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Post by distantcousin on Jun 3, 2020 17:11:27 GMT
Bernadette Peters has the acting range of a three-speed blender, and the blender might be a better singer. I LOVE her, but never seen her live in anything, but that's still funny!
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Post by distantcousin on Jun 3, 2020 17:12:39 GMT
Hardly new ones from me, but, since you did ask. Glenn in Sunset. No amount of acting can compensate for such a mediocre singing voice. Hamilton whilst no doubt clever and fresh is insanely overrated. She Used To Be Mine aside, the scores of Waitress, Come from Away and Dear Evan Hansen are a total yawn fest. Rent Remixed was not that bad and DVO marching on in the very last second of Act 1 was iconic.
YESSS! Especially your last choice - that end of Act I cliffhanger was BRILLIANT!
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Post by lynette on Jun 3, 2020 18:36:41 GMT
Hamilton’s first ten minutes is one of the best first ten minutes of a show. Then it becomes a traditional American musical. None the worse for that but it is that.
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Post by daisy24601 on Jun 3, 2020 19:01:06 GMT
I like the Les Miserables movie.
Dr Dillamond is alright.
Original cast is not necessarily best.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 3, 2020 19:02:36 GMT
I like the Les Miserables movie. Dr Dillamond is alright.
Original cast is not necessarily best. I’ve always said he’s not that bad. baaaaaaaaaaad. 🐑 🤭
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Post by sf on Jun 3, 2020 19:10:14 GMT
Bernadette Peters has the acting range of a three-speed blender, and the blender might be a better singer. I LOVE her, but never seen her live in anything, but that's still funny! The Goodbye Girl was the first show I saw on Broadway. I can understand why it might not have been a very happy experience for her - the bookwriter and lyricist hated each other, the show changed directors during the out-of-town tryout run, and her co-star, Martin Short, who had never done a musical on Broadway before, walked away with the (otherwise dismal) reviews. But still, there are ways of dealing with difficult or disappointing experiences gracefully. The night I saw the show, Ms. Peters made it abundantly clear that she did not want to be there. She sleepwalked through the performance, she didn't make eye-contact with anybody else, she mumbled her lines, and her singing voice was fried. It's still probably the single most unprofessional, contemptuous display I have ever seen from a professional actor, and it was 27 years ago. The woman has absolutely no respect for her audiences.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2020 19:38:18 GMT
I LOVE her, but never seen her live in anything, but that's still funny! The Goodbye Girl was the first show I saw on Broadway. I can understand why it might not have been a very happy experience for her - the bookwriter and lyricist hated each other, the show changed directors during the out-of-town tryout run, and her co-star, Martin Short, who had never done a musical on Broadway before, walked away with the (otherwise dismal) reviews. But still, there are ways of dealing with difficult or disappointing experiences gracefully. The night I saw the show, Ms. Peters made it abundantly clear that she did not want to be there. She sleepwalked through the performance, she didn't make eye-contact with anybody else, she mumbled her lines, and her singing voice was fried. It's still probably the single most unprofessional, contemptuous display I have ever seen from a professional actor, and it was 27 years ago. The woman has absolutely no respect for her audiences. The Show itself didnt help, im sure. It's a snoozefest abd dont think anyone can make that material work. I saw the London production and can barely remember a thing about it, apart from the leads, and Ann Crumb and Gary Wilmott are no Bernadette Peters and Martin Short.
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Post by sb on Jun 3, 2020 22:01:59 GMT
I really don’t get the Rachel Tucker hype ... I just don’t understand it.
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Post by impossibleprincess73 on Jun 3, 2020 23:49:21 GMT
Bernadette Peters has the acting range of a three-speed blender, and the blender might be a better singer. I LOVE her, but never seen her live in anything, but that's still funny! I saw her in Follies and A Bed and a Chair on Broadway and thought she was stunning in both - but sf's opinion still made me laugh too. The best thing about this thread is that it's making me feel better about not loving Hamilton. It was like The Lion King in that the first 10 mins are the best thing about the show then it's all downhill from there. I have never understood the love for Kerry Ellis or Kristin Chenoweth. I am desperate for Next to Normal to come to London - firstly because I love it, and secondly because I can't wait to see the bloodbath that will ensue when the West End leading ladies start fighting for the role of Diana. Talking of Diana, Marin Mazzie was better in the role than Alice Ripley.
