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Post by james1969 on Dec 4, 2022 19:02:44 GMT
Please can someone who has seen this give an appropriate running time ?
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Post by fiyero on Dec 4, 2022 21:10:55 GMT
Todays 14:00 matinee started a couple of minutes late and finished about 16:35. I’d consider it a second preview so things may change
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154 posts
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Post by james1969 on Dec 5, 2022 11:10:11 GMT
I’m doing a three show day on 22nd and need to be at Choir Of Man at 4.30 after 1pm Mother Goose at Duke Of Yorks
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Post by mkb on Dec 5, 2022 12:11:25 GMT
Is there anything in this for adults, or is it aimed at young kids?
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Post by alicechallice on Dec 5, 2022 12:24:45 GMT
Is there anything in this for adults, or is it aimed at young kids? Not that I've seen it but considering it's written by Jonathan Harvey, I'd say adults are likely to be the audience that will enjoy this the most. Saucy auntie Lynn, and gay cousin Gareth most likely.
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Post by fiyero on Dec 5, 2022 12:25:21 GMT
Is there anything in this for adults, or is it aimed at young kids? I enjoyed it, it isn't quite on the level of Palladium panto where you don't want to explain the jokes to the kids! There are definitely a few that are supposed to go over the kids heads.
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Post by mkb on Dec 12, 2022 16:34:33 GMT
How bad is the "Limited view" from the stalls front row (row A)?
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Post by n1david on Dec 12, 2022 19:11:46 GMT
Rush tickets, 80 stalls seats released for shows the following week every Thursday Link is bit.ly/3uP7tGR in case you can't see the tweet.
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Post by Steve on Dec 14, 2022 22:39:47 GMT
ATG has lots of £25 front row seats across the run, online right now, for those that don't mind being close.
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Dec 15, 2022 2:54:34 GMT
ATG has lots of £25 front row seats across the run, online right now, for those that don't mind being close. Great tip, cheers. Just where I like to sit and the price I wanted to pay. Booked.
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Post by FJ on Dec 15, 2022 11:29:27 GMT
ATG has lots of £25 front row seats across the run, online right now, for those that don't mind being close. Thanks for the tip! Just booked. Looks like some are now £15 too and even £10 if you're able to do the Tuesday matinee next week!
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Post by geraldine64 on Dec 15, 2022 11:41:12 GMT
Hello, anyone who has seen this, I am tempted by the great pricing, but is it 'safe' in the front row??? Audience participation is not for me! Thank you.
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Post by Mark on Dec 15, 2022 11:53:47 GMT
ATG has lots of £25 front row seats across the run, online right now, for those that don't mind being close. Thank you for the tip Steve, have booked for Tuesday evening.
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Post by geweena on Dec 15, 2022 17:51:22 GMT
Hello, anyone who has seen this, I am tempted by the great pricing, but is it 'safe' in the front row??? Audience participation is not for me! Thank you. When I saw it at Brighton - John Bishop only interacted with a couple of kids. One in the front row and one further back. Other than that, nothing really except a few comments to audience members but no expectation to reply back or join in - you should be safe!
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Post by geraldine64 on Dec 15, 2022 19:01:47 GMT
Hello, anyone who has seen this, I am tempted by the great pricing, but is it 'safe' in the front row??? Audience participation is not for me! Thank you. When I saw it at Brighton - John Bishop only interacted with a couple of kids. One in the front row and one further back. Other than that, nothing really except a few comments to audience members but no expectation to reply back or join in - you should be safe! Thank you for the info!
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Post by showgirl on Dec 16, 2022 4:21:39 GMT
Alternative affordable ticket option and not front row stalls: Love Theatre are doing a lottery; register with them and on a Thursday they email you a link enabling you, from 10 am, to buy a £25 stalls or royal circle ticket for £25 for the 7 days from a week ahead. (Sorry: can't think how best to explain but eg, yesterday, 15 December, £25 tix available for w/c Thursday 22 December.)
