School of Rock - Gillian Lynne / UK Tour

I specifically went on a Saturday night as i assumed the lead would be on then.....he wasn't and it was Gary Trainor. I was pleased to see him in the end though as he was excellent and almost don't really have much desire to see David, though i'm sure i will catch him at some point when i decide to go again.

I'm seeing the matinee this coming Saturday, so I'll report back who will be on. Hoping for Fynn, but would be OK with Trainor...

Saw this today with Gary Trainor on. He smashed it - his voice sounded slightly shot but he sold it. Really nailed all the comedy moments and was genuinely engaging. Don't at all be disappointed if you find out he is on when you see it.

Saw it with David.

Positives: David is great. He didn't need to grow on me either like others have mentioned. Just a completely committed performance.

The kids are very talented and likeable. Obviously all of them with their instruments and Summer is a nice little actress and singer.

The atmosphere during 'You're in the Band' 'Stick It To the Man' and the Finale was absolutely electric. Lovely to see.

Negatives: I don't like this score I'm afraid. The only one I'd want to listen to outside of the show is 'You're in the Band'.

Act One is far too long.

The kids voices are not up to scratch for the most part which isn't a major problem but more just a bit of a shame.

Overall, I'm not usually a fan of family friendly shows or movie adaptations but this was feel good and incredibly atmospheric. I don't want to see it again but I'm glad I saw it the once. 3.5*

i Have developed a huge crush on David Fynn. HOT !!!!!!!

So did Fynn do the evening show? I saw Gary Trainor in the afternoon and he was great. I really enjoyed the show, so much fun and positive energy. I'm usually firmly in the "I hate kids on stage" camp, but these were amazing. The pint-sized Katie was barely taller than thr bass guitar she was handling and the little Zack guy was fantastic too. Much like with Billy Elliott I feel that shows gain a lot by showing kids having actual talents and play rounded characters with issues and problems and aren't just pushed on stage to be "cute" as in the days of Oliver and Annie.

I noticed that the printed cast list down by the box office isn't up to date, when I entered it showed David Fynn and Florence Andrews, but the screen up in the lobby showed Gary Trainor and Rosanna Hyland, so don't rely on the note downstairs...

I didn't say there was anything wrong with having a crush on a slightly bigger man... 

Has anyone tried the Wed £10 student ticket offer? How early did you need to get there? Asking for a (much more youthful) friend...

Great performance of 'Teacher's Pet' at the start of the X Factor results tonight! Surely the first time they've had a musical performed on the X Factor...? (excluding Amanda Holden in Shrek on BGT).

I've also just booked for March (was planning to anyway, wasn't just prompted by the X Factor), looking forward to it!

Does David Fynn and Florence Andrews usually perform in the Sunday matinee?

What shows do they usually take off each week?

Thanks

David was on last night, but Rosanna was on at Ms Mullins (and was excellent, I have to say).

I went into this not really knowing what to expect, not having seen the film, and not particularly expecting to enjoy it. I was wrong - I really liked it. The kids are excellent, and the scenes in the schoolroom sparkle, with amazing chemistry between the kids and David. Lots of fun moments, plenty of real laughs, and genuinely sympathetic child actors.

It does however fall flat in any scenes that don't involve the kids, particularly the first 15 minutes or so. I'd had enough of Patty and Ned very quickly, and I didn't find myself sympathising with Dewey much either - indeed, I'd say he's only interesting in the scenes where he bounces off the kids.

Having seen two rock musicals in the past couple of weeks, School of Rock gets it right in all the ways that Murder Ballad gets it wrong - a real sense of fun, variety in the performances and, most importantly of all, memorable songs! It's not a 5* musical for me, it certainly has flaws, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it.

(As an aside, is this selling badly? I'd say the auditorium was about two-thirds full last night - the front of the circle had swathes of empty seats, and the rear stalls was almost completely unoccupied. I also had two empty seats next to me in Row E of the front centre stalls, and an empty seat in front. In contrast, the cheap seats at the sides (which are a total steal in this theatre) were totally full.)

why do everybody get free tickets but me