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Post by Mark on Apr 1, 2023 3:42:53 GMT
Saw it tonight, and thought it was a brilliant production. The performances are all great. Ashford in particular finds some brilliant comedic moments, even if her accent is London via everywhere else in the UK. I can imagine this production sticking around for a long time to come.
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Apr 7, 2023 15:46:37 GMT
Loved this production - big fan of the direction. I liked most of the cast a lot (especially Johanna and Tobias), but really struggled with Annaleigh's accent.
My rear mezz seats felt very far away. I would definitely recommend bringing binoculars. A lot of the action does occur on a raised part of the stage though, so you don't get too much obstruction from heads in front.
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Post by bordeaux on Apr 26, 2023 5:32:08 GMT
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Post by oxfordsimon on Apr 27, 2023 18:54:11 GMT
Cast recording on the way apparently
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Post by Someone in a tree on May 9, 2023 5:58:00 GMT
First track from the cast recording is out and it sounds great
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Post by bobbievanhusen on May 11, 2023 0:49:03 GMT
I always find Ms Ashford to be too big in nearly everything she does, always trying for a laugh when it's not always there.She often starts at a level 9 and left with nowhere to go. Not my cup of tea. But whats with the choreographed dancing in this production? and no factory whistle??
Also, she should never be allowed near a UK accent again, Kinky Boots Sweeney... both TERRIBLE accents. Please never let her near The Secret Garden
I would LOVE to see her understudy go on, Jeanna De Waal, yes, her that played Diana. At least she's British and could do the accent.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2023 7:29:57 GMT
she sounds pretty good on the bootleg I saw
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Post by eatbigsea on May 11, 2023 23:48:13 GMT
Really enjoyed this when I saw it last week, fab evening. Groban’s voice was stunning and his acting v good. Not as threatening as my ideal Sweeney but thoroughly enjoyed it. Annaleigh Ashford did fine (apart from the accent), good comic timing, but for me, the Tony should go to Micaela Diamond who was utterly stunning in Parade. (I quite liked Ben Platt too but would prefer to see Groban take it this time around).
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Post by karloscar on Jun 2, 2023 23:57:40 GMT
Did they not have a dialect coach working on this production? It's like Annaleigh has worked out how to change her vowels to sound vaguely English, but has no idea which sounds work together to create an accent that belongs to any place, time or class. So random it's completely bonkers, but not in a good way.
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Post by zephyrus on Jun 7, 2023 13:52:52 GMT
I saw this recently and I seem to concur with other posters - yes, the theatre is particularly big and as I was sitting in the front of the rear mezzanine, everything did feel a long way away. But with ticket prices being as crazy as they are in New York, I couldn't justify spending the extra $$ for a better seat on this occasion.
Josh Groban sings it well - and what a treat to hear that score performed by a large orchestra - but, seriously, Annaleigh Ashford's strange accent is a massive distraction. On more than one occasion, I couldn't actually even understand what she was saying. (I wondered to myself: is this what it's like for Americans when they watch English actors doing bad American accents...?)
I felt the same way about AA when I saw her in the original cast of Kinky Boots; the American audience seemed to be totally in love with her, and clearly thought she was hilarious, but I just found her characterisation (and her accent) too zany and truly bizarre, and she didn't feel like any English person I'd ever met. (When Kinky Boots came to the West End, it was quite startling to notice that Amy Lennox in the 1st London cast had clearly been directed to replicate many of Annaleigh Ashford's peculiar tics.)
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Post by nottobe on Jun 7, 2023 18:35:32 GMT
Having listened to a few of the released songs I have to say this will be the worst recording of Sweeney. Ashfords accent is terrible and makes it unlistenable. It sounds like the character of Sophie from the sitcom Stath Let’s Flats.
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Post by solangelafitte on Jun 7, 2023 20:18:47 GMT
I saw this recently and I seem to concur with other posters - yes, the theatre is particularly big and as I was sitting in the front of the rear mezzanine, everything did feel a long way away. But with ticket prices being as crazy as they are in New York, I couldn't justify spending the extra $$ for a better seat on this occasion. Josh Groban sings it well - and what a treat to hear that score performed by a large orchestra - but, seriously, Annaleigh Ashford's strange accent is a massive distraction. On more than one occasion, I couldn't actually even understand what she was saying. (I wondered to myself: is this what it's like for Americans when they watch English actors doing bad American accents...?) I felt the same way about AA when I saw her in the original cast of Kinky Boots; the American audience seemed to be totally in love with her, and clearly thought she was hilarious, but I just found her characterisation (and her accent) too zany and truly bizarre, and she didn't feel like any English person I'd ever met. (When Kinky Boots came to the West End, it was quite startling to notice that Amy Lennox in the 1st London cast had clearly been directed to replicate many of Annaleigh Ashford's peculiar tics.) The accent is really putting me off on the audio they've released too. This feels like when all the Americans I knew were raving about Laura Benanti in My Fair Lady and when I eventually saw her in it the voice was so atrocious (even for Eliza!) it overshadowed everything else for me. Her Ascott scene was hilarious and her I Could Have Danced All Night just gorgeous, but the accent... Oof. And Annaleigh's Lovett is giving me the same vibe. I really, really wanted to love it but I can't get past the accent. |
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Post by mattnyc on Jun 7, 2023 22:05:41 GMT
Laura’s first performance in “My Fair Lady” is the stuff of legends. She went from British to Scottish to Jamaican the entire night. It was incredible.
