133 posts
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Post by japhun on Jan 15, 2019 12:58:24 GMT
I felt so disconnected from her trauma and plight that she was suffering... #MiddleClassProblems Middle? Ha!  |
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133 posts
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Post by japhun on Jan 15, 2019 13:01:25 GMT
Watching Wednesday. Saw the Broadway production with Sutton a few years back and was beyond underwhelmed (and I love Sutton!) Just wondering- does anyone know if Violet will have the scar visible on her face? Sutton didn’t and I felt so disconnected from her trauma and plight that she was suffering... Looking forward to seeing it! Neither Sutton or Lauren Ward when she originated the role had a visible scar, so I imagine it will keep the scar invisible to the audience. I remember watching an interview where they said the reasoning was that the scar wasn't visable so that you can see the emotional scars something like that can leace, rather than the face value, literal scars.  Yeah I didn’t figure they would. I am looking forward to seeing the show again. I thought it would be a new twist on previous productions, but would be a leap from before. Thanks for the reply |
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Post by apubleed on Jan 17, 2019 9:18:43 GMT
Is it me or are sales absolutely abysmal?
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1,287 posts
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Post by theatrefan77 on Jan 17, 2019 10:11:28 GMT
Yes, it's not selling at all and previews are heavily papered. Hopefully it will change if it gets good reviews.
I thought that overall this was better than Fun Home, which for me it was just ok.
Similar themes as Fun Home in some way, childhood traumatic events having their effect on adult life. Very nicely staged with good acting and singing. A few bits needed to be ironed but I only saw the first preview and it can only get better.
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133 posts
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Post by japhun on Jan 17, 2019 13:35:34 GMT
Saw it last night- half empty.
I enjoyed this more the second time around (after being underwhelmed by the Broadway production) and understood it’s
complexities a bit more.
If you aren’t in the right frame of mind, you will be bored (and I was bored during the choir scenes), but it is a lovely piece of theatre.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2019 13:55:00 GMT
Asking those who have seen it, how is the set in a theatre usually designed for a standard, end stage design? Does the seating work? Any set blocking areas of the seating? |
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133 posts
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Post by japhun on Jan 17, 2019 18:40:43 GMT
Asking those who have seen it, how is the set in a theatre usually designed for a standard, end stage design? Does the seating work? Any set blocking areas of the seating? The seating seemed far away for such a small theatre. I (luckily) booked a balcony seat and had a bird's eye view directly above the stage- LOVED IT (even though you miss a couple of entrances) |
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Post by hitmewithurbethshot on Jan 17, 2019 20:54:02 GMT
Is it structurally similar to Caroline or Change? Considering going but I found Caroline incredibly boring so if it's the same composer I might not like this either. Though I do enjoy Jay Marsh in anything
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Post by melly on Jan 17, 2019 22:14:33 GMT
I would be wary of being cheap and booking the back rows. I was row T, and the angle you're watching at is much steeper than it was designed to be, because the stage is so much further forward. So every head, in every seat, in front of you is potentially an issue. I was much more aware of the rest of the audience than I should have been, because I was looking down across them, rather than over.
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1,970 posts
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Post by sf on Jan 18, 2019 17:36:28 GMT
Saw this last night. I've loved the score for a long time - since the first recording came out - and the production lives up to my expectations. There are still some places where the pacing needs to be tightened a little, and they need to get off the fence about whether they're going to allow applause after individual musical numbers (there was one point where people started to applaud after a song and an actor picked up his cue, stopping the applause - either he picked up his cue too quickly, or he didn't pick it up quickly enough to prevent the audience from beginning to applaud). Good direction, fine supporting performances, excellent work from the girl playing Young Violet (Amy Mepham last night). Kaisa Hammarlund is absolutely heartbreaking.
It's very, very good indeed. I hope it gets the reviews I think it deserves, because it really needs them. A glance at the website suggests advance sales are pretty dismal.
The reconfigured seating plan for this is a BIG improvement, and significantly reduces the sense you used to get in there of looking down a tunnel at the stage.
And a suggestion for the Charing Cross Theatre: if you're going to allow agencies like Whatsonstage to sell print-at-home tickets that need to be scanned on entry by a wifi-connected device, MAKE SURE YOUR WIFI ACTUALLY WORKS.
