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Post by daniel on Jan 21, 2017 11:11:38 GMT
Hey guys! I was wondering did anyone here see Wicked (or any show for that matter) in the Bristol Hippodrome? I am currently debating whether to go to Bristol or Liverpool to see the tour. I saw the show when it was in Liverpool and adored the theatre, but it was quite expensive! Is the Bristol Hippodrome a good theatre with good sound? Is Bristol itself as a city pleasant? The only other factor swaying me is the cast at this point. Would I be better off waiting for the cast to be warmed into the role a while or go for their first venue? Thanks! In terms of pricing, all of the ATG venues will be priced the same, there shouldn't be any difference between Bristol and Liverpool in terms of the top prices. However Liverpool do a Price Promise where they always have seats for £12, so if you don't mind being sat at the back these are an absolute bargain  |
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Post by welsh_tenor on Jan 21, 2017 12:00:05 GMT
Hi @aidoon123 I saw it a few times in Bristol.
If you like old style quaint theatres then the Hippodrome will please you... it's been refurb'd but it still feels old, small seats with not the best legroom. I sat frontrow for one trip and you can see into the pit, it's quite distracting (I thought!) seeing the top half of the conductor - interesting to start with seeing the show conducted but when she kept sitting down during the dialogue & then standing again it was tad annoying (obviously only an issue if you sit front couple of rows!)
It's a much more intimate theatre so don't expect the grandeur of say Apollo Victoria or even Salford (not sure if you caught the last tour there?!). Possible even smaller than Bradford......
Bristol itself is a glorious city I worked there for 9 years and there's so much to do and see in the day and good range of eateries!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 12:17:14 GMT
Hi @aidoon123 I saw it a few times in Bristol. If you like old style quaint theatres then the Hippodrome will please you... it's been refurb'd but it still feels old, small seats with not the best legroom. I sat frontrow for one trip and you can see into the pit, it's quite distracting (I thought!) seeing the top half of the conductor - interesting to start with seeing the show conducted but when she kept sitting down during the dialogue & then standing again it was tad annoying (obviously only an issue if you sit front couple of rows!) It's a much more intimate theatre so don't expect the grandeur of say Apollo Victoria or even Salford (not sure if you caught the last tour there?!). Possible even smaller than Bradford...... Bristol itself is a glorious city I worked there for 9 years and there's so much to do and see in the day and good range of eateries! Thank you for the incredibly detailed response! I do like the idea of quaint, older theatre. I am so used to seeing shows in more modern-styled or refurbished theaters that seeing it in an older theatre would be quite the treat! I enjoyed Liverpool and despite many peoples reservations, the vibe the city gives at night time is nice in my opinion. I know it's notorious as being a "rough city" but there was a great police presence at night when I was there last. Bristol sounds quite lovely and it would be nice to add another UK city to my memory. I did see the show in Salford, seven times in fact. The theatre was gorgeous, however the stage felt quite small (why I loved Dublin and Liverpool, really big stages!) To be honest, I think for me it will come down to which trip will work out cheapest on the whole for me, I would sooner have cheap flight and accommodation and really good seats for the shows! If I do decide to head for Bristol instead, I will definitely sit a few rows back, thank you for the tip! |
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Post by daniel on Jan 21, 2017 12:37:43 GMT
Hi @aidoon123 I saw it a few times in Bristol. If you like old style quaint theatres then the Hippodrome will please you... it's been refurb'd but it still feels old, small seats with not the best legroom. I sat frontrow for one trip and you can see into the pit, it's quite distracting (I thought!) seeing the top half of the conductor - interesting to start with seeing the show conducted but when she kept sitting down during the dialogue & then standing again it was tad annoying (obviously only an issue if you sit front couple of rows!) It's a much more intimate theatre so don't expect the grandeur of say Apollo Victoria or even Salford (not sure if you caught the last tour there?!). Possible even smaller than Bradford...... Bristol itself is a glorious city I worked there for 9 years and there's so much to do and see in the day and good range of eateries! Thank you for the incredibly detailed response! I do like the idea of quaint, older theatre. I am so used to seeing shows in more modern-styled or refurbished theaters that seeing it in an older theatre would be quite the treat! I enjoyed Liverpool and despite many peoples reservations, the vibe the city gives at night time is nice in my opinion. I know it's notorious as being a "rough city" but there was a great police presence at night when I was there last. Bristol sounds quite lovely and it would be nice to add another UK city to my memory. I did see the show in Salford, seven times in fact. The theatre was gorgeous, however the stage felt quite small (why I loved Dublin and Liverpool, really big stages!) To be honest, I think for me it will come down to which trip will work out cheapest on the whole for me, I would sooner have cheap flight and accommodation and really good seats for the shows! If I do decide to head for Bristol instead, I will definitely sit a few rows back, thank you for the tip! Interestingly, the stage at The Lowry is actually the biggest in the country outside of London |
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Post by welsh_tenor on Jan 21, 2017 13:12:44 GMT
That would make a lot of sense! I saw it in Cardiff and it didn't feel too different to Salford, yet Bristol felt a lot more intimate which I really enjoyed. But for me I much prefer large modern scale buildings (a little bit of a secret architecture nerd!) and that's why I wasn't so enamoured with Bristol...
