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Post by distantcousin on Dec 15, 2018 17:54:26 GMT
Book of Mormon - it's ok but nothing I'd not really seen before so wasn't understanding the fuss totally agree on Mormon - both my friend and I stopped finding it amusing after the first 40 minutes and actually found so much of it to be poor writing masquerading as satire and shock value.
Was so bored in act 2, I went to the loo! It was so predictable how it would all turn out too. Truly terrible. Yet afterwards, people were elated by it including some Australian acquaintances of me we went for dinner with after who were rapturous.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2018 18:23:21 GMT
The only show I can say that I absolutely hated was School of Rock, there's no denying the kids are really good, but my life I was bored to tears. The audience loved it but me and my Grandad really did not enjoy it. I must say I went about a year ago, Saturday night, and the theatre was near enough half empty. I think that added to my boredom, there wasn't an ounce of atmosphere. I'm quite surprised this is still running considering it was quiet a year ago, god knows that it must be like now. And to top the night off as we walked out of the theatre we watched a taxi hit a woman, throwing her in the air! Great night has by all! Oh I'd forgotten about School of Rock - hated it so much I'd blocked it out of my mind entirely! I think I was the only one in the theatre not enjoying myself. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2018 18:40:44 GMT
Another few - Drowsy Chaperone (extremely flimsy), Grey Gardens (pallid score and questionable ethically), Carrie (performed like a CBeebies cartoon) and The Life (very questionable ethically).
On people who hark back to an imaginary golden age. On one of our American equivalents, and I swear I’m not making this up, there were a series of posts recently saying that revivals of shows weren’t necessary when there was a perfectly good original production that could be recreated. Jaw dropping stuff, really.
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Post by missthelma on Dec 15, 2018 20:10:03 GMT
Fun Home. Fun Home & oh yes Fun Home.
More disappointing as I was so looking forward to it and had booked nearly a year in advance. Obviously anyone can have a bad day but I thought the cast were almost entirely dreadful at the performance I attended, the actor playing the father seemed amatuer in the extreme with a poor vocal ability, showing great personal ignorance I had never heard of him and was amazed reading after that this was not his first professional production (like I say, maybe it was a bad day). Child actors have a built in annoyance factor and having that many at a time is a recipe for disaster. I was astonished that the role played by Jenna Russell here (and Judy Kuhn, Rebecca Luker on Broadway) was essentially a one song cameo. What a waste. The music seemed to be a series of dissonant chords played randomly to show how clever the writer was. At the end at least 2/3 rds of the audience leapt to their feet in a bordeline orgasmic rapture whilst I and the other third clapped half heartedly and looked a little dazed.
And also while I'm here, The Bodyguard. Can anybody explain to me the appeal of that diabolically bad travesty of a show which I cannot even call a musical as that would be an insult, even to Fun Home which at least tried. And yet, people rave and it seems like it will run forever on tour.....
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3,578 posts
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Post by showgirl on Dec 15, 2018 21:43:29 GMT
Yes, School of Rock must also join my growing list - though I escaped that one at the interval in disbelief & disgust.
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Post by kasper on Dec 15, 2018 22:44:15 GMT
Let's drop a bomb...
I was completely amazed that everybody in the auditorium became so wild.
I thought Wicked was a total flop.
I felt alone on this planet for a moment.
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1,127 posts
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Dec 16, 2018 1:32:03 GMT
Interesting question. I've often felt that way.
I enjoyed and appreciated Fun Home and The Inheritence as works of theatre, but neither touched me emotionally as a gay person the way I expected them too. I felt disconnected from the audience especially knowing much of the audience was likely gay. I believe it's because I was raised in a theatre family and grew up in Soho, so never knew there were parts of the world where being gay wasn't considered completely ordinary and normal until years after I came out. I never felt isolated by my sexuality, so I don't need or respond emotionally to "representation" the way other LGBT audience members may do.
