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Post by Phantom of London on Oct 6, 2019 1:19:07 GMT
I'm seeing this in Dartford because tickets were cheaper there than Bromley. Thanks for that. Missed this in Bromley this week, as been on late turn at work and don’t go to local theatre in the week. So will see this in Dartford in November, if the tour doesn’t get pulled. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Oct 6, 2019 6:40:24 GMT
I hope it does well because the same producers are supposed to be doing Bonnie & Clyde next year. They already pulled Boeing-Boeing so it wouldn't be good if another show goes the same way. I actually want to see Bonnie & Clyde!
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Post by dippy on Oct 6, 2019 8:10:00 GMT
I'm going this afternoon, really hope I enjoy it as much as I did when I saw it on Broadway.
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Post by Phantom of London on Oct 6, 2019 12:50:59 GMT
I'm going this afternoon, really hope I enjoy it as much as I did when I saw it on Broadway. See it is on at Bromley this afternoon and seems to have sold very well, live quite close to Bromley, but Sunday is my lazy day. |
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Post by djp on Oct 6, 2019 20:27:50 GMT
Lots of fun. Decent plot. Audience in Bromley seemed to like it .
Casting ends up being a bit odd. Female leads are strong. Ensemble also strong . Samuel Holmes gives an acting tour de force as the director - but the role doesn't give their best male singer much to sing. Ore seems to be the name casting to get a target audience in , he's not sounding unpleasant,and his acting was ok. But he's not a strong singer , and you wonder what brilliant casting process concluded that putting someone who could dance a bit , which wasn't really needed, in, to sing, was a great idea.
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Post by djp on Oct 6, 2019 20:39:34 GMT
As much as anything, it is just so short-sighted not to make tickets affordable to those of more modest means. As a student, I saw West End shows for £4 and £5 in the gods. It consolidated the theatre-going habit. Nowadays, even working in the industry I often won't pay the prices being asked because some producers fail to recognize that while there can be a bunch of tickets at £50 or £60 in the regions, there absolutely must be some at £10 or £15, too. On principle, I won't buy the £60 tickets if I see greedy and short-sighted pricing in play. Theatre cannot allow itself to become even more elitist. Curtains has a large MT cast. 24 are listed in the programme. Someone has to pay them. There is a problem with prices - that's why much of the touring circuit is full up with one man acts, fortune tellers, comics we thought were dead, and plays with half a dozen actors to pay. The musicals at the moment seem divided between what you could have seen a year or three ago, and the new ones that often come with a title that tells you not a lot about what its about. Meanwhile Les Mis and WWRY sell out in days at half their London prices. |
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Post by horton on Oct 6, 2019 21:35:48 GMT
As a producer of 25 years' experience I understand totally about covering costs. What I'm talking about is price range. By all means have top price at £60, but it is essential to have some standard seating at £15. Some potential customers are not versed in obtaining rush or day seats etc- just make the back 4 rows, for example, affordable at face value!
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Post by stevej678 on Oct 7, 2019 12:52:56 GMT
What's the running time for this?
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Oct 7, 2019 13:32:32 GMT
On Friday the expected finish time on the clock above the box office was 22.00. Started 8 minutes late at 19.38 so I expected a finish about 22.10 but it actually ended at 22.23.
So 2 hours 45 minutes including the interval is a safe bet.
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Post by richey on Oct 8, 2019 22:08:47 GMT
Well I really enjoyed this. Went into it not knowing anything about it after being invited by friends and we all agreed it was a fun show.
Very strong ensemble but as has been said previously Ore is the weakest. Really didn't like his solo number. There were one or two missed lighting cues and some of the mics were inaudible but otherwise it was a well produced show with some great choreography.
Looked like a pretty full house tonight in Manchester.
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Post by richey on Oct 9, 2019 8:22:20 GMT
Is there still gunshots in this like Broadway? yes. Several,including one especially loud one |
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Post by sf on Oct 9, 2019 21:16:42 GMT
Saw it this afternoon, and liked it very much. It's not top-drawer Kander and Ebb (it's not top-drawer Rupert Holmes either), but it's an amiable, entertaining, deliberately old-fashioned musical comedy with a better-than-decent score. It's a strong production, too, with lovely performances in most of the major roles. Jason Manford isn't the greatest singer, and isn't the most inventive comic actor - David Hyde Pierce, who originated the role on Broadway, is a very different kind of performer - but he's likeable and charming, and those attributes work in the role. It's not an earth-shattering night out, but it's good, undemanding fun.
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Post by sf on Oct 9, 2019 22:26:08 GMT
As a producer of 25 years' experience I understand totally about covering costs. What I'm talking about is price range. By all means have top price at £60, but it is essential to have some standard seating at £15. Some potential customers are not versed in obtaining rush or day seats etc- just make the back 4 rows, for example, affordable at face value!
