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Post by Phantom of London on Oct 21, 2017 17:27:53 GMT
Just on my way back from Chichester, for the last time this year after seeing The Norman Conquests.
The next season doesn't get announced until the End of January, but there is nothing stopping us talking about it right now, after all it is the best producing house outside London.
Normally they tend to do American musical revivals and English plays, but going by recent years nothing is set in stone.
For me and I have said this several times on here, but in recent years Neil Simon's plays have been neglected, so something from that playwright would be great, also like to see them do The Normal Heart and maybe Blackbird. Would also be good to see The Wimslow Boy and Othello revived.
Musical wise Aspects of Love would be inspired, as would be West Side Story.
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Post by martin1965 on Oct 21, 2017 17:41:58 GMT
Just on my way back from Chichester, for the last time this year after seeing The Norman Conquests. The next season doesn't get announced until the End of January, but there is nothing stopping us talking about it right now, after all it is the best producing house outside London. Normally they tend to do American musical revivals and English plays, but going by recent years nothing is set in stone. For me and I have said this several times on here, but in recent years Neil Simon's plays have been neglected, so something from that playwright would be great, also like to see them do The Normal Heart and maybe Blackbird. Would also be good to see The Wimslow Boy and Othello revived. Musical wise Aspects of Love would be inspired, as would be West Side Story. Im there next wkd for Lear and much as i share your frustration at us having to wait that long ( its usually Feb so even Jan would be welcome!) the only realistic possibility on your list is Aspects. Winslow Boy is already about to tour, Evans did Othello in Sheffield recently, the other are unlikely Chichester fare and we have previously crossed sword re Neil Simon. I will leave it there! There is already a Musicals thread. Fingers crossed for a Sondheim. |
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Post by alicechallice on Oct 21, 2017 19:35:39 GMT
The Winslow Boy is a co-prod between Birmingham Rep & CFT and is playing there in Feb.
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Post by Phantom of London on Oct 21, 2017 22:48:58 GMT
lol me bad forgot about the Wimslow tour and it also playing Chichester, so can I sub this for Noel Coward's Design for Living?
I know we have crossed swords with Neil Simon and it's not everyone's cup of tea - but you get the right star and do a brilliant production, it would go to both the West End and Broadway, Neil Simon hasn't been done for 6 years.
Fingers crossed for Sondheim and I give you West Side Story. This is traditional Chichester fare, I know about the rights problems with this. However there is little you can do of Sondheim now, as Company is being done by Marianne Elliot, I would have said Company would be perfect for the intimate Minerva and of course Follies that would be ideal for the Festival, but this ain't happening since this is playing at the moment at the National.
If you said Something Funny Happened On the Way...................... instead of West Side Story, I would be very content but still it would be a harder sell than West Side Story.
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Post by Jan on Oct 21, 2017 23:31:48 GMT
Given the rights problems which mean directors are very constrained from the start on what they can do with it West Side Story is a non-starter. I sort of agree on Neil Simon being worth a revival but doubt it will happen, I will renew my call for a Feydeau which could go well with the sort of casting Chichester do. I suppose a Shakespeare is on the cards. Not sure which J.B.Priestly plays are due a revival - Dangerous Corner maybe. Haven’t had John Gabriel Borkmann for a while - again perfect for their type of casting. Likewise Heartbreak House.
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Post by Jon on Oct 22, 2017 1:54:52 GMT
West Side Story isn't a musical that can be reimagined, they have to use the Robbins choreography and most of the recent revivals have been copies of the original. I think Mame, Me and My Girl or Camelot would be more likely.
American plays are rare at Chichester and I think they'd go for Miller, O'Neill or Williams rather than Neil Simon and The Normal Heart would more at home at Hampstead or Donmar than Chichester. I'd like to see them do a Stoppard revival, The Invention of Love which hasn't been revived yet would be good or perhaps The Coast of Utopia although I suspect that one would be expensive to do.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 22, 2017 6:59:36 GMT
What are the rights issues to WSS - having to use the original choreography? Komishe Oper (Berlin) we’re recently given special permission to recreate their own. Fingers crossed it can happen again.
