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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 18, 2021 19:59:10 GMT
Attended last night with a bargain front row day seat.
I see they had had a show stop at the matinee due to a fight in the crowd (no idea what more happened). No such issues in the evening. The evening cast was great as usual and most of the crowd even wore their masks.
The cast board is very badly placed (behind where security staff are based), so I managed to get the main cast but not the covers. The leads were all on, although the Doctor was played by Ashley Samuels, who isn't listed on the website. There were two guards listed on the website, but only one on stage, so I presume that was a late change. And I'm sure some lines were redistributed to a female cast member.
For the Mormon boys. Thomas Audibert and Luke Redmore were both off. George Grayshon and Joseph Davenport were on.
An outbreak, perhaps?. Being at the front, I did overhear the conductor allude to them having had to bring in different musicians. And both shows today (Saturday) have been cancelled. Being on the front row and close to performers who were no affected, it will be interesting to see if I get pinged by the NHS Covid-19 app.
I had an elderly American couple sat next to me. Based on their reactions, I'm not sure they chose the show they would enjoy the most (but I'm sure their options were limited). For me, this one of those shows that never fails to cheer me up.
They were collecting for Acting for Others as well, so a speech at the end from the two leads (where I was reminded that they finally have leads from the UK in this). No sign of anyone actually collecting money though, so maybe they were short of ushers to do this as well. I suspect the days of cast members themselves holding the buckets has had to go.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 17, 2021 10:37:23 GMT
The world's first degree in pantomime has been officially announced today!
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 17, 2021 10:32:50 GMT
Is it bad that I think there's a really unfortunate typo in this tweet...
I'm looking forward to this tour. The Curve have an excellent track record for adding a new spark to shows. And here we have a show where the lead spends much of it pretending to play a piano, so an actor-musician version should work perfectly.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 16, 2021 23:39:36 GMT
Enjoyed this tonight. Managed to pick up a front row rush ticket this morning, pretty central (well actually it was Row B and it turned out there was an extra fragmented row in front with only a few chairs and only one taken, the gaps I presume intended as wheelchair spaces, but I had no one in front and a clear view level with the stage).
Louis Smith was away, so the role of Cameron was played by Oliver Adam-Reynolds. He was on stage a lot in different roles, so based on what I've read I presume he was doing an ensemble role as well as Cameron.
Kenedy Small was on as cover Bridget and was excellent.
For me, the highlights were Vanessa Fisher as Danielle and Chloe Pole as Skylar. Fab to see Marvyn Charles, one of my Jamie cast favourites, rapping and showing off his dance moves (and his many tattoos) as well.
This is very much a high energy performance, with a young athletic cast, lots of flipping around and men throwing the women in the air. It uses the large stage in the Queen Elizabeth Hall well.
I saw the Australian premier a few years ago and also the non-professional production at the Southwark Playhouse. In terms of dance and vocal quality, this was very good. I'm still not completely convinced it is a particularly good musical (and I normally like teen high school musicals), but it really comes alive with the LMM numbers.
The theatre wasn't too full and the audience was rather spaced out. Some did move forward during the interval. This one is quite pricey and it's a short show (all done by 9:50pm with a long interview). Rush tickets are good value, but I guess most people don't know about them. This is one of those theatres where my Covid pass was checked, but the ticket wasn't, but at least the people around me were wearing masks.
Don't know if I'll be inspired enough to see this in London again (even though I missed seeing Louis Smith), but it is touring for quite a while so I may catch this down the line.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 16, 2021 23:24:42 GMT
Company completely sold out when I tried to book earlier this evening. Carousel still has good availability for several performances. I'll be checking back for Company returns nearer the time, Carousel booked. I'm sure a few will appear when they release the tickets they're holding for agents etc. But yes, these sell so fast (or some people get to book in advance). I'm sure I booked within 15 minutes of receiving the email and the dates I checked were two thirds full even then.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 16, 2021 13:03:57 GMT
Mountview have just put their next set of shows on sale, including Company (in the Backstage Theatre) and Carousel (in the main theatre).
