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Post by David J on Feb 20, 2016 13:42:23 GMT
Just used David J's £18 to rebook myself Er, what?!?!?!?
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Post by David J on Feb 19, 2016 11:46:57 GMT
A thousand thank yous xanderl, I have exchanged my evening ticket for that
Am very conscious about running time too, and there is a show I fancy that's only on in the evening
There's now a £9 ticket in the evening of anyone wants it
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Post by David J on Feb 19, 2016 6:56:37 GMT
The rewritten beginning takes ages to get going and some of the songs lack bounce How does this production start then? I remember the original Palladium version went straight into the Grand Prix before the scene in the junkyard. Then the 2006 tour began with an introduction to Jeremy and Jemima, then Caractacus and Grandpa then Coggins narrating the Grand Prix to the children (which I remember seeing they used for the Broadway production on YouTube - which has since been taken down!). I remember both versions too. I liked the Grand Prix song, but the 2006 tour version got to the point This version starts with two children playing with toy cars, leaves one behind, so that Caractacus Potts comes along picks up and think "I like cars". Then for the rest of the overture that's going on he stands in the middle of the stage watching people walk by Yay The overture even lacks the get go that the original version had. The one you can hear on the CD that has been used in the London and previous touring versions. There's some brief projections of press cuttings of the Grand Prix before anyone mentions that Chitty was a racing car. Couldn't they have used those a few minutes later? We then go into Mr Coggin's junkyard, which is restricted to a strip of the lower part of this wall that acts as the curtain. During which we switch between heaps of exposition and longeurs of filler. The filler being the children pretending to drive in the Grand Prix in the wreck, whilst the ensemble stand at the sides singing the "Never was a car" chorus. All in front of an endless projection loop of bunting flashing by. Not very involving and these moments last for a minute or so. It happens a second time with Caractacus now involved, swinging the wreck round in a circle on it's obvious wheeled truck whilst he sings a bit of Team Work. We then go back to the exposition. Which is exasperated when we have to jump to Bavaria in the middle of all this to establish Bomburst wants the car that he somehow knows about (gone is the detail that he was at the Grand Prix). Then he has a lengthy phone conversation with the spies, who appear a few minutes later to establish that they've found the car I should also mention that Chitty's crash is merely brought up in passing. So what impact that had has gone. It's just 'this once famous racing car is now in a junkyard' The scrap man (also the Childcatcher) has more stage time, which slows down proceedings further. Especially when we have to watch him cycle around the place. We meet Truly and then You Two is sung (still in the Junkyard). We then watch Caractacus and the children walk back home, so we can establish the watermill through projections The projections I must say are average. They do this thing where buildings are objects are drawn in at random. I can't decide whether that was an artistic decision or because of the graphics limitations. They are worse when the show has to establish the countryside flying by when Chitty is driving Anyway once we get into the windmill You Two is then reprised, which makes me wonder why it wasn't sung there in the first place. The thing is, it takes about 10-20 minutes for us to get to the windmill. In the 2006 version, the musical introduces the main characters, goes to the junkyard, Mr Coggins briefly tells children about Chitty's racing life whilst sitting in the wreck, ensemble sings "never was a car" in the background, crash happens, back to present, Bombarst is mentioned, scrap man wants car, spies are introduced, we meet Truly, she takes children back to windmill where we meet Caractacus. Badda-bing, badda-boom. Less than 10 minutes. Gets to the point You could say that this tour is a lesser version of the original, but together with the extra sets and projections it really makes a mountain out of a molehill. Not really helped that it is using the unnecessary alterations made in the 2009/10 tour, which reduced the childcatcher's role by taking out his song. Not that I'm complaining with Martin Kemp's performance
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Post by David J on Feb 18, 2016 12:34:26 GMT
Everyone is joining in the 'transferring other companies' shows' party these days
Not that I'm complaining. It's nice to see productions get an extended life.
Will definitely see This House again. I wonder whether the Minerva will be fitted up with the MP benches like the Cottesloe was. Perhaps that's why there's refurbishments going on. Making the Minerva a more versatile theatre.
I'd like to see LLL and MAAN again, especially whoever is playing Rosaline and Beatrice
Excited for the Ibsen and Rattigan plays
Excited for Drewe and Stiles being involved with two musicals, but I am a bit nervous about Travels with My Aunt and Half a Sixpence. Just looking at the synopsis makes me think these musicals are targeting the elderly audiences Chichester attracts. Not half as exciting as Sweeney Todd, Singin in the Rain, Barnum, Guys and Dolls, and Gypsy. And remember how last year's Damsels in Distress went down.
Would be nice to see Bertie Carvel's directorial debut with Strife.
I was wondering when a Battle of the Somme play was going to turn up
Fracked? Eh. I'll give it a go.
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Post by David J on Feb 18, 2016 12:16:25 GMT
Second act was a 30 minute 'An Evening with Jodi Prenger'.
