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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 10:55:58 GMT
Day seat victory. Arrived at 8:30 to a queue of 12, which turned into a queue of 20 just before 9am with the usual straggler comments of "oh I didn't expect a queue", etc. Overheard some strange comments including "oh I don't like West Side Story at all but I read that this is good so I'll sit through it"... Is that a done thing now.. going to a show you don't like because the reviews have been good? Guilty as charged. I've been convinced to give shows a go that aren't ordinarily on my list of likes if enough people come out raving about them. I know it doesn't seem like it to a lot of people these days, but there are still those of us who are willing enough to be proven wrong. |
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Post by danb on May 23, 2019 10:57:29 GMT
Day seat victory. Arrived at 8:30 to a queue of 12, which turned into a queue of 20 just before 9am with the usual straggler comments of "oh I didn't expect a queue", etc. Overheard some strange comments including "oh I don't like West Side Story at all but I read that this is good so I'll sit through it"... Is that a done thing now.. going to a show you don't like because the reviews have been good? Guilty as charged. I've been convinced to give shows a go that aren't ordinarily on my list of likes if enough people come out raving about them. I know it doesn't seem like it to a lot of people these days, but there are still those of us who are willing enough to be proven wrong. I’ll keep an eye on insta for your post Baemax 😊 (It is so often where the magic of theatre happens isn’t it? I wasn’t expecting to like it but I loved it x) |
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 11:27:23 GMT
Day seat victory. Arrived at 8:30 to a queue of 12, which turned into a queue of 20 just before 9am with the usual straggler comments of "oh I didn't expect a queue", etc. Overheard some strange comments including "oh I don't like West Side Story at all but I read that this is good so I'll sit through it"... Is that a done thing now.. going to a show you don't like because the reviews have been good? Guilty as charged. I've been convinced to give shows a go that aren't ordinarily on my list of likes if enough people come out raving about them. I know it doesn't seem like it to a lot of people these days, but there are still those of us who are willing enough to be proven wrong. Fair point. I guess going for the cheaper day seat rather than booking way advance and paying the premium is much lower risk and far less likely to entail disappointment actually. Use of 'strange' redacted. |
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Post by latefortheoverture on May 23, 2019 12:00:56 GMT
I'd go with the gran story, except that they can check the original purchaser and if they discover it was a known tout who does that kind of thing regularly, or that you were sold one of a bunch of 6 so it looks odd... It's the reason not to buy from anywhere except the box office or bona-fide STAR agent, really. The ticket was £29.00 for her with her over 60s discount but she sold it to me for £20 so I think it'll be okay. On my way to Manchester now and I am gonna go with the nan story and act dumb. Also will hold the ticket so my fingers hide the over 60 bit and the price. I was going to mention play dumb and use the thumb! If you've got a ticket they're not going to let it go empty; maybe even charge a little more, but I doubt you'll even get caught. Most FoH, IMO, won't check tickets unless you give it to them. If you walk in, know where you need to go, and you won't even be collared by FoH! |
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Post by xanady on May 23, 2019 16:10:55 GMT
^Hope that none of the REX door staff are on this board or the game is up...
