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Post by LaLuPone on Apr 14, 2022 20:24:39 GMT
Many thoughts after the matinee today. To start with it’s still a top notch production and it’s great to have such a high quality set out on tour for people who can’t get to London. It’s just a shame that the cast don’t live up to last year’s mostly.
I enjoyed Kerry’s performance and she definitely knocks every song out the park with her big voice, she sounded great. She’s fine with the comedy as well, I reckon she’ll settle more into it as she gets more performances under her belt. Obviously she doesn’t look as effortless as Sutton in the tap sequences but then Sutton was in her own league really. Again I think she’ll just keep getting better as she gets used to the dances. Also no hair-tucking in sight, she must have finally kicked that bad habit!
Bonnie is charming and funny but so wasted in this part. In some ways I’d say she’s miscast. Felicity was much older than her and alongside Simon Callow she looks so young. She’s only 57 and I’d say looks younger, and she’s probably more physically fit than most people in their 20s so to see her in this “old lady” part feels wrong. I wish they could have choreographed a tap solo into Blow, Gabriel Blow for her and I sound like a broken record now but I’d have killed to see her as Reno!
Simon is much more doddery than Gary Wilmot but is fine, I just couldn’t tell at some points if things he was doing were part of his characterisation or just him, for example when he gets down on one knee to propose to Evangeline he struggles and has to put his arms out to help himself down! At points when he’s standing in scenes just observing it did sometimes look like he’d just wondered onto the stage and had no idea what was going on bless him!
The real let down for me was Denis Lawson, I’m afraid he’s really out of his depth here. Not sure if he’s ever done musical theatre or comedy before but his performance was just a complete miss. I think we were blessed with Robert Lindsay who was so perfectly cast and so funny. Denis Lawson just misses so many opportunities to be funny and in the scene that takes place in Moonface’s cabin & Whitney’s cabin he definitely forgot some lines and cues. He just doesn’t look comfortable in the part and doesn’t seem to be enjoying himself. I don’t see him improving but I’m happy to be proven wrong when I go back to the Barbican later in the summer.
Carly Mercedes Dyer and Haydn Oakley are still wonderful in their roles and 100% steal the show, great to have them back. I also think the whole company deserve to be commended for getting through a 9 show week as their opening week after no doubt teching all last week and then going up to London to perform at the Oliviers, they deserve a good rest on Sunday!
Overall I enjoyed it but it’s a 4 star show compared to a clear 5 stars last Summer.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 14, 2022 20:36:39 GMT
Totally totally here for the hair tuck update. 😆
Thankyou! 🙂
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Post by Being Alive on Apr 14, 2022 22:40:58 GMT
He does feel hugely out of his depth here. I wondered how much if that is because of just how excellent Robert Lindsay was, but he causes Friendship not to work at all really, and Bluebird is very much a something and nothing number which is a shame.
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Post by amp09 on Apr 14, 2022 23:14:48 GMT
What the hell were they thinking casting Denis in this? A shambolic performance. He stumbled his way through tonight’s show. He’s putting so much effort into trying to remember what’s next and it’s all just so forced and unnatural.
Kerry struggled in Blow, Gabriel, Blow with the dancing but she was pretty flawless in Anything Goes. So pleased for her after all the criticism surrounding her casting - she’ll have this nailed by the time it reaches the Barbican.
Carly Mercedes Dyer fabulous as always!
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Post by jacob on Apr 14, 2022 23:56:18 GMT
What the hell were they thinking casting Denis in this? A shambolic performance. He stumbled his way through tonight’s show. He’s putting so much effort into trying to remember what’s next and it’s all just so forced and unnatural. Kerry struggled in Blow, Gabriel, Blow with the dancing but she was pretty flawless in Anything Goes. So pleased for her after all the criticism surrounding her casting - she’ll have this nailed by the time it reaches the Barbican. Carly Mercedes Dyer fabulous as always! pretty much agreed, a few line fumbles the other night and ultimately wasn’t fond of his performance.. but for my first time seeing the show, I did quite enjoy it:)) a shame it’s not selling the best here |
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Post by interval99 on Apr 18, 2022 12:57:14 GMT
Sat matinee and seems most of the issues raised in above comments sorted.
Dennis Lawson was fine no line issues and was grateful he didn't mug for the spotlight as much as Robert did.
