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Post by mattnyc on Jun 25, 2023 0:08:24 GMT
What's the run time on this please It was about 2:20 total at the first preview. |
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Post by Jon on Jun 25, 2023 0:08:52 GMT
I'm seeing this in a few weeks, managed to snag some tickets in Todaytix's sale yesterday.
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Post by Being Alive on Jun 25, 2023 20:20:55 GMT
Dianne Pilkington and Christina Bianco were good.
So was Louis Gaunt.
Otherwise I loathed absolutely everything about this.
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Post by evilmat360 on Jun 27, 2023 21:33:36 GMT
Be warned for those who've booked the sides of the stalls, they've changed around the seat notices since opening. The seat I booked back in april for press night which was purchased as a "Potentially slightly restricted view" has now changed to "Restricted side view. Key scenes will be missed." Seats 6 or 7 in from the side aisles for some of the stalls rows are the now slightly restricted view seats, which still carry the notice of "Slightly restricted view. May miss some elements of staging."
At least glad that LW have realised the issue this is probably going to cause and they've started to proactively contact people to get their decisions before they attend.  |
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Post by shady23 on Jun 27, 2023 22:00:36 GMT
Previous productions of this show have left me cold but I really enjoyed this.
Christina Bianco and Dianne Pilkington were a dream pairing. I just wished they had been on stage more, but this is not the witches story. It is Dorothy's. Georgina Onuorah portrayed her beautifully.
I thought the trio of Jason Manford, Ashley Banjo and Louis Gaunt worked really well together.
Really liked the costumes and panto-like campness of the whole thing.
There was a projection just after the "house move" which introduced Dorothy's new friends and I hated it. We know who they are. We don't need an explanation!
Will be interested to see who the cast will be taking this out on tour!
An all in one programme/brochure (rehearsal pics only) is £12 and has a nice glittery cover (for those who like that kind of thing). Other merchandise available includes several t shirts, socks of the Ruby slippers, a nice plastic sippy cup, magnet and keyring.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2023 15:53:22 GMT
Be warned for those who've booked the sides of the stalls, they've changed around the seat notices since opening. The seat I booked back in april for press night which was purchased as a "Potentially slightly restricted view" has now changed to "Restricted side view. Key scenes will be missed." Seats 6 or 7 in from the side aisles for some of the stalls rows are the now slightly restricted view seats, which still carry the notice of "Slightly restricted view. May miss some elements of staging."
At least glad that LW have realised the issue this is probably going to cause and they've started to proactively contact people to get their decisions before they attend. Looks like the entire front row has been reduced to £10 due to a high stage. I'm row A centre for Saturday and paid £89.50 originally. I've opted to stay where I am and receive a partial refund. |
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Post by theatre22 on Jun 28, 2023 16:39:23 GMT
Be warned for those who've booked the sides of the stalls, they've changed around the seat notices since opening. The seat I booked back in april for press night which was purchased as a "Potentially slightly restricted view" has now changed to "Restricted side view. Key scenes will be missed." Seats 6 or 7 in from the side aisles for some of the stalls rows are the now slightly restricted view seats, which still carry the notice of "Slightly restricted view. May miss some elements of staging."
At least glad that LW have realised the issue this is probably going to cause and they've started to proactively contact people to get their decisions before they attend. Thanks for posting this. I booked I5 and I6 in the stalls at the weekend on Today Tix when there was an offer. I looked at the lwtheatres website to check before booking and they were the first in the row that didn’t say they were a restricted view but this has now changed. I wonder if I will have any luck getting them changed if I didn’t buy on the official website. |
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Post by evilmat360 on Jun 28, 2023 21:04:20 GMT
Thanks for posting this. I booked I5 and I6 in the stalls at the weekend on Today Tix when there was an offer. I looked at the lwtheatres website to check before booking and they were the first in the row that didn’t say they were a restricted view but this has now changed. I wonder if I will have any luck getting them changed if I didn’t buy on the official website. Might be worth contacting TodayTix, they're occasionally good at resolving issues. Looks like they haven't updated the seat notes yet but the prices have changed. As just checked for seats in row D for one of the performances and the difference between the two notes is quite large. TodayTix:  LW:  |
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Post by Jon on Jun 28, 2023 22:00:05 GMT
I'm quite glad I booked dress circle seats.
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Post by apwl on Jun 29, 2023 16:59:33 GMT
Be warned for those who've booked the sides of the stalls, they've changed around the seat notices since opening. The seat I booked back in april for press night which was purchased as a "Potentially slightly restricted view" has now changed to "Restricted side view. Key scenes will be missed." Seats 6 or 7 in from the side aisles for some of the stalls rows are the now slightly restricted view seats, which still carry the notice of "Slightly restricted view. May miss some elements of staging."
