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Post by tonyloco on Sept 15, 2017 14:13:21 GMT
Wicket (I suspect many of you would rather see this than the original) I would rather see ANYTHING than the original!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 15, 2017 14:07:08 GMT
I'm surprised myself that I've never seen the film. I am only 26 though and tend to go for theatre than movie versions. I've never even seen Moulin Rouge, and I think I'm one of the few people who's seen the stage version of dirty dancing but never the film. As for the ending, indeed that's me told. I shall have to have a look for those notes! No, Mark, you are not alone. I too have seen Dirty Dancing on stage but not the film. I went to see it because there was an Australian actor in it called Richard O'Brien, although he had to change his name because we already have a very famous Richard O'Brien ( Rocky Horror Show) in the UK. And I envy you that you can go to see musicals at the Sydney Capitol, a magnificent theatre in every respect. Lucky Mark! I hope you are going to see Madama Butterfly next month.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 15, 2017 12:28:28 GMT
I've never even seen the film version of My Fair Lady Seriously? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember when they did an anniversary week of showings at the ABC Shaftesbury Avenue. That extended to almost a month - and it's the first newspaper advert I'd ever seen telling people not to turn up unless they had booked, as it was sold out. Gawd strewth! It must be very different in Australia. I would bet that there was nobody alive in the UK with a TV set that had not seen 'My Fair Lady', 'The Sound of Music' or 'Pretty Woman', three movies that are shown constantly on UK TV. As regards the plot strands left unwrapped at the end, I think that is down to Mr G.B. Shaw's original play. Shaw did in fact write an extensive explanation of what happened to the principal characters after the end of the play, which I presume can be found in any printed copy of the play, but he also said that people should be able to work it out for themselves. His actual words are: "The rest of the story need not be shewn in action, and indeed, would hardly need telling if our imaginations were not so enfeebled by their lazy dependence on the ready-mades and reach-me-downs of the ragshop in which Romance keeps its stock of 'happy endings' to misfit all stories." So that's you told, Mark!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 15, 2017 11:45:50 GMT
It's probably because I was wide-eyed with wonder at being a 22-year-old Australian let loose in the theatrical wonderland of London, but my most vivid memories of the early shows I saw back in 1960 include 'Pieces of Eight' with Kenneth Williams and Fenella Fielding and two Joan Littlewood shows, namely 'Fings Ain't Wot They Used t'Be' at the Garrick and 'The Hostage' at Wyndhams. Later, Joan's original production of 'Oh What A Lovely War' at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, really packed a punch and was totally memorable. It's no wonder I was still wide-eyed later in the 1970s to find myself actually working with Joan at Stratford East (see my anecdotes in the 'Follies' thread) as well as some of her stars like Toni Palmer, Brian Murphy, Ann Beach and later Barbara Windsor.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 15, 2017 10:44:59 GMT
Dollies
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 14, 2017 15:20:24 GMT
wang! Tried out at the Palace Theatre in Manchester I believe. I have a poster for it , Barbara Windsor and Ronnie Corbett were in it. Did they both go with the show to London ? Where did it play there ? bimse: just look up "Twang!" on Wikipedia for the answers to your questions. Wiki knows everything!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 14, 2017 15:15:56 GMT
Okay, one for the old folks Can us young people join in too?😁🙊🌝😼❗️ And I loved the Follies derailment - maybe the mods could merge so that all those lovely anecdotes don't get lost in there? tonyloco, you might hail from the end of the yellow brick road, but you are a true legend! Tibidabo – flattery will get you everywhere!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 14, 2017 15:10:51 GMT
I may have the wrong slant on this but surely Renée Fleming will look gorgeous as she always does and despite the fact that she is fast approaching 60, doesn't this mean that there will be three female leads in this "Carousel" (Julie, Carrie and Nettie) all looking young and scrumptious? Is that a problem? I guess not!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 14, 2017 14:54:41 GMT
"Blitz" at the Adelphi. Loved the children singing "Mums & Dads" but absolutely petrified of the "bombs". _I was around 8 yrs old. "Blitz" was Lionel Bart's next show after "Oliver" and Noel Coward, who was actually a close friend and admirer of Lionel Bart, said of it: "It was just like the real thing only louder!"
