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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2018 18:00:25 GMT
I read the review and got the impression she was expecting some groundbreaking, revolutionary performance that would change the face of sexism, fascism and equality forever. Its Rock of Ages. Based on the movie of the same name; it's a fairly rudimentary take on the 80's US music scene and as such is more than likely to feature some male-to-female sexual prowess at its core. The stage musical came long before the film! Seems she just didn’t like the content... nothing about the performances were mentioned. Oops, wow, thanks for the correction. Didn’t know that.
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Post by daniel on Sept 26, 2018 18:36:36 GMT
See I saw it last night and actually really enjoyed it. I loved the West End and 1st touring production so my expectations were rock bottom for this but I was pleasantly surprised. The reason it worked for me is that they didn't try to "do a Hairspray", by which I mean a cheapened, knock off version of the previous tour. This was a new production in its own right. The set is perfectly adequate for the production, and it really isn't that reduced from the last tour. The lighting design was great. I thought the cast were fab! Lucas Rush was brilliant as Lonny. The best thing he could do was to not try and copy Simon Lipkin, I think he really made the role his own. He had the audience eating out of his hand and he actually was really funny. In truth the entire cast were brilliant except perhaps Curly Watts. He was a little bit out of his depth if I'm honest. I'm always front of the queue to criticise a crap show but I do have to defend this one. If you go in expecting the West End show them sure, you're probably going to be disappointed. But go in expecting a fun evening and a show that doesn't take itself too seriously, well you may just have a surprise
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Sept 26, 2018 19:49:16 GMT
Have to agree daniel. Really enjoying this so far. Danielle Hope and Lucas Rush are fabulous, loving Rhiannon Chesterman as Regina too. Very pleasantly surprised!
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Post by richey on Sept 26, 2018 19:49:25 GMT
What an over sexualised mess. I've lost count of the number of times scantily clad women just have to bend over sugggestively and it's only the end of act one. I don't remember the first tour being this overt about it. And as for the German stereotyping.... Kevin kennedy can't act or sing and it's pitiful seeing Danielle Hope stripping to a bra to get laughs. The staging is pretty spectacular but don't get me started about the use of light-up umbrellas and kid's toys for transport. It would seem Bat Out of Hell is influencing current choreography trends too.
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Post by richey on Sept 27, 2018 7:17:26 GMT
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Sept 27, 2018 13:27:33 GMT
Selladoor seem to be on a role at the moment with the UK tour of Fame featuring a terrific ensemble of young talent and it's much the same with this new production of Rock of Ages.
Great to see Danielle Hope as Sherrie in something very different to Maria/Dorothy mode. She can certainly belt out an Eighties rock classic or two and makes for a hugely likable lead! Her duets with Zoe Birkett are quite something. Just a shame that Zoe is relatively underused in the production as a whole, although I suspect the roof may no longer be attached to the Opera House if she had sung any more! I also really enjoyed Rhiannon Chesterman's Regina - great comic timing, sublime vocals and a nice sparky characterisation.
If Rhiannon and Danielle are the heart of the production, the man holding it all together is Lucas Rush. Lucas was the best thing about Thoroughly Modern Millie and he looks to be in his element here, his ad-libs with the audience ("Thank you, one person" as a joke elicited a solitary chuckle) being a particular highlight.
One thing I wasn't expecting was meta theatre jokes galore but the way the production doesn't take itself remotely seriously, knows it's cheesy as hell and makes no apology for it, is what makes it work so well. The use of kid's cars fitted with that approach rather well, I thought.
As Daniel said, the lighting looks great and while there's minimal scene transitions, the different spaces are created effectively. The whole aesthetic works really well. ATG got into the spirit of things too, getting the ushers and box office staff to ditch the usual black trousers and waistcoasts for ripped jeans and t-shirts. Parsley may have left in disgust before even taking his seat.
Four stars.
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Oct 16, 2018 19:40:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2018 21:38:46 GMT
Well that trailer was slightly headache-inducing, but the young cast look enthusiastic and perky which is good to see. Having seen Danielle as Sandy, it's so weird seeing her in a totally different role. Goodbye to Sandra Dee!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2018 22:05:46 GMT
Two things that really stood out to me from that trailer was the lighting which looks amazing, and Danielle who also looks amazing! Makes it a real shame that she looks this stunning in Rock of Ages yet she looks awful on the Snow White posters!
