60 posts
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Post by mmmbop on May 9, 2024 22:50:32 GMT
Just seen this for the second time tonight. Cover Larry was on, and he was just as good (if not better?!). Carol's mother was off too and oddly covered by someone way younger than Carol so it jarred slightly at first! Stunning, stunning, stunning. Why is this show not selling out every night? I've just booked one final visit before it finishes. Have taken advantage of offers until now but paid full whack for the last time I'll be seeing it. This has quickly become one of my top musicals of all time. It's that good. Saw it tonight as well, made the trip up from London! So happy I did, I loved the Vaudeville concert and it was so great to see it again. Not every production choice fully worked for me but I cried buckets in Act 2 (which I think has been significantly tightened since then) and really hope we get news of its future soon! There are some absolutely spine tingling moments in this score, really fantastic. Wish I’d sat a little further back, I was quite near the front and I think maybe the staging would have worked better for me a little more distance. I also do agree about Carol’s mother being covered by someone so young being jarring, think it did unfortunately take away from the impact of that character.
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367 posts
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Post by Jonnyboy on May 9, 2024 23:26:17 GMT
Just seen this for the second time tonight. Cover Larry was on, and he was just as good (if not better?!). Carol's mother was off too and oddly covered by someone way younger than Carol so it jarred slightly at first! Stunning, stunning, stunning. Why is this show not selling out every night? I've just booked one final visit before it finishes. Have taken advantage of offers until now but paid full whack for the last time I'll be seeing it. This has quickly become one of my top musicals of all time. It's that good. Saw it tonight as well, made the trip up from London! So happy I did, I loved the Vaudeville concert and it was so great to see it again. Not every production choice fully worked for me but I cried buckets in Act 2 (which I think has been significantly tightened since then) and really hope we get news of its future soon! There are some absolutely spine tingling moments in this score, really fantastic. Wish I’d sat a little further back, I was quite near the front and I think maybe the staging would have worked better for me a little more distance. I also do agree about Carol’s mother being covered by someone so young being jarring, think it did unfortunately take away from the impact of that character. What row were you on? I was C!
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60 posts
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Post by mmmbop on May 10, 2024 7:42:03 GMT
Ooh I was in D 😁
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Post by thedrowsychaperone on May 10, 2024 8:32:22 GMT
I am SO desperate to see this show but just don't have the time to get to Manchester anytime soon... PRAYING for some London news 🤞
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25 posts
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Post by hoopoe on May 14, 2024 18:15:39 GMT
I'd been really looking forward to the show since first hearing 42 Balloons and a Lawn Chair, and got to see the matinee this past Saturday. Early on I found myself thinking, 'Oh, no, it's quite amateurish.' Thankfully that is absolutely not the case for the show as a whole, but I was initially surprised by just how minimalist the set is, and by the acting from a couple of ensemble members; for example their facial expressions often didn't seem suitable for what they were singing (so much grinning!), and the aforementioned song felt disappointingly just sung through rather than acted. I eventually got used to the minimalist set, but I do think there could be some improvements in the ensemble.
I think because of that initial thought it took me a little bit of time to really warm to it, but the songs and the story pulled me in. I really hope we get a full cast recording as some of the songs I most want to hear again aren't available yet, and I was very aware while watching it that as we moved straight from one good song to another, I wasn't getting chance to fully appreciate them. However, I do think it loses some of this flow towards the end and the songs become a bit more stop-and-start, so it's interesting to revisit previous comments and note andrew relaying that act 2 is almost entirely new songs post the concert, as it maybe does feel like some of the later ones are a bit added on. In addition to the overall strong score, some other highlights for me were the camera work and other ways the screen was used, and Maddison Bulleyment's performance as the kid.
It's a solid 4 for me, but with the lost balloon being in recognition that I think there are ways in which it could be tightened and has the potential to wow more at certain points and become even better than it is now. I don't think this is this show at the best it can be, and I mean that in a good way.
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19,656 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 14, 2024 18:19:23 GMT
I loved the way they used the altitude projections for his flight, I found it incredibly tense actually. But if he had been actually suspended in mid air at the same time it would have enhanced that effect hugely. Surely if/when it gets a transfer they will do that. It seems crazy that they wouldn’t?
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25 posts
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Post by hoopoe on May 14, 2024 19:10:24 GMT
I agree, I thought seeing the altitudes slip by was very effective. I'm actually unsure whether or not I think he should be suspended in the chair during the flight. It was what I thought or hoped would happen, but in the moment I remember thinking maybe the way they'd done it was better because being able to move about gave him the opportunity to be more expressive and emotive for the song than being suspended likely would, and was probably a more dynamic staging overall. So I'm not sure!
