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Post by fiyerorocher on Jan 11, 2023 9:59:15 GMT
I did have a look to see if a thread already existed for this and couldn't find one, but it is notoriously difficult to be sure so do accept my apologies if there is one already! The Vaults has a real tendency to be very hit or miss with shows, at least in my experience - maybe because they have to be good enough to make up for the rather depressing venue aesthetics. This one really worked for me. It lends itself well to the space and the set is simple but pretty effective. I went into it knowing little other than Will was going to be a puppet and the rest of the cast were doubling/tripling+ up on characters. They do so very successfully, with the couple next to me incredibly confused by who was playing who (in a good way - they couldn't work out how many actors there actually were). The 80s jokes are plentiful and the tongue-in-cheek comments about the show are good-natured but enjoy poking a little fun. I had expected it to be scarier and with more jump scares but, as someone who hates them with a passion, I was very happy to be proven wrong. Although the people who brought kids still absolutely should not have done (see Bad Behaviour Thread...) I think the one time I felt a little disappointed with it was the ending. It was always going to be difficult to wrap up what they were doing successfully and {Spoiler - click to view} I am a fan of Barb, but having her keep reappearing at the end felt like it fell flat with most of the audience. Loved the Eleven/Demogorgon dance battle, though. I'm sad I didn't get round to seeing it sooner (it closes on Sunday and is pretty much sold out) or I would have seen it again. Highlights include Dustin and Steve's bro song where Steve learns to be nice, Hopper bursting out into a Dear Evan Hansen number, and the actress doubling as Nancy and Eleven - she was just excellent all round.
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Post by starlight92 on Jan 11, 2023 13:46:45 GMT
Ah I wish I'd heard about this sooner, all sold out now and I'd have loved to have seen it!
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Post by fiyerorocher on Jan 11, 2023 14:54:47 GMT
Ah I wish I'd heard about this sooner, all sold out now and I'd have loved to have seen it! I'm hoping it might come back for another when when S5 comes out! It mostly follows the plot of S1, but there are nods to S2 and S3 and, to a lesser degree, S4 so they could easily throw in a few new references to the new season.
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Post by stevej678 on Jan 11, 2023 18:13:15 GMT
I think there's a good chance of this appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer. It would fit well in one of the larger spaces at Underbelly, Pleasance, Assembly or Gilded Balloon. It has sellout Fringe hit written all over it.
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Post by crowblack on Jan 11, 2023 19:39:11 GMT
I've just posted a bit more info on the upcoming Stranger Things play over on the Stranger Things thread - looks like there might be a musical element in that too.
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Post by Steve on Jan 12, 2023 19:07:19 GMT
This was very funny, and musically fun, as well. Of course, as with "One Woman Show," the humour hinges on familiarity with the source material, so it's a blast if you've seen and liked Season 1 of "Stranger Things." After all, comic surprise requires a base level of knowledge for the surprise to be triggered. Otherwise, you're just nonplussed lol. There are some terrifically talented comic actors in this, with Holly Sumpton, Anna Amelia, Jonty Peach and Howard Jenkins all exceptional. Some spoilers follow. . . There is somewhere in this a critique about sexism in the eighties, and about how that carries over into the portrayal of the older males and females in the show. Namely, men are basically automatons, who have fixed expressions (god, Peach makes me laugh the way he does Steve Harrington's furrowed eyebrow cool and Jonathan Byer's perma-cringing fear, and Jenkins's Hopper's open-mouthed blankness is almost as funny), and women are overwrought emotional headcases: Holly Sumpton's nervy cigarette smoking Joyce Byers outdoes Bette Davis for melodrama, her every breathy expression an assertion of her own hyper-importance. She's a terrific singer too, and her full on Gypsy inspired explosion of melodious emotionalism, followed by a demand for an Emmy (lol) brought the house down. Anna Amelia's Nancy Wheeler is funny not only for her exaggerated emotionalism, but also for how shallow Amelia reveals it all to be, turning her emotions from one person to the other faster than you can catch a breath, in a way, as unhinged as Sumpton's Joyce Byers. And Amelia's turn as Eleven is also a hoot, revealing that Eleven's traumatic upbringing has made her the perfect companion for Hopper, essentially as emotionally stunted as he is, with her v-eyebrowed, confused-yet-threatening-frowny-face a gem of comic exaggeration, making her request for him to be "her daddy," as she brushes off hapless Mike's advances, especially funny. In one song, Georgia McElwee's Barb really shines as well. As a companion piece to the show, this is a gem, and one hopes that the strong parody aspects keep this show safe from the sad fate of the less parodic, more copycat, Bridgerton musical. 4 and a half stars from me. Hopefully it will be back at some point. It deserves to be.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Jan 13, 2023 15:14:50 GMT
Shame they don't let people return tickets for someone else to buy. With the combination of the strikes and the ticket offers that were originally going around, I'd imagine they could have quite a few no-shows.
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Post by stevej678 on Mar 1, 2023 11:35:51 GMT
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Post by fiyerorocher on Mar 1, 2023 12:15:27 GMT
I think I'm more excited about this than the official play...!
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Post by Steve on May 4, 2023 12:06:04 GMT
Stranger Sings will play at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 3 - 26 August. This is such fun for Stranger Things fans!
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Post by fiyerorocher on May 4, 2023 12:15:48 GMT
Amazing news! I'm genuinely not sure I've had a more enjoyable two hours in a theatre. Very excited to go back.