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 14, 2017 14:48:03 GMT
A reminiscences thread would be good. My first theatregoing was in the seventies but it's all a bit hazy now. 1973 would also be around the time of two shows that Lionel Bart was involved in at Stratford East, Costa Packet and The Londoners if memory serves. I've always wondered what happened to get him back doing those. It has all been documented elsewhere, but Lionel Bart lost his entire personal fortune on his ill-fated musical "Twang!" back in the 1960s and he even sold his rights in "Oliver" before eventually becoming bankrupt. When I was playing for "Nuts" in 1973 Lionel would come and sit in the bar and get smashed on Ouzo and in an attempt to help him get his head together Joan actually suggested he went on in "Nuts" to sing some of his songs, which I duly played for, but Lionel was no stage performer and the numbers were quickly dropped and Lionel went back to the bar and the Ouzo. But Joan always tried to help Lionel and her productions of "Costa Packet" and "Londoners" were attempts to do so.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 14, 2017 14:28:43 GMT
I meant to use the above quote to refer to, sorry I'm not up to speed with using the site, it'll get better , promise.... I just wanted to ask tonyloco if Rogers and Starr were the drag act who did magic? I'm told they were wonderful . I love reading your reminiscences! Maybe an encore thread is in order ! No, Rogers and Starr were a very glamorous drag act but they didn't do magic. The artists were Michael Rogers, who I think went to the USA, and Roy Starling. Most of their numbers were full of double entendres and innuendos and some of them didn't even bother with two meanings, like one of Michael's songs about his boyfriend who 'hadn't any f***ing finesse'. But of course they performed them in the best possible taste!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 14, 2017 13:56:52 GMT
OK. xanderl first. I have only the haziest recollection of "What a Crazy World". I think I may have seen it but I wasn't involved in it in any way.
Now caiaphas. No, I don't remember Mike Leigh's "It's a Great Big Shame" but it sounds great. You say Robyn Archer sang Brecht at Stratford East, but you are mixing things up. "Robyn Archer Sings Brecht" was the name of two LPs that I actually set up with my other hat on when I worked for EMI. It is a funny story because I got a message from EMI Australia asking me to set up a recording at Abbey Road of Robyn Archer singing Brecht to be charged back to EMI Australia. Robyn duly arrived in my office, all very formal, and I set the arrangements for the recording in motion. At that time I was playing for the Aba Daba Music Hall at the Pindar of Wakefield in Gray's Inn Road at King's Cross three nights a week and who should arrive one night but Robyn Archer who wanted to experience old time music hall for her performance as Marie Lloyd in her one-woman show "A Star is Torn" which she was about to perform at Stratford East. But then when she arrived at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East what did she find but yours truly playing piano in the bar during the run of "A Star is Torn" on nights when I wasn't at the Pindar! It was like I was stalking her all over London! She did actually ask me would I like to play second piano when "Star is Torn" transferred to Wyndhams but I turned it down, mainly because it was too much of a clash with my office job. So, caiaphas you may have heard me playing in the bar during the run of Robyn's "A Star is Torn" at Stratford East.
Now back to Follies, again!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 14, 2017 11:32:21 GMT
Thanks xanderl. That is the first I've heard about 'Miss Littlewood'. I wonder who will play me? Just joking. I will make some enquiries about the show and maybe start a new thread on due course if nobody else does so first.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 14, 2017 10:59:18 GMT
While I am reminiscing (and when do I ever stop?) I will add to the Stratford East story in a way that is relevant to Follies. Joan Littlewood's 'Nuts' eventually morphed into a regular Sunday Variety Night that was held once a month except in the summer months. It was hosted by Kate Williams and I was the pianist. One of the regular participating acts was a sort of folk group called Morris Minor and the Austin Seven which was run by Bill Dudley (he who was responsible for the projected scenery in the original production of The Woman in White) and the regular vocalist with the group was Imelda Staunton. I played for Imelda just once, at some Gala or other organised by Stratford East but held in the Piccadilly Theatre one Sunday night. She chose 'Am I blue', inspired by the Barbra Streisand recording, and that's what we did. End of anecdote!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 21:52:02 GMT
It was either the Vauxhall Tavern or the Black Cap! Late 70s/early 80s? Am I right? Or the Two Brewers Well, caiaphas and alece10, you are warm but not hot. Yes, I was participating in shows, but not in pubs and not all drag acts by any means. Other performers included Long John Baldry, Diane Langton, Elaine Paige, Brian Protheroe, Gaye Brown, Rita Webb as well as the ones previously mentioned. The time was 1973 and the shows were at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, directed by Joan Littlewood. They started as a series of variety nights called NUTS. It was Joan's idea to mix traditional variety material – songs, sketches, spesh acts, etc – with people from the local community like journalists, care workers, councillors, etc., who would interact with the audience on matters of local concern. Was this a crazy idea? You betcha! But Joan did have some crazy ideas. I was playing the piano as part of the bar entertainment and also accompanying some of the acts on stage. I shared the stage work with Long John Baldry's regular pianist, Ian Armit, who played for LJB, Diane Langton and Elaine Paige while I played for the point numbers for Rogers and Starr, Rita Webb, etc. Hinge and Bracket did not need a pianist but I did have the honour to play for Dame Hilda Bracket some years later in a music hall bill at the Lyric Hammersmith. So now you know. I'm too old to do any playing these days, and besides nobody does the kind of shows that I used to play for anyway. All together now: AAhhh!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 18:30:05 GMT