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1,970 posts
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Post by sf on Jan 18, 2019 17:53:29 GMT
I would be wary of being cheap and booking the back rows. I was row T, and the angle you're watching at is much steeper than it was designed to be, because the stage is so much further forward. So every head, in every seat, in front of you is potentially an issue. I was much more aware of the rest of the audience than I should have been, because I was looking down across them, rather than over.
For other shows in that theatre, that back row has been on sale at the same price as non-premium stalls seats further forward. At £21, based on the layout for this, it is reasonable value, and possibly better value than the (more expensive) balcony seats. Even given the rake, the view will be better than it usually is from the side benches they've replaced. The view won't be as good as it is from the first couple of rows, but - newsflash! - the view from the cheap seats is never as good as the view from more expensive ones, and paying more isn't always an option.
I saw SWEAT yesterday, for example, from the £10 seats in the Donmar. In that case, even if I'd wanted to pay more (and I didn't), there was literally no other choice when I booked the ticket: I couldn't get online at the exact time tickets went on sale, and when I got to a computer an hour or so later, that was what was left for the performance that fit my schedule. I didn't get as good a view as the people who paid £40, but I did get an experience that was worth having. The view from row T in the stalls in the Charing Cross Theatre, believe me, is better than the view from row C of the circle in the Donmar, where you're viewing the stage from (way) above AND from the side - but it was that or nothing, and the view was good enough to make the experience worthwhile.
For VIOLET, I imagine discounts will not be difficult to find unless it gets really spectacular reviews (which as far as I'm concerned it deserves) - but if no discount is forthcoming, seats in that row are significantly better value for this production than they have been in the past, when sitting in the back of the house has left you feeling as if you're peering down a tunnel at the stage.
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1,970 posts
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Post by sf on Jan 18, 2019 18:00:14 GMT
...and one more thing: the programme and the signs in the lobby say the show runs 90 minutes with no intermission. Last night it was closer to 110 - which I expected, it's the same version of the script used in the Broadway production, for which the running time was listed as 1 hour 45 minutes - and they are not going to get it down to 90 minutes without making huge cuts, which I would guess isn't going to happen. If you're planning trains etc, assume 1 hour 45.
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Post by melly on Jan 18, 2019 20:22:38 GMT
I would be wary of being cheap and booking the back rows. I was row T, and the angle you're watching at is much steeper than it was designed to be, because the stage is so much further forward. So every head, in every seat, in front of you is potentially an issue. I was much more aware of the rest of the audience than I should have been, because I was looking down across them, rather than over.
For other shows in that theatre, that back row has been on sale at the same price as non-premium stalls seats further forward. At £21, based on the layout for this, it is reasonable value, and possibly better value than the (more expensive) balcony seats. Even given the rake, the view will be better than it usually is from the side benches they've replaced. The view won't be as good as it is from the first couple of rows, but - newsflash! - the view from the cheap seats is never as good as the view from more expensive ones, and paying more isn't always an option.
I paid nothing for the seat, didn't make the sea of moving people any less distracting, and there wasn't anyone in the seat in front of me. Just giving a helpful warning to anyone booking, as the cheaper back rows seem to be getting a lot of recommendation based on the usual layout. Pillars, balconies, edges of circles and overhangs don't move, people do. Personally, I'm way more distracted/bothered by that than having to peer uncomfortably because of a restricted view, and just wanted to give people that extra piece of information to consider. Also, I paid £16 to see it with Sutton Foster, so £21 to look at people's heads isn't great value! |
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Post by sf on Jan 18, 2019 21:43:44 GMT
I paid nothing for the seat, didn't make the sea of moving people any less distracting, and there wasn't anyone in the seat in front of me. Just giving a helpful warning to anyone booking, as the cheaper back rows seem to be getting a lot of recommendation based on the usual layout. Pillars, balconies, edges of circles and overhangs don't move, people do. Personally, I'm way more distracted/bothered by that than having to peer uncomfortably because of a restricted view, and just wanted to give people that extra piece of information to consider. In no way, shape or form could those seats be described as "restricted view", and the rake is significantly steeper than the rake in the stalls of most West End theatres. It's a non-issue. For those of us who actually have to pay for our theatre tickets, more expensive seats are not always an option. As I said, for the price they're charging, those seats are reasonable value, possibly better value than the more expensive balcony seats, and better value than they have been for other productions in the same venue. When price enters the equation, sometimes you have to be prepared to compromise. |
