151 posts
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Post by gra on May 2, 2018 10:10:18 GMT
A lot of the negative reaction in the press comments seems to concern the musical itself and not the present production.
A shame they cannot just accept it is a revival of an 80's musical, and may well seem dated and un -pc,and concentrate on the performance itself.
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68 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 11:35:09 GMT
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Post by Brian on May 2, 2018 11:35:09 GMT
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642 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 11:58:23 GMT
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Post by Stasia on May 2, 2018 11:58:23 GMT
On a different note we sat next to a really interesting young man from Uzbekistan who told us he was a stage manager and had just done Evita in Moscow and was very excited as he had just spotted Tim Rice in the audience during the interval. I know him so well I mean, you met my friend! He’s not the stage manager, he’s the most aspiring musical theatre director who recently won his second Golden Mask (smth like Russian Olivier award) for Sweeney Todd. Among his works are: Joseph in St Petersburg, Evita and Bernarda Alba in Ekaterinburg, Pride and Predjudice, O’Henry’s Christmas, Love Story in Moscow... and all of these in less than 5 years!
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1,936 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 12:48:33 GMT
Post by wickedgrin on May 2, 2018 12:48:33 GMT
The reviews on the negative side I would say.... 5* Daily Express 4* Mark Shenton (who likes everything) for London Theatre 4* WOS (who we don't mention). 3* Mail 3* Broadway World 2* The Stage 2* The Times 2* Time Out 2* Evening Standard 2* The Indy Arts
No reviews (as yet) from the Guardian or Telegraph.
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Chess
May 2, 2018 12:52:27 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2018 12:52:27 GMT
The reviews on the negative side I would say.... 5* Daily Express 4* Mark Shenton (who likes everything) for London Theatre 4* WOS (who we don't mention). 3* Mail 3* Broadway World 2* The Stage 2* The Times 2* Time Out 2* Evening Standard 2* The Indy Arts No reviews (as yet) from the Guardian or Telegraph. But don’t forget People on here loved it and found it stylish and wonderful Although you can’t hear half of what they are singing My friend who is desperate to like all musicals said to me “Isn’t it the same in opera” To mention the word “opera” alongside chess was the funniest thing I have heard for ages I do wonder that the ENO hang their heads having to try and fill the large auditorium with this sort of rubbish every year now
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68 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 12:55:42 GMT
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Post by Brian on May 2, 2018 12:55:42 GMT
The reviews on the negative side I would say.... 5* Daily Express 4* Mark Shenton (who likes everything) for London Theatre 4* WOS (who we don't mention). 3* Mail 3* Broadway World 2* The Stage 2* The Times 2* Time Out 2* Evening Standard 2* The Indy Arts No reviews (as yet) from the Guardian or Telegraph. Reviews Hub gave it a cheery 4.5* and The Arts desk gave it 3 *
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68 posts
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Post by Brian on May 2, 2018 12:59:33 GMT
Sorry Parsley, are you suggesting that we aren’t entitled to enjoy the show simply because you and some critics didn’t enjoy it? As I recall it, you walked out after 45 minutes. It’s all completely subjective but maybe less of the sounding personally affronted by a piece of musical theatre, please?
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Chess
May 2, 2018 13:07:01 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2018 13:07:01 GMT
Sorry Parsley, are you suggesting that we aren’t entitled to enjoy the show simply because you and some critics didn’t enjoy it? As I recall it, you walked out after 45 minutes. It’s all completely subjective but maybe less of the sounding personally affronted by a piece of musical theatre, please? I am suggesting I couldn’t hear most of it And this is unacceptable Many people seem to be disregarding The fact they couldn’t hear the lyrics And this seems like a rather generous concession to be making
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Chess
May 2, 2018 13:25:14 GMT
Post by Mr Snow on May 2, 2018 13:25:14 GMT
The reviews on the negative side I would say.... 5* Daily Express 4* Mark Shenton (who likes everything) for London Theatre 4* WOS (who we don't mention). 3* Mail 3* Broadway World 2* The Stage 2* The Times 2* Time Out 2* Evening Standard 2* The Indy Arts No reviews (as yet) from the Guardian or Telegraph. But don’t forget People on here loved it and found it stylish and wonderful Although you can’t hear half of what they are singing My friend who is desperate to like all musicals said to me “Isn’t it the same in opera” To mention the word “opera” alongside chess was the funniest thing I have heard for ages I do wonder that the ENO hang their heads having to try and fill the large auditorium with this sort of rubbish every year now Sweeney Todd, Carousel, "rubbish". ahh Parsely....
