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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2018 19:07:23 GMT
Ask and you shall receive! Isn't that mental! I think its around 60 times, £7000! I encountered a couple of fangirls at the stage door of Hamilton last night who have seen that show 23 times already - it only hit its 100th performance last week, so they've been once in every 5 shows performed!
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Post by danb on Apr 4, 2018 19:12:54 GMT
Are they all day seats? All London? Call themselves a fan 😂
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Post by jamb0r on Apr 4, 2018 21:22:22 GMT
Well I loved the show tonight just as much as I did at the Coliseum last year! A real over the top theatrical spectacle
The rear of the circle was closed tonight (which it looks like they were expecting, as there are themed cover sheets on the seats), with the rest of the circle about 85% full.
From what I can remember the show is pretty much identical to how it was at the Coliseum. I remember before the show started last time there was a projection on the curtain with a bit of a story on it, but now there’s just the Bat out of Hell logo and some bats. The ‘newspaper’ that’s on every seat looks to be of better quality than previously too.
I was in seat D5 of the circle, which is the first one of the row to be not classed as restricted view - the seat to my right would have a portion of the stage blocked by speakers. My view was fine, apart from I couldn’t see the far right of Raven’s bedroom, but with the live camera feed that wasn’t too much of an issue. I didn’t notice any issues with sound from where I was sitting
I wish I could have been in the room when they were initially workshopping the choreography to see the looks on the ensembles faces - it really is nuts, but I think that makes me love it just that much more.
Honestly it was worth going just to see Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad again - I could listen to Danielle Steers sing that song on a loop for a week (and she’s seriously making me question my sexuality)
The alternate Strat was on tonight - he was brilliant, but possibly lacked a little bit of the intensity from when I saw it previously. Andrew Polec just does those crazy eyes so perfectly.
Tink was played by a different actor to when I saw it before. His ‘Not Allowed to Love’ was outstanding. I can definitely see him taking on some other non-rock roles in future.
There’s a merchandise shop in a room near the entrance to the stalls, but it’s a bit of a tight squeeze with people trying to get in and out of a small door. There’s a much bigger merch stand upstairs.
The atmosphere tonight wasn’t quite as crazy as last time. There were about 4 very loud girls on the back row that were standing and dancing throughout every high energy number
Will definitely be going back later in the run! Hope the sales pick up a bit
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Post by Seriously on Apr 4, 2018 22:15:06 GMT
‘bat clanners’
Oh my God they've given themselves a nickname.
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Post by ceebee on Apr 4, 2018 22:28:35 GMT
‘bat clanners’ Oh my God they've given themselves a nickname. 'Bat Clanners' - sounds like an enema brand. "Get your bat out of hell."
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Post by jamb0r on Apr 5, 2018 10:21:47 GMT
Seeing as I'd seen the show before I was expecting the effect at the end, but really have no idea how they do it. If anyone has any idea how they get the {Spoiler - click to view} bats to fly from the tunnel to the box I'd love to hear it! I was sat right by the box where the bats end up, and couldn't see any type of string at all for the bats to fly along leading from the tunnel to the box - I am sure if there was a string there it would have been in my view for the whole show but I didn't notice it. Are they some kind of homing drones? Did they have a guide string at the Coliseum?
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Post by alison on Apr 5, 2018 10:24:40 GMT
Seeing as I'd seen the show before I was expecting the effect at the end, but really have no idea how they do it. If anyone has any idea how they get the {Spoiler - click to view} bats to fly from the tunnel to the box I'd love to hear it! I was sat right by the box where the bats end up, and couldn't see any type of string at all for the bats to fly along leading from the tunnel to the box - I am sure if there was a string there it would have been in my view for the whole show but I didn't notice it. Are they some kind of homing drones? Did they have a guide string at the Coliseum? {Spoiler - click to view} There was one at the Coliseum. I believe it was attached at the box end but only suspended across the stage at the very end of the show (by someone running into the tunnel with it while your attention is distracted elsewhere). It's very hard to see though, I sat right underneath it several times and only saw it if the light caught it at the right angle.
