3,067 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by Dr Tom on Sept 1, 2021 10:55:12 GMT
So is the orchestra pit covered? Is the stage extended out over the pit? There isn't an orchestra pit for this one. They're backstage somewhere.
|
|
3,927 posts
|
Post by Dawnstar on Sept 1, 2021 11:18:51 GMT
Dawnstar (I have no idea if this tags you) I said I would update you about the seating. I was in the slips, absolutely the best seats, great view and we were so,so lucky that nobody had bought the rest of them, so we had the whole section to ourselves, nobody was near us and we could also stretch out a lot. I love anywhere where you can move the seat to your liking, especially now. I said I'd tell you about the mask situation too, as I know you're worried, and not great news on that part. Thankfully we were so far away from everyone there, but the majority didn't wear them, and a lot of people seemed to be wearing them and then removing them (possible peer pressure/conformity issues with this) even though the announcer did ask people to wear them before the show. I'm sorry it's not great news on that front, I thought I'd be honest so you could decide what to do about going here with all the information. I ended up booking yesterday for Thursday, as the Wednesday performances already had no slips setas left & I was worried if I left it any longer Thursday wouldn't either (don't want to go Friday or Saturday as the train home is likely to be busier those nights). I've booked at the end of the row of 6 seats & at the moment the next seat is empty, though I realise that may not be the case by tomorrow evening.
After seeing the almost entirely unmasked audience at Regent's Park on Sunday my hopes for much of the Sadler's Wells audience mask wearing are low. I can only hope that I'll be far away enough from the bulk of the audience that their germs won't get to me in sufficient quantites to get through my mask.
|
|
3,793 posts
|
Post by anthony40 on Sept 1, 2021 11:51:16 GMT
I am going tonight. Someone I know can't go and has a spare ticket.
Yay!
|
|
310 posts
|
Post by showoff on Sept 1, 2021 12:20:57 GMT
Dawnstar (I have no idea if this tags you) I said I would update you about the seating. I was in the slips, absolutely the best seats, great view and we were so,so lucky that nobody had bought the rest of them, so we had the whole section to ourselves, nobody was near us and we could also stretch out a lot. I love anywhere where you can move the seat to your liking, especially now. I said I'd tell you about the mask situation too, as I know you're worried, and not great news on that part. Thankfully we were so far away from everyone there, but the majority didn't wear them, and a lot of people seemed to be wearing them and then removing them (possible peer pressure/conformity issues with this) even though the announcer did ask people to wear them before the show. I'm sorry it's not great news on that front, I thought I'd be honest so you could decide what to do about going here with all the information. I ended up booking yesterday for Thursday, as the Wednesday performances already had no slips setas left & I was worried if I left it any longer Thursday wouldn't either (don't want to go Friday or Saturday as the train home is likely to be busier those nights). I've booked at the end of the row of 6 seats & at the moment the next seat is empty, though I realise that may not be the case by tomorrow evening.
After seeing the almost entirely unmasked audience at Regent's Park on Sunday my hopes for much of the Sadler's Wells audience mask wearing are low. I can only hope that I'll be far away enough from the bulk of the audience that their germs won't get to me in sufficient quantites to get through my mask.
Nest to the slips, there's stools that were unoccupied too, if it's too close in the section you're in, you could move over to those stools if they're free to get far away from other people. Also, another option that I've taken, is to double mask, I've worn a KN95 under a multi layered fabric one and a surgical one under a fabric one too and it adds more protection for you. I hope you enjoy it! It's a purely feel good show.
|
|
18,845 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 1, 2021 14:30:31 GMT
So is the orchestra pit covered? Is the stage extended out over the pit? There isn't an orchestra pit for this one. They're backstage somewhere. I mean on the tour! Grrr. Let me pose the question in full. When this goes out on tour, for example to the opera house manchester, there is an orchestra pit. So, how do they do the splashy splashy bit without drowning the orchestra? Is the stage built out over the pit and the orchestra placed somewhere else(or just down there but not visible?). And therefore is the edge of the stage and splashy dancing literally a couple of feet from the front row? This has toured before so someone must have seen it?
