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Post by christya on Dec 12, 2023 21:15:48 GMT
Seeing this tonight and so far not all that impressed. It’s bee n years since I saw the show, but it feels as though the level has just gone down massively. I think we have Ross Harmon as Fiyero and I’m enjoying his performance, but Christine as Glinda is shrill and pitchy, and she actually missed her entrance for One Short Day. Which I could forgive, but neither she nor anyone else sang her line so there was just an empty space. Not great. Outside of that she’s just so pantomime. I don’t remember Glinda being quite that pantomime. Alexia - she seems like she has two voices. On the one hand this beautiful rich, strong tone, and then also this shrill almost strained thing going on (which, to be fair, reminds me of Idina and might be a choice). She’s doing some lovely stuff onstage, but somehow I expected more.
Let’s see how it goes for Act 2!
Act 2 - a little better but still disappointing. Even a couple of instances where microphones didn’t kick in on time. I think this could do with a reboot of some kind, quite honestly.
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Post by christya on Dec 8, 2023 14:55:03 GMT
I don't think I've ever seen a production in the round where I didn't feel a bit ripped off. With the best will in the world, you're going to have backs turned to you at some point, and it feels like there just isn't a good seat. There might be some which are in the best possible place, but still you see performers' backs. I haven't been back to the Charing Cross Theatre in ages because I just don't like how they're staging things now.
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Post by christya on Dec 5, 2023 11:31:06 GMT
Ah, so schoolteachers still go in for mass punishments. Having been a non-offending child who often suffered under them, I still think they're rotten. One of our teachers used to try the 'everyone in detention for one offender' thing and I basically started a revolt at 14 by saying I wouldn't be staying and offering to go to the head teacher's office to talk about it. The class (barring the offender) went home on time.
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Post by christya on Nov 13, 2023 13:34:12 GMT
It says a lot about my instinct for self-preservation (or lack thereof) that my reaction was "Pussy cat!"
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Post by christya on Nov 10, 2023 12:58:34 GMT
I wish they would just give people what they really want, i.e. the production they remember from the 90’s. New songs, costumes, set and a different story ‘with a twist’ will likely just disappoint most people. I hope to be proven wrong, of course! Agreed. I'm so tired of things being 'reimagined' and 'reinvented for a new generation' and given a 'twist' - and then it turns out that it's code for 'scaled down, dull, and cheaper'. I hope that doesn't happen here, but I suppose we'll see.
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Post by christya on Nov 8, 2023 17:53:42 GMT
"This is not your mother's Mean Girls"
Proceeds to look exactly like your mother's Mean Girls.
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Post by christya on Nov 8, 2023 17:48:24 GMT
And still no front row to be had! I'm thinking of going twice, once front of First Class Carriages and once front of one of the platforms, but only if they'll sell me the damn tickets...
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Post by christya on Nov 7, 2023 15:20:24 GMT
Had a look at this, but I only want front row of the First Class Carriage area - not willing to book further back as I can't see how it can possibly have a decent rake. Also, in general I don't sit behind people unless I have absolutely no choice and really want to go. Oh well, I'll keep an eye out when general sale happens.
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Post by christya on Oct 31, 2023 9:08:40 GMT
Glad it's getting a London run, but it would take an actual cattle prod (or once-in-a-lifetime style event) to get me to the Hammersmith Apollo again.
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Post by christya on Oct 30, 2023 13:00:44 GMT
Really sad to hear Matthew is gone. He always seemed to be struggling one way or another, but so damn charming and funny. I have no idea whether he had won his battle against his addictions, but he tried, and he seemed to be doing well. I'm sorry he didn't get to have some good long years of peace.
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Post by christya on Oct 30, 2023 12:56:15 GMT
I’m sure I read that Gabriella Slade is designing the costumes for this, which is promising. The costumes for Six the Musical are probably some of the most iconic designs in theatre from the last decade or so. Funny enough, I always thought the costumes from Six looked like they'd been dug out of storage from an old Starlight Express production. Which is absolutely a criticism of those costumes, but also means this could be promising for Starlight. I just wish they'd ditch some of the more recent changes. Top of the list: Momma. No, thanks - there was nothing wrong with Poppa!
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Post by christya on Oct 27, 2023 14:41:28 GMT
Booked a box in Sunderland to take the parents, they've been asking when this was touring since it opened in London.