Overall was more fun than the London show but the whole production still seems rather staid.
Jack Wilcox was on as Billy Crocker and gave a wonderful assured performance and had great interaction with all the other leads. Actually announced over the tannoy at the start which hadn't heard for ages.
No cast board up, photocopies of cast and crew list given out and at bars to pick up.
Seated further back than the Barbican which really allows the group dance numbers to shine and would recommend being mid to rear stalls for this.
Still a great show if still not up to the national revival level of a few years back .
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Post by SuttonPeron on Apr 18, 2022 15:34:33 GMT
Sat matinee and seems most of the issues raised in above comments sorted. Dennis Lawson was fine no line issues and was grateful he didn't mug for the spotlight as much as Robert did. Overall was more fun than the London show but the whole production still seems rather staid. Jack Wilcox was on as Billy Crocker and gave a wonderful assured performance and had great interaction with all the other leads. Actually announced over the tannoy at the start which hadn't heard for ages. No cast board up, photocopies of cast and crew list given out and at bars to pick up. Seated further back than the Barbican which really allows the group dance numbers to shine and would recommend being mid to rear stalls for this. Still a great show if still not up to the national revival level of a few years back . I loved Jack as Billy at the Barbican. His voice is like butter. |
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Post by shady23 on Apr 18, 2022 22:05:49 GMT
Another fan of Jack here. He is always excellent in anything and everything he is in.
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Post by david on Apr 21, 2022 10:32:00 GMT
Having been at last nights show at the Liverpool Empire and having had time to chew over my thoughts about the new cast, I’m in total agreement with what LaLuPone has posted. Watching last years cast at the Barbican was just an absolute joy and was just a perfect show in all aspects and was an easy 5⭐️ rating and a great night out at the theatre. I think watching the 2022 cast there was a little of that magic missing that made last years show so special. I enjoyed last nights show but didn’t come away with the same excitement and joy I experienced when I left the Barbican. There was certainly a more reserved atmosphere from last nights audience than I experienced in London. After the two big dance numbers the audience were on their feet in London, whilst in Liverpool everyone stayed in their seats. Kerry Ellis was great as Reno and I loved her in the role. Great vocals, dancing comic timing. Those two big dance numbers with Kerry were still a joy to watch on stage. I’m glad she has stopped with the hair tucking thing as it was really distracting. With the returning cast from last year, none of them disappointed and were just as great this time round as when I saw them last year. Carly Mercedes Dyer is a star and Hayden Oakley and the stuffed toy dog got plenty of laughs from last nights audience. Where I think this tour lost something was in the new cast members. With Gary, Robert and Felicity along with the fantastic Sutton in their respective roles having the audience in stitches and for the entire show and having some real on stage chemistry and creating a great and fun atmosphere in the auditorium, I really didn’t get any of that that last night from the new cast. A lot of the humour for me was lost with the new cast. Dennis Lawson cannot play a gangster and a lot of the fun Robert Lindsey brought to the role has been lost here with Denis Lawson’s portrayal. The song “Friendship” really didn’t work as well with Kerry and Denis as it did with Sutton and Robert. The same could be said of both Simon Callow and Bonnie Langford. Both great actors but not in their roles in this show. A lot of the chemistry with last years cast was wasn’t there for me and the fun they had on stage didn’t materialise with the new cast. Hopefully this would improve as they get more shows under their belt. Casting issues aside, the show still looks and sounds great as it did last year with a fantastic set, lighting design, costumes and a 15 piece orchestra with the show made full use of the big Empire stage. As a rating I’d give this one a 4⭐️ rating due to the casting issues. |
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Post by couldileaveyou on Apr 21, 2022 15:04:14 GMT
btw, Sutton Foster has been nominated for a National Dance Award, which tend to award modern and classical ballet. She clearly stood out! |
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Post by hannechalk on Apr 26, 2022 18:12:45 GMT
The show is currently in Liverpool - and does not seem to have been selling well at all.
I have a £13-ticket for Thursday evening.
They seem to have closed the upper circle.
For some reason there is no performance on Friday.
Will post my review.
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Post by cezbear on Apr 26, 2022 18:38:11 GMT
Is the tour selling well elsewhere? Looking at Liverpool dates it looks barely sold at all. Must be very disheartening for the cast, I can't see how it's viable.
