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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 8, 2018 22:37:07 GMT
I was so enthused I posted straight away instead of searching for an introduction thread Oh, we are not that formal on here, we just plunge in . Personally I always dress in black tie before posting, but I have a suspicion that might just be me.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 8, 2018 14:38:24 GMT
The Old Vic is particularly bad since they have totally refurbished the foyer areas and both bars, installed a new kitchen in the downstairs bar so they can flog food to non-theatregoers, reconfigured the auditorium into an in-the-round space, back into it's standard configuration, and back again into a different in-the-round configuration, repainted the entire outside of the building, and still done nothing about the loos! In summary: the refurbishment is p*ss poor.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 8, 2018 12:56:00 GMT
Some shows do have increased Security - Rocky Horror Show being an obvious one, the "Girls Night Out type shows" like Mamma Mia and Dirty Dancing often have more rigorous alcoholic checks as drink is potentially more likely to be smuggled into those type of shows. I do feel this is as much to help the theatres increase bar revenue than anything. Maybe like at airports or some nightclubs anyone considered under the influence is refused admittance. At Bat Out Of Hell didn't they take bottles of drink (Coke, water, etc) off people? I managed to smuggle my water in somehow They did indeed and, like you, I found a way round that! It was something peculiar to that production. I've been back to the Coliseum 4 times since Bat and there is no issue with taking drink in.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 8, 2018 11:42:30 GMT
drink toilet etc before the show.... Each to their own - I prefer a G&T.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 8, 2018 11:41:06 GMT
Dire ones in the West End: Ambassadors (no room FOH and tiny loos) and Phoenix (big queues for loos for both women and men).
Outside London I have a positive vote for the New Victoria in Woking. On each level FOH (if I remember correctly) is a bar, loads of space, seating and loos. Also, I don't understand why the Churchill Theatre in Bromley has a negative comment. It has loads of space (particularly downstairs), drinks available on several levels and quite a few loos (if you know where to look).
Theatres that do quite well (facilities and ambience) are those that have a new extension to an old auditorium. The Opera House in Belfast is an example - nice old auditorium, but to the side is a nice modern area with good loos, bar, seats, etc. and sufficient space for the audience before house opens.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 8, 2018 10:33:28 GMT
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 7, 2018 16:38:26 GMT
I was happily sitting in my stalls seat yesterday. Two women in front. My seat was perfectly off-set, so as they were looking together at a mobile phone it was as if they were presenting it for my viewing pleasure. They were browsing a lingerie site. First they looked at a selection of bras for well-endowed women. At which point I looked elsewhere. On glancing back, they were on to a selection of very skimpy knickers which resulted in a lot of head shaking. I checked out the theatre décor. I glanced back again. They were now on to a selection of seriously huge knickers. This resulted in much more positive and detailed discussion. One of them finally managed a selection and purchase before curtain up. Women’s lives are full of complicated choices. Thank goodness as a man I don’t have to fret about these things. I just stick to my leopard print posing pouch – sorted! [Incidentally, do any forum members have recommendations for ointment for chafing?] What show? Important to know. Are you trying to figure out if I was sitting behind you? It was at the Rat Pack at TRH.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 6, 2018 13:15:34 GMT
Defiantly! and relaxed performances make it possible for those who couldn't come at all to a "normal" performance possible (as in those with sensory difficulties, those with issues around crowds etc.) it's a wonderful thing that more theatres- especially those with the resources to do so- should be insisting upon. But obviously also we should be careful not to corral all disabled people into the 'you must attend only your designated perfomances' as well- not least because they're so few and far between. Just as a whole- in theatre and beyond- we need to keep thinking and rethinking how we make society more accessible for everyone so we're all on as equal a playing field as possible. I was talking to my boss the other week about all the theatre I see and he said how he'd like to go some day. When I asked why he didn't, it completely slipped my mind about his condition. He's epileptic and has mini fits several times a day which involve about 10-20 seconds of him making some rather strange high pitched sounds. He said he'd just need to be guaranteed a seat on the aisle at the back so he could slip out at a moments notice. I;m sure he could arrange a position like that easily but unfortunately he's too self conscious about it to try. In quite a few West End theatres a better option might be a box. These often have their own doors opening to corridors outside the auditorium, so would be easier to nip in and out of with minimal notice to anyone else.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 6, 2018 10:22:39 GMT
Sarah Hemming rumour that it's coming to London this summer:
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 6, 2018 9:48:13 GMT
I was happily sitting in my stalls seat yesterday. Two women in front. My seat was perfectly off-set, so as they were looking together at a mobile phone it was as if they were presenting it for my viewing pleasure. They were browsing a lingerie site.
First they looked at a selection of bras for well-endowed women. At which point I looked elsewhere.
