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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2019 8:02:53 GMT
Urrrrrrr
Why does everything these days have to be ALL STAR, SUPER MEGA, PHANTASMIC, etc?
Can't we have productions sold on their production merit not sold on the casting of some lack on a 6-month Soap hiatus?
I'm tired, it's early.
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Post by anniel on Sept 5, 2019 12:32:54 GMT
Just having a quick listen to the London cast recording now and I’m quite enjoying it. Totally agree with you BurlyBeaR , I hope we get a production that doesn’t scrimp on staging or the band. If the production is anything like Spring Awakening production at Hope Mill (which for me was the best thing they have produced so far), then I’ll be happy. I agree that Spring Awakening was fantastic and possibly the best looking and sounding production at the HM ever. But before that Parade was done very simply but looked and sounded fantastic, Hair of course went on to greater things, as did Yank! and Pippin. However Little Women, Rags, Jerry Springer, Aspects (mini orchestra rather than the look of it), Putting It Together have all left something to be desired. I can’t speak for Return of the Soldier or Club Mex as I didn’t see them. I do not underestimate the financial challenges involved with such a small theatre but prices have increased significantly and considering what you can get at the palace or op house in a cheaper seat for a more mainstream show it doesn’t stack up from a customers point of view. I don’t know what the answer is but there’s only so much goodwill that can be expected from people when it comes to how productions look. Jerry Springer was, in my opinion, very very poor. I do disagree with your views about the Aria shows very respectfully BurlyBeaR, in that I think the shows themselves were weaker, than Pippin or Yank or Parade (my absolute favourite Hope Mill show). What Hope Mill offer is a chance to see some brilliant performers (Rebecca Trehearn singing Children of the Wind - amazing! The lead girl in Little Women was brilliant!) even in mediocre shows. And to be close enough to see the whites of their eyes! I have paid similar prices in London to see a quarter of Daniel Radcliffe in a play. And he's very small to start with.... I know the prices have gone up, but for such good proximity and the chance to see unusual work, I would champion Hope Mill all the way. And, unless you get offers at the other Manc theatres, you get a much better view for the same money. To sit at floor level at the Royal Exchange is £44. (And I was a bit underwhelmed by the set of West Side Story). I also loathed Jerry Springer but thought that was the material, not the show. There was some excellent singing in it. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 5, 2019 12:51:34 GMT
I know anniel , I’m trying to make a point by comparing apples and pears and not being fair. I love the HM and do want to champion it, but it’s no longer a reasonable bet that you book for a musical and see something that both looks and sounds professional. And you get the same sort of immersive experience at somewhere like the Southwark Playhouse for cheaper ticket prices (although granted I think their capacity is bigger so the returns potentially higher). As I said I don’t know what the solution is, they do an amazing job without external funding to bring lesser known shows to Manchester and maybe I have unrealistic expectations. I see Zorro is priced at £25. I’m pretty sure Springer was £27 but was by far the cheapest looking thing I’ve seen there. I’ve seen better looking amateur shows. I guess I’ll just have to stop advance booking and wait for feedback before going. Which s a shame because I go as a party of 6 and I imagine the HM would rather like to have our ticket money as early as possible. |
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Post by alece10 on Sept 5, 2019 13:06:48 GMT
I remember little about the music when I saw it in London but I do remember there was fire, flying around the stage on ropes and it was quite good fun.
