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Post by peggs on Jun 4, 2019 20:59:49 GMT
Thanks for info, sounds at very least that might be good young person experience if they engage.
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Post by latefortheoverture on Jun 4, 2019 23:24:16 GMT
Can anyone confirm that Beyoncé's Love on Top is played at the very end with inflatable balls being lobbed around?!?! As per Arlene Phillips Instagram story?
If so I'm sold!
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Post by adventurer on Jun 5, 2019 5:12:01 GMT
I can confirm both things. Arlene don’t lie! I was sitting right next to her last night. She seemed happy with most aspects of the production but was busy scribbling some notes about others. It was overall a very good 2nd preview (2nd I think!) although some of the staging distracted from the storytelling, IMO.
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Post by jessw on Jun 5, 2019 10:24:36 GMT
I went on Monday and absolutely loved it! I think that it was almost better than JC which I saw the last performance of last year. More treating the audience as active viewers rather than just "the crowd", amazing acrobatics which enhanced the experience, wonderful costumes and enough laughs to leave you feeling bouyed up. Can anyone confirm that Beyoncé's Love on Top is played at the very end with inflatable balls being lobbed around?!?! As per Arlene Phillips Instagram story? If so I'm sold! I am in the shot that Arlene put up and at that particular moment was jumping up and down to try and bat the balls whilst the cast were dancing in the middle loving it.
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Post by jessw on Jun 5, 2019 10:25:42 GMT
She's fabulous. I hope they give her a better frock for the actual show though. Her first Titania frock is amazing!
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Post by jessw on Jun 5, 2019 10:29:13 GMT
Sounds great. Is it still as relaxed as JC was, with beers, T-shirts and badges sold in the pit? And people coming and going to the loo during the performance? The auditorium doors were kept closed at the beginning so that the first look would be impactful and there was no selling of anything in the auditorium. At the interval they were selling purple flower crowns. I did not see anyone going to the loo and the they are not doing a specialised pin for this show
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Post by latefortheoverture on Jun 5, 2019 12:13:01 GMT
Think I might have to add this to the got to catch list...
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Post by daniella on Jun 5, 2019 12:40:58 GMT
Heya, are the £15 rush tickets from TodayTix for seats or standing in the pit does anyone know?
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Post by couldileaveyou on Jun 5, 2019 12:57:44 GMT
Heya, are the £15 rush tickets from TodayTix for seats or standing in the pit does anyone know? Standing
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Post by peggs on Jun 5, 2019 13:35:05 GMT
jessw does that mean they're not letting people in, in advance if the doors are shut for impact? Are pit people just in a waiting crowd before please? I assume they're doing the cloakroom thing so no one standing has bags or coats again?
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Post by jessw on Jun 5, 2019 13:40:51 GMT
jessw does that mean they're not letting people in, in advance if the doors are shut for impact? Are pit people just in a waiting crowd before please? I assume they're doing the cloakroom thing so no one standing has bags or coats again? Hi peggs That is what happened to me. Just the one big makeshift cloakroom in the main foyer (where you have to put your bags and coats if you are in the pit) then everyone congested in the lower foyer (where there is also a mini temporary bar) until they let us in (scanning our tickets, whether paper or on phone, and giving us hand stamps so we would be let back into the pit after the interval). This may have just been for the previews/first night but as Gwendoline Christie is already "on stage" when you enter...
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Post by amybenson on Jun 5, 2019 14:33:02 GMT
I went on Monday and absolutely loved it! I think that it was almost better than JC which I saw the last performance of last year. More treating the audience as active viewers rather than just "the crowd", amazing acrobatics which enhanced the experience, wonderful costumes and enough laughs to leave you feeling bouyed up. Gosh, is it much more interactive than JC?