|
|
4,581 posts
|
Post by Mark on Sept 1, 2021 14:31:38 GMT
The orchestra are at the back of the stage - you see them briefly during the top of act two. I imagine the pit is covered in the touring venues.
|
|
|
Post by sfsusan on Sept 1, 2021 16:24:07 GMT
I think there is a big tray that sits on top of the stage and presumably all of the stages that they will visit on tour. This collects the water, pumps it away and it's reused. I also have seen other shows where crew come on and vacuum up the water after. The tray looks like a painters' tray, and it looked like there were shallow channels* running down it so water would move toward the front (deeper) part. During the interval, there was much activity as stagehands squeegee'd any remaining water in that direction (where it disappeared). And squeegee'd and mopped up the water around the stage and steps. It was also someone's job to shut down the overhead rainmaking equipment with something on a long pole that had to be held up to every sprinkler head (the racks of which had been lowered). It made interesting entertainment for those who didn't leave their seats at the interval. *I originally thought they were boards with a slight space in between (I thought I was seeing light between them) but realized that would mean water WAS dripping on something below!
|
|
3,927 posts
|
Post by Dawnstar on Sept 2, 2021 22:58:22 GMT
Tonight was my first time in an indoor theatre since 14th March 2020. This probably sounds strange but I actually felt safer during the performance than I did outdoors at Regent's Park on Sunday. I was very fortunate that the seat next to mine in the stalls slips remained unsold so the nearest person to me was over a metre away. Even though the seat was sold as restricted view I didn't miss a thing & didn't even find myself needing to lean forward. I really enjoyed the show - well, apart from the Broadway Melody number which reminded me while I fast forward through it when watching the film! Though I did like the lighting design. I loved Charlotte Gooch in Top Hat, I think I saw her something like 10 times, so it was great for me to see her again. It was great to finally see Adam Cooper as Don - a decade after he was off sick when I saw SITR at the Palace! He must have a portrait in the attic as he doean't look anywhere near 50 (though I did wonder if he dyes his hair). Kevin Clifton provided terrific comic relief as Cosmo. Also I'd managed to forget Michael Matus is in the show so that was a very pleasant surprise! Before anyone says why didn't I read the programme, when I tried to buy one my card was declined. Since it worked fine online when I booked my train tickets a few hours earlier, I can only assume it's because I haven't used it in person for nearly 18 months! That'll be another phone call to my bank then, after problems trying to book ROH tickets the other week when it said I needed a security code but no text with it ever turned up. It made interesting entertainment for those who didn't leave their seats at the interval Thanks for the heads-up on this. Usually I head out to the loo at the start of an interval but tonight I stayed to watch all the mopping up operations!
|
|
2,764 posts
|
Post by daniel on Sept 3, 2021 0:46:39 GMT
There isn't an orchestra pit for this one. They're backstage somewhere. I mean on the tour! Grrr. Let me pose the question in full. When this goes out on tour, for example to the opera house manchester, there is an orchestra pit. So, how do they do the splashy splashy bit without drowning the orchestra? Is the stage built out over the pit and the orchestra placed somewhere else(or just down there but not visible?). And therefore is the edge of the stage and splashy dancing literally a couple of feet from the front row? This has toured before so someone must have seen it? I saw the last tour in Birmingham so can’t comment on Manchester but I assume it would have been a similar setup. The pit was in place, but empty. The band were off stage. So the empty pit took most of the splashes; me on the front row in the “splash zone” stayed dry. I suppose that some venues may add seats over the orchestra pit, but this wasn’t the case in Brum.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2021 13:12:25 GMT
What a way to restart my theatre-goings! This was my first time back in a theatre since September last year. It's been too long.
