Post by shownut on Feb 2, 2024 9:16:12 GMT
Yes I had a knee pounding singer who knew all the words to Rat Trap (a first, I think). I've already said I enjoyed this show but having been twice now it certainly attracts a large number of a particular demographic. But I didn't expect any different tbh. On a positive note, it provoked my kids (15/13) into asking if I could show them footage from the actual concert. I then showed them the Cars / Drive video. I them told them: "Your generation's job is to try and avoid the mistakes of the past and make the world a better place." Trite, perhaps, and wishful thinking. But beyond the nostalgia and slightly preachy tone, I hope this show raises awareness of the power of collaboration and inspires the next generation to do their own thing to improve a pretty fractious world. I think if they do the special matinees where students are brought in then yes, they could likely get an interesting message across and those kids could possibly walk away inspired - but that would be the extent of whatever good might come from an otherwise dire attempt at musical theatre. I actually liked the idea of the show and agree with the fellow poster who said that 'verbatim' theatre would have worked better (ala the amazing LONDON ROAD). That said, I also agree with the poster that said for most of the LIVE AID crowd, it had little to do with helping starving Ethiopians and more to do with catching a once-in-a-lifetime gig. I would hazard a guess that last night's audience and others buying tickets to this show are no different. They are likely there for the melodies, not the message though who knows, maybe some found it compelling? |
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Post by shownut on Feb 2, 2024 9:20:20 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth. 😂😂 You've got to tell us. What made it so cringe? Well, good thing I decided to scram after act one. That might have put me over the edge. :-) |
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Post by mrnutz on Feb 2, 2024 9:35:18 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth. 😂😂 You've got to tell us. What made it so cringe? Picture a scene where Bob Geldof is talking to a character representing "the youth of today", and metaphorically hands over the baton of helping all of the poor people in the world. Geldof exits as said character bursts into song - "My Generation". 🫠 |
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Post by max on Feb 2, 2024 9:46:50 GMT
The final insult for me was the portrayal of Thatcher as a loveable, rapping rogue. Although we're meant to laugh *at* this character, it's done with such a light touch -- where Thatcher is almost in on the joke -- that there's an implied revisionism that she was not so bad really. Yes she bloody well was! I found these scenes pretty offensive. Thank you for saying this about Thatcher. It trades on the beloved camp musical theatre tradition of 'posh straightlaced person goes wild' or 'fat lady amazes by nimbly tap dancing'. It's a trope designed to delight via naughty surprise at the reversal. If this show thinks that's a route to satire then it's a monumental backfire, that just turns Thatcher cute. There's an odd line later when Thatcher says 'I'm not evil you know'. It doesn't come from anywhere or go anywhere. Perhaps it's set up to encourage the audience to shout out 'yes you were'. If so, I really should have taken the bait, but didn't want to indulge this show by getting on side with any of its deeply confused games. |
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Post by max on Feb 2, 2024 9:53:33 GMT
😂😂 You've got to tell us. What made it so cringe? Picture a scene where Bob Geldof is talking to a character representing "the youth of today", and metaphorically hands over the baton of helping all of the poor people in the world. Geldof exits as said character bursts into song - "My Generation". 🫠 And as he leaves the stage she shouts 'you're a hero'. Out of vision, he shouts back 'I'm not'. Typical of this show to make sure that even then he gets the last word. Argh! |
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Post by mrnutz on Feb 2, 2024 9:54:33 GMT
Picture a scene where Bob Geldof is talking to a character representing "the youth of today", and metaphorically hands over the baton of helping all of the poor people in the world. Geldof exits as said character bursts into song - "My Generation". 🫠 And as he leaves the stage she shouts 'you're a hero'. Out of vision, he shouts back 'I'm not'. Typical of this show to make sure that even then he gets the last word. Argh! 🤮 |
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Post by mkb on Feb 2, 2024 9:54:44 GMT
The final insult for me was the portrayal of Thatcher as a loveable, rapping rogue. Although we're meant to laugh *at* this character, it's done with such a light touch -- where Thatcher is almost in on the joke -- that there's an implied revisionism that she was not so bad really. Yes she bloody well was! I found these scenes pretty offensive. Thank you for saying this about Thatcher. It trades on the beloved camp musical theatre tradition of 'posh straightlaced person goes wild' or 'fat lady amazes by nimbly tap dancing'. It's a trope designed to delight via naughty surprise at the reversal. If this show thinks that's a route to satire then it's a monumental backfire, that just turns Thatcher cute. ... Indeed. Cf. Widdecombe on Strictly or Farage on I'm a Celebrity... |
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Post by Dr Tom on Feb 2, 2024 10:12:04 GMT
Attending tonight. Reading all the comments, I'm not sure if I should be excited or terrified!
