1,432 posts
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Post by BVM on Jun 23, 2024 0:00:43 GMT
Does a cast recording exist for this? Can’t find one.
Is it a brand new musical?!
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2,702 posts
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Post by viserys on Jun 23, 2024 4:43:13 GMT
Does a cast recording exist for this? Can’t find one. Listen to any other Frank Wildhorn musical, they all sound the same! |
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Post by stagedoorfan on Jun 23, 2024 15:05:35 GMT
Does a cast recording exist for this? Can’t find one. Is it a brand new musical?! I just heard a track played on Elaine Paige so it sounds like they’ve been in the studio? Unless it’s a one off? Really enjoyed their West End Live performance! |
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119 posts
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Post by SuperTrooper on Jun 25, 2024 13:55:38 GMT
Anyone know if the new Kaori - Mia Kobayashi can play violin? After Zheng Xi’s brilliant piano the previous Kaori miming violin was the only thing lacking in a great concert. Be amazing if Mia could match the musicianship there. I couldn't possibly say 🤐 |
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Post by stagebyte on Jun 25, 2024 22:34:47 GMT
Anyone know if the new Kaori - Mia Kobayashi can play violin? After Zheng Xi’s brilliant piano the previous Kaori miming violin was the only thing lacking in a great concert. Be amazing if Mia could match the musicianship there. I couldn't possibly say 🤐 oooh excited now! Going this week! |
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3,574 posts
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Post by Rory on Jun 26, 2024 10:07:11 GMT
I see this is papering already.
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5,179 posts
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Post by Being Alive on Jun 26, 2024 11:09:26 GMT
I see this is papering already. Ticket offer for balcony seats only - so not quite papering I don't think but I take your point |
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Post by stagedoorfan on Jun 26, 2024 20:37:59 GMT
I see this is papering already. Ticket offer for balcony seats only - so not quite papering I don't think but I take your point I don't think that's uncommon is it. Papering would be free tickets...which this is not. |
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3,349 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 28, 2024 11:53:15 GMT
I'm there tonight sitting in what I think is the front row (unless they added rows) and looking forward to this. I think there are a few TB members in.
As a few people have mentioned, there are deals floating around, but they tend to be for the less desirable seats and I haven't personally had a complete papering offer. I do think that this is a sweet musical and it will pick up an audience.
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3,349 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 28, 2024 22:02:28 GMT
Absolutely beautiful. The stage is a bit high, but the style of the show makes it fine for the front row.
I’d already booked for the final preview so I’ll be back on July 4th. I’m sure it will be time better spent than watching whatever's on TV that evening.
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Post by kz on Jun 28, 2024 22:51:38 GMT
Saw this this evening and it was really interesting. I wasn't sure if I was enjoying it or not to begin with. I wasn't familiar with the source material and had avoided reading too much about the concert. I found both the lyrics and book a bit on the clunky side. Was this written in Japanese initially? I had wondered if it was just uncomfortable translation. Some of the characters felt a bit like characatures and I was cringing at times.
Then there was suddenly a gorgeous violin performance and I was drawn in. Act 2 was particularly beautiful with the most stunning classical piano performance. The second Act was really moving and I found myself invested in characters who had felt rather one dimensional to begin with. Mia Kobayashi has a really wonderful voice and I could have listened to Zheng Xi Yong play for hours.
A few bits to tighten up with it being the first preview, including figuring out the bows. After a fairly sceptical first 15 mins, I thoroughly enjoyed this and thought it was actually quite beautiful.
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Post by stagedoorfan on Jun 28, 2024 23:07:28 GMT
Was also in tonight after previously seeing the concert. Thoroughly enjoyed and really felt like they’d embellished a concept that had been built upon at Drury Lane. Few tweaks/cuts to make but a really gorgeous evening.
Missed the football song which has been cut down to a reprise!
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Post by theknightwhosaysni on Jun 28, 2024 23:49:42 GMT
Sat in the dress circle (avoiding the dreaded pillars) and can't remember the last time I cried so much. The second act is beautiful but agreed with others, tightening needed and not sure what happened with the bows 😂
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Post by beanbag85 on Jun 29, 2024 13:34:21 GMT
Anybody have a running time for Your Lie in April
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Post by stagedoorfan on Jun 29, 2024 15:40:48 GMT
Started at around 7.35pm and finished around 10.10pm
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Post by beanbag85 on Jun 29, 2024 17:37:34 GMT
Thanks for that timing news
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254 posts
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Post by lolalou on Jun 29, 2024 22:22:14 GMT
Saw this tonight after seeing the original concert. Loved it again. However, still think they need to sort the end. While an improvement on the concert in terms of clarifying what has happened, still feel robbed of the actual anime ending. Was hopeful they would do it in a full production. After so many ‘missed opportunities’ previously it brings closure to the story .
Dont think bringing a violinist on sometimes and not others worked either.
Cast someone who can play violin or just lean into the miming. The violin playing is supposed to be joyful and while technically fab the musician looked so dour playing.
