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Post by theatrelover123 on Nov 24, 2021 16:19:34 GMT
Credit note requested. That many 0-2 stars can't ALL be wrong. Even the 3 star ones don't read as 3 stars. Phew
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Post by theatrelover123 on Nov 10, 2021 20:52:41 GMT
www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/jenna-russell-and-david-ames-to-star-in-first-prod_55300.htmlwww.sevendialsplayhouse.co.uk/shows/steveThe Actor's Centre near Cambridge Circus is being rechristened, with Jenna Russell and David Ames to star in its first production. The pair will open the rebranded Seven Dials Playhouse with a European premiere production of Mark Gerrard's Steve, running from 8 February to 5 March 2022. Directed by Andrew Keates (Dark Sublime), the 2015 play follows a failed Broadway chorus boy who becomes a stay-at-home dad. Full cast and creatives are to be revealed. Amanda Davey, chief executive of Seven Dials Playhouse comments: "When I took over as chief executive of The Actors Centre in October 2019, I could never have imagined what was to come. These incredibly challenging 18 months have, ironically, provided us with the opportunity to radically rethink, refocus, and reshape our work. When the organisation first opened in 1978, it was conceived as a place for actors to hone their craft and create networks. Many see it as a safe space in the heart of the West End. "Talking to those same people, in recent months, and to those working in the industry I've heard a message – that we need to do more and to change in response to changes in the world and the industry." "Our renewed mission is to be the West End's creative home for the development of professional theatre and artists. But we'll do more. We'll make spaces for creatives from many disciplines to collaborate on bold theatre work. We'll create development opportunities for those who wish to keep learning. And we'll deliver high-quality on-stage productions. What makes this unique is the intersection between these elements, with the programming responding to emerging themes or the artist/company producing in the theatre. Our promise is that whatever we do, it will be dynamic, exciting, and challenging."
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Post by theatrelover123 on Oct 27, 2021 22:13:11 GMT
Watched an hour of the livestream before giving up. It didn't feel fresh or different to any other productions and none of the actors stood out. But there seemed to be a fair amount of mugging and garbled lines. Maybe it got better and justified the 5 star reviews. Guess I will never know
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Post by theatrelover123 on Oct 24, 2021 12:57:08 GMT
After initially having booked tickets to the 2020 previews (which obviously were postponed), I finally went to see this last night, so I'm very late to the ball. I'm not sure I know what to make of this. I'm certainly not the target audience but I'm not sure who is. Maybe female teenagers? Presumably that explains the number of 'jokes' that I found just...not funny, e.g. the lyric: 'you knob'. My partner hated it and thought it was the worst ever seen in the West End for some time. I feel more generous than that. There are some lovely melodies but they are all undermined by the shockingly tacky sound and orchestrations. I was amazed to read in my programme that the minuscule band has strings in it, because every string sound (and virtually every other sound as well) sounded like a MIDI file. The orchestral swelling in 'Far Too Late', which is a beautiful melody, sounded so artificial that it just undermined any pathos that there might have been. Did they just run all the live sound through some kind of horrendous filter? Tonally it was all over the place. Is it pastiche panto, a Wicked/Disney-wannabe, a serious drama about female empowerment…or what? I felt it just didn’t know what it wanted to be and was being pulled in too many directions. I didn’t find Emerald Fennell’s book particularly brilliant; in fact, it was predictable (I deliberately avoided reading stuff about the plot beforehand but midway through the first act predicted the return of Prince Charming and even the gay subplot) and rather boring. There were also too many plotholes, even for a fairytale, and far too many loose ends that just…got forgotten about. Many bits felt like an afterthought shoe-horned in, such as the Godmother. As for the lyrics, Zippel is not a good match for Lloyd Webber. They are better than the terrible lyrics for The Woman in White, but for a show that seems to want to be clever and contrary, they don’t have the bite required. I am absolutely baffled that the Evening Standard thought they were ‘sublime’ and that the Guardian thought they were ‘crystalline’. Just…what? That said, I think the main problem here is not the material but the director, who has failed in making this into a cohesive whole. What Laurence Connor brought to the table here I have no idea and I am bamboozled as to why he gets gigs. Has he ever directed anything decent? The staging was incredibly bad. Most scenes just involve characters walking round and round the revolve for lack of anything else to do, to the point where I almost felt dizzy. By all means use a revolve but do so intelligently, cf. the original Miz and Hamilton. When they’re not doing that the blocking is incredibly awkward. The ‘Bad Cinderella’ song does not make it remotely obvious that they’re trying to constrain her and tie her to a tree. The way each character walked down the aisle in the wedding sequence looked literally lame—I don’t know if they’re trying to convey slow motion, but it just looked like they were limping following a car crash on the way to the church. A good director might have told ALW that there are a few too many reprises in Cinderella’s eleven-o’-clock number, or that the recit between Cindrella and Sebastian is often too long and boring and