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Post by anxiousoctopus on Feb 26, 2023 20:23:48 GMT
I agree about the quieter moments - although I think it’s because of Roger Bart’s Roger-Bart-isms, you’re not that emotionally connected to him as Doc (he’s more playing himself tbh). I’d love to see the understudy or replacement and see if it works better. I was there opening preview and that song was a lot more heartfelt, but from then it’s become less so as he’s played more and more manic and silly. Go see Cory English from the 22nd March if you want a more reasoned yet still eccentric and funny performance as Doc, without appearing cartoonish I’ve been meaning to see the show again so I might use this as an excuse!
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Post by gmoneyoutlaw on Feb 26, 2023 21:55:50 GMT
I agree about the quieter moments - although I think it’s because of Roger Bart’s Roger-Bart-isms, you’re not that emotionally connected to him as Doc (he’s more playing himself tbh). I’d love to see the understudy or replacement and see if it works better. I was there opening preview and that song was a lot more heartfelt, but from then it’s become less so as he’s played more and more manic and silly. Go see Cory English from the 22nd March if you want a more reasoned yet still eccentric and funny performance as Doc, without appearing cartoonish I’ve now seen BTTF 8 times. Bart is the best Doc Brown. Gary Trainor went on either under rehearsed or just not up for the role. Audience waited 1/2 hour for what was probably a tech rehearsal for Gary and he still made mistakes. I have no confirmation of rehearsal, but we did start 1/2 late and he was not schedule to go on. Bart doesn’t play weekday matinees. Olly didnt play Monday - he told me that before it was on chat. The show is brilliant but Broadway critics may think otherwise.
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Post by evilmat360 on Feb 26, 2023 23:10:23 GMT
Go see Cory English from the 22nd March if you want a more reasoned yet still eccentric and funny performance as Doc, without appearing cartoonish I’ve now seen BTTF 8 times. Bart is the best Doc Brown. Gary Trainor went on either under rehearsed or just not up for the role. Audience waited 1/2 hour for what was probably a tech rehearsal for Gary and he still made mistakes. I have no confirmation of rehearsal, but we did start 1/2 late and he was not schedule to go on. Bart doesn’t play weekday matinees. Olly didnt play Monday - he told me that before it was on chat. The show is brilliant but Broadway critics may think otherwise. Pretty sure Roger does appear for most weekday Matinees, the 6 weekday matinees i've attended he's been there. While Olly was in the cast, there's been an alternate from near enough opening with Will Haswell appearing for most of the Monday night performances. Which is also the case with Ben Joyce now in the role.
Gary was great this week, with some variations on on some of the comedy and improv that Roger goes for that seemed to go down well with most of the audience.
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Post by luminaire on Mar 1, 2023 20:46:57 GMT
Thinking of seeing this when we are in London, think my partners brother would like it.
I noticed front row stalls are a decent price, is that too close? How much do you miss at back of stage? Is there a better area to sit that is in a similar price range?
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Post by danb on Mar 1, 2023 21:51:35 GMT
Mid-stalls or front upper circle. I like/need an aisle seat and those in the dress circle are too hit and miss.
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Post by Matt on Mar 1, 2023 22:38:05 GMT
Thinking of seeing this when we are in London, think my partners brother would like it. I noticed front row stalls are a decent price, is that too close? How much do you miss at back of stage? Is there a better area to sit that is in a similar price range? First row you’ll miss a lot of the lower action at the back of the stage, and there is quite a bit of that to be fair. 2nd row is better, 3rd is fine.
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Post by ceebee on Mar 20, 2023 13:22:25 GMT
Roger Bart's last performance tonight as Doc in London before he heads to Broadway - still a few tickets left. Anybody else going?
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Post by ShoreditchTom on Mar 20, 2023 15:49:12 GMT
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Post by danb on Mar 20, 2023 19:29:33 GMT
Great piece on ‘The One Show’ just now about the relaxed performance and some nice talking heads from those who benefitted from it.
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Post by alece10 on Mar 20, 2023 20:04:02 GMT
Great piece on ‘The One Show’ just now about the relaxed performance and some nice talking heads from those who benefitted from it. It was great wasn't it. Well done to the theatre and everyone involved.
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Post by ShoreditchTom on Mar 21, 2023 12:10:05 GMT
Curtain call and some great speeches from last night (not my video!)
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Post by fansylvanians on Mar 31, 2023 9:45:01 GMT
Cory English as Doc Brown is an excellent replacement for Roger Bart - the audience on Wednesday night were lapping up his performance.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2023 9:22:03 GMT
Fans of the musical might be interested in Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. A review in today's New York Times suggests it is just being released in the States. Not sure about UK dates.
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Post by luminaire on Jun 3, 2023 8:21:26 GMT
4 stars from me. What an insane production.
