Romantics Anonymous - Sam Wanamaker / Bristol Old Vic

tonalkynvery = tonally very.

I blame ios 11....

Oh - without wanting to spoil anything - but, at least judging from my experience, it's worth being in the foyer (the one near the lower gallery entrance/gift shop on the day I was there) for something extra that happens.

Sorry - I meant during the interval, (i.e. don't spend the whole interval in the auditorium or the toilets - if you can help it.)

She is both - all of the female side of both. Which means she might have to cover for any of the named female roles. She's demonstrating her skill at learning  parts again - after Laronde where she had to learn every part as who played what was random every show.  Who plays the ensemble and swings for anyone else, if there's a lead or two off sick is an interestng question.

Superficial depiction of shyness mitigates against the well-structured plot and delightful songs making the emotional impact they should. . .

Some spoilers follow. . .

This is based on a film. A film is blessed with a trump card that a stage musical lacks: the close-up. On film, the manufactured tweeness of the plot can be counterbalanced by closeups of faces exhibiting acute and "real" social anxiety, that roots the plot in a common pain nearly all of us have experienced.

On stage, where the closeup is impossible, what we see is a supremely poised musical theatre actress command her diaphragm to produce exquisitely beautiful musical phrases, as she looks us directly in our eyes. No amount of gurning anxious overlarge facial expressions will ever convince me that Carly Bawden's Angelique is so timid that she faints at the sight of another human being!

And this is not Bawden's fault, an actress so good that her spot-on Squeaky Fromme in Assassins stole the show (for me) even from Aaron Tveit!

What is wrong is the slavish fealty to the movie script, which was bolstered by the secret weapon of the close-up. What Emma Rice and her fellow creators needed to do was show less sympathy, and more empathy. They needed a moment at the beginning, before Bawden ever sings, where her character suffers horribly from shyness. They needed to dramatise that moment so acutely that our hearts broke for her. Only then should she be allowed to sing.

Anyway, the songs are good, and by the time we get to the interval, the plot is moving at a delicious clip, and the songs hit rate is improving (I did love the song "Savoir Faire" in the first half though.)

Yes, in the second half, there is a tremendous run of lovely songs (I'm guessing their titles lol):-

After Joanna's Riding sets the scene with a welcoming and wistful "Quelle Surprise," the Bawden-Marsh romantic duet, "Some Things" really moved me, then the best song of the evening is teasingly and energetically performed by the enemble at our main duo "Don't Think About Love!" It's always delicious to be asked NOT to think about something lol! Then we get a touching "Don't Let Her Go" and an even more tender "If you Loved Me. . ."

And I couldn't help thinking, as the musical took flight, how much higher we'd be soaring if the emotional take-off had been effectively handled at the beginning! Heck, we might even have another "She Loves Me" (though to be honest, Bock and Harnick are peerless)!

Anyway, I loved the second half. And as a bonus, I also lived the comic turns of Lauren Samuels as the sarky Ozzie self-help tape and Gareth Snook as the Mumbler, a man so shy we can't make out a word he says.

All in all, good fun. But it could have been great!

3 and a half stars.

I was going to post pretty much exactly the same! I was there last night too, and wouldn't have been there had it not been for this board.  I absolutely adored it - loved all the little touches before the show started and during the interval (thanks to the tip from the earlier poster about being in the lower gallery foyer during the interval).  It was my first time in the playhouse (it's stunning!), and even though my seat had a 'back' in row C of the lower gallery I was still very sore at the end - definitely take a jacket to roll up behind you. I still left with a huge grin on my face though!

Will definitely be going back again before it finishes.

Brilliant. Loved it and will be returning again in a couple of weeks.
I defy anyone to see it and not come out with a smile on their face and a spring in their step.
Catchy tunes - I really hope they release a recording - and great performances from everyone.

Sure, it is a slight story but once you get carried away with it, you're hooked.

I really want to see this after reading all the positive reviews and knowing many of the cast from other shows but have missed the pcdrom20 and the lovetheate offers. I don't want to waste my money on seats with restricted views but cannot afford the best seats (I'm only in London for a week and have gone over budget on Big Fish and Hamilton - though I really didn't have a choice with that last one). Does anyone know of any other offers. I usually follow the £25 rule, £30 max. Thank you to anyone that can help.

As the run is quite long but the venue is slightly off the normal tourist track (I know it's still popular but the colder weather may have an impact) and the prices may deter those who don't know it (and the seating those who do), I'm holding on and hoping for offers. Also, this probably isn't the type of show non-regulars will choose for a Xmas outing - if they're even aware of it - which may help deal-seekers.

Shakespeare's Globe is a tourist attraction, yes, but I doubt that many people are even aware that there's an indoor theatre attached to it. Or realize that there's an indoor season in winter. Or be very interested in it.

I think Showgirl is right - tourists in winter will be looking at theatres in the West End and not really pay attention to smaller shows off the beaten path. I wonder if people in France/Belgium are aware of the show, as they are the ones who most likely know the original movie and might be interested in the stage adaptation. They should definitely put ads in the Eurostar magazine!

Thanks to those who replied to my post. If I lived nearer London I would have risked waiting for a possible offer or last minute bargain but I'm not and am realistically limited to a couple of dates during my visit, so I gave in and got A6 after reading CG's post (A19 was taken). Available seating has started decreasing at a faster pace now that word has hot out about this show so anxiety got the better of me.

Last year's Sam Wanamaker Playhouse Emma Rice hit, The Little Matchgirl (and other happier tales), is now on an extensive UK tour.

And Romantics Anonymous easily merits such a further life.

But it doesn't fit the post-Emma Rice "let-there-not-be-light" diktat of the Board of Shakespeare's Globe.

So, they could be spiteful and refuse to transfer it.