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Post by stevej678 on Sept 5, 2019 13:25:38 GMT
If they bought a job lot of parallelograms when they got that one they like to hang above each set, I guess they could be suspended in a kind of Z formation.  All this stuff about dancing on the tables, "get-on-your-feet music" and the action spreading from the stage sounds like purgatory! |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 5, 2019 13:39:14 GMT
If they bought a job lot of parallelograms when they got that one they like to hang above each set, I guess they could be suspended in a kind of Z formation. All this stuff about dancing on the tables, "get-on-your-feet music" and the action spreading from the stage sounds like purgatory! Maybe they’ll finally take the opportunity to burn that original one. It seems almost indestructible so by the end of the run they might make some progress 😆 |
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Post by anniel on Sept 5, 2019 13:46:22 GMT
I know anniel , I’m trying to make a point by comparing apples and pears and not being fair. I love the HM and do want to champion it, but it’s no longer a reasonable bet that you book for a musical and see something that both looks and sounds professional. And you get the same sort of immersive experience at somewhere like the Southwark Playhouse for cheaper ticket prices (although granted I think their capacity is bigger so the returns potentially higher). As I said I don’t know what the solution is, they do an amazing job without external funding to bring lesser known shows to Manchester and maybe I have unrealistic expectations. I see Zorro is priced at £25. I’m pretty sure Springer was £27 but was by far the cheapest looking thing I’ve seen there. I’ve seen better looking amateur shows. I guess I’ll just have to stop advance booking and wait for feedback before going. Which s a shame because I go as a party of 6 and I imagine the HM would rather like to have our ticket money as early as possible. Thanks for the calm debate! I do acknowledge that some of the productions have been simple, especially the band, but I just think you see interesting stuff and with generally a high standard of performer. You often get to chat with them after the show in the bar too! My friends had a lovely walk down to Picadilly with the Jerry Springer bodyguard. I haven't been to Southwark Playhouse for about a year - the advantage of HM for me is that it doesn't have a fifty quid plus train fare to London on top of the ticket. I also think Southwark have advantages in terms of size and also being in London- some people are quite snooty about the provinces, I hear. And amateur shows are getting expensive now too. I am sure that Mame will be brilliant as Tracie Bennet is a terrifying genius. And I loved Zorro when I saw it in London. I hope to bump into you there sometime..... |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 5, 2019 15:30:44 GMT
It’s actor musician. Just saw a tweet from Katy Lipson.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 5, 2019 17:29:43 GMT
It’s going to make the sword fighting interesting.
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Post by Dawnstar on Sept 5, 2019 17:57:55 GMT
It’s actor musician. Just saw a tweet from Katy Lipson. I can see that working by in large for this show, at least as long as the ensemble members playing the gipsies do the bulk of the instrument playing. Expecting Diego & Ramon to both play instruments & sword fight would I agree be a bit much. (Although the Watermill's ALNM did stage Frederik & the Count's jealous duet very well by having them playing their brass instruments - think it was a trumpet & saxaphone - competatively.) |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2020 15:02:41 GMT
Not too much longer to wait for this.
I'd really like to get a ticket but statements like "immersive and thrilling new production" and "the show will see action spreading from the stage through the audience as they become part of the story" absolutely terrify me. Especially as a single theatre goer! Non allocated seating sets me on edge at the best of times but this sounds like another level of anxiety.
I think I'll wait until we get the first reports of what the seating arrangements are and how much the audience are in fact "part of the story."
I have always wanted to see this though and regret not seeing the Matt Rawle version.
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Post by Theatre Fan on Feb 3, 2020 11:03:30 GMT
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 3, 2020 12:24:21 GMT
Antony Costa was in Blue wasn’t he?.
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Post by Theatre Fan on Feb 3, 2020 12:34:40 GMT
Antony Costa was in Blue wasn’t he?. Yes, he is. He's been in a number of musicals since. Most recently, Rock of Ages. He's pretty good  x |
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Post by TallPaul on Feb 3, 2020 12:39:53 GMT
And he can multitask. Remember that 'incident' at the ATM?
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Post by westendcub on Feb 3, 2020 17:09:06 GMT
Antony Costa was excellent a few years back as Mikey’ in ‘Blood Brothers’ & has been in a bundle of musicals since ‘Blue’
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Post by Jane Parfitt on Feb 4, 2020 7:14:57 GMT
Mickey! Antony Costa was excellent a few years back as Mikey’ in ‘Blood Brothers’ & has been in a bundle of musicals since ‘Blue’ |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 15, 2020 11:01:56 GMT
Not too much longer to wait for this. I'd really like to get a ticket but statements like "immersive and thrilling new production" and "the show will see action spreading from the stage through the audience as they become part of the story" absolutely terrify me. Especially as a single theatre goer! Non allocated seating sets me on edge at the best of times but this sounds like another level of anxiety. I think I'll wait until we get the first reports of what the seating arrangements are and how much the audience are in fact "part of the story." I have always wanted to see this though and regret not seeing the Matt Rawle version. More info on this from the HM theatre manager on Facebook. There will be two seating blocks either side of the stage (sounds like J Springer set up) and when booking you can choose standard or premium. Premium are at the front so the advice is to choose standard to NOT be involved in the action. This has changed, premiums are a recent addition. I think we are now safe to book @sharpe12 ! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2020 11:59:02 GMT
Not too much longer to wait for this. I'd really like to get a ticket but statements like "immersive and thrilling new production" and "the show will see action spreading from the stage through the audience as they become part of the story" absolutely terrify me. Especially as a single theatre goer! Non allocated seating sets me on edge at the best of times but this sounds like another level of anxiety. I think I'll wait until we get the first reports of what the seating arrangements are and how much the audience are in fact "part of the story." I have always wanted to see this though and regret not seeing the Matt Rawle version. More info on this from the HM theatre manager on Facebook. There will be two seating blocks either side of the stage (sounds like J Springer set up) and when booking you can choose standard or premium. Premium are at the front so the advice is to choose standard to NOT be involved in the action. This has changed, premiums are a recent addition. I think we are now safe to book @sharpe12 ! Haha, thanks. Bonkers that you pay more for the privilege (!) of being interacted with. Do have a spare slot in my first Phantom/BTTF weekend, so maybe the time has indeed come to risk it for a biscuit.... |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 18, 2020 10:46:28 GMT
I’m puzzled at the pricing for this. Previews are priced lower as expected at £17.50 for standard and £19.50 for premium. Then it gets into the following week where it’s £29.50/£31.50. And then when we get into April it goes up again to £33.50/£35.50. These are all Saturday night prices, it’s a bit less in the week but why the hike as the run progresses? Is this demand based pricing based on an assumption that demand will go up as the run continues? I’ve seen that happen elsewhere, eg the Crucibles pricing goes up if they have a hit on their hands but I don’t recall seeing it before the run actually starts?
