267 posts
|
Post by stageyninja83 on Sept 23, 2017 5:31:43 GMT
Anyone know for sure whether or not Leanne was on tonight (Thursday)? The schedule is all over the place at the minute as Leanne and the alternate Dannie are recovering from injury. Thursday was the debut of Zoe Arshamian as Lise according to her Instagram.
|
|
|
Post by partytentdown on Sept 26, 2017 17:35:43 GMT
Closing 6 Jan
|
|
18,820 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 26, 2017 17:47:16 GMT
Cinema release planned following the shows closure.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2017 17:59:29 GMT
No great surprise. Think it had a good run given the size of the theatre.
Bat Out Of Hell next? Do hope so. Dominion would suit it best I think.
|
|
1,102 posts
|
Post by zak97 on Sept 26, 2017 18:12:54 GMT
Having only seen it once and not had the instant urge to return, I'm not shocked at all. That said, I will go back again and give it another shot. Probs once in October and once in December.
|
|
5,279 posts
|
Post by mrbarnaby on Sept 26, 2017 19:45:24 GMT
Surprised it’s lasted this long!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2017 20:03:24 GMT
Not surprising, but still sad. Its a great show. Hopefuly will get to see it again before it goes. Looks like 42nd Street was the success of the two big dance musicals to open back to back, unless it announces closure soon. Which I doubt.
|
|
2,452 posts
|
Post by theatremadness on Sept 26, 2017 20:07:00 GMT
Also a shame for those currently learning material from the show for 'cast change' auditions!!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2017 20:50:08 GMT
Surely a dead cert for Bat out of Hell next year then?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2017 21:20:49 GMT
Great that this has been filmed. IMO as many musicals as possible should be preserved like this at the end of their runs. What I wouldn't give for HD Cats/Starlight/Aspects/Sunset. Also looking fwd to Sixpence :-)
|
|
88 posts
|
Post by anniel on Sept 26, 2017 22:20:45 GMT
Ooo - do you think it will be out on DVD? Imagine having Robert Fairchild, dancing like a God, in your very own living room to get out whenever you're feeling a bit gloomy..... I am sorry this is closing though - it is a lovely show ( and I did prefer it to 42nd Street)
|
|
1,102 posts
|
Post by zak97 on Sept 26, 2017 22:24:14 GMT
I really would like a DVD. Some scenes I found were really beautiful and would happily skip the bits I don't like for those.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2017 11:11:03 GMT
It ran for the same number of months
As
Stand up Stand up and sing Stand up and sing
It has obviously made a loss and a run of under 12 months cannot be seen as a major success whichever light you shine and from whatever angle you look at it
Closing so soon before the Olivier Awards is also not helpful for the show
Yet again we see a discrepancy between the sycophancy of critics and what real people actually want to see
On the other hand lovely to see the auditions for new chorus members for 42nd Street as it continues into 2018
|
|
151 posts
|
Post by gra on Sept 27, 2017 17:39:59 GMT
Dominion v Phoenix. No contest!
|
|
149 posts
|
Post by tonylony on Sept 27, 2017 21:12:58 GMT
First post here Saw this last week and really enjoyed the night. So glad to hear they've preserved this, it seems so rare for West End shows.. Wondering if the guys from BroadwayHD are behind this, as they produced the Broadway run. Anyhow, I really hope this comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray later on, as it would be such a waste not to release this following the cinema engagements (and a great new revenue stream for them).
|
|
7,530 posts
|
Post by alece10 on Sept 29, 2017 6:43:34 GMT
Finally got to see this last night thanks to a couple of rush tickets on Today Tix, £25 and we got row V in the stalls. Great seats for the price. Boy that theatre is huge. Fuller than I expected and the stalls pretty full apart from a couple of empty chunks at the back and sides. Don't know what it was like in the dress. Well I loved it, its absolutely beautiful on the eyes. Those projections were amazing. Loved the music, loved the dancing, loved the cast. Ashley Day and Leanne Cope were superb (I now wish I had seen it earlier when Robert Fairchild was doing it as I loved him in Oaklahoma at the Proms) Just realised I keep using the word love a lot this morning, but I am still tired and my brain not working property to think of more intelligent words - sorry Will definitely go and see this again before it closes. I am not going to compare with 42nd Street as although they are both big dance musicals, they are totally different in style and substance. This was a real treat after seeing Annie in the afternoon which was ok if you are 10 years old. This was one for the grown ups
|
|
|
Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Sept 30, 2017 12:16:49 GMT
Anyone know for sure whether or not Leanne was on tonight (Thursday)? Leanne doesn't perform Thursdays. When I saw it a couple of weeks ago, we had the 2nd understudy. Saw this on Thursday night, and Leanne was on - at least, the cast board said she was, and it very much looked like her! Mixed feelings on this. I loved the music, and even enjoyed the songs, although Gershwin songs aren't really my cup of tea - I thought they were very well used here. I loved the dancing too, which I thought was beautiful and really engaging. However, I have huge problems with the plot, or rather with Jerry's character. I just don't understand why Lise falls for him, or why we are meant to root for him. He falls in love with her, then goes and disrupts her life at her workplace and nearly gets her fired, even though she repeatedly tells him to go away and that she isn't interested. He then meets her by the river, where she again tells him she isn't interested, but he just goes on and on at her - physically grabbing her at time - until she finally gives in and agrees to give up her time and be with him an hour a day. It was just the ultimate 'romance' trope from movies, which isn't actually romantic at all. Persistence is not romantic, it is annoying, and when a girl isn't interested, she's not interested. Just leave her alone. And don't get me started on the fact that he continues to pursue her even when he knows she's engaged to his friend, and is himself in a relationship with Milo. Oh, and the whole 'I don't like the sound of your name, so I'm going to call you something else, because that's apparently romantic, and not actually self-obsessed and controlling behaviour at all'. f*** that. It's a shame, because I actually really enjoyed the show as a whole - but the plot and the character just ruined it for me. On the positive side when it comes to Jerry, Ashley Day is absolutely 🍑🍑. Now that was a part of his character I could get behind. Repeatedly.
