1,103 posts
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Post by mallardo on Mar 24, 2016 15:38:59 GMT
I am very conflicted about Sky M. I adored Jamue Parker's portrayal, he was very cool and seemed more of the era. However, I've always had a bit if a thing for Oliver Tompsett and his voice just melts me. So I like them both. I need to check out the tour now, of course, to get the full set.
It looked like Siubhan Harrison might have a "thing" for Tompsett as well - she seemed almost giddy at the final bows.
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543 posts
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Post by freckles on Mar 24, 2016 15:46:06 GMT
I am very conflicted about Sky M. I adored Jamue Parker's portrayal, he was very cool and seemed more of the era. However, I've always had a bit if a thing for Oliver Tompsett and his voice just melts me. So I like them both. I need to check out the tour now, of course, to get the full set.
It looked like Siubhan Harrison might have a "thing" for Tompsett as well - she seemed almost giddy at the final bows.
Understandable.
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527 posts
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Post by Hamilton Addict on Mar 24, 2016 16:41:05 GMT
Little bit of an accident today at the matinee. After the scenes taking place in the sewer, the actor playing Harry the Horse was struck in the head by the manhole cover whilst claiming through. There was about 30 seconds of silence before the show continued, with another actor taking over his dialogue for the rest of the show. I hope the guy is okay. As far as the rest of the show went, I really enjoyed the performances of the new Adelaide and Nathan, I thought they were better than the performers at the Savoy. Was at the same performance where poor Cornelius Clarke (Harry the Horse) hit head head on the trap door. Kudos to Giovanni Spano for stepping in! This cast were so much better than the cast at the Savoy. It was ok at the Savoy, but now it's stunning! During the Savoy show I laughed a few times, but I was in hysterics during the Phoenix show. David Haig vs Richard Kind They both give great performances, but Richard has the slight edge. Richard was funnier and he was great during 'Sue Me'. I may be a bit bias because I loved Inside Out, in which he voiced Bing Bong. Sophie Thompson vs Samantha Spiro I hated Sophie Thompson's performance. She had such a high pitched voice it gave me a headache and she tried too hard to be funny. Samantha is amazing in everything she does. She was hilarious and I didn't realise what a great singer she was. Jamie Parker vs Oliver Tompsett Both give stunning performances and are very memorable, but Oliver had such a stunning voice he has the edge. He has a voice that sounds like Michael Buble, I'd love a cast album with him on! I also thought Siubahn was better this time around. She was great during the Havana scene!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 16:54:48 GMT
It looked like Siubhan Harrison might have a "thing" for Tompsett as well - she seemed almost giddy at the final bows.
I swear it was the dimples. They're hypnotic.
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122 posts
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Post by kirstylovesmusicals on Mar 24, 2016 18:09:50 GMT
So I have seen the matinee at Newcastle. I had never seen Guys and Dolls before so I had no idea what to expect. And I have to say this is one of the strongest touring casts I have ever seen! Not one weak link in the whole lot, honestly. Louise Dearman as Miss Adelaide is genuinely funny and I really felt for her as she got more and more frustrated with Nathan but at the end of it all she still Ioves him and I found myself relating to her. She shone in Adelaide's lament. Maxwell Caulfield plays Nathan is great as wheeler dealer type chap and sang the part really well. He wears really good with his cronies played by Jack Edwards and Mark Sangster. Richard Fleeshman as Skye was very self confident and slick as Sky. He has made some great acting choices and I always knew he could sing, having seen him in Ghost. I loved his scenes with Anna O Byrne. Like in the beginning of the show, he mention about his character and hers having chemistry and they certainly do! Anna O Byrne was the one I was most excited about seeing and she didn't disappoint. I loved her fierce, C passionate Sarah Brown in the beginning. It did seem a little unbelievable to me when she was in Havana though and suddenly became so loose and drinking etc. Stunning voice and a great dancer. She and Louise towards the end in Marry the Man today were such a good pairing! The Ensemble do seem few but I don't think you could have fitted anymore on that stage. They all worked really hard though and choreography was brilliant. I would definitely see the tour cast again. I have a friend who was also at the show today but in London and we rang each other after the matinee to compare notes!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2016 9:29:44 GMT
Well, I loved this last night at the Phoenix! Sadly, I missed it at the Savoy, so cannot compare the two casts. The show looks and sounds great and it's fantastic to see a pit at the Phoenix again.