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Post by theatrelover123 on Dec 16, 2022 8:01:36 GMT
Alternative affordable ticket option and not front row stalls: Love Theatre are doing a lottery; register with them and on a Thursday they email you a link enabling you, from 10 am, to buy a £25 stalls or royal circle ticket for £25 for the 7 days from a week ahead. (Sorry: can't think how best to explain but eg, yesterday, 15 December, £25 tix available for w/c Thursday 22 December.) I signed up for this but didn’t receive an email yesterday ;(
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Post by Steve on Dec 16, 2022 8:20:53 GMT
Saw this last night, and although it's a bit scrappy, with some ensemble bits going on too long, it's unmissable for for the mischievousness, sauciness and joy of McKellen's turn. Some spoilers follow. . . At the front of the Palladium Panto, you tremble in terror at the prospect you'll be picked on (I was once, and the terror of being dragged on that massive stage still fills me with shudders). In this show, you know you won't be picked on cos John Bishop's persona is way nicer than Julian Clary's persona, and McKellen simply wouldn't allow his audience to be picked on lol. This show is all we're-all-in-this-together-and-the-whole-ensemble-and-audience-are-gonna-have-a-ball, "Born this Way" inclusive Lady Gaga style, while the Palladium panto is a ruthless competition among performers to do the best bit, with Julian Clary winning every year lol. It's palpable. You feel cosy, warm and happy from the first bit of John Bishop's stand-up intro to the last choral bow of the mischievous ensemble. Some ensemble jokes fall flat, (Adam Brown's Gooseland King laid some stinkers amid some golden eggs, and Oscar Conlan-Morrey's Jack's cooking bit went on a whisker past it's sell-by-date, though damn, he can sing up a storm) and some jokes are fantastic (Richard Leeming's gormless bat persona is unfailingly aces, and Mischief Theatre alumnus, Genevieve Nicole's Queen Consort, Camilla is a laugh riot). Some musical turns are for laughs more than melody (ahem, McKellen lol), some are spot-on (the good and bad witches, Sharon Ballard and Karen Mavundukare are consistently a musical mind massage, and Mavundukare is very funny too, with her indignantly ever-failing villainy), and Anna-Jane Casey's "Don't Rain on My Parade" was an unexpected musical tour-de-force, coming leftfield (stage left lol) from a supposedly imprisoned golden-egg-laying goose! But with Bishop to warmly and wonderfully set him up, time and time again, it's 83 year old Dame Ian McKellen proving that age cannot wither him, nor custom stale, his infinite variety, that lifts the spirits time and time and time again, during this uproarious, saucy, loving, warm, peerless, terrific and unmissable panto turn! At the end, if only for a moment, it really did feel like we were all in it together (all against "THE ENERGY COMPANY"), and after it all ends in a kiss, as it should, we all spilled onto the street glowing with happiness. 4 and a half stars from me.
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Post by dlevi on Dec 16, 2022 9:24:37 GMT
I was at the matinee yesterday and had a great time. John Bishop is a delight and McKellen is a joy from start to finish. My reservations are with "the book". The show could shave off 10 minutes and no one would be the wiser. I did enjoy the fact that they acknowledged that there weren't a lot of kids in the audience. There were some technical snafus but I think some of them might be part of the show. The supporting players were all having a good time, but I think they've been indulged too much in the rehearsal room. There was an overall laziness in the writing but it was good-natured so I guess that's ok. I do think that 3 Liz Truss jokes in the space of 15 minutes is a bit much. They should choose one. I did love the fact that The Energy Company was the villian - but there should've been some sort of a payoff to that. I see from the comments here that there are a fair number of discounts available and at those discounted prices you'll certainly get your money's worth. But at those higher ATG prices? Not so much.
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Post by Mark on Dec 21, 2022 9:52:48 GMT
Brilliant, brilliant Panto. Laughed so much, took a friend and I’ve never heard him laugh so much. We both had sore throats by the end from all the laughing and shouting back. Ian McKellen…. Legend. He’s having an absolute ball. John Bishop and Anna Jane Casey wonderful too, especially Don’t Rain on My Parade
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Post by n1david on Dec 21, 2022 15:35:35 GMT
So glad I got to see this last night - an absolute joy. For various reasons Christmas is going to be a bit stressful for me this year and this perfectly took me out of everything for 2 and a bit hours, as John Bishop promised it would.
It's a joy from start to finish, everyone on stage is having an absolute ball, and the joy is infectious. Highlights include Anna-Jane Casey's Don't Rain on My Parade, Mother Goose's fashion parade at the top of Act 2 and Oscar Conlen-Morrey's infectiously enthusiastic Jack. But it's Ian's show and Bishop turns out to be a perfect foil.
