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Post by ali973 on Dec 26, 2017 19:07:53 GMT
I think there have been some excellent points made here, but I also think it's necessary to understand that this is an industry with multiple layers that have an impact on what is made available to an audience.
I think the demand for variety/high brow/low brow theatre exists - but what lacks in London is the general infrequency of high quality products in West End houses, especially musicals. The basic reality is that the UK does not have the ecosystem or resources that encourage musical theatre writing or development. There aren't sufficient funds, incubation centers, training facilities or even majors as far as I know that make this a viable career for writers. So producers who are willing to take a chance on a full West End musical will either import something from overseas, or work with a writing team to assemble a jukebox musical of some sort. Every now and then a show could be developed in a non-profit, like the National Theatre, Sheffield Crucible, Leicester Curve and the Other Palace, but generally the spaces for musical startups are far and few. In the US, there are funds, scholarships, fellowships, musical theatre writing incubators and workshops that are specifically made for the development of new work. It's interesting that these shows that are causing the Disnification on the West End, are actually not even homegrown.
I'm speaking of personal experience. I'm currently looking into pursuing a masters in theatre production and administration. I'm applying to five amazing programs in the US, but no such thing exists in any university or art school in the UK. The closest thing to this in the UK is stage management, which isn't really the same thing at all aside from a class or two.
I also think there's a general acceptance of shows that are "good enough": the Kenwright productions that have been making recent stops in London, Mama Mia clinging to dear life and Chicago making a comeback, and "Wicked" being still so so relevant (and though still major success in the US, it's really not part of the Broadway zeitgeist any longer). So while there is a mix in what audiences can seek, I think there is a sense of complacency in the London musical theatre scene in the sense that people might not seek excellence. Being neither English or American but spending time in both countries, I see how the "theatregentsia" on Broadway is by far more scrutinizing than their English cousins.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 26, 2017 5:01:02 GMT
^ I can't say I'm not excited about the jukebox offers next year: Tina, Donna Summer and Cher. And I'm seeing them all in a span of three months!
I just accidentally stumbled on a song by Cher called You Better Sit Down Kids, sung as though a father is leaving his family. I was thinking this should be used if Cher's father leaves them. Looked up her childhood on Wikipedia and sure enough..
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Post by ali973 on Dec 25, 2017 18:29:38 GMT
Hard to tell. I was just checking out seats early October for a March ticket and was surprised at the limited availability - that was even before they had the press conference. I was surprised at how well it was selling in advance and I thought to myself okay get them now.
I've noticed there's a big craze with big pop musicals when they first open or at least during previews. I remember how well Kinky Boots and Bodyguard was selling during both their previews. Though they continued doing well on and off, I think tickets become more visibly available three months in.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 22, 2017 21:15:56 GMT
Not to divert - but it looks like the recent all-lady cast of JCS will now get a recording with Morgan James as Jesus and Shoshana Bean as Judas. They're both great and I do love me some riffs, but they riff to a point where the songs become unrecognizable. If we are getting down this non-gender conforming casting, then Cynthia Erivo would make a pretty intense Judas. Wouldn't be bad to pair her up with John Legend again.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 22, 2017 15:12:47 GMT
There's also a clip of My Shot on BroadwayWorld. Not sure if these are all consolidated on the Hamilton FB page or social media or if they've given individual clips for individual outlets as exclusives.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 22, 2017 14:56:48 GMT
I don't know if anyone posted this already, but there's a near-full clip of The Schyler Sisters by the London girls now, running on all the big Broadway news outlets. I wish other companies and productions would release press clips this soon. Then again I'm sure other companies don't have the advance or Cam Mac's capital and marketing budget.
At any rate, they seem to be doing all the right things but I'm still not jelling with Rachel John (who was great in The Bodyguard) as Angelica. I saw Karen Olivo and Mandy Gonzales as Angelica, Olivo was fabulous, Gonzales was pretty awful, but I find it hard for anyone to top Olivo's ridiculous charisma.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 20, 2017 20:24:20 GMT
On the ticketing site the calendar runs until April but tickets are shown only until Feb. Perhaps they want to generate earlier sales before extending?
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Post by ali973 on Dec 19, 2017 3:39:41 GMT
I hate you/jealous. Come back. Because I'm jealous.
Can't wait to do this in June.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 18, 2017 20:25:29 GMT
Does anyone know if Luke Bayer has gone on as Jamie yet? He's a mutual friend of a few of my friends so I'd be really interested in hearing how his performance is. There's a clip of him performing You Matter to Me on the Theatre Cafe's Facebook page. This is like the fifth Waitress song I've live streamed that is performed from either Theatre Cafe or Leon. Oh for the love of God just get this done in London already so that they stop torturing us with these covers already.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 18, 2017 20:20:03 GMT
Good stuff. I'm curious what it sounds live because this recording seems to be heavy on the auto-tune and synth, but it seems pretty original and fresh. I would check this out if it were running longer.