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Post by martin1965 on Oct 22, 2017 11:29:08 GMT
West Side Story isn't a musical that can be reimagined, they have to use the Robbins choreography and most of the recent revivals have been copies of the original. I think Mame, Me and My Girl or Camelot would be more likely. American plays are rare at Chichester and I think they'd go for Miller, O'Neill or Williams rather than Neil Simon and The Normal Heart would more at home at Hampstead or Donmar than Chichester. I'd like to see them do a Stoppard revival, The Invention of Love which hasn't been revived yet would be good or perhaps The Coast of Utopia although I suspect that one would be expensive to do. Ooh yes Invention of Love is ripe for revival😊 |
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Post by Phantom of London on Oct 22, 2017 13:19:04 GMT
West Side Story isn't a musical that can be reimagined, they have to use the Robbins choreography and most of the recent revivals have been copies of the original. I think Mame, Me and My Girl or Camelot would be more likely. American plays are rare at Chichester and I think they'd go for Miller, O'Neill or Williams rather than Neil Simon and The Normal Heart would more at home at Hampstead or Donmar than Chichester. I'd like to see them do a Stoppard revival, The Invention of Love which hasn't been revived yet would be good or perhaps The Coast of Utopia although I suspect that one would be expensive to do. Me and My Girl would be suberb choice. Mame and Camelot aren't bad either. Brigadoon wouldn't be bad either, you mention on previous posts that there has been a lack of stuff from Alan J Learner and I agree and Chichester would be the right venue to do it. The Coast of Utopia would be great. What are the rights issues to WSS - having to use the original choreography? Komishe Oper (Berlin) we’re recently given special permission to recreate their own. Fingers crossed it can happen again. The family of the creatives of West Side Story have been stubborn in keeping West Side Story to the original Robbins Choregraphy. The National wanted to revive this under Nunn and tried to use what they did with Carousel as an example of change being good - but the family wouldn't budge and had to scrap it, they hit a wall. |
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Post by martin1965 on Oct 22, 2017 13:39:12 GMT
Yep Camelot is well overdue, would surely do well in Sussex.
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Post by adrianics on Oct 25, 2017 14:51:42 GMT
I've been in amdram groups that have enquired about WSS and I think they send DVDs outlining the required choreography over with the librettos.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jan 2, 2018 23:15:02 GMT
Natalie Abrahami is directing a new play in the Minerva. Not allowed to reveal details but it sounds pretty interesting.
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Post by alicechallice on Jan 3, 2018 17:15:00 GMT
Natalie Abrahami is directing a new play in the Minerva. Not allowed to reveal details but it sounds pretty interesting. If it's the new Jessica Swale about dodgy adoptions, that's already been talked about somewhere. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2018 19:28:04 GMT
Camelot would be an interesting one - Simon Russell Beale as King Arthur perhaps?
WSS is locked down by the rights owners but is such a classic, I don't really want it messed with. Apparently females aren't allowed to double up as male Gang members and no males on stage in America number are two points I seem to recall.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jan 3, 2018 19:38:17 GMT
SRB is a bit old for Arthur now. You need someone who is still young enough to woo Guinevere in the opening scenes but can still age quickly enough so that she is tempted by the youthful vigour of Lancelot. Late 30s/early 40s I would have thought - with a Lance 10 years younger.
I can understand the restrictions on West Side Story - they are protecting the iconic nature of the show and is no worse than the way the Beckett estate controls productions of Godot etc.
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Post by martin1965 on Jan 3, 2018 21:48:24 GMT
Camelot would be an interesting one - Simon Russell Beale as King Arthur perhaps? WSS is locked down by the rights owners but is such a classic, I don't really want it messed with. Apparently females aren't allowed to double up as male Gang members and no males on stage in America number are two points I seem to recall. Yes please for Camelot! But SRB? Dont think so. |
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Post by Jon on Jan 3, 2018 21:59:09 GMT
SRB is a bit old for Arthur now. You need someone who is still young enough to woo Guinevere in the opening scenes but can still age quickly enough so that she is tempted by the youthful vigour of Lancelot. Late 30s/early 40s I would have thought - with a Lance 10 years younger. I can understand the restrictions on West Side Story - they are protecting the iconic nature of the show and is no worse than the way the Beckett estate controls productions of Godot etc. I do think with West Side Story, making every subsequent production the same as the original risks making it into a museum piece, a lot of classics like My Fair Lady, Oklahoma! and Carousel have been hugely successful and they've been allowed to make changes. With Camelot, I wonder if you could have a Arthur and Lancelot who are similar in age |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jan 3, 2018 22:10:22 GMT
There have been moves to allow changes to WSS such as the English/Spanish version on Broadway a few years ago. It will get renewed at some point in the future. But it will take right director with the right vision to persuade the Estates that their approach is the right one.
The original choreography is so integral to the piece, I would want something equally amazing to replace it.