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Post by tsxmitw on Jun 4, 2020 4:05:43 GMT
As with a poster above, I’m not feeling the hype for Rachel Tucker these days though I appreciate lots of people love her and she’s clearly got an incredible work ethic. Sadly I personally can’t stand her corny American accent which is very amateur theatre to my ears. Her vocals sounds flat and strained to me, particularly in recent years, and I’ve often felt she’s not really in control of those big belting moments. I’ve definitely winced at some real duff notes more times than I haven’t with Rachel. Also a bit too much showboating for me, but there’s lots of performers guilty of that... sorry!
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Post by squidward on Jun 4, 2020 12:09:07 GMT
I LOVE her, but never seen her live in anything, but that's still funny! I saw her in Follies and A Bed and a Chair on Broadway and thought she was stunning in both - but sf's opinion still made me laugh too. The best thing about this thread is that it's making me feel better about not loving Hamilton. It was like The Lion King in that the first 10 mins are the best thing about the show then it's all downhill from there. I have never understood the love for Kerry Ellis or Kristin Chenoweth. I am desperate for Next to Normal to come to London - firstly because I love it, and secondly because I can't wait to see the bloodbath that will ensue when the West End leading ladies start fighting for the role of Diana. Talking of Diana, Marin Mazzie was better in the role than Alice Ripley.
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Post by squidward on Jun 4, 2020 12:37:09 GMT
Interesting that you say that about Marin Mazzie (RIP). I saw her play Diana on Broadway and from clips I’ve seen of Alice Ripley, I much prefer MM’s more understated and utterly heartbreaking performance. I absolutely loved the show and it’s one I’ll never forget ( particularly as some of the subject matter was very close to home for me).
I wonder why the license has so far been withheld for a UK production given it’s been produced in a lot of other countries ? It’s hard to imagine who would be the right casting for Diana over here. My nightmare casting would be Jenna Russell, Hannah Waddingham or any of the Menier Choc Factory repertory company. And God forbid Trevor Nunn getting his hands on it too 😱.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2020 12:52:58 GMT
I wonder why the license has so far been withheld for a UK production given it’s been produced in a lot of other countries ? It’s hard to imagine who would be the right casting for Diana over here. Linzi Hateley
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Post by squidward on Jun 4, 2020 13:08:39 GMT
Some further thoughts for this thread:
Groundhog Day was a shocker. Goodness knows why the British critics were fawning all over it ( maybe playing it safe because it came from the same team as Matilda)?. The amped-up sleaze factor did a terrible disservice to the film, not helped by Andy Karl’s utterly charmless performance. The score was very poor and the book was worse. The reception it got on Broadway was spot- on.
With so many great musical comedy performers in this country, what was the casting director for Waitress thinking when he/she put Jack McBrayer ( is he that big an audience pull in the UK?) and then some You Tube vlogger in the part of Ogie? It’s an iffy role in the first place, but that casting made it ten times worse.
Cassidy Janson would have knocked the role of Jenna in Waitress out of the park.
The Light in the Piazza was an outstanding piece of theatre at The Lincoln Centre. The production at the RFH was a travesty. It’s hard to think of any aspect of it that did the show justice and the RFH really isn’t the auditorium for staging musicals in the first place.
Are we ever going to see Adam Guettel’s musical ‘Millions’ come to fruition? I heard some songs from the show when Guettel did a solo show at The Hippodrome some years ago and they were wonderful. I wonder if he’s abandoned it at this point?
How many more chances are Stiles & Drew’s going to get before somebody realises that ‘Just So’ was as good as it gets? I mean ‘Soho Cinders’, ‘Wind in the Willows’, Betty Blue Eyes’? I rest my case.
Jason Robert Brown. Parade, yes. Everything else, NO. There should be a ban on any more revivals of The Last Five Years for at least the next five years, although I guess it would be the perfect show for social distancing purposes.
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Post by 141920grm on Jun 4, 2020 14:30:41 GMT
No one cares if the 3rd cover midwife is on that day. that got a hearty laugh out of me, personally i love seeing 3rd covers- fun to see familiar faces do an unfamiliar track just as brilliantly as their normal roles also having multiple covers on probably means a split track/cut show, which means bonus stage manager appreciation time!
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Post by theoracle on Jun 4, 2020 17:20:15 GMT
I have to say I find Maria Friedman very annoying. There's something very corny in the way she performs which absolves her performances of any real sincerity. In particular, her Too Many Mornings with the lovely Julian Ovenden at the BBC Proms made me very uncomfortable as she tried to cosy up to Mr. Ovenden.
