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Post by couldileaveyou on Feb 14, 2017 23:10:21 GMT
It's in very fine shape for a second preview. I really liked the score and thought it deserved a better book. Good direction and very good, if not a bit repetitive, coreographies. Very nice set and costumes too.
Frances Ruffelle is doing the same thing she has been doing for the past 30 years, but luckily this time fits the role. I was very surprised by JOJ, I had no idea he could act... great singing, as always. Donna McKechnie is a class act, she might not be as sexy as Eartha Kitt but, let's be honest, no one has ever been as sexy as Eartha Kitt. Great comic times, great legs, her "When it ends" is one of the highlights of the whole show.
Victoria Hamilton-Barrit is great but under-used, she has a great stage presence, a glorious voice and steals the show every time she's on stage. Ako Mitchell is still flat on the high notes, but a pleasure on the lower ones and he has never looked sexier. Dex Lee is stunning, great presence, great dancing, and when he takes off his clothes he makes you believe in God.
The two D'Armano Bros are very very good and will be excellent when they tighten up their synchrony. The rest of the cast is equally fantastic, especially Tiffany Graves, Steven Serlin, Sebastien Torka and Melanie Bright.
The orchestra is very good, but unfortunately it tends to cover the singers, especially in the most intimate moments... it totally "ruined" (I mean, it's not their fault!) a beautiful duet between Frances and Simon Thomas... who, btw, looks stunning in white.
It's a very peculiar musical, it's like a vicious Follies, it might not be for everybody. Some people didn't come back after the interval. And the 5£ and 15£ tickets for the first two rows have a perfect view, they're the best bergain you can get in London!
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Post by JJShaw on Feb 14, 2017 23:40:49 GMT
It's in very fine shape for a second preview. I really liked the score and thought it deserved a better book. Good direction and very good, if not a bit repetitive, coreographies. Very nice set and costumes too. Frances Ruffelle is doing the same thing she has been doing for the past 30 years, but luckily this time fits the role. I was very surprised by JOJ, I had no idea he could act... great singing, as always. Donna McKechnie is a class act, she might not be as sexy as Eartha Kitt but, let's be honest, no one has ever been as sexy as Eartha Kitt. Great comic times, great legs, her "When it ends" is one of the highlights of the whole show. Victoria Hamilton-Barrit is great but under-used, she has a great stage presence, a glorious voice and steals the show every time she's on stage. Ako Mitchell is still flat on the high notes, but a pleasure on the lower ones and he has never looked sexier. Dex Lee is stunning, great presence, great dancing, and when he takes off his clothes he makes you believe in God. The two D'Armano Bros are very very good and will be excellent when they tighten up their synchrony. The rest of the cast is equally fantastic, especially Tiffany Graves, Steven Serlin, Sebastien Torka and Melanie Bright. The orchestra is very good, but unfortunately it tends to cover the singers, especially in the most intimate moments... it totally "ruined" (I mean, it's not their fault!) a beautiful duet between Frances and Simon Thomas... who, btw, looks stunning in white. It's a very peculiar musical, it's like a vicious Follies, it might not be for everybody. Some people didn't come back after the interval. And the 5£ and 15£ tickets for the first two rows have a perfect view, they're the best bergain you can get in London! i was also there tonight! sat in my £5 seat i thought id robbed them it was an absolute steal! especially on the high numbers i think you get a slightly better view (the bed doesn't block any feet and you get less lights blinding you i think) unfortunately completely agree the band was way way too loud, a shame that they really did drown most of them out (and that duet was beautiful ,shame we couldn't hear it!) i went knowing nothing and left thoroughly enjoying it, have the cast recording on now and this production is much darker than the OBCR. The cast was great and for a second preview it looked, well like it wasn't a preview at all! |
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Post by westendcub on Feb 15, 2017 0:05:36 GMT
Yah to hear about the £5 seats being good again (loved it for 'The Last Five Years' so look forward to being back in them again tomorrow!!
