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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2017 21:41:24 GMT
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1,102 posts
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Post by zak97 on May 23, 2017 22:04:41 GMT
Not wanting to be cynical, but maybe they thought a little swear would get some social media/possible press attention for the show. Obviously may not be good for families, but could engage more people with a realisation of Miranda in Annie/what will she do next time.
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Post by mrbarnaby on May 24, 2017 9:44:58 GMT
Maybe she swore because suddenly on stage she realised how dreadful her casting in this was?
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Post by frontrowcentre on May 24, 2017 14:09:27 GMT
Not wanting to be cynical, but maybe they thought a little swear would get some social media/possible press attention for the show. Obviously may not be good for families, but could engage more people with a realisation of Miranda in Annie/what will she do next time. Exactly what I thought the moment I read it,... but as you say it's probably a bit risky, considering the nature of the show |
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2017 15:59:31 GMT
Understudy List (as listed in the programme last night):
Miss Hannigan: Anne Smith, Kate Somerset How
Daddy Warbucks: Russell Wilcox, Nic Gibney
Rooster: George Ioannides
Lily: Kate Somerset How, Heather Scott-Martin
Grace Farrell: Keisha Atwell, Kate Warsopp
Lt. Ward & Franklin Roosevelt: Ben Oliver, Nic Gibney
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Post by l0islane on May 25, 2017 0:29:15 GMT
I saw this tonight. I'm a big Annie fan and I do like Miranda. The show was perfectly fine, nice, harmless fun (which is what you expect from Annie). Miranda plays a good Miss Hannigan. I'm tone deaf so I can't really judge her voice but my friend said she was pretty decent and hit the notes! She had some funny lines and I liked her performance.
The theatre was full of teenage girls and I got the feeling it was the first time at the theatre for some of them, the whole row of girls in front of me seemed very confused by the spotlights and kept turning around to see where they were coming from and stretching their hands up into the light!!
It's pretty middle of the road stuff, it's not trying to do anything new or surprising, it's a fun, daft show with lots of good songs and a funny actress for added entertainment. I'll probably see it again before the end of the run.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2017 4:10:36 GMT
Hardly a rave!
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Post by freckles on May 25, 2017 7:35:58 GMT
Was this on Tonight at the London Palladium? Forgot to look.
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Post by anita on May 25, 2017 9:14:20 GMT
Yes. It was the girl who plays Annie [ Ruby something] & the dog . She sang "Tomorrow".
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Post by fiyero on May 25, 2017 22:23:54 GMT
Just on my way home from this. I was at the back of the upper circle which looked full to me so a good start to th run. My first time seeing a professional production of Annie and I really liked it. Miranda didn't seem out of place as I feared and the rest of the cast were great, especially the children. The set was good for a tour (I know we're usually spoiled with more impressive productions in London) and to say the set is inspired by Matilda would be a gross understatement!
no f bombs tonight but I don't think calling Lily a ho.....tel was appropriate (for the audience or the time it was set)
I don't feel any need for a return visit but am glad I went.
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Post by Steve on May 25, 2017 22:53:28 GMT
Saw this tonight, and agree with lOIslane, it's average. Miscasting of Miranda Hart, who lacks the animus to play a satisfying antagonist, saps the drama, though Ruby Stokes was a terrific Annie tonight. Some spoilers follow. . . In a contest between the child actors and the adult principals in this show, the children win easily. Their American accents are spot on, whereas neither Alex Bourne's Daddy Warbucks or Miranda Hart's Miss Hannigan come close. The children are feisty, energetic and enthusiastic, whereas Bourne and Hart seem a little lost, stuck somewhere between tentative and disinterested. Little Ruby Stokes, as Annie, displays genuine comic flair, and enormous heart, whereas Miranda Hart strains to nail her comic moments, and is simply too nice to be nasty. I suppose this was predictable, in a way, as the children have been picked from among 2000 other auditionees, whereas Hart was the only choice from the beginning, picked because her name sells tickets, not because she was right for the role. She certainly looks the part, her immensely tall frame towering over the tots. But her frame has always been her entree to comic surprise, as her charm has always been that her true personality belied that frame, as she is a cuddly and clumsy sweetheart. And she does NOT, as evidenced tonight, have the ability to suggest genuine menace or threat. Consequently, every mean-spirited remark, intended to be funny, fell flat, like balloons too floppy to pop, or a car running low on petrol. Recalling the awesome animus of Bertie Carvel's evil Ms Trunchbull, in Matilda, whose every wicked line delivery made you chortle and shiver, simultaneously, here, every equivalent opportunity is missed, or only half attained at best. Someone like Lizzy Connolly, whose every role has been super-charged with animus, would destroy this part. But she is not a star, and lets face it, Hart has shifted a mighty ton of tickets, including mine, so her casting has certainly been a business hit. Anyway, this show is only of average interest. It is defeated in it's appeal to tots, who like to see themselves on stage, by both "Matilda" and "School of Rock." And it is defeated in the song and dance stakes, in it's appeal to adults, by "An American in Paris," "On the Town" and "42nd Street." However, it does have appeal. The songs are wall to wall catchy and memorable. There is serious talent in the ensemble. Some of the supporting players show serious spark, with Jonny Fines' Rooster filling the role of a villain you can actually believe, Holly Dale Spencer emoting terrifically as the uber-caring Grace Farrell, Daddy Warbuck's sidekick, Russell Wilcox a fine-voiced Franklin Roosevelt, and Nic