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7,577 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 13:31:57 GMT
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Post by alece10 on May 2, 2018 13:31:57 GMT
On a different note we sat next to a really interesting young man from Uzbekistan who told us he was a stage manager and had just done Evita in Moscow and was very excited as he had just spotted Tim Rice in the audience during the interval. I know him so well I mean, you met my friend! He’s not the stage manager, he’s the most aspiring musical theatre director who recently won his second Golden Mask (smth like Russian Olivier award) for Sweeney Todd. Among his works are: Joseph in St Petersburg, Evita and Bernarda Alba in Ekaterinburg, Pride and Predjudice, O’Henry’s Christmas, Love Story in Moscow... and all of these in less than 5 years! Oh my god. What a small world. Yes he also mentioned Sweeney Todd and Joseph. I must of misheard him saying stage manager. I also told him I had been to Uzbekistan in the early 80s which surprised him. Is his first name Alexis or something like that?
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Chess
May 2, 2018 14:38:18 GMT
Post by Xanderl on May 2, 2018 14:38:18 GMT
Still doing stealth discounting by releasing extra rush tickets through TodayTix during the day - currently you can get dress circle for £25.
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7,577 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 14:51:14 GMT
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Post by alece10 on May 2, 2018 14:51:14 GMT
Still doing stealth discounting by releasing extra rush tickets through TodayTix during the day - currently you can get dress circle for £25. Thanks for that. I want to go again but can't really afford buying stalls seats again for 2nd viewing. Seems that if you wait until later in the day then better seats get released. Great if you live in London and are flexible.
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2,585 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 14:55:04 GMT
Post by viserys on May 2, 2018 14:55:04 GMT
Guardian review out now too, 2*
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2,153 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 15:05:21 GMT
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Post by richey on May 2, 2018 15:05:21 GMT
At the matinee interval now. Loving it so far. Yes there are sound issues but these are in the large ensemble numbers and I've always found it was the same in the other productions I've seen (and all are in the first 45 mins... just saying, Parsley) I think it's more to do with the style of writing not the production itself. More thoughts afterwards
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1,912 posts
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Post by sf on May 2, 2018 15:57:14 GMT
Sorry Parsley, are you suggesting that we aren’t entitled to enjoy the show simply because you and some critics didn’t enjoy it? As I recall it, you walked out after 45 minutes. It’s all completely subjective but maybe less of the sounding personally affronted by a piece of musical theatre, please? I am suggesting I couldn’t hear most of it And this is unacceptable Many people seem to be disregarding The fact they couldn’t hear the lyrics And this seems like a rather generous concession to be making If you walked out after 45 minutes, you didn't even try to hear most of it.
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81 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 15:57:50 GMT
Post by woobl on May 2, 2018 15:57:50 GMT
People are right to point out bad sound design. If you can't hear the lyrics what's the point?
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Chess
May 2, 2018 16:24:40 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2018 16:24:40 GMT
I went to see the rush ticket situation just to see what is on offer. I got offered central Row E of the Dress Circle for tonight. I'm not going tonight, but out of curiosity.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2018 17:14:08 GMT
People are right to point out bad sound design. If you can't hear the lyrics what's the point? The only time the lyrics are muffled are during the large group numbers, such as Merano, The Soviet Machine and those songs are just scene setting. They do nothing to advance the plot or character so you really don't miss much. All the important bits are perfectly clear. I don't mind the reviews. it means I can get cheap rush tickets more easily!
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Chess
May 2, 2018 17:36:04 GMT
Post by lem on May 2, 2018 17:36:04 GMT
People are right to point out bad sound design. If you can't hear the lyrics what's the point? What is it with Chess and sound issues? Seems quite a few here remember the total mess at the Royal Albert Hall - I wonder how many refunds they ended up giving on that fiasco? Thinking about it though, some of the big numbers even on the album recordings are difficult to decipher without the lyrics book too.
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Post by d'James on May 2, 2018 17:43:31 GMT
Do the main cast have any holidays planned?
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2,153 posts
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Post by richey on May 2, 2018 17:53:55 GMT
Well I thought it was fantastic. The staging is incredible. It's worth the ticket price to see Michael Ball on a rising chess board belting out Anthem. I was hesitant when he was cast but I thought he did a really good job. Burke can certainly belt out the big notes but there was a bit too much lip trembling for my liking. The same for Cassidy, she was a little screechy on some of the big notes. Not sure about starting act 2 with He Is A Man. I don't think it adds anything and the act doesn't get going till One Night In Bangkok. On a less serious note they missed a trick by not selling the merchandise shown on the video for the cheerleading song. Who wouldn't want Chess toothpaste!?
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2,153 posts
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Post by richey on May 2, 2018 19:06:01 GMT
People are right to point out bad sound design. If you can't hear the lyrics what's the point? i really dont think it's bad sound design. I think it is an inherent problem in the way some pieces are written ( Merano and Press conference for instance, far too many words fired out rapidly)
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2018 19:18:18 GMT
People are right to point out bad sound design. If you can't hear the lyrics what's the point? i really dont think it's bad sound design. I think it is an inherent problem in the way some pieces are written ( Merano and Press conference for instance, far too many words fired out rapidly) I agree. Much as I love Tim Rice (and I do!) he can be a bit of a ‘show off’ with his lyrics... too many words, too many to take in when there’s so much else to do- look at the scenery, take in the costumes, figure out the setting, work out who’s who, get what’s going on... He bombarded us a bit with Chess. Compare with the simplicity of Superstar... He’s just a bit too clever clever. But oh, I can’t wait now...
