228 posts
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Post by paulbrownsey on Jul 30, 2024 10:59:08 GMT
The title song of this show, if done well, should 100% get a standing ovation. And I´m not one of those who will stand up easily. And if there's anyone disabled who has difficulty getting up--tough. They need to learn to suck it up. |
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5,186 posts
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Post by Being Alive on Jul 30, 2024 11:03:45 GMT
Oh god are we about to have another round of how awful everyone is for giving a standing ovation...ever?
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3,349 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Jul 30, 2024 11:15:00 GMT
Having seen this three times.
Title number - Gala Night - no standing ovation
Other two nights - partial standing ovation
I didn’t stand as I’m not usually a fan of ovations in the middle of a show, and, quite frankly, I’m not sure this is staged for a standing ovation. It is still an incredible number.
I’d make an exception for opening/closing shows etc.
Full standing ovation at the end of the shows, of course, although even that is a little slower than you might expect. But I also think that says something about the Palladium audiences. The people next to me yesterday were clearly only there to see the celebrity lead and had no interest in the show itself.
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5,186 posts
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Post by Being Alive on Jul 30, 2024 11:21:13 GMT
quite frankly, I’m not sure this is staged for a standing ovation. It certainly isn't staged for a standing ovation here, but previously it has been. |
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Post by danb on Jul 30, 2024 11:36:47 GMT
I think perhaps the audience are so desperate for a BIG moment instead of the delicate acting masterclass that Imelda serves up. They do seem a little at odds with each other here.
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1,287 posts
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Post by theatrefan77 on Jul 30, 2024 11:42:52 GMT
Overall I enjoyed it, but thought the choreography was a massive let down.
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Post by andypandy on Jul 30, 2024 12:32:37 GMT
Overall I enjoyed it, but thought the choreography was a massive let down. I'm sorry to say but the Choreography in this production is a total mess. Put on your Sunday Clothes - too busy and too chaotic. Hello Dolly title number also has NO DUCK WALK (the show is famous for this!) and it didn't build, was too fussy and didn't get the audience screaming on their feet. It didn't work. To evaluate - it was as if the choreographer purposely didn't want to make the clear and obvious choices needed to make this productions work. BIG. AMERICAN. MT. BOLD. ROUSING. BALLETIC. STRONG. Epic fail. |
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4,988 posts
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jul 30, 2024 12:44:32 GMT
I agree with andypandy. I also thought the pacing was off throughout, i guess this is what happens when you think you can rewrite the book and lob in a cut song. A shows structure is a fine art of carefully balanced text & music. The orignal creatives wrestled with this out of town to make Dolly legendary. |
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133 posts
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Post by annette on Jul 30, 2024 13:37:34 GMT
Overall I enjoyed it, but thought the choreography was a massive let down. I'm sorry to say but the Choreography in this production is a total mess. Put on your Sunday Clothes - too busy and too chaotic. Hello Dolly title number also has NO DUCK WALK (the show is famous for this!) and it didn't build, was too fussy and didn't get the audience screaming on their feet. It didn't work. To evaluate - it was as if the choreographer purposely didn't want to make the clear and obvious choices needed to make this productions work. BIG. AMERICAN. MT. BOLD. ROUSING. BALLETIC. STRONG. Epic fail. I totally agree with this.The choreography felt so lazy to me and in this kind of show, it should be absolutely joyous from start to finish.I’m surprised the director would have been satisfied to accept choreography that is just ‘ok’ and gets the job done,but nothing more. |
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1,287 posts
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Post by theatrefan77 on Jul 30, 2024 15:01:48 GMT
The thing is I loved the choreography in Top Hat by the same choreographer. Don't understand how he got it so wrong for Hello Dolly! It was really al over the place with over complicated movements. It's a pity really.
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Post by SuttonPeron on Jul 30, 2024 15:20:35 GMT
I think perhaps the audience are so desperate for a BIG moment instead of the delicate acting masterclass that Imelda serves up. They do seem a little at odds with each other here. The thing is, it´s Hello, Dolly! It´s not a musical meant for "delicate acting". Even if Mr. Cooke thinks the contrary, it´s not a "dark" show either. It´s a musical comedy. I´m expecting the biggest number and a red dress. |
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Post by sph on Jul 30, 2024 18:30:01 GMT
I rather enjoyed it! It's not played as broadly as it has been in the past I suppose, and I don't think Imelda is a "natural" Dolly per se, but she does act the hell out of it.