On glancing back, they were on to a selection of very skimpy knickers which resulted in a lot of head shaking. I checked out the theatre décor.
I glanced back again. They were now on to a selection of seriously huge knickers. This resulted in much more positive and detailed discussion.
One of them finally managed a selection and purchase before curtain up.
Women’s lives are full of complicated choices. Thank goodness as a man I don’t have to fret about these things. I just stick to my leopard print posing pouch – sorted! [Incidentally, do any forum members have recommendations for ointment for chafing?]
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 6, 2018 8:26:25 GMT
He's deleted his account. Again? I am starting to wonder if he really exists. If he returns on a periodic visit, I will leave out a mince pie and glass of sherry for him.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 5, 2018 13:45:38 GMT
But if it gets them interested in the time and place then they might be prompted to look deeper and find out the details of what really happened. Indeed! History teachers use “historical” films all the time as a hook- something to get the kids interested and give an overview- and refer back to “remember when so and so did that in the films, well...” And then we (when I was still doing it) use this magical thing called “Teaching” And our own “Expert knowledge” (such as it is!) to fill in the blanks and correct inaccuracies. If I was still teaching teens Hamilton would be an amazing kick start to teaching elements of the era. I was being a bit jokey in my remark. Of course one can use historically related theatre or films to start an educational conversation and I agree Hamilton would engage teens more than most shows. It's just I see comments that suggest people don't get the history behind Hamilton and how the show has fun altering this. A teacher can of course address this.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 5, 2018 12:39:24 GMT
Taking kids to Hamilton for a history lesson would be about as accurate as taking them to the Book of Mormon for a religious education lesson.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 5, 2018 11:04:13 GMT
I went yesterday. This is fine as it is, but it is very much a talking head performance and so I fully agree about the running time point as it is hard to maintain concentration for an hour and a half. I have been to three other of Callow's one man shows (Christmas Carol, Dickens and Shakespeare) and all were much more active performances (moving around, voices, props, etc.). In this one he is sitting down most of the time, occasionally standing. During it I did wonder quite how much work this had been for the director!
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 5, 2018 10:47:54 GMT
At De Profundis yesterday a guy two rows behind me in the dress circle started snoring after about 10 minutes (it was loud enough to make hearing the performance quite difficult!). There was some activity and he stopped. About five minutes later, he started again. To one side of him were several empty seats and then a woman. She promptly got up from her seat, ran to him and gave him an almighty push (people saying "shush" were simply not getting through). I did think she was only going to deliver a small prod to wake him up, but she was clearly going for something more dramatic. The result was no more snoring for the rest of the show. Well done that woman!
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 3, 2018 12:52:03 GMT
Obviously it is hard for something to have quite a lot of hype, but it still to seem to exceed that (not just live up to it). For me such productions include 42nd Street, Mathew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Opera North’s Ring Cycle and The Flick (to give examples of musical, dance, opera and play).
Lots of hype can lead to disappointment when I finally get to see something. Examples are Mosquitoes, Dreamgirls, Lazarus and Hamilton. The latter two I felt were fine, but way over-hyped. The former two I felt were actually not very good, so way below the hype given them.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 2, 2018 14:07:15 GMT
Yaaaaay! Matthew Needham. I love him. Well, I only hope James Norton does not get too upset.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 1, 2018 14:14:35 GMT
We’ll discover who the cast of Chess is going to be? And then 1) we will understand the higher ticket prices 2) all agree that the higher ticket prices are totally unjustified.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 1, 2018 10:55:11 GMT
Last week I saw people using a machine at the Olivier box office level.
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Post by bellboard27 on Dec 31, 2017 23:58:11 GMT
New Year just coming. Have a great one everyone!
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Post by bellboard27 on Dec 31, 2017 19:42:10 GMT
I’ve now worked my new venues out. Only now do I realise it has been so many in 2017!
