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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 20, 2020 21:35:47 GMT
Will try and add a few but...
As my year long attempt to emulate Marie Kondo get rid of anything, continues, I've discovered I have two identical CD copies of Sondheim Sings Volume 1 1962 -72
Happy to brighten someones life in these times. Frist to "out thier hand up" secures.
Please state if you'd like it on here and then send me a PM with your address.
My pleasure.
(PS Hope he's isolated well away form NYC. Good luck Steve)
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 19, 2020 16:05:09 GMT
I doubt he's reading the audience on the million pound question. I have no doubt he's part of a criminal conspiracy to defraud the show of a million pounds. The million pound question was pretty easy, compared to some of the others (my knowledge of Craig David is and was zero!). The wrong answers used mega nano and giga as part of the word, which many will have known were too small to be the correct answer. By process of elimination it had to be googol. I would only been able to answer that one if...... I'd Googled it! I would get my hat and coat but I've already been outside once today.
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 16, 2020 8:56:08 GMT
{Spoiler - click to view} Did I miss something? For the prosecution case to make sense we had to accept that by coincidence at the end of a disastrous first day Tarrant said come back tomorrow and read out the names of the next bunch of FFF contestants, one of whom was in the book the brother had given the wife. Without that no fraud? So the fraud was not planned, just dreamt up after a disastrous first day?
It seems odd that the defence apparently didn't mention the unlikeliness of this?
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 16, 2020 8:11:13 GMT
First episode great tv but diminishing interest as it went on. The fantasy sequence was pure padding. Still worth it though.
Martin (sic) Sheen (I though he was supposed to be one of the nice thesp's?) Didn't give us Tarrant's legendary charm. Played him as just another oleaginous TV host. The famously astringent journalist Lynn Barber described meeting him as being as joyous as being licked by a box of puppies. Also missed a trick by not using the famous pause.
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 6, 2020 20:52:31 GMT
Bear with me...
In the late 50's my late father in law worked at The West Ham Stadium, which hosted the largest crowd ever at a Britsh event. 122000 (I recall) to see England vs Sweeden Speedway match.
He was also starter for the Greyhounds and one season opened with a visit from the Rank Starlets including Miss Honor Blackman.
Even though Tom had hapily married a girl he became engaged to in 1939,whom he next saw and married in 1946, every time MHB was on the TV he'd shake his head and tell us about the day she came to the Stadium. Clearly she made an IMPRESSION.
FF 45 years and his eldest son is sitting opposite MHB at a 'stagey' lunch and eventually he tells her the above story. She laughs and asks for his business card. Within the week a beautifully framed inscribed photo dating from her Rank days arrives. From memory she wrote it was one of the happiest days of her life and she'd never forgotten how attractive Tom looked in his boots and bowler. When it was given to Tom on his next Birthday it was the only time I ever saw him speechless.
A class act MHB. RIP.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 15, 2020 5:52:58 GMT
I take it you didn't see the production at the Royal Opera House?! mostly great cast, big orchestra, great set but... At least you got to see it! We travelled down from Norwich, had a hotel booked and after the first ten minutes or so the production was halted. A torrential rain storm had flooded the back stage area. We all milled around in the bar for a while, before we were sent off into the night. Ticket refund only. We booked to see ITW at Regent's Park. Hotel etc. Got down there, rain, matinee abandoned! Luckily (for once), we were booked for the evening performance, which went ahead. Phew! Would it be rude of me to ask you keep the group informed of which date you book for? 😈
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 14, 2020 11:11:07 GMT
So they'd like my money 14 months in advance for a a singer who is a)prone to cancel and b)arguably already past his best and possibly in decline? (wouldn't mind but they could give a hint of what the programme might include could be tempted by something I've never seen before. ) I've made my choice.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 14, 2020 11:02:18 GMT
Bet there will be no references to "Mice" in the upcoming revival of Pal Joey. He'll still be shown as a heel, but I'm sure the sexism will be turned down a notch or two. It's very dated and one reason why we don't see it more often. It was fully intended to be one of the first musicals to show dark characters and even if smart heels don't use such language today they are still about. As someone above said there's a case to put on things exactly as they were written, but just now to present this verbatim would have many folk in the audience shaking their heads in amazement that this was acceptable as 'old fashioned' on the west end only 40 years ago. The original productions was considered truly shocking, not because of the sexism, but because it showed a darker side of life - its sexism was a given. It occasioned one of the most famous reviews of all time "Although it is expertly done, how can you draw sweet water from a foul well?" Brooks Atkinson.
Hopefully the 'cougar' part restores her original lyric.
I couldn't sleep And wouldn't sleep Until I could sleep where I shouldn't sleep
not as Hollywood and Frank, Ella etc have it.
