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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2017 22:07:12 GMT
I saw this on Monday night, and unlike Steve's thoughts above, dont think there is anything camp or cheesy about it.
Its a great show, but it has a bit of an identity crisis. It cant decide what it wants to be.
There has obviously been money put into the production. It has a set that makes great use of projections, especially the water setting at the end, and even uses automated scenery, a first for any production ive seen at this venue. There is also a glossy programme for just £3.
The lead roles are all fantastic. Yes there's some stereotypical characters, but that doesnt make them any less real. You can believe that these people really existed, but for me the issues are with how we're meant to feel about the characters. Songs like 'My Body' are great empowerment numbers, these women are doing what they want, yet their tied to thier pimps who make them work. They go to 'The Hookers Ball' and celebrate what they do and then a number in the second half, 'Someday Is For Suckers' makes us think that they absolutely hate their lives.
The reason to see this is for the score by Cy Coleman. Maybe its because i knew the whole score word for word when i went in, as ive had the cd for years, but there are so many great numbers in the show, sung by a great cast.
There was a slight wardrobe malfunction, I dont think one of the characters was meant to disrobe as quickly as she did - the creative team were also discussing it at the interval...
Its a long show - 2hrs 50, but there are some numbers that could be cut, because they really dont add anythng to the story ('You Can Get To Heaven' and 'Mr Greed') Some great choreography, but like alot of shows at the Southwark Playhouse, there seem to be moments that have movement when it doesnt really need it.
I would definitely reccommend this, but due to langauage and partial nudity, not suitable for everyone. I'm going again before it ends.
As they sing in the show, Check It Out!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2017 11:22:31 GMT
Enjoyed this last night. It's very long. Came down at 10.30 last night, and those seats at Southwark get a little uncomfortable after 3 hours. Sharon D Clarke stole the show in a relatively supporting role.
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Post by paplazaroo on Mar 30, 2017 22:49:36 GMT
I didn't love this, yes the cast are plentiful and plenty talented but the plot is meandering and long without allowing you the chance to properly connect with any one storyline. One minute it tries to be gritty social realism the next it's doing a big guys and dolls song and dance number about the difficulties of pimping. It's all just a bit muddled and in need of dramaturgy.
The music is good although couldn't stop thinking queeny's we got a dream number sounded like 'I won't send roses'.
My main takeaway from this was I can't wait for Caroline or Change where Sharon D Clarke will really get the chance to soar.
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Post by westendwendy on Mar 30, 2017 23:04:18 GMT
This show is not camp or cheesy at all!! The person who said that needs to see Xanadu, Priscilla, La Cage and Starlight Express!
The show had some great numbers from Cy Coleman but after watching tonight it is just toooooo longgggg. Everyone in my group complained about that tonight. Also the casting was a bit hit and miss. Sharon D Clark just a masterclass in performance while the girl playing Queenie struggled. No journey and was acting by numbers. With a different actress that could have really saved the show.
Great ensemble and superb choreography and staging. I did enjoy it but it wasn't the best show I've seen at Southwark. Needs 30 minutes cut from it. Unlike Carrie, Xanadu, Dogfight and Side Show I won't be returning to watch again. 7/10
And yes I thought a song sounded like I won't send Roses too! Haha
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Post by paplazaroo on Mar 31, 2017 9:27:52 GMT
This is the song that sounds like I won't send roses. I wonder if nobody pointed that out to CY?
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Post by dlevi on Apr 1, 2017 10:02:13 GMT
I haven't seen this production but I saw the original on Broadway. I think the most offensive thing about this show is that it wasn't written as a"cheesefest" or a rollicking musical comedy. It was written by 3 straight white guys of a certain age projecting their fantasies of what fun being a whore in 1970's New York must be. The first draft of this show was, I think in the early 80's if not before, so it's not a fond look back, they were writing it in "the present" but it took so long to get produced that it became "the past". I think the reason so many of us over here enjoy it ( not me but the rest of us) is there is a sense of detachment from the whole slice of life that it portrays. I wonder if there are any Yanks on this board who have seen it and what their response to it is.
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Post by dazzerlump on Apr 1, 2017 14:25:04 GMT
does anyone know if all the sings are in from the original recording or has it had a few cuts?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2017 15:33:49 GMT
Every song on the OBCR is in this production. In the performance I saw, the final 2 songs were swapped around from their listing in the programme. 'We Gotta Go' came after 'My Friend'
Not sure if they were just trying it out, but without clearing the stage, it would be very odd singing 'My Friend' last, despite it being the better song to finish on.
