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Post by jgblunners on Apr 24, 2018 20:31:01 GMT
If anyone's interested, Tim Howar has at least one scheduled show off:
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 19, 2018 15:31:38 GMT
9:30am on the 16th for Entry Pass
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 18, 2018 6:15:08 GMT
The Inheritance on Saturday
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 13, 2018 6:26:57 GMT
Well, despite all the judgement that Carrie gets, I think she’s a very talented singer and while she may have been a little too ‘Disney Princess’ as Wednesday, her Eponine was the best of the three that I’ve seen. I’ve wanted Heathers to come over here ever since I heard the OBCR, and I love the score, so I’m very excited by this news and will be very interested to see Carrie’s take on the role.
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 9, 2018 8:17:12 GMT
Jason Robert Brown concert at the Palladium on Wednesday
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 6, 2018 9:31:35 GMT
Wouldn’t it be fabulous if Patti LuPone did a limited stint before/after her appearance in Company? I can imagine her being perfect in the role! Otherwise, my vote also goes to Tracie Benett
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 23, 2018 23:03:16 GMT
Wow - I had forgotten just how happy this show makes me. From the opening chord I had a massive grin on my face and it stayed put for pretty much the whole show. I still get chills at the sight of Peggy stood alone in a spotlight in the middle of that massive empty stage. The new ensemble members have fitted in wonderfully - I spotted a couple of moments where timing went ever so slightly out but I’ll let them off since it’s only their sixth show. I know it’s only a small part but Joel was fantastic as the thief, he was much more acrobatic than Greg used to be and it looked great.
The new principles - Ashley’s dancing seemed more showbiz and stylish than Stuart’s, but his voice was weaker, and Matthew Goodgame was great as Pat but I personally preferred Norman’s voice. I’m afraid I very much missed Sheena - Lulu makes Dorothy a lot more vicious and a more believable diva, which is great, but her voice is not right for these songs. She’s got a great voice, but it just doesn’t fit with this style of music and I didn’t like the changes that were made for her.
As I said above, Clare Rickard was on for Peggy tonight and she did a magnificent job. Playing Peggy as slightly less sure of herself at the start really helped her to punctuate her star turn in Act Two, but I feel that Clare R just doesn’t have the natural star quality of Clare H. There’s nothing wrong with Clare R’s performance - it was wonderful - but Clare H just has that little extra something that makes her performance seem even more special.
I’ll definitely be trying to see Steph Parry as Dorothy, and I still want to see Philip as Billy too. I’m glad that the show is still so joyous and in such great shape.
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 23, 2018 19:22:08 GMT
Just arrived and the cast board says that Clare Rickard is on for Peggy again tonight, so not only am I seeing the new cast members but it’s also my first time seeing the show without Clare Halse!
Interestingly, Steph Parry is listed under the ensemble section on the cast board. I never noticed CJ listed there, and I’m sure that there are more names there than usual, so maybe they’ve started listing the full cast rather than just the people who are performing in this specific show.
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 23, 2018 10:15:14 GMT
Just got a TodayTix rush seat for tonight - excited to see the new cast!
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 23, 2018 10:14:43 GMT
Just got a TodayTix rush seat for 42nd Street tonight - excited to see the new cast!
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 20, 2018 7:22:23 GMT
Hamilton tonight
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 12, 2018 8:06:03 GMT
Network at the NT tonight
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 1, 2018 11:17:31 GMT
I've been listening to the Concept Album quite a bit and I'm wondering who does the female vocals in 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' and 'At 16' - on iTunes, Betty Boo and Sophie Ellis-Bextor are credited on the songs they appear in, but there's no female artist credited on those two songs. Does anyone know who it is?
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Post by jgblunners on Mar 1, 2018 10:49:14 GMT
I know nothing about the show, but from the photo they've used on the website I expected a relatively young actor to be cast in the lead role (a la Charlie Stemp last year) - is it normal to have someone slightly older in the role?
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Post by jgblunners on Feb 28, 2018 7:35:57 GMT
Wicked tour matinee in Bristol today!
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Post by jgblunners on Feb 21, 2018 10:14:30 GMT
Just got a TodayTix rush seat for The Birthday Party this afternoon. Giselle at the ROH in the evening.
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Post by jgblunners on Feb 9, 2018 16:48:07 GMT
Tomorrow I'll be at the matinee of Lady Windermere's Fan, then at the NT for Pinocchio in the evening
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Post by jgblunners on Feb 1, 2018 11:55:38 GMT
I went into the box office yesterday to get a ticket, hoping to make the price more manageable using theatre vouchers that I had saved up, but I was told they don't take them. The person I spoke to at the box office said it's because they need you to pay by card for the whole ticket authentication process, but I still would have had to have paid the remainder of the ticket price by card after they'd deducted the vouchers so I'm not really sure why they couldn't take them. I still went for the £89.50 bracket as I had planned to, and decided to go for view over legroom taking the end of row C of the Royal Circle rather than the end of row S of the Stalls. I'm hoping that on the end of the row it won't be too bad even though I'm 6'2"! I suppose I'll find out if it was a wise decision come March...
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Post by jgblunners on Feb 1, 2018 10:59:43 GMT
I was also t the matinee yesterday - I went to the box office at 1:30 and asked if they had any day seats left, and they offered me Stalls row N for £25 which was exceptional value for money as the view was perfect. The people sat next to me had been upgraded form the Upper Circle so there must've only been 2 levels open, but you couldn't tell from the audience response which was rapturous.
