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Post by originalconceptlive on Apr 25, 2022 5:59:03 GMT
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Post by intoanewlife on May 31, 2022 12:02:11 GMT
Thank you so much for discovering this, my eyes are now peeled for when tickets go on sale! |
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Post by intoanewlife on May 31, 2022 16:48:07 GMT
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Post by digne on May 31, 2022 17:57:04 GMT
I've travelled to Linz for a show before, well worth it! They did a stunning production of Les Mis a few years ago. (Make sure to try the town's famous cake - Linzer Torte.)
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Post by originalconceptlive on Jun 1, 2022 2:30:00 GMT
You're welcome!
It would be interesting to watch any production of this show in current times actually. Watching fairly privileged Russian characters sing "There's a war going on out there, somewhere", might hit a bit differently today.
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Post by intoanewlife on Jun 1, 2022 15:08:16 GMT
I enquired about when tickets go on sale and received the following message.
Thank you for your question. In normal times, we sold the tickets for the whole season from May on, but as we are not sure about the Covid situation next season, we decided to sell tickets until beginning of January and decide about the later performances when we know more about how high Covid numbers will be in autumn and winter.
But great that you are yet interested in our production THE GREAT COMET - we're really excited to have the rights to produce the European premiere of this wonderful piece.
Best regards
I shall report back if I see them go on sale.
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Post by emmy on Jul 17, 2022 23:32:16 GMT
Are there only 5 performances for this or am I missing something? Can only see 5 dates listed (between Feb and June next year), which does seem a bit odd, but I don’t know the venue so no idea if this is normal.
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Post by intoanewlife on Nov 7, 2022 20:55:22 GMT
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Post by intoanewlife on Nov 7, 2022 20:57:58 GMT
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Post by QueerTheatre on Nov 7, 2022 23:24:19 GMT
there’s a performance on my birthday, and i was planning on going but alas work is taking me to australia til the week before & i cannot fathom travelling that much in one week!
i hope those of you who do end up going report back!
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Post by emmy on Nov 7, 2022 23:53:31 GMT
Excellent, thank you! Now to start planning a weekend in Austria... |
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Post by originalconceptlive on Feb 14, 2023 7:31:48 GMT
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Post by intoanewlife on Feb 15, 2023 10:47:31 GMT
Looks amazing! Just finished all our travel bookings yesterday, so this time next month we'll be on our way! |
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Post by QueerTheatre on Mar 20, 2023 15:14:54 GMT
I've ended up booking a trip to see this in june, combining it with Hunchback and pride in Vienna too! Cant wait!
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Post by emmy on Mar 20, 2023 15:43:40 GMT
Looks amazing! Just finished all our travel bookings yesterday, so this time next month we'll be on our way! Did you end up seeing the production? |
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Mar 20, 2023 15:50:53 GMT
I've just booked to see this as well! Will also be combining with Hunchback and Rebecca in Vienna.
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Post by intoanewlife on Mar 20, 2023 20:26:37 GMT
Looks amazing! Just finished all our travel bookings yesterday, so this time next month we'll be on our way! Did you end up seeing the production? Yes I saw it on Friday and Saturday night! I shall give a full report when I get home on Thursday x |
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Post by intoanewlife on Mar 20, 2023 23:46:54 GMT
Ok quick(ish) review before bed!
The city is very charming!
The theatre is phenomenal! Each seat has it's own LCD screen in the back so everyone has their own screen for subtitles of which you could choose English or German.
Show is (as usual) a 5/5 masterpiece. It was fantastic both nights and I ugly cried both nights. Friday was a tough crowd, most likely full of locals, but Saturday's crowd were much more into it and gave an instant standing ovation. The guy beside us seemed to know the show quite well and was having a grand old time.
The crowd were EXCEPTIONALLY well behaved, it was almost like going to the theatre...for a change...
Cast - 5/5 - Not a dud amongst them. Some exceptional singing. Best Natasha, Balaga and Dolokov I have seen. Pierre was also excellent and equally on par with Josh (minus 'that' voice) who is my fave Pierre. Helena, Sonya and Marya were great, but seemed to have a few sound issues in the mix.