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Post by jessw on Jun 5, 2019 14:53:12 GMT
amybenson From what I remember from JC you were part of "the crowd" or "citizens" or "soldiers" and you were moved with everyone else, listened in on the conspirators and had the fight go on around you with stuff falling from the ceiling. AMND has the Rude Mechanicals who break the mould in the play anyway and in this production talk directly to the audience as they are rehearsing, somehow make you clap, laugh and boo for them, and 1-2 people have direct interactions which are voluntary with no lines and no going up on stage. The fairies do cater to the audience and shouting/clapping/cheering near the end is encouraged but this is more being vocal as collective rather than individual. In conclusion, you do not have to interact and can just observe but you get more out of it by engaging which as a pit member, is what you want isn't it?
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Post by amybenson on Jun 5, 2019 16:05:08 GMT
amybenson From what I remember from JC you were part of "the crowd" or "citizens" or "soldiers" and you were moved with everyone else, listened in on the conspirators and had the fight go on around you with stuff falling from the ceiling. AMND has the Rude Mechanicals who break the mould in the play anyway and in this production talk directly to the audience as they are rehearsing, somehow make you clap, laugh and boo for them, and 1-2 people have direct interactions which are voluntary with no lines and no going up on stage. The fairies do cater to the audience and shouting/clapping/cheering near the end is encouraged but this is more being vocal as collective rather than individual. In conclusion, you do not have to interact and can just observe but you get more out of it by engaging which as a pit member, is what you want isn't it? Thanks for the clarification! My sister and I are anxious and excited about this aspect in equal measure. But I'm sure it's worth it. I'm determined not to regret it anyway
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Post by peggs on Jun 5, 2019 17:24:35 GMT
Thanks for all the info. Think I need to lower expectations now in case I get too excited but thanks feeling like probably a good pick for a visit Shakespeare visit for a young person.
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Post by MrBunbury on Jun 7, 2019 8:16:24 GMT
I saw it last night from the pit. A very enjoyable, irreverent, and dynamic production. Definitely different from other productions I have seen before. I really liked Gwendolen Christie and Oliver Chris and although the audience in the pit does not need to move around as much as for Julius Caesar, it is still worth to be immersed in the action.
P.S. Next time I need to get one of the free plastic glasses for water from the foyer: they are branded and look very solid…
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2019 7:10:38 GMT
Haven't seen this yet so I'm not saying he's wrong, but the Guardian review is the most Billington thing I've ever read!
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 12, 2019 9:10:40 GMT
Got lucky on TodayTix. So, two immersive experiences today; one in the lido very shortly and another with Gwendoline later!
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Post by RedRose on Jun 12, 2019 10:36:33 GMT
Haven't seen this yet so I'm not saying he's wrong, but the Guardian review is the most Billington thing I've ever read! I have! And he is so wrong again! This got only 3 stars, when he gave 4 to the terrible Michael Grandage one with Sheridan Smith 6 years ago!
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 12, 2019 22:19:45 GMT
Got lucky on TodayTix. So, two immersive experiences today; one in the lido very shortly and another with Gwendoline later! Shouldn't say too much after the difficulties Hiddlestone had within 200m of The Pinter but I as damn near as literally bumped into Brienne of Tarth. So instant; I blurted out maybe three lines, and after each she said something like 'thank you, how lovely' and that was that. My guess is there's a plan to help her swerve the Game of Throne throng: way more immersive than expected!
As for the production - vibrant, super inventive and fun; part Love Actually montage, part London 2012 Opening Ceremony, part carnival, with a bit of Shakespeare thrown in. Have people said the staging is more dynamic that JC was? I thought it definitely was. Difficult to come out without a spring in your step and a grin.
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Post by l0islane on Jun 14, 2019 16:37:30 GMT
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Post by dip on Jun 15, 2019 17:36:00 GMT
Thanks for this! Just got a pair
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Post by kathryn on Jun 15, 2019 22:11:24 GMT
We thoroughly loved it this afternoon! Utterly joyous.
Thought the switching of Titania and Oberon worked incredibly well and gave Gwen Christie a lot more presence and power than usual as both Hippolyta and Titania. Loved the acrobatics!
It was my Mum’s first ever Dream - I can definitely think of worse introductions to it.