At least glad that LW have realised the issue this is probably going to cause and they've started to proactively contact people to get their decisions before they attend. Thanks for posting this. I booked I5 and I6 in the stalls at the weekend on Today Tix when there was an offer. I looked at the lwtheatres website to check before booking and they were the first in the row that didn’t say they were a restricted view but this has now changed. I wonder if I will have any luck getting them changed if I didn’t buy on the official website. I booked my tickets through TodayTix on offer. I complained yesterday as when I booked on TodayTix the restriction guide was for those under 5 ft 4 and now they changed to 5 ft 8. They (well the venue) has offered to move to seats with a clear view. Not sure where these seats will be yet but I’m happy with that. TodayTix did have to contact the venue before offering me that |
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Post by fiyero on Jun 29, 2023 21:20:10 GMT
Looks like the entire front row has been reduced to £10 due to a high stage. I'm row A centre for Saturday and paid £89.50 originally. I've opted to stay where I am and receive a partial refund. Loads of front row £10 seats available now, especially from mid July. I figure it’s worth a punt (seen the show from upper circle already). |
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 29, 2023 21:22:56 GMT
I was rather impressed tonight. This is a very strong cast, lots of name value. The highlight is obviously Georgina Onuorah, who I've never seen give anything less than a commanding performance, but Jason Manford is always so under appreciated too. He's a very funny man on stage.
Fantastic to see recent ArtsEd graduate Marley Fenton in the ensemble as well.
Now, I will never think that The Wizard of Oz is one of the best stage musicals, but the ALW version works so much better than the traditional one. Not sure if the new Hamilton sequence was needed though.
I did sit in one of the £10 seats, booked yesterday, on the aisle of the side block. At 5'8", sat up straight, I couldn't see feet at the front (or anything when Georgina was sat down singing Rainbow at the back). With that said, most of the show is played at the front, and you're in touching distance at times. Great to see Toto being animated up close too. I did stand at the end, not only because I thought an ovation was deserved, but also so I could finally see the slippers! If I were to go back, I would prefer to sit a few rows back just to see the rest of the staging, but at £10 for me, this was a bargain (not sure I would say the same for the young child a few seats across, who I suspect barely saw a thing all night).
More annoying were the two girls behind me who could not control themselves talking to one another. The guy next to me finally snapped and said something. They shut up after that point, but said some less than pleasant things about him during the interval (when he was away). None of the people next to me returned after the interval, but I presume this was because they'd claimed some of the empty seats for a better view. I could have moved too, but I always like being at the front.
As I say, enjoyable, even if I could never rate this as a top show. It fits the Palladium perfectly. Also picked up on some bits of the score that later made it into Cinderella.
This starts at 7pm (I'm sure people get caught out), so it's still light when you leave the theatre.
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j85
Auditioning
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Post by j85 on Jun 30, 2023 7:48:05 GMT
I went yesterday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. Went to take my parents - wasn’t one high enough on my list to see without their request. Sat in the stalls, fairly central in row Q and had a great view - apart from missing a little bit of Wicked Witch when she was in a box.
I enjoyed the trio - Ashely can hold a tune and apart from the ‘rap’ his performance was fine, Jason was good as expected (though it felt unfair to pair him with two very good dancers!) but Louis as Scarecrow was by far my favourite of the three. Having seen him as Bert and at the panto, I hope he carries on going far. Georgia was amazing as Dorothy and the two witches were great. The whole cast seemed to be having lots of fun on the stage which always helps my enjoyment as well.
Wasn’t sure on the design based on the images I had seen, but it works really well as a whole. The projections can be distracting though as the animation style is a bit jumpy and looks like an old computer game cut scene at times, but the physical pieces, especially in the Kansas section at the start, work really well with them. I think I saw someone mention the Oz on the oil cans somewhere here, but it’s worth looking at the posters in the Emerald City - there’s a few cute throwbacks to the film on them.
And finally - if you can see the conductor/musical director, their hair is worthy of a credit of its own!
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Post by G on Jul 1, 2023 9:11:32 GMT
Was keen to see this but can’t go tomorrow. I have put up two tickets for tomorrow (Sunday) 5pm sale for £30 for the lot in the notices of the board.
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Post by zahidf on Jul 3, 2023 3:56:38 GMT
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Post by ladidah on Jul 3, 2023 7:55:33 GMT
God, how awful for her.
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Post by BVM on Jul 3, 2023 7:59:29 GMT
God, poor woman :-(
They should ban stage door. Everything about it is grim and we are constantly hearing horror stories like this.
Scrap the selfies and bring back the gap between performers and audience and the former's mythical other worldly status I say!
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Post by ladidah on Jul 3, 2023 10:42:19 GMT
Usually people boo, the actor good naturedly laughs then everyone claps more loudly.