Greater London: 2Northdown! Studio Theatre, Kings Cross Albany Theatre, Deptford Andrew Lloyd Weber Performance Theatre, ArtsEd, Chiswick Bloomsbury Theatre Studio, Bloomsbury Bridge Theatre Brookside Theatre, Romford Canada Water Theatre, Canada Water Cervantes Theatre, Southwark Clore Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House Embassy Theatre, Central School of Speech and Drama, Swiss Cottage George Bernard Shaw Theatre, RADA Gerry's Studio, Stratford Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre, RADA The John Lyon's Theatre, Kingsway Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford Kings Place, Kings Cross Laban Theatre, Deptford Little Angel Theatre, Islington Sainsbury Theatre, LAMDA The Scoop, City Hall Streatham Hill Theatre, Streatham Marble Arch Theatre New Diorama Theatre, ND2 The Monkey House, Finsbury Park The Nursery Theatre, Finsbury Avenue Polish Cultural Centre Theatre, Hammersmith Printworks London, Surrey Quays The Site, Royal Court Theatre Tara Theatre, Earlsfield Toynbee Studios, Whitechapel Vaulty Towers, Waterloo Waterloo East Theatre Yard Theatre, Hackney Wick
Rest of UK: Belfast: Grand Opera House Cambridge: Arts Theatre Colchester: Mercury Theatre Dartford: Miskin Theatre Edinburgh: Bedlam Theatre Edinburgh: Playhouse Theatre Edinburgh: Summerhall Gravesend: Woodville Theatre Southampton: Mayflower Theatre Tunbridge Wells: Assembly Halls Woking: New Victoria Theatre
Outside UK: Belgium: Brussels: Atelier Marcel Hastir Belgium: Brussels: Les Halles de Schaerbeek Belgium: Brussels: Palais de la Monnaie, Tour et Taxis Belgium: Brussels: Théâtre Marivaux Belgium: Brussels: Théâtre Royal des Galeries Belgium: Brussels: Théâtre Royal du Parc Belgium: Brussels: Théâtre Viage Czech Republic: Prague: National Theatre, New Stage The Netherlands: The Hague: Korzo Theatre Sweden: Malmo: Arena USA: Bethesda MD: Roundhouse Theater USA: Washington DC: Eastman Theater USA: Washington DC: Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center USA: Washington DC: Opera House, Kennedy Center USA: Washington DC: The Source Theater USA: Washington DC: Sprenger Theater, Atlas Performing Arts Center USA: Washington DC: Trinidad Theater, Logan Fringe Arts Space USA: Washington DC: Woolly Mammoth Theater
My only comment is on how good so many theatres are in the drama/dance schools – RADA, LAMDA (with its brand new theatre wing), Trinity Laban, Arts Ed and the Central School of Speech and Drama. I’m very happy for repeat visits to these.
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Post by bellboard27 on Dec 31, 2017 15:12:22 GMT
We also caught this (finally!) a couple of nights ago. Both of us felt underwhelmed by it. There are some good performances and we liked how it is staged in the Olivier. However, the musical itself is not great. It's OK, but not great. I like the cleverness of some of Sondheim's lyrics and the variety of styles in the show, but somehow it did not connect. However, it is great to see the Olivier packed out and for such a rousing audience response.
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Post by bellboard27 on Dec 31, 2017 11:01:10 GMT
We had a similar thread last year. I like going to new venues (but I don't always necessarily want to return!). What new theatres and venues have board members been to in 2017? Are there good and bad points to highlight?
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Post by bellboard27 on Dec 31, 2017 10:51:51 GMT
Right, 2017 shows concluded. 224 seen. Some highlights for me:
Best plays: Hamlet (Almeida), An Octoroon (Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington DC – I didn’t see the Orange Tree production, but the WMT production was outstanding), Out There on Fried Meat Ridge Road.
Best musicals: 42nd Street, American in Paris, Rent, On the Town.
Funniest opera: Red Mary (National Theatre, Prague), followed by Barber of Seville (ENO)
Most enjoyable opera: Mitridate, re di Ponto (ROH)
Best dance: Untouchable (Royal Ballet), followed by Trois Grandes Fugues (Lille Opera House)
Most delightful unexpected surprises: Out There on Fried Meat Ridge Road (again) and La Boheme (coincidentally both at Trafalgar Studios 2)
Most thought provoking: Groomed (Bloomsbury Studio Theatre – a one man show by a survivor of child abuse), followed by An Octoroon.
What shows made me rebook them (a rare thing for me) – only 3: 42nd Street, Hamlet, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Royal Ballet)
Peculiarity of the year: The Frogs (Jermyn Street Theatre)
Wish I had kept my eyes closed: Rigoletto (Copenhagen OH), Madame Butterfly (La Monnaie, Brussels) (both great singing, but appalling staging choices)
Wish I had seen: Sovremennik Theatre’s Three Comrades at the Piccadilly Theatre (having caught Three Sisters later)
Why did I go?: Salome (NT) (but I loved Knives in Hens!)
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Post by bellboard27 on Dec 25, 2017 10:26:19 GMT
So they think\know there's an audience for music theatre on television. Why not get the best young talent and a few established names to do it to a really high standard, rather than feed us half-baked, badly performed turns where someone is the "winner"? The production costs won't be any different, but the quality infinitely better. The answer to this is easy. The general public doesn’t know who Louise Dearman or Kerry Ellis is. My family wouldn’t have a clue - they would know the cast of Corrie, Loose Women or Freddie Flintoff. It’s annoying beyond words but that’s the sad reality. Even established musical theatre names Elaine Paige, John Barrowman and Micheal Ball aside won’t be seen to bring in ratings for the demographic wanted. Very sad, but very true.
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