Is the music good? Not really. Is it bad? I wouldn’t say that either. It’s corny, which sort of fit the show for me.
Regardless the performances were great, really strong cast, and the physical production was stunning. The car?!?! Still gobsmacked by the finale.
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Jun 4, 2023 21:29:48 GMT
4 stars from me. What an insane production. Is the music good? Not really. Is it bad? I wouldn’t say that either. It’s corny, which sort of fit the show for me. Regardless the performances were great, really strong cast, and the physical production was stunning. The car?!?! Still gobsmacked by the finale. I think that’s a good summary of the music - its not Sondheim, but it fits the slightly wacky and tongue-in-cheek vibe of the show that really works (It Works! It Works!)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2023 22:50:09 GMT
4 stars from me. What an insane production. Is the music good? Not really. Is it bad? I wouldn’t say that either. It’s corny, which sort of fit the show for me. Regardless the performances were great, really strong cast, and the physical production was stunning. The car?!?! Still gobsmacked by the finale. I think that’s a good summary of the music - its not Sondheim, but it fits the slightly wacky and tongue-in-cheek vibe of the show that really works (It Works! It Works!) I agree, the music is not bad, it's just not something that will stick with you for long, it fits the show, but it doesn't have the same staying power as the big numbers in other shows.
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Post by Matt on Jun 14, 2023 18:20:25 GMT
Cast change isn’t too far away, any rumours/news?
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Post by colelarson on Jun 30, 2023 11:34:17 GMT
Saw this yesterday afternoon after seeing it with the cast before last year.
It was a jam packed Matinee with lots of school parties and coach outings!
Sat in Row B of the stalls, was awesome to be near for the ending with the DeLorean.
The cast were okay but I do think Roger Bart played the Doc role with perfection and made me giggle last time! Cory was missing some of the sparkle Roger had.
Jordan Benjamin as Goldie Wilson was a standout for me and had the strongest voice.
The effects truly are done extremely well to its credit and the climactic clock tower sequence set in a lightning storm is visually stunning.
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Post by anita on Jul 1, 2023 9:22:17 GMT
Looking forward to the arrival of the book [ that I've had on order for ages] - out next week.
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Post by luminaire on Jul 2, 2023 22:24:50 GMT
Saw this yesterday afternoon after seeing it with the cast before last year. It was a jam packed Matinee with lots of school parties and coach outings! Sat in Row B of the stalls, was awesome to be near for the ending with the DeLorean. The cast were okay but I do think Roger Bart played the Doc role with perfection and made me giggle last time! Cory was missing some of the sparkle Roger had. Jordan Benjamin as Goldie Wilson was a standout for me and had the strongest voice. The effects truly are done extremely well to its credit and the climactic clock tower sequence set in a lightning storm is visually stunning. Our rush seats had us in the mezzanine, so we felt about eye level with the car in the finale. Could not see any indication of how the illusion is done from there. How does it play from the stalls? Is it just as effective?
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Post by anita on Jul 3, 2023 9:39:56 GMT
Saw this yesterday afternoon after seeing it with the cast before last year. It was a jam packed Matinee with lots of school parties and coach outings! Sat in Row B of the stalls, was awesome to be near for the ending with the DeLorean. The cast were okay but I do think Roger Bart played the Doc role with perfection and made me giggle last time! Cory was missing some of the sparkle Roger had. Jordan Benjamin as Goldie Wilson was a standout for me and had the strongest voice. The effects truly are done extremely well to its credit and the climactic clock tower sequence set in a lightning storm is visually stunning. Our rush seats had us in the mezzanine, so we felt about eye level with the car in the finale. Could not see any indication of how the illusion is done from there. How does it play from the stalls? Is it just as effective? I've seen it several times & been "in the zone". Still no idea. Hoping the book will reveal all.
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Post by evilmat360 on Jul 3, 2023 9:58:00 GMT
Our rush seats had us in the mezzanine, so we felt about eye level with the car in the finale. Could not see any indication of how the illusion is done from there. How does it play from the stalls? Is it just as effective? I've seen it several times & been "in the zone". Still no idea. Hoping the book will reveal all. Can agree, Back To The Future have managed to disguise the effect pretty well. I'll put how i'm assuming it's done in the spoiler
{Spoiler} Only know how it's done because it's one of the effects/illusions that twinsfx offer for pantomimes such as the Flying Carpet in Pantoland at the Palladium and their lighting reveals it occasionally. Twinsfx being the company that have been credited for the flying Delorean.
It's a large boom arm that lifts and attaches to the bottom of the Delorean allowing it to spin and roll.