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12 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 19:54:46 GMT
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richey likes this
Post by sandman on May 2, 2018 19:54:46 GMT
I agree. Much as I love Tim Rice (and I do!) he can be a bit of a ‘show off’ with his lyrics... too many words, too many to take in when there’s so much else to do- look at the scenery, take in the costumes, figure out the setting, work out who’s who, get what’s going on... He bombarded us a bit with Chess. Compare with the simplicity of Superstar... He’s just a bit too clever clever. But oh, I can’t wait now... I’d agree with this too. I love Tim’s lyrics for Chess but even on most cast recordings, it’s not easy to decipher what’s being sung in some numbers. I find the reviews surreal. As a long time Chess fan, I thought this was the most satisfying production I’ve seen to date. I had reservations about the casting but for the most part, I thought they sang beautifully. I’m not saying it’s a perfect show but any reviewer worth his salt should be aware of this show by now and be able to accept it for what it is. I can’t fathom why anyone would feel the need to leave at half time.
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642 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 20:12:06 GMT
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alece10 likes this
Post by Stasia on May 2, 2018 20:12:06 GMT
I know him so well I mean, you met my friend! He’s not the stage manager, he’s the most aspiring musical theatre director who recently won his second Golden Mask (smth like Russian Olivier award) for Sweeney Todd. Among his works are: Joseph in St Petersburg, Evita and Bernarda Alba in Ekaterinburg, Pride and Predjudice, O’Henry’s Christmas, Love Story in Moscow... and all of these in less than 5 years! Oh my god. What a small world. Yes he also mentioned Sweeney Todd and Joseph. I must of misheard him saying stage manager. I also told him I had been to Uzbekistan in the early 80s which surprised him. Is his first name Alexis or something like that? Yep, he is Alexei Frandetti: alexfrandetti.ru has some info on him
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2,277 posts
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Chess
May 2, 2018 21:30:41 GMT
Post by theatreian on May 2, 2018 21:30:41 GMT
just saw that the stage said the only consistently decent performance is Alexandra Burke... Did Ryan write this?
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51 posts
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Post by chess on May 3, 2018 4:30:10 GMT
I agree. Much as I love Tim Rice (and I do!) he can be a bit of a ‘show off’ with his lyrics... too many words, too many to take in when there’s so much else to do- look at the scenery, take in the costumes, figure out the setting, work out who’s who, get what’s going on... He bombarded us a bit with Chess. Compare with the simplicity of Superstar... He’s just a bit too clever clever. But oh, I can’t wait now... I’d agree with this too. I love Tim’s lyrics for Chess but even on most cast recordings, it’s not easy to decipher what’s being sung in some numbers. I find the reviews surreal. As a long time Chess fan, I thought this was the most satisfying production I’ve seen to date. I had reservations about the casting but for the most part, I thought they sang beautifully. I’m not saying it’s a perfect show but any reviewer worth his salt should be aware of this show by now and be able to accept it for what it is. I can’t fathom why anyone would feel the need to leave at half time. I can’t agree more. It’s been treated by the reviewers as a new show. They should take the show for what it is a focus on the production values and singers. I really think it is an excellent production.
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Post by Mr Snow on May 3, 2018 5:43:09 GMT
I’d agree with this too. I love Tim’s lyrics for Chess but even on most cast recordings, it’s not easy to decipher what’s being sung in some numbers. I find the reviews surreal. As a long time Chess fan, I thought this was the most satisfying production I’ve seen to date. I had reservations about the casting but for the most part, I thought they sang beautifully. I’m not saying it’s a perfect show but any reviewer worth his salt should be aware of this show by now and be able to accept it for what it is. I can’t fathom why anyone would feel the need to leave at half time. I can’t agree more. It’s been treated by the reviewers as a new show. They should take the show for what it is a focus on the production values and singers. I really think it is an excellent production.I've tried to help you see it as they did. Thats their job. I've never seen it and so their perspective is similar to mine and most of the population. Occasionally a production arrives that makes sense of a 'problem' piece, should they then just comment on the production values?
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18,911 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 3, 2018 6:09:37 GMT
I can’t agree more. It’s been treated by the reviewers as a new show. They should take the show for what it is a focus on the production values and singers. I really think it is an excellent production.I've tried to help you see it as they did. Thats their job. I've never seen it and so their perspective is similar to mine and most of the population. Occasionally a production arrives that makes sense of a 'problem' piece, should they then just comment on the production values? Agree. You can’t just wipe out in inconvenient truths. We already established upthread that there is a whole generation of people who know nothing about this show. Reviews of revivals should cover the complete piece, warts and all.
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578 posts
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Post by lou105 on May 3, 2018 7:22:44 GMT
Do the main cast have any holidays planned? The website says that Tim Howar is off on 22 May. Since they've been specific about that, I assume they're otherwise doing all shows unless unwell.
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