529 posts
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Post by jampot on Mar 8, 2023 0:30:43 GMT
From what i heard..the first half was with the house lights on. Second half was as normal.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Mar 8, 2023 2:51:26 GMT
From what i heard..the first half was with the house lights on. Second half was as normal.
We got let in at 8pm, yes house lights on for first half, full production for second half and finished at 11pm.
So I only got a ticket for this last week, after it got the most nominations for a musical at the Olivier awards. That piqued my interest and there were only 3 or 4 seats left for a few of the remaining performances.
**Spoiler Ahead** Although this is set on the Park Hill Estate, the story could be about any of the Brutalist estate's in the UK, like Thamesmead (This reminded me alot of Beautiful Thing) or The Heygate in Elephant and Castle. They all promised a new start when they were built but soon descended in disrepair and bad reputations. I thought it was OK, but was expecting more, given the raves on here and all the nominations it got. It does feel more like a play with music and I thought some of the songs didn't really add much to the story. If they didn't constantly repeat the same lines over and over in the songs, they could easily lose 10 mins from the running time. I am baffled by it's nomination for 'Best Original Score or New Orchestrations' If the songs were from Richard Hawleys back catalogue, how is it original, when it wasn't written for the stage? Was some of it new and is therefore it qualified? Actually I am baffled by a most of it's nominations.
The set does look impressive when you first see it, but half of it doesn't need to be there. You could easily just have the main floorplan space and area around it and it would do just the same thing. I also thought it was well directed and choreographed, until you started to realise that the choreography was just people repeating movements over and over in the various songs.
I felt most of the characters were all a bit one note and Alex Young seemed miscast. I wasn't sure what her character was about. I thought she had mental health issues at first, given how unstable she seemed and when she took Nikki back at the end, it confirmed that yes, she definitely has issues. Why would you take someone back who has cheated on you, is the total opposite of you personality wise and doesn't come across as a particularly nice person, let alone someone who would stalk you from over 200 miles away and lies to people to be able to get near your front door?? Maimuna Menon has an interesting voice and sang her song well, but i don't get her nomination for best Actress in a supporting role. I wonder how they decided to put her forward for supporting role, when Faith Omole got Best Actress in a musical nomination? It's very much an ensemble show. Do we not have Best actress in a leading role? Faith Omole was probably the standout for me in the cast and Joy is probably the best written character up there. She had a nice arc to her story and her voice had a lovely tone to it. I would definitely be looking out to see what she goes into next.
The big ending of of Act 1 seemed to come out of nowhere and it had no impact on the second half. Speaking of, the second half seemed to be rushed and full of cliche's.
I was also confused at the end. Was it the same guy playing Jimmy and also Poppy's son?? How did Harry die? I half expected him to throw himself off the roof, given that they mentioned it in the first half and given that Harry was obviously on a downward spiral He felt more like Mickey in Blood Brothers, as did the estate agent/narrator. Also, Rachel Wooding's Poppy seemed to be played like 'Joanna Riding playing Poppy'
Despite my quibbles with the show, I thought it was OK but feel it's all a bit 'the emporers new clothes' But we can't all like the same things. Tammy Faye for the Win! even though it was robbed of a Best New Score nom...
off topic - I'm sure I went to a club in Sheffied, back in the day, was it called 'Planets' or something?? long before The Leadmill and Gatecrasher came along.
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Post by shownut on Mar 8, 2023 6:49:33 GMT
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Post by lewis on Mar 9, 2023 9:43:02 GMT
I was also confused at the end. Was it the same guy playing Jimmy and also Poppy's son?? {Spoiler - click to view}
Yes - Well, presumably you mean Rose - Rose and Harry's son was Jimmy. And Jimmy and Joy's daughter was Connie, the estate agent. That's how all three timelines are linked, as well as all taking place in the same flat. |
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Mar 9, 2023 17:03:00 GMT
I was also confused at the end. Was it the same guy playing Jimmy and also Poppy's son?? {Spoiler - click to view}
Yes - Well, presumably you mean Rose - Rose and Harry's son was Jimmy. And Jimmy and Joy's daughter was Connie, the estate agent. That's how all three timelines are linked, as well as all taking place in the same flat. I did mean Rose, my bad. I had no idea about Connie being Jimmy and Joys daughter. At what point was that revelation made in the show? Maybe seeing the first half, which was like a fully staged concert, without any idea of what year it was or any production lighting preventd me from being more invested in the show. Still wouldnt make it an original score though  |
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Post by mrnutz on Mar 9, 2023 17:04:51 GMT
Has anyone tried the box office day seats for this? If so, where are they located?