Gibney an endearingly expressive Drake. And then there's the kids, of whom there are three teams. We got Team Rockefeller tonight, and they were across the board excellent, a jolt of energy. The tiniest one, Nicole Subebe's Molly had some marvellously funny moments. And then there was Ruby Stokes' Annie. A real marvel, she reminded me of the Olivier winning Eleanor Worthington Cox, who was the Matilda I saw. Although, as Annie, Stokes didn't have to plumb the full realm of darkness that Worthington Cox did, she did succeed in bringing tears to my eyes at the end, after all the smiles along the way, the result of this actor's infectious sparky moment to moment reactive cheerfulness. The most entertaining moment of my show came in Act 2, when Annie, Daddy Warbucks and the whole ensemble, team up to perform the song "I don't need anything but you." Here Alex Bourne's Warbucks is at his best, his sonorous voice and natural gentleness of his demeanor, blending with Ruby Stokes' Annie's exuberance and joyousness, and a hugely rousing ensemble dance, making for genuine delight. All in all, an average but worthwhile show. Hopefully, on her next outing, Hart will play herself. 3 stars  |
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Post by mrbarnaby on May 27, 2017 11:25:30 GMT
Saw this last night. Possibly one of the worst shows I've ever seen. Absolutely amateurish in every respect.
Where in this mess is the charming and sweet show that we've seen before? You have to go some to remove every ounce of wit and charm in this but succeeded that have.
Dreadfully directed.. each child unbearably precocious and affected. Either barely audible or shouting every line. Annie incredibly irritating.
Quite a funny Sandy who looked so bored and over it.
Bizarre dance breaks during "we'd like to thank you mr Hoover".. some weird jazz dance , totally laughable, and a bit of river dancing thrown in during a scene change. No idea why.
Ugly and charmless set devoid of any sense of place. Everything wobbles around.
Holly Dale Spencer meh.
There's some hilariously out of tune singing from the girl who arrives in New York during the number NYC. Pant wettingly bad.
Worst of all is Miranda Hart. I knew she'd be bad but she is quite spectacularly inept.
Cannot hold an accent.. cannot act. No sense that she's drunk in any way, no sense of character whatsoever. An absolute car crash of a performance.
My partner and I couldn't have run out of there faster at the interval.
My advice would be don't waste a penny of your money.
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Post by dannyboy on May 27, 2017 21:42:12 GMT
I saw the same show as mrbarnaby. Strange. Had he stayed for act 2 the would have seen a massive standing ovation from what felt like the whole of the theatre, definitely the entire stalls. There was a family next to me and the dad was singing along to tomorrow in the finale like his life depended on it! Hilarious.
He saw riverdance, I saw an apple seller begging for sales through tap. It's only Annie - not that mentally taxing. Crikey - No one let him have Tickets for a Pinter play. Those bitter queens won't make it past the first scene!
I'm going again after previews - which it is still in for another week. Not going to comment on individual performances as it's still in previews. I think it's fair they are allowed to settle in. Not a sentiment shared by mrbarnaby. I'm guessing he is a failed performer, or perhaps an active performer that didn't get the job, either way, shocked at such a different opinion from the same show. Usually just read this board and don't get active, but that was so unfair I decided to comment.
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Post by mrbarnaby on May 27, 2017 22:15:49 GMT
You clearly are very easily pleased! I am not a failed performer... or a performer at all. I just have high standards, especially at those prices. We were surrounded by people who clearly had very low standards and would laugh at anything. It was a very naff audience. Which is fine- I'm glad someone had a good time. But we paid £55 to see this rubbish so I feel quite entitled to comment on it as I see fit. I saw the same show as mrbarnaby. Strange. Had he stayed for act 2 the would have seen a massive standing ovation from what felt like the whole of the theatre, definitely the entire stalls. There was a family next to me and the dad was singing along to tomorrow in the finale like his life depended on it! Hilarious. He saw riverdance, I saw an apple seller begging for sales through tap. It's only Annie - not that mentally taxing. Crikey - No one let him have Tickets for a Pinter play. Those bitter queens won't make it past the first scene! I'm going again after previews - which it is still in for another week. Not going to comment on individual performances as it's still in previews. I think it's fair they are allowed to settle in. Not a sentiment shared by mrbarnaby. I'm guessing he is a failed performer, or perhaps an active performer that didn't get the job, either way, shocked at such a different opinion from the same show. Usually just read this board and don't get active, but that was so unfair I decided to comment. |
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Post by anthony40 on May 27, 2017 22:19:53 GMT
I saw the same show as mrbarnaby. Strange. Had he stayed for act 2 the would have seen a massive standing ovation from what felt like the whole of the theatre, definitely the entire stalls. There was a family next to me and the dad was singing along to tomorrow in the finale like his life depended on it! Hilarious. He saw riverdance, I saw an apple seller begging for sales through tap. It's only Annie - not that mentally taxing. Crikey - No one let him have Tickets for a Pinter play. Those bitter queens won't make it past the first scene! I'm going again after previews - which it is still in for another week. Not going to comment on individual performances as it's still in previews. I think it's fair they are allowed to settle in. Not a sentiment shared by mrbarnaby. I'm guessing he is a failed performer, or perhaps an active performer that didn't get the job, either way, shocked at such a different opinion from the same show. Usually just read this board and don't get active, but that was so unfair I decided to comment. Welcome to the board dannyboy |
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Post by dannyboy on May 27, 2017 22:21:28 GMT
Bless - Is she always so easily rattled? Happy to be the 'naff' catagory, with the others that 'got it'.