Sadler's Wells is a really lovely venue and a great fit for this show. Singin' in the Rain is one of my favourite movie musicals of all time. I remember seeing this production being advertised at the Palace Theatre, I had no idea it was almost 10 years ago. I didn't see it then because I hadn't really got into seeing theatre regularly at that time. Also, you would have no idea that this production is 10 years old; its slick and fresh.
I didn't expect to laugh as much as I did, the film isn't as funny as this was. The highlight of the show is obviously the rain. I have never seen anything like it before, I know Bombay Dreams had water fountains but this rain is magic. I was front and centre, so I got very wet indeed. I did the smart thing and wore a poncho. I do wish I had sat further back to be able to enjoy the spectacle more, rather than being blasted with water but the tickets were very pricey, even the slips were £60! The ensemble are fantastic, there wasn't many of them but they really danced their hearts out and were a joy to watch.
Adam Cooper is a great dancer and his vocals are strong enough. He's perfect for this role. I hope I am as fit as him at 50. I cannot think of anyone else that could do this role as well as him. Alan Burkitt, maybe? You can see from the moment he starts dancing that he was a principal in the Royal Ballet. I don't want to say that he looked tired at times, more pacing himself. This has to be one of the most demanding lead male roles in musical theatre, surely? I loved the Broadway Melody ballet, it just kept coming and coming, so good! I don't need to mention the title number, it was perfect.
Charlotte Gooch, absolutely stunning. She would make a wonderful Reno Sweeney or Mary Poppins. Her voice is very Disneyesque and of course, a beautiful dancer.
Kevin Clifton has clearly worked very hard since I saw him in Rock of Ages. But there is just something that just doesn't click for me with him. His voice sounds strained throughout, his tap dancing is serviceable (his top line is a mess) and his acting is fine. As a pair, Clifton and Cooper are less Kelly and O'Connor and more Morecambe and Wise. Not unenjoyable but just not as polished as I had hoped.
Faye Tozer is absolutely fabulous. Really committed to the role and gets most of the laughs. I will definitely try and see other shows that she gets cast in.
Overall, this is a very good production and much better than some of the dirge that passes through the West End. If you can catch this on tour, you should. It is exactly what the doctor ordered following the rough times we have all had. 8/10
|
|
3,927 posts
|
Post by Dawnstar on Sept 3, 2021 16:39:58 GMT
I do wish I had sat further back to be able to enjoy the spectacle more, rather than being blasted with water but the tickets were very pricey, even the slips were £60! Adam Cooper is a great dancer and his vocals are strong enough. He's perfect for this role. I hope I am as fit as him at 50. I cannot think of anyone else that could do this role as well as him. Alan Burkitt, maybe? Kevin Clifton has clearly worked very hard since I saw him in Rock of Ages. But there is just something that just doesn't click for me with him. His voice sounds strained throughout I was in the slips & thought they were pretty good value for £60, compared to the top price tickets being £90. Although sold as "restricted view" I didn't miss a thing & I didn't have to worry about being soaked! For me personally it was also worth it purely for not being surrounded by people so I was able to somewhat relax. I thought of Alan Burkitt too. Although that may be partly due to association with Charlotte Gooch as I saw them together in Top Hat half a dozen times & they were my favourite combination out of the various casts in that show. It'll be interesting to see who's in the tour cast. I was under the mistaken impresion that the tour was starting soon & that therefore Adam Cooper & Kevin Clifton wouldn't be able to do it but having looked it up today I see that it's actually not starting until March 2022 so maybe they'll be in it after all. I didn't have a problem with Kevin Clifton vocally. I mean, I definitely wouldn't want to see him in a role such as the Phantom or Valjean but for this sort of thing his voice sounded okay to me. In case anyone's interested, some of my curtain call photos from last night's show: http://instagram.com/p/CTXQUtqoP8q
|
|
18,845 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 4, 2021 12:43:17 GMT
Pleased to hear you got to see it and were able to relax and enjoy it Dawnstar
|
|
3,927 posts
|
Post by Dawnstar on Sept 4, 2021 15:25:12 GMT
Any chance anyone is seeing SITR tonight or tomorrow? I was unable to bu a programme when I saw it, as my card wouldn't work. I tweeted Sadler's Wells yesterday to ask if there was any way to buy a programme online but didn't get a reply. I can't even find full cast details online, with Sadler's Wells website only listing the leads. So if anyone is seeing it & might be able to get me a programme please let me know. Of course I'd pay back the P&P.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2021 15:39:42 GMT
Any chance anyone is seeing SITR tonight or tomorrow? I was unable to bu a programme when I saw it, as my card wouldn't work. I tweeted Sadler's Wells yesterday to ask if there was any way to buy a programme online but didn't get a reply. I can't even find full cast details online, with Sadler's Wells website only listing the leads. So if anyone is seeing it & might be able to get me a programme please let me know. Of course I'd pay back the P&P. I think you can buy them online? theatre-shop?