Couldn't sleep and wouldn't sleep When love came and told me I shouldn't sleep
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 12, 2020 14:21:11 GMT
At the interval at Butterfly tonight a couple next to me AND a couple behind me left because they didn't know it would be in English lol "Did you know?" "Wasn't expecting that" "Did you see anywhere it said it was in English?" I wonder how often this happens at the ENO If only Covent Garden would go back to their old, circa 1847, name of Royal Italian Opera Company all confusion would be ended.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 7, 2020 20:48:57 GMT
Checking it must have been 1981 when it knocked me sideways.
Today on here it's hard to appreciate just how 'unhip' a classic musical was. With friends I'd been going to see David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Dammed, Elvis Costello, Queen etc etc etc
But if I had a time machine this is what I'd go back to see.
A year later there was a production of another R&H show, On Your Toes and I'd discovered Opera.
Still go to the occasional 'rock' concert but as far as I'm concerned, I've never looked back.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 7, 2020 20:24:58 GMT
I will swear it was the Albery, somewhere I have the programme. I'd been to plays, concerts etc but nothing prepared me for my first musical. Went 5 (6?) Times that summer. Still have the cassette the cast made.
Guessing 1978 (will check).
The young Dennis Lawson and the DIVINE Sian Phillips will be tough to better.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 6, 2020 10:52:31 GMT
Avoid rear stalls. Set and projections are on two levels and you will be even more confused by the plot!
Busy production with great acting which helps cover a weak set of songs.
Overtures were created for a reason, they put the melodies in your ear so they are familiar when the song appears. Like most of the audience (Not last nights one) the music was mostly unfamiliar to me. Even the big no only works first time around as the second time minimises the fine keyboard riff that drives You're nothing without me. Rebecca Trehorne steals the show with a knockout You can always count on me. Most of the rest of the score is entirely........
PS Ms Craig is either a very cool fish or she decided that Gabby has a similar range of emotions to Bobbi (x2).
Despite the cold water above, we enjoyed the show and if the right price tickets come up, a second visit might be on the cards.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 5, 2020 14:02:19 GMT
Have a passing acquaintance with a lady who provides marketing advice for several of London's leading companies. Most of her work is on the initial campaign to get a new play noticed.
The Companies often bring her in because the Director isn't listening to them. The Director always thinks he(!) has come up with a ground breaking radical interpretation and the marketing should focus on social media to attract a new Youth audience.
The Marketing Consultants job is to point out that with X as the star and a no of seats priced at £80+, they need to attract the affluent audience in suburbia who will travel to a theatre known to them, as long as there is a well known star, preferably in a piece they've heard of.
She considers it diplomatic not to mention that nearly all productions are entirely predictable in their 'radical' ways.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 4, 2020 14:16:07 GMT
Lebrecht/Papanno full interview here. beta.spectator.co.uk/article/antonio-pappano-on-diversity-a-new-ring-cycle-and-defending-verdi-from-dodgy-directorsFWIW Papanno is absolutely right, the sound in the Slips is at least as good as anywhere else in the theatre. I've had so many happy nights up there. Used to go A LOT. There was a real community of people who went every night Tickets were about £2 (1980's). I remember Jeremy Issacs moaning that he'd tried to introduce more affordable seats but they were inevitably snapped up by the same few people. One of my happy memories was in the Upper Slips watching Il Trovatore with some up and coming singers named Carreras, Lloyd and Mattila. At the curtain call the Lady next to me produced a box and from it showered the Tenor with Red Carnations- No thorns?) at his curtain call. The next time I went the regulars informed me that it was his wife! Now when revisiting an revived production, or sometimes to see it twice in one run we tend to join Les Enfants du Paradise. It is rare that you can't easily see the front half of the stage where most of the action will take place.Best value Theatre tickets in London.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 2, 2020 14:52:43 GMT
Madame Butterfly Sat night was very nearly sold out!
If you haven't seen this production its really worth seeing and hearing Natalya Romaniw this time - incidentally she's from Wales!
Wonderful singing from the ladies in just the most ravishing production.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 2, 2020 14:45:46 GMT
Just guessing here. At the 'hottest ticket of the year' Covent Garden Yesterday.... Box Auditorium left. Was that the designer Valentino? Together with two blonde models, one in Red and the other in Black. The ladies stood proudly at the front of the box and took a lot of selfies in the interval. I would never have noticed them if Mrs Snow hadn't pointed them out. Passing them on the way out, the girls were well over 6' in heels, at least 6" higher than the well tanned, suited and booted gent accompanying them. If it wasn't Valentino it was likely the head of a family business from Palermo. (The selfies became part of the Drama. The Director had a camera on the crowd before the Opera, projecting the house back at itself onto the safety curtain. Many made sure they got their picture of themselves projected on their phones. In act 11 the audience became part of the drama in effect warning us things were not as bright as they seem.)
