181 posts
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Post by eatbigsea on Mar 13, 2024 23:38:52 GMT
Wow wow wow, what a show. 4 stars for the show (they leave you wanting more after the first act, although there were amazing moments (I do agree there was a lot of talk about budgets)) and a fifth for Myles Frost, who was just phenomenal. His singing, dancing, body language, everything! How can someone born in 1999 manage to do that. All the cast was great (little Michael was amazing!) with particular praise for Ashley Zhangazha, who made it utterly clear through body language and voice whether he was portraying Joe or Rob and switched effortlessly, and Mitchell Zhangazha, who has such a tough role as young adult Michael, and does it stunningly. Thriller was jaw-dropping, and this might sound odd, but it had the menacing energy I wanted to get from Moulin Rouge and didn’t. What a brilliant production. I booked again for May. In terms of seats, there are side seats in the front stalls at £20 less than the rest of the front stalls, which as an aisle seat devotee I think are a bargain. (Oh, and if I’m going to nitpick, US accents were great all through, except “Newark” is pronounced “noo-ark” (or “noark” if you’re really from there), not “nyoo-ark”. And I don’t think most of the audience knew who Don King was. But that’s ok).
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Post by matildaswinton on Mar 14, 2024 22:33:06 GMT
I’m sorry, but no. No, no, no. Just got out. This is bad.
This show is all cringe with good production design and good choreo. Horrible book. Horrible acting. I am about to check who else was nominated and got robbed for the Tony that year. Stop talking about the thriller sequence. It’s not anything like what is being hyped here.
Also, Frost was clearly lip syncing throughout the 2nd act. Not great on the live vocals, though I’m sure it’s not easy. Kid Michael bad. Filmmakers and their plot bad. Pedestrian line readings from absolutely everyone. Vocals often lagging behind the orchestra.
Paid too much, even winning the lottery.
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1,864 posts
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Post by Dave B on Mar 14, 2024 22:44:37 GMT
I’m sorry, but no. No, no, no. Just got out. This is bad. This show is all cringe with good production design and good choreo. Horrible book. Horrible acting. I am about to check who else was nominated and got robbed for the Tony that year. Stop talking about the thriller sequence. It’s not anything like what is being hyped here. Also, Frost was clearly lip syncing throughout the 2nd act. Not great on the live vocals, though I’m sure it’s not easy. Kid Michael bad. Filmmakers and their plot bad. Pedestrian line readings from absolutely everyone. Vocals often lagging behind the orchestra. Paid too much, even winning the lottery. That wasn’t Frost - just out and gutted to have not had him. It was KIERAN ALLEYNE per the cast board. |
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Post by matildaswinton on Mar 14, 2024 22:46:39 GMT
Oh wow, okay my bad. I thought I saw his name on the board but it was probably the digital poster. I won’t go back to see it again though…
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Post by parsley1 on Mar 14, 2024 23:10:15 GMT
This show is quite appalling
Jukebox musicals are usually the sh*ts
With a tick box formula
This one is particularly narrow in scope
You can tell it originated in the USA
When you compare it to Tina which actually tells an engaging story
This is quite a pointless exercise
If you want to see a revue then go
But it smacks of ships cruise shows and stars in their eyes
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Post by parsley1 on Mar 14, 2024 23:11:32 GMT
Is there a storyline to this? Is it just a chronological look at his life from beginning to end or is there more to it? It’s set during his rehearsal period for the Dangerous Tour. He’s being filmed by an MTV documentary crew and there are flashbacks to his early life and various points along his career. It’s also about the creative process of putting on the tour. Myles was indeed on tonight and for the second time this week I saw it (perhaps a 1st in my theatre going life). This is going to be a whopping great hit. I bet you This will run for a shorter duration than Thriller Live |
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1,497 posts
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Post by Steve on Mar 14, 2024 23:15:16 GMT
That wasn’t Frost - just out and gutted to have not had him. It was KIERAN ALLEYNE per the cast board. I'm so sorry, Dave. We all know it can't be helped, but I feel your disappointment. Dammit.  |
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Post by amyja89 on Mar 14, 2024 23:20:49 GMT
Question for anyone who doesn't mind spilling the spoiler tea, how exactly and to what extent are the child abuse allegations explored? You'd have to think that MJ is probably the only figure in modern history with that much baggage who is still seen as a bankable and 'worthy' commodity/subject.
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Post by theatre22 on Mar 15, 2024 0:17:07 GMT
Oh wow, okay my bad. I thought I saw his name on the board but it was probably the digital poster. I won’t go back to see it again though… I didn’t see any notice up saying Myles wasn’t on. The only signs up were for the parts of Little MJ and Little Marlon on both the digital board and at the box office. |
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Post by parsley1 on Mar 15, 2024 0:18:08 GMT
Oh wow, okay my bad. I thought I saw his name on the board but it was probably the digital poster. I won’t go back to see it again though… I didn’t see any notice up saying Myles wasn’t on. The only signs up were for the parts of Little MJ and Little Marlon on both the digital board and at the box office. The digital board did say Myles As I took a picture of it tonight |
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Mar 15, 2024 2:34:37 GMT
Myles is out with an injury isn't he?
