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Post by ceebee on Sept 20, 2024 5:49:09 GMT
Must be due a cast announcement on this soon... Always good to see who is joining/returning to this wonderful production.
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Post by ceebee on Sept 30, 2024 10:36:14 GMT
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Post by nash16 on Sept 30, 2024 10:42:24 GMT
No Shalloo’s? Neither sibling?? Is this a first??
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Post by ceebee on Sept 30, 2024 14:48:11 GMT
No Shalloo’s? Neither sibling?? Is this a first?? Not quite, but it feels like it! Shame, I like them both, but am always happy to see new faces. No Andy Langtree this year either - another person regularly associated with this production!
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Post by ceebee on Oct 20, 2024 14:04:58 GMT
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Post by TallPaul on Nov 2, 2024 13:19:12 GMT
Int it great being an actor? Beats working for a living!
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Post by ceebee on Nov 9, 2024 21:58:19 GMT
Beautiful first preview tonight with a few new orchestrations and harmonies and a very strong cast. Oh, and even more lanterns in the auditorium! Felt very fresh and also nice to see the side stalls seating is more angled towards the stage. Christmas starts for me with this production.
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Post by londonmzfitz on Nov 10, 2024 0:43:44 GMT
Beautiful first preview tonight with a few new orchestrations and harmonies and a very strong cast. Oh, and even more lanterns in the auditorium! Felt very fresh and also nice to see the side stalls seating is more angled towards the stage. Christmas starts for me with this production. Oh, buggeration. I was going to give it a miss this year (I've seen this every year, at least once) but - more lanterns ... ?
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 10, 2024 1:38:37 GMT
I am surprised this hasn’t gone back to Broadway, with theatres becoming dark at very short notice.
Perfect Christmas show here, perfect holiday show there.
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Post by ceebee on Nov 10, 2024 8:15:30 GMT
Beautiful first preview tonight with a few new orchestrations and harmonies and a very strong cast. Oh, and even more lanterns in the auditorium! Felt very fresh and also nice to see the side stalls seating is more angled towards the stage. Christmas starts for me with this production. Oh, buggeration. I was going to give it a miss this year (I've seen this every year, at least once) but - more lanterns ... ? Yes, the lanterns that hang the length of the stage have crept into the stalls gangways, and the edge of the dress circle and Baylis circle. There are also tweaks to the stage lighting which feels fresher, during the pre-show folk section the instrumentalists were having more fun with the music, some subtle harmonies have been added to the carols to make it even more beautiful, and they seem to have blown the budget on snow! It feels like they've tried to freshen things up and it suits a youthful Scrooge, played superbly with excellent comedic touches by John Simm.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 10, 2024 12:25:36 GMT
This is on again ALREADY?!!!!
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Post by nash16 on Nov 10, 2024 12:53:35 GMT
Beautiful first preview tonight with a few new orchestrations and harmonies and a very strong cast. Oh, and even more lanterns in the auditorium! Felt very fresh and also nice to see the side stalls seating is more angled towards the stage. Christmas starts for me with this production. Oh, buggeration. I was going to give it a miss this year (I've seen this every year, at least once) but - more lanterns ... ? 😂 Brutal.
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Post by nash16 on Nov 10, 2024 12:54:07 GMT
This is on again ALREADY?!!!! It needs to die and it needs to die now.
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Post by ceebee on Nov 10, 2024 17:13:05 GMT
This is on again ALREADY?!!!! I've got my decorations up too!
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Post by andrew on Nov 11, 2024 23:45:10 GMT
This is on again ALREADY?!!!! It needs to die and it needs to die now. I hate that they keep bringing it back but I love this play so much. Even if they did it every few years, put the lanterns into deep storage for a while.
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Post by Jon on Nov 12, 2024 0:29:22 GMT
I can't imagine it'll be rested until it stops making money for the Old Vic.
