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Post by jgblunners on Sept 20, 2019 13:52:42 GMT
Ended up enjoying this much more than I thought I would so would quite like to book for the 2020 run before dynamic pricing hikes everything up too much, but I'm debating whether to go twice - a cheap preview seat and something mid-range later in the run - or just go once but splash out for an expensive seat... doesn't look like there are any bargains to be had except maybe £35 ends of front row during previews.
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 20, 2019 13:49:41 GMT
LMTO + Emma Williams + Ricardo Afonso = booked instantly!
I know nothing about the show or the score but have also come to love these concerts at Cadogan so look forward to whatever this turns out to be.
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 18, 2019 15:52:26 GMT
I was also part of the Monday brigade. I worship the Broadway Cast Recording with SJB, Borle, et al. and maintain that the material is brilliant. Unfortunately this production didn't quite do it justice and my opinion was that it was 'good' but nothing more.
Firstly, the things I liked: The lighting was fantastic and the concept of the design (the picture frames) is a neat one. All the performers were good, but the kid playing Jason (we had Albert Atack) was by far the stand-out. Daniel Boys was the best of the adults, with all three women (Laura Pitt-Pulford, Gemma Knight Jones, and Natasha J Barnes) coming in joint second behind him. Joel Montague and Oliver Savile had their moments but neither was totally convincing. The band sounded good and, as I said above, the material itself is excellent.
And now, the things I didn't: While I like the concept of the set, the thing itself was horrible - the projections were tacky and unnecessary, those stupid sliding doors were annoying, and the cheap scene-setting stuff (tablecloth, wine glasses, bedspread, etc.) completely ruined the abstract concept that the picture frames and lighting were suggesting. I would've scrapped almost all of the physical props and scenery, kept the picture frames, and trusted the actors and the lighting design to evoke location and setting without (and I say this with the utmost love and respect for amateur productions) amateur-looking scene setting props. To be honest, that was my biggest issue with the show - there were moments where the abstract concept shone through, notably in the second act, and I wish the director had taken the risk and gone all-out with that. Otherwise, my only issues were botched lighting and sound cues (which should be inexcusable for a professional show in the middle of its run) and sound mixing that didn't quite balance the vocals and the band effectively.
As always, my negative opinions seem to overpower my positive ones, but I did enjoy the show and am glad that we've seen it in some form on this side of the pond. I'd love for it to have been done somewhere like the Almeida or the Young Vic, where a director might have taken a bolder stance with it.
3.75 stars because I want to give it 4 but can't quite bring myself to
Edit: I couldn't quite make it out from where I was sat, but I think that woman in the front row may have been following the show along with a script. That's what it looked like to me, anyway.
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 18, 2019 12:49:02 GMT
Well now I will definitely have to see this again! Can't wait to see Halse and Burton dance together
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 17, 2019 20:36:49 GMT
Interesting that Cam Mac has given them permission to do Sixpence - I see that Wright is keeping his choreo but I wonder how similar the production will be to the CFT/West End production? Will also be interesting to see who gets cast as Kipps as I assume Charlie will still be in Mary Poppins
Edit: here are the tweets for anyone who hasn’t seen
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 16, 2019 6:21:54 GMT
Tonight it’s my birthday treat to myself seeing Falsettos
At the weekend I’ll be seeing the final performance of Evita on Saturday then heading to the ROH for Don Giovanni on Sunday
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 16, 2019 6:19:27 GMT
If you're an ATG card holder, like me as of about a fortnight ago, when do they actually tell you this sort of thing (I picked WE as my region)? Or do you get no advance notice? It’s a complete lottery. I never get any ATG emails, despite the customer services repeatedly confirming that I’m on the TheatreCard mailing list and various venue mailing lists. Some members get the emails but they arrive late, and a small percentage get them regularly and on time. Cross your fingers and hope for the best.
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 14, 2019 17:28:22 GMT
Excited to see that Luke McCall is alternate Valjean, I loved his Enjolras. The whole cast is rather impressive. I agree with LaLuPone - my first thought after seeing Joseph was that Yarrow is a sure bet for Marius, and it seems that this time they’ve gone for a young Eponine/Cosette and slightly older Enjorlas et al. so I think Jac would fit the part age-wise too. I saw a press release somewhere that said that Cam Mac is ‘still searching’ for Marius so that could mean anything.