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Post by christya on Oct 26, 2023 11:26:33 GMT
I have to admit I’m a bit disappointed. I’m sure this cast will be fantastic and I’ll love every one of them once we’re five minutes in, but I’d hoped from some more familiar faces from the West End production.
Probably a bit much to ask with such a gap since closing, and I know people don’t always want to tour anyway!
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Post by christya on Oct 20, 2023 15:15:26 GMT
Oddly, while I wasn’t massively impressed with Miriam’s voice it wasn’t what I didn’t like about her performance. I just found her very unlikeable in the role. I couldn’t root for her, or much care what her ending was. I suspect a lot of it might be Juliet herself which is why I’d like to give it another go, I may be doing Miriam a disservice!
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Post by christya on Oct 19, 2023 12:53:14 GMT
I’d like to give this one another go without Miriam, so fingers crossed!
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Post by christya on Oct 18, 2023 21:35:07 GMT
Finally caught the show tonight - Jack, not Charlie. I loved it overall and he was a great Bobby, but I can’t help being a bit disappointed as I did want to see Charlie and I’m not sure if I’ll get the chance now. That said, there’s nothing whatsoever to fault in Jack’s performance and if I hadn’t known any different I’d never have realised he wasn’t the regular lead. Very charming onstage - the matinee idol thing is spot on. I’d like to see him in other roles sometime.
I was surprised how much of this show I recognised and remembered from the 1994 (or thereabouts) tour. Lots of the same choreography, which is to be expected I suppose! I think this could do well on tour again.
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Post by christya on Oct 6, 2023 11:05:31 GMT
Everything I've heard about MLK and the protests organised says that they were protests that made sense. The bus boycott, because of specific issues with buses. Sit-ins, in places where black people were normally not welcome. And of course marches, which have been common to almost every protest movement.
As for the suffragettes - they were dangerous terrorists who quite possibly delayed women getting the right to vote, and are portrayed far too kindly by history.
JSO haven't the common sense of MLK and his movement, and don't deserve to be spoken of in the same sentence. I absolutely will not respond to their ridiculous, self-indulgent protests in any way other than to want them stopped.
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Post by christya on Oct 5, 2023 12:06:02 GMT
Every time they pull crap like this, they just help out the next politician who wants to further restrict protests. Front page means nothing when what people are talking about is that they're a bunch of idiots who need to be stopped from doing this sort of thing.
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Post by christya on Oct 5, 2023 6:08:40 GMT
What an absolute bunch of arseholes. When they do something like this, I don't care why they do it, I don't care what they have to say. They need to be dragged out by any means necessary. Some people will have travelled a long way to see the show, and not everyone can afford to do it a second time. Frankly I wish they'd been tackled and sat on before they got to the stage. Failing that, it's time the law actually punished them properly. Jail time.
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Post by christya on Oct 2, 2023 19:38:00 GMT
Ticket going for this for tomorrow night, details on noticeboard - discounted due to late notice. I've managed to rebook but sadly couldn't exchange.
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Post by christya on Oct 2, 2023 17:57:20 GMT
Are you familiar with the app FreeNow? You can order black cabs on it and they have a mini cab service that’s a bit like Uber for when the black cabs are busy. You can also prebook black cabs - which can get a bit spendy - but it might be what you need this week It’s increasingly hard to flag a cab on non-strike days. There are fewer drivers post-Covid and a lot of them just pick up using the Apps. You will increasingly see cabs with their lights on who do not stop. This is because they have picked up a passenger in an App. Usually the main line stations with cab ranks are a good bet, but the lines can be insane on tube strike days. Thank you! I do have FreeNow after a cabbie recommended it a few years back. Normally use that unless I get a cab straight from Kings Cross. However, I just got a call from our customer to say that they've realised their staff can't get into the office on Wednesday (which I did point out to them previously) so a very nearly literal last minute cancellation. At least I haven't packed yet! In other news, a nice Crazy for You ticket will be on the go...off to Noticeboard with me!
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Post by christya on Oct 1, 2023 18:55:34 GMT
Thanks, that’s really helpful. Sadly my cancelling isn’t possible, though I’m still holding out hope that the customers I’m meeting will realise they don’t want to go into their office on a tube strike day and it’ll get cancelled last minute. I’m going to speak with reception at my hotel when I get there the day before and see if they have any last minute cancellations and can do me a reasonable deal on the extra night, so fingers crossed for that but not holding out much hope there.
