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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 4, 2018 19:29:46 GMT
At a performance of Young Frankenstein I was sat next to a group, one of whom further along the row kept checking her mobile every 2/3 minutes. The light in my peripheral vision was so distracting! My death stare accompanied by a throat slitting gesture soon stopped her. I meant the gesture to be taken as "cut off the phone" but she may have taken it that if she didn't I might kill her! She didn't dare take it out after that!
With badly behaved children at shows my child catcher impression usually does the trick!
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 4, 2018 19:21:07 GMT
This is the issue - some people feel entitled to their bad behaviour. Intervening is always problematic in that someone who (say) uses their mobile phone during a performance is just the sort of person to justify their behaviour rather than apologise and turn it off. So this can easily escalate into a fight either verbal or even physical.
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 4, 2018 13:18:56 GMT
I ended up "minding" the kids at the interval for her Oh she saw you coming! Calpol is wonderful though isn't it!
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 3, 2018 23:27:15 GMT
I got the impression it was a male strip show a bit like the Chippendales rather than a musical?
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 3, 2018 18:21:43 GMT
The reason this was so successful was because of the sublime original cast. The thought of a musical version with anyone else in these iconic roles seems doomed. It appeals to a generation that will remember the originals so well.
The thought of some of the "names" that would take on these roles makes me shudder. I won't name names but you all know who they are......
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 3, 2018 18:14:15 GMT
TINA on BGT tonight.
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 3, 2018 18:03:40 GMT
I just loved this, found them all completely delightful and could have easily spent hours in their company listening to the unedited version!
So many highlights - as mentioned above Judi's heartbreaking pause before discussing acting with her late husband Michael Williams.
On being asked "what would your advice be to your younger self?" Maggie said " I probably wouldn't be listening but if in doubt - don't!" Then Judi heartbreaking again replying " I would say try not to be so susceptible to falling in love".
Also Joan with an anecdote about her late husband Sir Lawrence (who was clearly a terror) talking about acting saying " You find a way to make it happen and appear spontaneous, and that's the difference between actual truth and illusion".
Just wonderful.
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 3, 2018 17:44:54 GMT
The really nice person in the next seat...… would definitely not be me! I'm a grumpy old git!
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Post by wickedgrin on Jun 1, 2018 15:56:31 GMT
Mary Poppins will do well - its a family show and there is a new generation of kids now for it. I didn't see the tour but the original show at the Prince Edward didn't quite have the successful run they thought - although it did run for 3 years - I think longer was expected. It caused a bit of furore at the time as kids under 3 were banned and it was recommended for kids aged 7 plus as it was too scary! I think this got amended for Broadway.
Wouldn't it be loverley (wrong show) if kids were banned altogether?
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Post by wickedgrin on May 29, 2018 14:06:03 GMT
Enjoyed the programme, the clips and the backstage tour.
I thought Des O'Connor looked really ill - bless him.
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Post by wickedgrin on May 25, 2018 23:36:25 GMT
LOVED this tonight at the first preview - it was in fine shape!
Set on a thrust stage with the audience on three sides, very clever use of the space.
A hard working cast of eight very talented performers, although this is basically a two handed piece between Mother (Anna) a superb (as always) Caroline O'Connor and Daughter (Angel) Gemma Sutton - excellent.
Some very nice eye candy in the company namely Stewart Clarke and Jason Winter.
An absolutely knockout, inventive and superbly danced roller skating number - The Rink - in the second act. Some big laughs in the book and fabulously sung throughout.
A few lighting issues - rather under lit especially in Act One and a few minor sound issues - the vocals could have done with a little more help from the sound desk - but I am sure these very minor issues will be sorted.
A great seven piece band above the stage giving this Kander and Ebb score its signature sound.
A full house gave the show a standing ovation. It gets the wickedgrin recommend!
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Post by wickedgrin on May 25, 2018 8:52:51 GMT
It must be especially difficult these days with social media. An actor needs to promote their work but also guard their privacy. It is so easy to "follow" (stalk?) people these days. Most of us relish our privacy without realising what a luxury it is. I would be completely unnerved by people I did not know saying "hi" as if they knew me having only seen me acting a role on stage which might be nothing like my real persona.