@aidoon123 I'm sure you'll love Bristol there's such a good student vibe about the city!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 16:08:22 GMT
That would make a lot of sense! I saw it in Cardiff and it didn't feel too different to Salford, yet Bristol felt a lot more intimate which I really enjoyed. But for me I much prefer large modern scale buildings (a little bit of a secret architecture nerd!) and that's why I wasn't so enamoured with Bristol... @aidoon123 I'm sure you'll love Bristol there's such a good student vibe about the city! Thanks very much! Honestly both options sound great so I will just have to wait and do a price check and see which I can get cheapest overall including flights, accommodation and tickets! I want to try and get it cheap enough so I can also try a sneaky weekend in Leeds! |
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Post by Dawnstar on Jan 21, 2017 18:02:21 GMT
If you do decide to go to the Bristol Hippodrome @aidoon123 then avoid the upper like the plague! One of the most uncomfortable evenings I've ever spent in a theatre was the one time I had to sit there for WNO when the other levels sold out really quickly. Bench seating & no legroom. Also possibly the smallest ladies loo cubicles I've ever had to insert myself into (& I'm slim, goodness knows how anyone large manages).
ETA: I can't really comment on sound as most of the performances I've seen there have been from WNO so unamplified but from what I remember the couple of musicals I've seen there sounded fine.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 18:22:34 GMT
If you do decide to go to the Bristol Hippodrome @aidoon123 then avoid the upper like the plague! One of the most uncomfortable evenings I've ever spent in a theatre was the one time I had to sit there for WNO when the other levels sold out really quickly. Bench seating & no legroom. Also possibly the smallest ladies loo cubicles I've ever had to insert myself into (& I'm slim, goodness knows how anyone large manages). ETA: I can't really comment on sound as most of the performances I've seen there have been from WNO so unamplified but from what I remember the couple of musicals I've seen there sounded fine. Thank you very much Dawnstar, I will keep this in mind! I'm sorry about that awful experience though, it sounds like a total and utter nightmare! |
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Post by Dawnstar on Jan 21, 2017 22:03:52 GMT
Thank you very much Dawnstar, I will keep this in mind! I'm sorry about that awful experience though, it sounds like a total and utter nightmare! Not at all. I was at uni in Bristol so knew the Hippodrome well, although I haven't been back for a few years now. Hopefully they' might have done up a bit in the interim as it was a bit shabby in places. I wouldn't say it was bad enough to be a nightmare but I do still remember that particular performance 11 years later - for the wrong reasons! |
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Post by groupbooker on Jan 22, 2017 1:13:18 GMT
If you go to the Hippo at Bristol, get stalls seats. The stalls have a good rake, also have a fairly good leg room for an old theatre. The Dress Circle is rather restricted leg rook wise - I am short and it was a bit of a problem I have never had before! As others have said DO NOT GO IN THE UPPER CIRCLE!! Just benches and NO legroom. Even side stalls have a good view of the stage. I saw Wicked there and it was great as good as London.