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Post by d'James on Feb 15, 2017 0:27:57 GMT
I know this is a random question, but do they pick on/involve the audience at all?
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Post by couldileaveyou on Feb 15, 2017 0:30:40 GMT
I know this is a random question, but do they pick on/involve the audience at all? No |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2017 0:33:12 GMT
I know this is a random question, but do they pick on/involve the audience at all? No Oh thank god. Sitting in the front, I was slightly nervous about that part...
... now, this whole splash-zone thing... anyone explain? 
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Post by d'James on Feb 15, 2017 0:34:58 GMT
I know this is a random question, but do they pick on/involve the audience at all? No Phew. Thanks!! |
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Post by couldileaveyou on Feb 15, 2017 0:37:23 GMT
Oh thank god. Sitting in the front, I was slightly nervous about that part...
... now, this whole splash-zone thing... anyone explain?
There is a tub half filled with gin and the first rows might be slightly splashed, but it's not like sitting in front row for singing in the rain. You might get a few drops of water. And joj spits a lot |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2017 0:40:06 GMT
Oh thank god. Sitting in the front, I was slightly nervous about that part...
... now, this whole splash-zone thing... anyone explain?
There is a tub half filled with gin and the first rows might be slightly splashed, but it's not like sitting in front row for singing in the rain. You might get a few drops of water. And joj spits a lot Oh that's not too bad then! If the theatre is hot, even better, get cooled down! |
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Post by theatremadness on Feb 15, 2017 9:27:50 GMT
There is a tub half filled with gin and the first rows might be slightly splashed, but it's not like sitting in front row for singing in the rain. You might get a few drops of water. And joj spits a lot Oh that's not too bad then! If the theatre is hot, even better, get cooled down! Or sit there with an empty glass and catch as much gin as you can. Free interval drink! |
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Post by boybooshka on Feb 15, 2017 12:39:56 GMT
Or sit there with an empty glass and catch as much gin as you can. Free interval drink! They should sell empty glasses on the way in  |
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Post by mikey on Feb 15, 2017 12:51:26 GMT
Saw this last night, in the cheap front row stalls. View is definitely great for the money.
Sorry to be a negative nancy but I wasn't a fan of this. There wasn't much plot from what I could work out, but that was partially due to the fact that the acoustics were terrible. The band was so loud it made it hard to work out what was being sung. I found this was also a problem in December when I saw Rent at the same theatre. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more/felt more involved if I'd known the songs/lyrics beforehand. The first act felt very long. I noticed a few people left at interval.
The jazzy songs were fun to begin with, but there are a lot of them and they became very samey very quickly. I didn't feel any connection to any of the characters, which I think is a problem inherent in the playtext but the direction didn't help.
Silver linings - there were some great, campy lines. It probably works better if you get as drunk as the characters before it starts. The cast really do put a lot of effort into the performance and the band played nicely, albeit too loudly. Also Dex Lee is topless for a good portion of time, which doesn't hurt.
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Post by showgirl on Feb 15, 2017 13:15:56 GMT
I had a ticket in my basket, then thought to listen to the tracks on the website - yuck! Unless they are untypical, this is, as I originally thought, not the show for me; I was just swayed by all the positive comments above!
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Feb 15, 2017 18:54:45 GMT
Experiencing this tonight.
No idea what to expect having not really read up on it at all......
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Post by westendcub on Feb 15, 2017 22:41:40 GMT
Well this was a rather forgettable one for me.
Now the cast involved are all very talented, set is nice and there is some lovely choreography but there is no story, no heartbeat and not one memorable song in this.
It's lack of heart and lack of character depth made this more of a slog to get through.
In terms of seating, our £5 seats (sat in extact same seats as 'The Last Five Years'). Again no high stage and you are in the thick of it, no real obstructions so great price seats!!