If it does go ahead, I’m thinking I’ll ask the customer to bring our scheduled time forward by an hour to give me some extra wriggle room. Fingers crossed for a cancellation though - although i do have a ticket for Crazy for You the night before which I’d have to give up, but hey ho, thems the breaks!
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Post by christya on Oct 1, 2023 7:42:33 GMT
Buses have the same limits on numbers regardless of demand. Unlike tubes which you seem happy to get when they are running. I imagine there will be increased demand for taxis so good luck! And the limit on numbers is higher than I’m willing to put up with. I don’t get on packed tube trains either. But thank you for at least attempting to address my question.
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Post by christya on Sept 30, 2023 22:18:04 GMT
So why don’t you stay at a hotel closer to work? Your comment about riding a bus does not reflect well on you. Oh, I don’t know, maybe because by the time the stupid strike was announced all the hotels anywhere near were three times the original price? Or maybe because it’s impossible to both stay closer to work AND closer to Kings Cross to get home? Take your pick since you seem require a reason. Or make one up, whatever. I don’t really care what you think of my refusal to get on an overcrowded, dirty, potentially virus ridden bus on a day when it’s likely to be like being a sardine in a can. If you have no insight to offer into the taxi situation, your opinion isn’t needed.
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Post by christya on Sept 29, 2023 9:22:17 GMT
Can anyone give me any insight into what traffic is likely to be like for taxis? I have to be in London for work and from my hotel to my destination is technically walkable (44 minutes) but not fun while carrying a backpack, and getting back to Kings Cross is twice that and just too far to walk in the time I have to catch the last train. There's no way in hell that I'm getting on a bus, especially not if it's crowded, so thinking of a taxi.
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Post by christya on Aug 25, 2023 11:11:37 GMT
I used the Elizabeth line in from Heathrow to Tottenham Court Road over the weekend, and it made a hell of a difference. So much nicer to be able to ride in forward facing seats, too, rather than those godawful central facing ones.
I'll probably fly down a lot more now, the travel time from Heathrow is about what it would normally take me to walk from Kings Cross, and not much more than using the tube from there when you count all the walking bits.
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Post by christya on Aug 23, 2023 13:46:25 GMT
I got around to watching this simply because I had some time to kill, originally was going to wait for streaming. Saw it at the Empire in Leicester Square and had one of their tiny little screens to myself, so the overall experience was fantastic, but I'm less sure about the film.
I enjoyed it, it had fun parts and I loved seeing how they did all of the aspects of Barbieland. I never had all of the cars and outfits and dreamhouse etc (partly because we were skint, partly because Sindy was more of a thing in the UK) but even I recognised some of them. Margot Robbie was excellent and Ryan Gosling was hilarious. But there were things I just didn't like. I found the whole 'speech' heavy handed and clumsy (didn't relate to it at all), and that line about mothers standing still that everyone praises resulted in an audible "UGH" so I'm glad I was alone in the cinema.
I think in the end the whole thing felt as though it was for someone other than me, a good enough watch but overall intended for some sort of club that I'm just not a member of. I think maybe Greta Gerwig just isn't the director for me, I only made it 20 minutes into her version of Little Women and I've enjoyed literally every other adaptation of it.
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Post by christya on Aug 20, 2023 16:46:51 GMT
Finally got to see this last night after several attempts, so glad I finally got there! Fantastic show and great view from down on the front row. I hope this transfers at some point - a tour would be great, but I want to see Andy Karl again and I can only see that happening if it’s a West End transfer. He really is fantastic, and Tanisha had a huge job to do playing opposite someone with such a massive onstage presence, which she did with apparent ease. She matched him easily, and I loved her version of One Day. I think the fried chicken line was changed because a black actor now plays that role and there’s a certain stereotype. Back on Broadway it was Michael Fatica (lovely bloke, former Newsie) and he’s white, so it wasn’t quite the same.
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Post by christya on Aug 17, 2023 16:45:05 GMT
Just looked at tickets for this, since I'd like to see Rachel Tucker though I have no interest in Nicole. The location I'd normally sit is charging £247. Nope. I might have a look at some later dates and see if there's something relatively close that doesn't cost as much, but I don't sit behind people (almost always can't see and want to commit murder), which makes things a bit difficult!
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Post by christya on Aug 10, 2023 12:06:20 GMT
If anyone is on the lookout for a single ticket on Saturday, I have a post up on the noticeboard about one available. Apparently I have absolutely zero luck when it comes to getting to see the show, so keep your fingers crossed for me actually making it to the closing night next week.
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