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Post by tonyloco on Mar 7, 2018 13:00:59 GMT
An excellent re-imagining was the Out of Joint African set version, with suggestions of Idi Amin and his links to Scotland, the Goold/Stewart one was also well done.
Thanks, Cardinal Pirelli, but I really do not want a re-imagining. Here is what I wrote about the Patrick Stewart version: "I have to say however that Patrick Stewart gave a formidable performance, with lots of big scale ’acting’ that was both realistic and theatrical, and he was very successful with the set pieces. But I thought that the play was over-produced, with too many sound effects and things like electronic echo on the voices, some of which were obviously amplified beyond what should have been necessary. And of course that damned service lift was particularly irritating: ‘Remember to close both doors securely before beginning your journey’, especially during a battle scene! But worse than the over-production was the fact that it was over-directed, with most of the cast hectoring and shouting even when the dramatic situations didn’t need such histrionics. For me, the lowest point in this respect was the completely over-the-top porter scene, which worked perfectly in the Open Air Theatre production in Regent’s Park earlier in the year when it was played in a straightforward way (and got a lot of laughs) but last night just seemed ludicrously affected and did not work as the comic relief after the murder of Duncan that Shakespeare obviously meant it to provide. And although it was a clever idea to present the witches as three nurses, this meant that a lot of what Shakespeare actually wrote had to be glossed over, so for example the brewing of the potion and the recital of the ingredients that went into the cauldron (alas, no cauldron and no brew last night) was done as a rap in which the words were all but unintelligible. And bringing three dead bodies in bodybags to life didn’t quite seem to be what Shakespeare had in mind for the apparition scene!" Sorry that this is getting away from the current NT production, but I am just suggesting that I would like to see a well-acted but straightforward version of the basic play.
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 7, 2018 11:50:11 GMT
Call me old-fashioned, but how about the equivalent of a concert version of 'Macbeth' where the actors wear simple but sensibly appropriate costumes and act the text but without any scenic or production distractions, apart from perhaps some subtle lighting. Has this been done recently? Certainly the productions that I have seen in recent years have always gone for over-kill in changes to the setting and such. I would prefer to be given a straight well-acted presentation of what Shakespeare wrote – it's powerful enough as it stands – and do the re-imagining in my own head!
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 7, 2018 11:18:10 GMT
I can confirm that Nicole Car is indeed splendid! She sounded amazing, as did the rest of the cast and the orchestra. I can also confirm that I just don’t get Opera. Don’t know why but even when it’s clearly as good as this was it leaves me cold. Something to do with my musical ignorance, I am sure. Or the weird structure. It’s not following the plot that’s the problem - in fact I think I’d prefer to do without the subtitles as reading them (and re-reading them 5 minutes later and realising that they *are* still singing the same thing) just distracts me. Really glad I went - lovely experience all in all, and now I know that no matter how good it is it’s just not going to work for me as a piece of theatrical storytelling. Thanks for the report on Traviata. Well, there seems no doubt that opera is not for you, but at least you had the experience of seeing a particularly good example in an iconic venue. What about the play 'Black is the New White' at the Sydney Theatre Company in Walsh Bay?
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 6, 2018 22:50:48 GMT
On Thursday I shall be in Leeds, way out of my comfort zone, to watch the dancers of Northern Ballet taking class. What do you think of that tonyloco ? Don't forget to take along your practice clothes in case you get invited to join the class!
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 6, 2018 22:21:23 GMT
Guess who saw it in Sydney in the mid-1950s?
It would have been a direct restaging of the original Broadway production and I don't remember much about it except that I was also getting to know the standard operatic repertoire around that time and I was shocked to hear that the opening number – 'I'm on my way' – was a straight lift of a musical phrase from Act 1 of Puccini's 'Tosca'. As far as I know Lerner and Loewe got away with it although some fifty years early, Puccini's publisher Ricordi successfully sued the writers of the popular song 'Avalon' claiming that it was based on the aria 'E lucevan le stelle' from Act 3 of the same opera.
Apart from that plagiarism, the score is attractive and I often played 'I talk to the trees' in my repertoire of background piano music and it usually got some kind of recognition from the punters.
But my most memorable recollection of 'Paint Your Wagon' is Spike Milligan on the Goon Show singing:
I talk to the trees, That's why they put me away!