She sang a little ditty at the start, answered some questions and then sang Another Suitcase in Another Hall with her understudy, Jodi Beth Meyer, and ended the evening with Unexpected Song
Jodi was hilarious, at one point fooling everyone in thinking ALW was in tonight. She told about her time in Oliver, how she tended to feed Bullseye, but had to stop because the dog, rather than sniffing out Sykes, noticed that the woman lying still in the ground was the one giving him treats.
She mentioned the Imelda Staunton Gypsy, and how she'd love to play Mama Rose.
She spoke about all the animals she keeps. Geese, crabs, parrots and so forth. Currently having a "Hotel Excalibur" built for the chickens. No wonder she is attracted to the Watermill Theatre with it's collection of ducks, chickens and geese
Overall, I wouldn't say this was a waste of time, but for a 40 minute drive up to Berkshire and then back in the downpour, feeling like I was the only one in his 20s there, it certainly felt like that
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Post by David J on Feb 17, 2016 20:52:03 GMT
This is quant. Nothing more than a series of relationships this woman goes through. Very repetitive. Some songs sounded very reminiscent of I'd be surprisingly good for you (Evita), the sunset boulevard theme tune, and even the pharoahs story (Joseph)
This is well suited for the elderly audience in tonight
Jodie Prenger does a stirling job, portraying the emotions this woman goes through
Some of the touring venues are complete madness. This show consists of a small apartment lounge with the orchestra behind it. The St James Theatre would make perfect sense. Not the mayflower, new Alexandra, Bristol hippodrome, Manchester palace, new Wimbledon, bird gais.
Yes they're one night performances but still...
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Post by David J on Feb 17, 2016 19:24:56 GMT
Quite enjoyed this
Personally I prefer the Jonathan Church version a decade ago. A larger scale production that had more special effects and was able to show the witches' grotesqueness.
Due to it's limitations this production does take artistic liberties with the book. Here the witches don't have bald heads but outlandish 70s hairdos that they hide under their normal looking wigs. However the Grandmother still says that they have bald heads so it doesn't quite make sense. Did the Roald Dahl estate or David Wood prevented the Curve from changing the script?
Still it is a small scale production at heart and facilities will enjoy it. Sarah Ingram relishes playing the grand high witch
At 1 hour and 40 minutes I can't complain
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Post by David J on Feb 17, 2016 19:11:32 GMT
First time I'm seeing this rare Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. With Jodie Prenger starring.
Hope this is good.
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Post by David J on Feb 16, 2016 15:40:36 GMT
Ray Fearon as Macbeth
Hell yeah
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Post by David J on Feb 16, 2016 15:10:51 GMT
Meow Meow is Titania
Those are two names I never thought I'd see in the same sentance
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Post by David J on Feb 15, 2016 17:39:44 GMT
This is being live streamed on 1st March and will be avaliable until 6th
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Post by David J on Feb 15, 2016 16:12:17 GMT
Mind you at Hand to God in the evening there were so many people going in and out you'd think the Vaudeville was a walk through
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Post by David J on Feb 15, 2016 16:10:41 GMT
Not quite bad behaviour but I just like to applaud the usher at Nell Gwynne last Saturday afternoon, who apparently spotted someone photographing the set
It seems the photographer was unreachable because he shouted "no photography please" in a clear and concise way that left the audience silent for a few seconds
There was certainly no photography after that as far as I could see
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Post by David J on Feb 15, 2016 16:04:40 GMT
2. If you're getting problems adding tickets to your basket, "select best available" works Where was that? I tried finding that option and couldn't find it
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Post by David J on Feb 15, 2016 12:37:40 GMT
Seat selection is an absolutely clunky.
£10 tickets seemed to be available all over the stalls. Yet you have to select one, go to the bottom to put them in the basket, and wait and see if the website will allow that once it catches up with whether someone else has selected it, which is 9/10 likely.
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Post by David J on Feb 13, 2016 22:34:08 GMT
I had a good time. Mostly because of the profanity, puppet action, and the violent turns during the second act
The cast was great. Melling has come a long way since Harry Potter
There were some gut punches and moments where I could ask myself things like whether the puppet was doing all these nasty things or is it Jason?
I didn't really engage with the characters and I don't think it is a great comedy. It took a while to get going, and most of the laughter was for all the profanity and shenanigans.
This is apparently a satire of religion and society. How we don't know our full potential because we abide by these ancient rules.
What other profane, comedic show do we know that makes fun of religion? Book of Mormon. Perhaps Hand to God is more subtle in how it addresses religion, but I feel Mormon knows how to pull the gut punches more.
I would have liked to think about the themes in this play as it progressed, and at times I did, but that's not possible when there's constant profanity and shenanigans.
Yes I am thinking about this play on my way home, but what matters to me is how much I was engaged to the production and there were only a few moments where that happened.