I have not been round to a stage door for years, and even in my youth did it very rarely.
I will say to "hi" to an actor I admire if I happen to see them on a railway platform or in the street. They must be used to it as they have always been gracious and mostly delightful. I always move on quickly though unless they initiate conversation.
Most recently I said "hi" to the "lovely" Debbie McGee in Covent Garden who was indeed lovely!
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Post by wickedgrin on May 24, 2018 22:33:28 GMT
I am on the closest train to the end of the performance!!! Yes - me too, and so are a few actors!! I have often done a double take on a platform to see an actor I have just seen in a show and thought "my goodness, they must have legged it after the performance like me"
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Post by wickedgrin on May 24, 2018 10:53:29 GMT
Agree with Baemax above.
It is simply that some actors genuinely enjoy the hoopla of the stage door, meeting fans, media, selfies, chatting etc. and some actors don't - they are shy or just don't enjoy chit chat with strangers and would just rather go home after work and show 104.
As stated many times, the stage door is not part of the ticket price.
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Post by wickedgrin on May 22, 2018 12:39:40 GMT
Something along the lines of.... "Please can we remind you to switch off mobile phones. Please switch off rather than silencing as vibrating and getting phones out with their lit up screens is distracting for the cast and fellow audience members - please show them your courtesy to make this a great show for everyone. And whilst we love our enthusiastic audiences, please save your singing and dancing for the end. Enjoy the show!" Far too polite... my announcement would go something like...."Turn OFF your f****** phones. Do NOT sing or dance along during the show. There are armed police patrolling the auditorium and offenders will be taken out and shot".
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Post by wickedgrin on May 22, 2018 10:38:19 GMT
I attended a dreaded "unreserved" seating event at the Brighton Fringe the other evening. The event was full and the steward asked me to go along the row and "not leave any seat unoccupied". I was about to sit next to an empty seat next to a woman who looked up from her phone and said "that seats occupied!" "Who by?" I said "The Invisible Man?" and promptly sat in it!
Now I understand that people reserve seats for friends who have gone to the bar or the loo and I really have no issue with that - she could have said " I'm really sorry this seats taken, my friend has just nipped to the loo". There would have been no issue. But to be spoken to so discourteously!
No doubt she will encounter much "attitude" in her life. I do believe that if you are courteous to others they will be courteous back. Smile at someone and 90% of the time they will smile back.
BUT if anyone gives me "attitude" I can return it tenfold!
Needless to say I did not move from my seat and the woman had to get up in a terrible huff and find another seat for herself and her "invisible man"!! She ended up at the back! What a shame!
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Post by wickedgrin on May 22, 2018 9:59:27 GMT
I was disappointed with this. I saw the first preview on Monday night at the Harold Pinter from the front row thanks to a £20 seat from Today Tix. (Perhaps a mod should add the Harold Pinter to the title of the thread?)
The stage is high but as there is no set - you don't miss anything and you get a lovely view of the lighting department from (the now defunct BHS).
I expected this to be a drama about what constitutes consent for sex, but the main legal drama played out briefly was very slightly done. If this play had been written by a man I suspect it would have been heavily criticised for being so dismissive of its main theme.
What we were left with was a bunch of unlikeable middle class people sitting around drinking, smoking weed, shouting, swearing and being unfaithful. I think performed almost entirely by a new cast (apart from Adam James) lead by Stephen Campbell Moore as Edward and Claudie Blakley as Kitty they were all "acting" for all they were worth. Lots of sinking to knees crying and jumping on furniture - to claim the high moral ground!
The black box set did not help the actors as the locations and time frames were unclear, so they seemed to be acting in a void.
Value for money from a £20 rush ticket if you have nothing better to do for an evening but you wouldn't miss anything if you gave it a miss. Mediocre play rather over acted.