Staging - 4/5 - I liked the staging a lot. The very front row is contained within the staging area and Row 1 is the first 'official' start of the seating. We were dead centre Row 1 both nights. I would've liked to have seen it from further back on the Saturday, but it was sold out so we couldn't move.
Disappointingly there is no audience participation in this production despite the seating arrangement, so most of the shows 'comedy' moments went out the window...
Lighting - 3/5 - Will cover this more below, but I thought it was fine.
Direction - 2/5 - This is where things fell apart for me. This is a VERY difficult show to get right and well...frankly...they didn't get it right on a lot of levels, especially Act 1.
Of course if you haven't ever seen the show, these things probably won't bug you as much or you may not even notice them. It's a great production, but I had a lot of problems with it compared to what I have seen before.
It was pretty obvious they had not seen the Broadway or any other version and a lot of things were lost in translation. The lighting and choreography were a a bit off and overwhelmed the story at points. The emphasis was on the wrong things at the wrong times and the main 'seduction' story is all but lost in the mayhem of the direction of the first act. The 2nd act fairs much better, but unfortunately by that time the damage is done I think, especially if you are not familiar with the show.
Act 1 was always a balls to the wall, every theatrical trick in the book thrown in and a dangerous juggling act that Broadway juuuuust got right.
Nothing balances here and it just didn't work for me. Problems start almost immediately. Mary for some reason is dressed in pretty much the same costume as Natasha (a white dress) and the actress looks exactly like Natasha. The characters are black and white and their costuming should reflect that. Mary should be dressed in black and shrouded in misery, so this just didn't work.
The costumes are all off really. All the men are dressed the same and all the women are dressed the same. This is very problematic especially for the women as they are all dressed like high class Russian sex workers, which is nothing like any of their characters. The 'ensemble/band' is meant to be the peasantry sneering at the well-to-do and sniggering at their self inflicted dramas (Letters and Call to Pierre). This is lost as everyone is dressed the same, quassi-nobility. To someone who doesn't know the show it may be confusing.
Andre isn't here? Yes he is, he's in every single big number in the same costume.
The opera is a bit of a disaster. The point of the scene is almost lost as the opera itself becomes the main focus, when it should be Natasha and Anatole's meeting. This is a problem throughout Act 1 and in fact the whole show feels like the director is scared to let the show be what it is, a series of intimate scenes between 1 or 2 characters and instead takes every chance to 'add' something to each scene to make it more visually exciting. This just doesn't work for a show that despite being a very simple story, is already confusing enough due to the style its lyrics are written and the fact it is totally sung through.
Anatole's entrance is about as exciting as a fart in a cyclone. On Broadway he is a silhouette against a blinding white wall of lights. Anatole IS The Great Comet. He is the catalyst for everything that transpires and the magnitude of 'Anatole' is unfortunately all but lost in this production. The actor was an excellent singer, but his direction and costuming were totally wrong for the importance of the character. He has none of the Machiavellian magnetism Anatole should have to con this young girl into abandoning everything she has for him. He looked like an even geekier David Tennant!
Charming is another good example of getting it wrong....the scene is about Helena seducing Natasha with flattery into her and her brothers plan. This is muddled because for some reason the director decides to have 2 random male dancers (Seriously all these guys needed was a couple of conical bras and it was Like a Virgin from the Blonde Ambition tour...) and 2 guitarists wander on stage and start doing a routine completely separate to what is happening between Natasha and Helena. It was just so WTF!?!?! Why is this even happening?
The costume ball fairs just as badly. There is no costume change, so it just looks like the opera. On Broadway they at least had masks, this would've helped differentiate between the 2 scenes for not a lot of outlay. Once again what is happening between Natasha and Anatole should be the focal point, instead we are focused on the choreography of the dancers at the ball.
Act 2 is much more enjoyable, but also much simpler to get right as the story just plays out after the complicated Act 1 setup.
The only thing that annoyed me was Natasha's 'look' in the last few scenes. The girl has been through hell and should look like it...her performance however is extremely powerful...lots of sniffling...and the direction of the closing number is a bit janky...what ARE they all staring at?
I won't spoil 'the comet' for anyone...that is best left for you to experience first hand lol but...Gurl...