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 23, 2019 16:33:29 GMT
Day seat victory. Arrived at 8:30 to a queue of 12, which turned into a queue of 20 just before 9am with the usual straggler comments of "oh I didn't expect a queue", etc. Overheard some strange comments including "oh I don't like West Side Story at all but I read that this is good so I'll sit through it"... Is that a done thing now.. going to a show you don't like because the reviews have been good? “Like wowwww, Donna Marie got the coach...yeah coach, I KNOW! to Manchester to see that round romeo and juliet show! Really hard to get tickets...she’s so hardcore and clearly an all round better human than us. She kind of liked it but then one of the ones whats in it liked her check in, then another one of the ones whats in it liked the picture of her Taco Bell on snapchat so she said that made it worthwhile. I love Taco Bell don’t you? She said it was right there on a bridge up an escalator! Manchester sounds epic. I just wish Carrie and Luke were in it is all. They’d be great.” 😂😂😂 I know! I like literally DIED when she told me? Literally I was DYING. My Nan went to Manchester once? She went to Coronation Street? I know! You can actually go to that street! You can walk down it! I DIED when she told me. I think it was before I was born though? |
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2019 17:29:11 GMT
“Like wowwww, Donna Marie got the coach...yeah coach, I KNOW! to Manchester to see that round romeo and juliet show! Really hard to get tickets...she’s so hardcore and clearly an all round better human than us. She kind of liked it but then one of the ones whats in it liked her check in, then another one of the ones whats in it liked the picture of her Taco Bell on snapchat so she said that made it worthwhile. I love Taco Bell don’t you? She said it was right there on a bridge up an escalator! Manchester sounds epic. I just wish Carrie and Luke were in it is all. They’d be great.” 😂😂😂 I know! I like literally DIED when she told me? Literally I was DYING. My Nan went to Manchester once? She went to Coronation Street? I know! You can actually go to that street! You can walk down it! I DIED when she told me. I think it was before I was born though? I'm completely lost. Anyway, "A Boy like That" the first part of it feels really familiar to me and I don't know why. Are there any other musical songs similar? |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 23, 2019 18:34:58 GMT
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Post by undeuxtrois on May 23, 2019 18:50:30 GMT
^Hope that none of the REX door staff are on this board or the game is up... Luckily there wasn't even anyone on the door so I just walked in and went to my seat |
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Post by xanady on May 23, 2019 18:55:35 GMT
^Good for you...hope you enjoyed this show...For me it was a diamond of a production!
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Post by ampersand on May 23, 2019 21:14:14 GMT
Well, I loved this, and much more than I expected to. Favourite show of the year so far.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 24, 2019 11:54:40 GMT
@remark did you think it’s changed/improved since the first week of the run?
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2019 12:34:30 GMT
@remark did you think it’s changed/improved since the first week of the run? Yeah. Dialogue was snappier and the movement was definitely tighter. The sound had been refined also, mostly clarity in the low end. I still think it's not a very visually attractive show. It's wonderful to listen to but less so to watch. The blocking is really slack at times. Points where they're supposed to form circles looking more oblong and irregular spacing. Despite sitting in a completely different section I still found it infuriating when parts of the action were entirely obscured - as did the people sitting nearby, gentleman next to me huffing and folding arms. I found myself really distracted with bits of the set... Why a zebra crossing? Other than to allow some popup set elements. Still don't like the set or lighting. I think Sarah Frankcom's inexperience of musical theatre direction shows a little in parts and as Artistic Director of the REX, I'm surprised that some scenes were played in a way that alienated chunks of the audience. The orchestra are the real highlight for this, with the leads even more emotive and engaging this time round. I can see why people are gushing over it, but I find this production quite imperfect. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 24, 2019 20:16:10 GMT
I was on the other side of the auditorium from my last visit, still at stage level but the angle did put a very different perspective on the scenes played at height. I think they should reconsider this for the re-run next year. I didn’t notice issues with blocking and I guess the formation of the circles would be more evident from the first tier.
Zebra crossing..agree. I also thought the hazard tape jarred. I really liked the lighting though.
I loved it and I think it’s great that it’s coming back next year.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2019 8:22:51 GMT
I was on the other side of the auditorium from my last visit, still at stage level but the angle did put a very different perspective on the scenes played at height. I think they should reconsider this for the re-run next year. I didn’t notice issues with blocking and I guess the formation of the circles would be more evident from the first tier. Zebra crossing..agree. I also thought the hazard tape jarred. I really liked the lighting though. I loved it and I think it’s great that it’s coming back next year. If they're trying to imply a street setting (which I get) then why are the buildings in the middle of the road?! Also, if they were to get rid of the zebra crossing and then spin the kerb design 90degrees clockwise, then they'd be re-enforcing the (visual and metaphorical) divide between the Jets and Sharks. Currently they juxtapose the 'All' they need to fix the visibility issues is to make the other large frame that forms Doc's shop, so pull out into the center, like Maria's house. If those scenes were played in the center rather than tight to the tier they'd fix some massive issues. Lighting-wise, I found there were too many contrasting tones of white. 'America' had these horribly sharp mis-focused squares of key-light snap on for the chorus. And the bars that fly in for the street scene fly in too low if you're in the second tier. They mask faces and alot of the action again. It's almost as if noone sat up in the second tier at any point during rehearsal or tech, which is so odd given lx control is up in the second tier. |
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Post by crabtree on May 25, 2019 9:26:17 GMT
I agree with all said about the visuals. The bright white shapes are a distraction - perhaps some texture. The zebra crossing is a bizarre feature.