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Chess
May 18, 2018 12:19:36 GMT
Post by wickedgrin on May 18, 2018 12:19:36 GMT
I also checked today (even though I can't attend) and I think this is the first time the 10am release of seats has been in the Dress Circle. Maybe the ENO have realised that it's better to have the lower levels looking full? Might be tempted to go back for a second viewing if they keep releasing Dress Circle seats. It just seemed quiet in the Dress Circle tonight for some reason with over 250 seats available first thing. I did notice on Wednesday that despite there being lots availability on the website the theatre seemed almost full on Wed night. Just a few seats in the top corners of the dress and upper circle being empty.
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Chess
May 18, 2018 12:15:57 GMT
Post by wickedgrin on May 18, 2018 12:15:57 GMT
We might be sitting near each other Yes indeed - I'm high numbers stage right!
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Chess
May 18, 2018 11:13:03 GMT
Post by wickedgrin on May 18, 2018 11:13:03 GMT
Booked to see this for a second time tonight with a Dress Circle ticket for £25 from Today Tix! An absolute bargain - the price of the seat for tonight is on the ENO website for £105! I would suggest anyone wanting to snag one of these DC seats should do so sooner rather than later as I think availability is less as the run gets nearer the end - only 2 weeks to go!
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Post by wickedgrin on May 17, 2018 10:06:44 GMT
Art is subjective but I cannot understand the 2* reviews for this. I LOVED it and was quite blown away. It looked and sounded spectacular. It is great (like 42nd St) to see musical productions done on this scale.
The orchestra were fabulous and got the biggest applause of the evening.
Vocally the ensemble were sublime as were most of the soloists. MB knocked it out of the park. His "Anthem" was sublime as was Tim Howar's "Pity the Child".
Any criticisms can be directed at the piece itself which remains a work in progress with each production being "tweaked" - the story is very unfocused at times and even main characters being underwritten which results in imbalances. I thought Alexandra Burke vocally was excellent but struggles with the aforementioned underwriting - her character appearing late out of nowhere.
Again as previously mentioned I thought some of the choreography was a little dated and obvious - perhaps intentionally? But I thought the projections and live close ups worked brilliantly given the sightlines of the venue.
The show has it peaks and troughs - but when it peaks it blows you away.
A very solid 4 stars from me and I will be making a return visit before it closes in 2 weeks!
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Chess
May 17, 2018 9:42:30 GMT
Post by wickedgrin on May 17, 2018 9:42:30 GMT
Last night they checked bags but not the tickets. We had ours on our phones ready to show and no-one was interested! We had booked £15 gallery seats before casting was announced. OK you were in the room where this massive show happened and you can't really complain for £15 BUT I could barely see anything due to first the decision to extend the stage over the orchestra pit so anything at the front of the stage was completely obscured as the theatre is perfectly designed to see the front of the stage and not the orchestra pit. Second, we had two of the tallest people sat in front of us who constantly fidgeted and leaned forward.
SO.... for the second half we VERY cheekily upgraded ourselves to an unoccupied Upper Circle BOX!!! This was very obvious and the ushers did notice but did not remove us!
So, my advice is if you can't get a deal on a good seat - just upgrade yourself - but perhaps not to a box. There were quite a few empty seats last night - mostly at the side of the dress and upper circle although it was busy - stalls and gallery full.
It's very easy to go down a level (or two) at half time.
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Chess
May 14, 2018 14:48:52 GMT
Post by wickedgrin on May 14, 2018 14:48:52 GMT
So... I may be wrong but I think a bit of dynamic pricing has kicked in here - downwards. Just checked the ENO website for this - loads of availability of course - and the prices (in the week) are now Stalls £125/£75 (weren't they £150?) Dress £125/£75/£65 (again weren't they £150?)and Upper Circle £65/£50/£35 (weren't they £80?) Still £150 at the weekend though, but I thought the £150 top price was throughout the run! I think I am going mad!
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Post by wickedgrin on May 10, 2018 12:55:34 GMT
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of sitting next to her at the Donmar watching Piaf. She was delightful! Such sad news.
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Post by wickedgrin on May 10, 2018 12:47:04 GMT
There will no doubt be endless speculation as to who is cast in the tour now. The West End cast will take some matching. I thought all the performances were excellent. It will need some "names" to sell on tour I would think.
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