5,910 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 21, 2021 12:59:55 GMT
The idea of eating your dinner in there is so grim. Nope.
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Post by saul on Nov 23, 2021 4:19:23 GMT
I made a trip overseas specifically to see this last week. Ended up catching nine shows in six days. I know the reaction on here is rapturous, but for me, it was the one dud of the trip. They’re hamstrung by a tiny round stage that raises and lowers and spins about nonstop but doesn’t allow for any actual scenery. Without much to offer in stage design, the costuming goes for broke with some big swings that just didn’t land for me. Redmayne has a surprisingly beautiful voice, but the Emcee here seemed a bit aimless. It’s a committed performance, but I felt he was let down by the directing. Buckley was also a swing and a miss for me, and the less said about her whispered until it’s shrieked performance of the title song, the better. There was no subtlety there. Again, I blame the director more than the actor. But I feel I might be alone on this one as the audience response was explosive. As for Douglas, his performance as Cliff was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Beyond which, this was also an incredibly slow Cabaret. I hope they can tighten the pacing of the first act as it felt interminable. But! I know the folks here seem to be loving it! It may simply not be for me.
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19,797 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 23, 2021 4:56:17 GMT
I made a trip overseas specifically to see this last week. Ended up catching nine shows in six days. I know the reaction on here is rapturous, but for me, it was the one dud of the trip. They’re hamstrung by a tiny round stage that raises and lowers and spins about nonstop but doesn’t allow for any actual scenery. Without much to offer in stage design, the costuming goes for broke with some big swings that just didn’t land for me. Redmayne has a surprisingly beautiful voice, but the Emcee here seemed a bit aimless. It’s a committed performance, but I felt he was let down by the directing. Buckley was also a swing and a miss for me, and the less said about her whispered until it’s shrieked performance of the title song, the better. There was no subtlety there. Again, I blame the director more than the actor. But I feel I might be alone on this one as the audience response was explosive. As for Douglas, his performance as Cliff was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Beyond which, this was also an incredibly slow Cabaret. I hope they can tighten the pacing of the first act as it felt interminable. But! I know the folks here seem to be loving it! It may simply not be for me. What a shame you travelled for Cabaret and it didn’t meet expectations. Hopefully out of the other eight shows you saw there were plenty of hits? Lets us know in the relevant threads. Welcome to the forum! |
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2,024 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Nov 23, 2021 9:02:48 GMT
I made a trip overseas specifically to see this last week. Ended up catching nine shows in six days. I know the reaction on here is rapturous, but for me, it was the one dud of the trip. They’re hamstrung by a tiny round stage that raises and lowers and spins about nonstop but doesn’t allow for any actual scenery. Without much to offer in stage design, the costuming goes for broke with some big swings that just didn’t land for me. Redmayne has a surprisingly beautiful voice, but the Emcee here seemed a bit aimless. It’s a committed performance, but I felt he was let down by the directing. Buckley was also a swing and a miss for me, and the less said about her whispered until it’s shrieked performance of the title song, the better. There was no subtlety there. Again, I blame the director more than the actor. But I feel I might be alone on this one as the audience response was explosive. As for Douglas, his performance as Cliff was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Beyond which, this was also an incredibly slow Cabaret. I hope they can tighten the pacing of the first act as it felt interminable. But! I know the folks here seem to be loving it! It may simply not be for me. Gosh, that's making me glad I didn't get tickets! I probably would have noticed similar flaws to you. I have been very hesitant about this particular director all along, and was really only wanting to see it for Jessie Buckley. |
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Post by Mr Crummles on Nov 23, 2021 12:12:48 GMT
I made a trip overseas specifically to see this last week. Ended up catching nine shows in six days. I know the reaction on here is rapturous, but for me, it was the one dud of the trip. They’re hamstrung by a tiny round stage that raises and lowers and spins about nonstop but doesn’t allow for any actual scenery. Without much to offer in stage design, the costuming goes for broke with some big swings that just didn’t land for me. Redmayne has a surprisingly beautiful voice, but the Emcee here seemed a bit aimless. It’s a committed performance, but I felt he was let down by the directing. Buckley was also a swing and a miss for me, and the less said about her whispered until it’s shrieked performance of the title song, the better. There was no subtlety there. Again, I blame the director more than the actor. But I feel I might be alone on this one as the audience response was explosive. As for Douglas, his performance as Cliff was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Beyond which, this was also an incredibly slow Cabaret. I hope they can tighten the pacing of the first act as it felt interminable. But! I know the folks here seem to be loving it! It may simply not be for me. Gosh, that's making me glad I didn't get tickets! I probably would have noticed similar flaws to you. I have been very hesitant about this particular director all along, and was really only wanting to see it for Jessie Buckley. The very same situation I'm in. I have been very hesitant too. In pre-Covid times, when ticket prices were usually more affordable, I could afford to take risks despite any initial trepidation.This is no longer the case, I'm afraid. |
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Post by alece10 on Nov 23, 2021 12:17:44 GMT
I am surprised that people are deciding not to go based on 1 poor review on here.