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1,862 posts
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Post by Dave B on Jun 29, 2024 22:43:58 GMT
We saw it this evening, second or third preview. Still working out some tech, a notable number of slightly off sound cues, start of sentences cut off before the mic cut in and the band not being revelead at the curtain call (to the bemusement of the cast) .. but otherwise not much to show it was such an early run. We were middle of fourth row, a large number of creatives sat two rows behind us. Zheng Xi Yong was really great, good acting, good singing and the live piano was really something. Mia Kobayashi is good but her sound mix feels slightly off, with her top volume singing just not sounding quite right. Dean John-Wilson as the 'jock' friend was a particular highlight. The miming violin is disappointing and while I understand that it could have been difficult to cast and stage, it does feel lacking. In the moments where there is a violinist on stage, I also don't understand why she isn't in the same costume just to emphasise what is going on. Overall, enjoyed the music and cast the memorable moments were the piano playing but I have one pretty big issue with it. {Spoiler - click to view} I know it's based on a manga, not one that I'm familiar with, but it just goes straight into fridging. American comic writer Gail Simone wrote an essay on this in the very late 90s based on 50s Green Lantern comic where the GL's girlfriend was killed and put into a fridge. It quickly become shorthand for comic book male heroes to have their story arc, their journey of discovery pushed forward by the killing or otherwise harming of women close to them. Which is just what happens here. Kōsei is literally inspired by the death of the woman he loves, he wins the all important competition as she dies and as he thinks about her. Ick.
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Post by audreytoo on Jun 29, 2024 23:00:06 GMT
Saw this tonight. Wasn't sure about the book at first, I was a bit baffled by the slightly over the top characterisations and kind of clunky dialogue, but then I realised that was probably down to the anime of it all so once I adjusted to that it was fine.
The score is the best part of it, along with really strong performances from the two leads, some very satisfying ensemble choreo and nice harmonies. Felt like parts of the story were a bit confusing, but it's possibly just one of those where it's visually and audibly stunning and you just need to not think that hard about the plot.
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254 posts
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Post by lolalou on Jun 30, 2024 1:12:41 GMT
For those who went tonight. Did anyone else think the music was way too loud? I enjoyed as I was familiar with the material but felt at points the lyrics were lost. Mightve been our location - front stalls.
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90 posts
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Post by confessor on Jun 30, 2024 9:13:47 GMT
I was there last night, two seats away from Frank Wildhorn himself. I knew nothing about this going into it, not ashamed to admit that I booked solely on who the composer was. Some bits of the story were a bit confusing, it took me quite a while to click that the violinist was meant to be the same person for example. Very impressed with the piano playing and found the ending more emotionally impactful than I was expecting. Loved the music (unsurprisingly), agree with lolalou that the music was overpowering the vocals at some points. 4 stars.
Word of warning for the ends of each rows, there are a couple of places where characters appear in the boxes on either side, if you're in the last three seats, then you'll only see one side. There's also some staging on either side of the stage that may be cut off on the extreme ends. You don't miss an awful lot though I don't think.
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520 posts
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Post by anthony on Jun 30, 2024 10:12:47 GMT
I see this is papering already. Ticket offer for balcony seats only - so not quite papering I don't think but I take your point I got these tickets for last night (Booked to see it next week too...) and they had a sign saying sold out outside, but the balcony was only at 70%ish capacity - is this the only way to get tickets for the balcony? Sat next to the most awful woman ever. 1) she dropped her phone at the start into the row in front and then demanded the usher to help her find it... which they did... mid-act1 and 2) she kept swirling saliva around her mouth. It was torture. Some minor spoilers: Anyway, I  Wildhorn... I think he is so underrated. I don't understand why, out of his entire catalogue, that this is what they decided to bring to London... I guess because of the popularity of the anime? Either way, I felt like I didn't have much of a clue what was happening at places, and I don't think that was my fault. It didn't feel like we were ever told that Kaori was terminally ill, the cast just sort of accepted it out of no where and even after the ending after Kosei's performance, the cast didn't respond to what happened to her and they were all so happy without any mention of her? Just weird. It should have ended after Kosei's final performance, imo. There were a couple of other places where the storytelling was a bit shoddy. I mean, it was nice. Wildhorn's music does tend to sound really similar and this is no different but I LOVE Wildhorn.... but there were so many other shows I'd love to see... J&H, Dracula, Monte Cristo, Rudolf... Excalibur...! If these types of shows are the only shows we'll see from Wildhorn in the UK, then fine... but he has a great back catalogue imo. |
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254 posts
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Post by lolalou on Jun 30, 2024 16:46:48 GMT
With my ‘previews’ director hat on.
Turn the music down.
Give the fans what they want and add Kaori into the final performance.
use the underused projectors to recreate the sequence as per the anime.
End the show with Kosei’s final performance. No one cares about the ‘where are they now’ catch up after and it jars after the emotional ending.
***SPOILERS***
Make the fate of Kaori less confusing by showing (maybe with lighting) that she is ‘gone’ (Les Mis, Ghost anyone?)she can then step into the ‘concert’ scene.
Lose the PJs. A nightgown would make a better ‘concert’ dress.
Lose the shadow violinist. Either cast a violinist as Kaori (to match the superb live playing of Kosei) or lean into the miming with just a bow. Dont mix the two. Confusing and the musician they used while talented was just not a Kaori vibe at all.
The show could still end behind the gauze after the letter with the appearance of young Kosei.
It’s a great show and the songs are lovely. Everyone on stage was wonderful. They do need to clear up some confusion that’s all. I watched the anime after the concert and while it did address a few things in this new production I could totally see how people might be confused at times.
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2,495 posts
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Post by zahidf on Jun 30, 2024 20:05:07 GMT
What's the running time for this pls? Thanks
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Post by beanbag85 on Jun 30, 2024 21:08:07 GMT
2.5 hours running time this evening
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Wildhorn... I think he is so underrated. I don't understand why, out of his entire catalogue, that this is what they decided to bring to London... I guess because of the popularity of the anime? Either way, I felt like I didn't have much of a clue what was happening at places, and I don't think that was my fault. It didn't feel like we were ever told that Kaori was terminally ill, the cast just sort of accepted it out of no where and even after the ending after Kosei's performance, the cast didn't respond to what happened to her and they were all so happy without any mention of her? Just weird. It should have ended after Kosei's final performance, imo. There were a couple of other places where the storytelling was a bit shoddy.