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 2, 2020 14:33:57 GMT
An actor told me that at drama school he was told to use his middle name and place of birth. That would make me George Hackney. Could be worse. Richard Roscommon! I think I'll stick with Mr Snow.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 2, 2020 11:29:49 GMT
I guess that's the price of keeping Papanno?
I thought the last one was still serviceable with (Spoiler Alert) the incredible fireburst at the end a real coup de theatre (My eyebrows have just about recovered). With sets and design costs for 4 complete Opera's you might expect it to get more than 3(?) run outs especially when the no of performances are limited to save the signers. Last used in 2018 so its not as it it's been consigned to History.
Doubt I'll ever enjoy a run more than my first Barenboim at the Proms 2013. A concert affair with only a few effects added.
No doubt about it, Opera is illogical.
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Post by Mr Snow on Mar 2, 2020 9:50:12 GMT
However, Lise Davidson as Leonore was the real star of the afternoon. An absolutely ravishing voice that soared over the orchestra and seemed effortless. Shivers were sent down my spine almost every time she opened her mouth to sing. She also has an excellent presence on stage. I expect everybody will be saying the same thing, and I will certainly look to hear her in other things after this. Count me as another saying exactly the same thing. Astonishing.
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Post by Mr Snow on Feb 28, 2020 11:58:49 GMT
On another Forum there's a current discussion of a Maria Callas Hologram tour doing the rounds in the States. Same issues.
Conclusion its not for true fans or sceptics. But for a new audience who want to see what the fuss was about, it seems to work OK.
This is how the technology worked for that tour.
"The visual part of the Callas hologram is created through the acting of a “body double” who imitates the style of Callas. Facial features and other aspects of the performance are later changed through the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI)."
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Post by Mr Snow on Feb 23, 2020 11:57:10 GMT
Allow me to reminisce..
Years ago we employed a charismatic Danish guy who was full of tall stories. Hed travelled everywhere, met everyone and it took us a long while to realise he was down on his luck due to alcohol.
The guys used to tease him about some of his stories but hed add the sort of detail that would leave you doubting. One day he told several of us about his time in Las Vegas and his friendship with Dean, Peter, Joey and Sammy. He insisted that if wed seen them all live, like he had, wed agree Sammy was the talent. At this he was openly ridiculed and I had to change the subject. Next day he turns up with several old pics of him next to Sammy, them hugging and Dean clearly in the background!
Dont like tribute acts or jukebox musicals. Struggling with the idea of someone playing Davis Jr.
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Post by Mr Snow on Feb 22, 2020 22:01:07 GMT
Go. It should be on every Opera lovers Bucket List.
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Post by Mr Snow on Feb 22, 2020 21:55:33 GMT
Luisa Miller. I thought this was fantastic. Orchestra, singers, especially the principal trio and chorus all on terrific form. I also really liked the production. My operfrau complained that its 'very German'. Yes it uses tricks but I thought all but two in the first act fitted perfectly. Best night at ENO in a long while. To each their own. Yes the singing was consistently excellent and the diction really outstanding - didn't look at the surtitles all evening. What a fussy production with a million things going on at once and stupid me not bright enough to figure out what they might have to do with the drama. Distracting is not the word. Then like Aida, it all becomes small scale with duets sung together...ahh not together but across the biggest stage in London at each other!(please I don't need facts corrected here ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) , I'm on a roll. and anyway for some reason they made the stage even bigger than normal so the duets could be more like a tennis match!) The Director was big on visuals but terrible on stagecraft. By the end I'd just tuned out and an Opera I'd waited 40 years to see live .... WT XXXXPFT!!!!!!!!!!!! Auditorium about a 1/3 full for a (albeit lesser known) Verdi. The management consultants will be back soon if this continues.
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Post by Mr Snow on Feb 11, 2020 11:14:05 GMT
Whilst agreeing with the point made, can I add I'm still a little sad that I doubt I'll never again get the chance to see (major) productions of Pal Joey or Camelot...to name but too...
I think someone really smart might be able to rewrite some of these? Problematic I know, but if Bobbie can successfully change gender then there may be ways to reinvent and reveal some of the gold (songs mainly) that look like being lost.
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Post by Mr Snow on Feb 10, 2020 14:27:50 GMT
A quick flick through this thread shows scant thoughts for his wife.
I don't understand the politics of declaring yourself gay, rather than bi; but it does seem shes the one who faces a painful uncertain future whilst wondering quite who she spent the last 27 years with. That's painful.
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