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Post by steve10086 on Jul 10, 2020 16:38:37 GMT
I’m surprised (and to be honest, quite doubtful) that any theatre has been told what they are getting from the £1.57bn announced Monday. The deputy AD of one theatre made that claim yesterday, and two others backed it up. And some people knew about the bailout a day before it was leaked in the press. But otoh it’s hard to cut through all the rumours. The problem is there’s been no consistency and no transparency. Some individuals who are not even industry leaders in terms of their job titles have been having private off the record mobile phone conversations with OD, with the Treasury and even with Dominic bloody Cummings, not that he gives a sh*t. Meanwhile many ADs have been excluded from all the conversations and left in the dark. There’s such a culture of mistrust in the government right now and I don’t know how that’s ever going to change. Hmm, all very odd.
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Post by steve10086 on Jul 10, 2020 9:09:26 GMT
Yay, Mousetrap opening in November... just in time for flu season in December. Perfect.
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Post by steve10086 on Jul 9, 2020 20:59:03 GMT
The majority of the bailout will go to theatre (15-20% to museums). Some theatres have been told how much they are getting and some haven’t been contacted at all. The % that goes to each venue is allegedly based primarily on financial need but no one knows what other factors are involved. I’m surprised (and to be honest, quite doubtful) that any theatre has been told what they are getting from the £1.57bn announced Monday.
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Post by steve10086 on Jul 9, 2020 12:38:13 GMT
Hasn't everything ALW has ever written other than JCS and School of Rock premiered this side of the Atlantic?! Anyway - no great surprise I guess. I had a preview ticket which hopefully will be transferred over to a date I can make :-) Whistle Down The Wind opened in Washington DC two years before a revised version opened in London.
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Post by steve10086 on Jul 4, 2020 22:13:16 GMT
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Post by steve10086 on Jul 4, 2020 20:58:09 GMT
. It doesn't help that the characterisation of the protagnists is so far removed from the historical figures. I think many would argue that this is exactly why it works. In the bonus feature on Disney+ LMM says that his way into the show was because Hamilton was an immigrant who worked hard to better himself, and that the show is ultimately about a flawed group of people who created a flawed country chasing ideals America has never been able to achieve. That it’s a musical about American then, told by America now. So I don’t think that a change in historical figures is necessarily a bad thing. It is ultimately a world of fiction using artistic licence to tell a story that - more than any in recent times - seems to have brought people to musical theatre. However it is a very American story and I guess we here don’t connect with it the same way Americans do. America has this thing about their history we don’t have here. I was watching it and when the audience cheered for George Washington I sat there and thought to myself that if there was a musical about Britain, we wouldn’t cheer if William the Conqueror made an appearance. For a country famed for tradition we have a very nonchalant attitude towards our own history! Britain has a lot more history than America. They have to make the most of the little they have
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 23, 2020 21:53:30 GMT
Would you mind giving the names of those you follow? Cheers! A few to look at are - Public Health @devisridhar (Edinburgh) @trishgreenhalgh (Oxford) @azeem_Majeed (Imperial) Epidmiologist @drzoehyde (Australia) @epiellie (Boston) Statistician (epidemiology) @maartenvsmeden (Utrecht) @drsarahjarvis also good for the ‘media medic’ perspective. Hope i got all of the twitter handles right. You can get an idea of others from these as they converse with colleagues as well as the general public. Thank you
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 23, 2020 17:03:54 GMT
I didn't say anything needs censoring, I just pointed out that it is censored for radio. The first two lines both have certain words muted. By definition I suppose they’re the correct words in the correct context to use? Exactly! They aren’t swear words.
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 23, 2020 8:22:58 GMT
It's a pity more people don't read. This is Andrew Slavitt, who was in charge of implementing the Affordable Care Act under the Obama administration, on CNN last week: "Look at the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic wore masks for a very short period of time. And now they have basically eradicated the virus at least for now, and they're able to go back to the work, go back to their jobs without masks. I have been a proponent of saying if President Trump did one thing, if he wore a mask and encouraged supporters to wear a mask for three weeks straight, he would be - we would be sitting here four weeks, about five, about six weeks from now with much of the virus behind us.
And so, that's the kind of leadership that I know he doesn't want to put forward for a variety of reasons, but if he did it would be one of the simplest things that could save a lot of lives and get the economy back."CNN Newsroom transcript, June 11th 2020
There's a New York Times article covering similar ground, but I've misplaced the link.
I follow a number of epidemiologists, public health people and similar on twitter. It’s great that, in these times, we can now go right to the source, rather than allowing politicians and press to ‘interpret’. It also shows how much pf what government has done is pure politics, cherrypicking that which gets them what they wanted in the first place. Some of those frequently quoted people? Out of step and sometimes downright cranks. We would never have known that, even a decade ago. Would you mind giving the names of those you follow? Cheers!
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 23, 2020 8:18:37 GMT
Lin has confirmed on Twitter that they have censored 2 F-bombs in the show to meet the PG-13 rating From Lin’s Twitter 1. In Yorktown, there's a mute over "I get the f___ back up again" 2. "Southern *record scratch*kin' Democratic Republicans." Aside from those there is no other censorship If they've done that then I struggle to understand how they've managed to avoid censoring the opening number the way it is censored for radio, but better if they haven't! What needs censoring in the opening number?
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 22, 2020 13:45:04 GMT
It could always just be that ALW wants to retain as much original staging as possible in spite of physical limitations. If the Angel has been out of order, and the Chandelier “condemned” (as was claimed earlier), perhaps any attempt at recreating these in this old theatre will be difficult.