There are 13 people giving it 5 stars and 1 giving it 1 star.
If I was interested in seeing something I would be more inclined to go by the majority judgement rather than a single one.
But, each to their own and that's why we have a discussion forum.
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5,910 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 23, 2021 12:34:47 GMT
I am surprised that people are deciding not to go based on 1 poor review on here. There are 13 people giving it 5 stars and 1 giving it 1 star. If I was interested in seeing something I would be more inclined to go by the majority judgement rather than a single one. But, each to their own and that's why we have a discussion forum. I’m sure this show will survive just fine without a few daft people reading a poor review on here and not booking. |
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3,040 posts
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Post by crowblack on Nov 23, 2021 13:29:48 GMT
I am surprised that people are deciding not to go based on 1 poor review on here. There are 13 people giving it 5 stars and 1 giving it 1 star. If I was interested in seeing something I would be more inclined to go by the majority judgement rather than a single one. But, each to their own and that's why we have a discussion forum. It's an unusually expensive show and in the middle of a pandemic though. |
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8,163 posts
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Post by alece10 on Nov 23, 2021 15:48:04 GMT
I am surprised that people are deciding not to go based on 1 poor review on here. There are 13 people giving it 5 stars and 1 giving it 1 star. If I was interested in seeing something I would be more inclined to go by the majority judgement rather than a single one. But, each to their own and that's why we have a discussion forum. It's an unusually expensive show and in the middle of a pandemic though. I agree with you on both points but not sure what that has to do with the comment I made. |
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Post by saul on Nov 23, 2021 17:32:46 GMT
I am surprised that people are deciding not to go based on 1 poor review on here. There are 13 people giving it 5 stars and 1 giving it 1 star. If I was interested in seeing something I would be more inclined to go by the majority judgement rather than a single one. But, each to their own and that's why we have a discussion forum. I’m sure this show will survive just fine without a few daft people reading a poor review on here and not booking. Even I wouldn't say not to go based solely on my review. I have a feeling I'm going to be in the vast minority opinion on this one based only on other reactions here and the enthusiasm of the audience in the theatre. I did strongly dislike it, but it's also possible that the Sam Mendes version is too ingrained in my mind as I'm in NY and saw it way back in 1996 (and still think Natasha Richardson's Sally is one of the greatest performances I've ever seen) and also saw it three more times when it returned to Broadway just a few years ago. Some of my difficulty with this production could well be that my tea is just too sweet, if you will. I hold the Mendes production as an all-time great. It's true that I felt this should have been more OR less stylized. For me, it occupied a strange middle ground where we were denied both a real nightclub experience before the descent into terror, but it also didn't commit fully enough to its more expressionist choices to make those actually land. For me, Buckley's performance of the title number was a distillation of the problems. Her acting choices were decidedly not realistic, but neither were they so stylized that they achieved a new layer or level of impact. Which, again, I think is more about the director's choices than the strengths of the actor herself. Believe me, I wish I had loved it. And I saw many shows that I adored while on this visit. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Manor, and (I can't believe I'm going to say this about a new work from one of my least favorite composers) Cinderella were at the top of my list. But! That also means its possible that in doing nine shows in six days, I also might have just been theater-ed out. So. Take it all with a grain of salt! Especially since GREAT art tends to be the most divisive. It's entirely possible that this was brilliant, and it just winged over my head. Stranger things have happened! |
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Post by karloscar on Nov 23, 2021 17:57:23 GMT
