42 Balloons - Vaudeville / Lowry

Ooh I was in D 😁

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.

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?

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

 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.