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Post by Stephen on Apr 5, 2018 11:43:17 GMT
Seeing as I'd seen the show before I was expecting the effect at the end, but really have no idea how they do it. If anyone has any idea how they get the {Spoiler - click to view} bats to fly from the tunnel to the box I'd love to hear it! I was sat right by the box where the bats end up, and couldn't see any type of string at all for the bats to fly along leading from the tunnel to the box - I am sure if there was a string there it would have been in my view for the whole show but I didn't notice it. Are they some kind of homing drones? Did they have a guide string at the Coliseum? When I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory I remember being very impressed with the paper aeroplane that Charlie threw towards the Balcony. I couldn’t see the wire at all and the illusion worked beautifully. Is this the same as that...?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 12:34:50 GMT
Seeing as I'd seen the show before I was expecting the effect at the end, but really have no idea how they do it. If anyone has any idea how they get the {Spoiler - click to view} bats to fly from the tunnel to the box I'd love to hear it! I was sat right by the box where the bats end up, and couldn't see any type of string at all for the bats to fly along leading from the tunnel to the box - I am sure if there was a string there it would have been in my view for the whole show but I didn't notice it. Are they some kind of homing drones? Did they have a guide string at the Coliseum? When I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory I remember being very impressed with the paper aeroplane that Charlie threw towards the Balcony. I couldn’t see the wire at all and the illusion worked beautifully. Is this the same as that...? {Spoiler - click to view} Very fine wire - like fishing wire. Very well executed in both Charlie & Bat. I clocked the wire on both from different seated positions. What I never figured out was when it was put into position and struck.
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Post by richey on Apr 5, 2018 12:48:05 GMT
Like others have said, it's a wire. It was really obvious from my seat when I saw it in Manchester as I spent some time wondering how and at what point they were going to use it.
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Post by jamb0r on Apr 5, 2018 16:12:39 GMT
In that case I’d better get down the opticians. I was sat right by the box and was specifically looking for it and couldn’t see anything! It can’t be there for the whole show surely as it would get in the way of the safety curtain etc - still perplexed as to how they do it. If it is a wire where does it come from? At which point do the 2 areas get joined together? This sort of stuff fascinated me 😀
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Post by alison on Apr 5, 2018 16:32:09 GMT
In that case I’d better get down the opticians. I was sat right by the box and was specifically looking for it and couldn’t see anything! It can’t be there for the whole show surely as it would get in the way of the safety curtain etc - still perplexed as to how they do it. If it is a wire where does it come from? At which point do the 2 areas get joined together? This sort of stuff fascinated me 😀 This is the problem with spoilering things, people miss them. {Spoiler - click to view} The wire is attached at the box end, but it doesn't go into the tunnel to suspend it across the stage until the final song. Someone runs into the tunnel with it while the audience's attention is on Strat and Raven. I don't know where it's stored before that, but presumably somewhere stage left that doesn't end up behind the safety curtain.
I sat in the slip seats a lot at the Coliseum with a view straight down the tunnel, and I still only saw it if I was specifically watching for it, it's neatly done.
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Post by jamb0r on Apr 5, 2018 16:34:26 GMT
In that case I’d better get down the opticians. I was sat right by the box and was specifically looking for it and couldn’t see anything! It can’t be there for the whole show surely as it would get in the way of the safety curtain etc - still perplexed as to how they do it. If it is a wire where does it come from? At which point do the 2 areas get joined together? This sort of stuff fascinated me 😀 This is the problem with spoilering things, people miss them. {Spoiler - click to view} The wire is attached at the box end, but it doesn't go into the tunnel to suspend it across the stage until the final song. Someone runs into the tunnel with it while the audience's attention is on Strat and Raven. I don't know where it's stored before that, but presumably somewhere stage left that doesn't end up behind the safety curtain.
I sat in the slip seats a lot at the Coliseum with a view straight down the tunnel, and I still only saw it if I was specifically watching for it, it's neatly done. Got it! Will definitely have to keep an eye out for the setup next time! Either way it’s a great effect 😀
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2018 8:40:11 GMT
Well. I think this could possibly be one of the worst things I've ever seen and yet, in a strange way some of it is really quite marvellous. It probably falls into the "so bad it's good" category. It's like 'Mad Max' reimagined by the cast of 'Glee'.
It's all completely bonkers and I had absolutely no idea what was going on or what was unfolding before my eyes. The sound is pretty poor and you can barely hear the lyrics in some of the bigger, louder numbers but the cast all give it some wellie, however I think the choreographer spent rather too much time watching old YouTube clips of Pans People from 'Top of the Pops' as there was more than a whiff of the leotard and legwarmer about the routines.
The set is terrific and for those who like a biker boot, you'll be in heaven. Also, for those who also like a sequin or two (or 300) on an outfit, you'll love Sharon Sexton as Sloane. Sexton and the gloriously DILF-y Rob Fowler as Sloane and Falco steal the entire show. They really embrace the utter nonsense of the whole thing and just go hell for leather. It also helps that they have pretty sensational voices (Rob Fowler in particular) and fabulous comedy timing. 'Who Needs The Young?' and 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' were the two highlights of the whole show for me. In addition, Rob Fowler spends a fair amount of time with his shirt off and quite frankly, that was one of the best directorial decisions Jay Scheib could have made. It's quite a magnificent sight.
