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Post by Theatre Fan on Oct 15, 2021 11:48:05 GMT
New tour (& production, it seems), directed by Curve’s Nikolai Foster x
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Post by Dr Tom on Oct 15, 2021 12:06:06 GMT
Excellent news, one of my favourites.
It will be interesting to see what they do with this as an entirely new production. Have there been any regional productions of Beautiful anywhere else in the world, or will this be the first one?
I believe the original production is still touring in the US (but it may well have gone non-equity).
Edit - Looks like the US tour is still Equity, just unusual it's doing single night stops at many venues.
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Post by Theatre Fan on Oct 15, 2021 12:18:54 GMT
As much as I luv Nikolai Foster's work and the show.
This feels a little iffy. The original production is great, and was literally touring pre-covid.
This feels like a cost-cutting exercise, to tour the show with a cheaper production by making it actor/muso.
Am I crazy?
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Post by Being Alive on Oct 15, 2021 12:24:21 GMT
Actor-muso is Curve's gimmick for touring shows and always has been.
Sarah Travis will do great things with the orchestrations, and it's not bad thing to reinvent it a little - actor muso feels quite apt for most of it being about song-writing anyway.
I'd rather this than the original production go out again...
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Post by mrbarnaby on Oct 15, 2021 22:15:24 GMT
The curve is really making a name for itself staging very recent shows that need no revival any time soon, on the cheap. Depressing.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 16, 2021 23:52:54 GMT
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Post by mrbarnaby on Dec 17, 2021 0:16:09 GMT
This whole production sounds really uninspired.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 17, 2021 10:11:44 GMT
Actor-muso is Curve's gimmick for touring shows and always has been. Sarah Travis will do great things with the orchestrations, and it's not bad thing to reinvent it a little - actor muso feels quite apt for most of it being about song-writing anyway. I'd rather this than the original production go out again... The only actor musician tour I can think of they have done recently, and even this was 6 years ago, was Sister Act? Nikolai has done a few more actor muso tours like Calamity Jane but they were pre Curve days. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 17, 2021 10:22:50 GMT
The curve is really making a name for itself staging very recent shows that need no revival any time soon, on the cheap. Depressing. It's making a name for itself by producing very good shows actually. When was the last brand new versions of West Side before 2019? (there wasn't) When was the last brand new version of A Chorus Line? When was the last fully staged production of Sunset Boulevard? And a streamed version? When was the last new production of A Color Purple outside London ever? (there wasn't) And a streamed version? When has there been a new version of ALWs Oz since it's London run 12 years ago? (there hasn't) Adrian Mole was a brand new Musical that made it to the West End. Many people have been asking for Billy Elliot to come back or be revived since it closed and that will even be a brand new version. I agree that Beautiful is a bizarre choice but they are clearly going for a more intimate approach with actor musicians that could actually be quite interesting and please don't make out that Curve are just making a name for themselves just by putting out "cheap" productions of recent shows when they are actually making a name for themselves by putting on quality new versions of shows that get critical acclaim. It smacks of snobbery and maybe you could try going to watch the shows rather than calling one of the top regional theatres that is doing great work "depressing" from the comfort of your armchair when it's anything but. Is the problem that Curve isn't located in Chichester? |
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 17, 2021 10:32:50 GMT
Is it bad that I think there's a really unfortunate typo in this tweet...
I'm looking forward to this tour. The Curve have an excellent track record for adding a new spark to shows. And here we have a show where the lead spends much of it pretending to play a piano, so an actor-musician version should work perfectly.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 17, 2021 11:13:40 GMT
The curve is really making a name for itself staging very recent shows that need no revival any time soon, on the cheap. Depressing. It's making a name for itself by producing very good shows actually. When was the last brand new versions of West Side before 2019? (there wasn't)There was. The REX Manchester was first to do a brand new production in April 2019, eight months before Curve’s production. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 17, 2021 14:30:33 GMT
It's making a name for itself by producing very good shows actually. When was the last brand new versions of West Side before 2019? (there wasn't)There was. The REX Manchester was first to do a brand new production in April 2019, eight months before Curve’s production. Which I why I said versions not version. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 12, 2022 11:57:19 GMT
Pretty clear it's going to be quite different from the original, a lot more intimate and you can see from the cast, a lot younger too. I think this will be interesting, we'll have to wait and see but I wouldn't be surprised if many don't come to the conclusion it would have worked potentially better with this sort of treatment from the off. It really seems to fit.