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Post by Marwood on Jun 16, 2019 11:04:20 GMT
I preferred Julius Caesar (A because it was a bigger name cast and B because it seemed a lot more immersive than this and the audience were more involved) but I thoroughly enjoyed this. This was the first time I'd seen any production of AMSND so I couldn't say how it ranks against any previous 'classic' productions, but I had a blast, the cast were uniformly good, but I thought Hammed Animashaun stole the show (I had never seen him in anything prior to this (that I'm aware of, the programme for this says he was in The Threepenny Opera at the NT but I don't recall seeing him in it))
If you can (and are able to stand/walk about for 2 and a half hours) go for the pit...
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 16, 2019 12:19:13 GMT
I almost bought two tickets last night so I could take my aunt. Slept on it, refreshed the screen this morning and they've gone up £10. Word-of-mouth?
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Post by cherokee on Jun 16, 2019 16:06:36 GMT
I enjoyed this a lot. Oliver Chris and Hammed Animashaun were very funny, and the Mechanicals worked well as a whole. It all looks great. Only fly in the ointment for me was Gwendolen Christie. She was totally wooden. She appears to have a thriving acting career entirely built upon the fact that she's tall...
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Post by jamb0r on Jun 17, 2019 18:05:43 GMT
Caught this on Saturday and ADORED it.
I loathed Shakespeare at school, and was dragged kicking and screaming to Julius Caesar last year and really enjoyed it, so I was very happy to book for this years production.
The whole event was just so much fun, I loved everything about it. Excellent performances, great aerial work and my little gay heart was bursting as numerous points due to the (I presume?) gender switches. I was enjoying it so much by the end I didn’t even think twice about holding a strangers hand in the pit when we were instructed to!
Thinking of going back again at least once more.
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Post by Stephen on Jun 20, 2019 0:51:12 GMT
I enjoyed this tonight but it didn’t quite hit the heights of Julius Caesar. Well acted and every ounce of humour is taken from the text (with some added laughs too!) Bottom was hilarious and stole the production for me. Several beautiful moments too where the staging really works.
I like that the Bridge don’t oversell the pit. It was sold out tonight and there was plenty of space for me to move around.
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Post by Jan on Jun 20, 2019 6:03:22 GMT
I enjoyed this tonight but it didn’t quite hit the heights of Julius Caesar. Well acted and every ounce of humour is taken from the text (with some added laughs too!) Bottom was hilarious and stole the production for me. Several beautiful moments too where the staging really works. I like that the Bridge don’t oversell the pit. It was sold out tonight and there was plenty of space for me to move around. I was there too. I've got no strong feelings either way on this, it was OK. The gender swapping was interesting and a highlight. Compared with Julius Caesar it felt under-cast, and from the pit I felt the staging was less involving and dynamic, but it was still fine. There are lots of laugh lines but almost all of them are modern additions - I always feel this shows a lack of confidence in the original text. I've never seen Gwendoline Christie in anything (including Game of Thrones) and I was a bit underwhelmed, but I have seen Felicity Montagu before as Alan Partridge's long-suffering PA and I liked her here - I suppose that's how it works with well-known TV actors on stage. I found Puck really irritating - far too much acting going on. I've seen about a dozen of Nicholas Hytner's Shakespeare productions and they've all been good - he's one of the best.
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Post by lynette on Jun 20, 2019 8:18:45 GMT
I loved this. Saw it last night. I’ve seen now three productions of this play that are memorable 1. Brooks circus, plate spinning back in the day 2. The gum chewing Richard MCabe puck leather bra wing fairies in the 80s and now 3. This one.
In the Bra wing fairies, Puck came on with the text and chucks it over his shoulder. This is exactly what needs to be done with this play. And it really only works if you do. It is about sex, lust, nuttiness, unfairness,manipulation, and two parallel worlds ( anyone else reminded of Rowling’s two worlds of magic and muggles existing along side each other but only one aware of the other?) Heaven knows why they do this play with juniors. A left over from earlier times I suppose. Loved the change over to Titania having the power, it really worked. and they didn’t wait for the playlet at the end for the funnies. It was funny all through where it was supposed to be. Great work Mr H and nice to see that Arleme Phillips still turning out the good stuff
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