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Post by FrontrowverPaul on May 9, 2019 22:57:19 GMT
Opening night at Wimbledon, though not the start of the tour, and a very fine show it is, deserving of a far bigger audience than it had tonight. Extremely well received by those who were there anyway.
Take the bare bones of Wind In The Willows, add a decent storyline set in a rundown housing estate and school, mix in rap lyrics with some traditional musical songs including a couple of real belters, some very acrobatic dancing, a talented young cast + Mr. Panto Clive Rowe, not to mention a hymn, a Christmas Carol, a washing machine, two motorbikes and a goldfish called Alan and you get a brilliant evening's entertainment.
I enjoyed it so much I'm booking to see it again at Hornchurch later in May ( where I saw The Hired Man this afternoon, also poorly attended and in a different way almost as good).
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Post by showgirl on May 10, 2019 4:09:01 GMT
I've been considering seeing this but I'd have to go to a Thursday matinee at Guildford which has so far sold so abysmally that I'd be embarrassed for the cast if I were there. I've no idea which demographic they're aiming for at this particular venue but if it's college/school audiences, no groups appear to have booked and it's hardly the typical fare beloved of the elderly matinee audience.
(I had the same reservations about seeing Napoli Brooklyn there next week, but in the end I had to use the Thursday matinee slot for something else so will aim to see Napoli Brooklyn when it moves to the Park Theatre - where it will probably fare far better.)
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Post by steg on May 10, 2019 5:52:53 GMT
I saw it in Blackpool at the Grand last Friday and it was also poorly attended: I counted 30 of us in the stalls plus a handful in the dress circle. Which is a shame as it was a fantastic performance that I would happily see again. I did feel sorry for the cast performing to a mostly empty auditorium though.
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Post by showgirl on May 10, 2019 6:31:10 GMT
I've now checked the other performances at Guildford and they've all sold equally poorly so far, so going in the evening would make no difference - plus combining badly with trying to see something else on the same day. I honestly wonder if they will cancel this stop on the tour?
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 7:01:07 GMT
The Edinburgh Festival theatre were sending me offers and discount codes for this and it sold equally as poorly. It’s a shame as it actually looked like a very good production.
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Post by stevej678 on May 10, 2019 7:01:32 GMT
I'd booked to see this in Blackpool last week having seen Metta Theatre's previous production, a circus show loosely themed around The Little Mermaid, at The Lowry in 2018.
Sadly, however, the Tuesday and Wednesday evening performances were both cancelled at the Grand Theatre (although the Wednesday matinee went ahead) a couple of weeks in advance and I couldn't re-book for later in the week due to being in London so had to get a refund.
In The Willows seems to have been getting rave reviews so it's a shame to hear it's not selling better elsewhere on tour.
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Post by shady23 on May 10, 2019 7:34:28 GMT
Very sad when productions struggle, especially ones like this that have been getting good reviews and by all accounts seem to be a very high quality show.
Having seen Hair play to half empty theatres in Sunderland this week (and not sure how many of those in there actually paid for their ticket), they certainly aren't the only ones struggling.
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Post by oxfordsimon on May 10, 2019 7:39:57 GMT
Wind in the Willows is beloved by many generations - but probably not those who would automatically consider attending a more modern interpretation of it.
May just be a matter of how best to present the idea to the right audience. No denying the talent or commitment. Perhaps the marketing approach wasn't right for it.
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on May 10, 2019 8:36:33 GMT
Curiously there's supposedly a 2.30 pm matinee at Wimbledon today which is showing on the ATG website as sold out. The other three performances have plenty of seats but tonight's has sold 90% of the stalls.
Hopefully the 2.30 is for schools and "special groups" and sold out doesn't really mean cancelled!
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 8:36:45 GMT
Completely off the radar for me this one.
But a Christmas Caro?l in May? Not selling it to me.
Humbug.
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on May 10, 2019 8:39:45 GMT
Completely off the radar for me this one. But a Christmas Caro?l in May? Not selling it to me. Humbug. It was just a very quick couple of verses of the Christmas carol and of All Things Bright and Beautiful and did fit into the storyline. Alan the goldfish had a more pivotal role though ! |
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 8:40:05 GMT
"Shimmy shimmy yah, shimmy yan shimmy yay right.
All we got to do is slide out the window
yagga yaaaay yagga yoh...."
NO.
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Post by stevej678 on May 10, 2019 8:46:48 GMT
The company's efforts from an accessibility perspective seem worthy of credit. Elements of British Sign Language are integrated with the choreography. Audio description is available for all performances, while certain performances are fully signed. Relaxed performances are also available.
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on May 10, 2019 8:58:33 GMT
Yes there was a BSL interpreter last night and some of the dialogue is both spoken and signed by the performer.
The cast includes Chris Fornesca, the superlative deaf street dancer from The Greatest Dancer.
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Post by showgirl on May 27, 2019 14:25:02 GMT
I received a discount offer for this when it reaches Guildford (week after next), bringing the price down to what I normally pay for a senior, so now acceptable. However, all the performances have sold so abysmally so far that I'd be embarrassed to be there. I know no-one would go if everyone thought like that but does this bother others too?
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Post by xanady on May 27, 2019 14:35:39 GMT
Smaller regional touring musicals are suffering all over the place.The big blockbusters that do a month or more in venues seem fine however.
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Post by steg on May 27, 2019 18:48:54 GMT
I received a discount offer for this when it reaches Guildford (week after next), bringing the price down to what I normally pay for a senior, so now acceptable. However, all the performances have sold so abysmally so far that I'd be embarrassed to be there. I know no-one would go if everyone thought like that but does this bother others too? I saw this in Blackpool, I booked last minute, and I knew that it wasn't selling well. I loved the show. If you want to see something, go and see it. Yes I think a performance loses something, the atmosphere perhaps, when there is a small audience, but go and support it. The people I talked to in the Grand who saw it had a great time, maybe more so because we were a small group, we definitely talked more than in a packed theatre. And no I wasn't embarrassed to be there. I actually felt proud to be there. |
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