Despite my many little problems with it however I still had an amazing time and thought it was a great production. Musically and vocally it is fantastic and the main star of this show will always be it's phenomenal score. It is just a shame it got so many little things wrong production wise, but as I said before if you haven't seen it you probably won't have a problem with the things that didn't work well for me.
I am thinking of going back in May, so I certainly didn't hate it!
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Mar 21, 2023 8:00:27 GMT
Each seat has it's own LCD screen in the back so everyone has their own screen for subtitles of which you could choose English or German. oops, the box office told me the subtitles were only in German so I opted for one of the seats that didn't have subtitles because I thought oh well I know the show well enough hopefully that I won't need them. Ah well, now I know for next time |
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Post by graham on Mar 21, 2023 11:14:07 GMT
We trekked to Linz for the show on Saturday from London via Munich - no thanks to German and Austrian railways who did their very best in both directions to scupper our trip! But we got there!
Stunning theatre - 5* for facilities and comfort. Wow!
As for the show, we saw it first in New York in 2017 from an onstage seat, whereas in Linz we were half way back in the stalls. A very different experience, and I echo some of the views that intoanewlife shared earlier. Like any show you've seen more than once, you will always compare staging and direction - my conclusion was that I would love to see a combination of the US and Austrian versions, as both had their good and bad parts.
This version felt more operatic and lost some of the rocky/techno edge but gained some of the lyrical aspects that got lost in New York
Subtitles were available in German and English - the English versions were the original script, so didn't always match the German interpretation. Hélène is a slut in English, but downgraded to a "bitch" in German!!
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Post by QueerTheatre on Mar 30, 2023 10:14:59 GMT
Ok quick(ish) review before bed! The city is very charming! The theatre is phenomenal! Each seat has it's own LCD screen in the back so everyone has their own screen for subtitles of which you could choose English or German. Show is (as usual) a 5/5 masterpiece. It was fantastic both nights and I ugly cried both nights. Friday was a tough crowd, most likely full of locals, but Saturday's crowd were much more into it and gave an instant standing ovation. The guy beside us seemed to know the show quite well and was having a grand old time. The crowd were EXCEPTIONALLY well behaved, it was almost like going to the theatre...for a change... Cast - 5/5 - Not a dud amongst them. Some exceptional singing. Best Natasha, Balaga and Dolokov I have seen. Pierre was also excellent and equally on par with Josh (minus 'that' voice) who is my fave Pierre. Helena, Sonya and Marya were great, but seemed to have a few sound issues in the mix. Staging - 4/5 - I liked the staging a lot. The very front row is contained within the staging area and Row 1 is the first 'official' start of the seating. We were dead centre Row 1 both nights. I would've liked to have seen it from further back on the Saturday, but it was sold out so we couldn't move. Disappointingly there is no audience participation in this production despite the seating arrangement, so most of the shows 'comedy' moments went out the window... Lighting - 3/5 - Will cover this more below, but I thought it was fine. Direction - 2/5 - This is where things fell apart for me. This is a VERY difficult show to get right and well...frankly...they didn't get it right on a lot of levels, especially Act 1. Of course if you haven't ever seen the show, these things probably won't bug you as much or you may not even notice them. It's a great production, but I had a lot of problems with it compared to what I have seen before. It was pretty obvious they had not seen the Broadway or any other version and a lot of things were lost in translation. The lighting and choreography were a a bit off and overwhelmed the story at points. The emphasis was on the wrong things at the wrong times and the main 'seduction' story is all but lost in the mayhem of the direction of the first act. The 2nd act fairs much better, but unfortunately by that time the damage is done I think, especially if you are not familiar with the show. Act 1 was always a balls to the wall, every theatrical trick in the book thrown in and a dangerous juggling act that Broadway juuuuust got right. Nothing balances here and it just didn't work for me. Problems start almost immediately. Mary for some reason is dressed in pretty much the same costume as Natasha (a white dress) and the actress looks exactly like Natasha. The characters are black and white and their costuming should reflect that. Mary should be dressed in black and shrouded in misery, so this just didn't work. The costumes are all off really. All the men are dressed the same and all the women are dressed the same. This is very problematic especially for the women as they are all dressed like high class Russian sex workers, which is nothing like any of their characters. The 'ensemble/band' is meant to be the