But that's exactly what they've done, at least in Manchester. I paid £13 plus booking fees - a total of about £16.50 - for a seat in the stalls (albeit way off to the side - seat Q39, to be exact) for this afternoon's performance at the Palace, and I booked it in advance.
And while I can find pleny of reasons to criticise ATG, those £13 seats are a regular feature. I paid the same for Book for Mormon, albeit for a seat much further back in the stalls.
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Post by horton on Oct 10, 2019 6:59:25 GMT
I'm glad to hear it, but that is not the case in many venues I know. (maybe it's regional)
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Post by ronnette on Oct 10, 2019 20:53:03 GMT
Isn’t Manford from Manchester so a home crowd?
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Post by NorthernAlien on Oct 10, 2019 21:19:32 GMT
Isn’t Manford from Manchester so a home crowd? He is, yes. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Oct 10, 2019 21:49:11 GMT
City of Salford I think, have to be careful about mixing them up.
I was in tonight. I found it to be hugely enjoyable despite not feeling much up to going. The leads are competent enough with the exception of Rebecca Lock who absolutely steals the show with her over the top performance as Carmen Bernstein the tough lady producer. Ore Oduba struggles with the singing but has a nice enough presence. Manford is a bit of a puzzle, he is not leading man material but has improved in the acting massively since Chitty. I don’t really see why he is getting cast so much though. As I said, competent.
But it doesn’t really matter because the brilliant ensemble carry the whole thing along superbly. It’s very tongue in cheek, funny, deliberately old fashioned and very charming. Recommended, especially if Andy Coxon is alternating for Oduba because he will undoubtedly be better.
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Post by stevej678 on Oct 11, 2019 22:53:13 GMT
They were filming at the Palace Theatre tonight. Only three merry Manford fans took to their feet at the end so the audience was asked to give a full, rapturous standing ovation, after a repeat of the bows, for the benefit of the cameras!
As for the show itself, it would have been a lot better half an hour shorter. Samuel Holmes, Rebecca Lock and the ensemble are the stars. Didn't really care who the dastardly villain was but the score is pleasant enough and the production frequently delivers a great spectacle, for sure.
Oh, and Curtains confirms that every play and musical really ought to have a character called Bambi.
Three stars.
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Post by Boob on Oct 11, 2019 22:57:32 GMT
The name’s Elaine. Mother.
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Post by Dawnstar on Oct 12, 2019 11:19:48 GMT
Only three merry Manford fans took to their feet at the end so the audience was asked to give a full, rapturous standing ovation, after a repeat of the bows, for the benefit of the cameras! Lucky I wasn't there - as for the benefit of the cameras there would have been an empty seat rather than an undeserved ovation. If they try doing that at Wimbledon in January then we can do a simultaneous, mirror-image exit! Making the audience give a standing ovation sounds a) tacky as hell & b) false advertising, assuming they're going to use it for promo videos. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Oct 12, 2019 11:41:41 GMT
I imagine the cast weren’t that comfortable being involved in it either, including JM.
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Post by theatregod on Oct 12, 2019 17:06:10 GMT
That’s pretty lame!! Why would the audience be in the camera footage anyway? Are they try to recreate the back view image ‘we will rock you’ used their posters? Is it that type of show ?
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Post by marob on Oct 12, 2019 22:57:55 GMT
Only three merry Manford fans took to their feet at the end so the audience was asked to give a full, rapturous standing ovation, after a repeat of the bows, for the benefit of the cameras! Lucky I wasn't there - as for the benefit of the cameras there would have been an empty seat rather than an undeserved ovation. That was my initial reaction too when I read it this morning, but I've thought about it a few times since. I keep imagining how awkward and embarrassing it must have been for both the cast and the audience, and I can't help but have a guilty little laugh. I do feel bad for the cast though, they shouldn't have been asked to do it again. I think most theatre trailers are pretty bad, but I'm now looking forward to seeing this one, even if it is for the wrong reasons... |
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Post by richey on Oct 13, 2019 11:19:14 GMT
Apparently some of the cast including Jason Manford went into the showtunes bar in the gay village after last night's show. They've posted a clip of them singing an impromptu version of "Stars". Never happens when I go in there! Typical!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Oct 13, 2019 13:19:13 GMT
Apparently some of the cast including Jason Manford went into the showtunes bar in the gay village after last night's show. They've posted a clip of them singing an impromptu version of "Stars". Never happens when I go in there! Typical! I bet you’ve got your own stool and Toby Jug at Oscars eh richey? The Times gives this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ WoS a less enthusiastic ⭐️⭐️ |
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