You may just see it when the carpet rolls in
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Post by colelarson on Jul 3, 2023 12:59:53 GMT
I've seen it several times & been "in the zone". Still no idea. Hoping the book will reveal all. Can agree, Back To The Future have managed to disguise the effect pretty well. I'll put how i'm assuming it's done in the spoiler
{Spoiler} Only know how it's done because it's one of the effects/illusions that twinsfx offer for pantomimes such as the Flying Carpet in Pantoland at the Palladium and their lighting reveals it occasionally. Twinsfx being the company that have been credited for the flying Delorean.
It's a large boom arm that lifts and attaches to the bottom of the Delorean allowing it to spin and roll.
You may just see it when the carpet rolls in
From the Stalls it is magical seeing the DeLorean and getting a wave off Marty and Doc! Agree with the spoiler above but it is so well done it is not obvious!
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Post by delorean88 on Jul 9, 2023 13:01:06 GMT
Looks like cast change announcement is coming tomorrow. Of course we know Amber Davies and Jordan Benjamin are leaving so far. Anyone heard any rumours?
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Post by Matt on Jul 9, 2023 13:30:17 GMT
Looks like cast change announcement is coming tomorrow. Of course we know Amber Davies and Jordan Benjamin are leaving so far. Anyone heard any rumours? No rumours, not seen any other cast leaving announcements, I’m literally starving for info. Gonna be really interested to see if Ben stays. I’d like him to, unless he’s got something bigger and better lined up. I guess Cory is definitely staying.
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Post by colelarson on Jul 10, 2023 9:25:55 GMT
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Jul 10, 2023 10:04:29 GMT
Received my book yesterday, and whilst I haven't read the whole thing yet I'm bemused by an early little snippet on Bob Gale's research: "The musical Billy Elliot left Gale feeling that, despite amazing performances, it was a too-literal retelling of the original film, something he and Zemeckis wanted to avoid."
Isn't this exactly what they've done? A literal re-staging of the movie? More so than Billy Elliot! And that's not a criticism at all - in fact, I think it's generally agreed that the musical really shines most when they stick to the source material and accomplish incredible, exciting visuals despite obvious constraints on stage. But they're kidding themselves if they think it's anything more than a literal retelling...
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Jul 10, 2023 14:41:26 GMT
Received my book yesterday, and whilst I haven't read the whole thing yet I'm bemused by an early little snippet on Bob Gale's research: "The musical Billy Elliot left Gale feeling that, despite amazing performances, it was a too-literal retelling of the original film, something he and Zemeckis wanted to avoid." Isn't this exactly what they've done? A literal re-staging of the movie? More so than Billy Elliot! And that's not a criticism at all - in fact, I think it's generally agreed that the musical really shines most when they stick to the source material and accomplish incredible, exciting visuals despite obvious constraints on stage. But they're kidding themselves if they think it's anything more than a literal retelling... I’d argue that the musical is more self aware and has fun with itself rather than just be the movie onstage. Of course it does follow the plot of the movie, but it’s not a 1:1 equivalent of watching the movie like some musical versions of movies are.
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Post by Stephen on Jul 10, 2023 14:52:15 GMT
Received my book yesterday, and whilst I haven't read the whole thing yet I'm bemused by an early little snippet on Bob Gale's research: "The musical Billy Elliot left Gale feeling that, despite amazing performances, it was a too-literal retelling of the original film, something he and Zemeckis wanted to avoid." Isn't this exactly what they've done? A literal re-staging of the movie? More so than Billy Elliot! And that's not a criticism at all - in fact, I think it's generally agreed that the musical really shines most when they stick to the source material and accomplish incredible, exciting visuals despite obvious constraints on stage. But they're kidding themselves if they think it's anything more than a literal retelling... I’d argue that the musical is more self aware and has fun with itself rather than just be the movie onstage. Of course it does follow the plot of the movie, but it’s not a 1:1 equivalent of watching the movie like some musical versions of movies are. Is the book worth getting? Much *real* behind the scenes stuff re effects from Twins FX etc?
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Post by danb on Jul 10, 2023 17:37:32 GMT
Received my book yesterday, and whilst I haven't read the whole thing yet I'm bemused by an early little snippet on Bob Gale's research: "The musical Billy Elliot left Gale feeling that, despite amazing performances, it was a too-literal retelling of the original film, something he and Zemeckis wanted to avoid." Isn't this exactly what they've done? A literal re-staging of the movie? More so than Billy Elliot! And that's not a criticism at all - in fact, I think it's generally agreed that the musical really shines most when they stick to the source material and accomplish incredible, exciting visuals despite obvious constraints on stage. But they're kidding themselves if they think it's anything more than a literal retelling... I’d argue that the musical is more self aware and has fun with itself rather than just be the movie onstage. Of course it does follow the plot of the movie, but it’s not a 1:1 equivalent of watching the movie like some musical versions of movies are. It may have evolved over time, but what I saw in its first fortnight was literally the film translated to stage with a couple of new character conflations. Some of the performances were just impersonations of their film counterparts.
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