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Post by showgirl on Jan 24, 2019 5:36:24 GMT
This wasn't even on my radar (& maybe the thread should be renamed or amended for 2019?), but a 5-star review on Reviewshub today attracted my attention. Either the new version is far better or was completely congruent with the reviewer's taste - or both - but it reads as "unmissable".
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Post by No. on Feb 15, 2019 17:47:14 GMT
Anybody been to this since Kevin started? Really intrigued to see how he is
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Post by cheesy116 on Feb 15, 2019 19:32:03 GMT
Anybody been to this since Kevin started? Really intrigued to see how he is I saw his 1st show and he's excellent, he's got one hell of a rock voice. I've never seen the show before though so I don't have anything to compare him to.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2019 0:47:45 GMT
First time post.Thanx to theatremonkey for his amazingly helpful site.After 40 years as a massive musical theatre fan in the west end and all over uk tonite was left in jaw-dropping shock after I saw Rock Of Ages complete with goose-stepping German property developers(in a show set in 80’s America),lurid scenes of simulated oral sex,a character set on fire for comedy effect and numerous other bizarre directorial decisions.Bad taste throughout and a show so amateuristic that it was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.Having seen Company,Come From Away and Waitress recently,I guess I must have been spoilt somewhat.
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Post by sazzy on Apr 14, 2019 15:49:14 GMT
I saw this last night for it's final showing in Eastbourne with Antony Costa as Stacee Jaxx and I found the whole thing quite bizarre. I don't know how Kevin Clifton was in the role but Antony didn't really live up to expectations and his singing voice although quite powerful didn't really hit some of the high notes. Lucas Rush definitely stole the show for me with his portrayal of Lonny. The show was fun and energetic but overly sleazy and although I loved the music I really didn't have a clue what was going on and struggled to hear a lot of the lines clearly. The set and lighting was good for a touring show but it did come across as being slightly amateurish and I half expected Benny Hill to come running out at some points, chasing scantily clad women around in circles. It's not my favourite rock musical but I did have a good laugh and there were certainly quite a few super fans in the audience who found it highly amusing, including one guy sitting behind me who seemed to know all the lines and was singing along very loudly until somebody told him to shut up.
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Post by danb on Apr 15, 2019 17:35:56 GMT
As hideous as this sounds (love the cast recording, hated the film...whats a man to do?) has anyone seen any offers for Bristol? It is less than a quarter sold on Weds night so I’m buggered if I’m gonna pay full price. I haven’t been moved down from the upper circle in Bristol for ages so I’m not sure I’d want to risk buying a cheap ticket incase I got stuck at the back of the gods but if there was a travelzoo type offer I could be tempted.
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Post by amp09 on Apr 15, 2019 20:52:54 GMT
As hideous as this sounds (love the cast recording, hated the film...whats a man to do?) has anyone seen any offers for Bristol? It is less than a quarter sold on Weds night so I’m buggered if I’m gonna pay full price. I haven’t been moved down from the upper circle in Bristol for ages so I’m not sure I’d want to risk buying a cheap ticket incase I got stuck at the back of the gods but if there was a travelzoo type offer I could be tempted. I got stall tickets for Tuesday night for £20 using my ATG Theatre Card. Why not buy the cheaper restricted stall seats, and then move into the better seats that you know haven’t sold. We did that a few weeks ago for Annie.
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Post by amp09 on Apr 16, 2019 16:36:11 GMT
then move into the better seats that you know haven’t sold. Because theatre staff may move you back? Also, it's technically theft if you do so without asking. Probably not the same outside the West End, but in London they can (and do) ask you either to pay more, move back or leave if they spot it happening. Never done it in London, but have seen people do it all the time in Bath and Bristol when they’re at the end of a row and there’s 10-15 seats empty beside them. That was the first time we’d done it and it was in front of ushers and weren’t asked to move back. So they must not mind people moving along if the whole row is empty, at least in Bristol/Bath.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2019 20:45:36 GMT
I moved seats in the Edinburgh Playhouse once (I booked the back of the stalls and didn't know how claustrophobic and cramped it would be) to mid-stalls at the side. No-one said anything, but I felt dirty for moving to a seat that wasn't in the price band I had paid.