A good friend went tonight and said it was very slick and entertaining, but all a bit too superficial and shallow.
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19,780 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 15, 2024 3:10:00 GMT
We had some very upset performers in another thread recently due to them being misidentified on stage. Can discussion about who is/isn’t on include your source of information please. If theatres are not displaying correct information that’s down to them. If you guess and get it wrong that’s down to you so please don’t. Thank you.
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Post by knutinkerbell on Mar 15, 2024 7:09:31 GMT
Question for anyone who doesn't mind spilling the spoiler tea, how exactly and to what extent are the child abuse allegations explored? You'd have to think that MJ is probably the only figure in modern history with that much baggage who is still seen as a bankable and 'worthy' commodity/subject. Maybe a Spoiler for some who will be surprised. It ends with the start of the first leg of the Dangerous Tour. Pretty good move. Jackson still on the top of his career and they where able to show his career until this point and they do it very well! So some really good actors als very young and young Jackson. The tour ended cause of the accusations between the second and third leg of the tour. So the Dangerous tour was stopped and not in the US. What I didn’t know, that they started in Munich. So nothing was mentioned, cause of the timeline. |
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4,984 posts
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Post by Someone in a tree on Mar 15, 2024 7:51:57 GMT
Question for anyone who doesn't mind spilling the spoiler tea, how exactly and to what extent are the child abuse allegations explored? You'd have to think that MJ is probably the only figure in modern history with that much baggage who is still seen as a bankable and 'worthy' commodity/subject. I was wondering about that. Also his diagnosis of vitiligo (im assuming he was diagnosed?) & then the plastic surgery. Such a complex character. |
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1,864 posts
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Post by Dave B on Mar 15, 2024 8:50:09 GMT
We had some very upset performers in another thread recently due to them being misidentified on stage. Can discussion about who is/isn’t on include your source of information please. If theatres are not displaying correct information that’s down to them. If you guess and get it wrong that’s down to you so please don’t. Thank you. Very fair comment Mr B. So to add context to my comments. The digital boards at MJ are quite deceptive I think. They are just by the entrance doors and they show the full cast, name and roll. They show the full cast with originating performers - even if that performer is off! The screens then rotate, and not on a fast rotation, to another screen where they show any particular understudies and in this case the actors playing the child roles. So it is possible to go in having seen a full cast board showing all the cast are on that evening without realising this isn't actually the case (as I did last night!!). On the left hand side just by the box office there is a very small print out of the second screen covering the understudies - very easy to miss (there may be more, but I was looking on the way out as I wanted to confirm who the alternate was and this was the only one I could see).
I read this post and thought I can easily clarify as I took a picture of the understudy board on the way out but then I looked at my phone 
If you know that this says MJ - Kieran Alleyne then you can probably with a squint make that out in the pic...
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19,780 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 15, 2024 9:23:56 GMT
Thanks Dave BI don’t want to go over the top with this, photos aren’t required! However if everyone can just be conscious of this and say how they know it would be helpful. |
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3,485 posts
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Post by ceebee on Mar 15, 2024 9:28:00 GMT
Question for anyone who doesn't mind spilling the spoiler tea, how exactly and to what extent are the child abuse allegations explored? You'd have to think that MJ is probably the only figure in modern history with that much baggage who is still seen as a bankable and 'worthy' commodity/subject. I was wondering about that. Also his diagnosis of vitiligo (im assuming he was diagnosed?) & then the plastic surgery. Such a complex character. As far as i recall from seeing it once, the child abuse allegations are not explored explicitly but you could argue that there is implit acknowledgement in the show through quite a sharp focus on his own abuse at the hands of his father (depicted through violence and aggression). Whether this is meant to subconsciously bias perception of the allegations, I don't know as I'm not as familiar with his story as others might be. His skin condition is touched on briefly but not laboured. In all, MJ cuts quite a tragic figure at times both as an artist and as an observer. The thing that touched me was his childishness and desire to recapture a lost childhood - something perhaps borne out through his relationships as an adult. I'm no psychoanalyst and tbh I prefer in this instance for art not to imitate life and am happy with a story that avoids the most contentious issues. However, this will obviously polarise and divide. |
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3,485 posts
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Post by ceebee on Mar 15, 2024 9:30:53 GMT
We had some very upset performers in another thread recently due to them being misidentified on stage. Can discussion about who is/isn’t on include your source of information please. If theatres are not displaying correct information that’s down to them. If you guess and get it wrong that’s down to you so please don’t. Thank you. Very fair comment Mr B. So to add context to my comments. The digital boards at MJ are quite deceptive I think. They are just by the entrance doors and they show the full cast, name and roll. They show the full cast with originating performers - even if that performer is off! The screens then rotate, and not on a fast rotation, to another screen where they show any particular understudies and in this case the actors playing the child roles. So it is possible to go in having seen a full cast board showing all the cast are on that evening without realising this isn't actually the case (as I did last night!!). On the left hand side just by the box office there is a very small print out of the second screen covering the understudies - very easy to miss (there may be more, but I was looking on the way out as I wanted to confirm who the alternate was and this was the only one I could see).
