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Post by frankubelik on Oct 16, 2018 16:21:22 GMT
It's pretty poor when a reviewer can't be bothered to check his facts. Kris Hallet (WoS) refers to Rex Harrison's wife as Kay Hammond when it was of course Kay KENDALL. Kay Hammond was married to John Clements. "Attention must be paid".
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Post by frankubelik on Oct 15, 2018 17:39:27 GMT
She did a week at the Hippodrome cabaret venue about six years ago and was superb. She even mentioned Metropolis! Shame she wasn't brought over for FUN HOME.................
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Post by frankubelik on Oct 13, 2018 7:22:23 GMT
Her cabaret celebrating Edith Piaf is simply a must see for anyone interested in the genre. She is stunning. A real shame it's tucked away at the Pheasantry for three nights with little or no publicity. Final show this evening.
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Post by frankubelik on Oct 11, 2018 6:37:22 GMT
Agreed. Painful and really disappointing. It's not as if she wasn't prepared to sing it!
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Post by frankubelik on Oct 7, 2018 14:57:50 GMT
Although retired for several years, she was memorable in the last LITTLE ME revival and of course THE BIOGRAPH GIRL. Pleased to hear Elaine pay tribute this afternoon.
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Post by frankubelik on Oct 7, 2018 8:12:39 GMT
Ready to be shot down again here but being a traditionalist, the concept of a female Bobby did not work for me (in fact I actually thought it would have been better had SHE been gay) but that is largely to do with the casting of Ms Craig. I saw the show on Friday and gather she was off last night. For me she is bland and deeply uninteresing and whilst she has been OK in previous productions (City of Angels, Light Princess etc) this role exposes what she does not possess - charisma. I did not like the laid back "Crazy" and felt the boyfriends read as very "fey" - where are the real men??? These songs are not written for the male voice (Another Hundred People was so poorly delivered and that terrible choreography too) and I was not thrilled once. Even Patti who otherwise nails every line, has been directed to hold back, but she is the singularly most interesting and compelling person on stage which is probably why she's been directed that way which is a great shame. The staging of "Side by Side" is clunky to say the least and whilst "Getting Married....." very well performed I was bemused at the ovation it received. Added to this, the audience was so annoying (which seems part of the West End these days), I had a hugely disappointing evening which I am still recovering from!
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Post by frankubelik on Sept 14, 2018 3:03:18 GMT
This is beyond sad. I was fortunate enough to see her in And The World Goes Round, Passion, Kiss Me Kate and Ragtime. She was never less than sublime.
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Post by frankubelik on Sept 11, 2018 13:07:12 GMT
Saw this last night......The positives: it's a very sweet story largely well acted, sung and is very engaging. Clare Burt is outstanding and it's fun to see other actors doubling in the two acts (Ms Riding rather over mannered in Act 1 though but great in Act 2!) The faux Dior creations pretty even if they could be better modelled. My problem was with the score. It never really goes anywhere and in those moments crying out for something, it falls flat. On that note I found it very disappointing. I also wonder if it would be better suited to the Minerva stage? The Chichester audience was somewhat bemused I thought with several leavers at the interval. Polite, sustained reaction at the end. There is a very good show in there, just needs a better composer. Sorry.
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Post by frankubelik on Aug 22, 2018 6:04:05 GMT
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Post by frankubelik on Aug 3, 2018 13:06:47 GMT
I am thrilled she has stopped "singing".
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Post by frankubelik on Aug 3, 2018 13:04:39 GMT
Paul Nicholas, Samantha Janus, Jason Donovan in 1996 (not great casting) with Robert Meadmore & Valerie Cutko (as Nimue). This could still work if not updated and cast properly. There was an awful version in Regent's Park 2004 which set the cause back a few years. It's a great score and a very emotional piece done properly.
