Aspects of Love - Hope Mill MCR / Southwark Playhouse

Ryan - I last saw Kelly Price in A Little Night Music at the Menier.

Saw it yesterday afternoon and what a peculiar curate's egg this production is. The plus-es (which include both Price and Alberto) are terrific, and Price sings the score the best of any Rose I have seen, including its originator, Ann Crumb, while Alberto is utterly fantastic -- a star performance in a supporting role. (We'll pass politely over the Jenny.) Moving swiftly on, the men are without exception dreadful -- Pradon sings the whole thing as if he has a chicken wing caught in his throat and is totally creepy and weird (no one will ever match Kevin Colson in this part) and Felix baby looks like he's about 12, which actually isn't helpful to the time-leaping narrative, and he can't sing it AT ALL. The louder his voice gets, the more off-key it also gets, so that I was wincing at some of his supposed money notes. That said, it's hard not to watch this role without thinking of the immortal Forbidden Broadway spoof of this musical and especially its leading male, but how this guy ever became such a babe magnet is a mystery that the production can't begin to answer. As it happens, Monsieur Mosse looks like the younger brother of Michael Arden, who played the same role in the (far-inferior) Menier revival, except that Arden has an infinitely better voice.

I confess by the way to loving the score, however greatly reduced.

So I caught this yesterday afternoon.
One of my favourite ALW musical and have been lucky to see all the main versions - Nunn's original, the Gale Edwards tour, the Nikolai Foster tour, the Menier and now this.

I confess to LOVING the score in it's entirety and it is easily ALW top 5 for me - I just find the music sumptuous and it has me almost in a trance.
I can understand the problems a lot of people mention with the characters etc but I am able to forgive a lot because of my love of the music. And I don't find them that unlikeable - just somewhat driven by lust. It's a long time ago, but in my 20s I was a bit like that myself lol....

Anyway, this production has transferred well from Hope Mill. I slightly preferred the set at the Hope Mill where the blue shutters came in on either side instead of being in a straight wall at the back. But it works will in this small space. The music of course would have sounded better with a bigger band, but I still enjoyed it greatly played by the two pianos and percussion.

Cast wise as others have said, this show belongs to Kelly Price and Madalena Alberto. The former one of the best Rose's I have ever seen. Anything But Lonely was incredible. It's true Jerome Pradon does sing it in a slightly unusual way. Felix Mosse I find very easy on the eye so can forgive the fact that his acting didn't always match the others. I didn't see a problem with his voice through and thought it had a very pleasant quality - and I do believe he did hit the right notes.

I wish I could remember the Menier version better (I only saw it once and I'd had a couple of wines) as that would be the only other version you couple compare this to. From what I do recall, I prefer this version.

Will go again as, like Sunset, I think it will be an incredibly long time before we see it in the UK again. And sadly I can't see a full scale revival happening any time soon....

Yes 2008. She was rather good too.

The theatre is small so the back row of the centre block is not very far back. I don't think there is much difference really as they play to the front and sides. Only thing I would say is don't go for a seat next to the set as you may miss a bit.

Exactly. I was struggling to explain myself there and couldn't think of the right word. Blame it on a hard day at work and just eating 6 chocolate biscuits!

I was in row C centre block and it was good. Entrance is to the bottom left of the plan as you look at the stage

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No its the other way around for this so between E18 and E19.
Same set up as the had for Xanadu and Carrie if that helps. Other way around than they had for The Rink.

If the seat is rubbish and you want me to hit 🐒 🍌 round the ear’oles do tell! 

No, because he’d enjoy it!

I wouldn't have thought there would be so many videos of that subject as to make it necessary to ban them. I guess the bear/monkey feud must be universal & not just between BurlyBeaR & @theatremonkey!