The show itself was breathtaking - I found myself in tears at several times. As a young gay man, the story inevitably resonated with me, but by the looks of it the show made an emotional connection with almost everyone in the audience. The book was incredibly well-written - it was funny and heartfelt but realistic and didn't reduce its characters, particularly the teenagers, to cheap stereotypes (I'm looking at you, wonder.land). The music, though, was the most impressive aspect for me. I think it's the strongest score of a new British musical since Groundhog Day as it's modern but inventive and emotive. The set design was very nice, although I agree that the lighting could've done with a little bit more colour in Act One, and the projections were a nice touch.
The cast are phenomenal. John McCrae is a superstar in the making and owns this role, Rebecca McKinnis was heart-wrenching as Margaret and delivered 'He's My Boy' superbly, and Mina Anwar and Tamsin Carroll both nail their roles. Cherelle Jay as Pritti could've done with a little more vocal power but was nonetheless very good. I didn't think that Phil Nichol was as bad as others have said - the drag shop scene didn't drag for me but I agree that the comedy is a little hit-and-miss in his hands. By the sounds of it, not many people got the Sunset reference with his 'I'm still big' line, which I thought was hilarious. Anyway, the ensemble are energetic and work their socks off with the choreography, and it's so nice that they all bring some individuality to their roles and get their own moments in the curtain call number.
5* from me - I'll definitely be returning, and hope the cast recording is on its way soon!
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Post by jgblunners on Feb 1, 2018 10:36:52 GMT
I saw this a couple of weeks ago but didn't post about it at the time. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to love it. I've not got much experience with Mel Brooks' style of comedy and assumed that it wouldn't sit well with me. I also didn't think I'd like Ross Noble or Lesley Joseph. Oh my, how wrong I was. I loved it - the comedy, the music, the performances, everything. I thought Hadley Fraser in particular was brilliant but the whole cast was fantastic - Ross was a better singer than I had expected him to be and he did very well with the comedy of his role, particularly the physical comedy. The three leading women were each hilarious and vocally wonderful. I thought the music and lyrics were very clever in their parody of typical broadway tunes, but were also very clever in their own right. The humour is brash, yes, but the cast deliver it well and it didn't cross a line for me. I think it's true that it works well in an intimate theatre as a relatively small-scale show - if it were turned into a big broadway spectacular as I've heard the original production was, I think it would lose some of the charm that makes the comedy work so well.
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Post by jgblunners on Feb 1, 2018 10:24:57 GMT
I saw this on Tuesday and thought it was great fun but didn't quite fulfil its potential. The book could do with some refinement, and there are definitely a couple of songs that could be cut or re-written. In fact, apart from 4 or 5 stand-out numbers, the score was mostly generic pop and not particularly inventive. I think with some reworking to embrace the Toxic Avenger-esque aspects of the show (i.e. breaking the fourth wall, deliberately mocking clichés) it could be a really fantastic show. I wasn't entirely sold on Liam Forde as Eugene - he was good but his performance was missing that little something that would've made it incredible. The show undoubtedly belongs to Dan Buckley and Laura Baldwin, who are both phenomenal. The supporting cast work very hard and are all great. I also think they kind of shot themselves in the foot with the set design - the other shows I've seen at The Other Palace have left the majority of the thrust section of the stage clear as an open space, but here the stairs and platforms removed about half of that space, meaning they really didn't have much room in the ensemble numbers. With a bit more space maybe they could've included some slightly more interesting choreography.
3* from me for a fun show that, with a few tweaks, could be really impressive
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Post by jgblunners on Jan 26, 2018 20:27:12 GMT
How bad is the view from the sides? I have an Entry Pass ticket for tomorrow, right side of the upper circle, and I'm starting to worry As others have said, most of it is front and centre so isn't an issue. I was in the restricted view side seats in the pit, on the right-hand side of the auditorium as you look at the stage (i.e. closest to stage left), and there were maybe 4 or 5 moments where I couldn't see what was happening at the back of the stage or on the side closest to me. One or two of these moments have very little dialogue so you're left slightly awkwardly wondering what's happening, but it turns out you don't miss anything vitally important. The other moments are only momentary and you can still tell what's happening from the dialogue. I can't vouch for the difference that the height will make - you may have difficulty seeing the top of the stairs but I can't be sure. I wouldn't worry too much, everything important happens at the front.
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Post by jgblunners on Jan 25, 2018 10:21:16 GMT
I found it very difficult to express my thoughts on this after seeing it last night - I found it odd to be so drawn in by a play in which nothing much really happens and couldn't explain why I found it so engaging. For me, it really emphasised the value of good writing. Despite the slow pace, there was not a second where I wasn't completely transfixed by what was happening on stage. I've been to plays that were 90 minutes straight through, full of action, which dragged and seemed to last much longer than this 3.5 hour slow burner. Annie Baker really is a brilliant playwright, and I now understand why people raved about The Flick (I never got the chance to see it). The cast are superb, particularly Marylouise Burke and June Watson who are absolute perfection in their respective roles.
5* from me for a touching, hilarious, slightly creepy, and remarkably thought-provoking play.
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Post by jgblunners on Jan 24, 2018 7:21:56 GMT
John tonight
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Post by jgblunners on Jan 11, 2018 23:10:59 GMT
Looks like they're not planning a West End transfer
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