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Post by David J on Sept 6, 2022 19:22:28 GMT
I remember If Your Mother Were Here. Confusing the first time I saw that. By the time the musical finished in the west end they had tried improving it, but otherwise it felt completely unnecessary and comes out of nowhere
Like even if his biological mother had died at no point do we feel Charlie misses her
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Post by David J on Sept 5, 2022 10:58:22 GMT
The cellist was off with COVID on Saturday John told us. Made a thing of asking is anyone plays a cello and an audience member said they like limoncello, to which he said we have a cultured audience in
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Post by David J on Sept 3, 2022 22:17:55 GMT
Just saw Music of the Night at New Mills. What a treat it was.
Not only a brilliant singer as usual but a very funny guy. The show was half songs and half banter with the audience, with some jabs at two certain singers whose last names begin with 'B'. Even had a moment when he was pleased to hear an old lady who came from Burry Port, Wales, like him.
The songs he sang included This is the Moment, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, something from 'Nine', Maria, Evermore, Till I Hear You Sing, Music of the Night, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Why God Why, Anthem, Loosing My Mind (well half of it whilst the guy on the keyboard whose name escapes me sung the first half), Al Jonson's Sunny Boy, I'd Rather Be Sailing from A New Brain, Tell my Father from Frank Wildhorn's Civil War, Stars, I Dreamed a Dream and Bring Him Home, and a song based on Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood
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Post by David J on Aug 31, 2022 16:31:59 GMT
Need to do a review but saw this on Saturday afternoon. The bird came out of the proscenium by the way
It’s not as bad as the witches transformed costume but Cinderella’s Princes wig and beard looked weird as well. Certainly fitted his personality but not his look, or everyone else’s for that matter
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Post by David J on Aug 25, 2022 22:07:36 GMT
Ooh, Jonathan Slinger...
Do I want to trek all the way to Kingston again?
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Post by David J on Aug 24, 2022 12:33:27 GMT
The one's I'd bring back would be:
Michael Boyd's Henry VI trilogy. Throw in Richard II as well.
Maria Aberg's As You Like It
Trevor Nunn/Ian McKellan King Lear
Gregory Doran's African Julius Caesar, Midsummer Night's Dream and Love's Labours Lost. Throw in Hamlet except with Andrew Scott, Juliet Stevenson and Jessica Brown Findlay. (Note these these are all shows he did before taking over)
David Farr's Winter's Tale
Rupert Goold's Merchant of Venice and Romeo and Juliet
I've seen an archive recording of Deborah Warner's Titus Andronicus and that would be something I'd go and see live.
Otherwise the 2016 production of The Rover, David Farr's The Homecoming, the Wolf Hall plays, The Orphan of Zhao (with an all asian cast)
Maybe even the Wooster Group's Troilus and Cressida
*ducks*
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Post by David J on Aug 17, 2022 9:18:54 GMT
I wish I saw Les Mis at the Palace Theatre with the big set and orchestra. I still liked how intimate the show felt in the Queens Theatre but watching youtube videos I can only imagine the scale of the original-original
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Post by David J on Aug 16, 2022 17:12:45 GMT
This is what happens when you push to re-appropriate or cast plays to please every gender, race and so on. There will always be one or a few groups who won't be happy with some of your decisions.
Change the gender of a historic figure that women look up to? Yeah, that's going to rile some people up.
When will companies realize that trying to represent and cater to everyone as their mantra is not achievable.
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Post by David J on Aug 11, 2022 9:48:50 GMT
I tend to just go for the 12.50 seats at the back because I’ve never been to a sold out show there and always get moved downstairs or move forward to the front of the balcony where the view is clear
Can’t remember whether the legroom is bad there because it’s barely sold out in the balcony anyway so I can just have enough room to move my legs
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Post by David J on Aug 7, 2022 22:36:37 GMT
Saw this again with a friend of mine. Again a well written play. Not perfect, with a second act that doesn't live up to the highs of the meeting scene in the first, with the exception of that "moment".
This play reminded us of Ibsen's Enemy of the People, except with a happier ending for the main character.
