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Post by stuartmcd on Dec 30, 2016 21:54:46 GMT
Original cast are returning to this show 21-25 Feb for 6 shows only before broadway. Just found this out and booked for the matinee on the Saturday. Saw the play last year but felt quite ill during the performance so didn't get to fully enjoy it. Was looking for a reason to go again and here it is.
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Post by stuartmcd on Dec 22, 2016 20:09:48 GMT
Has to be Groundhog Day for me. I just loved everything about it. Hopefully we'll get a cast recording next year once it has opened on Broadway and fingers crossed for a return to the West End
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Post by stuartmcd on Nov 10, 2016 21:01:29 GMT
The staging of the show is flawless. No the lights don't fade. It's more a case of different set pieces slide on and off (quite often the two main staircases) and they are used for different scenes. Part 1 I thought was creatively amazing, part 2 a tad repetitive. The water and tiny swimming pool is at the very front of the stage. (Think of where the conductor would be). The whole front of the stage is covered over so it extends right to where the audience sit. At the end of act one a two meter section of the very front centre of the stage opens up and reveals what is obviously a large (hopefully slightly heated water tank - the boys come out from that. They obviously need water proof microphones and there must be a u shapes design that means they can come from underneath the stage. (Think of the show O if any of you have seen that in Vegas). The main thing I thought of - do the people on the front row get wet? Surely they must do? oh ok so do you see actors having to break character and get into position on the next set for the new scene? Sorry if this sounds naive but I haven't experienced play like this before. No they never break character and just seamlessly move from one scene to another. The scene changes are really fluid and are often treated like dance with plenty of cape swishing.
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Post by stuartmcd on Nov 7, 2016 16:20:57 GMT
Did anybody who saw the matinee on November 5th take a photo of the cast list? I forgot, but I would love to know who I saw (especially the kids). Didn't get a picture but from the programme I can put names to faces Katie - Selma Hansen Billy - Logan Walmsley Tomika - Adithi Sujith Freddy - Jude Harper-Wrobel Lawrence - Oscar Francisco James - Sonny Kirby Mason - Lucas Chow Shonelle - Jaydah Bell-Ricketts I believe Summer was Eva Trodd and Zack was Toby Lee but not completely sure on those. Couldn't really figure out Marcy, Sophie or Matthew As for the adults we had pretty much the main cast except for Joel Montague on as Dewey Finn and Alfie Parker on for Stanley/Mr Williams
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Post by stuartmcd on Nov 5, 2016 17:24:30 GMT
Could be me going mad, but I thought I saw WestEndUnderstudies tweet that Gary Trainor would be on as Dewey Finn this afternoon, but they've now just tweeted that Joel Montague will be making his debut as Dewey Finn this afternoon, with a couple of swings on as well. It's all go over at camp SoR and they've only just begun! Just got out of the show and Joel was amazing. Really nailed the songs and I would never have known it was his first performance. Loved the show. Thought the kids were incredible.
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Post by stuartmcd on Nov 4, 2016 18:34:35 GMT
Thinking of going along tomorrow. What are the seats in the front section towards the sides like? E28 is available for £45 but it's on the very end of the row. Any ideas?
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Post by stuartmcd on Sept 27, 2016 16:17:52 GMT
Guys, I just had a crazy thought! And I wanna write it down so that if the slim chance it happens I can be proud of myself. What if a certian film producer comes on stage at the end and does a Samantha Barks style offer on Rachel live on stage...?! I had this thought earlier! Even if it's not for Rachel I feel it would be a good opportunity for some kind of announcement
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Post by stuartmcd on Sept 27, 2016 15:27:44 GMT
And also, all the doors are open at the theatre at the mo for cleaning, no great divide currently in the middle of the foyer so looks like we will all be in it together. Yeah I feel that the difference in doors is purely for press purposes
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Post by stuartmcd on Sept 27, 2016 14:24:36 GMT
Popped round the other side where we enter and there is currently nothing different
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Post by stuartmcd on Sept 27, 2016 14:19:15 GMT
Green carpet is currently being laid down
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Post by stuartmcd on Aug 25, 2016 12:06:19 GMT
Does anyone know what is happening with tickets for the 10th anniversary? The website says that the tickets will not be sent out or ready to collect from the box office until 2 weeks before the show. However when you buy the tickets the only option is do not despatch.
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Post by stuartmcd on Aug 23, 2016 20:43:32 GMT
Were the brochures a post opening night addition? I didn't see any when I went the week before. I shall have to buy one online. Yeah I believe they weren't added until after previews
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Post by stuartmcd on Aug 23, 2016 20:25:11 GMT
I was quite happy that they didn't sell the brochures until the end of the part two. There were a few pictures in there that I would have been annoyed at seeing before watching the play such as Albus and Scorpius in the lake. There's a note on one of the first few pages that says that the brochure doesn't reveal all of the secrets but please don't spoil it for anyone who wants to see it with "fresh eyes".
They were pretty easy to get hold of at the end as they had staff situated all over the theatre to sell them. There are some great pictures and interviews in there so I'm glad that I did get one as I was leaving.
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Post by stuartmcd on Aug 14, 2016 10:20:37 GMT
It's surprising how different some theatres are when it comes to this issue. Some shows seem to encourage it like Matilda where they tend to retweet people's pictures. At Harry Potter last night and people were going right up to the stage and having pictures taken and not one person was told off about it. However there were a number of people around me at the Old Vic on Friday who were attempting to take pictures of the stage and were seen and told to delete the pictures. The worst I've seen was at The Play That Goes Wrong where a mother and daughter were just trying to take a selfie in their seats and had an usher swoop down on them. I think that ended up with managers getting involved.