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Post by ceebee on Feb 2, 2024 10:18:08 GMT
Attending tonight. Reading all the comments, I'm not sure if I should be excited or terrified! Enjoy - it's marmite but I loved it! |
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Post by A.Ham on Feb 2, 2024 15:33:48 GMT
Really interesting to catch up on this thread and read the very polarised reviews and comments. Having seen it last night, I think I'm somewhere in the middle I'm afraid!
There was lots I liked, but I can see the points many of you are making about the way it patronises and belittles, and the somewhat irritating desire to learn about 'what it was really like' from Gemma and her(My) generation who would've done it differently. Ultimately it's depicting views and behaviours from 40 years ago, when yes, attitudes were different and out of kilter with how things are viewed today. As an explanation and celebration of what Bob achieved (trying to put some of the politics and rights and wrongs of how he went about it aside), the show works, but unlike Come From Away where I didn't know about Gander and the passengers the community there took in, I did know about Live Aid and how it came about, so inevitably the book scenes become somewhat formulaic and less interesting as by and large they didn't impart any new information.
I reference Come From Away, as with the multiple characters, narration coming from several of the ensemble-led cast and the rushing to the front frequently, I was reminded of it several times. In fact, stretching that a little further, with Bob leading the narrative for a large part of the show, plus of course his Irish accent which the Newfoundland accent sounds similar to, I couldn't help but put him into very similar territory to Mayor of Gander Claude Elliot!
I felt it took a while to get going and I didn't love the first half hour or so. It then moves into an extended section telling us all about Band Aid and the song's conception and recording - I know you can't tell the Live Aid story without prefacing it with Band Aid, but this did feel laboured and a long time was spent on this. It probably felt longer as I'd also watched Netflix's Greatest Night in Pop documentary about We Are The World earlier this week (an interesting coincidence that both that film and this show have launched in the same week, 39 years on).
By the end of the first half I was enjoying if not loving it, then the second act initially seemed to step up a gear. I'd been wondering why Joel Montague had barely appeared in Act I so was good to see him feature more as Harvey in Act II. As ever, Danielle Steers was a stand out, great stage presence and voice, and whilst I know Bob is a marmite character, Craige Els did a super job of portraying him - his accent was spot on. Vocally I thought pretty much everyone did a good job of performing the Live Aid classics we all know and love without venturing into parody or poor imitation of the original artists. Mrs T was all rather bizarre if I'm honest - I'm not entirely sure it provided the light relief intended, for me at least.
Did I love it? No. / Did I hate it? No. I'll go 3.5 stars I think and will round up to 4 for the poll given some of the individual performances and the sound, which was excellent, and very loud!
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Post by forumusername on Feb 2, 2024 17:19:12 GMT
Saw this Monday, Jan. 29, four days into the previews. This show was very entertaining. Opening with the showstopper was an interesting decision. The Thatcher character was magnificently portrayed and like how King George's character is used in Hamilton - singularly funny as a non-central character. The actor who plays the hard-driving concert promoter came out of nowhere with a banger opening song and added significant juice to the second act. Abiona Omonua has a wonderful voice; I wanted more from her. I had tears in my eyes for about half the songs, but I'm a softy. The book was a little preachy. The show celebrates a unique event, but spends a lot of time apologizing to today's audience for what they tried to do 40 years ago. Narratively it seems to be the opposite of a show like Six. In Six, it has banger music and tells little-known stories to shed light on something new; in this it has banger music telling a well-known story and having to explain and defend unironically decisions and choices made 40 years ago. I flew 4,000 miles just to see this show because I couldn't tell if it will come and go quickly or run for 50 years. I am rooting for it.
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Post by ceebee on Feb 2, 2024 17:38:26 GMT
Current voting pattern: 9 6, 11, 6, 9.
Literally split right down the middle!
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Post by mrnutz on Feb 2, 2024 18:01:41 GMT
Please could the five-star reviewers reveal themselves?!
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