In addition, Alex Thomas-Smith as Twinky (in his lovely costume inspired no doubt by many a day spent at Pineapple Dance Studios with Louie Spence) and Danielle Steers as Zahara were also very good. Steers in particular has a really smashing deep voice and sounds great on 'Two Out of Three Ain't Bad'.
I wasn't sold on Andrew Polec as Strat with his Shirley Temple hair and I really didn't like Christina Bennington as Raven. Vocally she was fine but she does give quite frankly one of the worst acting performances I've had the misfortune to witness for a while. I was almost hoping that they just locked her in her room and wouldn't let her out until the show ended.
There were some marvellous set pieces though. A bit involving a car and one with parts of a motorcycle were fabulous and there's a great effect with a pool of water too.
Oh and we had some technical difficulties last night where they had to stop the show. The safety curtain came down and everything. I looked out for Sheridan Smith but I couldn't see her. She must have dashed out through the back way.
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Post by musicalmarge on Apr 6, 2018 13:12:09 GMT
This show has the best set and worst choreography I’ve ever seen in a show!
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Post by tonyloco on Apr 10, 2018 23:59:38 GMT
Despite all its flaws – and Ryan has listed quite a few of them – I had a terrific time in the front row of Bat Out of Hell tonight. It was louder than it seemed at the Coliseum but I felt that everybody really sang their hearts out and I just became totally immersed in it musically and vocally, which trying to avert my gaze from the really awful choreography.
Also, being in A28, I managed to avoid the worst of the dry ice and Strat's blood but I did get a good splash from the water pool and bits of the set did pose serious obstructions to my sight lines, including one large can which really didn't need to be there on the stage at all!
But to make my joy complete, I got a free poster for filling in a questionnaire. Hooray!
There were some dedicated fans in as there will be at every performance, but the response did seem to be quite muted during the performance and even at the end it didn't sound all that strong from where I was sitting in the front row. Maybe that cavernous, tenebrous bat cave called the Dominion is not the best place for this particular show but I guess it ought to be.
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Post by d'James on Apr 11, 2018 0:27:19 GMT
‘So bad it’s good’ is definitely the only way to sum up this show.
(I would’ve liked a bit more Celine-esque nasal singing on It’s All Coming Back To Me Now though.)
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Post by anita on Apr 11, 2018 9:42:35 GMT
It's a spectacle for sure. I thought the poor sound was down to my poor hearing but obviously wrong. Simon Gordon was on as Strat Monday night & I enjoyed his performance.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2018 13:33:49 GMT
Am I the only one who finds it hilarious the Dominion has a show in called Bat Out of Hell, but on Sunday they host Church. Just me? OK. 😂😂
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 15, 2018 16:32:00 GMT
Saw the matinee yesterday and enjoyed as much if not more than first time at Coliseum. Row B centre stalls on the aisle is such a great place to be. Sight line was fine and you can smell the blood on Strat’s chest as the stage is built right up to row A with orchestra underneath on right side.
From a quick look at the cast list appeared to be a full line up with no understudy’s. Re the sound issues some have mentioned, I think a lot depends on where you are sat. Thanks to me deciding to nearly pass out a couple of times on the way there we arrived after it had started so were sat at the very back for about 10m. The sound there was very loud and not great for a musical. I would put this down to the area beneath the circle having speakers in that area pushing out too much sound and no where for it to go. Down at the front is was just right and very easy to here every word being sung.
Already re-booked for same spot in May.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2018 20:33:45 GMT
Am I the only one who finds it hilarious the Dominion has a show in called Bat Out of Hell, but on Sunday they host Church. Just me? OK. 😂😂 Well seeing as the auditorium looks like a methodist church decorated by a bunch of prostitutes it seems quite fitting that they meet somewhere in the middle for their scheduling.
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Post by bob2010 on Apr 16, 2018 9:59:25 GMT
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Post by martello736 on Apr 16, 2018 10:27:30 GMT
I didn't realise the ticket situation was so dire. They seem to mostly sell out at weekends but I don't know if that will tide them through the rest of the week. As a person whose two main passions are Meat Loaf and musical theatre this worries me as I'd really love the show to remain at the Dominion for some time. Is anyone else somewhat alarmed?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2018 10:46:42 GMT
Without meaning to cause alarm, the ticket sales have really kinda shocked me, as I thought this would be a huge hit. With a show this expensive to run, they are gonna want to pick up advance sales fast.
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Post by MusicalTalk on Apr 16, 2018 13:24:26 GMT
I think it's just a case of waiting for the reviews to come out. It's a big theatre to fill, though... was it continuously sold out at the Coliseum? I seem to remember one could get £30 tickets very easily into the run.
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