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Post by danb on Jul 3, 2023 12:01:57 GMT
I don't think booing the villain at something like WOZ is a problem. It's one step up from panto as it is, and if anything it shows the performer has done their job well. Les mis is different, but it's also clear the audience isn't doing it from a bad place. I'm not sure if it's the norm now for les mis though. It's never happened when I've seen it (although I know it happens). Not sure how Carrie has shed light on it though tbh. She's pretty well known for encouraging stage door behaviour then back tracking when it all goes wrong. I meant more that it never seemed to be a big deal before her, although I’m sure others had ‘suffered’ stage door business before. |
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Post by distantcousin on Jul 7, 2023 9:49:09 GMT
Dianne Pilkington was booed at the curtain call at Saturday's matinee purely because she was playing the Wicked Witch of the West. She made a mock "oh no, whatever shall I do?" face so I don't think it bothered her, but regardless, we should do away with booing the actor playing the antagonist at the curtain call as well. They deserve as much appreciation as those portraying the good guys. God don't even get me started on the change of reaction to Javert at the curtain call over the last 15 years..... Oh really?! How utter cringe. We are going backwards as a society! |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jul 7, 2023 17:15:53 GMT
Interested to know any changes anyone who has seen both the Curve and Palladium productions noticed? I just saw a video with some of the casr where they said it was different from Curve and "bigger"? How so? I also noticed in some production images that the video/projection, seems, from memory anyway, to have disappeared from the proscenium in some scenes and only now on the back screen? Is this so?
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Post by max on Jul 7, 2023 20:17:25 GMT
I think it's rather good that in a quiet way, without fanfare or making a big deal of it, such a mainstream commercial Palladium summer show didn't go for 'colour blind casting' here, but actively made the core real-life characters (Dorothy and Family) a family 'of colour'.
That may not seem a big deal as there are so many great performers of colour headlining shows on Tour and in the West End - but so many of those shows have Black music makers as their subject, or are versions of stories associated with Black music makers (The Bodyguard, Tina, The Drifters Girl, Aint Too Proud, Dreamgirls). Proportionately I think some of these great performers must experience some of the worst audience behaviour - as their music brings either X Factor style reactions to hitting 'the money note', or worse - a sense that churning out the hits and dancing is just what Black performers do, so talking or screeching along is the same as bunging them on your car entertainment system.
OZ may not be the deepest show ever, but how great that the performers are using all their skills and fully inside their characters, a long way from being treated as someone's ipod shuffle.
I'm only talking about some audiences and audience members of course.
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Post by max on Jul 7, 2023 20:26:24 GMT
It's sometimes commented that ALW has written the same show many times - damaged and twisted elder (Phantom, Whistle Down The Wind, Sunset Boulevard, Stephen Ward) tries to pull an innocent into their world to heal themselves.
Here's another recurring theme/story:
Wizard Of Oz - (spoiler alert) He's just a man behind the curtain
Whistle Down The Wind - "He was just a feller"
Jesus Christ Superstar - "He's a man, he's just a man. He is not a king, he's just the same as any one I know"
Evita - "You were supposed to have been immortal, that's all they wanted, not much to ask for, but in the end you could not deliver"
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Post by Jon on Jul 7, 2023 20:33:02 GMT
It's sometimes commented that ALW has written the same show many times - damaged and twisted elder (Phantom, Whistle Down The Wind, Sunset Boulevard, Stephen Ward) tries to pull an innocent into their world to heal themselves. Here's another recurring theme/story: Wizard Of Oz - (spoiler alert) He's just a man behind the curtain Whistle Down The Wind - "He was just a feller" Jesus Christ Superstar - "He's a man, he's just a man. He is not a king, he's just the same as any one I know" Evita - "You were supposed to have been immortal, that's all they wanted, not much to ask for, but in the end you could not deliver" The Wizard of Oz isn't his show, he added new songs and tweaked the book but it's still based on the 1939 film and the books. |
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Post by ilovewemusicals on Jul 9, 2023 20:59:28 GMT
I was like a yo-yo watching this production. Some things I loved and some I thought were dire. And even in the same song; when Merry Ol’ Land of Oz started I thought why have they murdered this, then it picked up a bit and the ending was brilliant so I had to clap.
Dianne Pilkington and Louis Gaunt are exceptional. All of the cast have their moments to shine. The only song change I liked was them giving the Tin Man a bit of a rap. Just because it suited Ashley more than the singing bit. And I liked his acting and dancing in general. I’m not a fan of the way they’ve updated Glinda’s entrance, her wand and the Wicked Witch’s broom. The guards were anything but menacing.
It will take me some time to get over what they’ve done to Lollipop Guild and Lullaby League.
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