needs cutting or reworking entirely (how long did we need to hear them saying bye to each other in the first interaction between them?). A good director might have vetoed the casting of someone who, though likeable, is too inexperienced and clearly not ready for the role of a leading man in a major West End musical. A good director might have fought for a better budget for the set design which, let’s face it, looks incredibly amateur and like someone’s half-finished school project. A good director might also have required better delivery of the lines of most of the actors—at one point I wondered whether the terrible line delivery was because this was intentionally some sort of bad-panto-gone-wrong, but concluded that it was just…crap. And a good director would have tried to up the pace rather than making large sections of the show slow and boring. There weren’t really any ‘WOW’ moments that you’d expect in a major West End musical to make up for this. A show is in trouble when the main staging effect people talk about is down to the architect of the theatre, who had nothing to do with the show, rather than the director. I did, however, like Carrie Hope Fletcher (something I wasn’t expecting, as I was left cold by the promotional appearances) and her comic timing and vocals were both great. Rebecca Trehearn also stole the show in every scene in which she appeared. The rest of the cast were forgettable. You can take all of the above with a pinch of salt, though. The (mostly maskless, despite the signs everywhere imploring them to wear masks) audience members were screaming and cheering throughout most of the show, with a fair number (but not the whole house) giving a standing O at the end. I did wonder how much of this is because they genuinely thought it was amazing, or because they’re just happy to see a live show again. This is like you went in my head and pulled out all my thoughts too. It truly is a dreadful piece of work
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Post by theatrelover123 on Oct 17, 2021 6:54:24 GMT
I had high hopes for this having previously enjoyed parts 1 & 2, but found part 3 wanting. As Rudge so astutely observed in The History Boys, history is just one f***ing thing after another. And that's essentially what we have here: a succession of events with little time to pause, reflect and flesh out characters. It felt very picture-book two-dimensional. During Act 1 particularly, I suffered the same ennui that I remember from school history lessons given by an unexciting teacher. As for positives, I liked the framing device with Cromwell looking back from captivity to prior events, and Nathaniel Parker is superb as Henry VIII. Three stars. Worth seeing, but don't expect the same masterly storytelling of its predecessors. Act 1: 19:32-20:43 Act 2: 20:59-21:07 You can’t argue with an 8 minute second half though. Sounds like a dream
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Post by theatrelover123 on Oct 7, 2021 15:17:03 GMT
So what is it?? Brigadoon or legally blonde? Brigally Blondadoon
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Post by theatrelover123 on Oct 1, 2021 11:05:45 GMT
If I were to sit on the bench, which side would you recommend? Front, back, or sides? Front
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Post by theatrelover123 on Oct 1, 2021 10:34:12 GMT
What a shame. That’s me priced out then. I can afford it. I just don’t want to pay that. I’m sure they will film it and make it available somewhere so I will hold out for that then I very nearly decided against it too, but I resisted buying Jerusalem and Cock tickets due to price, I just have to accept that West End prices have gone up and it's either spend a little more occasionally or not see any theatre! Yeah I’ve been happy to pay more for some shows but saw the original Jerusalem and Cock shows and loved them - and would love to see them again with these casts - but that much for a one woman show is hard to justify (however amazing JC is). I don’t see the point in being so far away that facial expressions and nuances are lost
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Post by theatrelover123 on Oct 1, 2021 10:15:04 GMT
Can any early bookers give a better indication of the range and spread of ticket prices? And is it indicated what the pay what you can scheme refers to? I have no idea about the Pay What You Want, but it was £75 front row, then in the hundreds for the stalls going back to £75 near the back. Then the circle ranges from top price to £55 restricted view, then the usual £50 down to £15 seats restricted view at the back of the Upper Circle and Gallery. What a shame. That’s me priced out then. I can afford it. I just don’t want to pay that. I’m sure they will film it and make it available somewhere so I will hold out for that then
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Post by theatrelover123 on Oct 1, 2021 9:55:35 GMT
Can any early bookers give a better indication of the range and spread of ticket prices? And is it indicated what the pay what you can scheme refers to?
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 30, 2021 21:55:41 GMT
Saw this Monday night. So a relatively early preview. Felt fairly up to par at that stage. Great performances from 4 or 5 of the leads (eg Ben, Dino, Luke, Danny). Less confident performances from many others. Several shaky accents. Was on third row and weirdly even there it felt quite distant so I imagine way way further back would struggle to connect as much. Stronger second half than the first. Powerful story. Funny in places. Didn’t mind bare staging as scenes wouldn’t flow with lots of props and sets. Really not sure it was directed very well though. Felt quite clunky in places and the transitions were poorly done and the technique of announcing the locations and dates in a certain way just jarred too much for me. Emotional final quarter but never quite got to tears. I think it would be 7 out of 10 for me.