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Post by ceebee on Nov 12, 2024 6:36:38 GMT
Seems a perverse idea to rest or cancel a successful profit making show. Especially when so much else of what the Old Vic stages is hit and miss. This production probably bankrolls the theatre.
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Post by zahidf on Nov 12, 2024 6:44:25 GMT
Seems perverse to stop putting on a play the audiences loves and which makes the theatre a profit.
Why change it up for no reason?
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Post by lt on Nov 12, 2024 12:16:37 GMT
I saw this for the first time last night and it is absolutely the perfect and most charming Christmas show. The Old Vic seating and staging is completely reconfigured for the production and complete with all the lanterns for the production hanging from the ceiling, it looks magical from the moment you walk in.
The atmosphere is set from the start with Dickensian characters giving out free mince pies and satsumas. John Simms makes a very believable and convincing Scrooge, he and all the cast are excellent. But it is really the music, staging and effects that make this such a memorable production.
While I thought part one was very entertaining, I thought the second half was even better with some truly imaginative moments of staging - which I won't spoil for those who haven't seen the show. This injects some clever humour into the production and really helps build to the finale.
It's such a joyous production to watch and sitting in the dress circle, I really got the full impact of the staging.
The show is also surprisingly emotionally powerful, which I wasn't expecting, and I found myself in tears several times.
At the end, there was an appeal for a charity. This seemed very in keeping with the play, you could give cash or funds by text or card. So it was a bit disappointing on the way out - that from what I could see - relatively few people seem to be donating money, so perhaps there are still a few Scrooges among us...
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Post by Jonnyboy on Nov 12, 2024 19:53:14 GMT
Or maybe lots of us give to charities already and can’t afford to give extra ad hoc?
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Post by showgirl on Nov 12, 2024 20:04:14 GMT
I don't donate to one-off collections like that because you can't gift-aid your donation. All my donations, regular and one-offs, are done online so I can tick the box confirming that they're eligible for gift aid.
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Post by nash16 on Nov 13, 2024 21:09:09 GMT
It needs to die and it needs to die now. I hate that they keep bringing it back but I love this play so much. Even if they did it every few years, put the lanterns into deep storage for a while. Yep, nailed it.
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Post by blue48 on Nov 13, 2024 21:24:06 GMT
For anybody that has seen this year's play, what is John Simm's portrayal of Scrooge like? Does Simm bring anything different to the role?
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Post by capybara on Nov 15, 2024 11:21:02 GMT
It’s been running a few years now but this was my first taste of the Old Vic’s seemingly now traditional production of the classic Charles Dickens tale. I only wish I hadn’t waited quite so long as this really was a wonderful piece of theatre.
It was my first time seeing the space converted to in the round and, complete with a catwalk-style stage and hanging lanterns, the set helped to create a special atmosphere in the auditorium.
The audience is immediately disarmed by actors in full Victorian garb offering out free mince pies and clementines - in the latter’s case, throwing them up to the upper circle! I don’t think it is advertised as ‘immersive’ but it certainly is, with the company milling around until the lights dim.
The piece itself is excellently done. John Simm gives a compelling performance as Ebenezer Scrooge, particularly (can I really give a spoiler alert for this?!) once the old miser sees the error of his ways. Some would say he’s a little too nice, even early on in the play. I want my Scrooge to be scarily cold-hearted to truly appreciate to transformation.
The staging is joyous, complete with the live band and a particular highlight is the gathering of food (from all corners of the auditorium!) for the Christmas feast at the Cratchit house.
A near-perfect representation of the classic Christmas tale and I wouldn’t hesitate to book next year, particularly if given the opportunity to see another actor give their take on Scrooge.
Four stars.
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Nov 15, 2024 13:11:36 GMT
Some would say he’s a little too nice, even early on in the play. I want my Scrooge to be scarily cold-hearted to truly appreciate to transformation. Agree. I thought he did happy scrooge well, but miserly scrooge not so well. I preferred the other 2 Scrooges I've seen (Owen Teale and Stephen Mangan)
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