Don't worry too much about the 'splash zone' but oh one poor girl got covered in chalk, it rolled off by mistake from the bathtub and a poor girl got caked in chalk!!!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2017 22:52:18 GMT
Well this was a rather forgettable one for me. Now the cast involved are all very talented, set is nice and there is some lovely choreography but there is no story, no heartbeat and not one memorable song in this. It's lack of heart and lack of character depth made this more of a slog to get through. In terms of seating, our £5 seats (sat in extact same seats as 'The Last Five Years'). Again no high stage and you are in the thick of it, no real obstructions so great price seats!! Don't worry too much about the 'splash zone' but oh one poor girl got covered in chalk, it rolled off by mistake from the bathtub and a poor girl got caked in chalk!!! Ooooo which £5 seat did you sit in? I am sitting in one of them on Saturday! A shame you found it forgettable, I am really excited to see it! |
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Post by westendcub on Feb 15, 2017 23:08:41 GMT
Well this was a rather forgettable one for me. Now the cast involved are all very talented, set is nice and there is some lovely choreography but there is no story, no heartbeat and not one memorable song in this. It's lack of heart and lack of character depth made this more of a slog to get through. In terms of seating, our £5 seats (sat in extact same seats as 'The Last Five Years'). Again no high stage and you are in the thick of it, no real obstructions so great price seats!! Don't worry too much about the 'splash zone' but oh one poor girl got covered in chalk, it rolled off by mistake from the bathtub and a poor girl got caked in chalk!!! Ooooo which £5 seat did you sit in? I am sitting in one of them on Saturday! A shame you found it forgettable, I am really excited to see it! We were A3 and A4! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2017 23:10:28 GMT
Ooooo which £5 seat did you sit in? I am sitting in one of them on Saturday! A shame you found it forgettable, I am really excited to see it! We were A3 and A4! Ah I am A23, so pretty much symmetrical from you guys. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2017 23:22:43 GMT
Well. This threw up some very important questions.
1. When did Frankie Ruffle morph into a blond Jennifer Tilly?
2. Who stole Frankie's voice and have they been charged?
3. When did Victoria Hamilton-Barritt turn into Patti LuPone?
4. When are they going to remake 'Mame' so that VH-B can play Vera Charles?
5. Has anyone cut themselves on Simon Thomas' cheekbones yet?
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Post by couldileaveyou on Feb 16, 2017 0:15:16 GMT
Actually Frances Ruffelle's age was a bit of an issue, Tony Colette wasn't even 30 when she played the part on Broadway... how old is Frances, in her late 50s I assume
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Post by d'James on Feb 16, 2017 0:25:34 GMT
Actually Frances Ruffelle's age was a bit of a issue, Tony Colette wasn't even 30 when she played the part on Broadway... how old is Frances, in her late 50s I assume Rude haha. |
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Post by couldileaveyou on Feb 16, 2017 0:27:28 GMT
Actually Frances Ruffelle's age was a bit of a issue, Tony Colette wasn't even 30 when she played the part on Broadway... how old is Frances, in her late 50s I assume Rude haha. I wasn't trying to be rude, it was a honest guess based on what I saw last night from the second row! |
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Post by Marwood on Feb 16, 2017 0:38:13 GMT
Actually Frances Ruffelle's age was a bit of a issue, Tony Colette wasn't even 30 when she played the part on Broadway... how old is Frances, in her late 50s I assume Rude haha. Can't be any worse than Patricia Clarkson ahem, 'getting them out' in The Elephant Man. |
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Post by mallardo on Feb 16, 2017 7:42:04 GMT
Actually Frances Ruffelle's age was a bit of an issue, Tony Colette wasn't even 30 when she played the part on Broadway... how old is Frances, in her late 50s I assume
"Queenie was a blonde And her age stood still"
First line of the show. I take that to mean she's past her prime and trying not to show it. The theme of artifice and self-creation is central to the show, as becomes (or should become) clear at the end. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2017 8:09:28 GMT
Frances Ruffelle is 51, which is about what I would have guessed considering how long ago Les Mis opened.
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