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Post by frankubelik on Jul 24, 2018 6:35:08 GMT
It's fine, but that's it. It never really came to life for me despite the hard working and large (for Chichester) cast. A lot of the staging is far too busy and without focus and I question some of the updated arrangements. There is a very strange dream ballet in Act 2 which slows things down and was (for me) completely unnecessary. That said, Matt Lucas was ok - he could do with being a little less "cock-er-nee" but his Sally was overwhelmingly bland. The Lambeth Walk is relentless though and the whole thing looks as if it's ready for a transfer (finale costumes etc...) Could do with a bit more pace in the book scenes too. Needless to say the audience loved it.
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Post by frankubelik on Jul 21, 2018 16:37:58 GMT
...and why the standing ovation? Are these poor creatures so starved of "entertainment" or are they plied with alcohol or paid for the camera. That performance rates a slow hand clap.
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Post by frankubelik on Jul 21, 2018 4:28:22 GMT
At last! People here are seeing sense.....she was truly terrible. Non existent acting skills and that voice! It is simply horrible and painful on the ears. The bootlegs of her in SB are no better. Shocking.
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Post by frankubelik on Jul 15, 2018 7:32:44 GMT
A super talented cast (with one glaring "guest star" exception) bring this fun parody to life. I wonder how much of it will resonate to those (if there any any) who have NOT seen the show in question but there no doubting the brilliance of the creator. Hugely enjoyable.
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Post by frankubelik on Jul 15, 2018 7:23:20 GMT
Nobody in the London cast is a patch vocally on their New York counterparts. I remain amazed that no reviewers picked up on the poor musicality of this, well, musical.
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Post by frankubelik on Jul 1, 2018 7:27:17 GMT
I did NOT like having to queue for 15 minutes to enter the Theatre (stalls). This is a Bradway tradition I have never cared for either and usually make sure I arrive with just five minutes to spare to avoid this. Also my interval drink order could not be taken as the bartender has "already taken his quota of ten orders" - whaaa? ? Shame on you London Palladium. A lovely revival; not as sumptuous as I would have liked and I also felt the orchestra sounded a little thin (from the third row) but Kelli was wonderful and sounded great. How nice to have a proper musical theatre voice doing justice to those superb songs. Ken is charismatic and yes he was difficult to follow at times but it did make one listen which is no bad thing. Hugely enjoyable.
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Post by frankubelik on Jun 24, 2018 14:56:09 GMT
Much as I don't like Ms Riding's habit of staring into the middle distance, it will be good to have someone who can sing the score and is a (kind of) believable Follies girl. I am praying that we are saved from the hideous gurning and awful sound of Ms Bennett.
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Post by frankubelik on Jun 24, 2018 7:50:52 GMT
Went in with low expectations and was not disappointed. Interesting piece which would benefit from some cutting (two of the three children) and some tighter direction and most importantly some really thrilling voices. Despite the combined musical theatre pedigree, the cast do not deliver vocally which is a huge shame. Only Jenna just about gets away with it. Probably spoilt by the OBC and once again in the minority judging from the (now obligatory) standing ovation.
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Post by frankubelik on Jun 5, 2018 8:13:24 GMT
She is warm and charismatic. It's a real feat to hold the stage for 90 minutes and she seemed genuinely overwhelmed by the audience reaction. Just not sure about the dramatic narrative of the piece.
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Post by frankubelik on May 27, 2018 10:23:15 GMT
No apotheosis in Southwark I'm afraid. For me it was poorly directed and whilst Caroline did what she does and was very good, I'm afraid I found Ms Sutton miscast. She comes across as a very self possessed young woman with none of the desperation or vulnerability required for the character. I also thought her voice very average. People seems to be going crazy for the tap dancing on skates - well that's part of the show right? I have never seen a production (Wythenshawe, Cambridge Theatre, Orange Tree and Leicester) where the "Wreckers" don't. I also thought they were a very average bunch. Sorry guys. Did not like the "new" opening - "Coloured Lights" sets the right tone and everyone just stumbled on (direction!) Was looking forward to this but came away very disappointed.