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Post by sophie92 on Mar 10, 2023 5:59:52 GMT
Has anyone tried the box office day seats for this? If so, where are they located? We had back row of the circle, round the side (G74 I think it was, or close to it) - distant but a really good view |
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Post by dlevi on Mar 10, 2023 7:25:25 GMT
I didn't hate it, I just felt as if they didn't know what they wanted to say. There was a disconnect between the songs and the book. Very well performed and I wasn't bored but the whole thing felt very much like a triumph of regional theatre instead of something which spoke to a larger world.
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Mar 10, 2023 8:04:02 GMT
Really enjoyed this last night. Visually beautiful, with some incredible arrangements and music, especially the large scale group numbers. Reminded me a lot of Girl From the North Country as an experience - neither are really traditional musicals, but rather use songs and music to set a mood or enhance emotion. The lyrics are rarely directly relevant to the plot and are often performed by actors not in the current scenes.
That works very well, and I found the first act engrossing and effective. The second act felt flat. Lovely performances and staging, but it just felt like it lost focus and the central device of intertwining timelines gave way to just scene after scene interspersed with (still excellent) songs. I had also guessed all links between timelines by the end of the first act so the twists/reveals didn’t have much impact.
I also didn’t care at all for Poppy’s story. I thought Alex Young have a brilliant performance, but she is - unfortunately - a full character. In both other timelines characters are “real people” (to quote the show) who are dealing with gritty, earthy, “real” issues. She’s just trying to get over a breakup and - IMO - it loses significance when seen in parallel with the other plots. Then again, maybe that’s partly the point?
Overall though, an excellent piece of work and it’s fantastic to see something so organic and so regionally British doing so well.
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Post by jek on Mar 10, 2023 15:42:48 GMT
I enjoyed this last night - and I went in not being sure that I would. My partner and daughter were very keen to see it (the latter because she had so loved Maimuna Memon in Ghost Quartet). The music definitely wasn't what I'd usually listen to but I was engaged by the whole thing. The clever way in which the stories were nested into each other, the wonderful choreography, all the performances were great. It also personally resonated in that my parents were rehoused from what was basically a slum tenement to the 13th floor of an East End tower block when I was six months old and they always spoke of those initial years as some sort of nirvana. Underfloor heating! A view of the London skyline! Sixteen years later the council rehoused us when the block had become a by-word for vandalism and anti social behaviour. I'm sure many people could tell similar stories and that is one reason why it is a story which reaches beyond a particular geographical audience. I'm glad I was convinced to buy tickets.
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Post by happytobehere on Mar 11, 2023 10:29:45 GMT
Looked back to see my first post in this thread was back in 2019 asking if this could transfer to London so I could see it, and having seen it last night I can confirm it was worth the nearly 4 year wait. I’m usually an embarrassingly stoic person but the ending of this show made me cry. Such an easy 5 stars for me.
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Post by TallPaul on Mar 11, 2023 14:57:09 GMT
Well worth a watch. You can see the difference between Phase 1 of the regeneration, Poppy's phase, and Phase 2, which is much closer to the 'original' Park Hill. Joanne's accent is completely authentic...and even stronger than Richard Hawley's!
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Post by colelarson on Mar 12, 2023 11:04:35 GMT
Saw this again yesterday for the Matinee performance. It was a dementia friendly performance which was a nice idea to show theatre is accessible to all and Bobbie Little (Connie) introduced the show.
Stand-out performer for me is Faith Omole as Joy, her rich soul vocals are stunning and highly deserved of the Olivier Nomination. I do think Rachael Wooding should have been nominated as well but hopefully the show will win Best New Musical.
Also enjoyed Maimuna Memon whose voice reminds me of Amy Winehouse, great rendition of "Open Up Your Door" again.
Even though I knew the ending I sobbed once again, I really do hope this gets another chance to shine as it's a fantastic show.
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Post by Jay on Mar 12, 2023 17:22:22 GMT
I wasn’t interested in seeing this show after various reviews saying it was or wasn’t this or that. Regardless, I entered the Friday rush last week and luckily got to see it yesterday matinee. I’m struggling to think of a show in the last 20 years which affected me the way this show did. Faith and Maimuna simply insane at their craft.
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Post by showgirl on Mar 13, 2023 4:58:32 GMT
I was also at Saturday's (dementia-friendly) performance; hadn't noticed that aspect when booking as I simply chose a date I could do. When it came to it, not only were there rail replacement buses on my route but knowing it was nearly 3 hours long - and I'd opted for the cheap front stalls as usual - I wasn't that keen but on the other hand, had waited years to see it and could see I'd be unlikely to be able to re-book. So I bit the bullet and as those who have seen it will know, it was well worth it.
By the interval I thought it was definitely worth 4 stars but by the end, I'd uprated this to 5. I didn't know any of the cast so had to check them afterwards and as with other musicals/plays with songs I'd seen recently, I noticed again that there seemed to be far more women in this production with fantastic singing voices than men - or maybe fewer of the male cast members had the opportunity to show off their skills.