|
|
|
Post by marob on Sept 4, 2021 15:51:20 GMT
Dawnstar If you don’t have any luck on here, then the back of the programme/brochure says more copies are available from www.theatre-shop.com. Can’t see any on there at the minute though, looks like a way of selling off merchandise for closed shows, so maybe try in a few days.
|
|
4,967 posts
|
Post by TallPaul on Sept 4, 2021 15:55:22 GMT
|
|
3,927 posts
|
Post by Dawnstar on Sept 4, 2021 17:08:07 GMT
Dawnstar If you don’t have any luck on here, then the back of the programme/brochure says more copies are available from www.theatre-shop.com. Can’t see any on there at the minute though, looks like a way of selling off merchandise for closed shows, so maybe try in a few days. Thanks. I should have know a website would exist! But it's the first time I've wanted to buy a programme & have been unable to do so at the theatre. If all else fails, Dawnstar , there's a PDF freesheet that seems to list everyone front and backstage, not just the leads. If I can link to it directly, I don't know how, but it can be downloaded via: www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2021/singin-in-the-rain/(About halfway down, under the reviews and star ratings.) Argh, I completely overlooked that! I thought it was something for visually impaired people, as it's just above the image description. Thank you. At least that tells me who the ensemble are, though the lack of headshots doesn't help with identifying who played the small roles such as the male dialect coach & Zelda Zanders. I can't understand why it lists the understudies for the small roles but not the leads! So I'll still be trying to get a programme.
|
|
734 posts
|
Post by dippy on Sept 5, 2021 22:16:36 GMT
Going back to the discussion about how the rain works I was sat in the 1st circle side seats area, so the equivalent of maybe the 4th row but just up at the side. I feel like I had a different enough view to give me a better idea to how the water works compared to a further away or a stalls view. The floor within the water area appears to be made up of strips with small gaps between them (as someone else mentioned). Just before the SITR number water started to rise through those gaps. As people walked across it you could see water seeping through. I feel like there is a tank below the floor which has water in it throughout and then when they are having rain the level is raised. Then it rains on top of it more or less flooding it and it must circulate round. I feel like the water is there throughout and the level can be checked in the downstage corners as a crew member before the show started went and put a stick into a square hole and seemed to be assessing the water level, they also did this at the end of the interval.
Also when I saw it both times there was no one going around with a long pole touching the water spouts, however both times they did drip during the show and I'm wondering if that was actually just a sponge or something to soak up the water as not only did it cause water on the stage again in the second half but made the audience giggle.
|
|
3,927 posts
|
Post by Dawnstar on Sept 6, 2021 11:19:10 GMT
Maybe they brought the pole in part-way through the run after having drip issues? They definitely used it on Thursday. In fact I have photographic proof!
|
|
1,037 posts
|
Post by jgblunners on Sept 6, 2021 11:54:31 GMT
The pole had some kind of rubber tubing on it when I went, so I assume it’s connected to a compressed air supply which is used to clear out each sprinkler nozzle to prevent drops in act 2.
