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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 2, 2023 17:52:23 GMT
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Post by benny20 on Nov 2, 2023 20:39:41 GMT
Looking forward to seeing it in Bolton
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Post by TallPaul on Nov 3, 2023 13:56:47 GMT
...venues to be announced As benny20 has already done, I think we can safely predict at least three of the venues.  |
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Post by stevej678 on Nov 4, 2023 18:23:36 GMT
Theatre by the Lake dates are 27 March - 20 April.
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Post by panda on Nov 4, 2023 21:24:44 GMT
According to Whatsonstage, Bolton Octagon dates are 24.4.24 to 18.5.24.
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Post by capybara on Nov 5, 2023 12:46:40 GMT
Is this likely to play other dates apart from those already announced?
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Post by punxsutawney on Nov 5, 2023 21:39:07 GMT
Is this likely to play other dates apart from those already announced? We can presume there are some Hull Truck dates yet to be revealed, but beyond that is a mystery. |
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Post by stevej678 on Nov 9, 2023 9:30:54 GMT
The Octagon's new season is announced today so this should be on sale in the next week or two, after the members priority period.
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Post by daber on Nov 9, 2023 9:57:24 GMT
Does anyone know the Hull Truck Theatre dates yet please. Not on their website yet.
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Post by daber on Nov 11, 2023 20:52:33 GMT
Decided to contact Hull Truck Theatre direct. There dates are 22d May to 8th June 2024
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5,158 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Jan 19, 2024 13:39:37 GMT
Cast announced:
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Post by david on Jan 19, 2024 13:50:21 GMT
Booked for an April matinee in Bolton.
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Post by capybara on Mar 13, 2024 17:40:22 GMT
A trip out to Ipswich to experience Little Shop of Horrors for the first time. It’s really good fun with some classic show tunes that I was aware of from various cabaret concerts.
This regional production is staged really well and I could easily see it fitting into a fringe theatre in London. It could move seamlessly into The Other Palace. The score is great, with the likes of Suddenly Seymour and Dentist going down well.
If it was to come to London, I think it would probably need a more evenly balanced cast. However, Laura Jane Matthewson was a wonderful Audrey, while Matthew Ganley made for a charismatic Orin.
Little Shop is worth seeing given the chance. It doesn’t quite captivate me in the way other cult classics have done but it’s brilliant to see it touring, with this new production reaching off the beaten track locations.
Three stars.
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Post by crabtree on Mar 13, 2024 18:07:50 GMT
it would be wonderful to reinvent the plant, much in the way the Royal Exchange did.
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Mar 13, 2024 21:00:30 GMT
it would be wonderful to reinvent the plant, much in the way the Royal Exchange did. It’s hit and miss when they reinvent the plant. Regents Park cast a drag queen and had her appear on stage physically whilst the actual “plant” in its largest form was an abstract prop. It was one of the biggest letdowns in that production. Meanwhile the Pasadena Playhouse nailed the smaller version which was bright pink and reminiscent of the Demogorgon in Stranger Things. The small puppet was incredible - it physically moved around the set. They seemed to focus solely on the smallest version though as that puppet stayed on stage for the majority of the show and different theatrical tricks were used to display a larger, talking version of the plant when required. I recently saw the current off-Broadway run with its traditional plant and it still really pulls a punch when it’s done right. |
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Post by theatrenerd on Mar 13, 2024 21:15:49 GMT
it would be wonderful to reinvent the plant, much in the way the Royal Exchange did. It’s hit and miss when they reinvent the plant. Regents Park cast a drag queen and had her appear on stage physically whilst the actual “plant” in its largest form was an abstract prop. It was one of the biggest letdowns in that production. Meanwhile the Pasadena Playhouse nailed the smaller version which was bright pink and reminiscent of the Demogorgon in Stranger Things. The small puppet was incredible - it physically moved around the set. They seemed to focus solely on the smallest version though as that puppet stayed on stage for the majority of the show and different theatrical tricks were used to display a larger, talking version of the plant when required. I recently saw the current off-Broadway run with its traditional plant and it still really pulls a punch when it’s done right. I think the design of the Menier Chocolate Factory/West End/UK tour one looked good with it being based on the pitcher plant. |
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Post by djdan14 on Mar 30, 2024 19:27:15 GMT
Was supposed to see this today in Keswick but got a text an hour before to say was cancelled due to cast illness.
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Post by david on Apr 27, 2024 18:58:22 GMT
Well, I really enjoyed this at the Bolton Octagon this afternoon. With a run time of 2hrs and 10 minutes (Act 1 - 60mins, interval - 25mins and Act 2 - 45 minutes), director Lotte Wakeman and her team have done a great job in bringing this cult classic to the stage. A well paced production that flew by that kept everybody thoroughly entertained and everyone was on their feet at the end to applaud the cast.