I read this post and thought I can easily clarify as I took a picture of the understudy board on the way out but then I looked at my phone
If you know that this says MJ - Kieran Alleyne then you can probably with a squint make that out in the pic...
Must admit on the day I went, it felt like cast lottery as he had pulled out of the matinee but the door board has his name in as MJ. I didn't realise the door boards rotate to udnerstudies/covers. Plus you barely get two seconds to glance at them as security/front of house move you through the entrance process very quickly. I couldn't be 100% sure he was on until the show started. |
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Post by apubleed on Mar 15, 2024 9:33:28 GMT
I could be wrong but I’m assume the few references to the ‘allegations’ are referring to child abuse but they never actually make the problem explicitly.
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1,582 posts
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Post by anita on Mar 15, 2024 10:01:13 GMT
Myles Frost was on at the matinee. Minior hiccup when the suitcase nearly fell off the stand. He had to grab it, grinned & said something. Dancing great. I thought he was good but due to my hearing I couldn't hear a word when he spoke.
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Post by mrnutz on Mar 15, 2024 10:05:08 GMT
Do we know why he seems to be missing random performances?
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Post by A.Ham on Mar 15, 2024 11:36:35 GMT
I was there last night too and have been trying to find out whether it was Myles or Kieran I saw.
I also checked the cast board just inside the doors and saw Myles’ name for MJ, then a further screen telling me the names of the actors playing the younger Michaels (‘At this performance…’).
However further down that main cast board it also shows you the name for the alternate MJ (Kieran) and the understudy. So doesn’t actually tell you who’s on that night. I also went to the box office desk to collect my ticket and didn’t see any sign there saying the alternate was playing MJ. I assumed it would’ve pointed this out on the main digital screen by the door but evidently not.
Having said that, I understand if Myles has an injury and can’t do all shows, plus of course in previews they won’t have finalised an alternate schedule etc. However, the theatre aren’t being particularly transparent with who’s performing given the generic cast board by the doors (I had to wait for that screen to come up so saw the others it cycled through and there wasn’t anything else about the actor playing MJ displayed). I suspect though that for this show, this is a niche problem for those of us on this board, and that a large proportion of the audience won’t be bothered as long as someone competent is on stage as MJ.
I wasn’t blown away by the show at all to be honest and although I had a great seat at the front of the grand circle that I’d only paid £30 for when it first went on sale, I didn’t feel it was worth a lot more than that. Sadly after all the hype about this coming over from Broadway etc, I think I enjoyed Thriller Live more.
For me, the standout moments were the Thriller recording session medley and the Earth Song/They Don’t Care About Us mashup in Act One, then Smooth Criminal and Man In The Mirror in Act Two. I was also glad they included the much discussed toaster moment at the end. Some of the dialogue annoyed me - did people say ‘my bad’ and ‘slay’ in 1992? If so I stand corrected but it jarred for me.
The show will clearly be popular with the masses, sold out last night which in a theatre that size is great going. But perhaps I’m just not suited to jukebox musicals nowadays! Audience behaviour wasn’t as bad as I feared but lots of cans opening during quiet moments, photo taking and chatting. The girl next to me stopped the guy she was with taking a photo near the start, but then happily snapped several of her own in Act Two! There was also an awful lot of ‘whooooing’ whenever MJ put on a sparkly jacket or did a particularly signature dance move - yes, we get it, no need to shriek at everything that happens on stage…
Having also not hugely enjoyed Opening Night last week, I’m hoping my trip next week to see The Human Body is more enjoyable, although I’ve heard mixed things about that too. May book a rush for Standing On The Sky’s Edge too which might reignite my enthusiasm!
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Post by A.Ham on Mar 15, 2024 11:43:47 GMT
Question for anyone who doesn't mind spilling the spoiler tea, how exactly and to what extent are the child abuse allegations explored? You'd have to think that MJ is probably the only figure in modern history with that much baggage who is still seen as a bankable and 'worthy' commodity/subject. The only reference I noted was one of the managers voicing his discomfort that MJ wants to bring ‘a family’ on tour with him, which might prompt questions. (If I remember correctly, Michael invited the Mum and children of the Chandler family on the Dangerous tour with him). |
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Post by ceebee on Mar 15, 2024 13:22:59 GMT
Something that has bugged me since seeing this.... The baggy white socks.... I know white socks were MJ's thing, but is the bagginess of these perhaps to hide ankle supports? I was watching his feet from my front row seat and thinking "well if that was me, I'd be hobbling off after five minutes"... Does anybody know what (if any) ankle protection is under those large white socks?
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181 posts
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Post by eatbigsea on Mar 15, 2024 14:35:03 GMT
Both "slay" and "my bad" were used in ball culture in the 1970s, and by musicians. "My bad" made it into popular culture, as I remember "my bad" being used as dialogue in the film Clueless in 1994.
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