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 22, 2020 13:15:48 GMT
As co-producer, composer, and landlord I’d assume he should have a little bit of power. Probably not the best phrased question I’ve ever posed lol. I suppose what I’m really asking is contractually, what influence does he have - as composer, for example, has he signed over rights to stage the work indefinitely? It has been going for decades after all. If he evicted the show, could they take it elsewhere without his permission? I was unaware he was a co-producer, so yes, he has quite a bit of power as that too. But then it raises the question - who has more power to go against what are presumably his wishes? Because that’s the implication of his tweet: that he’s to do battle and could lose. Very good questions! If Cameron did somehow force through changes ALW didn’t want (if that is even the situation we’re in!), could ALW just take his theatre away and go home?
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 22, 2020 12:37:12 GMT
Exactly how much actual ‘power’ does ALW have though? It’s an odd turn of phrase. As co-producer, composer, and landlord I’d assume he should have a little bit of power.
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 22, 2020 12:09:48 GMT
God that tweet from ALW has made things juicy hasn't it!!! *grabs popcorn* Exactly! It’s such a bizarre thing to say unless there is a disagreement going on. And if there is a disagreement it’s amazing he’s commented on it so publicly. I do wonder if he just worded it badly.
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 22, 2020 10:39:18 GMT
sorry have to disgaree. How on earth is adding modern video elements a 'very good thing'? I want to see a proper set. The curtains, the angel and the chandelier are intrinsic parts of the set and should not be replaced Actually, I didn’t spot that line about video effects! What video effects?!? How does Phantom need video effects? All I can imagine is the lightning bolts?!
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 22, 2020 10:35:15 GMT
I think you're all misunderstanding what is going to be happening. They're not redesigning the show in the sense it's going to be a different set, they're updating it. The candelabras which rise from the stage? Currently on hand winches. Very heavy, clunky. Difficult to use. Wobble and get stuck often. Requires several people to operate. In fact, the majority of the set is hand winches or pushed on which makes it quite dangerous. Rebuilding the stage to include modern automation is better all round. Yes, you drop crew members but did you know the first time round Miss Saigon had a stage crew of 30? The modern production had about 5. Lighting. The rig is generic, it's old and rarely maintained (once a year because refocusing a genetic rig can take days so you want to limit the amount of touching you do). Moving to a modern rig gives much great flexibility, maintenance becomes weekly and the quality of the lighting overall improves. This also requires new dimmers, which is an essential improvement. They've completely rebuilt the set and lighting systems for the international tour, it looks amazing. Did you know that just prior to lockdown the chandelier was condemned? The mechanics are damaged, old and it was very dangerous. Introducing improved lighting, new sets which importantly are safe and adding modern video elements is a very good thing. All sounds pretty reasonable, but doesn’t explain ALW’s tweet. Why didn’t he just say “ Please believe me. When the Phantom returns it will be the brilliant original”. If he has to do “everything in his power” to ensure that, it really implies there is another force involved that isn’t looking to achieve quite the same outcome.
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 22, 2020 10:00:08 GMT
Very shocked that ALW posted that on Twitter. Has the makings of a very public spat between him and CM.
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 19, 2020 15:31:58 GMT
Presumably the chandelier is kept though? It’s one thing not doing it on tour, but if they’ve been doing it for 3 decades at Her Maj’s then there isn’t really an excuse to scrap it.
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 19, 2020 8:38:41 GMT
Was listening to the Elton John demo recordings this morning. I know there was the “all star” album, but Elton’s own recordings make a very good album on their own (I especially love the over acted spoken lines).
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 18, 2020 21:24:26 GMT
I don’t think I could cope with the high level of excitement that audience is displaying. Everyone knows you get the best atmosphere in a theatre that’s only a quarter full!
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 18, 2020 16:42:03 GMT
A test of what protocols? Allowing 10% of an normal audience into a venue? Who is that gonna help? It helps to kill off the 'no one will buy a ticket' to a live event argument - the market and appetite is there. This concert will get millions of viewers tonight - it's pretty powerful stuff showing venues with an audience again. To put it another way, up until a few days ago, this concert was going ahead with zero audience at all. Paris is (finally) on a route back. ETA And just because it is France, the audience have been asked to wear a tasteful and discreet dark mask. Those Parisiens, eh! Would be interesting to see what this looks like. 2000 people spread over a 20000 seat arena could look pretty sad and pathetic. I’m guessing they won’t be across the whole venue though.
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 18, 2020 14:36:25 GMT
I don't think German theatres will open without social distancing, no one actually knows, what the situation will be like then. Local theatres plan on playing with a reduced capacity, as some of them are already, but they are subsidized and can afford it. No commercial theatre can. I guess social distancing will be with us for quite a while. Update from France. This weekend is the national 'Fete de la Musique' - some smaller seated outdoors events are going ahead with decisions being made locally by the mayor. The big news is that they've just allowed 2,000 spectators into the Accor Arena de Paris (an indoor venue) for tonight's concert 'Tous Ensemble pour la Musique', which will also be televised on TF1. Here's the protocol: One seat empty between every two seats. Masks are obligatory and handgel will be freely available. They are controlling flow in and out to avoid 'regroupement'. OK that venue normally holds 20,300 but this is an excellent test of the protocols. The tickets are sold out - so that shows a willingness to come back to live events. A test of what protocols? Allowing 10% of an normal audience into a venue? Who is that gonna help?
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 18, 2020 9:24:09 GMT
What about By Jeeves ?!?!
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 17, 2020 23:28:42 GMT
Binged watched it all tonight ”Play a queen, play a spy, play a cat”
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Post by steve10086 on Jun 17, 2020 17:26:17 GMT
I think the biggest painful truth at the moment is the one acknowledged by CM today!
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