There is a reprise of 'Check It Out' after.
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 1, 2017 21:06:47 GMT
Saw the matinee today. Despite a very long first half I really enjoyed this show. I had no idea what to expect and had only got round to reading the storyline this morning. For me Sharon D Clark knocks it out of the park with that voice of hers.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the music and lyrics, and the varied styles throughout. It's certainly not a dated piece. Couldn't fault any of the cast and I thought the portrayals of Memphis and Queenie were excellent.
Just wished this Forum had warned me of the Hooker's Ball at the start of the second half. Sat in the front row it was clearly bad timing on my part to start eating an ice cream with quite so much going on in front of my face.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2017 21:31:48 GMT
I'm surprised there haven't been more people from the board going to see this wonderful show.
Here is Liza and her Smokey voice on 3 of the numbers from the show.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2017 21:58:02 GMT
I'm surprised there haven't been more people from the board going to see this wonderful show. Here is Liza and her Smokey voice on 3 of the numbers from the show. We are all busy at Drury Lane for the next few weeks 😘 |
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Post by Steve on Apr 1, 2017 22:13:39 GMT
I haven't seen this production but I saw the original on Broadway. I think the most offensive thing about this show is that it wasn't written as a"cheesefest" or a rollicking musical comedy. It was written by 3 straight white guys of a certain age projecting their fantasies of what fun being a whore in 1970's New York must be. The first draft of this show was, I think in the early 80's if not before, so it's not a fond look back, they were writing it in "the present" but it took so long to get produced that it became "the past". I think the reason so many of us over here enjoy it ( not me but the rest of us) is there is a sense of detachment from the whole slice of life that it portrays. I wonder if there are any Yanks on this board who have seen it and what their response to it is. I'm not a Yank, as such, but I do agree with you that there is a detachment between the events depicted by the show and the exuberant singing and dancing. The events depicted are the worst kind of sex trafficking, but the mood is relentlessly upbeat throughout. I questionably described that as a "cheesefest," particularly as my audience were cheering on the performers after every song. To clarify, no matter how seriously the performers take their characters, the audience cannot. I have never been so happy watching a show about such miserable subject matter. (If, say, Carousel would typically rouse my tear-o-meter to 10/10 full on blubbing, this show is a flat zero on the blub scale, despite hellish subject matter). This show is just fun, and I wouldn't cut a single song. It comes around too rarely to leave Cy Coleman numbers unperformed. 😊 |
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 2, 2017 0:22:47 GMT
Saw the matinee today. Despite a very long first half I really enjoyed this show. I had no idea what to expect and had only got round to reading the storyline this morning. For me Sharon D Clark knocks it out of the park with that voice of hers. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the music and lyrics, and the varied styles throughout. It's certainly not a dated piece. Couldn't fault any of the cast and I thought the portrayals of Memphis and Queenie were excellent. Just wished this Forum had warned me of the Hooker's Ball at the start of the second half. Sat in the front row it was clearly bad timing on my part to start eating an ice cream with quite so much going on in front of my face. As it happens I was sitting by you and your wife, I took one of the vacant seats at the front in the second half, I was the fellow always referring to my programme. A show I glad I saw here, than on Broadway, enjoyed it for what it was, even though it was very sleazy. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 3, 2017 13:38:58 GMT
Saw the matinee today. Despite a very long first half I really enjoyed this show. I had no idea what to expect and had only got round to reading the storyline this morning. For me Sharon D Clark knocks it out of the park with that voice of hers. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the music and lyrics, and the varied styles throughout. It's certainly not a dated piece. Couldn't fault any of the cast and I thought the portrayals of Memphis and Queenie were excellent. Just wished this Forum had warned me of the Hooker's Ball at the start of the second half. Sat in the front row it was clearly bad timing on my part to start eating an ice cream with quite so much going on in front of my face. As it happens I was sitting by you and your wife, I took one of the vacant seats at the front in the second half, I was the fellow always referring to my programme.A show I glad I saw here, than on Broadway, enjoyed it for what it was, even though it was very sleazy. PoL are you the one mentioned in @pault's bad behaviour post?  www.theatreboard.co.uk/post/102820/thread |
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Post by japhun on Apr 3, 2017 13:51:38 GMT
Saw the Saturday matinee on 1 April. I thought this was a great production at the Southwark (which, thankfully, took away the bad taste in my mouth left from Promises, Promises!). Sharon D Clarke is phenomenal as Sonja and I found the entire cast to be strong- especially the portrayals of Queen and Memphis, who was especially strong. I love the score of The Life- it epitomizes the time period. The whole thing reeked of 80's sleaze (and that is obviously a good thing!).  Even though the first act clocked in at almost 90 minutes, it did not feel long to me. Go check it out!  |
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 3, 2017 15:26:59 GMT
As it happens I was sitting by you and your wife, I took one of the vacant seats at the front in the second half, I was the fellow always referring to my programme.A show I glad I saw here, than on Broadway, enjoyed it for what it was, even though it was very sleazy. PoL are you the one mentioned in @pault 's bad behaviour post? www.theatreboard.co.uk/post/102820/thread🚖🚖🚖🚖🚖 |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2017 16:00:47 GMT
Well. No sign of Esther Rantzen or Mollie Sugden pointing out grammatical mistakes on signage. Instead, it's all about hookers and mofos.