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Post by richey on Apr 26, 2022 19:18:37 GMT
I saw a picture someone had posted from the Empire last night just before curtain up and there were barely 50 people in the stalls. Apparently they tried moving everyone towards the front so it didn't look as bad
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Post by inthenose on Apr 26, 2022 19:25:03 GMT
Very sorry to hear this, someone quite a few pages back mentioned this show historically doesn't do well on tour. Well done for them calling it.
I think (open for debate!!) people underestimate (and this certainly isn't the only factor!) just what a draw Sutton Foster was.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 26, 2022 19:44:58 GMT
It begs the question, what the eff IS a draw these days? Gemma bloody Collins? It’s a sad state of affairs.
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Post by inthenose on Apr 26, 2022 21:10:53 GMT
It begs the question, what the eff IS a draw these days? Gemma bloody Collins? It’s a sad state of affairs. I suspect so, sadly. One argument might be that Addams Family and Anything Goes are bombing because of a lack of familiarity in Generation X. Sorry to be brutal, but there is an argument that generations are dying off/too elderly to attend the theatre. When I saw Anything Goes in town I was comfortably the youngest I could see in our section (I'm 36). Covid has made a huge impact on the box office with the over 60's. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Apr 26, 2022 21:20:25 GMT
Without a huge star name, Anything Goes just doesn't have broad appeal. It is a dated show with a wafer thin plot, cardboard characters but some damn fine tunes.
Even Sutton Foster would struggle to sell a UK tour of it. She just isn't a name that resonates outside of the capital.
If Chichester are hoping that they can easily transfer or tour Crazy for You, they may face a similar challenge. It has some lovely songs, a couple of great dance moments but a weak book. It feels like an old show even though it isn't.
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Post by Jon on Apr 26, 2022 21:31:58 GMT
I suspect so, sadly. One argument might be that Addams Family and Anything Goes are bombing because of a lack of familiarity in Generation X. Sorry to be brutal, but there is an argument that generations are dying off/too elderly to attend the theatre. When I saw Anything Goes in town I was comfortably the youngest I could see in our section (I'm 36). Covid has made a huge impact on the box office with the over 60's. The Addams Family TBF was a victim of touring for a second time even though if it wasn't that successful first time around but I don't think theatre is going to die off just because the older generation is passing on. |
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Post by inthenose on Apr 26, 2022 21:42:20 GMT
I suspect so, sadly. One argument might be that Addams Family and Anything Goes are bombing because of a lack of familiarity in Generation X. Sorry to be brutal, but there is an argument that generations are dying off/too elderly to attend the theatre. When I saw Anything Goes in town I was comfortably the youngest I could see in our section (I'm 36). Covid has made a huge impact on the box office with the over 60's. The Addams Family TBF was a victim of touring for a second time even though if it wasn't that successful first time around but I don't think theatre is going to die off just because the older generation is passing on. Indeed, and I commented as such a few pages ago. It didn't do that great first time out, why would it do the same or better without draws? That show isn't the issue per se. |
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Post by inthenose on Apr 26, 2022 21:44:27 GMT
I also don't think theatre is going to die off either, but I do think there is an argument that certain shows aren't appealing to younger generations, and vice-versa.
30 years ago "Six" wouldn't be a thing. It has built off the appeal of "younger" shows like Wicked.
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Post by marob on Apr 26, 2022 21:50:35 GMT
What I don’t get is why they aren’t offering reduced tickets, other than £5 off the midweek shows for theatrecard holders. The Empire’s massive, on a par with the Palladium, the Coliseum and the Royal Opera House. To have only sold a few hundred seats at every performance and then leave nearly two thousand seats empty before they’ll sell them off cheaply is just ridiculous. I know they don’t want to devalue the product but ATG’s theatres in Manchester seem much more willing to put offers out.
