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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 17, 2022 16:47:44 GMT
I saw this for the first time on Thursday with a standing seat. Not too sure who was on, but they did well. The view is perfect too (so much so that a couple downgraded from the premium Dress Circle seats during the interval so they could see better - and also so they could dance).
Can't say I loved the show, but glad I've finally got to see it (and that I didn't go for the expensive seats).
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 17, 2022 16:45:02 GMT
Finally saw this today. The value was fine for a substantially reduced price, but I'm glad I didn't pay more (and this is speaking as a Doctor Who fan).
Looking at some of the earlier reviews (including on other sites), the performance now is much simplified. Essentially, you go through four areas, a large group welcome, a separate area with small group quests, a spaceship bar (with music) and then the final scene as a large group. Smaller groups are staggered moving about, but everyone ends up joining and leaving at the same time. There are a lot of actors, some with multiple roles and they do very well to balance the timings and all end up in the right place at the right time. If you're a theatre fan, you'll also recognise some of the cast (and wonder how they ended up performing the same scene ten or more times a day).
But what you mostly get is a lot of people shouting over each other, it being rather difficult to follow one conversation as everyone is crammed into a small space and a plot which makes absolutely no sense (if you can hear the plot in the first place and if you know any Doctor Who history).
The advertising says that audience interaction is not required. Not true, you really don't get a choice.
Some of the actors are much more into this than others. There were certainly some who were testing out what they could get away with saying, bearing in mind that unless you were perfectly positioned, you couldn't hear them anyway.
You do have to make an effort to join a small group for the second scene, otherwise you won't have much to do. I tagged onto a group who for some reason were solving riddles, but then accidentally unleashed some cybermen who had to walk exceptionally slowly to avoid catching the paying audience who were waling even slower. But at least I found out that humans can hold back Daleks with the power of their mind.
The highlights really are looking around at the sets and plots. Some very elaborate designs, lots of show in touches, interesting post-it notes on desks, that kind of thing. Do explore the offices which are slightly out of view. There's even a K9 tucked away on top of a cupboard.
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 12, 2022 11:04:05 GMT
Three auction items sold on Sunday. One pair of gloves for $20k, a second pair for $20k, then a signed whistle for $20k (I’m not sure how you sign a whistle…) Sounds like the Thursday audience got a bargain!
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 9, 2022 16:17:54 GMT
Might interest some. Tried for The Music Man rush today (Saturday), got there about 7:15am (10am box office).
When I arrived, I was about 40th in the queue. When they counted heads just before 10am, I was 78th.
There were at least 100 people behind me.
Anyway, I did make it into the box office, during which time they announced the evening sold out, matinee sold out and $99 restricted view sold out. It was about 10:40am by this point. I did hear what time others had arrived and there were people in front who I know had arrived at 5am who went away disappointed.
Now, the box office did help me out and sold me a $99 restricted view for Sunday (side Mezzanine B). No fees either for buying from the box office. I’m expecting it to not be much of a view, but it was the best option available. Whether I could have just purchased that without queueing, I’m not too sure.
Do bear that in mind for anyone planning to rush at a weekend, especially over Easter. Otherwise, it was a very pleasant queue (apart from the people “holding places”) and I’ve never known New York so quiet without continual car horns going off!
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 9, 2022 12:00:41 GMT
Funny Girl thoughts. Very good, but I wasn’t blown away. Prefer the recent London and Paris stagings.
This is very traditional. Elaborate set and a larger ensemble than the other versions.
Ran nearly three hours too. A lot of this was aided by the audience randomly cheering and breaking into applause after certain lines (and in the middle of songs).
I think most of the cheers were for Jane Lynch, but all the leads were popular. Beanie Feldstein is a great comic performer. Vocally, I was less keen. Jared Grimes really shines with the tap scenes. Ramin, took me a while to warm to as this is rather different to the roles I naturally associate him with, but his vocals were sublime.