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Post by danb on Feb 12, 2022 14:18:26 GMT
Hope it doesn’t mean that Billy Elliot will be actor/muso.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 12, 2022 14:23:26 GMT
Hope it doesn’t mean that Billy Elliot will be actor/muso. I would rather doubt it? It's not like Curve are known for doing them, this is the first one I can think of they have done? Apart from Sister Act but that wasn't really a fully in house production nor directed by Nikolai. Beautiful lends itself to being an actor/muso piece because it's about making music and the lead character plays piano, that's I'm sure why they decided to do it in this case. Billy Elliot is entirely different. I wouldn't worry. |
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Post by danb on Feb 12, 2022 16:07:28 GMT
They might shift focus and make it more about the Colliery band and accompany it entirely with Brass? It’ll be an allegory for something or other.
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Post by theatregod on Feb 12, 2022 19:36:39 GMT
Let’s just put things in focus.
Before a director makes plans, the producers will say we have ex amount of money for actors on stage and musicians in pit. Or we can lower the budget and put on a version with just actor/musicians.
The difference is, you pay actors £15 more on top of their basic wage or a pro-musician £100 a night.
I doubt they will do billy with a brassband either. Maybe a pre recorded one with a single fee going to a musician once for the whole run.
Sister act was performed with click tracks through out with actor musos playing on top and dancing.
Show biz folks!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 12, 2022 22:06:51 GMT
Did the earlier tours of the WE show go to Leicester?
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Mar 4, 2022 16:09:34 GMT
Had an incident-free trip by train and coach to Leicester yesterday to see the matinee of Beautiful at the Curve Leicester from the front row seat I always book there and it's a superb revival. I even got to meet one of the leads afterwards, thanks to sitting next to a lovely chap called Colin who had tutored that performer, and countless more, in the course of his illustrious career in music and theatre; that was a nice bonus. (I recommended he join Theatre Board so maybe he'll see this - he's a front row fan like me!)
It works really well as an actor-musician show. Almost full staged but using only about half of the Curve's huge stage and with the sides partly open so that some of the cast movements and preparations could be seen from the front rows. Started 15 minutes later than scheduled as two of the cast had to drop out that morning for the usual reason and understudies prepared - not the leads but main roles. Nikolai Foster came on to explain and apologise for the late start.
Not a weak link in the cast and the best-sounding Carole King and Cynthia Weil (Molly-GraceCutler and Seren Sandham Davies) I've heard yet. I don't think much of the content has changed from the original production, perhaps fewer scenes in the recording studio and more musical numbers but that might be my memory failing.
I think this will do very well on tour. Full and well-deserved standing ovation.
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Post by mkb on Mar 4, 2022 19:34:10 GMT
I unexpectedly gave the touring version a five-star rating in Milton Keynes in 2018. I am interested to know what Foster has done differently.
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Post by stagebyte on Mar 4, 2022 21:21:32 GMT
I loved the actor musician aspect, it worked really well, loads of talent on stage and the lead actress sounded uncannily like CK.
but...
the set, costumes and props not a patch on the west end. The set meant to be a recording studio literally looked like MDF flats, the costumes ill fitting and furniture,signs, pictures etc looked like they’d been sourced from Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society.
Waaaay too much business hauling trucks and furniture on and off.
Unbelievably cheap looking. And after watching Chorus Line and now this they seem to have a real problem sourcing authentic wigs.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 4, 2022 21:26:09 GMT
I was wondering about the wigs too…
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 4, 2022 23:32:49 GMT
I loved the actor musician aspect, it worked really well, loads of talent on stage and the lead actress sounded uncannily like CK. but... the set, costumes and props not a patch on the west end. The set meant to be a recording studio literally looked like MDF flats, the costumes ill fitting and furniture,signs, pictures etc looked like they’d been sourced from Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society. Waaaay too much business hauling trucks and furniture on and off. Unbelievably cheap looking. And after watching Chorus Line and now this they seem to have a real problem sourcing authentic wigs. They don’t have a problem sourcing authentic wigs- good wigs are expensive and they don’t have the money. Like the Chocolate Factory, those are always ropey. |
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Post by robertb213 on Mar 5, 2022 0:04:49 GMT
I reviewed it at Curve last night, Molly-Grace Cutler is fantastic as are several of the others, but otherwise I found it a very cheap and lacklustre production. Not a patch on the West End version, or even the last tour. A rare disappointment from Foster in my opinion.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 14, 2022 14:48:09 GMT
I managed to get down to Leicester to see this on Friday night, from the prime position of the centre of the front row. A great half price lottery sponsored ticket as well (I did buy a lottery ticket just in case, but no one checked and unfortunately I didn't win). The theatre was pretty full.