I saw Hadestown on press night and noted the disparity between the raucous stalls and muted circle. I can't explain it, except to say the NT bunged all the Brit industry guests into the circle for once and kept the stalls for a large group of Americans who evidently were friends of the show. I guess they wanted critics to be surrounded by enthusiasm.
Otoh I was the only one going wild at Grease.
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4,156 posts
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Post by kathryn on Dec 16, 2018 9:08:38 GMT
Dreamgirls that left me completely cold while everyone else was losing their mind. And The King and I made me realise that I just don’t connect with that traditional style of musical.
Oh, and I don’t get why people love Kinky Boots at all.
But as someone on here once said to me: it’s almost as if people respond to art in different ways... 🤔
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2,859 posts
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Post by couldileaveyou on Dec 16, 2018 9:13:31 GMT
Chess at ENO, the material is so poor and the book so idiotic that I was preparing to leave at the interval. The guy next to me told his wife, "isn't this an amazing work of art?" 🙄
Although I did enjoy The Inheritance and I don't think it's bad at all, I don't think it's that dramatic masterpiece people describe on its thread. The writing is pretty bananas at times.
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Post by distantcousin on Dec 16, 2018 9:25:13 GMT
Yes, School of Rock must also join my growing list - though I escaped that one at the interval in disbelief & disgust.
Oh gawd. I keep planning to see this - as a ALW completist - I feel I must (I've seen all his shows bar By Jeeves) but so much dislike for it here, is making me wonder now!
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Post by Someone in a tree on Dec 16, 2018 10:05:57 GMT
Michael Ball aside Chess at ENO
Sunset at ENO
An early preview of Legally Blonde with La Smith
Follies at the Nash
Merrily at MCF
Lion King
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2018 10:24:34 GMT
Really enjoyed reading this thread.
A few for me:
The main one - Hamilton. The main issue - laughing! There's a few moments where you would smile, or maybe a little laugh but in the main it is not a comedy. But people around me were in loud hysterics at every 'joke,' immediately, sometimes a fraction before the 'punchline' was delivered. To me that created an atmosphere of 'we know the show and we know it backwards and this is our club. That aside, a good musical, but nowhere near the hype. Oddly I would have enjoyed it much more in a half empty theatre.
Other recent ones:
Young Frankenstein - everyone around me in HYSTERICS. The odd light amusement from me only.
Jamie - now this show I enjoyed and the message is a good one. But the fan girl screaming and hysteria contingent is increasing.
Oh and lots of mentions of Fun Home - never seen it but not surprised. The CD is awful, just music that IMHO is not pleasant to the ear!
I could be another of the 'old' (well, 42) cynics - my Golden era being 80/90s. But I am always open to loving new stuff so I don't think it's limiting factor (Here Lies Love/Dagenham/Sixpence/Kinky/Bat all loved)
Oh, one last one - ENO's Sunset. Everyone LOVED Glennis. But she just cannot sing that score - don't care if she's the world's best actress, and anyway in the ENO unless you'd remortgaged your house you wouldn't be in a seat where you could see her facial expressions. And even if you could would be obvious she's far too old for the role. But again, I was totally in the minority. The audience went wild!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2018 11:30:42 GMT
A hype based one: Hamilton. Did not enjoy it in London at all to the extent I cancelled a return trip. Which is not the musical's fault- I loved it in NY, but at that point it was over-saturated and I just wasn't into it. A year on and actually I may revisit in 2019, the music and the production is wonderful, but you can have too much of a good thing in the wider white noise sense.
Also The Inheritance for me. I have particular issues related to the closeness of my work/research etc to it. And while it's a marvellous work, it's not a perfect masterpiece that some think it is (not the same as 'i had an incredibly emotional experience') which made me feel like I was missing something.
Also to a lesser degree Dance Nation, I just didn't feel as strongly about it- a very well crafted play and production but it didn't floor me.