Also, having now see this "play with songs" and recently revisited another, Girl From The North Country, I think I prefer that format to standard musicals as you get more dialogue and a proper, engaging narrative which uses the songs to underline the action or reflect the emotional mood of the scene, rather than replacing speech or moving the action forward.
As for the dementia-friendly aspect, I noticed no difference whatsover apart from a small seating area in the foyer marked out with sunflower signs. Having also attended a few "relaxed" performances elsewhere, which I know are not the same thing, I did notice the difference there, eg lighting staying on, people getting up and wandering around and audience noise.
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Post by shownut on Mar 13, 2023 7:30:02 GMT
Also, having now see this "play with songs" and recently revisited another, Girl From The North Country, I think I prefer that format to standard musicals as you get more dialogue and a proper, engaging narrative which uses the songs to underline the action or reflect the emotional mood of the scene, rather than replacing speech or moving the action forward. Glad you enjoyed it, but that last sentence above belies the point of musical theatre writing and the craft involved (as you appear, in all fairness, to be totally aware). You are right that this is a 'play with songs' that are meant to enhance the emotion rather than move the story along. Less songs (or none at all) would have made it a much better piece (and cut the running time to make it a potentially compelling one-act play). Even if I didn't enjoy it as much as you did, I liked your perspective. |
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Post by mrnutz on Mar 13, 2023 9:27:03 GMT
Less songs (or none at all) would have made it a much better piece (and cut the running time to make it a potentially compelling one-act play) In your opinion... For me, that would remove all of the magic from this show. |
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Post by shownut on Mar 13, 2023 10:15:30 GMT
Less songs (or none at all) would have made it a much better piece (and cut the running time to make it a potentially compelling one-act play) In your opinion... For me, that would remove all of the magic from this show. I get that for some people this works, but have been thinking hard as to whether there is a musical I have enjoyed that also has songs that only inform on the emotion of a scene rather than take the plot forward. SPRING AWAKENING could arguably fit in that category I guess but it differs in that it is crucial to defining the emotions of the character/motivations. Unlike SATSE, the songs would seem out of place outside of the context of the show. Surely there must be more..... |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 13, 2023 10:35:56 GMT
Less songs (or none at all) would have made it a much better piece (and cut the running time to make it a potentially compelling one-act play) In your opinion... For me, that would remove all of the magic from this show. I wouldn’t even have bothered going to see it if it hadn’t got the music! |
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Mar 13, 2023 10:47:46 GMT
Also, having now see this "play with songs" and recently revisited another, Girl From The North Country, I think I prefer that format to standard musicals as you get more dialogue and a proper, engaging narrative which uses the songs to underline the action or reflect the emotional mood of the scene, rather than replacing speech or moving the action forward. Glad you enjoyed it, but that last sentence above belies the point of musical theatre writing and the craft involved (as you appear, in all fairness, to be totally aware). You are right that this is a 'play with songs' that are meant to enhance the emotion rather than move the story along. Less songs (or none at all) would have made it a much better piece (and cut the running time to make it a potentially compelling one-act play). Even if I didn't enjoy it as much as you did, I liked your perspective. As with other posters, I disagree completely with this bit in bold! The songs are what set the mood. They punctuate scenes. They enhance the emotion tenfold. Granted they're not crucial in the same way as songs in a "proper" musical where they push the plot and/or journey forward, and as I mentioned in my previous post I also felt this had many parallels with Girl from the North Country in its form (a play with songs, not really a "proper" musical) but the songs are integral to this as a piece and the success of its impact. Without the music (not just the songs) I think you'd end up with a rather dull and depressing one-act play of blunt little scenes playing out one after another. It needs the music to let those scenes breathe and effectively segue from one time, place, mood and emotion to another. |
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Post by sam22 on Mar 13, 2023 11:49:39 GMT
Glad you enjoyed it, but that last sentence above belies the point of musical theatre writing and the craft involved (as you appear, in all fairness, to be totally aware). You are right that this is a 'play with songs' that are meant to enhance the emotion rather than move the story along. Less songs (or none at all) would have made it a much better piece (and cut the running time to make it a potentially compelling one-act play). Even if I didn't enjoy it as much as you did, I liked your perspective. As with other posters, I disagree completely with this bit in bold! The songs are what set the mood. They punctuate scenes. They enhance the emotion tenfold. Granted they're not crucial in the same way as songs in a "proper" musical where they push the plot and/or journey forward, and as I mentioned in my previous post I also felt this had many parallels with Girl from the North Country in its form (a play with songs, not really a "proper" musical) but the songs are integral to this as a piece and the success of its impact. Without the music (not just the songs) I think you'd end up with a rather dull and depressing one-act play of blunt little scenes playing out one after another. It needs the music to let those scenes breathe and effectively segue from one time, place, mood and emotion to another. Totally agree with this  |
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Post by shownut on Mar 13, 2023 11:58:09 GMT
I can see the music as an underscore or to use as an occasional segue into another scene, but like others who have posted here, I thought the actual songs stopped the action cold and took my mind out of the piece. About 15 mins in I was really enjoying the book scene where you get what they are trying to do in overlaying the various stories when all of the sudden music kicked in out of nowhere and various people were dancing around repetitively (and over several endless verses). My friends attending with me all looked across at each other as if to say "what just happened here?" That happened more than a few times. It was one of the few 'musicals' I have attended where I hoped the characters would stop singing. I know I spend a fair amount of time bashing this show but sometimes even a show you loathe can be fascinating in what others see that you do not and vice-versa. Interesting. |
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Post by tmesis on Mar 14, 2023 9:40:07 GMT
I thought this was absolutely outstanding when I saw Saturday evening’s performance. The interweaving stories were so skilfully and satisfyingly presented and the music was just fabulous. I didn’t feel it held up the plot in anyway and also I think it’s a bit of a misnomer to think that songs in the best musicals should always drive the plot along.