Change for the sake of change is as frustrating as museum pieces
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Post by Phantom of London on Jan 3, 2018 23:03:11 GMT
You wouldn’t have a vibrant theatre scene if the genre didn’t change, as you say the original is a ‘museum piece’ which is great, as it means the original will get continuously revived in the future, however there is also wriggle room to make changes, if the changes are good, then they will get well received by the critics and run, if not it Get panned and die quickly.
It would be awesome to have the original and a modern interpretation.
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Post by emsworthian on Jan 5, 2018 10:14:37 GMT
Isn't it the centenary of Bernstein's birth this year? If WSS is a problem, how about "On The Town" or "Wonderful Town."?
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Post by martin1965 on Jan 5, 2018 12:37:42 GMT
Regent Park did OTT last summer but Wonderful Town is a real possibility.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jan 8, 2018 15:17:54 GMT
Tinu Craig is directing the first Minerva play in the season, with an all-African cast.
Between this and Natalie's play 2018 appears to be the year CFT discovered diversity (slightly tongue in cheek, before I spark any heated debate).
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Post by alicechallice on Jan 8, 2018 15:41:16 GMT
Tinu Craig is directing the first Minerva play in the season, with an all-African cast. Between this and Natalie's play 2018 appears to be the year CFT discovered diversity (slightly tongue in cheek, before I spark any heated debate). I should hope so. Unless you have any clear evidence that sales of shoe polish increased in Chichester around the time they put on Caroline, or Change last year, you might find yourself in rather hot water for such spurious claims!
I think they're as guilty as being as white as a lot of mainstream theatre in London to be honest but it's good to see that's changing. I remember watching 'I Am Not Your Negro' last year and during the very deserved critique of the 1957 film adaptation, feeling reassured that they had cast a number of non-white actors in their 'The Pajama Game' there in 2013.
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Post by Phantom of London on Jan 15, 2018 22:53:53 GMT
Any other punts, I have said a few earlier in the thread I like to see, but have genuine no clue what musicals they’re going to do. Will Evans play it safe like he did with Fiddler on the Roof, or take risk like he did with Caroline or Change?
As ai said earlier I like them to do Aspects of Love, but this is being done in Manchester now. They could still do West Side Story though? If they were going to do Rogers and Hammrstein then South Pacific would be great? People say Camelot and would say that is a inspired wish, as would be Paint Your Wagon?
After a long bleak winter, I itch to get back down to Chichester, great place to reboot my theatre appetite and love having a cream tea down there too.
Sadly no sign of King Lear making the leap.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2018 23:22:26 GMT
For some reason I feel like it could be/ want it to be Carmen Jones.
Other ones I would like to see are A funny thing happened, Assasins(in the Minerva), Pal Joey, Saeet Charity West Side Story,Kiss of a spider woman, Cabaret. All these are just hopes but I feel like some of them would work really well and be very successful, they also haven't been done there recently so it would work but I look forward to see what it is.
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Post by martin1965 on Jan 16, 2018 7:01:52 GMT
Just make the flipping announcement! Dont see why we always have to wait til half term every year.
Paint your Wagon is being done in Liverpool. Minerva musical is the one he takes risks on. Passion would be my wish, then go for a crowd pleaser in the mainhouse, Camelot or Man of la Mancha still top of my list there.
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Post by wickedgrin on Jan 16, 2018 10:15:22 GMT
The rights to musicals are an issue at Chichester. I think a lot of the musicals they would love to do simply are not available to the theatre especially if they hope for a West End transfer. So West Side Story simply would not be available or Cabaret for example as Bill Kenwright has the rights for the latter. So... I suspect the list of commercial available musicals is a bit thin.
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Post by alicechallice on Jan 16, 2018 10:27:40 GMT
I'd discount Camelot as an option for now to be honest. When chatting with the lovely Mr Evans after the post-'Quiz' quiz, he said that the book of Camelot would need a lot of work before it would be good enough for a new staging. In fact, he was quite surprised that a lot of the shows we were suggesting for revival were so old, which makes me think that his inclination is towards more recent musicals. Which explains Caroline, or Change, of course.
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Post by Mark on Jan 16, 2018 10:34:13 GMT
I'd love to see revivals of Grand Hotel and Me and My Girl
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 11:10:38 GMT
I don't think Camelot's that much of a crowd-pleaser anyway. I love the score and the film, but even putting aside the issues with the book, when's the last time there was a major production in the UK? I'm sure there must have been one since 1982, but at the same time I wouldn't be at all surprised if there hadn't been.
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