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 6, 2018 1:17:04 GMT
Just back from the Guildhall production of Poulenc's Dialogues de Carmelites. Good to see it performed as I am familiar with the story and the Bernanos script. It was a well designed production but, as you would expect, while the singing quality was generally excellent some of the acting wasn't very good - give these youngsters a few years and I'm sure they will perform much better. I expected the audience to be full of friends and family but that wasn't the impression I got. Certainly the people around me were largely elderly (even though I'm in my 50s I felt quite young for once). I've been to the Silk Street theatre before and while it lacks the glamour of the Guildhall's Milton Court it is small with a good rake and so a good view is guaranteed. Thanks for that interesting review. Last year I saw University College London Opera's production of Verdi's 'Aroldo' at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, and while the musical standards were in general quite high, the level of acting by the principals was embarrassingly bad. The director was probably too busy making ridiculous changes to the updating and staging of the opera to spend any time helping the singers to improve their acting, but it did give me cause to worry about what training in acting these young performers were receiving alongside their vocal training.
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 5, 2018 14:49:53 GMT
I too had a ticket for the matinee on 18 October in the Dress Circle Slips. I have not yet heard from Delfont Mackintosh about the cancellation but I just contacted them and they have swapped it for another DC Slips seat for the matinee on 25 October.
I thought this kind of thing only happened to other people...! I had better hurry and buy a Lotto ticket in case my luck (?) is holding!!
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 5, 2018 13:56:06 GMT
What are slips and what are the pros/cons of sitting in them? Taking the explanation of slips a bit wider, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, has a large number of slips, called Lower Slips and Upper Slips, accessible from the Ampitheatre level. The first few Lower Slips on each side furthest from the stage are excellent seats at a good price, while the Upper Slips are very cheap because the ones closest to the stage have no view of the stage whatsoever. In the old days there used to be illuminated music stands at those last couple of seats where music students could follow the performance aurally with a score. As an example of price differentials, for Jonas Kaufmann's Otello last year, the top price seats in the Stalls and Grand Tier were £270 while the best Lower Slips were £43 and the worst Upper Slips were £13. On less pricey opera nights the best Lower Slips are between £20 and £8 while the cheapest Upper Slips can be as low as £5 for operas and £4 for ballets. All Slips involve sideways viewing and the Upper Slips are a long way from the stage, but there are many regular opera and ballet lovers who sit nowhere but in the Slips. One of the benefits of always sitting in the same part of the auditorium for opera and ballet is that one gets used to the sound and the view and one can make a good comparative judgement of different performers, even from the Upper Slips. End of lecture!
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 4, 2018 23:30:14 GMT
Extended holiday - though I am seeing a friend tomorrow who moved back to Sydney last year. I’m in the last few days now - back to London on Thursday - so packing in as much as possible! Had a few weeks in New Zealand touring, and 5 days in Sydney. It has been an epic (and exhausting) adventure and I’ve been pushing myself to try new things and get out of my comfort zone. It’s nice to be seeing some theatre this week though - I’ve missed it. www.instagram.com/kthryndwd/No book or blog, but plenty of pictures on my Instagram, if you want a look. Great pics. I enjoyed the shot of the kookaburra best. My grandmother in Sydney lived alongside Randwick Racecourse, which has a lot of trees and vegetation around its edges housing quite a lot of birds and other fauna, and the kookaburras used to come and perch on the clothes line in her back yard. You are a true Aussie when you have kookaburras in your back yard! Have a good journey back home.
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 4, 2018 22:59:36 GMT
Going to try my luck with some of the cheaper seats in the dress, there's an awful lot I want to see this year, already a lot booked, so I'll take a chance with the lower priced tickets for this one. I have never actually sat there myself yet, but from what the Theatremonkey says in his book, the seats at the ends of the rows in the Dress Circle are cheap (£20 for 'Kiss Me, Kate') because the view is partly obstructed by the boxes alongside the proscenium arch and the ones at the back are obstructed by the overhang from the Upper Circle above that cuts off the top of the stage. I have taken a chance and booked a £20 seat near the end of F row that is £75 for 'Chess'!
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 4, 2018 13:22:39 GMT
Yes, my first visit. I am seeing La Traviata at the Opera House tomorrow and seeing Black is the New White Wednesday evening. I fly back Thursday! I’ll see if I can swing by the State sometime. A friend in Sydney who is a great opera buff said the Traviata with Nicole Car is splendid and she is probably the best Violetta he has ever seen, which is high praise since he has heard Joan Sutherland, Renata Scotto, Kiri Te Kanawa, Mirella Freni and various others in the role. And good luck with the Sydney Theatre Company. I am not familiar with them nor the various venues around Walsh Bay where they perform because I long ago got fed up that the most important straight theatre in Sydney was usually done in uncomfortable venues in out-of-the way parts of the city! Perhaps I had lost my spirit of adventure as I got old! Do report on the Traviata and the play.
