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Post by CBP1 on Aug 9, 2018 8:53:42 GMT
For those who have seen this, any views on whether it is suitable for kids? Details of said children: 5ish and 6. Well trained at small people theatre. Easily occupied by snacks. Of the non-rustling variety obviously. Mercilessly shushed if ever they attempt to talk during a show. Sat through Bananaman at the same venue. Actually liked Bananaman(!) It's a toss up (cheer pun intended) between using one of my rare chances to use my sister as a babysitter to see this as a couple, or using said babysitting opportunity to see something else and taking the whole family to see Bring it On..... I haven't seen this production, but I saw it in Australia earlier in the year and it really wasn't a show for people below their teenage years. Nothing really offensive, but the subject matter just wouldn't make any sense. I don't think it was offensive, but there was typical teen movie type sexual references and I think mild swearing. Thanks dr_Tom. I'm not too worried about them not getting the subject matter. I think the plots of most things go over their heads, even those aimed at smaller kids. Mamma Mia (the film) went down better than we thought, and that is more raunchy than I remembered before we stuck it on for them!! I'd probably be happy showing them the original Bring it On film but I know this is a completely new story. I've seen a review of the original Broadway production which recommended 6+ but no idea how the various different versions compare. Will probably leave them behind and at worst can then go again if I think they'd manage it.
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Post by danb on Aug 9, 2018 9:07:23 GMT
Or at the very least, Bob Fosse. I was thinking Yootha Joyce...but let’s go with yours 😂
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2018 10:21:44 GMT
Or at the very least, Bob Fosse. I was thinking Yootha Joyce...but let’s go with yours 😂 GEORGE! Oh God love her, dear old Yootha. One of the sitcom greats. She used to drink half a bottle of brandy a day apparently.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 10, 2018 20:16:47 GMT
The film was just on MTV, which I would have skipped had it not been for our discussions about the musical.
Loved it!
How many are in the cast at the SWP?
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Post by ellie1981 on Aug 10, 2018 21:06:55 GMT
Thoroughly enjoyed this tonight! The girl playing Skylar (sp?) has such amazing facial expressions. We were laughing every time she appeared.
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Post by jamb0r on Aug 15, 2018 22:01:42 GMT
LOVED this tonight! There’s a LOT of talent in that cast, and the energy was infectious.
Impressed with the standard of the dancing too, it was all very tight, and well put together.
A really fun evening all round.
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Post by cheesy116 on Aug 15, 2018 23:00:21 GMT
I've got to agree about Isabella Pappas, she is one to watch. She is born to be a leading lady! There's clips of her performing on YouTube, one of the best being a west end live clip from when she was in 13 The Musical.
She played Annie in the last UK Tour, she's only 15/16 but has the voice and stage presence of a seasoned West End performer.
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Post by kiwi on Aug 16, 2018 10:40:24 GMT
How are the side view seats for this? I've never been to the Southwark Playhouse before but theres no front facing tickets left for when I could go.
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Post by kiwi on Aug 16, 2018 11:00:28 GMT
Thank you!!
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Post by poster J on Aug 16, 2018 12:49:47 GMT
Just impulse booked for Saturday matinee after reading this thread - looking forward to it!
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Post by theatregeek1 on Aug 16, 2018 21:58:41 GMT
Saw this recently and thought the whole cast was amazing - alot of talent there for sure! Fab songs and so much energy all around. Not one of my personal favourites in terms of plot but it’s worth seeing for sure!
Totally agree with the comments about Isabella Pappas too. Such a natural actress and one of the most incredible voices I’ve heard from a young performer- her cover of ‘everything I know’ on YouTube is great!
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Post by robertb213 on Aug 18, 2018 17:18:52 GMT
I echo the praise for this cast - saw the matinee today and they all have very promising futures. I actually found a music itself a bit forgetful but the cast elevated it with strong performances.