Carousel doesn't have many seats left. Company is unreserved seating, so it's hard to tell.
I'm sure both will be excellent, so book quick!
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 14, 2021 23:48:41 GMT
I saw this tonight from the second row and thought the performances were excellent all around. A great view, even with the high stage. The audience was mostly well behaved as well (there was a bit of a commotion from the rear stalls in the first half, but it soon calmed down). Almost all the audience wore a mask too, so good to see them making an effort.
You certainly can't fault the music or the singing. I didn't know too much about the real story behind the Drifters, so I found that aspect fascinating, but also feel I now need to find a decent book about them to fill in all the gaps. I also had no idea how important the UK was to their longevity. This is rather short (2 hours 15 minutes with a long interval), but when the same small cast are on stage almost all the way through, that's to be expected.
I do think Tosh is a real star, but I've thought that for a long time. Such vocal talent. In fact, I got a lot of eye contact from all the male cast tonight, which is never a problem when they're all so easy on the eye. Beverly Knight was as sensational as you would expect.
If there is one flaw, it is just so strange to see so many gaps in the back catalogue (where I presume performance rights weren't granted). Most notably the songs by King, Goffin, Mann and Weil (basically anything featured in Beautiful). There might well be more to the story than that, with all the complexities in the tales of (the official and unofficial versions of) the Drifters, but I'll have to read more about it.
I would definitely go and see this again on the strength of all the performances alone.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 11, 2021 18:59:22 GMT
Did anyone else get pinged by the NHS Covid app today who attended on Wednesday?
The app doesn't say where the Covid exposure was, but the theatre was the only place that day where I was in close proximity to the same people for more than 15 minutes.
Thankfully I have no symptoms and a negative lateral flow test, so I don't have to self isolate. And mask wearing in the venue was pretty good.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 10, 2021 22:10:10 GMT
Got to say this looked and sounded stunning! I wasn't planning to go the first day due to the crowds, but my local cinema (Vue Westfield Shepherds Bush) had about 10 showings today. The early evening performance I went to only had about 20 people in (although I still managed to get two people who wanted to talk sat behind). Surprised to find out they have an 11:30pm showing there too.
Not much to add to what others have said. It's updated in a way that makes logical sense, but the period is captured well. The song sequence is a bit odd but this all builds to the climax and this gets very dark at times. I could have done with the lights staying off a bit longer at the end to soak it in (although I suspect the emotion didn't get to the couple behind me as they were already talking again even before the credits started rolling). But really, I don't think this could have been done any better - and it should win awards!
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 10, 2021 12:04:29 GMT
I enjoyed this last night, even with the recycled material and the dubious acting of two people during Paul Zerdin's part (thankfully no children on stage this year). I'm never too keen on all fake improv, but most people lap that up.
It was a much longer show than advertised, but also started late. It took a long time to get everyone in. I ended up with a seat which decided it wanted to tilt forward instead of back, but after sliding off the ushers did kindly find me a better seat a few rows forward (but far enough back to avoid the audience participation).
Thankfully I am reminded again which seats in the front row to avoid (as it seems to be the same ones every year).
There was a nice touch when the crowd sang Happy Birthday to Donny at the start of the second act. He was very gracious about this. I had hoped for a spontaneous rendition of "When I'm 64" in response, but to be fair, he doesn't look it. Fine voice too and great to hear snippets of his many hits (aided in song by most of the audience - although I don't know if the 5 year old in front of me had any idea what was going on).
Apart from that, Julian was wonderful as always and Nigel got the single best joke of the night (based around a Christmas party he attended last year).
I did overpay for my ticket (based on the offers that came along afterwards), but still, this is an excellent evening out. I had a stretch limo whizz past me immediately after the show too, which I presume was Mr Osmond making his exit.