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Post by sph on Apr 26, 2022 21:51:24 GMT
I suspect so, sadly. One argument might be that Addams Family and Anything Goes are bombing because of a lack of familiarity in Generation X. Sorry to be brutal, but there is an argument that generations are dying off/too elderly to attend the theatre. When I saw Anything Goes in town I was comfortably the youngest I could see in our section (I'm 36). Covid has made a huge impact on the box office with the over 60's. The Addams Family TBF was a victim of touring for a second time even though if it wasn't that successful first time around but I don't think theatre is going to die off just because the older generation is passing on. Theatre isn't going to die off, but certain shows inevitably will unless there is something done with them that grabs the interest of each new generation. Who are the main theatre-going demographics outside London? I'd say older people, families and the "girls night out" crowds. If older people aren't going back to the theatres then shows like Anything Goes will flop. Oh... and also everyone can watch it on BBC iPlayer for free... so there's that. Addams Family just isn't a familiar enough brand to British families to have them rushing to grab tickets either, it's never going to grab that group like Shrek or Mary Poppins does. As for how AG is selling in London, well I feel like they were expecting lightning to strike twice and it hasn't. Plus, you know, iPlayer. I still think what I said before - use the same formula but do a different show. Get a big fun musical and bring it here with a rarely-seen-in-London American star. |
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Post by inthenose on Apr 26, 2022 21:54:37 GMT
The Addams Family TBF was a victim of touring for a second time even though if it wasn't that successful first time around but I don't think theatre is going to die off just because the older generation is passing on. Theatre isn't going to die off, but certain shows inevitably will unless there is something done with them that grabs the interest of each new generation. Who are the main theatre-going demographics outside London? I'd say older people, families and the "girls night out" crowds. If older people aren't going back to the theatres then shows like Anything Goes will flop. Oh... and also everyone can watch it on BBC iPlayer for free... so there's that. Addams Family just isn't a familiar enough brand to British families to have them rushing to grab tickets either, it's never going to grab that group like Shrek or Mary Poppins does. As for how AG is selling in London, well I feel like they were expecting lightning to strike twice and it hasn't. Plus, you know, iPlayer. I still think what I said before - use the same formula but do a different show. Get a big fun musical and bring it here with a rarely-seen-in-London American star. Better worded than me. 100% agree. |
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Post by Jon on Apr 26, 2022 22:00:29 GMT
Theatre isn't going to die off, but certain shows inevitably will unless there is something done with them that grabs the interest of each new generation. Who are the main theatre-going demographics outside London? I'd say older people, families and the "girls night out" crowds. If older people aren't going back to the theatres then shows like Anything Goes will flop. Oh... and also everyone can watch it on BBC iPlayer for free... so there's that. Addams Family just isn't a familiar enough brand to British families to have them rushing to grab tickets either, it's never going to grab that group like Shrek or Mary Poppins does. As for how AG is selling in London, well I feel like they were expecting lightning to strike twice and it hasn't. Plus, you know, iPlayer. I still think what I said before - use the same formula but do a different show. Get a big fun musical and bring it here with a rarely-seen-in-London American star. I don't subscribe to this idea that the pre 1960s musicals will die off. They get revived less often but if Shakespeare is still being performed centuries after his work debuted and likewise Restoration Comedies then the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe will be performed long after we've all left this mortal coil. |
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Post by sph on Apr 26, 2022 22:19:16 GMT
Theatre isn't going to die off, but certain shows inevitably will unless there is something done with them that grabs the interest of each new generation. Who are the main theatre-going demographics outside London? I'd say older people, families and the "girls night out" crowds. If older people aren't going back to the theatres then shows like Anything Goes will flop. Oh... and also everyone can watch it on BBC iPlayer for free... so there's that. Addams Family just isn't a familiar enough brand to British families to have them rushing to grab tickets either, it's never going to grab that group like Shrek or Mary Poppins does. As for how AG is selling in London, well I feel like they were expecting lightning to strike twice and it hasn't. Plus, you know, iPlayer. I still think what I said before - use the same formula but do a different show. Get a big fun musical and bring it here with a rarely-seen-in-London American star. I don't subscribe to this idea that the pre 1960s musicals will die off. They get revived less often but if Shakespeare is still being performed centuries after his work debuted and likewise Restoration Comedies then the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe will be performed long after we've all left this mortal coil. Some of them will die off! Of course they will! Think of how many hundreds of musicals played Broadway/The West End in the 30s/40s/50s that have never been heard from again? It happens, it really does. Not all shows survive from one generation to the next, and those that do are still constantly being updated, redirected, reworked etc for modern audiences. As for Shakespeare, ok but what about his contemporaries? He wasn't the only playwright of his era. |
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