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4,458 posts
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Post by poster J on Aug 18, 2018 18:45:16 GMT
I echo the praise for this cast - saw the matinee today and they all have very promising futures. I actually found a music itself a bit forgetful but the cast elevated it with strong performances. I was at the matinee as well and I agree entirely - great cast, pleasant-sounding but forgettable material that I don't think I'd need to see another production of. A very enjoyable afternoon though!
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 21, 2018 17:45:09 GMT
Just back from the matinee.
Well, the show theme is “they tried” and I think the same can be said about the cast here.
I think the challenge is I’ve recently seen a high energy professional version of this. I realise this is an amateur production (although at the same prices Southwark Playhouse charges for professional shows) but everything was so toned down in comparison it was like a difference show.
Lots of kids, mostly girls, in the audience who just didn’t seem into it. A change from the older generation at the matinee anyway.
I think the main flaw is the cheerleading performances are simple and lacking, but they’re meant to be two top teams in a competition. Lots of stumbled landings and little in the way of impressive throws, towers and other routines. Two of the cast had obvious braces of their legs so that may have hindered things.
The hip hop dancing was better.
Vocals were rather mixed too, not helped by being drowned out by the backing music. Would have been hard to follow if I hadn’t seen it before.
I will say the audience were perfectly behaved, even though I was worried when I arrived when I heard a mother saying to her daughter “you know all the words, sing along” (she didn’t).
It was enjoyable enough, but I just found it so mechanical, as if people were trying not to mess up. But there are catchy songs and the way the theatre is set up (fewer seats, all with a good view) works well.
And there is talent for the future there too, raw, but you can see potential.
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 21, 2018 17:51:05 GMT
How many are in the cast at the SWP 33. Not a weak link among them. Were there 33 on when you saw it? I would have put it at closer to 15 today, maybe 20 at a push but I don’t think I’ve missed counting that many people.
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Post by mallardo on Aug 21, 2018 21:11:35 GMT
Just back from the matinee. I think the main flaw is the cheerleading performances are simple and lacking, but they’re meant to be two top teams in a competition. Lots of stumbled landings and little in the way of impressive throws, towers and other routines. Two of the cast had obvious braces of their legs so that may have hindered things.
I haven't seen this production but I did see the original production (pre-Broadway) which had a cast full of Olympic gymnasts who were absolutely amazing in the cheerleader routines. For the show to really work that element has to be spectacular, no question.
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 22, 2018 9:48:20 GMT
I just counted it from the programme, but it did feel like it - two teams of dancers etc. Thanks, maybe some of them were off or don't do matinees? I didn't see an obvious cast board and didn't pick up a programme. It would explain a lot if there were substitutes on.
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Post by CBP1 on Aug 27, 2018 13:51:34 GMT
I think they were on. The older dancers were fine, I thought, but the youngsters needed a little work. Given that the UK doesn't have a cheerleading culture, I felt they did OK on that. I will allow that my most direct comparison was with the debut "Crown Jewels" squad cheering the "London Monarchs" at the Old Wembley Stadium... now that makes the gang in this look like the Dallas Cowgirls. The stunting was poor by UK cheer standards. Competitive cheer has really improved in this country in the last 10 years or so since I did it. They were doing the absolute most basic stunts you can possibly do. And using four boys to base them where you'd usually use three girls. I wasn't expecting competition standard and appreciate that there were space constraints but I had hoped this element would have been better.
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 27, 2018 14:06:04 GMT
Just seen some press night photos and looks like there were 19 in the cast then. I'd say 15 of them were on when I saw it, so there's probably quite a few swings and alternates too.
Which makes sense to me for this style of youth production.
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Post by jamb0r on Aug 27, 2018 18:16:13 GMT
There’s 2 ‘schools’, and as far as I could see there wasn’t much doubling up of parts between the two schools. In one of the press photos there’s 14 kids in green in the ‘Jackson’ school (throwing paper in the air), and that photo doesn’t include the kids from Truman school. I’m pretty sure the cast is actually 30+ every night.