The sets were fine for a short run, although I did find the back screen to be a little jarring at times.
I didn't find the choreography overly exciting and the title number didn't get an ovation when I saw it, except for maybe one or two individuals. But then I don't think it's necessary to give a mid-show ovation for 99.9% of songs in musicals. There was an ovation at the end, especially for Imelda Staunton.
I think, for me, it's a great cast but... somehow also miscast? Imelda is not a natural Dolly, Jenna Russell is perhaps a little too old for Irene, and Tyrone Huntley's talents feel a little wasted as Barnaby.
I think they missed a trick by not having Staunton enter in the red dress and elaborate headpiece for the title number. It really is the iconic moment of the show and starts the song with a bit more punch, so to speak.
Still, really enjoyable, great performances, would recommend. Especially as we don't see Dolly too often over this side of the pond!
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Jul 30, 2024 22:39:48 GMT
This is how I got my £45 Hello Dolly tickets This link is all about the £20 tickets released for people aged 16-30. It states the following: WHO CAN BOOK THE £20 TICKETS? Please note the following criteria when booking these Hello, Dolly! tickets: Maximum 2 tickets per booking All ticket holders must be between the ages of 16-30 years old on the date of their chosen performance IDs will be checked upon arrival at the theatre if you have purchased a £20 ticket Please ensure you have brought your identification card (UK or country of residence) for venue staff to check as you enter The London Palladium. Because I way over the 30yr old limit, there's no way I could buy a £20 ticket. However, if you click on the BOOK NOW link at the bottom of the page, it will take you to the usual booking calender, giving all the dates the tickets are available and it will show you the availablility of the £20 tickets. It will also give you the availability of £45 tickets. There is no mention of £45 tickets anywhere on the first page. There is no mention of £45 ticket anywhere, and having spoken to the box office, I know that £45 tickets are not even an option on the LW Theatres ticket booking system. You don't have to provide ID for them and they are £40 less than the main booking page. lwtheatres.co.uk/20-hello-dolly-tickets/ |
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Jul 30, 2024 22:55:13 GMT
Hello Dolly title number also has NO DUCK WALK (the show is famous for this!) Is it though? Famous to who? Hello Dolly is rarely done in the UK, the film isn't always on TV like Sound of Music or Wizard of Oz. So how is it famous? The same with people going on and on about the red dress. Dolly wore a red dress in the original stage version back in 1964, and in the film version, Babra wore gold. So really the only people who think the red dress is iconic, is a handful of theatre queen who love a Jerry Herman show. That's hardly a reason to include it in every production. |
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Post by sph on Jul 30, 2024 23:24:57 GMT
Hello Dolly title number also has NO DUCK WALK (the show is famous for this!) Is it though? Famous to who? Hello Dolly is rarely done in the UK, the film isn't always on TV like Sound of Music or Wizard of Oz. So how is it famous? The same with people going on and on about the red dress. Dolly wore a red dress in the original stage version back in 1964, and in the film version, Babra wore gold. So really the only people who think the red dress is iconic, is a handful of theatre queen who love a Jerry Herman show. That's hardly a reason to include it in every production. I don't know, I think the red dress is iconic enough of an image that for most people who know the show it would be the first thing they picture. It has been done in pretty much all productions since, and has been included in TV appearances etc. Now naturally, that doesn't mean it HAS to be included, and of course things can be changed, but they could still have given Staunton something just a little more head-turning to wear. It kind of felt like they knew the audience wanted something and decided not to give it to them. |
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Post by bigsymalone on Jul 31, 2024 6:51:23 GMT
Gosh! What a reactionary bunch of posts. Why shouldn’t a musical, like a play, be reinterpreted for each new production? Interpolating songs, revisiting the book and having a fresh approach to costume is common practice with classic musicals and a good thing too. It’s what keeps classic shows alive and is a testament to how strong the material is that it can be interpreted in a variety of different ways. The original Hello Dolly was created 60 years ago. Most people are not interested in seeing a museum rehash of that production, made at a different time, in a different country and most importantly for a leading actress vastly different from its new star. This show has been made for an audience in London in 2024 to fit the particular talents of one of our great actresses. Fitting Imelda Staunton into a 60 year old show created for Carol Channing would be ridiculous. They are completely different types of performers. This production should be judged on its own terms, not endlessly compared to something created in a completely different time and by vastly different artists. I hope that in another 60 years time, a fresh group of artists will give us a new perspective. That’s the only way that classics, whether plays or musicals, stay alive.