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Post by wickedgrin on May 25, 2019 9:59:21 GMT
Agree with the above posts although I am pleased the production got great reviews.
Thinking about this production after a few weeks distance I would say overall it was thrilling to listen to - superb orchestra and vocals - especially from the leads - 5 stars but only 3 stars to watch due to the flat lighting, and sightline issues which unfortunately are all to common with "in the round" productions. I am always reminded of the great line from The Producers where Max Bialystock says "it's theatre in the square - nobody gets a good seat!"
I hope the majority of the cast return next year - especially the leads as they were the strongest part of the production for me.
I wonder what The Curve production will be like at Leicester at Christmas. At least it will be a traditional proscenium show so no sightline issues!
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2019 10:08:13 GMT
Agree with the above posts although I am pleased the production got great reviews. Thinking about this production after a few weeks distance I would say overall it was thrilling to listen to - superb orchestra and vocals - especially from the leads - 5 stars but only 3 stars to watch due to the flat lighting, and sightline issues which unfortunately are all to common with "in the round" productions. I am always reminded of the great line from The Producers where Max Bialystock says "it's theatre in the square - nobody gets a good seat!"I hope the majority of the cast return next year - especially the leads as they were the strongest part of the production for me. I wonder what The Curve production will be like at Leicester at Christmas. At least it will be a traditional proscenium show so no sightline issues! That line got quite a chuckle at the REX last Christmas! |
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Post by theatre241 on May 25, 2019 10:40:16 GMT
I was on the other side of the auditorium from my last visit, still at stage level but the angle did put a very different perspective on the scenes played at height. I think they should reconsider this for the re-run next year. I didn’t notice issues with blocking and I guess the formation of the circles would be more evident from the first tier. Zebra crossing..agree. I also thought the hazard tape jarred. I really liked the lighting though. I loved it and I think it’s great that it’s coming back next year. If they're trying to imply a street setting (which I get) then why are the buildings in the middle of the road?! Also, if they were to get rid of the zebra crossing and then spin the kerb design 90degrees clockwise, then they'd be re-enforcing the (visual and metaphorical) divide between the Jets and Sharks. Currently they juxtapose the 'All' they need to fix the visibility issues is to make the other large frame that forms Doc's shop, so pull out into the center, like Maria's house. If those scenes were played in the center rather than tight to the tier they'd fix some massive issues. Lighting-wise, I found there were too many contrasting tones of white. 'America' had these horribly sharp mis-focused squares of key-light snap on for the chorus. And the bars that fly in for the street scene fly in too low if you're in the second tier. They mask faces and alot of the action again. It's almost as if noone sat up in the second tier at any point during rehearsal or tech, which is so odd given lx control is up in the second tier. I quite like the set tbh. It allows your imagination to fill in the gaps. It is a very abstract set so the buildings are obvs not in the road lol they have a smaller space so they can't do any fancy stuff. But I think the other side piece should come into the middle because the audience on the stage level probs had no idea what has going on on the jets area |
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Post by justafan on May 25, 2019 17:54:26 GMT
On my way home from matinee and let’s just say I loved it ... maybe I was lucky with my seat at stage level but I was totally engaged throughout the whole show and not a single mobile intrusion ... see even Saturday matinee audiences on final show day can behave occasionally ... tho there was a rather irritating woo-hooper after the key numbers which I thought ruined some of the moments
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2019 15:55:30 GMT
The original film is on BBC iPlayer for the next week.
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Post by undeuxtrois on Oct 19, 2019 10:28:51 GMT
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Post by sophie92 on Feb 11, 2020 13:30:58 GMT
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Post by undeuxtrois on Mar 18, 2020 4:07:40 GMT
Rehearsals have been suspended.
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Post by alece10 on Mar 18, 2020 12:34:24 GMT
Damm. I was hoping that would still be going as booked for May.
So anyone want a first class return train ticket and a night at Malmaison?
😄
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