I was just discussing the show with my partner, and we're trying to remember whether Larry ever actually sits in the chair at all? Partner had commented that he liked the gag of the chair being oversized for when the kid sits in it because they're meant to be a kid, which I said I hadn't clocked, and led to me trying to remember if we ever get a point of comparison of an adult character sitting in the chair. Can someone confirm whether Lawn Chair Larry is ever seen in a lawn chair?
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367 posts
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Post by Jonnyboy on May 14, 2024 22:31:44 GMT
I think suspending him in the air would be too literal and clunky. I got enough of an impression that he was flying by the movements of Larry and the rest of the cast.
Larry is in the chair at the back of the stage near the end. That’s the only time he sits in it.
Looking forward to my third and final visit soon! I’ve listened to the available songs so much and really need a full album!
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Post by andypandy on May 15, 2024 0:08:47 GMT
I flew to the UK to see this in manchester tonight.
Oddly my flight cost less than my train to London tomorrow.
This show could be a huge fat hit. I loved it. It’s not perfect but with a West End standard set/effects. better sound and maybe some older ensemble members this really has a long future life ahead of it - including hitting America. Evelyn Hoskins is a star!
This will transfer to the West End and beyond but it needs a little work here or there, some songs cut, perhaps a pin drop ballad added? Plus I though it could be funnier and indeed, more sad/poignant.
It was SOOOO refreshing to see a new and original British musical!
4.5 stars from me but I’m going to still give it 5.
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489 posts
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Post by djdan14 on May 15, 2024 6:21:18 GMT
Third visit for me yesterday and 4th booked for closing - I really hope this has a strong future because I’ve really connected with this show in a way I’ve not done before.
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19,656 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 15, 2024 18:44:51 GMT
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2,242 posts
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Post by richey on May 18, 2024 17:19:13 GMT
Couldn't resist going back for a second trip before it closes tomorrow so booked a last minute trip to this afternoon's matinee. I'm not sure if they've added a few projections since I saw the second preview but there were a few minor changes I noticed. The whole cast look like they're having a blast and the band sounded great. I even got a bit emotional at the ending again. Really hope this has further life after Salford it definitely deserves it!
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489 posts
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Post by djdan14 on May 18, 2024 17:48:32 GMT
Couldn't resist going back for a second trip before it closes tomorrow so booked a last minute trip to this afternoon's matinee. I'm not sure if they've added a few projections since I saw the second preview but there were a few minor changes I noticed. The whole cast look like they're having a blast and the band sounded great. I even got a bit emotional at the ending again. Really hope this has further life after Salford it definitely deserves it! I was at 2nd preview and seen it twice since and the main projection change I noticed was instead of writing the dates on in chalk on the claperboard which I didn’t think worked at the time they were projected instead.
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2,242 posts
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Post by richey on May 18, 2024 20:21:05 GMT
Couldn't resist going back for a second trip before it closes tomorrow so booked a last minute trip to this afternoon's matinee. I'm not sure if they've added a few projections since I saw the second preview but there were a few minor changes I noticed. The whole cast look like they're having a blast and the band sounded great. I even got a bit emotional at the ending again. Really hope this has further life after Salford it definitely deserves it! I was at 2nd preview and seen it twice since and the main projection change I noticed was instead of writing the dates on in chalk on the claperboard which I didn’t think worked at the time they were projected instead. That's one of the ones I noticed. I also thought the ones during "Do you wanna know" were different. There were shots of the desert which I didn't remember.
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489 posts
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Post by djdan14 on May 19, 2024 17:52:20 GMT
And that ends the Lowry run - nothing to note at the end just announcement wise just a instagram post that hints at a future life. After seeing it 4 times I really hope it does! And also hope the Lowry make a habit of giving life to these productions!
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367 posts
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Post by Jonnyboy on May 19, 2024 19:20:27 GMT
Going to miss this show a lot. I was there too today as were a lot of fans judging by the reception after each song! There seemed to be a few technical issues, with curtains not moving at the right time and a balloon taking ages to inflate, but nothing major. Third time seeing, and the first time with the full cast. Managed to get my "42" dollar note signed at Stage Door!
Hoping for a full soundtrack and future life now...
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125 posts
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Post by annette on May 20, 2024 12:39:39 GMT
I wanted to love this so much and had been looking forward to seeing it since I heard the first song on the Whatsonstage website (featuring Melanie La Barrie back then).