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Post by David J on Feb 13, 2016 18:03:27 GMT
Really enjoyed this
A real comedic, historic drama. Gemma Arteton and the cast act their socks off.
And this could easily have been a history retelling with some laughs in it, yet lacking in heart. Yet it sticks to the point, which is Nell Gwynn, sprinkles in touches of historical, cultural, and social commentary here and there, and still finds time to put in some poignant moments
And to top it all off it is a fun time for all.
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Post by David J on Feb 13, 2016 11:19:41 GMT
Ian McKellan was my first Lear back in 2007, then it was 4 years before I saw another King Lear. Now I see 1-2 lears every year.
There was a time where I found Lear an unsympathetic character. Sure what he goes through is horrible, but all I could think was he rather asked for it for the way he treats everyone. It is surprising that he lived for so long without someone opposing his absolute kingship. Richard II and Charles I didn't last to an old age did they.
It was only Derek Jacobi's performance that changed my mind. I recently went to the NT archive to see the broadcast recording again, and loved it all over again. The only King Lear I cried for at the end. He still plays the absolute king but he acts like a little boy, especially during his encounter with the blind Gloucester. Maybe that's who Jacobi perceives Lear, or perhaps it is because of old age. Watching his descent into madness is both mesmerising and heartbreaking. Pacing back and forth, trying to exert authority, ignoring any advice, but breaking down in the most harrowing way.
So I don't think Lear is an unsympathetic character, but a worthy and challenging role for actors to tackle. Making him sympathetic as well as commanding, particularly emphasising what fatherly side there is to him, which Jacobi did brilliantly with a touching reunion scene.
I just like seeing King Lear again and again just to see another well known actor take on the role. More than Hamlet.
My favourite king lears would be Derek Jacobi, Ian McKellan, and Frank Langella. Others were mixed including Brian Blessed, Greg Hicks (still looked too young for the role), Barrie Rutter, Jonathan Pryce. David Haig was less a king/east-end crime lord and more like an accountant, though he vyed towards a more sympathetic Lear like Jacobi
I just hated Simon Russell Beale's interpretation. As the makers in the pre-broadcast interviews said, how do you turn Santa Claus into King Lear. The answer is have him dress up in black leather and act EXTREMELY mean, spitting out the words like he had a grudge against them.
I would like to see the version where Queen Lear's death led to Lear giving up his kingdom. It feels like a better reason than just "because I can do whatever I like". I never really like it when plays/musicals make a fuss about a particular character and keep their motivations and backstory vague
Or even don't build the character up well. Gloucester is a famous character but initially I just find him a foolish man who falls for Edmund's plot, and only comes into his own when he is blinded
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Post by David J on Feb 11, 2016 21:09:41 GMT
Oh dear
The cast is certainly lovely and since this the tours second night? there were some glitches. Chitty's inflatable didn't come out
But this just feels pedestrian. The rewritten beginning takes ages to get going and some of the songs lack bounce
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Post by David J on Feb 8, 2016 21:37:43 GMT
I'm really engrossed by this
A real psychological character study, with so much to listen to
Ralph Fiennes is superb in this
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Cats
Feb 8, 2016 17:23:58 GMT
via mobile
Post by David J on Feb 8, 2016 17:23:58 GMT
I'd prefer an animated film
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Post by David J on Feb 6, 2016 18:31:18 GMT
A Question of Attribution is better. More laughs and it's nice to draw parallels between Anthony Blunts interrogations to see if he know some suspected spies, and his talks on whether paintings are fake or not. Truth or deception and so forth
And there's an appearance from her majesty herself, with a good impersonation from Belinda Bang
Otherwise there's nothing else to it, and that's my problem with the two plays here
They feel like 10-15 short pieces extended to just short of 1 hour, with little to says
My view on Alan Bennet is mixed really. I like it when he's just writing about people, the lady in the van and talking heads for one. When he writes topical plays like the history boys, people, and this, they don't hang together for me
I want to be generous and say this is an average play, but in the end I feel like I've wasted my time. An Englishman abroad even made me consider leaving at the interval for the first time
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Post by David J on Feb 6, 2016 15:35:29 GMT
I'm sorry what was the point of An Englishman Abroad?
I get this is based on a real story where Nicholas Farrell plays a spy who lived in Moscow till his dying day, who met this Australian actress played by Belinda Lang
But it was more or less meaningless chit chat, whilst Farrell asked her for a few items from England. A few moments where we saw other people's thoughts on him, but nothing else
Only a few smatterings of titters from the elderly audience
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Post by David J on Feb 6, 2016 13:51:01 GMT
"Announced 18 February", according to the Festival Theatre marketing team of the future
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Post by David J on Feb 6, 2016 13:29:51 GMT
At the Chichester theatre right now and confirm the same thing. The posters are all up
"Festival 2016 Announced(?) 18 February 2016"
The Minerva theatre is having some refurbishments as well
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