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 11, 2019 22:59:28 GMT
Saw it tonight and enjoyed it just as much as the first - didn't feel that it was overly long. I'm quite tempted to go back and read the book now as while this part of the story retained some standard horror clichés (the jump scares do get a little predictable after a while) it also managed a depth that few horror or thriller stories have these days. I agree with the universal praise for Bill Hader, he was particularly excellent among a very good ensemble cast.
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 11, 2019 10:05:08 GMT
Weirdly there are at least two previous musical versions of this Hmm interesting - perhaps the book rights are distinct from the film rights (I don’t know anything about laws around this so not sure how it works) so adaptations from the book are untouchable by Disney?
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 11, 2019 10:01:21 GMT
Not coming back in 2020 (at the Open Air at least). Sad times :-( Fingers crossed for 2021! I have to say I think this would be harder than JCS to transfer indoors so I think an OAT revival is our only chance to see it again. Happy to be proven wrong though!
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 11, 2019 9:57:58 GMT
Directed by Kimberley Sykes - for people who have seen her work, is this safe in her hands? I have a tumultuous relationship with Shakespeare and hate it when directors are afraid of the text.
Never seen R&J and I love RPOAT so this could be ideal for me.
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 11, 2019 9:52:15 GMT
YES
Never seen this one and feel like it’s way overdue. The dream team of Sheader and McOnie will do wonders with this I’m sure.
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 11, 2019 9:51:02 GMT
Ooh this is intriguing, had no idea it was in development. Would love to know how Disney is involved in this, or how they got around rights issues if Disney isn’t involved.
Bets on when we’ll start dream casting Cruella?
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Post by jgblunners on Sept 9, 2019 16:25:44 GMT
Ria does have quite a strenuous vibrato, but her voice is sensational and her performance of Rose's Turn at the 'Nothing Like a Dame' concert at Cadogan Hall brought the house down. I fully believe she'll be sensational as Mama Rose just as she was as Norma. It's prompted me to book for REX for the first time.
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 27, 2019 11:53:41 GMT
Indeed, I hear you; could have done with an IMHO when I said it wasn't hummable/memorable as of course it's all subjective. But it certainly isn't mainstream and I can understand why it has taken so long to make it to the UK. The one thing that DOES tempt me to see it however is the cast, who's MT calibre no-one could deny. I think this score sits with Sondheim in that it all falls into place when you actually watch the show. The new Broadway cast recording is excellent but I could only stand a couple of tracks from it until I saw the show (via one of *those* recordings) - now I have many songs and sections of the show that I enjoy listening to because I know the context. Act Two contains a beautiful quartet but unfortunately it's a pretty spoilerific song so I won't recommend listening to it if you don't already know the plot of the show.
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 26, 2019 22:36:07 GMT
So you can't have a bio musical written about yourself unless you've had a harder time than Tina Turner? That sounds fair x I was simply trying to state that the Tina musical is much more dramatically engaging as a result of the events in her life. By comparison, the Gloria musical has far less emotional heft. As I said, if you're just there because you like her music then there's no problem with that.
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 26, 2019 22:19:06 GMT
I saw the Saturday matinee and have to say it was utterly mediocre. A totally formulaic bio-musical with nothing particularly notable about it other than the music. Most of the plot points and staging were rather predictable. Now I have no problem with this, in fact I suspect that 90% of people booking to see this are doing it for the music and couldn't care less about the plot. However, with Tina playing just across the West End it really does highlight that Gloria had it pretty easy - the attempts at injecting dramatic tension into this musical are laughable compared to the genuine hardships that Tina faced.
Anyway, enough criticism. The cast are good but for the most part nothing particularly special - Christie Prades has a lovely voice and acted the part well, but she clearly doesn't have as powerful a voice as Gloria and backed away from the really big notes, with ensemble backing singers to cover her. I'd be intruiged to hear Philippa Stefani sing the role as I'm sure she has those notes in her. George Ioannides was so gorgeous that I almost didn't care about any other aspect of his performance. His acting was good and his voice was too aside from a few wobbles and a tendency to drift flat. The stars of the show for me were Madalena Alberto and Karen Mann as the mother and grandmother respectively - both fully convinced in their roles and Madalena's voice and moves are still up there with the best of the West End.