A cast of 9 with some as actor-musicians (shout out to the 3 ladies who play the skid row kids - Janna May (keys), Zweyla Mitchell dos Santos and Chardai Shaw (guitars)) delivered Howard Ashman's book and Alan Menken's fantastic score. Leading the cast are Oliver Mawdsley as Seymor and Laura Jane Matthewson as Audrey who make an engaging on stage couple with some wonderful vocals on show (the "Suddenly Seymour" duet a real standout here) and great on stage chemistry. Matthew Ganley plays the controlling leather jacket boyfriend dentist with just the right level of sadistic presence and then goes on to play other characters later on.
With this production we get a very traditional Audrey II plant which for me had mixed results. Early incarnations of the plant looked like an unfinished Muppet but as the plant gets bigger throughout the show, the design is a much better construction that gives you more to look at and dominates the Octagon stage. Actor Matthew Heywood did a great job as the puppeteer in bringing Audrey II to life alongside the brilliant baritone vocal talents of Anton Stephans to voice the plant to give it a feisty and entertaining performance.
The Skid Row set and cast costumes are brought to the stage by designer TK Hay. A 2 tier set with the flower shop at the stage level seating and the band sat above the set connected by staircases to mimic an apartment block. There are also a few trash cans and shopping trolley to complete the 1950s/60s set. All the cast have period costumes. The dentist scene in Act 1 is just a dentist chair in front of the main set. There is a nice lighting design from Nic Farman which is particularly effective during the comedic plant scenes.
Overall, I'd definitely recommend seeing this production either in Bolton or on its next stop in Hull.
Rating - 4 stars
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 27, 2024 19:25:21 GMT
You don’t half get about david! |
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Post by david on Apr 27, 2024 19:34:45 GMT
You don’t half get about david ! Definitely clocking up the miles with all the travel at the moment! I’m giving FrontrowverPaul a good run for his money with all the theatre travel. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 1, 2024 15:35:44 GMT
Oh dear, this was an interval departure from the Octogan for me today. It didn’t bode well when the Urchins opened the show and it became apparent that they were also part of the band. Im not totally against actor/muso but when they started singing I couldn’t hear a word of the lyrics. The street drunks in the opener leapt up to join the band on the raised tier after their bit with one of them becoming the dentist later. Seymour, Audrey and Mr Mushnik weren’t playing instruments. Speaking of which, Seymour was a colour by numbers interpretation, fine but nothing new or exciting. Audrey was totally unbelievable for me. Ok we don’t have to have a wimpy downtrodden Audrey every time but if you’re not going to do that whatcha gonna do instead? Give us something to work with here. Mr Mushnik was working SO hard and looked genuinely like he was going to have an on-stage seizure. Red faced, sweating, seriously I was concerned for his health. If that was acting then 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 to you sir. The puppet was too cartoonish. Totally unthreatening even at the end of act 1 which considering it’s just been fed the dentist’s body parts was concerning to me.
However, however, however I would have stayed for act 2 if only I could have heard what they were singing. No idea what the cause was but anything sung as ensemble was unintelligible. Some of Seymour’s and Audrey’s solo stuff in Act 1 was ok. Feed me… I couldn’t hear a word of it. There’s not that much dialogue, the story is mainly told through Howard Ashman’s witty and clever lyrics so if you can’t hear them then really what’s the point. Hopefully it was just this performance that something was amiss but for me it’s a 🪴 only.
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Post by anthony40 on May 1, 2024 16:41:34 GMT
Oh dear, this was an interval departure from the Octogan for me today. It didn’t bode well when the Urchins opened the show and it became apparent that they were also part of the band. Im not totally against actor/muso but when they started singing I couldn’t hear a word of the lyrics. The street drunks in the opener leapt up to join the band on the raised tier after their bit with one of them becoming the dentist later. Seymour, Audrey and Mr Mushnik weren’t playing instruments. Speaking of which, Seymour was a colour by numbers interpretation, fine but nothing new or exciting. Audrey was totally unbelievable for me. Ok we don’t have to have a wimpy downtrodden Audrey every time but if you’re not going to do that whatcha gonna do instead? Give us something to work with here. Mr Mushnik was working SO hard and looked genuinely like he was going to have an on-stage seizure. Red faced, sweating, seriously I was concerned for his health. If that was acting then 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 to you sir. The puppet was too cartoonish. Totally unthreatening even at the end of act 1 which considering it’s just been fed the dentist’s body parts was concerning to me. However, however, however I would have stayed for act 2 if only I could have heard what they were singing. No idea what the cause was but anything sung as ensemble was unintelligible. Some of Seymour’s and Audrey’s solo stuff in Act 1 was ok. Feed me… I couldn’t hear a word of it. There’s not that much dialogue, the story is mainly told through Howard Ashman’s witty and clever lyrics so if you can’t hear them then really what’s the point. Hopefully it was just this performance that something was amiss but for me it’s a 🪴 only. Ah BurlyBeaR! How disappointing! One of my favourite films! |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jun 7, 2024 19:33:59 GMT
Tonights performance was cancelled 45 mins after it should of started. The same apparently happened last friday.
"Errr nerr"
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