|
|
|
Post by marob on Sept 6, 2021 13:03:49 GMT
Dawnstar in reply to your tweet, probably best you weren’t in the stalls then, as I was in the fourth row, outside the splash zone, and he still got me! Loved it though. He really did look like he loved every second of it. I especially liked how he toyed with the audience, particularly the bit where he stopped short of kicking water out and just stood looking gleefully down at the people bracing themselves for a soaking that never happened.
|
|
4,596 posts
|
Post by Someone in a tree on Sept 6, 2021 14:16:39 GMT
Is click track used during the rain sequences? I suspect its quite a challenge for the sound engineers
|
|
3,927 posts
|
Post by Dawnstar on Sept 6, 2021 18:36:40 GMT
Dawnstar in reply to your tweet, probably best you weren’t in the stalls then, as I was in the fourth row, outside the splash zone, and he still got me! I wouldn't expect the fourth row to be outside the splash zone. I would think you'd have to be at least 6 rows back if not more. I remember sitting row F stalls at the Palace a decade ago & getting the occasional light spray & that was with an understudy on who, from what I recall, was not as exuberant as Adam Cooper! Is click track used during the rain sequences? I suspect its quite a challenge for the sound engineers I spent much of the number wondering how they managed to keep his mic dry enough to work but didn't think about the possibility of a click track.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2021 22:30:49 GMT
Is click track used during the rain sequences? I suspect its quite a challenge for the sound engineers Yes and no. No click track is used for the title number. Adam wore three mics for this scene. One on his head and two at his mouth. I can imagine this is to counteract the sound of the rain and just in case any of the mics fail, they have a back up. However, a click track is used for the encore. I didn't mind that so much because it was right at the end of the show and the cast were still singing full belt as I could hear them from my front row seat.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2021 22:37:55 GMT
Going back to the discussion about how the rain works I was sat in the 1st circle side seats area, so the equivalent of maybe the 4th row but just up at the side. I feel like I had a different enough view to give me a better idea to how the water works compared to a further away or a stalls view. The floor within the water area appears to be made up of strips with small gaps between them (as someone else mentioned). Just before the SITR number water started to rise through those gaps. As people walked across it you could see water seeping through. I feel like there is a tank below the floor which has water in it throughout and then when they are having rain the level is raised. Then it rains on top of it more or less flooding it and it must circulate round. I feel like the water is there throughout and the level can be checked in the downstage corners as a crew member before the show started went and put a stick into a square hole and seemed to be assessing the water level, they also did this at the end of the interval. Also when I saw it both times there was no one going around with a long pole touching the water spouts, however both times they did drip during the show and I'm wondering if that was actually just a sponge or something to soak up the water as not only did it cause water on the stage again in the second half but made the audience giggle. Water coming up from the floor! That makes a lot of sense. A sponge, hmm. Interesting idea. I still think its some kind of tray but then there also must be electrical wiring near where the water is because there is lighting along the front of the stage and that seems like a fire hazard. I also saw the lady using a long stick to check the levels in the floor. I would be very interested to know how it is done.
|
|
734 posts
|
Post by dippy on Sept 9, 2021 8:10:41 GMT
|
|
3,793 posts
|
Post by anthony40 on Sept 9, 2021 17:05:58 GMT
I saw this last week.
A truly excellent show.
I thought that Kevin Clifton from Strictly and Faye Tozer from Steps we both outstanding! Especially Faye Tozer. She managed to stay in character throughout and sing in character.
I also thought the finale with the silver umbrella was a sight to behold!
|
|
|
Post by ruthieh on Sept 9, 2021 17:10:40 GMT
Missed this at Sadlers Wells, but have bitten the bullet and booked for Milton Keynes on the tour on the back of these positive posts. I know it won’t be the same cast but hopefully will be a similar production.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2021 16:21:49 GMT
Sam Lips, Charlotte Gooch, Jenny Gayner and Kevin Clifton doing the tour
|
|
18,845 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 9, 2022 12:14:29 GMT
Adam Cooper is playing Don Lockwood in Manchester.
|
|