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Post by danb on Jul 31, 2024 7:12:09 GMT
I’m not sure that many people are saying that it shouldn’t be reinvented; just that they don’t like this particular one. Wanting specifics like dresses & throwbacks to previous iterations is quite reductive, I agree. But not enjoying the specifics of an actors performance or the direction of a show is surely fair game?
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19,787 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 31, 2024 7:40:59 GMT
Did anyone ever see it with Danny LaRue?
C’mon… own up.
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Post by danb on Jul 31, 2024 7:46:14 GMT
Did anyone ever see it with Danny LaRue? C’mon… own up. I certainly remember him doing spots on tv variety shows as Dolly in the early 80’s although had no idea what was going on. |
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Post by danb on Jul 31, 2024 8:49:17 GMT
I wonder how much criticism HE received for wearing a pink dress?
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Post by SilverFox on Jul 31, 2024 8:56:10 GMT
Not La Rue, but I did see Carol Channing - and heard her growl her way through the score - at Drury Lane.
Thankfully, back then, therapy was not widely available - so I just had to 'get over it'!
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1,582 posts
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Post by anita on Jul 31, 2024 9:18:46 GMT
Did anyone ever see it with Danny LaRue? C’mon… own up. I may well have done as my mum adored him so dad booked for us to see him whenever he could. |
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4,214 posts
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Post by anthony40 on Jul 31, 2024 9:29:48 GMT
Ever so slightly off topic but did any see The Repair Shop a couple of weeks ago where a guy brought in one of Danny La Rue's old dresses to have repaired?
The back story is this guy knew Danny and it was left to him upon his passing.
It's on i-Player.
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781 posts
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Post by latefortheoverture on Jul 31, 2024 10:03:09 GMT
Have two tickets on the notice board for tonight- Row G stalls.
Will take £20 each for them, shame to let them go to waste.
Let me know if you’d like them!
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143 posts
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Post by Mr Crummles on Jul 31, 2024 10:25:10 GMT
Gosh! What a reactionary bunch of posts. Why shouldn’t a musical, like a play, be reinterpreted for each new production? Interpolating songs, revisiting the book and having a fresh approach to costume is common practice with classic musicals and a good thing too. It’s what keeps classic shows alive and is a testament to how strong the material is that it can be interpreted in a variety of different ways. The original Hello Dolly was created 60 years ago. Most people are not interested in seeing a museum rehash of that production, made at a different time, in a different country and most importantly for a leading actress vastly different from its new star. This show has been made for an audience in London in 2024 to fit the particular talents of one of our great actresses. Fitting Imelda Staunton into a 60 year old show created for Carol Channing would be ridiculous. They are completely different types of performers. This production should be judged on its own terms, not endlessly compared to something created in a completely different time and by vastly different artists. I hope that in another 60 years time, a fresh group of artists will give us a new perspective. That’s the only way that classics, whether plays or musicals, stay alive. Why indeed, I have the same view on theatre and arts in general. Just as the same song can be covered in a jazzy, upbeat, plaintive or heavy metal way, so can any other form of art that involves interpretation. It doesn’t follow, of course, that all reinterpretations are brilliant and beyond criticism, but they should ideally be approached with an unbiased, unprejudiced eye, free from preconceived expectations. I think many modern viewers, especially if they live outside the US, struggle with that euphoric optimism and unrelenting cheerfulness that permeates older American Musicals and may welcome a more realistic and psychologically believable take on them. I haven’t seen this version yet, but perhaps Dominic Cook is trying to bring it closer to its original source, Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker. Anyway, a couple of weeks from now I’ll be able to be the judge of that. |
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