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494 posts
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Post by ellie1981 on Dec 16, 2018 11:39:32 GMT
A couple at the Old Vic in recent years - The Crucible and Clarence Darrow. I was just bored throughout and struggled to keep my head up. My friends loved them both and I had to feign interest in their post-show discussions.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2018 11:43:40 GMT
A couple at the Old Vic in recent years - The Crucible and Clarence Darrow. I was just bored throughout and struggled to keep my head up. My friends loved them both and I had to feign interest in their post-show discussions. I had a really weird one with The Crucible, with a friend berating me for not crying. Let's be real first of all I was only there because I enjoy looking at Richard Armitage for extended periods of time. Secondly I have studied and taught that play to the point as a play I bored to DEATH (pardon the pun) and also I don't personally find it that emotional...but I was apparently very wrong because I didn't sit sobbing at the end |
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Post by viserys on Dec 16, 2018 12:07:05 GMT
A hype based one: Hamilton. Did not enjoy it in London at all to the extent I cancelled a return trip. Which is not the musical's fault- I loved it in NY, but at that point it was over-saturated and I just wasn't into it. A year on and actually I may revisit in 2019, the music and the production is wonderful, but you can have too much of a good thing in the wider white noise sense. This |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2018 13:08:11 GMT
The main one - Hamilton. The main issue - laughing! There's a few moments where you would smile, or maybe a little laugh but in the main it is not a comedy. But people around me were in loud hysterics at every 'joke,' immediately, sometimes a fraction before the 'punchline' was delivered. To me that created an atmosphere of 'we know the show and we know it backwards and this is our club. That aside, a good musical, but nowhere near the hype. Oddly I would have enjoyed it much more in a half empty theatre. This is very similar to my response to Heathers. I wouldn't have minded if we'd all gone in fairly blank and warmed up to the show together, I think I'd've enjoyed it a lot more if we had, but when the audience goes from 0-60 the second the lights go down, it really does affect the atmosphere for those who aren't already in the club, as it were. |
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Post by distantcousin on Dec 16, 2018 13:24:39 GMT
The main one - Hamilton. The main issue - laughing! There's a few moments where you would smile, or maybe a little laugh but in the main it is not a comedy. But people around me were in loud hysterics at every 'joke,' immediately, sometimes a fraction before the 'punchline' was delivered. To me that created an atmosphere of 'we know the show and we know it backwards and this is our club. That aside, a good musical, but nowhere near the hype. Oddly I would have enjoyed it much more in a half empty theatre. This is very similar to my response to Heathers. I wouldn't have minded if we'd all gone in fairly blank and warmed up to the show together, I think I'd've enjoyed it a lot more if we had, but when the audience goes from 0-60 the second the lights go down, it really does affect the atmosphere for those who aren't already in the club, as it were. I hate that. My experience of Rocky Horror Show was marred by this. It smacks of terrible "we're in the gang" mentality. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2018 13:36:20 GMT
The main one - Hamilton. The main issue - laughing! There's a few moments where you would smile, or maybe a little laugh but in the main it is not a comedy. But people around me were in loud hysterics at every 'joke,' immediately, sometimes a fraction before the 'punchline' was delivered. To me that created an atmosphere of 'we know the show and we know it backwards and this is our club. That aside, a good musical, but nowhere near the hype. Oddly I would have enjoyed it much more in a half empty theatre. This is very similar to my response to Heathers. I wouldn't have minded if we'd all gone in fairly blank and warmed up to the show together, I think I'd've enjoyed it a lot more if we had, but when the audience goes from 0-60 the second the lights go down, it really does affect the atmosphere for those who aren't already in the club, as it were. Add me to this club. I had issues with the show but i didn't hate it. I did hate feeling like I was the odd one out for not losing my sh*t as, you say, as the lights went down. |
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Post by winonaforever on Dec 16, 2018 14:57:25 GMT
The main one - Hamilton. The main issue - laughing! There's a few moments where you would smile, or maybe a little laugh but in the main it is not a comedy. But people around me were in loud hysterics at every 'joke,' immediately, sometimes a fraction before the 'punchline' was delivered. To me that created an atmosphere of 'we know the show and we know it backwards and this is our club. That aside, a good musical, but nowhere near the hype. Oddly I would have enjoyed it much more in a half empty theatre. This is very similar to my response to Heathers. I wouldn't have minded if we'd all gone in fairly blank and warmed up to the show together, I think I'd've enjoyed it a lot more if we had, but when the audience goes from 0-60 the second the lights go down, it really does affect the atmosphere for those who aren't already in the club, as it were. Oh dear, that would have been me then, I was wildly excited every time I went to Heathers... |
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Post by duncan on Dec 16, 2018 14:59:31 GMT
Wicked.