peasantry sneering at the well-to-do and sniggering at their self inflicted dramas (Letters and Call to Pierre). This is lost as everyone is dressed the same, quassi-nobility. To someone who doesn't know the show it may be confusing. Andre isn't here? Yes he is, he's in every single big number in the same costume. The opera is a bit of a disaster. The point of the scene is almost lost as the opera itself becomes the main focus, when it should be Natasha and Anatole's meeting. This is a problem throughout Act 1 and in fact the whole show feels like the director is scared to let the show be what it is, a series of intimate scenes between 1 or 2 characters and instead takes every chance to 'add' something to each scene to make it more visually exciting. This just doesn't work for a show that despite being a very simple story, is already confusing enough due to the style its lyrics are written and the fact it is totally sung through. Anatole's entrance is about as exciting as a fart in a cyclone. On Broadway he is a silhouette against a blinding white wall of lights. Anatole IS The Great Comet. He is the catalyst for everything that transpires and the magnitude of 'Anatole' is unfortunately all but lost in this production. The actor was an excellent singer, but his direction and costuming were totally wrong for the importance of the character. He has none of the Machiavellian magnetism Anatole should have to con this young girl into abandoning everything she has for him. He looked like an even geekier David Tennant! Charming is another good example of getting it wrong....the scene is about Helena seducing Natasha with flattery into her and her brothers plan. This is muddled because for some reason the director decides to have 2 random male dancers (Seriously all these guys needed was a couple of conical bras and it was Like a Virgin from the Blonde Ambition tour...) and 2 guitarists wander on stage and start doing a routine completely separate to what is happening between Natasha and Helena. It was just so WTF!?!?! Why is this even happening? The costume ball fairs just as badly. There is no costume change, so it just looks like the opera. On Broadway they at least had masks, this would've helped differentiate between the 2 scenes for not a lot of outlay. Once again what is happening between Natasha and Anatole should be the focal point, instead we are focused on the choreography of the dancers at the ball. Act 2 is much more enjoyable, but also much simpler to get right as the story just plays out after the complicated Act 1 setup. The only thing that annoyed me was Natasha's 'look' in the last few scenes. The girl has been through hell and should look like it...her performance however is extremely powerful...lots of sniffling...and the direction of the closing number is a bit janky...what ARE they all staring at? I won't spoil 'the comet' for anyone...that is best left for you to experience first hand lol but...Gurl... Despite my many little problems with it however I still had an amazing time and thought it was a great production. Musically and vocally it is fantastic and the main star of this show will always be it's phenomenal score. It is just a shame it got so many little things wrong production wise, but as I said before if you haven't seen it you probably won't have a problem with the things that didn't work well for me. I am thinking of going back in May, so I certainly didn't hate it! Without being *that person* do they have any merch? |
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Post by intoanewlife on Mar 30, 2023 11:05:57 GMT
Ok quick(ish) review before bed! The city is very charming! The theatre is phenomenal! Each seat has it's own LCD screen in the back so everyone has their own screen for subtitles of which you could choose English or German. Show is (as usual) a 5/5 masterpiece. It was fantastic both nights and I ugly cried both nights. Friday was a tough crowd, most likely full of locals, but Saturday's crowd were much more into it and gave an instant standing ovation. The guy beside us seemed to know the show quite well and was having a grand old time. The crowd were EXCEPTIONALLY well behaved, it was almost like going to the theatre...for a change... Cast - 5/5 - Not a dud amongst them. Some exceptional singing. Best Natasha, Balaga and Dolokov I have seen. Pierre was also excellent and equally on par with Josh (minus 'that' voice) who is my fave Pierre. Helena, Sonya and Marya were great, but seemed to have a few sound issues in the mix. Staging - 4/5 - I liked the staging a lot. The very front row is contained within the staging area and Row 1 is the first 'official' start of the seating. We were dead centre Row 1 both nights. I would've liked to have seen it from further back on the Saturday, but it was sold out so we couldn't move. Disappointingly there is no audience participation in this production despite the seating arrangement, so most of the shows 'comedy' moments went out the window... Lighting - 3/5 - Will cover this more below, but I thought it was fine. Direction - 2/5 - This is where things fell apart for me. This is a VERY difficult show to get right and well...frankly...they didn't get it right on a lot of levels, especially Act 1. Of course if you haven't ever seen the show, these things probably won't bug you as much or you may not even notice