Although I was much younger with little theatre knowledge or understanding at the time, I really enjoyed Viva Forever and thought it was very funny and moving.
The Evita movie always has me in tears and Madonna's performance was definitely Golden Globe worthy and she was snubbed of an Oscar nomination.
Legally Blonde should have never become a musical
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Post by impossibleprincess73 on Jun 4, 2020 18:48:13 GMT
Interesting that you say that about Marin Mazzie (RIP). I saw her play Diana on Broadway and from clips I’ve seen of Alice Ripley, I much prefer MM’s more understated and utterly heartbreaking performance. I absolutely loved the show and it’s one I’ll never forget ( particularly as some of the subject matter was very close to home for me). I wonder why the license has so far been withheld for a UK production given it’s been produced in a lot of other countries ? It’s hard to imagine who would be the right casting for Diana over here. My nightmare casting would be Jenna Russell, Hannah Waddingham or any of the Menier Choc Factory repertory company. And God forbid Trevor Nunn getting his hands on it too 😱. I was fortunate to see both Alice and Marin in the role and I'm still sad that Marin wasn't eligible for a Tony nomination for her performance in that show. She was remarkable and heartbreaking. As for a London Diana, I know that Ruthie Henshall, Sally Ann Triplett, Joanna Riding, and Jenna Russell are all desperate to get their hands on it. I assume there will be others, but those are the ones I know about through having conversations with them. I must admit, I saw Sally Ann play the role overseas and she was stunning as Diana.
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Post by Being Alive on Jun 4, 2020 19:13:02 GMT
Diana is a role I think Jo Riding is utterly perfect for, but I think they'd possibly pick Jenna or Ruthie for their larger profile.
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Post by impossibleprincess73 on Jun 4, 2020 19:17:25 GMT
I 100% agree with your thought process.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jun 4, 2020 19:21:43 GMT
I have to say I find Maria Friedman very annoying. There's something very corny in the way she performs which absolves her performances of any real sincerity. In particular, her Too Many Mornings with the lovely Julian Ovenden at the BBC Proms made me very uncomfortable as she tried to cosy up to Mr. Ovenden. Although I was much younger with little theatre knowledge or understanding at the time, I really enjoyed Viva Forever and thought it was very funny and moving. The Evita movie always has me in tears and Madonna's performance was definitely Golden Globe worthy and she was snubbed of an Oscar nomination. Legally Blonde should have never become a musical MF is someone who has not 'aged' well - nothing to do with the process of getting older per se, it is just that her performances have not maintained the quality she had as an younger performer. I thoroughly enjoyed her in Weill's Lady in the Dark at the NT in 1997 - she pitched that one perfectly for me (and what a great set of songs!) And I remember enjoying hearing her sing songs from Merrily
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 4, 2020 20:14:12 GMT
Cassidy Janson would have knocked the role of Jenna in Waitress out of the park. Yes! Yes! Yes!
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Post by danb on Jun 4, 2020 20:30:45 GMT
As with a poster above, I’m not feeling the hype for Rachel Tucker these days though I appreciate lots of people love her and she’s clearly got an incredible work ethic. Sadly I personally can’t stand her corny American accent which is very amateur theatre to my ears. Her vocals sounds flat and strained to me, particularly in recent years, and I’ve often felt she’s not really in control of those big belting moments. I’ve definitely winced at some real duff notes more times than I haven’t with Rachel. Also a bit too much showboating for me, but there’s lots of performers guilty of that... sorry! I thought all of her big notes seemed really thin & strained in CFA. Never saw her Elphaba so can’t compare, but it can’t be easy having to belt in an accent.
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Post by danb on Jun 4, 2020 20:34:41 GMT
[quote timestamp="1591274229" source="/post/351048/thread" author=" squidward" I saw Sally Ann play the role overseas and she was stunning as Diana. Please can I borrow your memory of this? I bet she was sublime.
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Post by impossibleprincess73 on Jun 4, 2020 20:43:28 GMT
It was in Sinapore in 2013 (there is a very short trailer of the production on YouTube). I love Sally Ann, but I must admit I was a bit nervous that she would struggle with the score but she blew it out of the water. She was a fantastic Diana, giving a nuanced performance which broke my heart. She's got that lovely raspiness to her voice that really worked for the more gentle songs, and her comedic timing was spot on. Shame it was never filmed.