I think it has great potential and with two heavyweight producers behind it is almost definitely going to land in London (no pun intended), but I felt it needed a lot of finessing, particularly with establishing ta consistent tone for the piece.
My main bugbear was the overuse of the gurning dungaree clad ensemble who gave it the vibe of a children’s show and at times were an irritating distraction from the story. I thought the show worked best when it wasn’t feeling ‘goofy’. The mother’s part veered into goofy territory at times too and it was never clear why she went from singing about her disdain for Larry to being part of his ground crew.
In general I thought the characters were a little underwritten (particularly in the case of Ron).
I couldn’t understand why Larry didn’t become airborne in his lawn chair. It may have been something to do with the fly tower at The Lowry, but not having that moment in the show when there’s such a big build up to it felt like a very strange choice. Given how much projection was used I was surprised that they didn’t at least use a bit of the real footage or perhaps use a model. The speed with which Larry accidentally ascended could have been a funny moment.
I enjoyed much of the music, although some of the songs sounded a little samey.
The two leads were excellent and in the less goofy scenes gave a heartwarming and touching performance.
It’s such great source material and The Lowry run was a good start ( though sadly didn’t have the greatest attendance the night I was there) but I definitely think the writer and director have some work to do before it reaches its full potential.
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343 posts
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Post by properjob on May 20, 2024 16:13:54 GMT
I must thank the board as the comments on here persuaded me to make the journey to Manchester to catch the last show.
I really liked it. Unlike the previous poster (at time of writing) I liked the energy and intensity of the ensemble. I thought the set was clever as well but I did wonder what the sight lines were like around the edge of the auditorium.
I could tell from the applause at the end of each song there were fans in so this has the making of a cult hit. I hope it has a future life so I can see it again but I also hope it is in not too big of a venue as it felt like intimate story telling.
No doubt it can be improved as things can always be improved and I'm sure the creative team will have tweaks they want to make but I didn't think there was anything that HAD to be improved.
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Post by 141920grm on May 20, 2024 22:31:20 GMT
If they don’t want to fly Larry up, probably a bit of trickery with fog and lighting would do the job- and as a previous poster mentioned the changing altitude markings are quite successful as well
Really want to see this again so joining the call for a London run!
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367 posts
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Post by Jonnyboy on May 21, 2024 0:17:20 GMT
I really think the way they fly him is fine. The trouble with literally lifting him up is that they can only do so a few feet off the stage and it runs the risk of looking tacky and weak. If you can’t lift him the full 16000 feet, and clearly you can’t (!) then you might as well leave him grounded and use a more subtle approach like the successful altimeter projections.
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125 posts
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Post by annette on May 21, 2024 1:04:35 GMT
I really think the way they fly him is fine. The trouble with literally lifting him up is that they can only do so a few feet off the stage and it runs the risk of looking tacky and weak. If you can’t lift him the full 16000 feet, and clearly you can’t (!) then you might as well leave him grounded and use a more subtle approach like the successful altimeter projections. Why couldn’t he be lifted more than a few feet off the stage? Is it due to technical restrictions at The Lowry? I just think given the main theme of the show is about why a man wants to fly in an armchair,it’s a bit of an anticlimax not to see anything approaching the moment that he fulfils his dream.
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1,470 posts
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Post by mkb on May 21, 2024 1:10:39 GMT
In case this transfers, I note that it's "from the producers of SIX", a show I absolutely loathed. This then is not for me, right?
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Post by andypandy on May 21, 2024 4:27:10 GMT
In case this transfers, I note that it's "from the producers of SIX", a show I absolutely loathed. This then is not for me, right? The shows are completely different - no comparison at all. It's like comparing Hamilton to Phantom - theatre producers invest in different shows, not the same genre or style. I watched the Stranger Things play at the weekend (phenomenal effects and staging). I did think while watching I wonder what a large scale West End budget for 42 Balloons would look like! (I doubt it would happen though). I adored this show last week in Manchester - though I agree with the comments above about the overacting / goofy ensemble and general tone of the show. It needs to decide what it is. I also wanted him to actually rise in the chair (or/and) use the projection of the actual footage. Still I liked the changing altitude projection! Still the future potential for this show is HUGEEEE. Cult hit for sure.
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Post by capybara on May 31, 2024 12:24:00 GMT
Performing at West End Live 2024 so hopefully an autumn transfer announcement is imminent.
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Post by mattnyc on May 31, 2024 13:08:14 GMT
Performing at West End Live 2024 so hopefully an autumn transfer announcement is imminent. Fantastic! You guys have me excited for this one!
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