Don't think there was enough there for a second visit this year, but will look forward to seeing what they conjure up for 2022.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 9, 2021 16:20:05 GMT
The gunshot goes off when you see someone holding a gun. Guns being waved around on stage are quite a major anxiety trigger for people. I know it's not rational. They might be more acceptable in the US where guns are more common.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 9, 2021 16:10:35 GMT
Uh-oh! Can you share what this audience interaction entails? {Spoiler - click to view} One member of the front row is selected to hold up a photo during a masturbation scene.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 9, 2021 10:56:14 GMT
I was one of the many TB members who was there last night. Thankfully not in the front row, where there are opportunities for audience interaction.
I liked it, but also thought it was over-stylised. Vocally, everything was performed very well, but as a production I preferred the Hope Mill version.
This is the first performance of this I've seen that has actually had a gunshot (thankfully a recording, but I wish theatres would say this in advance to save those of who get anxious about such things).
The advertised run time is 2 hours 15 minutes but this is running longer. Ended at 22:10 last night, but that included a 5 minutes show stop while they fixed a problem with the set. I can see them getting this down to 2 hours 30 minutes, but 2 hours 15 would be pushing it.
Quite happy with my £10 restricted view seat. There was a pillar in view, but a lot of this is performed concert style anyway with minimal interaction (possibly to make it easy to adapt in case further Covid restrictions come in), so that didn't really matter. Most people (not all) respected the announcement that mask wearing was required.
I did have a younger person sat near me who was sneaking photos, which went very well for him until the flash went off. It was an odd audience. One person left from the front row only a few minutes in and someone else left before the gunshot but returned afterwards (which I can understand).
The ending is a bit flat as there's no song reprise like in some other productions.
I do like the theatre, but I think I'll wait for the transfer before seeing this again.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 9, 2021 10:43:19 GMT
Am there tonight and I see it's also Donny's 64th Birthday, so I wonder if they'll do anything special to mark the occasion?
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 8, 2021 0:11:55 GMT
It's probably the same theatre, is it anywhere near Westfield? The address given is: Land bounded by 58 Wood Lane and Westway London W12 7RZ Which I think is the other side of Wood Lane (the previous site I believe has since been built up) Edit - have found the planning application online (if anyone has the patience to go through the many attachment): public-access.lbhf.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=R2ZDS8BIFL000And looks like the theatre will be called Troubadour Light CityPlanned opening date April 2022. It does look like it's the same physical buildings as the previous theatre. The location is on the land where Imperial College are building, the other side of the tube line.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 7, 2021 23:25:25 GMT
Just received notification of a planning permission request for a new theatre in White City (and the option to object - not that I would).
Not too many details, but it looks likes it's the same company as the Troubadour Wembley and almost across the road from where the Troubadour White City used to be. A temporary structure for 10 years according to the letter.
They took the previous one down in about a week, so I wonder if it's the previous theatre due to come out of storage (and how long it will take to re-erect). Perfect area for a theatre too.
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 4, 2021 14:59:11 GMT
Very much enjoyed the first preview last night. An excellent view from the front row, although the "line" is very close to you.
This seemed like a very different staging to how I've seen the show before, but I don't know this as well as many forum members will do. They used the depth of the stage to full advantage.
Some well, acted well, danced well, only minor slip I spotted was a hat falling off at the wrong time. A nicely diverse cast without too many big names. Carly Mercedes Dyer was excellent, but that will surprise no one.
Lots of tears in the cast as they really got the emotion of the auditions across. I liked Ainsley Hall Ricketts as Paul a lot as well.
Good to see the Curve pushing the audience to all respect the mask requirements (and most people complying with this). Pretty full too. There were two conspicuously empty seats on the front row, but I expect those were people who had booked but couldn't make it.
Running time was about two hours straight through, including the post-show request for donations. A full and fast standing ovation, as you'd expect. Then, it is exit by rows, so allow an extra 10 minutes if you're at the front. This does mean you can hear the small band (who are situated on stage, but mostly rotated from view) play out.
I'll let people who know the show better than me fill in the details of the changes. They'd certainly done a lot of rework of the final number and, if anything, have made it into a real production piece, with bows saved until afterwards. A fantastic production!
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 3, 2021 11:33:57 GMT
I also attended last night. A great rush seat in the third row, which is the perfect level to view the show from. I was to the side and some of the staging is difficult from that angle, but I've seen the show a few times this year so I know it well.