|
|
126 posts
|
Post by frontrowcentre on Sept 30, 2017 18:17:38 GMT
I also got to see this yesterday for the first time. Good value for money rush tickets on the todayTix app, although I wouldn't have minded to pay a little bit more to be seated closer to the stage. I thought the production was excellent, you can tell that is a Broadway import. The set, the projections... all really good. I struggled to recognized faces from the back of the stalls but I do believe the leading lady was the original, there's not words to describe how perfect she was, I'm not an expert in ballet/dancing but I don't think I have ever seen anything like it. I did recognized Haydn Oakley, who I had seen in Side show and Women on the verge... He was excellent. The guy playing Adam. again Im not sure weather he was an understudy or the guy in the program, but OMG THAT VOICE!!! He just sounded heavenly! Agree with different things that have been said in the last couple of post, I had forgotten how big the theatre is, last time I was there was seeing the original cast of WWRY!!, and I was also impressed of how full it was at least in the stalls. The leading man, very charming and what a 🍑!!! Also it's different but comparable to 42nd street. I know I'll be in the minority in this board but I enjoyed this one better. The plot though, not sure about it or how is told, towards the end I couldn't care less who was going to win the love of the leading lady. Still this was a feast for the eyes and I'm very glad I got to see it before it closes.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2017 21:06:00 GMT
parsley, you snuck back in when my back was turned... I have missed you (I must point out that I am a real person and not a sycophant/critic...) but I loved An American in Paris. I have no idea what all this 'Stand up...' malarkey means (something to do with Bend It Like Bekham??) but I'll go along with it for you.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2017 22:24:35 GMT
I'm going back tomorrow afternoon for a second time. I believe I saw it last when I took a break from this board, but I liked it. I was dissapointed because I had it really built up in my head for some reason, and it wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be. However I was sat back of the Stalls, so I look for ward to seeing it from second row to see if it changes my mind. A beautiful show to look at, especially the set and design overall. I thought Ashley Day and Zoe Rainey were the best parts of the whole thing. I'll be dad to not see Ashley as he is on holiday tomorrow. Leanne was good, but I felt her dancing was really the only impressive thing with her. She does barely nothing for the first third of the show, just walking back and fourth across the stage, her presance, for me, was not really felt until the scene in the parlor or wherever she works. I'm not really a ballet pwrson, and for a show that is billed as a musical, it was a bit too dance break heavy for me. That final ballet went on for Jesus, it just never ended! But it has beautiful dancing for that, I personally would of appreciated a bit of singing to go with it. I can totally see why 42nd Street is lasting longer, even though if you had asked me a year ago, I would of thought otherwise. All that said, I am totally willing to give this one a second change, from a better seat. As I said, I enjoyed it, so hopefully it will be alot more impactful for me this time around.
|
|
1,936 posts
|
Post by wickedgrin on Nov 1, 2017 0:02:10 GMT
I think both Sam B and Daniel above have crystalized my view on this show. I have only seen it once early on in the run from the front row with Robert Fairchild who was a dream. In contrast I have been back to 42nd St on (too?) numerous occasions.
As Sam B said the plot made no sense at all to me and was quite uncomfortable at times. I had far more problems with the book of this than the admittedly thin plot of 42nd St.
As Daniel said the show bills itself as a musical but is too clunky in the transitions between book, musical numbers and lengthy ballet sequences. As a musical fan I found it too ballet "heavy" (like Daniel) but I presume ballet lovers will find it too ballet "light". So somehow, for me, it falls between two stools.