For me its a 4/10 show, poor songs and hideous plotting do not a good show make but everyone else there was cheering after EVERY single little thing that happened on stage.
Actress comes on, near standing ovation.
Actress sings song, near standing ovation.
Actress does some terrible comedy bit, near standing ovation.
Actress recites lines from a script that sounds like it was written by a 4 year old, near standing ovation.
Actress goes off, standing ovation.
It must have been what its like to be at the Cup Final but sat in the wrong end.
Terrifying.
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Post by distantcousin on Dec 16, 2018 15:46:12 GMT
Wicked. For me its a 4/10 show, poor songs and hideous plotting do not a good show make but everyone else there was cheering after EVERY single little thing that happened on stage. Actress comes on, near standing ovation. Actress sings song, near standing ovation. Actress does some terrible comedy bit, near standing ovation. Actress recites lines from a script that sounds like it was written by a 4 year old, near standing ovation. Actress goes off, standing ovation. It must have been what its like to be at the Cup Final but sat in the wrong end. Terrifying. I'm part fascinated, part horrified as to what conditions created the audience culture of this show... |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2018 15:55:50 GMT
Wicked. For me its a 4/10 show, poor songs and hideous plotting do not a good show make but everyone else there was cheering after EVERY single little thing that happened on stage. Actress comes on, near standing ovation. Actress sings song, near standing ovation. Actress does some terrible comedy bit, near standing ovation. Actress recites lines from a script that sounds like it was written by a 4 year old, near standing ovation. Actress goes off, standing ovation. It must have been what its like to be at the Cup Final but sat in the wrong end. Terrifying. Were you by any chance at a cast change performance? Superfans are not normally that over the top at a normal performance, judging by my experience. Not defending them, I know they can be really annoying sometimes. |
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 16, 2018 17:09:01 GMT
The main one - Hamilton. The main issue - laughing! There's a few moments where you would smile, or maybe a little laugh but in the main it is not a comedy. But people around me were in loud hysterics at every 'joke,' immediately, sometimes a fraction before the 'punchline' was delivered. To me that created an atmosphere of 'we know the show and we know it backwards and this is our club. That aside, a good musical, but nowhere near the hype. Oddly I would have enjoyed it much more in a half empty theatre. I loved Hamilton, but I did enjoy it more the second time round, when the audience was more muted. The first time was very shortly after opening, and the audience was clearly full of super-fans, as you say, in hysterics at every mildly funny part or laughing ahead of the joke. The second time was more recently, with a much more relaxed audience, and less of the feeling you describe of not being in the club.
I think I'm right in saying that early performances had an extra bar of silence factored in after the first 'Alexander Hamilton' to wait for cheers to die down, which didn't happen on my second visit.
I still really enjoyed the show on both occasions, but I totally get where you're coming from. And it's the reason I didn't even bother going to see Heathers, as the descriptions of audience behaviour both here and on Twitter put me off.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2018 19:11:31 GMT
'The Emperor's New Clothes'. I mean 'Hamilton'.
The audience around me were acting like it was the second coming of Christ. Thank ALW for being Jewish. We don't go in for all of that normally, let alone at the theatre.
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