The book is essentially the London revival, although I thought there was a bit more music added.
I was sat right at the back and even had spare seats beside me, so very comfortable. A clear view, but I would want to see this up close at some point.
Really not sure how long this will run for and how well received it will be. I heard two different groups of people with negative comments on the way out, which is unusual. They were along the lines of the second half being too long and depressing. That’s the show and not something you can easily change. I did enjoy it and glad I got to see this so early in the run.
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 8, 2022 15:27:00 GMT
Currently in New York. Quick pick up on some comments in this thread.
Funny Girl is open now (in previews). At least I hope it is. I’m booked for tonight (sadly right at the back, but there’s really no discounts about).
Company, I saw last night. It is on TDF if you qualify for membership. I got third row side Stalls. From experience, the TodayTix seats will not be great. Rush is an option, I heard some others saying Rush tickets were available until right before the start.
In fact two people arrived right before the start in the seats at front. Within minutes, their masks exposed their noses. An usher came and spoke to them and masks went up. Soon, at least one mask was part way down. At the interval, security were straight there, they were told to take their belongings and did not return. Good to see mask wearing, Covid pass checks etc all being taken seriously (they’ve even set up metal detectors to walk through going into theatres).
Anyway, Company was excellent. About half the cast were covers, including the lead, but no one would have known. It is changed from London and much better for it. Would happily see this again (and I didn’t feel the same need to return for the London version).
I didn’t prebook tickets this time (just in case I couldn’t travel), so am rather winging it. No shortage of choice though. And the New York rain has finally disappeared today.
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 6, 2022 8:39:41 GMT
A report from Wimbledon last night. Much better than Woking with everyone on form, including Adam on as advertised in the lead role.
An aside, Adam was originally advertised to do the whole week but is now only on until Friday, so do bear this in mind if you've booked to see him. I presume Layton is back early, rather than the 2nd cover being on.
They don't list the cast anywhere obvious, but Alex Hetherington was on as "Daniel" (usually the role is "Sayid" but I guess that name would sound odd).
First time seeing Sasha Latoya as Ray, who was very good. It is odd seeing the tour staging of Ray making a crisp sandwich rather than a jam sandwich. Nice to see Ryan Hughes as Mickey (the first time for me in a few years). And I continue to think that Sharan Phull is excellent.
I had two women near me on the front row who were happily getting through their drinks, chatting to one another and then managed the unusual combination of both laughing and cheering loudly during "He's My Boy".
Would love to get back to see this cast again but I'm away the rest of the week. Definitely worth seeing, especially as the tour has only got a few stops left. No news yet on a London return, but Wimbledon was pretty full last night so this could easily tour again.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 30, 2022 21:33:18 GMT
Something I don’t understand… the email says that all profits from the proper show and the stream go to charity, so why did the original event say that the £1250 tickets included a £1000 donation to the charity? The profits go to charity, not the costs of running the show. The ushers still have to be paid, the buildings heated, the “free” champagne paid for etc. The £1250 tickets are only priced at £250, of which a portion will go to charity. They then include a voluntary £1,000 donation too. Tax relief can likely be claimed against the £1,000 (but not the £250), which will appeal to some. Often, you can also contact the theatres directly to buy these seats without the optional donation, although there are legal complexities there.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 30, 2022 9:38:57 GMT
I saw this last night, but only from the very cheap seats (back corner of the Upper Level - the view is far more restricted than where I sat previously for the same price, two rows nearer the front). It is a nice private corner though, with room to the side and you can lean forward without blocking anyone's view.
They no longer give you a sticker for your phone (this would have been useful to deal with the young guy a row in front but out of contact distance who kept turning his screen on and certainly grabbed a few short video clips). They do still give you a wooden coin to exchange for a drink.