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Post by daniel on Jan 22, 2017 1:39:05 GMT
All being well I should be seeing the show certainly in Liverpool and Manchester, hopefully Birmingham too Gutted it's not going back to The Lowry this time, one of my favourite theatres in the country, if not the favourite! |
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Post by daniel on Jan 22, 2017 1:51:47 GMT
Ozmopolitan subscribers will get priority booking for the tour: |
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Post by shady23 on Jan 22, 2017 11:08:16 GMT
Ticketmaster are also doing their own pre sale.
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Post by daniel on Jan 22, 2017 11:13:27 GMT
Ticketmaster are also doing their own pre sale. This will be from their own (limited) allocation with their sky-high fees! The Oz one should be from the theatres' own allocations |
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Post by Paul on Jan 25, 2017 0:33:31 GMT
I've just listened to a recording of Jacqueline and the orchestra are so fast, especially during the flying section. Jacqueline doesn't have much time to hold some of her notes. I remember the same thing happening on the last tour.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2017 6:41:00 GMT
I've just listened to a recording of Jacqueline and the orchestra are so fast, especially during the flying section. Jacqueline doesn't have much time to hold some of her notes. I remember the same thing happening on the last tour. The orchestra does sound faster than usual. ButiIt actually sounds to me like she did have enough time to hold some of the notes, but just chose not to. |
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Post by daniel on Jan 25, 2017 8:59:48 GMT
She was cutting those notes short on the last tour too. Seems like the tiniest of things but I thought it loses so much impact when those notes are cut short. It was probably the thing about her performance that bugged me the most.
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Post by singularsensation10 on Jan 25, 2017 9:28:29 GMT
It's a tactic a lot of singers use when they're in a long run. Anyone who doesn't know the show wouldn't notice.
SJB did it when she was on the US tour back in 2005 (thinking of her early "sew i yuh care t fine m" with practically no vowels - but that shows how geeky I am), along with the optional low note to avoid the high F.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2017 16:20:43 GMT
I have officially decided I will be going to Liverpool as it works out cheaper on the whole for me. I have booked my tickets for the closing day!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2017 22:00:41 GMT
Does anyone know what front row seating is like in the Manchester Palace Theatre? Is the leg room good, is the view obstructed by stage height?
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Post by daniel on Jan 29, 2017 23:17:49 GMT
Does anyone know what front row seating is like in the Manchester Palace Theatre? Is the leg room good, is the view obstructed by stage height? We were 2nd row for Lion King and I remember the stage being very high. Though this was 4 years ago so my memory may have blurred somewhat. Sat Row O Stalls for Wicked there last time and it was perfect, definitely recommend being a bit further back. |
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Post by benny20 on Jan 29, 2017 23:46:18 GMT
I think you would miss stuff on the front to row. I think once you are about 6 rows back or a bit more it is best
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Post by shady23 on Jan 30, 2017 8:21:39 GMT
That's no good... If you're not seen by the cast it doesn't count, right?  |
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Post by daniel on Jan 30, 2017 8:35:22 GMT
That's no good... If you're not seen by the cast it doesn't count, right? Shady by name..... |
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Post by westendwendy on Jan 30, 2017 13:25:16 GMT
IT hurts my ears to hear this show in an English accent (sorry I've said before I know) I saw the original cast on Broadway and it was one of the best shows of my life. Saw it on the West End last year and was one of the worst copies ever! Moving the accents add a class act structure and changes the whole feel, subtext of the production; Glindas characterisation, American vaudeville, rydell high type clueless humour and style of the whole musical. (And I get Oz is made up). Dancing through life becomes toffy and darncing through life and it's just not funny apart from titters in the song Popular. The vowels are written for an American voice. Staccato British accents ruin the timbre of the songs. The audience laughed twice in the show at the Apollo Victoria - with Kristen and Idina, the original cast the audience were screaming laughing. I so wish I loved it on the West End but I can't bare to see it ruined.
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