Being an Aussie, I am Anthony with an 'h' but my Italian grandfather after whom I was named was actually Antonino so that's what I should have been christened and then I could be Nino – much classier than Tony or Toni, at least that's what I think. N.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 18:22:03 GMT
Oh I loved her when she played Cagney in London's glitzy West End a few years ago. Or did she play Lacey? Surely you remember, Ryan? She played both roles and tossed a coin each night to decide which one it would be that night. What a trouper!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 18:14:39 GMT
Thanks couldileaveyou and others for your responses to my query. If the men in drag in Buddy's Blues was originally instigated by Hal Prince and Michael Bennett in the Boston try-out then that is enough justification for them being included in this production, even though the idea was dropped before the Broadway opening. Actually, to be perfectly honest, from the back of the stalls I didn't realise they were men in drag (I guess because I was concentrating on watching Buddy) but I did register that they were very loud and their coarse performance unbalanced the number. LOL, tony! Perhaps you're just used to your ladies that way! Strewth! I've just been outed by Tibidabo on Mornington Crescent as being an Aussie and now caiaphas has torn away another veil! How can I deny it? Well, it all comes from earlier in my life when most nights I could be found in close proximity to Rogers & Starr, Hinge & Bracket and Mrs Shufflewick. Any idea, caiaphas, when and where that might have been? Or does anybody else know?
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 16:08:58 GMT
To allow everyone a fair shot at buying. People do hold multiple tickets on various dates, and one person could be preventing 10 more from buying. I only realised yesterday that I had to re-register with Hampstead too. Luckily, I'd logged in 15 minutes before booking opened, and JUST had enough time. My own fault. With "important" bookings I normally do check I'm registered etc the day before, so it's smooth on the day. Thanks Theatremonkey for that explanation. I remember you giving that advice about checking registration the day before booking opens for important events like Hamilton but I wasn't expecting Caroline to be at that level of importance and I only decided to get a ticket after hearing that the booking was already open. So I accept the principle but I think in the case of Hampstead, the time allotted is not enough to make a single booking comfortably. I also now recall that I looked at several different matinee dates before deciding when to book although I had not reserved seats on any of them. OK, So I now know why they do it and in future I may have to be get a move on if I see the clock ticking – 'time's winged chariot' and all that!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 15:58:09 GMT
Thanks couldileaveyou and others for your responses to my query. If the men in drag in Buddy's Blues was originally instigated by Hal Prince and Michael Bennett in the Boston try-out then that is enough justification for them being included in this production, even though the idea was dropped before the Broadway opening. Actually, to be perfectly honest, from the back of the stalls I didn't realise they were men in drag (I guess because I was concentrating on watching Buddy) but I did register that they were very loud and their coarse performance unbalanced the number.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 15:40:49 GMT
PS A bit more research on Wiki reveals that the original Covent Garden sets for La bohème date from 1899, the premiere of Bohème by the Covent Garden company with Melba and Fernando De Lucia. It had already been done in the ROH in 1897 but by the Carl Rosa company, who had premiered it in Manchester under the direction of the composer. BTW, I was under the impression that the 1964 Zeffirelli production of Tosca with sets by Mongiardino was only the second after the original 1900 staging. I also saw those original sets with Crespin and Di Stefano among others.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 13:16:22 GMT
And the one about not ending a sentence with a preposition is a rule up with which I will not put.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 13:05:17 GMT
I'm going in about ten days. Early reviews are quite favourable but Jones has an almost impossible task in replacing Copley's 41year old production which I have seen so many times I've lost count. When it was pensioned off it was still looking good with Julia Trevelyan Oman's fantastically detailed sets. With Pappano in the the pit it should be great musically. Yes, a good production of a good opera should be able to stay the distance. Here's a bit of Tonyloc history. On 18 March 1960 I heard the great Jussi Björling sing Rodolfo at Covent Garden and it remains one of my most treasured opera-going memories. On that occasion, the sets used were the original ones in front of which Melba and Caruso had sung Mimì and Rodolfo back in 1902. Costumes and direction had been revised a few times since then, but those sets remained in use until 1974 when a completely new production was mounted by John Copley with sets and costumes by Julia Trevelyan Oman. As tmesis reminds us, this has also passed the test of time and has been revived with great success many times. Will this third production of one of the most popular operas in the repertoire be as good? Let's hope so!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 12:34:23 GMT