One thing that struck me was how pacey it was, keeping things going whilst managing to deliver on the growing tension and characters. Inevitably there are some archetypes who are there to give a different voice like Janet Oram. And was there any point to the policewoman being pregnant?
At the end of the day, its about a priest trying to stay alive on this one hill he's made his stance on, which we both agreed worked. And Alex Jennings give a phenomenal performance here. And through the woodwork comes a number of themes. Not just the church, but how we can't understand everyone we meet, and whether getting that instant comfort or attention is actually rewarding.
This is the type of play I don't see frequently amongst modern plays and its a fresh breath of air.
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Post by David J on Jul 17, 2022 15:55:30 GMT
So much of it is CGI at this point. They clearly don't have the budget for quantity and quality. In particular I'm utterly fed up with CGI puppets having CGI fights. And it affects the vfx artists badly Crunch time culture is rife in the movie and video game industry. It’s horrible but there’s not enough people who care to drive for change And Disney is shovelling so much stuff. Have you seen what Marvel and Lucasfilm plan to shovel out. At this point all they’re providing is ‘content’ that follows similar beats and cgi that may or not be good
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Post by David J on Jun 23, 2022 15:37:02 GMT
Also find the way she sings vowels in the high register distractingly nasally. Not sure how to describe it but she suddenly jumps into the ceiling of her mouth/naval cavity or something.
Practically pEEERfect.
Not an expert of vocals if anyone could clarify
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Post by David J on Jun 23, 2022 12:54:55 GMT
I'd say anything within reason can be adapted into a musical and this could have been amazing with the right amount of imagination and talent. This just doesn't have that unfortunately.
And I must say for a high budget musical, it felt like a lot of the production values felt second to the car. Second rate copies of scenes from the film
Take the scene with George McFly is spying from the tree and he is not even high off the stage so he and Marty on the ground are level. Moments like that make me think, wow with all the money and technology you've put into this you couldn't stage that better. Or if it's too difficult to show him falling from the tree, use some imagination and do the plot point differently and not follow the film exactly.
I'm mean they had to do the bully chase sequence differently, and whilst its not revelatory it was a highlight because they deviated from the film
Or even Goldie's number 'Gotta Start Somewhere', another highlight except all they had for a set was this golden frame against a dark backdrop. Couldn't think up something better than that.
And if you've seen any QDOS/Crossroads pantos in the past decade the flying car isn't that impressive. Seeing it turn upside down alone is cringeworthy.
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Post by David J on Jun 23, 2022 11:17:03 GMT
Interesting...I tried listening to the score again but just think every song is terminally dull, days nothing, and sounds like it was written in about 10 minutes. I'm not saying I wanted this to be high art - there's space for big commercial stuff like this - I just think the actual 'musical' elements (book and score) are severely sub what we should accept from a big West End musical. But this show is, first and foremost, about the effects, experience and immersion in that sweet spot between stage and screen. For that, it is almost unique. Only "Life of Pi" comes close in terms of the fusion. I'd say the visuals in Life of Pi is better. I found the projections in BTTF too murky. And I didn't really need to see Doc do that stupid running up the spot thing to show he's going up the clock tower. For a big budget musical that felt unnecessary
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Post by David J on Jun 21, 2022 8:25:22 GMT
Really good this play. I didn't like The Last of the Hausmanns so was pleasantly surprised by Stephen Beresford's latest play.
Multi-faceted characters driving this layered play about a priest trying to uphold his principles in the face of his congregation wanting the church to give them what they 'want', not what they 'need'
Second half doesn't quite meet the highs of the first and I would have like to have heard the mother's perspective more. Still there's a moment in the second half that is shocking and earned given the character involved.
Better than the "visual punchline of any helium-filled Disney princesses rising over the vicarage" the Guardian reviewer wanted. Seriously
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Post by David J on Jun 19, 2022 12:02:47 GMT
Saw this yesterday
It’s feels like a sitcom Moffat offered to the bbc but was rejected
The second act is better with plenty of moments with the policeman and the neighbour. But in the first act things are dragged out during the second half. Once it’s established that the parents want to get rid of the American lady but she’s very manipulative and the kids love her, it has nowhere else to go for 10 minutes
Good performances from the leads and I enjoyed the neighbour moments but the kids are two dimensional stereotypes
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Post by David J on Jun 17, 2022 22:27:33 GMT
I like to watch Family Feud or Fortunes for stupid answers.
