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Post by Wilf on Mar 1, 2024 19:19:32 GMT
I’ll be at the matinee on Wednesday, can’t wait to see this brilliant show again.
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Post by ceebee on Mar 1, 2024 19:21:58 GMT
I’ll be at the matinee on Wednesday, can’t wait to see this brilliant show again. I'm here at the Curve tonight and there's a nice buzz for the first night.
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326 posts
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Post by Figaro on Mar 1, 2024 20:20:01 GMT
Looks to have sold very well at many tour venues
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Post by ceebee on Mar 1, 2024 21:37:07 GMT
It's like it never went away. A few tweaks to orchestrations, some beautiful lighting changes, a fantastic band and a fabulous cast. The roar at the end could have lifted the roof off. It doesn't miss the revolve at all as the actors just do more of the legwork. Some excellent casting - hard to believe this was the first public performance. Superb! Recorded the band at the end if anybody wants it.
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Post by christya on Mar 1, 2024 21:50:07 GMT
Ah that makes sense - it wasn't until I saw her this evening that I realised she hadn't worn the wig at the dress rehearsal. Mustn't have been time to sort it. She did brilliantly, imagine having to go on that soon!
Evening performance was another level entirely, energy much higher and the audience seemed to love it. This is a really solid cast and I'm looking forward to seeing them later in the run too.
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Post by Rozzi Rainbow on Mar 1, 2024 22:30:05 GMT
Absolutely fantastic show, loved every second. I thought all the cast were brilliant and they all worked really well together. The atmosphere from the audience was amazing.
I loved the interactive bits in the foyer where we could "kiss" the cod and put our pin in the map.
Bring on tomorrow afternoon, and the rest of the tour! I already have Newcastle booked but am going to look at getting some more dates in when I get home.
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Post by mindy0monster on Mar 2, 2024 8:54:35 GMT
Loved having this show back on stage again. The atmosphere last night was everything I love about live theatre, and have felt has been missing (for me at least) since Covid. The staging without the revolve is excellent, and the new lighting is gorgeous.
I'm booked for a Twixmas visit in Salford, but now doing all I can to make my annual leave stretch to closing weekend!
Great to see Mark Dugdale's enthusiasm shining through as always, and lovely to have the opportunity to chat to some of the cast afterwards in the bar. Such a special show.
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Post by tommy123 on Mar 2, 2024 12:01:07 GMT
Ah that makes sense - it wasn't until I saw her this evening that I realised she hadn't worn the wig at the dress rehearsal. Mustn't have been time to sort it. She did brilliantly, imagine having to go on that soon! I could be wrong but it looked like Bree Smith was on for the evening performance? I didn’t see any signs up anywhere though!
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Post by Rozzi Rainbow on Mar 3, 2024 16:41:40 GMT
I'm booked for a Twixmas visit in Salford, but now doing all I can to make my annual leave stretch to closing weekend! Now there's an idea! I hadn't thought of going to the last show until I saw your post yesterday, but having been to the opening show, it would be great to get to the closing one as well. I was a bit unsure when I saw it didn't finish until the Sunday, as I work Mondays and January is our busiest time. But then I saw they only seem to have a matinee on the last day. So I should be able to get home afterwards. I'll have to look into it further. In the meantime, I've just booked for Leeds, as I know I can get there in a day.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Mar 9, 2024 17:23:17 GMT
I have been to see the tour at Curve twice this week (once for the evening performance last Saturday, 2nd March, and once for today’s matinee performance ). When I saw this in London, I felt it was the best thing I had ever seen. I went in knowing absolutely nothing and it completely knocked me sideways. Now I know the show very well, but it loses absolutely none of its impact on a second or even third viewing in its tour incarnation. It is quite simply STUNNING! I still laughed, cried (a lot) and laughed again. Therefore, I felt it appropriate to repost my review from London, as it all still applies:
I am just out of today’s matinee, and all I have to say is WOW! Just WOW!!
A stunning, towering achievement of musical theatre, so beautifully crafted. Joyous, uplifting, moving. The script, the songs...just everything blew me away and has made me truly lost for words. It makes you cry (ugly tears!), then laugh the next moment (and there are some real belly laughs in this) and does so in a way that is never jarring. Plus, all of this is done with just some tables and chairs, and some clever lighting, proving you do not need fancy sets, just a great piece to really engage.
The company deliver the material with aplomb, and it really comes across that they feel blessed to be in the show. It feels like a cast of more than it is, as they morph so completely into the different characters that they play, that it is almost like a different actor for each role.
A show about humanity, about creating something positive in the darkest of times. The people in this story shared this moment in time together, and I think that is what the matinee audience felt today. I urge all of you to go. I will certainly be recommending to friends, and if I can, going for another visit.
To end where I started...WOW! I am an islander! Now I need to go and cry alone somewhere for a moment.
5 stars.
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Post by mkb on Mar 12, 2024 15:54:29 GMT
Just as good as in London, and a joy to sit through again.
Five stars.
One Act: 19:34-21:16 (Seen last Wednesday evening at Leicester Curve)
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Post by david on Mar 14, 2024 23:15:33 GMT
Having rated CFA as a 5 star show on my 2 trips to the Phoenix theatre to watch this great show, based on my viewing at the Liverpool Empire tonight, I would still rate this tour as a 5 star production and urge people to go and watch it if comes to a venue near you later on. Having held off booking to see if dynamic pricing would kick in, thankfully I managed to nab a front row stalls seat for £25 and it was worth every penny.
For me, the stories of the different characters around those terrifying days of 9/11 still hit hard after repeat viewings and the message of community / being and working together are still important ones even today and it is easy to see why this show was a beacon of light when the WE started to reopen and was for many their first show back at the end of COVID.
The set certainly filled the large Empire stage nicely and the lack of the WE revolve really wasn't missed here with the cast moving the simple but really effective set around to create the different settings. I would agree with a previous post which noted the effectiveness of the simplicity of the set design. No fancy tech or video just a few tables and chairs along with a few extra bits makes an effective set to tell stories. One thing I hadn't really appreciated in CFA until tonight's viewing was the wonderful lighting design from Howell Binkley.
I have no doubt that the quality of this entire tour cast is on a par with previous WE casts that give you a show that will make you both cry and laugh in equal measure. The cast are backed by a fantastic 9 piece band to bring that wonderful score to life for the 90 minutes. CFA really does put a smile on your face as you leave the theatre. It was also nice to see the continuation of offering the pin badges on our way out tonight.
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Post by Bickers on Apr 3, 2024 8:39:17 GMT
Opening night in Cardiff last night, and a surprise with Kirsty Malpass on as Bonnie etc. The show is still as wonderful as it was in the West End, an easy 5* from me
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Post by theatrefan62 on Apr 6, 2024 14:47:16 GMT
Does anyone have a merch list for the tour?
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