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Post by barrowside on Jun 4, 2020 21:45:08 GMT
I have to say I find Maria Friedman very annoying. There's something very corny in the way she performs which absolves her performances of any real sincerity. In particular, her Too Many Mornings with the lovely Julian Ovenden at the BBC Proms made me very uncomfortable as she tried to cosy up to Mr. Ovenden. Although I was much younger with little theatre knowledge or understanding at the time, I really enjoyed Viva Forever and thought it was very funny and moving. The Evita movie always has me in tears and Madonna's performance was definitely Golden Globe worthy and she was snubbed of an Oscar nomination. Legally Blonde should have never become a musical MF is someone who has not 'aged' well - nothing to do with the process of getting older per se, it is just that her performances have not maintained the quality she had as an younger performer. I thoroughly enjoyed her in Weill's Lady in the Dark at the NT in 1997 - she pitched that one perfectly for me (and what a great set of songs!) And I remember enjoying hearing her sing songs from Merrily I saw her in Passion and thought she was really mannered and hammy. The critics raved about her in it and she won the Olivier. I loved the piece though and Elena Roger was perfection when the Donmar did it.
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Post by djp on Jun 5, 2020 22:11:08 GMT
Six is one of the worst shows to ever come out of the West End. Struck me as unfinished - unless its got longer since, its a short show -when the historical material offers far more. Its a historical musical but needed someone with more historical knowledge writing it. Good idea but b - book.
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Post by djp on Jun 5, 2020 22:28:42 GMT
As with a poster above, I’m not feeling the hype for Rachel Tucker these days though I appreciate lots of people love her and she’s clearly got an incredible work ethic. Sadly I personally can’t stand her corny American accent which is very amateur theatre to my ears. Her vocals sounds flat and strained to me, particularly in recent years, and I’ve often felt she’s not really in control of those big belting moments. I’ve definitely winced at some real duff notes more times than I haven’t with Rachel. Also a bit too much showboating for me, but there’s lots of performers guilty of that... sorry! Deservedly famous though for spotting that Elphaba was physically changing in the story and changing the vocal to match the change. The growl is a great addition.
Wicked strikes me as a strange show that every now and then decides to go for a new couple of leads who are great ideas who really fit and develop the role . But at other times it goes for very lazy casting of someone its tried and used before on tours or as understudies who is less striking. And because many of the top singers who we know tried for the roles, like to sing Wicked songs elsewhere ,or have played similar parts to Glinda , you end up thinking why don't they use that person - who is better than what they have, or try that one who really looked an attractive option.
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Post by djp on Jun 5, 2020 22:43:31 GMT
Why is it that the Westend casts so many major musicals with luvvies who have Olivier as their middle name even if they can't sing the score, or by twitter follower numbers , while the better big tours and out of town productions often feature really exceptional people who reliably sell out the big theatres and get 5 star reviews. Its quite amazing how some of our best performers have spent only a few months in London and years bringing in the money and reviews elsewhere.
Its almost as if there's an assumption that London audiences will fall for big acting or TV names, and can be assumed to not know who they are missing and willingness to pay exorbitant prices is inverse to knowledge of who is actually really good. It also looks like there's an assumption there's enough twitter followers and fans for some people in the capital to sustain a run regardless , the older critics will go for the names they recognize from the past , and the tourists will just go anyway.
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Post by ncbears on Jun 6, 2020 4:00:51 GMT
We Will Rock You is not the worst “popular” show I have ever seen. Close, but not a champion.
Stephen Ward was not that bad. Neither was The GoBetween.
I enjoy proseco at the interval.
West End Live performances overall are disappointing.
Laurence Connor is even less original of a director than his critics claim
Scarlett Strallen is the most talented Strallen sister.
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Post by frankubelik on Jun 6, 2020 16:04:00 GMT
Proof, if any were needed, that winning an Olivier is not a sign of musical excellence: Sophie Thompson, Samantha Spiro, Martine McCutcheon, Elena Roger, Sheridan Smith, Zrinka Cvitesic, Shirley Henderson........ While I'm here, why does Jenna Russell get cast in everything? She leaves me cold. Poor Ria Jones has no voice left at all and Ruthie Henshall now makes a career out of singing flat. And as for Tracie Bennett, I would be banned from this board if I started. Did anyone really believe Imelda as a former showgirl?
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