The new cast is very strong, particularly Fra Fee who sings much better than Eddie Redmayne. They've also made some small changes to various scenes, particularly the final one, which works much better (although still misses the powerful close of some other productions). Amy Lennox is very good too. You can tell just how accomplished a singer she is when you compare her perfect Maybe This Time to her club scenes, where you get the Sally who is having to push through vocally.
A few covers on last night, most notably Andre Refig as Herr Schultz. There were a few empty prime seats, including at the front of the Dress Circle, so I'm hoping there might be some opportunities for me to this cast again from a better seat (but not with some of the current pricing).
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 28, 2022 18:42:26 GMT
The Susan from the 1pm was Kayleigh McKnight who was previously in the cast as ensemble/cover Veronica! The evening show also had a Susan for Shine a Light. I went to both shows yesterday as I am a massive fan of Jacob and the evening show was highly emotional. Standing ovation for him in Freeze Your Brain and Seventeen and lots of tears at the end. I will be gutted if that genuinely was his last time playing JD as he has been fantastic and is so incredibly talented. Fab! I thought she was an actor and I recognised her, but couldn't immediately place her. And standing ovations for Jacob were well deserved. Wish I could have attended in the evening but I had a prior commitment. It is such a shame really that we only know how talented Jacob is due to the unfortunate situation with Freddie.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 28, 2022 10:41:01 GMT
I managed to front row Rush for the 1pm show yesterday. Before that, just to confirm they do occasionally get a complete cast on, as I managed to see everyone the previous week, although not yesterday as we had Hannah Lowther as Heather McNamara.
It is a real shame that Jacob has left, as he and Alysa are perfect together. With that said, I will look forward to seeing Simon.
Jacob did have a bit of fun yesterday, slipping in at the back as a student in a loud shirt for the party scene. He was also rather watery eyed at the 1pm show, so I don't know how he would have got through the 5pm show. He did the stage lap at the end with Alysa throwing kisses to everyone.
In a neat touch, they've made the audience involvement much more inclusive. Recently, I saw Vicki (as Ms Fleming) select Steve and Sharon in the audience. Yesterday, she just selected her lover Susan (who turned out to have a wonderful singing voice). So perhaps, going forward, the gender choice for the audience participant will be much more open.
I think Jacob has a bright future ahead of him, but who knows if he will be back as Standby JD as some point, like so many others?
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 25, 2022 15:32:02 GMT
I'm not convinced it's either of them from that video, but this might just be designed to throw us off the scent. The Other Palace cast has been slowly turning into the tour cast though!
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 25, 2022 15:30:58 GMT
I need seating advice. Buying tickets for a friend’s birthday. Got a £100 per ticket budget. Difficult if you need to buy the tickets now, but I would be tempted to wait and see if dynamic prices or other offers kick in. As much as I'm sure the new cast are fabulous, I can't imagine ticket sales will be as hot as they were.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 24, 2022 9:43:16 GMT
They handed over the stickers rather than placed them on the phones themselves a few weeks ago. It’s only a symbolic event. They don’t stay attached anyway (not deliberately, but the sticker has come off with the phone in my pocket both times).
Thanks for the reviews of the new cast. I’m looking forward to seeing them next week.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 22, 2022 15:50:14 GMT
I saw this yesterday in Wimbledon. Unusual for them to start the tour on a Monday. The theatre seemed pretty full. I was in one of the side stalls price promise seats, but the view was excellent. The audience was a little difficult as they had a few rows around me taken up by young people and their carers, so there was quite a lot of moaning and rattling (and one phone that lasted over 15 rings), but the group seemed to enjoy this.
This has transferred very well with no cuts from the London production as far as I can tell. A few updated jokes, but otherwise this is very much the same show. An excellent cast of children (and adults).
No great desire to see this again soon, but very happy to have caught the tour cast.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 21, 2022 22:52:50 GMT
“It’s really small” - not what you want to hear from men gathered around when you’re using the urinal at the New Wimbledon Theatre!
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 21, 2022 22:50:29 GMT
The lovely Carrie Hope Fletcher was sat right at the front for School of Rock tonight (glad she likes Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals).