Today Tix always seem to have rush seats available for £20 and I might revisit before it closes but then for £5 more I can sit on the front row of Drury Lane and watch those dancing feet and I know which I would rather do for an evening!
|
|
|
Post by Mr Snow on Nov 1, 2017 6:14:03 GMT
I went back a second time and enjoyed it even more. I was able to ignore the plot and luxuriate in the music, colour and dancing. The other big weakness has now gone and Zoe Rainey is fabulous as Milo Davenport
Great value from the half price booth.
As 42nd st will be around for some time, I will try for a third visit before it closes.
|
|
2,565 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by viserys on Nov 1, 2017 8:42:05 GMT
As a musical fan I found it too ballet "heavy" (like Daniel) but I presume ballet lovers will find it too ballet "light". So somehow, for me, it falls between two stools. To some extent, yes. I'm both a musical and ballet lover. When I first saw it in New York I had pretty much expected a full ballet and was very disappointed by how little actual dancing there was. I also had a bad seat on the side where I couldn't really enjoy the lovely stage sets/projections. It was a very different beast in London with managed expectations. Knowing now that there wasn't as much ballet as I had hoped for initially, I really enjoyed the dancing that WAS there as well as the other numbers and the view was so much better from the cheap second row in the stalls.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2017 17:22:07 GMT
Enjoyed it alot more today! The two understudies were amazing, especially buddy there on the piano. I was surprised to see that, bar maybe six seats tops, the stalls were packed out! I was shocked, didn't expect that. But myself and a couple of others were the only ones that stood at the end, those dancers work their asses off! Its a beautiful show, do try to catch it if you can! Sidenote: wish I hadn't seen how the dress change and piano bit was done, and I found that magical first time around!
|
|
1,008 posts
|
Post by talkstageytome on Nov 2, 2017 15:40:29 GMT
Forgot to mention that I saw this last weekend on the same day I saw 42nd Street. Some lovely performances (Max Westwell on for Jerry, Jack Wilcox on for Adam - the former's dancing was gorgeous while the latter has a beautiful voice and lovely stage presence.) I enjoyed the show well enough but it didn't really pop for me. The Choreography was beautiful and the design was lovely, but the story just wasn't enough for me. Also, I've not been following this thread but I assume the uncomfortable way in which Lise is borderline stalked by three different men, despite turning them down several times, has already been discussed? I know it's a show based on a film from 1951, set in 1945, but amid all the sexual assault allegations that have been coming out recently I found that aspect a little bit ick. Also, {Spoiler - click to view} I felt so bad for Adam, he's kind of named as Lise's American In Paris at the end, but considering he's the narrator I felt he was a bit sidelined. Maybe I just wanted to hear more of Wilcox's singing?
|
|
2,266 posts
|
Post by theatreian on Dec 20, 2017 16:06:18 GMT
Saw his on Monday night and what a classy production it was. Ashley was the star of the show naturally but it was well staged and the quality of the dancing and performances shone through.
|
|
18,820 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 21, 2017 13:30:45 GMT
Do we know when the cinema broadcast is yet?
|
|
1,102 posts
|
Post by zak97 on Dec 29, 2017 12:14:08 GMT
Thanks to some dynamic pricing there are some very good priced seats available for the final performance. In the stalls and circle there are a few £57.50 seats (were a lot more expensive yesterday) right by the £125+ seats, if anyone is interested. Was very tempted to snag one, but ended up going for a £19.50 seat in the circle (I think the seat was about £50 yesterday) as I've seen the show twice before, and I've already spent a lot on Hamilton.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2018 13:23:49 GMT
Well. It may have been the brandy in my bloodstream the mince pies but I plumped for a return visit to this show last night before it pirouettes off elsewhere. Ashley Day and Kristen McGarrity were Jerry and Lise this time around. They were delightful and I couldn't tell any real difference between Ms McGarrity and Leanne Cope to be honest. Perhaps it was the wig. I did like Ashley Day, he has a lovely voice, smashing hair and a behind like a peach (but that's enough of 'Call Me By Your Name') but I have to say that I very much preferred Bobby Fairchild though. He was more masculine than Mr Day and I think his dancing was smoother and more effortlessly elegant. David Seadon-Young stole it this time around methinks and how he remembers to keep dragging that foot around all the time is very impressive. Take that Daniel Day Lewis! The beginning is still scrumptious, I still can't see how she changes from the yellow dress to the black one and that stage is ma-hoo-sive but good God, it's an ugly auditorium isn't it? Like a methodist church that's been taken over and decorated by a gang of prostitutes. Edit: Time to drag this one out again I think. You're welcome.
|
|
494 posts
|
Post by ellie1981 on Jan 2, 2018 13:30:59 GMT
I saw this on Broadway in mid 2016 and loved it. Does anyone know if there’s much difference here to warrant another visit?
|
|