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Post by Mark on Mar 14, 2023 11:26:13 GMT
There's a couple of £20 seats in the back of the circle been released for tonight.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 15, 2023 7:24:26 GMT
From what i heard..the first half was with the house lights on. Second half was as normal.
We got let in at 8pm, yes house lights on for first half, full production for second half and finished at 11pm.
So I only got a ticket for this last week, after it got the most nominations for a musical at the Olivier awards. That piqued my interest and there were only 3 or 4 seats left for a few of the remaining performances.
**Spoiler Ahead** Although this is set on the Park Hill Estate, the story could be about any of the Brutalist estate's in the UK, like Thamesmead (This reminded me alot of Beautiful Thing) or The Heygate in Elephant and Castle. They all promised a new start when they were built but soon descended in disrepair and bad reputations. I thought it was OK, but was expecting more, given the raves on here and all the nominations it got. It does feel more like a play with music and I thought some of the songs didn't really add much to the story. If they didn't constantly repeat the same lines over and over in the songs, they could easily lose 10 mins from the running time. I am baffled by it's nomination for 'Best Original Score or New Orchestrations' If the songs were from Richard Hawleys back catalogue, how is it original, when it wasn't written for the stage? Was some of it new and is therefore it qualified? Actually I am baffled by a most of it's nominations.
The set does look impressive when you first see it, but half of it doesn't need to be there. You could easily just have the main floorplan space and area around it and it would do just the same thing. I also thought it was well directed and choreographed, until you started to realise that the choreography was just people repeating movements over and over in the various songs.
I felt most of the characters were all a bit one note and Alex Young seemed miscast. I wasn't sure what her character was about. I thought she had mental health issues at first, given how unstable she seemed and when she took Nikki back at the end, it confirmed that yes, she definitely has issues. Why would you take someone back who has cheated on you, is the total opposite of you personality wise and doesn't come across as a particularly nice person, let alone someone who would stalk you from over 200 miles away and lies to people to be able to get near your front door?? Maimuna Menon has an interesting voice and sang her song well, but i don't get her nomination for best Actress in a supporting role. I wonder how they decided to put her forward for supporting role, when Faith Omole got Best Actress in a musical nomination? It's very much an ensemble show. Do we not have Best actress in a leading role? Faith Omole was probably the standout for me in the cast and Joy is probably the best written character up there. She had a nice arc to her story and her voice had a lovely tone to it. I would definitely be looking out to see what she goes into next.
The big ending of of Act 1 seemed to come out of nowhere and it had no impact on the second half. Speaking of, the second half seemed to be rushed and full of cliche's.
I was also confused at the end. Was it the same guy playing Jimmy and also Poppy's son?? How did Harry die? I half expected him to throw himself off the roof, given that they mentioned it in the first half and given that Harry was obviously on a downward spiral He felt more like Mickey in Blood Brothers, as did the estate agent/narrator. Also, Rachel Wooding's Poppy seemed to be played like 'Joanna Riding playing Poppy'
Despite my quibbles with the show, I thought it was OK but feel it's all a bit 'the emporers new clothes' But we can't all like the same things. Tammy Faye for the Win! even though it was robbed of a Best New Score nom...
off topic - I'm sure I went to a club in Sheffied, back in the day, was it called 'Planets' or something?? long before The Leadmill and Gatecrasher came along.
Wow you really say some bizarre things in this post. I’m amazed anyone has issues with the songs. I found them to be truly beautiful, with wonderful playing by the band. |
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