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Post by ukpuppetboy on Apr 4, 2024 7:14:45 GMT
If memory serves - two tickets for the original Sunset in London were £65. (Also a record). Seems like another lifetime.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Apr 4, 2024 2:00:24 GMT
Biased on this one and no doubt lots of people have heard me drone on on this topic. As I mourn how basic lots of sets are these days. But the mega musical sets were insane and have never (for me) really been bettered. And most of those were John Napier - so original versions of Cats, Starlight Express, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Sunset Boulevard. Of the non Napier stuff, Bjornson's Aspects of Love set was epic. Have to agree with every word of BVM here. And maybe add Time to Napier’s hugely impressive array of riches. Andrew Bridge’s lighting rig was also pretty spectacular… Time - LSI (April 1986)
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Apr 3, 2024 1:55:22 GMT
Biased on this one and no doubt lots of people have heard me drone on on this topic. As I mourn how basic lots of sets are these days. But the mega musical sets were insane and have never (for me) really been bettered. And most of those were John Napier - so original versions of Cats, Starlight Express, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Sunset Boulevard. Of the non Napier stuff, Bjornson's Aspects of Love set was epic. Have to agree with every word of BVM here. And maybe add Time to Napier’s hugely impressive array of riches.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Dec 20, 2023 9:03:57 GMT
Saw this tonight after a 7 year gap or so. I was there on first preview night, press night, and many more times during the first year. I saw it on Broadway with shoshana and Megan in year 2, but my GOD this show has fallen off completely. They were leading the cast the first 2 times I saw the show also - on Broadway and then Toronto. An impossible (double) act to follow really…
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Nov 9, 2023 4:05:17 GMT
I rather coincidentally sat next to Hal Prince twice (and three decades apart). The first was in May ‘88 at Her Majesty’s in London, where he was making notes on the Dave Willets/Irene Bartok/Michael Ball led company for Phantom’s second year. Then again many years later at one of Jason Robert Brown’s SubCulture residency shows in New York. He was wonderfully gracious both times and seemed very happy to talk Phantom with me - be it as an excitable 10 year old, or a 40-something after a few red wines for Dutch courage.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Oct 31, 2023 18:08:18 GMT
Im sure I’ll be the very last to the party on this but I’ve just been watching a pretty decent full length video of the second Sydmonton try out in 1992. Not the very first one with Ria Jones and Michael Ball but Patti’s unofficial audition for Norma with Kevin Anderson. Google “Jeff smith sunset blvd”. Who is Max in this? I think it was Michael Bauer, who initially played Cecil B DeMille in the OG London cast, who then played Max later on in the London run.
Michael Bauer is playing DeMille here also. Can’t help with the Max I’m afraid, though he’s great. As are the cameos of Caroline O’Connor.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Oct 21, 2023 20:12:54 GMT
City of Angels was a real treat. Brilliant cast, classy production. What you don't know about women and You can always count on me have remained favourite numbers of mine - in large part because of Haydn's performance Couldn’t agree with you more oxfordsimon. Her Oolie (and THAT rendition of YCACOM) remain one of the best performances I’ve ever been lucky enough to have seen. Such a devastating loss to the industry & everyone close to her. #RIP
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Apr 27, 2020 4:48:00 GMT
Once they went to performances (which are all taped) it's been fine and some of the performances have just been outstanding. I was tempted to start listing my highlights but there really were SO many it would be redundant. I REALLY needed this after sitting though the melodrama of Love Never Dies last night. An embarrassment of riches all round.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Mar 26, 2020 14:33:06 GMT
I was referring to the live action Mulan movie. As was I. There isn't a Phoenix in the animated version. The script must have changed in the reshoot then.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Mar 26, 2020 14:26:27 GMT
The Phoenix in Mulan is more of an inspirational mirage than a character she interacts with. Pocahontas actually speaks to Flit and Meeko, whereas Mulan essentially sees the Phoenix when she needs guidance or in moments of hardship ie when she gets lost, or needs to raise her game in a fight and she then is able to get back on the right path. I was referring to the live action Mulan movie.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Mar 26, 2020 13:57:20 GMT
Do you have to sign up for this?
More details to follow but indications are each play is available on their youTube channel for a week, so no sign up necessary. National Theatre - youTube
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Mar 26, 2020 13:51:34 GMT
Well I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree. The ‘Pan’ in HDM managed have a great deal of character (that it was a speaking role helped in that instance), but a less harsh and more mechanised (though simple) fabricated puppet could easily emote without being too theme park “cute”. There is a distinct lack of imagination in the art form in the West End since War Horse basically skewed all designs & directors to jump onto that bandwagon. Perhaps a better test will be the (non-speaking) phoenix in the forthcoming Mulan movie which is a significant part of the storytelling and emotional journey.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Mar 26, 2020 12:36:00 GMT
The NT just announced the launch of “National Theatre at Home” with free titles from their collection available for streaming for a week each on YouTube during the shutdown. Currently announced are “One Man, Two Guvnors”, “Jane Eyre”, “Treasure Island” and “Twelfth Night” but with more to follow. Along with Patti’s basement this is probably the best bit of news since the pandemic broke out for the theatre community. National Theatre at Home
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Mar 26, 2020 12:18:43 GMT
Not really sure how I should respond to that “full raccoon outfit” comment. But having made puppets - from robotic animatronics to bunraku for film/tv and theatre since 2001 there’s certainly a style that would suit the show that wouldn’t be a comedy hand puppet. The Pantelimon dæmon pinemartin from the NT production of His Dark Materials springs to mind. Fortunately I haven’t heard the Forbidden Broadway spoof so I don’t have that baggage; Though I do remember interviewing Alan Menken in ‘99 & telling him I thought it was British hating.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Mar 26, 2020 4:49:49 GMT
Twitter is only as inspiring (or vile) as the people you follow so if you’re finding it offensive or irritating then it sounds like you need to cull that list. For the most part I really enjoy going through my feed & choose not to pay trolls & narcissists any mind. I’m not a fan of blocking people with different political views, but also not into engaging with them either. It’s easily my most used social media platform (having all but abandoned Facebook and Instagram these days).