It's a strange show. The first half is like an extended remix of 'Big Spender' from 'Sweet Charity', the second gets a bit dramatic and goes all Bill Sykes and Nancy on London Bridge. Great cast giving it all some welly. A couple of good tunes although it can't decide whether it's 70s soul, jazz-hands Broadway or big ol' ballads. Sharon D. Clarke steals the honours but I also really liked David Albury as Fleetwood (coping manfully with a cold I think), Joanna Woodward as Mary and T'Shan Williams as Queen who is not only a knockout looker but has a lovely voice (I'll even overlook the Fraggle Rock hair). Cornell S. John speaks so slowly I think he added an extra half hour to the running time but he's really quite menacing.
They could shave a good half an hour off the running time but it's worth it to see Sharon D Clarke dressed as a sparkly Cookie Monster at the Hookers Ball.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Apr 4, 2017 17:38:33 GMT
I just caught the matinee and loved it! It's a bit too long, but the score is great and the cast is uniformly excellent. Sharon D. Clarke delivered a masterclass in musical theatre with her "The oldest profession".
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Post by theatrelover123 on Apr 4, 2017 20:58:55 GMT
I was there this afternoon and LOVED the show. Excellent all round |
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 6, 2017 23:01:34 GMT
Absolutely loved this tonight! Wonderful music and very well put-together production. The intimacy of Southwark Playhouse really helped the atmosphere, but there were moments where it felt like the show wanted to be bigger. That's the trade-off I guess. I agree that it could do with having 10/15 minutes shaved off it, and I felt that Act 2 didn't flow as well as Act 1.
Extremely good cast - loved the performers playing Jojo, Queen and Mary, but Sharon D. Clarke as Sonja is just in a different league. She is perfect in that role, and what a voice! She impressed me so much that I might have to look into Caroline, Or Change at Chichester now...
On another note, it was a nice surprise to be sat just metres away from both Rachel Tucker and Sir Trevor Nunn!
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Post by couldileaveyou on Apr 6, 2017 23:05:42 GMT
I was sitting in front row and a over-enthusiast dancer kicked me hard in the leg. And I was sitting very properly, like a schoolboy. Ouch! But wonderful show, I keep thinking about Sharon D and how marvelous she was.
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Post by schuttep on Apr 7, 2017 9:57:50 GMT
Absolutely loved this tonight! Wonderful music and very well put-together production. The intimacy of Southwark Playhouse really helped the atmosphere, but there were moments where it felt like the show wanted to be bigger. That's the trade-off I guess. I agree that it could do with having 10/15 minutes shaved off it, and I felt that Act 2 didn't flow as well as Act 1. Extremely good cast - loved the performers playing Jojo, Queen and Mary, but Sharon D. Clarke as Sonja is just in a different league. She is perfect in that role, and what a voice! She impressed me so much that I might have to look into Caroline, Or Change at Chichester now... On another note, it was a nice surprise to be sat just metres away from both Rachel Tucker and Sir Trevor Nunn! I totally agree. Loved it. Sharon D Clarke is always amazing - I was the one on the front row that got her boot between my legs!! The playwright Sir David Hare was also there. |
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 7, 2017 11:04:37 GMT
On another note, it was a nice surprise to be sat just metres away from both Rachel Tucker and Sir Trevor Nunn! Board members are politely reminded of our rule against discussing the private lives of others without permission. My apologies! I didn't realise that was a rule, but I shall stick to it from now on 😊 |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2017 13:51:51 GMT
On another note, it was a nice surprise to be sat just metres away from both Rachel Tucker and Sir Trevor Nunn! Board members are politely reminded of our rule against discussing the private lives of others without permission. Maybe the sun has gone to my head...but that was joke comment, right?? |
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 7, 2017 13:58:07 GMT
Oops, I'm afraid that went completely over my head 😂
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