Yay to original British concepts, yay for diversity. We need more of this.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 18, 2017 18:20:55 GMT
I saw some Italian tourists on my second outing, and I felt bad that they didn't get most of the humor in the book scenes.
I normally am okay with accents - bar some extreme regional oddities, and I honestly had no issues whatsoever with Jamie.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 17, 2017 12:58:01 GMT
I was just looking at Karen's Instagram and thinking the same thing.
I'm waiting of them to release tickets- I am so seeing this in Boston!
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Post by ali973 on Dec 17, 2017 6:54:41 GMT
This was the last play I saw on my holiday in November - I was shocked at the level of attendance on a Friday evening. I actually remember counting the number of heads at point point and reached 91.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 16, 2017 19:01:39 GMT
haha you are so right on her replacing her Ns with Ls.
If you listen to Wizard and I, her final I is clearly the Wizard and N-eyeeee....
And in Let It Go, right before the change of key: I'm Lever going back...
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Post by ali973 on Dec 16, 2017 18:22:35 GMT
Some productions now have a Burr standby (not alternate, though). I believe NY and the tour have a Burr standby, but if memory serves the Chicago company does not and just has understudies for Burr.
I think Burr is equal in principle as Hamilton - but it seems to me Hamilton is on stage a lot more. Burr has his fair share of backstage time. I HATE to compare the brilliance of Hamilton to Wicked (a show I sort of enjoyed, but totally turns me off because of its fandom), but although Elphaba and Glinda get equal billing, let's face it, Elphaba does a LOT more and is harder to pull off.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 16, 2017 18:08:03 GMT
Been listening to the Broadway cast recording of The Band's Visit, which is absolutely sublime.
I've also been listening to the new Hamilton Drops song, Ben Franklin's Song.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 16, 2017 18:02:02 GMT
I got them through the general site (http://www.boysintheband.com). If you have an Audience Rewards (which I believe is strictly connected to TeleCharge), you should be able to get instant access. If you don't I wouldn't worry too much about it and just wait until general sales. There's plenty of availability.
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Chess
Dec 16, 2017 17:35:45 GMT
Post by ali973 on Dec 16, 2017 17:35:45 GMT
I thought Michael was very weak and annoying as Joe.
Dany Mac reads too young for the role and TBH i think he's under qualified to do this.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 16, 2017 10:18:14 GMT
Good stuff, Steve.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 16, 2017 7:06:15 GMT
This reminds me of the first row of The Other Palace. I'm about 5'7" and weight 75. Not a big guy by any stretch of the imagination. And that little horrible space they created between the first row and the stage in the Other Palace is pretty shocking. No reduced ticket price is worth this nonsense.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 15, 2017 20:48:31 GMT
Just bought our tickets to see this in June. And started watching the film in preparation. WOW..this will be off the hook amazing.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 15, 2017 17:32:18 GMT
Or they could go real camp for Billy and get Michael Ball or Wayne Sleep? LOL I think the camp/tacky route was taken for many many years. It's time for them to slightly redeem themselves and assemble an exciting cast worthy of a return.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 15, 2017 17:27:57 GMT
I am aware she played the part and that there are clips on YouTube, but haven't bothered. Luckily it was just a concert for a few days. She's all wrong for Velma, anyway. I always pictured Velma to be a girl who has been around the block..been there, done that, shot the bastard. Ironically, Roxy works well with a younger actress, when in reality she is supposed to be a bored housewife whose chance just passed her by.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 15, 2017 17:18:31 GMT
I love me some Beverley Knight but they cannot approach her to do this. She has given us no indication that she can dance (does the 6 minute beginning of Cats count?), and though they can always modify Roxy's dance bits as they have done for a dozen actresses, I don't think she's funny enough to pull it off.
There is no dancing around Velma's choreography (get it?). Whoever plays Velma needs to be a very serious dancer to pull it off. Though Bev's All That Jazz could blow the roof off and she'd look hot in these costumes.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 15, 2017 17:06:53 GMT
Wasn't Joanna Riding in it already? Or Josefina Gabrielle? I always confuse these two.
Any rate, Joanna is a bit unexciting as far as I'm concerned. I don't mind stunt/celebrity casting as long as they are good.
Nicole sounds like she could be fun.
The London production did have some good casts in it. Hello, did we all forget that God in the form of Chita Rivera played Roxy at the Adelphi in the late '90s?! Maria Friedman was fabulous, and from what I heard, Brooke Shields and Denise Van Outen were pretty amazing too.
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