2,155 posts
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Post by richey on Oct 11, 2022 22:04:10 GMT
I was there tonight too- cheap seats at the back of the stalls. I found the set extremely distracting, with the massive gaps either side and the rear wall in full view. Can't fault the cast, some great performances though not sure it was worthy of the now customary "must leap to my feet" ovation. I'm not a massive fan of actor/musician productions but in this case it works (with a few exceptions).
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3,113 posts
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Post by david on Nov 16, 2022 18:58:42 GMT
Having seen the original WE production and loving it so when I heard that there would be an actor-musician version, I was in two minds as to whether to get a ticket or not for its Liverpool stop this week. However, based on both the very positive review BurlyBeaR and the chance to bag a £20 front row seat in the stalls, I took a punt on this last night and any concerns I had about it quickly evaporated, and I came away loving this version from Nickolai Foster and his creative team. Whilst the set itself can only be de described as functional rather than anything spectacular, the biggest issue I had was that because it didn't fill the vast Empire stage, from my seat, I could clearly see a lot of the backstage and cast and crew moving around during the show which was a big distraction from my seat. I would have loved the unused stage to have been curtained off to mitigate the distraction. Where this show won me over was with the cast and having them play their own instruments. Having seen a number of actor-musician shows over the years, this type of production has been very hit or miss with me. Some shows I have loved whilst others just left me cold. With this show it works really well and felt a natural part of the show. Molly-Grace Cutler was just stunning. Despite her appearing older than her other cast members, vocally, she sounded just like CK was actually on stage at times as she was singing those iconic songs. With respect to the other cast members, they were all equally as great in singing their numbers. From, last night's show, I would say that this is the model to use for actor-musician shows in the future. Rating - 5 stars and standing ovation
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Post by joanna123 on Nov 19, 2022 8:11:03 GMT
I had the opposite issue in Cambridge, the set was too big for the stage and people were being moved seats on arrival from one side of the auditorium to the other so they would be able to see.
It was a great show though, everyone was on their feet at the end.
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594 posts
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Post by og on Nov 19, 2022 8:33:17 GMT
Having seen the original WE production and loving it so when I heard that there would be an actor-musician version, I was in two minds as to whether to get a ticket or not for its Liverpool stop this week. However, based on both the very positive review BurlyBeaR and the chance to bag a £20 front row seat in the stalls, I took a punt on this last night and any concerns I had about it quickly evaporated, and I came away loving this version from Nickolai Foster and his creative team. Whilst the set itself can only be de described as functional rather than anything spectacular, the biggest issue I had was that because it didn't fill the vast Empire stage, from my seat, I could clearly see a lot of the backstage and cast and crew moving around during the show which was a big distraction from my seat. I would have loved the unused stage to have been curtained off to mitigate the distraction. Where this show won me over was with the cast and having them play their own instruments. Having seen a number of actor-musician shows over the years, this type of production has been very hit or miss with me. Some shows I have loved whilst others just left me cold. With this show it works really well and felt a natural part of the show. Molly-Grace Cutler was just stunning. Despite her appearing older than her other cast members, vocally, she sounded just like CK was actually on stage at times as she was singing those iconic songs. With respect to the other cast members, they were all equally as great in singing their numbers. From, last night's show, I would say that this is the model to use for actor-musician shows in the future. Rating - 5 stars and standing ovation woah, 5 stars for a show where you're distracted by cast and crew movement 'backstage', how would you rate a flawless show?
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Post by ruthieh on Nov 24, 2022 23:07:32 GMT
Just home from seeing this at Oxford. I loved it too. Molly-Grace Cutler was extremely good. I certainly preferred her to Brontë Barbe in the last tour a few years back.
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3,081 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Nov 30, 2022 10:38:17 GMT
Managed to catch this on Friday evening in Oxford, prior to the end of the tour (I would have tried for Saturday were it not for the rail strikes). Hadn't realised you can go from Marylebone to Oxford for under £20 with a network railcard, even for the evening peak, so something I'll remember when checking where musicals are touring.
I wanted to see this again as it's one of my favourite musicals and I fear it may not tour again soon.
I still find the style of this version very different to the original, but you can't certainly can't fault the music or the talent of everyone involved. There was just so much energy and they presented the songs with a real rock feel to them. A few ad-libs too. I thought the set fit well on the New Oxford Theatre stage. The vocals and performance of Molly-Grace Cutler are excellent.
A little bonus as well was having Alexander Zayne (who wasn't with the tour when I saw this at Leicester) on as Neil Sedaka (and, as the on-stage Musical Director too). I already knew he was very talented, and purely by chance (as I didn't know he would be on), I ended up on the front row at the side he was playing. A great bonus.
As I mentioned, glad I saw this again and I hope this production has a further life, but I'm not sure if it quite lived up to expectations on the sales front. Still, well done to everyone involved.
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