And the equally lovely Cameron Sharp was sat a few seats from me (is he related to Jake Sharp?).
There were other theatre stars in, but those were the two I could quickly place.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 18, 2022 14:11:23 GMT
Looks like Jermaine and Lizzie are going into Sister Act, which explains why Jermaine is leaving after only having just joined the show!
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 18, 2022 13:34:33 GMT
A few day after thoughts.
The show ran long, not finishing until after 22:20 (so I had to get a later train home from Woking than usual), which surprised me as Layton seemed to be racing through his lines.
Quite a lot of small changes to the London production, but it's impossible to know if they're official or not. Things like Layton saying "My agent" when the phone rings, instead of "rude". Lots of what looked like attempted ad-libbing with a little corpsing between Layton and Shane, but it's hard to tell if they do that every night or not. They've changed the script for the scenes with Jamie's Dad a lot.
Very odd to see this without all the automated technology in place to move the set, with people having to push the house out, for example.
Layton was much softer in his approach than I remembered and his vocals were better. The bus station scene audio was very odd, with a doubling of the Jamie vocals running about a second behind the main vocals (which I can't believe was intentional).
I don't want to judge the vocals too harshly as I suspect there is some illness going around the cast and there were some tricks used to hide this. As I haven't seen this cast before, I also can't compare them. I must say that Sharan Phull is excellent as Pritti. I remember seeing her as the lead in Bend It and she was excellent there too. Amy Ellen Richardson's voice was straining a bit during He's My Boy.
There's no obvious cast board on the tour, but there were signs up detailing two covers. Lisa-Marie Holmes was on as Ray. She was very good and it's always a gift of a part. Cameron Johnson was on as Sandra Bollock as well as his normal role of Jamie's Dad. There was no Tray Sophisticay, so some odd line cuts and reallocations during the drag queen sections, but it worked. I'm fairly sure it was Alex Hetherington on as Mickie, not Ryan Hughes, but that wasn't acknowledged anywhere. Odd to see Zahra Jones on as Bex, when she was Becca for so long in London.
Anyway, in some ways it was nice to have seen Layton again, but I do have tickets booked for Wimbledon and I hope that Adam Taylor is on there as scheduled.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 17, 2022 21:10:54 GMT
Despite the advertised billing, Jamie looks suspiciously like Layton tonight. Although he has added lots of new grunts and screeches to his performance since I last saw him in London.
On the plus side, I knew there must have been a good reason for my choosing a £12 seat.
In the show's defence, they are obviously very short of cast members and I presume Layton must have agreed to the extra show. Adam is in his normal role. There are only two drag queens!
Proper thoughts later. This is my first time seeing the tour, despite having seen the London production many times. It looks really odd on such a huge stage. Doing my best to work out who is on, but I’m near the back of the Stalls and my eyesight must be going a bit. It is a big theatre. Great seat legroom and excellent rake though. It’s very full and the Shane Richie fans are certainly in.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 15, 2022 14:34:46 GMT
Is Boo Radley still in if its an adult perspective? Yes, but that aspect of the story is rather downplayed (at least from how I remember the book).
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 15, 2022 14:32:54 GMT
Wasn't he already the alternate? Adam is on Thursday evening in Woking for anyone around London. I've booked, although I could only afford the cheap seats for this one. He's also on all week in Wimbledon.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 15, 2022 13:07:43 GMT
Yes, looks like even the £1250 tickets have gone now. Obviously all priced way too low!
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 15, 2022 12:37:17 GMT
I take back what I said about the £1250 tickets. They are there, it's just they show as white circles on my screen for some reason. However, I won't be buying any of them!
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 15, 2022 12:28:20 GMT
all that's left is £1250 tickets so not paying that! I can't even see £1250 tickets (unless you have to ring up to book them). Perhaps they'll put standing on sale? Or even announce a second date.
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