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Post by mrbarnaby on May 27, 2017 22:23:52 GMT
One for the Dirty Dancing and Thriller audience this... Thank god it's only a short run Bless - Is she always so easily rattled? Happy to be the 'naff' catagory, with the others that 'got it'. |
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Post by duncan on May 28, 2017 6:24:17 GMT
Dear god, the rampant snobbery from some people on here is vile.
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Post by cheesy116 on May 28, 2017 10:45:08 GMT
That's got to be one of the most over the top reviews I've ever seen  |
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Post by bren on May 28, 2017 11:19:54 GMT
Never a dull moment!
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Post by wickedgrin on May 28, 2017 11:26:54 GMT
Personally I would rather stick pins in my eyes than sit through Annie again, so happy to save the money. It's just too schmaltzy and formulaic for me. However, there is no denying that it is a very popular show with families and "little girls" (see what I did there?)identifying with the girls on stage and wanting to be up there! I fear it could run and run and run.......
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Post by herculesmulligan on May 28, 2017 11:41:41 GMT
I thought the orchestrations of this on the Palladium show were really not good, are they the same for the production?
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Post by mallardo on May 28, 2017 12:03:05 GMT
The orchestrations are by George Dyer who is also the MD for the show. I'm guessing what you heard is what you'll get.
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Post by liverpool54321 on May 28, 2017 12:05:35 GMT
Another review of Annie having seen the matinee yesterday. Overall impression probably 4 stars. Let's do the negatives first. One of the noisiest audiences since the mistake of seeing The Snowman at the Peacock Theatre. Except this time this was adults determined to delve into sweet bags every time there was a quiet number. Although a number of teenagers and even the odd crying baby (so much for no one under 5 admittance rule) in the audience, it was predominantly adult and given the huge cheer for Miranda when she first appeared, they had come for one main reason only.
The role itself is not too dissimilar to her normal TV persona so in that respect she fits in well. She was able to keep up with the dance routines and yes, she never had any real kind of accent throughout, but it didn't really seem to matter. The bit I was unclear about was the singing, or lack of. Never having seen this staged before I was unclear if the idea was that when singing solo she was supposed to be totally out of key. On harmonies she was fine. Overhead conversation on way out with one Miranda fan to another "I never knew Miranda could sing". to which the other person replied "I don't think she can. I think she's supposed to sound like that in the role."
So those are the negatives. And remember, Miranda's role is actually fairly minor compared to others. The lead playing Annie was very good. Not the most powerful singing voice but could act and conveyed the role very well. Alex Bourne and Holly Dale Spencer are the standout performers, along with the orphan girls who sing and dance as well as any west end show I've seen with children. Yes, on the opening number you could accuse some of shouting their words, but that was the way the song was probably written and designed to be performed. Alex and Holly have great singing voices.
Dance routines were very good. Clearly not on the scale of 42nd Street but perfect for this musical. Swinging the children around whilst they clutch their Christmas presents between their feet is probably not as easy as it looks. I was busy waiting for the Riverdance routine throughout. I can only imagine it was the tap dance routine at the cinema scene. This was clearly designed to portray the film they were watching - might have been made more realistic by running a strobe lighting set-up to help portray effect of watching an old movies. The idea was actually quite clever - just needs to be made a bit clearer for those who don't realise song and dance routines were all the rage at that time in film.
Set design was effective. Hard to say what the long term plans are for the show are if always deemed to be limited run. I would not describe the set as low budget though and it clearly has minimum 6-9 month run in mind given likely cost.
2nd half is definitely better than the first. And the youngest orphan girl who looks about 4 years old pretty much stole the show.
Audience reaction - aside from the whoops from neighbouring seats who were clearly friends of either Jonny Fines and Djalenga Scott, was virtually a full standing ovation. Yes they love Miranda, but on this occasion I think they went away preferring Annie just that little bit more.
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Post by wickedgrin on May 28, 2017 14:03:55 GMT
After enduring terrible audience behaviour watching Aladdin I have vowed never to go to a "family" musical ever again! Just not prepared to pay such high prices to have the show drowned out by talking, sweet wrappers, kicking of seats and singing along!
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