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 4, 2018 12:15:04 GMT
Nice couple of days. Arrived in Sydney yesterday evening in time to catch some of the Mardi Gras parade and experience the general excitement of the party. Lots of people out on the streets to have a very good time! Woke up this morning and opened the hotel room blind just in time to catch a glorious sunrise over the harbour. Then did an electric-bike tour of the city this morning which was a lot of fun (and just me and the guide - it turns out no-one else gets up for 9am the Sunday morning after Mardi Gras). This afternoon did an interesting walking tour of the Rocks and then had a little wander back to the hotel for some drinks and nibbles. I’m sitting on the lounge balcony right now making the most of the dry weather, since it’s meant to rain tomorrow. I presume this is your first visit to Sydney, Kathryn? If you can manage it you should try to visit the Capitol Theatre and/or the State Theatre. They both have wonderful interiors. 'Mamma Mia' is playing at the Capitol but it is dark on Monday and Tuesday. I don't know whether tours are available to see the building but I believe the foyers and bars are open during the day. I don't know what is on at the State (it often shows movies) but they do tours of the very impressive building, although the only bit otherwise normally accessible to the public during the day is the small foyer on Market Street which is still worth a look if you are in the vicinity.
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 1, 2018 12:12:16 GMT
Oops! I stand corrected, profquatermass and mallardo, and I should have done a bit more research before I started pontificating.
I was in fact intending to refer mainly to Priestley's 'time theory' plays (although I made my remark all-inclusive) and I have to say that 'When We Are Married' was one of the funniest and most satisfying comedies I have ever seen. A terrific play brilliantly performed.
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 28, 2018 11:33:28 GMT
Emma Chisset, Gloria Soame, Gest Vonner, Jess Tefter, Miss Gem, Terror souse, Gloria Sarah Titch For anybody who needs help, here are the translations: Emma Chisset: "How much is it?" This is apparently the example that started off the whole Strine thing. Gloria Soame: "glorious home" This goes with 'She keeps Rome looken lovely' Gest Vonner: "guest of honour" Jess Tefter: "just have to" Miss Gem: "Mr Chairman" Perhaps 'Miss German' might be closer. Terror Souse: "terrace house" Gloria Sarah Titch: "glorious heritage" Sorry. No prizes, but a broadening of International understanding, although these days genuine Strine is dying out as the population of Oz takes on a distinctly South Eastern Asian character. I seem to have taken this thread a long way from 'Kiss Me, Kate'. I hope members have enjoyed the diversion!
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 28, 2018 11:15:50 GMT
There are productions of good plays that have been around for too long and it is time for them to retire so that other directors can have a go at the text. Top of that list for me has to be An Inspector Calls. Iconic as the production was, enough is enough. With great respect, I would like to take issue with oxfordsimon about 'An Inspector Calls' by quoting what I wrote in my diary the last time it played at Wimbledon: "My heart sank when I arrived at the theatre to find it almost totally full of school parties, who were being very noisy before the play started. I feared the worst after my bad experience at the 'West Side Story' matinee when all those young girls chattered throughout the whole show and giggled at the dramatic moments. But this time the children were a bit older and were a fairly even mix of the sexes. As soon as the play started they were totally riveted, and remained rapt in attention for the whole two hours of the performance, whereupon they gave the cast a rousing reception. In fact, some of their reactions to what was happening were quite interesting. When the daughter gave her fiancé a hearty slap on the face (which was very convincingly managed by the two actors) there was a huge gasp from the children, as also there had been when the girl threw her engagement ring on the ground after she found out that her fiancé had had a mistress. These dramatic moments were obviously fully making their mark and it was clear that the kids were totally immersed in the play. They also laughed quite loudly at a few of the lines which were meant to be ironic rather than funny, but the effect of the laughter was fine and added to the overall effect the play was making. So the whole thing not only restored my faith in the legitimate theatre after all the recent rubbish at Wyndhams with 'Ivanov' and 'Madame de Sade', but even restored my faith in the younger generation!" If this particular production can have such a profound effect on a theatre full of school children then I am in favour of it running for as long as it attracts audiences, especially young ones. And may I also remark that I don't see directors expressing any interest in Priestley's other plays, including his other 'time theory' works like 'Dangerous Corner' and 'Time and the Conways' so why should they particularly want to have a go at 'An Inspector Calls' after Daldry's brilliant staging for the NT?
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 27, 2018 22:53:22 GMT
tony, do you know the piano’s on my foot? No? If I hum it, will you play it? Thanks Caiaphas. Now we know what killed Variety!