This is always a fun uplifting show and a good way to improve my mood.
My first time seeing this since it has come back to the Other Palace. Heathers is really designed for a small venue so the Other Palace is the perfect place for it. The set fits properly on the stage (unlike the tour) and everything feels so much more intimate.
I liked Jacob as JD a lot. I also like the way they've toned the acting back down for the small venue (probably because the audience are up close, unlike at the West End or on tour). Only minor gripe would be the sound balance at times, but a lot of that is due to the position of the orchestra.
Thankfully, they've also toned down the picking on "Steve" to make this more playful again, rather than the way it had started to come across as vindictive recently. A hint for male audience members, I suspect those people who complete ignore the announcement at the start that masks are required in the venue are more likely to be chosen for the audience participation element.
It is a little strange seeing the show with only two male ensemble and lines reallocated, but it held together well. Great to see Jordan Cunningham on stage again in the ensemble. I can see he's been working out too, presumably for when he goes on in his cover role for Kurt, which I'd like to see (not that there is anything for the audience to complain about when George Maddison and Tom Scanlon parade around in their 80s underwear).
As others have said, Ailsa Davidson is excellent as Veronica and I think we'll hear a lot more from her in the future. This is a strong cast all around, even if you do have to suspect disbelief more than for many shows for them to pass as 17 year olds.
Last night's audience was very polite and appreciative, with just the right amount of whooping. A standard ovation for the full ensemble, which is always good to see. It is a shame the theatre was only a little over half full, but the pricing for this one is rather on the high side and they aren't making many Rush tickets available.
So far this year, I've seen four different JDs and four different Veronicas (across five visits to different versions of the production). Hopefully I can fit in one more of each before this closes.
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Post by Dr Tom on Nov 27, 2021 11:40:25 GMT
"Everybody's got the right to some sunshine"
No one has ever written lyrics as meaningful or consistent as Sondheim.
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Post by Dr Tom on Nov 26, 2021 11:06:20 GMT
Is the tour the original staging that has previously toured or the "squashed" staging that we currently have at Trafalgar? I think it's the same set that previously toured. It certainly filled the stage at Wimbledon.
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Post by Dr Tom on Nov 25, 2021 13:46:32 GMT
I caught the first night of the UK tour last night in Wimbledon. A great seat at the end of the front row in a very full theatre.
Let's face it. The show has toured for years and is like a well-oiled machine. Almost everything last night was very polished. There were a couple of minor microphone issues and line flubs and some backstage bangs, but nothing really noticeable. The single biggest problem was someone in the second row whose seat was faulty, then a whole parade of people trying to fix it during an extended interval (before he was eventually moved to another seat).
I also saw the first night of the current West End production and I enjoyed the tour version so much more. Essentially it's the same production, but the sound quality in Wimbledon is so much better and the sound edits less obvious. I was sat close to a speaker too, which was helpful for drowning out the woman singing behind me.
I really liked Michael Pickering, who is playing Frankie Valli, but all the cast were excellent (especially those moving seamlessly between multiple roles with a range of different wigs to content with). Lewis Griffiths, who has been Nick Massi now for many years (possibly longer than the real Nick Massi ever toured for) was excellent too. Blair Gibson is a great Bob Gaudio, having previously played the role on the cruise ship version. Then there's Dalton Wood as Tommy Devito, who really has to hold the show together from the first moment on stage. Then there was George Salmon, making his professional debut as Joe Pesci, who made sure he got every swear word out there to maximum effect.
A thoroughly deserved standing ovation at the end for the whole cast. I'm not in a rush to see the West End production again (although hopefully they have sorted the sound quality by now), but I would certainly go back to see the touring cast.
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Post by Dr Tom on Nov 23, 2021 22:48:26 GMT
I enjoyed this more than I expected to tonight at Richmond.
A nice theatre. I had booked the front row, but the theatre contacted me in an advance to say the stage was raised due to a revolve and suggested I move back. I ended up in the centre of the third row. Lots of space around and a perfect view. The theatre was much fuller further back but many of these were seats that were allocated very late.