I’m sure this show will survive just fine without a few daft people reading a poor review on here and not booking. Even I wouldn't say not to go based solely on my review. I have a feeling I'm going to be in the vast minority opinion on this one based only on other reactions here and the enthusiasm of the audience in the theatre. I did strongly dislike it, but it's also possible that the Sam Mendes version is too ingrained in my mind as I'm in NY and saw it way back in 1996 (and still think Natasha Richardson's Sally is one of the greatest performances I've ever seen) and also saw it three more times when it returned to Broadway just a few years ago. Some of my difficulty with this production could well be that my tea is just too sweet, if you will. I hold the Mendes production as an all-time great. It's true that I felt this should have been more OR less stylized. For me, it occupied a strange middle ground where we were denied both a real nightclub experience before the descent into terror, but it also didn't commit fully enough to its more expressionist choices to make those actually land. For me, Buckley's performance of the title number was a distillation of the problems. Her acting choices were decidedly not realistic, but neither were they so stylized that they achieved a new layer or level of impact. Which, again, I think is more about the director's choices than the strengths of the actor herself. Believe me, I wish I had loved it. And I saw many shows that I adored while on this visit. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Manor, and (I can't believe I'm going to say this about a new work from one of my least favorite composers) Cinderella were at the top of my list. But! That also means its possible that in doing nine shows in six days, I also might have just been theater-ed out. So. Take it all with a grain of salt! Especially since GREAT art tends to be the most divisive. It's entirely possible that this was brilliant, and it just winged over my head. Stranger things have happened! Eewh! If Cinderella is making a better impression than Cabaret they're in mighty big trouble.🙀 |
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Post by distantcousin on Nov 23, 2021 19:59:42 GMT
Gosh, that's making me glad I didn't get tickets! I probably would have noticed similar flaws to you. I have been very hesitant about this particular director all along, and was really only wanting to see it for Jessie Buckley. The very same situation I'm in. I have been very hesitant too. In pre-Covid times, when ticket prices were usually more affordable, I could afford to take risks despite any initial trepidation.This is no longer the case, I'm afraid.
Exactly this. When it's a substantial amount of money involved, we can't help but become terribly risk averse.
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Post by kelly52 on Nov 23, 2021 20:14:33 GMT
I made a trip overseas specifically to see this last week. Ended up catching nine shows in six days. I know the reaction on here is rapturous, but for me, it was the one dud of the trip. They’re hamstrung by a tiny round stage that raises and lowers and spins about nonstop but doesn’t allow for any actual scenery. Without much to offer in stage design, the costuming goes for broke with some big swings that just didn’t land for me. Redmayne has a surprisingly beautiful voice, but the Emcee here seemed a bit aimless. It’s a committed performance, but I felt he was let down by the directing. Buckley was also a swing and a miss for me, and the less said about her whispered until it’s shrieked performance of the title song, the better. There was no subtlety there. Again, I blame the director more than the actor. But I feel I might be alone on this one as the audience response was explosive. As for Douglas, his performance as Cliff was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Beyond which, this was also an incredibly slow Cabaret. I hope they can tighten the pacing of the first act as it felt interminable. But! I know the folks here seem to be loving it! It may simply not be for me. |
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Post by kelly52 on Nov 23, 2021 20:14:50 GMT
I made a trip overseas specifically to see this last week. Ended up catching nine shows in six days. I know the reaction on here is rapturous, but for me, it was the one dud of the trip. They’re hamstrung by a tiny round stage that raises and lowers and spins about nonstop but doesn’t allow for any actual scenery. Without much to offer in stage design, the costuming goes for broke with some big swings that just didn’t land for me. Redmayne has a surprisingly beautiful voice, but the Emcee here seemed a bit aimless. It’s a committed performance, but I felt he was let down by the directing. Buckley was also a swing and a miss for me, and the less said about her whispered until it’s shrieked performance of the title song, the better. There was no subtlety there. Again, I blame the director more than the actor. But I feel I might be alone on this one as the audience response was explosive. As for Douglas, his performance as Cliff was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Beyond which, this was also an incredibly slow Cabaret. I hope they can tighten the pacing of the first act as it felt interminable. But! I know the folks here seem to be loving it! It may simply not be for me. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2021 22:20:32 GMT
How does this production differ to the Mendes?