It's a pure panto, don't look into the plot holes too deeply, go with the flow, shout, scream, clap, notice the jibes at the other panto at the Palladium, and have the time of your life.
Still not sure it will have the same effect in Oxford in March though...
Footnote 1: For fans of political journalism, is the Bat based on Sebastian Payne? Footnote 2: Amused on Oscar's Twitter feed how many gays are appearing on his Grindr profile with "Hiya Jack!" Footnote 3: Thanks to ATG for finally coming good and getting me into the show at a reasonable price this week rather than bumping me to late January.
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Post by stevemar on Dec 21, 2022 16:04:30 GMT
n1david, Mark, dlevi, Steve (and for the tip of £25 tickets) and others - thanks for your reviews.
Of course I realise it’s restricted view and have checked Theatremonkey, but is front row (AA) very much affected by a high stage? Also, seems we should be mostly safe in the front row, and is that your experience in London also?
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Post by Mark on Dec 21, 2022 16:20:54 GMT
n1david, Mark, dlevi, Steve (and for the tip of £25 tickets) and others - thanks for your reviews. Of course I realise it’s restricted view and have checked Theatremonkey, but is front row (AA) very much affected by a high stage? Also, seems we should be mostly safe in the front row, and is that your experience in London also? I was front row. The stage is fairly high, I’m a tad over 6ft and it was alright for me, but definitely a need to “look up”. Felt very immersed and even got some sweets
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Post by stevemar on Dec 21, 2022 16:31:03 GMT
Thanks Mark - ah, as 5ft to 5ft 6 in our party, as I suspected might need to get booster seats! It’ll be fine though I’m sure
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Post by Mark on Dec 21, 2022 16:47:16 GMT
Thanks Mark - ah, as 5ft to 5ft 6 in our party, as I suspected might need to get booster seats! It’ll be fine though I’m sure You definitely will! I think I saw they had a stash when I went in.
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Post by yokollama on Dec 22, 2022 13:26:20 GMT
Went to the first preview and they had issues with the curtain (before the baking, if I remember correctly). I'm guessing it's not part of the show? Ian declined to get off the stage and decided to engage with the audience instead, to which John cracked, not knowing quite how to react.
Ian is as you'd expect - and so sprightly. Don’t Rain on My Parade was an unexpected highlight.
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Post by showgirl on Dec 23, 2022 4:34:56 GMT
I'm with dlevi on this in having some reservations except that my comments are more critical. Yes, it's a great show in parts but definitely far too long & imo could, and needs to lose 30 minutes. I also felt there had been too much indulgence with the script and that it needed tightening up. Furthermore although all the female cast members were great singers who could really belt out a number (surely it can't have been coincidence that in comparison, none of the men could sing - though Ian McKellen could of course be excused - but it did seem odd) and there were simply too many random musical interludes of varying styles and which served only to slow the action down even further. I'm all for panto nowadays including pop songs to engage modern audiences but there was a right hotch-potch here. Not only that but there were simply too many female characters clogging up and complicating the plot, particularly Cilla Goose v Puss In Boots. As the former is essential, ditch the latter. As for the irritating king and the feeble, long-drawn-out cake-making session, yes, the last is traditional but why not update that too and make it snappier? As someone who sees mainly plays and always misses the dialogue in musicals, I did find my mind wandering at times when there was nothing on stage to engage with. On the positive side, Ian Mckellen is amazing for his age and goodness knows how he still does this, day after day, let alone twice on matinee days. I had a brilliant £25 seat in the 2nd row of the circle; the house was almost full and there was a great atmosphere. I really wanted to like it and in part I did, but I think you'd have to be a genuine fan of panto to get the most from it, whereas I'm still in the "yet to be persuaded" category.
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Post by alece10 on Dec 23, 2022 9:23:06 GMT
According to AJ Caseys Insta the Devine Miss M was in the audience last night.
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Dec 29, 2022 10:06:58 GMT
Coming to The Lowry from 5-9 April. On sale to members today and general sale next week.
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Post by theatrenerd on Dec 29, 2022 22:23:35 GMT
Coming to The Lowry from 5-9 April. On sale to members today and general sale next week. The show’s social media has teased an announcement coming soon so wondering if it will be more dates or just Salford added on. If so then I’m hoping for Birmingham or Coventry as it’s easier to get to for me than Wolverhampton.
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