Flowers for Mrs Harris - Riverside Studios

Nothing on their socials about this which is odd. Anyone know what happened?

Me too!

Caught the matinee of this yesterday.

As enjoyable as it was and I thought it had a lot of heart, I wasn't blown away.

I went into this a little blind. I never saw the Chichester production. When it was screened during COVID, I downloaded it but my laptop died. I have not seen the recent film or know any of the music.

I thought this was a show of two halves. For me, Act 2 was much better and stronger in every way- the acting, the costumes, the lighting.

Nothing wrong with the singing but I found the songs generally unforgettable.

Twice I thought, 'oh, this is like in the show'. I found the Act 1 finale to be a bit like Putting It Together from Sunday in the Park with George, both lyrically and in its pace.

And at the end with all the flowers, it was like Calendar Girls.

Although I can't speak a word of French, I understood what was going on.

But ultimately, I left asking questions.

I found the set a little cramped and wondered what the show would look on a bigger stage with a little more money thrown at it.

As good as Jenna Russell was (and this is no disrespect to her) I wondered what this would have been like with another actress of a similar age in the role.

Every actor on stage- except Jenna Russell double up on roles- personally I would have had a problem if there were a different set of actors for Act 2.

Am I pleased I went? Most definitely.

Would I go again? Probably not.

It was good to meet fiyero

This show seems to really be sailing under the radar - I barely even noticed that press night had happened. I really expected this to be a huge hit considering the team behind it and Jenna being attached. Is it selling well?

I adored this in Chichester and if it wasnt for Dame Jenna i may not of bothered. School stage set asisde, i loved this.

I cried at mutliple points and was very moved.

Caught this over the weekend, not my usual cup of tea at all but I really enjoyed it. There's something wonderfully charming about it and Jenna Russell is equal parts heartbreaking and joyous. The music did absolutely nothing for me (about 5 minutes in I thought I was going to hate the whole thing), but as a show I had a lovely time.

Was anybody else expecting a bit more of a buzz around this? Seems to have really sat in the background. But then the Riverside Studios feels like an odd choice and a bit off of the grid.

Saw it last night.

Jenna Russell is wonderful, and so are the rest of the cast; the show is still lovely (I saw it in Sheffield) - but there's a level of magic in this show that Bronagh Lagan, this production's director, does not find. It's not bad, it's worth seeing, it's still a very moving piece, and it's a terrific role for Jenna Russell and she never puts a foot wrong, but there's something missing from this production - though maybe you wouldn't notice it if you hadn't seen Daniel Evans's staging.

I went again this week and found it just as lovely