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Post by frankubelik on May 24, 2018 17:08:22 GMT
She was here at the Aldwych in THE FIELDS OF AMBROSIA (anyone? ) was an acclaimed Eliza in MFL on Broadway and did a stint in LA CAGE...... Check out her guest appearance on Elaine's TV show from a few years ago where she slays "The Music That Makes Me Dance". A hugely underused talent.
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Post by frankubelik on May 24, 2018 8:13:16 GMT
A mixed bag but wonderful to have a full orchestra and the sound was very good. Largely well sung by legitimate voices with one or two exceptions but the absolute standout was Christine Andreas who provided a much needed masterclass in how to deliver a song in three minutes - pure class. Some familiar performers to many on this board but new to me in person were very underwhelming. David Bedella in excellent voice. A luverly evening.
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Post by frankubelik on May 23, 2018 12:47:40 GMT
Sorry to see plenty of availability for this tonight. Anybody else going?
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Post by frankubelik on Apr 20, 2018 8:49:53 GMT
My heart sank when the cast filed onto the stage in front of the curtain and began to sing "La Vie en Rose"........There is so much "Acting" going on that it detracts from the poorly directed and overlong version of the play. I do not recall it being so long originally and cuts are certainly required. I am sure they all had a great time in rehearsal "exploring" their roles. Charles Edwards is outstanding and makes sense of his character but Fleetwood never comes close to exploring Christine's desperation - she is very unfocused and frequently slips into caricature. The rest is overblown with one or two staggeringly bad performances. It's extraordinary that with the the available talent pool in London that this is the best the National's casting department can do. Shame on you. One poor actress has to spend the evening walking around the stage with no lines at all. The expected shattering finale never materializes either. A very muted response with swathes of the audience leaving after each interval. One wonders why they bothered to revive this piece.
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Post by frankubelik on Apr 7, 2018 7:13:59 GMT
I found it to be excruciatingly bad. It's really a (bad) play with a "soundtrack" full of poorly drawn two dimensional characters; the night I saw it none of Ms Francolini's lines landed well and Mr Matthews was an embarrassment. Certainly not a musical and apart from the cod flamenco number closing Act 1, there really aren't enough ensemble dance numbers. It's a sin not to use a major talent like Strallen who dances superbly but only sings one line. Random songs are plucked from nowhere and apart from (I think Time After Time) none are sung through. Mr Young is inoffensive enough but why is he there at all? I am yet again in the minority as the obligatory standing ovation would attest.
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Post by frankubelik on Mar 25, 2018 9:03:26 GMT
Sorry guys but the entire show is a mixture of live singing and miming - please watch carefully again. JMD is very very good at miming though and the camera shots are well placed but you CAN tell, the sound is all wrong. There was a moment (forget which number) when she was completely out of synch too. Oops. Think it's pretty bad really and even Russell Watson was at it. I mean they are meant to be singers after all.
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Post by frankubelik on Mar 18, 2018 16:53:52 GMT
Shame on the Arts theatre. Tickets booked for Saturday and website advised both shows SOLD OUT at 10.00 on the day. One member unable to attend and box office displayed usual snippy attitude "we're not sold out". What? Swathes of unsold seats at matinee. Sad to say that this attitude makes me want the show to fail. Party agreed unanimously that although show is fun Bennett doing usual grotesque performance and was a distraction. Good luck to all.
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Post by frankubelik on Mar 17, 2018 9:01:30 GMT
Just caught up with both episodes (thank God for fast forward) and wonder why JMD was miming through several numbers??? Also my previous admiration for Ms Ellis is now definitely over - what was all that mike grabbing?
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Post by frankubelik on Jan 16, 2018 14:09:18 GMT
Any tips on best time to arrive??? I think the "one hour" rule is excessive. Having dinner with my party locally - what do you think?
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