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Post by joem on Sept 24, 2021 22:21:07 GMT
For the second time in a few weeks the Southwark Playhouse have "tricked" me into watching a musical on the Second World War, I only found out it was a musical minutes before it started. Looking forward to "Springtime for Hitler" next time.
"Tokyo Rose", by Maryhoo Yoon and Cara Baldwin, tells the story of Iva Toguri, a young Japanese-American girl whose impending medical studies are postponed when she is sent by her parents to look after her ailing aunt in Japan (her first ever visit to her parents' country) in 1941 and is unfortunately caught there by the attack on Pearl Harbor and the ensuing Japan/US war. She ends up making broadcasts in English over the radio and is accused of treason after the war.
It is a reasonable story on which to build a musical and this more or less works, although it feels overlong and there are areas which could be improved - we don't get a strong enough feel for the broadcasts and Iva's parents characters sort of fluctuate. The build-up to the important dramatic sections of the play - her arrival in Japan, the outbreak of war and her role in it - takes too long to arrive and then is dispatched quite quickly before moving on to the drama of the court case and its protracted aftermath. And the ending might have been earlier in the story to finish the piece on a high note. There are some stronger songs but there is a fair amount of expository singing.
The six-strong, all-female cast work very hard and put on a good show, both acting and singing, and there is a particularly strong vocal performance from Maya Britto as Iva.
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Sept 25, 2021 12:01:25 GMT
I saw this at the New Diorama last and it was brilliant! Would recommend.
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Post by Being Alive on Sept 25, 2021 12:59:02 GMT
Also was saw it at the New Diorama (although it was 90 mins straight through then so I'm interested to see a full 2 and a half hour production!)
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Sept 25, 2021 13:06:53 GMT
Also was saw it at the New Diorama (although it was 90 mins straight through then so I'm interested to see a full 2 and a half hour production!) Oh, I didn't twig it was a longer duration! |
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Sept 25, 2021 13:07:16 GMT
ALSO I'M A SENIOR MEMBER ON HERE OMG.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 25, 2021 13:49:24 GMT
Just booked this. Mentally preparing myself now for going to the Southwark Playhouse and not seeing Operation Mincemeat :') (I've seen plenty there prior, but the last several times have all been for OM). Sounds interesting!
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Post by dlevi on Sept 26, 2021 7:09:12 GMT
Oh what Hamilton hath wrought!
This could also be called "Six-lite, except it's 2 hours and 20 minutes long.
I found it to be a screechy mess of a show. Some of the songs are ok, but given the fact that most of them are giving out a lot of exposition (and not a lot of emotion) then the whole company needs classes in articulation. And as Joem (above) points out we don't get a feel for the Broadcasts so we really don't know if they were treason or not. It's poorly designed, the lighting is inconsistent and unfocused (I know, it was a preview so there's still time to fix that- but there were at least 5 times throughout the performance where the actor stood just out side of the light or had a shadow of something hanging across their face - in moments such as that I think the actor should simply move into the light but that didn't happen.) At one point they invoke Lyndon Johnson as denying Tokyo Rose a Presidential Pardon and in the next moment tell us its 1956 - that's just sloppy.A few minutes later the time sequence gets corrected. None of this matters much because the story is told in such an inconsequential and meaningless manner. The choreography is superficial and evokes nothing of either the period, the culture or character. And when it was over - what was I supposed to feel? What was I supposed to take away? Sorry, this was just a misfire.
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Sept 27, 2021 16:42:56 GMT
Cancelled tonight and tomorrow's matinee though tomorrow evening ( Press Night) still going ahead.
Due to non-Covid cast illness. Disappointing - I was booked for the matinee.
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Post by Mark on Oct 5, 2021 10:26:11 GMT
This show is having a terrible time with cancellations - both shows today cancelled, and tomorrow evening.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Oct 5, 2021 10:40:16 GMT
Oh no! Seeing it on Thursday, fingers crossed!!!
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Oct 5, 2021 12:32:10 GMT
Cancelled tonight and tomorrow's matinee though tomorrow evening ( Press Night) still going ahead. Due to non-Covid cast illness. Disappointing - I was booked for the matinee. Given up on seeing this show now. I transferred my booking to today's matinee and booked my advance rail ticket yesterday. |
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Post by fiyerorocher on Oct 7, 2021 22:38:08 GMT
Thankfully this went ahead tonight!
There really isn't a weak link in this cast vocally, but sadly I can't say the same for acting ability and when your cast is playing multiple characters each, it really shows when some people can't do so with as much nuance as others.
Act 2 is definitely a lot better than act 1. I found myself in tears at the end, whereas act 1 had left me rather unmoved. The first half could definitely do with some tightening up, particularly the beginning number. I'm no stranger to a show immediately launching into a song and expecting you to just run with whatever style it is, but this time it didn't work. It was trying too hard to be Hamilton or Six, when it really needs to settle into its own identity that we see in the last half hour of act 2. All of the actresses are earnest and endearing, but even their energy can't help you connect to a opening number that just feels bizarrely out of place, even though we don't know what that place is yet. I couldn't help but compare this to Operation Mincemeat, since I just saw it in the same venue, and Tokyo Rose currently pales in comparison. It needs to be less afraid of embracing its own niche. I enjoyed it, but it's likely not one I would see again unless I knew they'd made revisions, and that is honestly rare for me. There are a few songs I'd definitely like to listen to again, though - Maya Britto's vocals were stunning. And it was certainly sad to see the theatre so empty.