Also this must the most expensive show at the Hope Mill to date. What treats must be in store!
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Post by david on Feb 27, 2020 19:59:33 GMT
A bit more info on what to expect - www.atthetheatre.co.uk/first-look-at-zorro-the-musical-new-immersive-production-opening-at-manchester-hope-mill-theatre/The production features music by The Gipsy Kings and the evening will start with live entertainment and a Flamenco party in the foyer of Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre before the story continues in the auditorium itself, bringing the legendary adventure of the masked hero to life. The audience will be enveloped by the action of the legendary adventure as they are taken on a thrilling journey into an iconic story of good vs. evil, love vs. hate, brother vs. brother. The production will be filled with pounding flamenco, breathtaking sword fights, tricks and magic, comedy and, at its heart, the desperate battle within a family of power versus freedom. Just seen on HM’s twitter that their target for the new seating has been reached and the new chairs are on order. |
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Post by anniel on Mar 16, 2020 15:18:39 GMT
Saw this in Preview last night. Was a massive fan of the original and went to the concert last month, especially to see Lesli Margherita, who is my spirit animal!!!! Was a bit nervous how they would treat a show that I really love.
Well, It was terrific! Best set I’ve seen at Hope Mill - the front of a hacienda, and in traverse, with lots of movement around the audience. The flamenco and Spanish singing were both excellent and it was really atmospheric.
There were some truly excellent performances: Emma Kingston was superb as was Genevieve Nicole is Inez. Antony Costa was really good as Garcia but Alex Gibson-Giorgio as Ramon stole the show - he was so tortured & brutal, he was great. Kit Orton had an excellent accent as Don Alejandro (there were a couple of dodgy ones) and Benjamin Purkiss as Zorro was good but it’s a hard role to pin down- part flippant, part intense.
There was fire, great sword fighting and terrific dancing and the actor-music thing felt quite unobtrusive and authentic. It was so thrilling to be so close to the action!
It was a fraction long and a bit messy at the start - it starts off almost as a theatre company choosing the story of ZORRO to perform.
I think this is my joint favourite Hope Mill production and I expect I shall be going again.
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Mar 17, 2020 11:30:13 GMT
I have a booking for Zorro tomorrow evening, Wednesday 18 March, 7.30pm. This is, I believe, the official opening night and is not on sale from the venue as of now. The ticket cost £29.50, one seat unreserved within Area 1 and for box office collection. I booked Zorro as part of a double bill with Back To The Future matinee, now cancelled, and as I live in Kent have decided not to travel.
Hope Mill will exchange the ticket for a future performance and may as it's sold out be willing to resell, as with Back To The Future off there are bound to be people looking for an alternate show.
Before I contact them tomorrow morning would anyone in the Manchester area like to purchase my ticket ? Will accept £20 via Paypal.
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Post by benny20 on Mar 17, 2020 12:14:42 GMT
Hope Mill have confirmed shows postponed from now and refunds will be arranged shortly. Let's hope they are back soon
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Mar 17, 2020 12:20:27 GMT
Hope Mill have confirmed shows postponed from now and refunds will be arranged shortly. Let's hope they are back soon Thanks for posting this so quickly, nothing on the main website yet, obviously negates my previous post. |
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