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Post by fiyerorocher on Nov 23, 2021 23:19:35 GMT
I must say for a show that sort of became infamous for its ticket prices, I enjoyed an completely unrestricted view for £25 in the upper circle tonight, which came with the completely incalculable value of being as far away from the audience participation as possible :') There were certainly excellent deals to be had, they just went fast!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2021 23:25:33 GMT
Doesnt everyone have a show that you have hated but everyone else has loved? Nothing wrong with having a different opinion and going against the grain. I still maintain that Waitress is the most overhyped, cliché ridden, musical ever to open in the West End.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Nov 23, 2021 23:50:45 GMT
How does this production differ to the Mendes? In pretty much every single aspect. This is not a Les Miz or Phantom pre and post revamp situation, it's just an entirely different production. Tbh it's a fairly traditional staging, it does not reinvent the material in the way Mendes did. Most notably, some of the cabaret numbers are a bit more vaudevillian, it's not so overtly sexual, and the finale is not as shocking. |
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Post by pomegranate on Nov 23, 2021 23:53:23 GMT
I must say for a show that sort of became infamous for its ticket prices, I enjoyed an completely unrestricted view for £25 in the upper circle tonight, which came with the completely incalculable value of being as far away from the audience participation as possible :') There were certainly excellent deals to be had, they just went fast! Am I right in thinking that one of the audience members pulled up for audience interaction tonight was none other than Jonathan Bailey? |
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Post by andrew on Nov 24, 2021 0:04:06 GMT
I must say for a show that sort of became infamous for its ticket prices, I enjoyed an completely unrestricted view for £25 in the upper circle tonight, which came with the completely incalculable value of being as far away from the audience participation as possible :') There were certainly excellent deals to be had, they just went fast! Am I right in thinking that one of the audience members pulled up for audience interaction tonight was none other than Jonathan Bailey? You probably are. http://instagram.com/p/CWojXuGv2zW |
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Post by hairspray57 on Nov 24, 2021 0:19:52 GMT
I wouldn’t be surprised if shows sound out people to be selected for the most intrusive parts of audience participation. Has anyone ever seen someone refuse at a pantomime for example?
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Post by Being Alive on Nov 24, 2021 0:36:19 GMT
I wouldn’t be surprised if shows sound out people to be selected for the most intrusive parts of audience participation. Has anyone ever seen someone refuse at a pantomime for example? Yes...lots of times. |
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Post by distantcousin on Nov 24, 2021 9:05:02 GMT
How does this production differ to the Mendes? In pretty much every single aspect. This is not a Les Miz or Phantom pre and post revamp situation, it's just an entirely different production. Tbh it's a fairly traditional staging, it does not reinvent the material in the way Mendes did. Most notably, some of the cabaret numbers are a bit more vaudevillian, it's not so overtly sexual, and the finale is not as shocking. What about compared to the Rufus Norris version? (I, like most Brits, have only seen bo*tlegs of that Broadway production) |
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Post by sfsusan on Nov 24, 2021 10:18:18 GMT
Doesnt everyone have a show that you have hated but everyone else has loved? This would make a great new topic!! |
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Post by partytentdown on Nov 24, 2021 14:05:25 GMT
Question about testing. I did a self test and reported the result to the NHS but haven't received a confirmation email or text. I took a screen grab of the result page but it doesn't have the date on it. Any suggestion as to what to do...?
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