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 26, 2019 22:03:16 GMT
I was also there tonight - no idea what the technical difficulty was as the show was only delayed by 10 mins and then ran completely smoothly!
I was mostly there to see Lucie (but partly also to see Blake) and she was sensational. I'm a fan of hers anyway but after tonight no-one can deny that she deserves her place as a leading lady of the West End. Her voice is gorgeous, both in soprano and belt, and her control and technique is exemplary. I connected with her Jenna much more then I did with KMP's portrayal (which was nonetheless excellent) and also thought she brought out more of the comedy while still delivering the emotional heft. Great to see Laura back, and Marisha's diction was much improved compared to my previous visit, which was my only qualm with her back then. Blake was very good too - perhaps not quite as natural with the comedy as Jack MacBrayer, but leagues ahead vocally.
As long as Lucie is in that role I suspect I won't need much of an excuse to return.
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 24, 2019 21:44:09 GMT
Wow, that was something truly special. So glad I got to see it one last time, the cast gave 110% and the atmosphere was incredible! Tim Sheader and Tom Scutt (director and designer) were sat a couple of rows behind me.
I won't do a full review again, but just a few observations: my other visit was the final preview and tonight I could really tell how much Rob Tripolino and Matt Cardle's voices had settled. Both were fantastic the first time round but tonight Rob Tripolino had more power behind his high notes and rock screams (and went for more of them in Gethsemane than in previews) and Matt Cardle properly hit and sustained the money note on the transition into Superstar, which the previous time round he had just done a brief rock scream on. Ricardo Afonso didn't really have any room for improvement from before in terms of technique, but he turned the power up to 11.
Very sad to see this production go. Fingers crossed that this isn't the end.
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 23, 2019 20:38:59 GMT
On Your Feet and Jesus Christ Superstar tomorrow (Saturday)
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 16, 2019 22:38:03 GMT
Found this very enjoyable tonight - as others have said, not quite as focussed or nuanced as Williams' other work, but still has his magic of language to it. I personally found the second act far more engaging than the first. I couldn't warm to Anna Gunn or her character and I don't know whether it's the former or the latter that's to blame for that. Clive Owen was very good and could be the highlight of any other production, but next to Lia Williams all others fade away. This was the first time I've seen her perform and she had me completely transfixed. Her monologues and exchanges with Owen's character in act two were sublime. Julian Glover was brilliant in his smaller role and his delivery of the poem was fascinating and touching. The Finty Williams character and the Germans felt a little jarring but I can understand why they had to be included in the play. Brilliant direction and a wonderful design.
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 16, 2019 22:27:53 GMT
As Cardinal Pirelli says, some shows offer abridged versions for youth or school groups, but these usually have indications of such in the titles (e.g. 'Les Misèrables Schools Version'). If it wasn't advertised as one of these reduced versions, then in theory you should've been seeing the full show. Most amateur licenses explicitly state that you're not allowed to alter any of the material without the consent of the licensing company. Now obviously it's not always policed and you can take liberties with that - shows that I've done in the past have cut maybe one overlong or superfluous scene or made changes to a handful of lines, but nothing more drastic. I suppose there's also ambiguity over whether cutting material counts as 'alteration' or 'removal'. However, what you saw sounds like a big no-no if it was meant to be the full show. Messing with music is far more serious and can completely pull a show apart. Again, in my own experience even wanting to change the orchestrations requires the consent of the licensing company. Would be interesting to know exactly what this group were licensed for.
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 16, 2019 14:40:06 GMT
I don't recall seeing any official announcements, but the cast for The Antipodes is now up on the NT website and it's quite the collection of names - Conleth Hill, Arthur Darvill, Hadley Fraser, and (my personal one-to-watch at the moment) Fisayo Akinade to name just a few! www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/the-antipodes
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 16, 2019 10:20:05 GMT
Looking at photos of the auditoria at the Troubadour White City (firstly, I had no idea there were two! I guess only one is open at the moment?), they remind me more of Wembley Arena than a theatre. It's a shame, because the foyer areas look quite nice but the auditoria look completely lacking of atmosphere. Unfortunately that's the reason I haven't made an effort to see Peter Pan, despite the fact that I live just around the corner. I'm very busy at the moment and would rather see shows that I know will have an incredible atmosphere to them.
EDIT: it was actually this video that put me off going. And the second auditorium is open, it's just doing kids shows so has not been anywhere on my radar.
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