If you don’t know anything about Aida then I’m guessing this is an early introduction to Opera? Good luck. Aida is one of the crowning glories of Musical Theatre and I really hope you have a great time. Tuneful, influential and can be extremely moving. But Aida is really at heart a love story that can break your heart with sensitive production, conducting and singing and probably for that reason hasn’t been featured as much in Opera Houses today as it was in the past. The Ellen Kent production is very traditional and as the addition of a horse suggests, goes heavy on the Spectacular (but with a very limited budget!). The problem is this unbalances the evening because fun though it is, it all happens in the first act. The real beauty unfolds during the Opera if the performers are good enough. It will serve as a good introduction. I saw her tour of this a few years ago and it was Ok but I still hope to see great.If you don’t have the inclination to get a CD familiarise yourself by spending a little time on Youtube Look for Celeste Aida. Pavarotti Aida. Grand March (You will know this one) O Patria Mia . Maria Callas. (there’s plenty more highlights.) Please report your findings here. If I may resurrect this thread – Mr Snow, do you mean you hope to see great from an Ellen Kent production of Aida or from any production? If you mean the latter, then it has been my great privilege to hear what I consider the best ever Aida and Radames at Covent Garden in 1962 when Galina Vishnevskaya sang Aida opposite Jon Vickers as Radames. To say it was sensational would be an understatement and I can still hear Vickers at the end of Act III with his brilliantly incisive: 'Sacerdoti! Io resto a te!' A thrilling end to a thrilling Nile Scene, and the rest of the evening was just as good. My two best Amnerises were Giulietta Simionato and Fiorenza Cossotto. Amy Shuard and Charles Craig were an ever-reliable pair of lovers and of course Shuard was hugely popular with the Covent Garden audiences back in the 1960s, but Vishnevskaya and Vickers lifted Aida to another plane entirely.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 0:15:19 GMT
I had the resetting password issue for the play also booking; glad I didn't want to see this again as a slow process overall. Yes, and while I was doing battle with the website trying to persuade it to recognise me, it kept telling me that I had just a few minutes left to complete my booking or presumably it would cancel my selected seat and I would have to start the whole process over again. Why do some theatre booking websites have this threat about completing bookings within quite a short time? I do really want enough time to read the website carefully, not to mention reading the full Terms and Conditions for which I have to tick a box. Perhaps the theatremonkey can explain.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 13, 2017 0:01:05 GMT
Saw Follies this evening. It's a stunning production , much darker than the last London production , and the "Follies" of the characters come across much better . The only part I didn't understand was the introduction of two drag characters during Buddy's folly , to me it wasn't done well, served no purpose except for cheap laughs, and didn't fit well at all. But a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable production all the same . Perhaps the introduction of the two drag characters into Buddy's Blues was prompted by the same reason for making the photographer in 'Flash, Bang, Wallop' in 'Half a Sixpence' ridiculously camp with absolutely no dramatic justification except to get a very cheap laugh. I too would like to know why the two women in Buddy's Blues were played by men in drag. Can anybody explain?
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 12, 2017 12:30:55 GMT
I just booked a matinee A row centre for £22, being a (very) senior citizen! Had the usual problem when booking online at a theatre where I have not been for a couple of years. Firstly it said it did not recognise me so I tried to register again as a new person and it said I was already on their system. It then sent me an email to change my password, which I did – to exactly what it was when they said they did not recognise me and – hey presto – "Yes Mr Loco that's all fine and please proceed to Payment". Anyway, I got the seat I wanted at a price much lower than I was expecting to pay so bravo Hampstead Theatre.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 12, 2017 9:56:02 GMT
Ah now, argon, if I could remember them I could cite you numerous examples where set designers and directors of productions at the Royal Opera House in the past have made no concessions for what people in the Amphitheatre can see or not see. I rather suspect they never get higher in the auditorium than the Stalls when they are working on new productions. I might be doing some of them a grave injustice but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, not to mention the seeing!
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 11, 2017 13:47:25 GMT
This might be a tad off the topic of the language as such but one of mine would be getting well-known sayings wrong, such as "it was a bit of a damp squid" And what's wrong with us damp squids?
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 10, 2017 20:43:36 GMT
I adored this production. If I could, I'd go and see it every week. There are few things in life I love as much as good tap-dancing. Such a wonderful, joyous evening. Thanks once more! I'm almost in the process of doing just that – seeing 42nd Street once a week from the £15 seats in A row. I have seen it six times now and I am booked for two more visits on September 25 and October 2. It gets better and better, even when there are covers on, and my only problem is that I can't get the songs out of my head on the days in between visits. I wish all my problems were as tough as that!
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