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Mar 26, 2020 1:54:58 GMT
Along with Hunchback I think it rates as Alan Menken’s most interesting (and under-appreciated) work for Disney. Just Around the Riverbend is probably my favourite of all of his from that era. But I agree the book could definitely be less pantomime but it could be a great representation for first nation Americans on stage. I’m really not sure I agree that they would be forced to come up with a new way of incorporating the animal characters over and above secondary puppeteers or cutting them or why you would say this (other than just to find an original take on the concept for the show)?
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Mar 9, 2020 9:06:58 GMT
(although I still prefer Haydn Gwynne as Oolie - sorry!). Newcomer Theo James did a very creditable job of Stone, despite looking a little too fresh and young (but then I am comparing to Roger Allam who does dishevelled brilliantly). Having had the opportunity of seeing that OLC (a number of times) is one of the redeeming features of being the wrong side of 40. It was just something I could not get over watching the Donmar production. If there’s an actress more perfectly suited to Oolie’s caustic sense of humour than Haydn Gwynne then I’m sure I can’t think of them. In fact her ENTIRE performance was so definitive that absolutely no apology is necessary (good as Rebecca Trehearn may be).
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Mar 5, 2020 23:36:16 GMT
Randomly that’s the date Phantom premiered in London in 1986. Perhaps he’s looking for some good omens?
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Feb 27, 2020 23:44:23 GMT
My mate on the crew posted a pretty seething few lines on Facebook from Paris in response to an article about the opening night delay there of 4.5hrs. I’m guessing he wont be sad when the tour is over.
“Making us work 4 18hr days in a row to squeeze this into a venue she wanted and then blaming her late arrival on us. Classic move from the ex Queen of pop.”
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Feb 8, 2020 0:20:26 GMT
Such a fantastic movie - how can you never have seen it @sharpe12?! Skip the show & watch the film instead.
The clip they released makes it look like it belongs at the Ed Fringe. At best. I’m not about to judge the whole production based on 30secs of rehearsal footage but it’s definitely an odd move on behalf of their marketing dept. And not one that would have me rushing to the box office.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Feb 6, 2020 7:01:40 GMT
So many gems in that twitter feed about the Seymour casting it’s difficult to know where to start!
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Jan 28, 2020 22:40:21 GMT
I’m in agreement horton . It’s fair classier (and interesting) that the desperate audience grab of the sequinned mask, which is a bit of a tacky cash in for fans from the original (and Mamma Mia/Pricilla). Though there is something a little reminiscent of Laurence Olivier (in lippy) from ‘Time’ about it too...
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Jan 24, 2020 3:03:44 GMT
Doesn’t get better than this though.. 👏😉
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Jan 22, 2020 8:18:28 GMT
Will she fall; will she fall?!? Judging by the model design (no casters/non collapsing version without a flat base) and that it appears to start the show hanging I’d say it’s doubtful.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Jan 22, 2020 2:16:15 GMT
“exact replica of the West End and Broadway production” apparently But "lighter on its feet". Even replica productions are usually scaled down to tour, and given there is as little as five days between some of the venues, I suspect we will see changes similar to those used in the recent International tour.
Even the 1998 replica UK tour, which played 16-week runs and took two weeks to set up at each venue, was simplified. Glyn Cook, Cameron Mackintosh's technical co-ordinator, said at the time: "We have made a lot of things simpler. There used to be trapdoors in the floors and all sorts but it's not feasible to do that any more for this length of run." Certainly looks like the current International Tour staging, with the 25th Anniversary tour chandelier. Which isn’t exactly the replica of the London/New York productions promised in the press release.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Jan 22, 2020 1:22:42 GMT
I don’t know if it reached the West End but can anyone remember a musical version of Robin Hood? Bill Kenwright was involved and the cast were some of his version of Joseph. If it’s the one at the Piccadilly theatre in the era of Moby Dick then I saw this a few times. I remember it being a pretty cheap ticket and a lot of fun Randomly found this clip from a Blue Peter promo they did for the show. Would be a great show for schools. Robin of Sherwood on Blue Peterv637g.app.goo.gl/SMoxbbiQryGjt4bL8
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Jan 22, 2020 1:06:27 GMT
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Jan 14, 2020 2:18:54 GMT
Interestingly from the dates on Desi's post, it looks like they knew they'd contacted her and she was already on the move by the time the shows on Saturday were cancelled. Hmmm. Unless she’s a time traveller one of those days has to be a typo. Looks like they contacted her on Saturday and she caught the red-eye from JFK on Sunday. (Norwegian Air - which sounds like the Weissler’s all over; Grateful, but not enough to open the purse strings.) Nothing suspect there.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Jan 12, 2020 12:27:24 GMT
I'm loving some of those responses. Unfortunately some out there in the world are daft enough to believe they come from an official source Well then they are LONG OVERDUE a lesson in not believing everything they read; And maybe the country could look forward to a slightly less troubled future.
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Post by ukpuppetboy on Jan 12, 2020 10:39:43 GMT
You've forgotten Richard Eyre and Matthew Bourne. I think the director and choreographer had a little to do with it! And the Sherman Brothers. The best music in the show BY FAR is still the original songs from the film & it’s shocking how often Styles & Drew seem to have be granted primary credit for the Mary Poppins’ score.
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