I can understand why they want to discourage the taking of photos but in the age of social media I think it serves as great advertisement for the show.
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Post by stuartmcd on Aug 13, 2016 22:44:18 GMT
Saw the play today and it truly blew me away. All the pieces of the show come together so perfectly and I particularly loved the music by Imogen Heap. Didn't stop to get any merchandise though did pick up a programme and the beautiful souvenir brochure. It's a nice idea that they save the souvenir brochures until the very end of part two for sale. It does appear that they are no longer giving out the #keepthesecrets badges which is a shame.
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Post by stuartmcd on Aug 12, 2016 21:48:07 GMT
Saw the show tonight and thought it was just fantastic. It was so funny (a lot funnier than the movie) but also showed real heart and really explored how deeply that situation could affect you.
This needs a life after The Old Vic run!
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Post by stuartmcd on Aug 8, 2016 21:41:59 GMT
Yeah managed to book 2 seats in the Grand Circle for the third of June. Email confirmation straight away
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Post by stuartmcd on Aug 8, 2016 19:06:04 GMT
You can tell it's legit as you go on and there's literally nothing available except for a couple of dates. Does the classic thing of telling you a date has availability and then shows as sold out
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Post by stuartmcd on Aug 4, 2016 22:02:11 GMT
I've been wondering... How much of this mayhem is because it is Harry Potter and how much is it because it is also one of the best things that has been produced on the West End for years? It could have been done and failed so terribly. The magic ingredients don't always come together: Love Never Dies West End V Australia I think it's a mixture. Would it still be the same if the reviews were terrible? I think there are a lot of die hard Potter fans who would potentially avoid it if they had been told the play was awful. The reality today for a lot of fans was that if you don't get tickets today then you may not get the chance to see the play until 2018!
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Post by stuartmcd on Aug 1, 2016 21:00:10 GMT
Going off-topic but JK Rowling mentioned on press night of Cursed Child that she's done with Harry Potter but I think that while Harry's story might be concluded, the Wizarding World will most certainly continue, we're getting the Fantastic Beasts trilogy in the cinema which covers a time period not mentioned in the books, new characters and set in a country which hasn't been covered by the previous books. I I found this interview rather interesting www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36932417When asked if Harry's story would continue in another kind of medium she mentioned doing Fantastic Beasts and that it was more "previewy" than people realise.
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Post by stuartmcd on Jul 15, 2016 21:21:58 GMT
Early buzz from Act 1 on twitter is positive. Will be interesting to hear final thoughts
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Post by stuartmcd on Jul 7, 2016 21:47:37 GMT
Have they installed a new curtain tonight or has that always been there?
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Post by stuartmcd on Jun 28, 2016 18:23:47 GMT
What on earth are you boys all carrying around in these backpacks? I bet 90% of whatever it is is totally superfluous. Leave the bag at home. Liberate yourselves. Haha I do try and leave it when I can but having to get an hour and a half train to London means I like to take a book. It's a handy place to keep my glasses, ticket and a bottle of water. Also if I buy a programme of brochure then I can keep it in their rather than carry it around. It's annoying that you have to stand and have a stranger go through your stuff before you can go into the theatre but it's definitely handy to have a bag.
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Post by stuartmcd on Jun 27, 2016 22:38:58 GMT
Foolish usher at the National tried to stop a woman taking a very small bag into the theatre, on the grounds it was a "backpack" - in as much as she had a shoulder strap. She protested it was her handbag, and eventually he let her in. Do many theatres ban bags? I had my bag checked on the way into Aladdin but I've never been told I can't have it.
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Post by stuartmcd on Jun 22, 2016 11:32:20 GMT
Yes managed to get a great seat in the stalls for March! E21! Thankfully I am also seeing it in August but in a restricted view seat.
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Post by stuartmcd on Jun 11, 2016 7:11:07 GMT
People all over Twitter are posting the link to the dailybeast which has a full plot summary. Now the consensus seems to be that the story is terrible fan fiction and laughable though I have no intention of clicking and finding out. Does the story come across better on the stage? They've alway said that it was done as a play for a reason as it wouldn't work as a book or movie
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Post by stuartmcd on Jun 7, 2016 23:44:48 GMT
What was it like getting into the Theatre with all the focus on security and pictures of long queues? Is it best to get there an hour before like they advise?
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Post by stuartmcd on Jun 7, 2016 19:54:44 GMT
Question to anyone that has been. What was it like getting into the theatre? Do you really need to get there an hour early and was it clear on where to wait?
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Post by stuartmcd on Jun 6, 2016 22:38:37 GMT
Wicked - £125 Les Mis - £127 Matilda - £122 Lion King- £127 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - £125 Funny Girl - £125 Those are musicals though, don't plays usually charge less? Oh absolutely but let's face it this has the broad appeal of a musical and a production level to match. For just one part the top price is £65 which is what you'd expect from a play but two parts together takes it up to top musical pricing. It's not like each part is only 1 hour each and could easily be one play. The running time in total is around 5 hours!
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Post by stuartmcd on Jun 6, 2016 22:17:53 GMT
Well the top price tickets for both parts is £130 altogether. Compare that to say Book of Mormon whose top price ticket is £150 I think it's pretty reasonable that you are getting around 5 hours of theatre for that price. And like I said that is top price. There are cheaper options. Oh come on...you are citing the only production on the West End stage that can get away with charging 100% above face value. The standard top price is £65/70. If you take your kids to one part, they'll want to see both...I am a Parent, take it from me this is blatant greed. Wicked - £125 Les Mis - £127 Matilda - £122 Lion King- £127 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - £125 Funny Girl - £125
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