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Post by og on Jun 24, 2023 6:33:46 GMT
Having listened to a few of the released songs I have to say this will be the worst recording of Sweeney. Ashfords accent is terrible and makes it unlistenable. It sounds like the character of Sophie from the sitcom Stath Let’s Flats. Oh my days... what is she doing with her voice? The first few lines of this full song sound weird but on this preview when she starts talking, wow. Im hearing South African, Australian, everything but London. How did no-one ever pull her up on it? Orchestra sounds amazing though. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2023 22:19:54 GMT
She actually was quite good as Dot, particularly in the second act. As far as her Lovett, I am firmly in the camp that she goes for too much camp, but the majority seem to love her over-the-top take on the character.
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Post by apubleed on Jul 2, 2023 10:05:43 GMT
I agree Ashford was great in the second act of Sunday, she was good in the first act too but for me there is something a little bit disappointing that they couldn't find someone with a more interesting voice to play the role. I was skeptical about her Mrs Lovett but actually she did win me over - it's a genuinely new, different, interesting take on the character that no one has ever done before and it's sung very well. Maybe it is a bit over the top at points, but I'm a fan.
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Post by viserys on Jul 2, 2023 11:14:07 GMT
I liked her too
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Post by eua78 on Sept 12, 2023 11:29:19 GMT
Saw this on Sunday, thought it was brilliant. Excellent cast, Ashfords accent was slightly off, gives sophie from stath lets flats haha, as someone else mentioned above. But she plays the role so well, very over the top but the audience loved it. Wonder when the next London revival of this will appear, it’s a fun musical.
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Post by Mark on Oct 29, 2023 23:13:13 GMT
Really canT VEIT to see if the casting rumours wizzing around are true.
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Post by jacob on Oct 30, 2023 0:32:35 GMT
I went last night after getting the last two $40 rush tickets for the evening show. To those that say this is lacklustre.. are we all watching the same musical or..  ? the lighting looked incredible from the mezzanine and the set design (that crane!!!!) is fantastic for the rest of act 2. I really loved the choreographed ensemble moments as well. Annaleigh and Josh were both on. Yes, the accent was just .. (no words) but Annaleigh’s comedic timing is impeccable. Her nuances are just hilarious. I enjoyed her singing voice so so much which massively compensated for her Russian (?) / worldwide tour of the cockney accent. Josh also sounded even better than the cast recording. If this does come to London and we get a fully British cast / the best of the best, this will be a hit. I’m still unsure about the stunt cast / ‘big Broadway names’ route they want to go down though as I don’t think the show needs it… at all. From what I’ve heard, the standbys and understudies have been arguably better than AA and JG. Luckily, the current pair are still great at what they do though. |
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Post by mattnyc on Oct 30, 2023 14:00:45 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2023 20:10:21 GMT
There's no way in hell Aaron can take on the role, right? He gives me Glee tenor vibes, hardly Sweeney material.
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Post by solangelafitte on Oct 31, 2023 13:07:45 GMT
Sutton as Lovett honestly sounds like one of the joke Tony Awards categories they did on Smash. And while Aaron is a lovely and talented performer this reeeeally doesn't seem like the right fit vocally at all.
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Post by justfran on Oct 31, 2023 14:56:19 GMT
New cast confirmed as Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster - starting 9th February.
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? the lighting looked incredible from the mezzanine and the set design (that crane!!!!) is fantastic for the rest of act 2. I really loved the choreographed ensemble moments as well. Annaleigh and Josh were both on. Yes, the accent was just .. (no words) but Annaleigh’s comedic timing is impeccable. Her nuances are just hilarious. I enjoyed her singing voice so so much which massively compensated for her Russian (?) / worldwide tour of the cockney accent. Josh also sounded even better than the cast recording. If this does come to London and we get a fully British cast / the best of the best, this will be a hit. I’m still unsure about the stunt cast / ‘big Broadway names’ route they want to go down though as I don’t think the show needs it… at all. From what I’ve heard, the standbys and understudies have been arguably better than AA and JG. Luckily, the current pair are still great at what they do though.