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Post by Deal J on Jul 28, 2023 9:31:48 GMT
This looks like so much fun! Tour Schedule:3-26 Aug 2023 | London, Southwark Playhouse Borough | 12-13 Sep | Bath, The Forum | 15 Sep | Halifax, Victoria Theatre | 17 Sep | Doncaster, The Dome | 20-21 Sep | Blackpool, Grand Theatre | 23 Sep | Glasgow, The Pavilion Theatre | 26-29 Sep | Chatham, Central Theatre | 30 Sep | Southend-on-Sea, Cliffs Pavilion | 2-3 Oct | Forum Theatre, Billingham | 8 Oct | Dunstable, Grove Theatre | 11-12 Oct | Stockport Plaza | 14 Oct | Southampton, Mayflower Theatre | 19 Oct | Ipswich, Regent Theatre | 21-22 Oct | Ramsgate, The Granville Theatre | 30-31 Oct | Bromley, Churchill Theatre | 3 Nov | Sage Gateshead | 8-11 Nov | Cardiff, New Theatre | 14-15 Nov | Cheltenham, Everyman Theatre | 22-23 Nov | Dorking Halls | 25 Nov | High Wycombe, Swan Theatre | 2 Dec | Eastbourne, Congress Theatre | 9 Jan 2024 | Truro, Hall For Cornwall | 12-13 Jan | Bradford, St George's Hall | 15-17 Jan | Wolverhampton Grand Theatre | 19-20 Jan | Hayes, Beck Theatre | 23 Jan | St Helens Theatre Royal | 26-27 Jan | Swindon, Wyvern Theatre | 29-31 Jan | Stevenage, Gordon Craig Theatre | 2-3 Feb | Warrington, Pyramid & Parr Hall | 6 Feb | Basingstoke, Anvil Arts | 8-9 Feb | Crawley, The Hawth | 12-13 Feb | Dartford, Orchard Theatre | 16-17 Feb | Crewe, Lyceum Theatre | 22-23 Feb | Shrewsbury, Theatre Severn | 27-28 Feb | New Brighton, Floral Pavilion Theatre & Blue Lounge | 5-6 Mar | Burnley Mechanics Theatre | 13 Mar | Hull City Hall | 19-20 Mar | Swansea Grand Theatre and Arts Wing | 23 Mar | Northampton, Royal & Derngate Theatre | 25 Mar | Norwich, Theatre Royal | 4-5 Apr | Chelmsford Theatre | 17 Apr | Worthing, Pavilion Theatre | 14-15 May | Darlington Hippodrome | 25 May | Peterborough New Theatre |
Show Website
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Post by westendcub on Aug 3, 2023 11:04:13 GMT
Put on notice board.
Have x1 ticket for tonight, can’t make it into town.
No charge - free ticket (rather a member here saw it rather than go to waste)
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Post by westendcub on Aug 3, 2023 12:08:43 GMT
Tonight’s performance has been cancelled, was never meant to be for me anyhow!! Thankfully I hadn’t booked train tickets in for tonight!
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Post by Deal J on Aug 24, 2023 22:00:46 GMT
Wow, just on my way home from this. What a fun show!
The whole cast are amazing, especially with such an energetic show. Not a weak link amongst them, all are great singers and have the chops for comedy.
The eighties references are plentiful, even during the interval there was a fabulous playlist of kids TV themes blasting out. Lots of musical theatre references too, I don’t want to give anything away here.
The audience were really into it, I spoke to a few who had been several times already - they said it’s got more of a set than the original run had.
The songs are much better than I was expecting for a parody show, I absolutely loved it.
Playing until Saturday before it goes on tour. Recommended!
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Post by stevej678 on Sept 22, 2023 10:50:52 GMT
Despite knowing this is a cult hit off Broadway, and reading the positive reviews for its London dates, I went to this curious as to what was in store but with pretty low expectations.
I definitely didn't anticipate much in way of a set, considering its tour stops are mostly only one or two nights. As the safety curtain went up at the Blackpool Grand Theatre though, the first pleasant surprise of the evening was to see that it was far from the fairly bare stage I'd been anticipating. There were even a few 'wow's from around the audience! That might be getting a bit carried away but the set did look good and contained a few hidden surprises.
From the opening number, about how nothing strange ever happens in Hawkins, I loved this show. You certainly have to be familiar with Stranger Things, there's little attempt to explain who characters are for anyone unfamiliar, but for fans of the series there's lots to enjoy here.
Plenty of laughs, a solid score, with a terrific multi-roling cast who, with costume and wig changes galore, bring the array of characters in Hawkins to life! Anna Amelie who plays Eleven, Nancy and Robin is the standout member of the company but all of the cast play their part in this parody remake, meticulously mirroring and emphasising their on-screen counterparts' unique mannerisms.
The action is focused on season one but there's a few knowing nods to later seasons and plenty of references to the Eighties and musicals more generally. Hearing the Inspector Gadget theme music during the interval was a bonus! That went some way to making up for the interval being a random 30 minutes long, not due to technical issues, that's just what it is for this show apparently.
As an affectionate send-up of, and zany homage to, Hawkins and The Upside Down, this is high-energy fun that's far better than it has any right to be! If you've always wanted to see a dancing demogorgon live on stage, then it's time to let the tendrils of Stranger Sings reel you in!
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Post by zahidf on Oct 13, 2023 10:20:43 GMT
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Post by stevej678 on Oct 13, 2023 14:49:53 GMT
Snazzy new trailer!
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Post by Deal J on Oct 17, 2023 12:48:03 GMT
Some new tour dates and venues for next year: Harlow, 30 April & 1 May Coventry, 1-2 March Mansfield, 15-16 March Portsmouth, 18 May Bournemouth, 24 April Weston-super-Mare, 10 May Full schedule with links for tickets: strangersingsuk.com
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