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 29, 2021 19:01:08 GMT
What on earth has happened with this? I saw Macbeth has been pushed back slightly so I'm guessing this has been potentially too? Still, not to have more announcements about this seems a bit odd. I would expect tickets to go on sale soon as well so I'm surprised not to have heard anything yet. Still 2 months away. Lots of info (including creative team and some cast) on website: almeida.co.uk/whats-on/spring-awakening/2-dec-2021-22-jan-2022They may well get Macbeth tickets clear first.
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 29, 2021 6:23:17 GMT
Rachel Tucker and Matthew Morrison
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 28, 2021 22:22:03 GMT
Rebecca Trehearn and Michael Xavier
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 28, 2021 22:13:24 GMT
Rosalie Craig and Michael Jibson
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 28, 2021 21:19:05 GMT
I know who’s taking over from Jessie B as Sally Bowles R Is it M? Maybe R?
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 28, 2021 21:18:37 GMT
I know who’s taking over from Jessie B as Sally Bowles R Is it M?
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 28, 2021 15:39:30 GMT
Of course it needs tightening - I'd like to see it again later in the run - but more than half the house was on its feet at the end and that's not a bad place to be. Not bad at all. Unless they were on their feet running for the doors or to get to the toilets Were they applauding at the same time?
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 21, 2021 21:34:48 GMT
What an odd inconsequential play. Ran at 2 hours in the end. Staged as fine as it could be. Acted well. About half of it just a monologue from Brendan Coyle. About 3 complete pointless scenes that contributed nothing to the overall flow of what was being discussed in any depth. It’s no The Weir. I see what the playwright was doing and what londonpostie points out but it’s just not developed in any interesting way. There’s 2 potentially hour long plays in there but they don’t work together imho.
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 19, 2021 15:04:43 GMT
Couple of boring questions regarding the current Olivier layout… - does anyone know if the £20 bench seats have a back? I don’t mind sharing a bench with someone I don’t know and no armrest, but I don’t think I’ll make it through without a backrest - I find the Globe cripplingly uncomfortable! - does anyone know why the seat plan is all multicoloured in a seemingly random way when you choose “select your own seats”? The colours seem to bear no correspondence to different price bands. Without clicking on each individual seat it’s nigh on impossible to know which seats cost what! Thanks! Yes those seats do have backs. I was near the front of one of the side sections for Paradise and was interested to see how they'd adapted the theatre. The benches had backs but no arms. You can see them in the first picture here: www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/photos-40-years-olivier-theatre-national_41937.htmlI can't see what you mean by the colour-coding. I just had a look and the colours all seemed to correspond to the prices in the key. Does anybody know why those first couple of rows for that current configuration are marked as restricted view? I could understand it when it was in proscenium arch setup and super close to the stage but the stage in the round doesn’t seem high.
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 7, 2021 22:31:50 GMT
I’ve got some really exciting news about this show Let me tell you
Q
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 1, 2021 22:56:29 GMT
I swear there was a spitfire musical staged in Southampton a few years back I don't know if it was a play or a musical, but it opened what was the new Nuffield theatre in the city centre. There's a thread on it somewhere. The Shadow Factory: 59productions.co.uk/project/the-shadow-factory/
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Post by theatrelover123 on Aug 26, 2021 15:29:24 GMT
I am there. The theatre is about a 20 minute walk for me. (Despite her obvious plastic surgery) Rizzo hanging out in my neighbourhood; there are worse things I could do! See what I did there? No
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Post by theatrelover123 on Aug 25, 2021 21:42:13 GMT
Since my previously-booked performance was cancelled, I've been trying to decide whether or not to rebook for this or save the credit for something else. The universe may be trying to tell me something... I was wandering around St. Pancras Old Church's graveyard today and found... a memorial to Johann Christian Bach! The exact site of his grave has been lost, but there's a memorial to him. (I know he's not one of the sons in the show, but still, he's 'a' son.) And so you decided to save the credit for something else?
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Post by theatrelover123 on Aug 25, 2021 18:33:47 GMT
I personally do not consider Macbeth an introspective play but an impetuous one where a fast pace aids the flow, as the stars align for the Macbeth’s they are caught in the witches prophecy and the events that transpire. A 3hr ponderous Macbeth could really be tedious, with Hamlet you are drawn into his introspection and a slow pace involves you in the anguish of Hamlet as he decides what to do, in Macbeth the choices are predestined and just need to be traversed, Hamlet is Jazz, Macbeth is Metal. Amen to that! I do agree that doing a 3hr Macbeth can't be a wise choice surely? With all the anticipation around Soairse's performance as well, I can't the pressure of doing the show and then literally having to power through 3hrs of heavy, Shakeaspearean tragedy. I do always wonder though if any Shakespeare experts are around, if people know what Shakespeare would've wanted his plays to look like? There've been so many different interpretations of his text - some simply bizarre, but what would the author think? My feelings are that a.) nobody really knows b.) few would care as it’s way better to get different interpretations when the plays are done so often and c.) he didn’t write them anyway - or did he?
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