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 27, 2018 22:49:24 GMT
Tony, did you know they invented computers you can speak into now? Then they type it for you. Yes, but you saw what happened when I typed 'Sheena' and out came 'Sheila'. Just imagine what a listening computer would make of my Strine! We would have a stream of people called Emma Chisset, Gloria Soame, Gest Vonner, Jess Tefter, Miss Gem, Terror souse, Gloria Sarah Titch and the rest.
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 27, 2018 22:07:00 GMT
Now now, tony, they say only a bad workman blames his tools... . I know it’s bloody cold but have you tried taking your gloves off when you’re typing? No. I keep them on in the winter when I am playing the piano so it's the same when I am typing!
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 27, 2018 20:52:17 GMT
Tonyloco, this production is pretty faithful to the material as originally written. It also uses the new authoritative score painstakingly researched and completed by David Charles Abell. Thanks, Oleanna. It's a great show and doesn't need tweaking, especially not on the scale as happened at Chichester. As far as I remember, Ian Talbot's production in Regent's Park remained faithful to the original and I was gobsmacked to realise that when they performed 'Too Darn Hot' at the beginning of Act 2 it was actually a genuine company of actors involved in playing Shakespeare – all different sizes, shapes and ages – and evoked a reality that Joan Little would have been proud of in her Theatre Workshop days. See my avatar where the signatory JL is the very same Joan Littlewood and Tony is me! I bet it was my stupid computer that elided 'Joan Littlewood would' to 'Joan Little would'...or maybe it was me saving space!
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 27, 2018 13:56:21 GMT
Tonyloco, this production is pretty faithful to the material as originally written. It also uses the new authoritative score painstakingly researched and completed by David Charles Abell. Thanks, Oleanna. It's a great show and doesn't need tweaking, especially not on the scale as happened at Chichester. As far as I remember, Ian Talbot's production in Regent's Park remained faithful to the original and I was gobsmacked to realise that when they performed 'Too Darn Hot' at the beginning of Act 2 it was actually a genuine company of actors involved in playing Shakespeare – all different sizes, shapes and ages – and evoked a reality that Joan Little would have been proud of in her Theatre Workshop days. See my avatar where the signatory JL is the very same Joan Littlewood and Tony is me!
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 27, 2018 13:35:57 GMT
Sorry to be a bit of a grouch, but can anybody tell me whether Opera North do 'Kiss Me, Kate' as written by Cole Porter and Sam and Bella Spewack or make unnecessary and inappropriate changes as happened at Chichester?
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 27, 2018 13:23:02 GMT
I also saw this again recently, this time from A01. To me this seat is slightly worse than A23 and A24 - I may be wrong, but I think a little more things happen on the other side of the stage. The musical is pure brilliance to me and I must say that I enjoy it much much more than I expected before the first visit. I plan to see at at least one more time before it closes - oh, how sad this day will be! No, you are not wrong. Having sat three or four times on both ends of A row, 23 and 24 definitely have a better view of everything on the stage than 0 and 1, where there are occasional obstructions, but nothing serious. And I agree with michalnowicki that one of the joys of sitting at either end of A row is watching Jae Alexander having such fun conducting the fabulous orchestra. I saw Andy Massey (I think) conducting once and he was fine musically but didn't twinkle as well as Jae.
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 27, 2018 1:11:46 GMT
I never saw them perform, but I know of them from pantomime flyers I have in my collection , and I don’t know of any other pairs of twins who married twins. Precisely! I certainly remember seeing them in the Baker Street area back in the 1960s although whether there were two women or just one I can't say. I have just looked at photos on the internet and there is no doubt that it was the Cox Twins I used to see, always dressed identically. And it is just possible that I played for them at Brick Lane but I have no memory of them and I usually remember the acts I have played for over the years, especially the ones who are a little bit out of the ordinary!
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 27, 2018 0:54:08 GMT
Could they have been the Cox and Miles Twins? I really don't know, but from what I have just researched of the Cox and Miles twins I would say it is unlikely to have been anybody else!
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Post by tonyloco on Feb 23, 2018 11:14:44 GMT
And I'm not sure whether the Shake and Vac woman has ever been in Phantom - but Jenny Logan did play Velma in the original West End production of Chicago. And many other successful roles in stage musicals as well. In fact, having briefly worked with Jenny on a tribute show at Stratford East I can testify that she is a very versatile performer with a great voice and would no doubt have been able to perform in 'Phantom' just as well as many other skilled musical theatre ladies had she been asked!
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