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 27, 2018 19:40:41 GMT
There were four people in the Truman School final performance when I saw it (a few people doubled up with roles for both schools earlier - but not in the final competition). Maybe eight for Jackson in the final sequence. And a few who didn't take part in the final cheerleading performances.
But maybe it depends on the performance? If anyone does get before it closes and gets chance to count the number of people taking bows, it would be interesting to know.
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Post by firefingers on Aug 27, 2018 22:29:58 GMT
Right, I messaged a mate who works on it to explain.
"There is a core cast of 16 that theoretically never changes (but there have been a few absences). There is then 4 ensemble girls who are rotated weekly from the week after press night. They have no individual lines but do sing and dance. There are two male off stage swings who sing extra vocals in a booth and who work as understudies for certain rolls (meant to be a female one too but she got a better offer). These guys don't have costumes and so don't get a bow. So there should only be 20 people on stage per show. But when a cast member was injured and a swing on holiday the assistant director did cover part of their track whilst the injured guy did what he could so you had 21 people bowing. Tonight a lead girl was away, so an ensemble was bumped up to fill the gap with the assistant director and another girl drafted in to cover the ensemble members original track, so still 21 on stage cast."
So there ya go, max cast is 23, but with 20/21 taking a bow.
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 28, 2018 8:29:27 GMT
So there ya go, max cast is 23, but with 20/21 taking a bow. Thanks, that makes perfect sense and also explains why there were some different people in the photos to the ones I saw.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Aug 28, 2018 20:24:49 GMT
This tweet on their twitter channel shows the same thing too:
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Post by Steve on Sept 1, 2018 17:31:06 GMT
Saw the matinee today, and loved it. The ensemble singing and dancing recaptured the movement, vitality and exuberance of "In the Heights" in the same space. While it was a drawback to have relatively inexperienced performers, it was also a massive plus to have actors still at school playing characters still at school. Some spoilers follow. . . While I don't know for sure which songs Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote, I assume they were the ones with raps followed by call and response, and choral harmonies. Those songs were the most exciting, because of the perpetual movement that accompanied them. The book felt unfocused at times, essentially whenever the lead character wasn't on stage. And the musical generally is more teen generic, and lacks the camp and edge of "Heathers." However, I was completely won over, and agree that there are many performers to watch among the ensemble. In reverse order, here are the top 5 I'd look out for:- (5) Claire Gleave nailed a dopey innocence that assured her character, Kylar, was never less than amusing; (4) Haroun Al-Jeddal was relaxed and touching in his duet, "Enjoy the Trip." Musically, his voice conveyed an enthusiastic yet leisurely romanticism; (3) As the lead, Robin McIntyre was the soul of the show, the only character you cared about. Her plaintive wide-eyed open face was ever naturalistically compelling in putting over her character's every vulnerability, as well as her hopes and dreams. She carried the story wonderfully; (2) Isabella Pappas was a tour de force of exaggerated confident comedic expressions. Having seen her opposite Stanley Townsend in "The Nether," I can see she has picked up his stage confidence rather than our audience diffidence about her being in such a creepy play. Further, her singing voice, evidenced in the song "Better," was the least nasal, most nuanced and strongest of all the female voices on display; (1) Along with Pappas, Kristine Kruse was the other performer who totally owned her every moment on stage. What made her the most notable performer for me was her unfailingly superb comic timing, as Bridget. She will one day play the lead role in "Hairspray," as she is the correct physical type for the role, and both her singing and comic timing are exceptional. So I had fun with this. It's not as good as "Heathers," in any way, but its exuberant and entertaining. 4 stars
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Sept 2, 2018 8:50:21 GMT
What a treat for the young cast for their final performance!
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Sept 3, 2018 12:09:44 GMT
More photos from this visit!
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Sept 11, 2018 13:27:36 GMT
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