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Post by shady23 on Jun 21, 2016 15:00:59 GMT
I saw a production of Chess where they did this. It didn't work for me.
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Post by d'James on Jun 21, 2016 15:06:53 GMT
Wasn't that Craig's production again?
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4,369 posts
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Post by Michael on Jun 21, 2016 15:21:36 GMT
So my heart has just sunk, Craig Revel Horwood has just announced that the cast will be playing the instruments ala Sweeney Todd with Patti and Michael. Including Alexandra playing piano and possibly percussion. I am slightly dreading this.  I've never been happier that I've waited to book a show. I actually wanted to see this in Wimbledon, but I'm now waiting to hear the first reviews. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jun 21, 2016 16:14:55 GMT
Oh dear. Well I'm still looking forward to it....but it does sound....peculiar.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 16:29:26 GMT
So my heart has just sunk, Craig Revel Horwood has just announced that the cast will be playing the instruments ala Sweeney Todd with Patti and Michael. Including Alexandra playing piano and possibly percussion. I am slightly dreading this. Heavens. If it's anything like her vocal talents, she'll just play them very LOUDLY and with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 16:42:46 GMT
So my heart has just sunk, Craig Revel Horwood has just announced that the cast will be playing the instruments ala Sweeney Todd with Patti and Michael. Including Alexandra playing piano and possibly percussion. I am slightly dreading this. Heavens. If it's anything like her vocal talents, she'll just play them very LOUDLY and with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Doesn't she play the piano during "The Greatest Love of All" in The Bodyguard? |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 17:00:44 GMT
I am so upset to hear this news! It really has put me off going, but we have already booked! Was so looking forward to it too! I feel like when they do this, it ruins the nature of a show! I always prefer there being an Orchestra!
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1,013 posts
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Post by talkstageytome on Jun 21, 2016 17:12:55 GMT
Don't let it put you off going George. None of us have seen it yet and so can only speculate about the effectiveness of the actor-musician element effectiveness.
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1,827 posts
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Post by stevej678 on Jun 21, 2016 17:20:51 GMT
Some actor-musician productions work exceptionally well. The Revel-Horwood directed Fiddler on the Roof tour, led by Paul Michael Glaser, a couple of years ago is one that springs to mind. The current Footloose tour is another. You can certainly see in Footloose that a fair amount of thought has gone into incorporating the actor-musician element.
I can't say Sister Act is a show I've ever really felt compelled to see until now but this development has piqued my interest. Seems to be selling very well in Liverpool and Manchester.
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19,778 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 21, 2016 17:37:55 GMT
CRH's actor musician Chess was good! Have faith my children.  |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jun 21, 2016 17:50:00 GMT
I'm sure there have been some excellent actor musician productions but a lot of productions lend themselves to that format, Sister Act certainly doesn't seem on of them though. They are a choir not a band. What are you going to have?Sister Mary Patrick on trumpet? Sister Mary Roberts on drums? I just don't really see how it's going to work, unless the ensemble are more the instrument players, but it still seems rather bizarre.
That said i can see Delores playing the piano so that aspect might work.
I'm still looking forward to it but this doesn't seem the show to turn into an actor/muso at all.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 18:31:56 GMT
I have an image of Delores wondering through an empty choir room, sitting at the rehearsal piano and playing/singing the song Sister Act in the second half. That could be a really effective moment. |
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Post by notmymuse on Jun 21, 2016 18:35:57 GMT
CRH's actor musician Chess was good! Have faith my children. Absolutely. I think it was CRH who directed Spend Spend Spend actor-musician, which was amazing, and also the Sunset Boulevard (at the Comedy as it was then I think) I *never* thought would work actor-musician, but was great. When it's done well, it enables the characters to be expressed in another way. With Sister Act it could actually work well - who says they have to be a choir and not a band? The different nuns "discovering" they can play instruments could be very touching and clever and funny. And I doubt they're worried about ticket sales - I went to book for Birmingham 3 weeks ago to find it's almost sold out several months in advance. And as they're charging West End prices for this, that's not bad going. |
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Post by groupbooker on Jun 21, 2016 18:53:38 GMT
Well I have just cancelled my group to Bristol because of this. We all think a musical is an orchestra and actors not a mish mash as he keeps rolling out. I love Chess but was really what killed our groups seeing this actor/musician show, it is so oft putting. I know a lot of you love this that's fine but it is not a musical in the proper sense of the word. Sorry guys!