Worth seeing for Samantha Spiro and Richard Kind. Both brilliant and bounce off each other terrifically.
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5,795 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 27, 2016 14:15:58 GMT
He looks like Stephen Fry.
It looked like Siubhan Harrison might have a "thing" for Tompsett as well - she seemed almost giddy at the final bows.
Understandable.
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Apr 3, 2016 8:36:37 GMT
Well the tour has left Newcastle now and I went along to watch it, not knowing much about the show or having high expectations but I adored it and ended up seeing it four times in the two week run.
The entire cast are incredible and inject so much energy into the performance. The songs are memorable and beautifully sung and the set is fantastic. The leads all put in great performances. Louise Dearman nails the role of Adelaide and is incredibly funny and warm with glorious vocals. Maxwell Caulfield is perfectly cast as Nathan Detroit and they work so well together. I have not seen Richard Fleeshman before but he is a wonderful actor and nails this role. His vocals are just to die for. Anna O'Byrne is also perfectly cast alongside him and she has the most beautiful voice.
I really cannot recommend this show enough.
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163 posts
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Post by Scots UK Theatre on Apr 12, 2016 21:54:24 GMT
Seeing this in Edinburgh reminded me how bad some touring sets can sometimes be. The set was clearly designed for a stage about half its width. I'm used to a black border framing a stage but this one was much bigger than usual. About 1 and a half meters around both sides of stage. Ended up 3 from aisle on circle left and couldn't see some of the left hand side set. What I don't understand is why the border was so big as there was clearly some set abscured by it.
Never had this problem before at Playhouse. Apart from some early sound issues it was an enjoyable show. Not my favourite show ever but enjoyable none the less.
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2,775 posts
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Post by daniel on Apr 12, 2016 22:51:29 GMT
Seeing this in Edinburgh reminded me how bad some touring sets can sometimes be. The set was clearly designed for a stage about half its width. I'm used to a black border framing a stage but this one was much bigger than usual. About 1 and a half meters around both sides of stage. Ended up 3 from aisle on circle left and couldn't see some of the left hand side set. What I don't understand is why the border was so big as there was clearly some set abscured by it. Never had this problem before at Playhouse. Apart from some early sound issues it was an enjoyable show. Not my favourite show ever but enjoyable none the less. I thought the exact same thing in Birmingham. The New Alex doesn't have an especially wide stage, but there was the black masking probably a metre on each side. I think (if my memory serves me correctly) the Savoy has a fairly narrow stage, so the show is obviously designed around this, with a "it'll do" approach for other venues.
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17 posts
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Post by ianm on Apr 13, 2016 13:37:00 GMT
To be fair, there is not much set to be masked at the sides of the stage and the actors were careful to remain further onstage than normal and not stray into the dead area beyond the side masking. I agree that the masking was wider than usual, though.
However, this did not distract me from the more important matter of what was happening on stage. The ensemble of this touring cast perform Carlos Acosta's dance routines with great verve and energy. I particularly liked the Swan Lake reference where the gamblers lined up across the back of the stage in classic Dance of the Cygnets fashion. The Latin inspired Havana dance sequence was also packed with moves, if a trifle "busy" as a result.
Both of the principal ladies were excellent. Louise Dearman's Miss Adelaide was full of nice little comic touches and brought both humour and pathos to the role. She was not as "pantomimey" as Sophie Thomson and has a far superior voice. Anna O'Byrne has a gorgeous light lyric soprano as Sarah Brown and played the straight-laced Salvation Army role well while also being able to cut loose in the Havana scene. The female leads were generally stronger than the males although Max Caulfield's downtrodden and harassed Nathan Detroit was well pitched. I can't quite make up my mind about Richard Fleeshman who sang Sky Masterson well but perhaps overdid the sleazy, lothario part a bit and had a tendency to slur his lines when attempting an American accent.
Overall, this was a fun evening with an ensemble cast on a par, if not better imho, to the original Chichester cast. Well worth a visit to any of the tour venues.
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1,103 posts
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Post by mallardo on Apr 13, 2016 14:12:44 GMT
Interesting to read your comments on Richard Fleeshman, ianm, because Oliver Tompsett, in the current London production, plays Sky pretty much the opposite way - he's almost too nice! Seems the actors are being allowed to find their own characters and not being forced into some preconceived directorial straightjacket. To me that's always a good thing.