them. It's a great production, but I had a lot of problems with it compared to what I have seen before. It was pretty obvious they had not seen the Broadway or any other version and a lot of things were lost in translation. The lighting and choreography were a a bit off and overwhelmed the story at points. The emphasis was on the wrong things at the wrong times and the main 'seduction' story is all but lost in the mayhem of the direction of the first act. The 2nd act fairs much better, but unfortunately by that time the damage is done I think, especially if you are not familiar with the show. Act 1 was always a balls to the wall, every theatrical trick in the book thrown in and a dangerous juggling act that Broadway juuuuust got right. Nothing balances here and it just didn't work for me. Problems start almost immediately. Mary for some reason is dressed in pretty much the same costume as Natasha (a white dress) and the actress looks exactly like Natasha. The characters are black and white and their costuming should reflect that. Mary should be dressed in black and shrouded in misery, so this just didn't work. The costumes are all off really. All the men are dressed the same and all the women are dressed the same. This is very problematic especially for the women as they are all dressed like high class Russian sex workers, which is nothing like any of their characters. The 'ensemble/band' is meant to be the peasantry sneering at the well-to-do and sniggering at their self inflicted dramas (Letters and Call to Pierre). This is lost as everyone is dressed the same, quassi-nobility. To someone who doesn't know the show it may be confusing. Andre isn't here? Yes he is, he's in every single big number in the same costume. The opera is a bit of a disaster. The point of the scene is almost lost as the opera itself becomes the main focus, when it should be Natasha and Anatole's meeting. This is a problem throughout Act 1 and in fact the whole show feels like the director is scared to let the show be what it is, a series of intimate scenes between 1 or 2 characters and instead takes every chance to 'add' something to each scene to make it more visually exciting. This just doesn't work for a show that despite being a very simple story, is already confusing enough due to the style its lyrics are written and the fact it is totally sung through. Anatole's entrance is about as exciting as a fart in a cyclone. On Broadway he is a silhouette against a blinding white wall of lights. Anatole IS The Great Comet. He is the catalyst for everything that transpires and the magnitude of 'Anatole' is unfortunately all but lost in this production. The actor was an excellent singer, but his direction and costuming were totally wrong for the importance of the character. He has none of the Machiavellian magnetism Anatole should have to con this young girl into abandoning everything she has for him. He looked like an even geekier David Tennant! Charming is another good example of getting it wrong....the scene is about Helena seducing Natasha with flattery into her and her brothers plan. This is muddled because for some reason the director decides to have 2 random male dancers (Seriously all these guys needed was a couple of conical bras and it was Like a Virgin from the Blonde Ambition tour...) and 2 guitarists wander on stage and start doing a routine completely separate to what is happening between Natasha and Helena. It was just so WTF!?!?! Why is this even happening? The costume ball fairs just as badly. There is no costume change, so it just looks like the opera. On Broadway they at least had masks, this would've helped differentiate between the 2 scenes for not a lot of outlay. Once again what is happening between Natasha and Anatole should be the focal point, instead we are focused on the choreography of the dancers at the ball. Act 2 is much more enjoyable, but also much simpler to get right as the story just plays out after the complicated Act 1 setup. The only thing that annoyed me was Natasha's 'look' in the last few scenes. The girl has been through hell and should look like it...her performance however is extremely powerful...lots of sniffling...and the direction of the closing number is a bit janky...what ARE they all staring at? I won't spoil 'the comet' for anyone...that is best left for you to experience first hand lol but...Gurl... Despite my many little problems with it however I still had an amazing time and thought it was a great production. Musically and vocally it is fantastic and the main star of this show will always be it's phenomenal score. It is just a shame it got so many little things wrong production wise, but as I said before if you haven't seen it you probably won't have a problem with the things that didn't work well for me. I am thinking of going back in May, so I certainly didn't hate it! Without being *that person* do they have any merch? Ha! Just a very cheap program (in German)...don't be embarrassed I'd have raided the merch booth too if there was one! |
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Post by emmy on May 12, 2023 22:02:03 GMT
Forgot to mention at the time, but Dave Malloy was in to watch this a couple of weeks ago and he got a very enthusiastic reception from the audience at the end, which was nice to see!
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