This one seems pretty apt at the moment
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Post by David J on May 24, 2022 9:45:19 GMT
Second act was better, especially during the big reveal scene. If anybody has seen the David Suchet adaptation, this play leans on that version's portrayal of Poirot at the end.
Tone goes from serious to Mrs Hubbard on the other side of the spectrum. Was she meant to be comic relief considering who she is?
Play rather simplifies the story with a reduced cast of characters, missing plot details and added dramatic moments such as the end of the first act
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Post by David J on May 23, 2022 19:56:52 GMT
Watching this this evening
Feels a bit disjointed pacing and tone wise
Starts of well setting the tone and introducing poirot and characters.
Then they make a flourish of revealing the orient express carriages on these little platforms. Before we spend a minute or so watching the ensemble trundle them around on the stage. Before they set them in place and the play continues straight on where we left off in the last scene
Couldn’t have thought up a smoother scene transition than that?
Does feel like they’re filling in time occasionally. One moment where the Miss Hubbard character, played with a broad New York accent that quickly gets old, singing Lullaby of Broadway for a good minute
Henry Goodman is the strong point as poirot. Reminiscent of David suchet
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Post by David J on May 17, 2022 16:35:38 GMT
It does feel like since Jesus Christ superstar Regent’s Park has been trying to catch lightning in the bottle
What classic musical can we put on whilst adding a twist or flair to it
Which I like but jcs felt organically made. Evita felt like that but less successful to me
Now as others as said, they’re chasing trends with the six crowd
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Post by David J on May 11, 2022 8:06:06 GMT
The Michael Boyd Histories Cycle
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Post by David J on May 9, 2022 13:02:02 GMT
I'm interested in the casting, but its going to take a lot for me and dr who fans to return to the series.
Starting with Davies retconning the Timeless Child retcon. That was a terrible decision that went against the character of the doctor.
And if you liked that story, good for you, but combined with the bad writing under Chris Chibnall the plummeting viewing ratings has showed that Dr Who is losing its audience.
And if anyone makes the 'fans hated the dr becoming a woman' argument, I am sure there are people who feel that way but many were open to the casting. Me included. But Jodie Whitaker was not that convincing. Even Jo Martin proved to be a better Doctor than her.
If ever, the fact that the BBC has handed over production of Doctor Who to the beloved Russel T Davies and his company 'Bad Wolf', is telling that they need this show to get back on track. Heck there were rumours that David Tennant was going to return as the 14th Doctor.
Also, 'Bad Wolf' has been acquired by Sony Pictures, and if 'Spiderman No Way Home' and the 'Ghostbusters: After life' is anything to go by they are in the business of delivering stories for the fans.
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Post by David J on May 7, 2022 11:39:40 GMT
I am for disabled actors getting all kinds of roles and am happy to have seen many over the years. Particularly Daniel Monks in Teenage Dick at the Donmar But this is is part of a growing issue about identity casting. Ian Mckellan himself recently spoke out about identity casting www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/sir-ian-mckellen-defends-straight-actors-playing-gay-roles-were-acting-were-pretending/“There are two things: is the argument that a gentile cannot play a Jew and is the argument therefore that a Jew cannot play a gentile?” he said. “Is the argument that a straight man cannot play a gay part, and if so does that mean I can’t play straight parts and I’m not allowed to explore the fascinating subject of heterosexuality in Macbeth?” Will this drive for identity over merit get to a point where disabled actors are only cast as disabled characters because that’s their identity. I really hope not
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Post by David J on Apr 30, 2022 6:33:28 GMT
I found the sound to be better from the back of the stalls
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Post by David J on Apr 14, 2022 20:36:13 GMT
So looking at the plays not published before the folio on wiki, the Roman plays are the obvious ones to explore political power. Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus
Macbeth, Measure for Measure and King John are others
Taming of the Shrew is the go to play to address sexual power. Also All’s Well That Ends Well.
There’s Prospero’s power in the tempest. And of course a director could happily delve into the issue of colonialism
Timon of Athens, Cymbeline and Henry VIII are others.
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