This is a gentle evening out, combining scripts from the TV show with new material. It flows quite well, over a period of around 12 months. There are six actors, with the four leads and two people playing various other roles. Everything takes place in one of the two living rooms, which update during the play.
The first 20 minutes is a bit slow, but it picks up from there. Plenty of laughs in the second half. There are some cute animals (puppets) used as well.
I do remember the show but it's years since I've seen it, so it's hard to say what material is new, apart from some of the jokes would likely not have made it into the TV show. And there are 70s references which look like they wouldn't have been considered funny at the time. But I found this to be an entertaining enough evening and a lot of the (mostly elderly) audience lapped it up.
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Post by Dr Tom on Nov 23, 2021 9:11:52 GMT
I'm not good with lines, especially as I saw this at the first preview and there have been some small changes along the way, so I wouldn't like to say exactly what changed and when. But they've cut the Godmother's lines a bit since I last saw this. They've also increased the importance of the necklace and midnight, but that occurred earlier in the run. The plot still doesn't make all that much sense, but they're working with what they have.
I didn't spot Baz, but the landing type level was so packed with people mingling it was very hard to tell (it was even a bit of a struggle to get through the masses to the gents).
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Post by Dr Tom on Nov 23, 2021 8:37:07 GMT
I can give you a few quick thoughts from last night.
I won the lottery draw, so ended up in one of the £25 seats near the back of the Circle. The view is fine and I think there were a lot more lottery winners than usual last night. Otherwise, it was pretty full.
I arrived quite late and straight from work, so not quite in the finery of many of the others. Very tight security around the theatre with road closures, plenty of police and wand searches.
Lots of celebrities, but mostly of the type of person who looks vaguely familiar but I couldn't quite name. Plus other people who wanted to be seen. I did spot (I believe) two Pussycat Dolls (not together) and managed to narrowly avoid crashing into Barry Humphries on two different levels of the theatre!
Apparently there was free champagne but I totally missed it.
The show started with a video, then a speech from Andrew (who called this show the real opening night), then from Malala (very well received). This was followed by a charity auction with two Sotheby's auctioneers for a painting by Shamsia Hassani (Afghanistan's answer to Banksy) which went for £21,000. I don't know much about art and I didn't have a spare £21,000 (or more) in my wallet but somehow I think the buyer got a bargain there!
As for the show, I thought it felt tighter and I noticed a few line cuts (but also some jokes that were either new, or just no one had laughed at before). But nothing majorly different from when I last saw this a few weeks ago. I believe all the leads were on, but I couldn't get close enough to a cast board to check.
There was a nice touch as well with a goodie bag (specially printed) including a programme with a special sticker, a poster, a pen and details of how to donate further. With not all the seats being filled at the back I did notice a few people amassing quite a collection of these, so do check out eBay soon if you like this type of thing,
I missed the champagne, but based on the number of people who got up during the show many others didn't. From the Circle, I could also see a record number of phone lights (some dimmer than others), plus people taking photos, but they may well have been celebrities. The ushers did have their work cut out.
It did feel like a successful and special night!
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Post by Dr Tom on Nov 22, 2021 9:51:55 GMT
The Spongebob Musical - Arts Ed
I saw this sellout production last Friday evening. You can't fault the professionalism of the production and this is really a perfect show for a young diverse cast, with no one looking out of place. Apart from one slip in the tap dancing scene, this would be ready to go into a commercial venue anywhere.
This very much reminded me of how this was staged on Broadway, just scaled down for the climbing scene. There is infectious smiling throughout.
Ciaran Rodger as SpongeBob and Ben Culleton as Patrick were perfect. Miles Harding as Sheldon Plankton is ready for a role as a pantomime villain anywhere.
I know there has been some controversy with this production. I didn't pick up on this on Friday, but it is impossible to know if any changes had been made. But these are very important issues and certainly not ones to make light of.
With that aside, this is one of the rare student productions which I would have loved to have seen again.
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