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Post by ruby on Apr 16, 2019 22:25:19 GMT
I was a bit apprehensive about this after reading the negative comments (thought it might turn out to be Flashdance mark II), but I loved it! Good cheesy fun and fantastic singing 😀
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Post by hannechalk on Apr 17, 2019 10:11:29 GMT
I was a bit apprehensive about this after reading the negative comments (thought it might turn out to be Flashdance mark II), but I loved it! Good cheesy fun and fantastic singing 😀 I am with ruby (and literally was with ruby) - a fun night of entertainment. I wouldn't necessarily go and see it again, but I didn't mind spending my evening watching it.
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Post by galinda on May 16, 2019 11:32:45 GMT
Anyone know of any discounts for this at Woking next week? There are SO many seats left so hoping there is a discount somewhere. I fancy seeing it but don't want to pay £40+ for it!
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Post by xanady on May 16, 2019 15:46:03 GMT
^£40 to see this would be way too much...probs by about £40 imo lol
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Post by galinda on May 20, 2019 11:36:16 GMT
^£40 to see this would be way too much...probs by about £40 imo lol Haha I know but I have a free weekend and my boyfriend would probably like this one as he would know the songs! I thought about getting a cheap upper circle seat but when I had a look yesterday they seem to have taken these all off sale so the cheapest available seat is £42.
Anyone know if ATG reduce tickets the day before in their regional theatres? They have hardly sold anything.
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Post by geweena on May 20, 2019 18:52:30 GMT
Anyone know of any discounts for this at Woking next week? There are SO many seats left so hoping there is a discount somewhere. I fancy seeing it but don't want to pay £40+ for it! There were seats available for Wed for £20 best offer with ATG when I looked last week - don’t know if that dates any good for you?
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Post by FrontroverPaul on May 20, 2019 19:11:22 GMT
Just had a look at the ATG website and I'd say that ticket sales aren't that bad for the evening performances but pretty dire for the two matinees, especially Wednesday.
Weekday matinees tend to attract mainly older people and Saturday ones families but Rock Of Ages is recommended for age 14 + and won't have huge appeal for 60 + Last Wednesday I saw the Wedding Singer matinee at Worthing - less than half full and a few left at the interval - but the previous week Mack & Mabel's Wednesday matinee at Nottingham was almost a sell out.
When there are offers Saturdays are usually excluded. The Upper Circle is on sale at Woking priced mainly at £25 or £32 with a few £15 seats right at the back.
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Post by Phantom of London on May 20, 2019 20:23:26 GMT
If it is not selling and you have an ATG card, you can try and ask for a ATG card holder day ticket, some right bargains to be had that way.
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Post by itsemily on May 27, 2019 16:50:20 GMT
Saw this on Saturday night in Woking & whilst I enjoyed it something was definitely missing for me. I was obsessed with the London production when I was 16/17 so jumped at the opportunity to see this musical again,however I feel like it had lost some of its sparkle from the original production. The costumes were definitely lacking, I missed the bright boldness, with the sort of glam rock element pretty much gone, especially in Joey Primo's costume! The stand out performances for me were Luke Walsh ans Zoe Birkett-what a stunning voice. Thought Antony Costa's voice was good but was less keen on the acting. Wasn't that impressed by Jodie Steele (although I loved her on Heathers) I just did not think her voice was strong enough for these songs! Lucas Rush was hilarious, Lonny always steals the show!Me and my mum both said that Rhiannon Chesterman's portrayal of Regina reminded us of Bernadette from The Big Bang Theory!! The audience was about full and pretty quiet and the end of most songs. Loved the tiny vehicles and the back flipping Dennis! Thought the new choreography was great, Erin Bell particularly stood out in the dance numbers!
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Post by eliza on Jul 20, 2019 19:48:04 GMT
This really wasn't my sort of thing! I felt like I was watching a different show to everyone else!
I had no idea what was going on at some points. I did think the second act was an improvement although maybe I'd just got into it more by then.
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Post by xanady on Jul 20, 2019 19:56:13 GMT
^Is this still touring? Can’t believe it! In a cold sweat remembering my encounter with it.
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Post by eliza on Jul 20, 2019 20:22:12 GMT
^Is this still touring? Can’t believe it! In a cold sweat remembering my encounter with it. Yeah today's the last day in Southampton which is what I went to. It looks like only Sunderland and Leeds left afer this. I wish I'd not bothered.
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