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Post by zahidf on Oct 7, 2021 23:27:00 GMT
Maybe less is more? I enjoyed it a lot at the new diorama at 75 minutes. The extra hour seems to have made it worse.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Oct 8, 2021 8:26:22 GMT
Maybe less is more? I enjoyed it a lot at the new diorama at 75 minutes. The extra hour seems to have made it worse. I did wonder if it would have been better shorter. I knew it was at the New Diorama, but never saw it there myself so I can't compare, but there was a lot of material, especially in act one, that I would cut. It did feel like it dragged a little. |
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Oct 8, 2021 8:37:10 GMT
Maybe less is more? I enjoyed it a lot at the new diorama at 75 minutes. The extra hour seems to have made it worse. I did wonder if it would have been better shorter. I knew it was at the New Diorama, but never saw it there myself so I can't compare, but there was a lot of material, especially in act one, that I would cut. It did feel like it dragged a little. When it first appeared at Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 as a 60-minute show the main criticism in reviews was that it tried to pack too much into too short a running time. Sounds like they might have corrected that at New Diorama but have now gone too far the other way. Seeing it in Birmingham at the end of the month to judge for myself! |
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Post by Mark on Oct 8, 2021 22:35:34 GMT
I liked this tonight, and will agree with previous posters that the second act is stronger than the first. Had a bit of difficulty with the sound level in act one, with the vocals drowned out by the tracks (found it odd that this was backing tracks and not a live band). This was much more balanced in the second act, although the musical style is also calmer in the second act.
Good show but definitely needs some refinement.
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Post by cartoonman on Oct 9, 2021 22:11:07 GMT
I saw this musical this afternoon. I found the backing music to be too loud. Most of the time I could not hear what the words of songs were. The all female cast sang and danced their socks off. I was sitting at the back of the theatre so probably furthest from the loudspeakers. I can only give it ***. I would go for **** if the sound balance was better. It has the potential to be a really good show with a little polishing.
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Post by robertb213 on Oct 11, 2021 18:44:43 GMT
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Post by robertb213 on Oct 12, 2021 20:58:31 GMT
The cast recording is also on Spotify and here's one of the songs on YouTube.... definitely Six meets Hamilton vibes!
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Post by pomegranate on Oct 12, 2021 22:15:03 GMT
Thoroughly enjoyed this tonight, however mimic the above comments. Definitely needs some tightening up. I think this would benefit from a larger cast and ensemble too, although all 6 of the girls were incredibly talented. Maya Brito has the makings of a huge star, I’m excited to see what else she does!
My only critiscm is that some of the characters felt a bit silly and caricature-ish for the tone of the show, especially the Dad. I don’t think it was the actors fault as she was clearly very talented, but it’s hard work to make an audience believe that you’re a 60 year old man, when you’re actually a 20 year old woman. It definitely made it lose a bit of it’s emotional weight for me.
I think the show has a bright future ahead, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops over the years. Would definitely recommend anyone who hasn’t already to go see it before it finishes up at the Southwark Playhouse!
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Post by fiyerorocher on Oct 12, 2021 22:23:07 GMT
The cast recording is also on Spotify and here's one of the songs on YouTube.... definitely Six meets Hamilton vibes! Oooh, thank you for linking this! I didn't know there was a cast recording. So glad Crossfire is on there - was definitely my favourite song of the night. |
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Post by robertb213 on Oct 12, 2021 22:35:06 GMT
You're welcome! I might take a chance on it in Leicester next week based on the positive feedback on here.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Oct 12, 2021 22:51:22 GMT
You're welcome! I might take a chance on it in Leicester next week based on the positive feedback on here. I would definitely recommend it, despite the issues I have with it. It's an enjoyable show with a really talented cast, and it was so sad to see the Southwark Playhouse so empty for it. Go boost their audience numbers, even if it's just by one! |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 13, 2021 6:39:32 GMT
You're welcome! I might take a chance on it in Leicester next week based on the positive feedback on here. As others have said it needs tightening but the cast are great and the 2nd act really packs a punch. |
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Post by robertb213 on Oct 22, 2021 10:02:38 GMT
I caught the Wednesday matinee of the at Curve in Leicester on Wednesday, and I'm really glad I took the plunge. Definitely agree that it needs tightening up (2hr 30 running time) but there's so much good stuff in there. The cast of 6 are all so good in multiple roles (and Maya Brillo is incredible in the lead) and it's an interesting story told well. My main gripe was that a lot of songs didn't end properly, they kinda fizzled out with no clear indication for the audience to applaud, meaning a couple of brilliant solos weren't recognised (particularly Crossfire). If it could lose a couple of songs, tighten up the pace a little, and signpost the applause points more clearly, it would be in really good shape.
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Post by joem on Jun 26, 2023 22:16:46 GMT
I have just learnt that this has gone up a couple of notches! It's on for 18 performances in December at the New National Theatre in Tokyo! Coals to Newcastle???
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