501 posts
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Post by anthony on Jan 27, 2019 0:39:41 GMT
Saw it tonight and it was AMAZING. I really wanted Elhaida Dani (the alternative Esmeralda), but I guess that wasn't going to happen on a Sat night (I'm Alive is one of my favourite Eurovision songs ever!). I'm also a big Eurovision buff and missed the national final of France tonight for it, but given that the French National Final is hosted by Garou, it seemed somewhat fitting! The writers were in the audience tonight and got called up on stage and it was just really, really amazing. It was so great hearing the audience sing back the French lyrics to them (a bit like Derniere songs that German musicals do on their last performance, but this wasn't the last performance). I want to see it again ! (on the subject of dodgy surtitles, there was a lyric in Belle which had a lot of people laugh out loud (Frollo's bit was translated to 'Let me enter her garden' or something to that affect). There is a pretty great translation of Belle that was on an old Uwe Kroeger album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_prC2U16Pc), I don't know why they didn't just use that - it could be the same as the London English version? I'm unsure!).
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642 posts
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Post by Stasia on Jan 27, 2019 11:46:09 GMT
anthony but why were surtitles dodgy? The French text has exactly the same meaning
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Post by Montmartre on Jan 27, 2019 16:04:02 GMT
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375 posts
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Post by ctas on Jan 27, 2019 20:51:14 GMT
I’m still on cloud nine after this afternoon’s performance. Tried my luck at the box office and managed to get a dress circle ticket for £30 and was enthralled from start to finish. Can’t quite believe I’ve finally seen this show! I’ve been a fan for so long and never had the chance before.
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Post by miz on Jan 31, 2019 17:07:15 GMT
I am surprised that so many people liked the show (sorry!) To me, it felt like a sing-song show backed up by some irelevant (but very good) acrobatics. It was like watching a figure skating sequence consisting only of big jumps with nothing in between. Such thing as "weaving of a story" was nonexistent.
Having said that, I thought the singing was quite strong all around. However, I was not sure if the role of Quasimodo should have been sung in that kind of intentionally ugly voice. He may be deformed physically, but his soul is supposed be pure. I have now bought a copy of the original novel to see if my supposition is correct.
All in all, I did not think one can call this particular production a fully-fledged musical. It felt more like a rough sketch.
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642 posts
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Post by Stasia on Jan 31, 2019 19:01:57 GMT
I am surprised that so many people liked the show (sorry!) To me, it felt like a sing-song show backed up by some irelevant (but very good) acrobatics. It was like watching a figure skating sequence consisting only of big jumps with nothing in between. Such thing as "weaving of a story" was nonexistent. Having said that, I thought the singing was quite strong all around. However, I was not sure if the role of Quasimodo should have been sung in that kind of intentionally ugly voice. He may be deformed physically, but his soul is supposed be pure. I have now bought a copy of the original novel to see if my supposition is correct. All in all, I did not think one can call this particular production a fully-fledged musical. It felt more like a rough sketch. One can call it so and does it for the last 20 years. This is one of the direction musical theatre turned to. This style is popular in France and has successfully been adapted in Russia. When something is different from what you are used to, it is not necessarily “wrong”.
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Post by miz on Jan 31, 2019 19:29:52 GMT
Oh, is that so? Well, if plenty of people like this style, who am I to complain about it? I should just say it wasn't my cup of tea.
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375 posts
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Post by ctas on Jan 31, 2019 20:23:02 GMT
It’s very much of the French “spectacle” style. I once saw a spectacle about Cleopatra and it had everything but the kitchen sink in the show in terms of acrobatics, dance and the singers front of stage.
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