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1,578 posts
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Post by anita on Apr 15, 2016 10:16:40 GMT
Saw this again yesterday @ the Phoenix. I much preferred Oliver Tompsett to Jamie Parker.Not sure about Richard Kind. - I kept thinking he was Tommy Cooper.
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98 posts
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Post by haz23 on Apr 17, 2016 11:36:15 GMT
I enjoyed the tour so much when it was in Newcastle I ended up seeing it three times, and each time it just got better. There were some really polished performances and fantastic energy in the big numbers, oh and I LOVED the set!
Louise Dearman was brilliant and sang Adelaide with so much character, I had seen her previously in both roles in Wicked and wasn't too impressed, I thought she suited this part much better and looked comfortable in it. Richard Fleeshman had an interesting voice ('non musical theatre') but it worked for the slickness of Sky and I liked him a lot. Anna O'Byrne had a beautiful voice and I found Maxwell Caulfield hilarious! Also special mention to Jack Edwards for the best rendition of Sit Down Your Rocking The Boat I've ever seen.
RUN and see this show, you will not be disappointed!
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Post by artemis on Apr 23, 2016 8:41:26 GMT
Saw this at the Phoenix. Felt like a regional production to me . The Havana dance scene was way too long and too busy. Sam Spiro was amazing though.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2016 17:16:37 GMT
I had an email today telling me that my tickets for a Tuesday Mat in July have now been transferred for the evening show. Some digging on the website also tells me that as of 31st May they have scrapped all Matinees on a Tuesday. Not a great sign!
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2016 18:09:52 GMT
It doesn't seem to be selling out at all at my local venue.
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590 posts
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Post by lou105 on May 5, 2016 19:06:26 GMT
I had an email today telling me that my tickets for a Tuesday Mat in July have now been transferred for the evening show. Some digging on the website also tells me that as of 31st May they have scrapped all Matinees on a Tuesday. Not a great sign! Assuming that's at the Phoenix, there has only been a matinee on Tuesdays, no evening show. When I was there this week a member of staff mentioned that they were switching to evenings.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2016 19:39:24 GMT
I had an email today telling me that my tickets for a Tuesday Mat in July have now been transferred for the evening show. Some digging on the website also tells me that as of 31st May they have scrapped all Matinees on a Tuesday. Not a great sign! Assuming that's at the Phoenix, there has only been a matinee on Tuesdays, no evening show. When I was there this week a member of staff mentioned that they were switching to evenings. Yes, for London. Oh I didn't realise that they weren't doing Tuesday evenings before and that it's a straight swap. I guess they're hoping they will sell better.
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107 posts
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Post by littleflyer on May 5, 2016 22:25:13 GMT
No one seems to be discussing it so I just feel I should bring up that westends Understudy Adelaide, Lucy Jane Adcock, is playing the role on tour for a month or so while Louise is off
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2016 22:41:13 GMT
Saw this at the Phoenix. Felt like a regional production to me . Yes, that's right. Chichester Festival Theatre.
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1,736 posts
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Post by fiyero on May 6, 2016 8:05:33 GMT
No one seems to be discussing it so I just feel I should bring up that westends Understudy Adelaide, Lucy Jane Adcock, is playing the role on tour for a month or so while Louise is off I had spotted that on the Understudy thread. I am not sure how to feel as I was looking forward to seeing Louise in Southamption and she was the one listed on the website when I booked (she still is!). I'm sure I'll love Lucy though, they wouldn't have promoted her if there wasn't a reason.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2016 9:52:03 GMT
When the casting announcement was made it did say the louise wasn't doing all venues and the mayflower itself posted that casting for Adelaide was yet to be announced. However it is misleading on the shows own website
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1,736 posts
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Post by fiyero on May 6, 2016 11:12:31 GMT
When the casting announcement was made it did say the louise wasn't doing all venues and the mayflower itself posted that casting for Adelaide was yet to be announced. However it is misleading on the shows own website Indeed. I did think it odd that they were only promoting the Male leads, now it makes sense why. I'm sure I'll love it all the same :-D
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2016 15:12:21 GMT
I think the show is smart for changing to Tuesday evening as it allows more people to see it, maybe a pen star midweek matinee would be better in school holidays or when the tourists come in summer. However, I don't think it will extend again by October, I think a new show will go there. To be fair, it would've just done just under a year in London by October.
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