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Post by melly on Jan 18, 2019 22:00:36 GMT
I paid nothing for the seat, didn't make the sea of moving people any less distracting, and there wasn't anyone in the seat in front of me. Just giving a helpful warning to anyone booking, as the cheaper back rows seem to be getting a lot of recommendation based on the usual layout. Pillars, balconies, edges of circles and overhangs don't move, people do. Personally, I'm way more distracted/bothered by that than having to peer uncomfortably because of a restricted view, and just wanted to give people that extra piece of information to consider. In no way, shape or form could those seats be described as "restricted view", and the rake is significantly steeper than the rake in the stalls of most West End theatres. It's a non-issue. For those of us who actually have to pay for our theatre tickets, more expensive seats are not always an option. As I said, for the price they're charging, those seats are reasonable value, possibly better value than the more expensive balcony seats, and better value than they have been for other productions in the same venue. When price enters the equation, sometimes you have to be prepared to compromise. I have no idea who you are or why you've felt the need to tear apart my posts, without even reading them correctly, but I won't bother trying to post advice to help others in future. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2019 12:38:22 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2019 17:54:45 GMT
I really hope the reviews are stellar and this picks up business, it's selling horribly! I hope it lasts until the end of the run.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2019 18:16:37 GMT
Now home after seeing Violet this afternoon, I’m afraid it jut wasn’t for me though. I’ll admit that the experience has more than likely been marred due to the person sat next to me, details of which I’ll provide in the Bad Behaviour thread later, but it’s difficult to tell. The reconfigured layout works well for this, and Kaisa Hammarlund was lovely, yet that’s where the compliments dry up. Jay Marsh is great as Flick but Monty, played by Matthew Harvey, could have been performed much better by another actor. The music is inoffensive though each song is indistinguishable from one another. I’m pleased to have seen it, but I won’t be rushing back.
Two and a half stars from me.
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Post by Mark on Jan 19, 2019 22:00:16 GMT
3 stars from me.
It was good, but not great, and seemed to take a while to get going. The staging works very well though, and Kaisa Hammarlund does very well. Music was enjoyable but the plot I wasn’t mad on.
I was in row R on the twenty pound deal and thought it decent enough value - just I wouldn’t go much further back as other comments have mentioned you look down over the heads rather than across. I felt they were playing to our side a lot but having no experience sitting the other side - maybe it was pretty even!
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Post by robertb213 on Jan 19, 2019 22:15:24 GMT
As someone who yawned through Caroline Or Change and was unimpressed by Fun Home, I actually enjoyed this today! I loved the new seating layout and the end of Row N was perfect. No real standout songs but still enjoyable music. The piece belongs to Kaisa, she shines and it's worth seeing just for her performance.
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1,970 posts
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Post by sf on Jan 19, 2019 23:40:25 GMT
Is it structurally similar to Caroline or Change? Considering going but I found Caroline incredibly boring so if it's the same composer I might not like this either. Though I do enjoy Jay Marsh in anything
Caroline... is basically an opera (and was describes as such in the programme by the composer and librettist, at least at Hampstead). Violet is a book musical, albeit a music-heavy one, and it has far more in the way of standalone identifiable songs, some of which are very memorable ('On My Way', 'Luck of the Draw', 'Let It Sing', 'Lonely Stranger', 'Lay Down Your Head', 'That's What I Could Do'). There are some of the same 60s pop influences you hear in Caroline..., but it's a much more accessible score.
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Post by yokollama on Jan 20, 2019 19:17:49 GMT
The website indicates a running time of roughly 100 minutes. Could anyone please confirm this?
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1,970 posts
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Post by sf on Jan 20, 2019 20:59:43 GMT
The website indicates a running time of roughly 100 minutes. Could anyone please confirm this?
It was slightly longer than that on Thursday night, but only slightly - it started a few minutes late and finished around 9.20pm. I would say expect 105 minutes.
The programme says the running time is 90 minutes (unless they've changed it since Thursday) and that's way off, and it isn't going to be attainable without significant cuts.
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Post by robertb213 on Jan 20, 2019 23:20:49 GMT
Yes, it finished between 9.15 and 9.20 on Saturday night 😀
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Post by Phantom of London on Jan 21, 2019 0:22:27 GMT
Dead handy for me, my train leaves at 9:24 from the station above, might give it a bonus stat for that reason (joking), this is when theatre works well.
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