This is one of my favourite shows, having seem the original production in the UK, US and Australia. The Curve production looks rather odd in comparison, which is not to say it's bad, but they do have to cast people who can play multiple instruments, who can play multiple roles, who can potentially cover multiple ethnicities, as well as ensuring that actors with disabilities are heavily featured. This does mean that not everyone is always perfectly vocally suited for the roles and there are some odd visual choices, like having a "bearded genius" who is clean shaven.
A few odd line changes too, like referencing Lollipop by the Chordettes. Then the use of a ladder to represent the roof. So this is one to look past the visuals for.
It is good to see a different production. Molly Grace-Cutler is strong as Carole King. I've liked Jos Slovick ever since Brief Encounter and it's great to see him on stage again. And they have chosen a particularly handsome set of Drifters. But I do hope the original production of Beautiful gets at least one more chance to tour, after the previous run was cut short.
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Post by ruby on Mar 25, 2022 13:02:28 GMT
Saw this in Bath last night and absolutely loved it. I know who Carole King is but had no idea she wrote so many well known songs.
The cast were all excellent, I really enjoyed the actor musician aspect, and thought the whole thing flowed really well.
My parents were supposed to go but tested positive yesterday so I went instead. Can't wait to see it again in Cardiff with them, I'm sure they'll love it too.
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Post by newda on Apr 16, 2022 17:51:13 GMT
Saw it this week in Southampton and thought it was great.
I was a bit reserved at first having seen this thread, but the way they've done it is very clever with the band being part of the cast. I like the way they all take turns on the instruments, drums, guitars, brass, rotating fluidly so they can be centre stage for their parts in the story. I don't remember much from the London version I last saw, but it was certainly an enjoyable production and brought something quite different to the show the way it was staged.
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Post by louonthegogo on Jul 24, 2022 11:52:38 GMT
Any deals on for this yet? I rarely go to England for touring shows but this doesn't appear to be making any stop in Dublin (and ticket prices in Belfast are ludicrous as always). Looking at the Liverpool leg, it seems to have very few sales, so I imagine some discount tickets will prop up? I'm looking to bring my mam for her birthday.
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Post by musiqualetheater on Jul 24, 2022 21:06:12 GMT
Any deals on for this yet? I rarely go to England for touring shows but this doesn't appear to be making any stop in Dublin (and ticket prices in Belfast are ludicrous as always). Looking at the Liverpool leg, it seems to have very few sales, so I imagine some discount tickets will prop up? I'm looking to bring my mam for her birthday. I haven’t seen any, but at Cardiff I just bought a cheap ticket and on the door they told everyone to sit wherever in the better circle. I asked at the box office for deals but they were adamant in not discounting! |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Oct 11, 2022 21:43:50 GMT
Well,you can tell this is a Curve/Nikolai Foster production the minute you walk into the auditorium because there’s a huge lighting rig all spread out over the stage and “those lights” (the ones used in Sunset Boo, A Chorus Line and Billy Elliott) were very much all present and correct. And the Curve’s huge open stage layout is replicated with the entire backstage area of The Palace exposed. The corrugated iron side walls and the very back wall which is made from breeze blocks in full view. Sat at the front of the stalls I could see into the wings, up into the flys where crew were flying in set and lighting rigs as well as actors and crew coming and going throughout.
As for the show, I wasn’t really looking forward to it because I found the tour of the WE version to be dreary largely due to the cast who seemed to be phoning it in. It looked nice but that was about it. This on the other hand is probably the best actor musician show I’ve ever seen. So dynamic, and much more gritty. The set is minimal but works perfectly with the overall aesthetic described above. That big lighting rig does its thing admirably. With the exception of one cast member who gets a lead singing role in a couple of the songs and was really not up to it, the rest of the cast were fabulous. I felt absolutely no compromise with the quality of the instrument playing as can often be the case. They’re all very very young and Molly Grace Cutler reads a bit older than most of them, including the actor playing her mother unfortunately but my word she performs it fantastically and actually sounds like CK which is something Brontë Barbe in the previous tour absolutely did not.
I loved it. And from going in with my expectations on the floor I came out blown away. The rest of the audience loved it too. Standing ovation for a cast who looked a bit overwhelmed and delighted by the reception.
This production has completely turned around my opinion of this show. A big ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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