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Post by d'James on Jun 21, 2016 18:54:13 GMT
I have an image of Delores wondering through an empty choir room, sitting at the rehearsal piano and playing/singing the song Sister Act in the second half. That could be a really effective moment. That's meant to be in Eddie's flat, unless they put the song somewhere else. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 19:03:36 GMT
I have an image of Delores wondering through an empty choir room, sitting at the rehearsal piano and playing/singing the song Sister Act in the second half. That could be a really effective moment. That's meant to be in Eddie's flat, unless they put the song somewhere else. I know that haha, but it doesn't have to be in Eddie's flat. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 19:10:04 GMT
This is my first post and I hope I don't sound like a bitch, but I find the catastrophising over something nobody has even seen yet rather amusing. If you're cancelling your booking because of this, then you weren't too keen to begin with.
I imagine that the actor musician element is going to be pretty minimal- maybe during 'Raise your voice' and 'Bless our show.' There is a band listed on the website; I just don't think it will be used very heavily.
To the person criticising Alexandra's voice- she has amazing light and shade in her voice, to be fair. She's far more than just a 'belting' diva.
For anyone who's interested...
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Post by d'James on Jun 21, 2016 19:17:01 GMT
That's meant to be in Eddie's flat, unless they put the song somewhere else. I know that haha, but it doesn't have to be in Eddie's flat. It does at that point in the story, really. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 19:29:12 GMT
I find the catastrophising over something nobody has even seen yet rather amusing. But if we wait until it actually happens it might turn out not to be catastrophic at all, and then an opportunity to worry about nothing would have been wasted. This is the Internet. Panic is what we do. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 19:33:07 GMT
I find the catastrophising over something nobody has even seen yet rather amusing. But if we wait until it actually happens it might turn out not to be catastrophic at all, and then an opportunity to worry about nothing would have been wasted. This is the Internet. Panic is what we do. This is true! Maybe I'm being blindly optimistic. I also think this show lends itself to using this technique more than 'Chess' does. The whole point of the show is nuns finding their voice and musicality. It could really work. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jun 21, 2016 19:43:39 GMT
I din't realise there was a band listed on the site. Oh well then i guess that means that it will be a limited actor/muso scenario. I've warmed to the idea of the nuns playing some instruments, actually yes i can see how it might work.
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Post by d'James on Jun 21, 2016 19:49:04 GMT
The 'problem' with Sister Act is that some of the songs are there to further the story, the rest are them performing to an audience. The songs to the audience will work fine with the actors playing instruments. I can't see how some of the rest will. Sister Act (not the Reprise) could. As could the Fabulous Baby Reprise as that's a nightmare so anything goes.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 19:58:23 GMT
The 'problem' with Sister Act is that some of the songs are there to further the story, the rest are them performing to an audience. The songs to the audience will work fine with the actors playing instruments. I can't see how some of the rest will. Sister Act (not the Reprise) could. As could the Fabulous Baby Reprise as that's a nightmare so anything goes. I hope that it works. I love the show and think Alexandra is super talented so I don't want to be disappointed. Fabulous Baby Reprise is one of my favourites! |
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Post by stevep on Jul 19, 2016 6:00:10 GMT
Could someone please point me to where I can sell a ticket on this forum (assuming there is one). I have a spare for press night. Thanks
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19,778 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 19, 2016 6:43:22 GMT
Could someone please point me to where I can sell a ticket on this forum (assuming there is one). I have a spare for press night. Thanks Steve's ticket sale is in the Noticeboard section. |
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