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Post by tonyloco on Aug 20, 2017 12:43:44 GMT
Oops! Don't know what happened there. All this modern technology is too much for me.
What I wanted to say about what tmesis said was that part of the audibility of singers at Sadler's Wells and then the Coliseum back in the older days was the fact that a number of them were well-trained Australians, particularly wonderful artists like June Bronhill and Ronald Dowd. Melba's principal teacher, Mathilde Marchesi, particularly liked Australian pupils (she taught only women) because of the way they were able to enunciate words, although there is always the exception like Joan Sutherland in her droopy days – thank heavens she sorted herself out later in her career. But I digress. I also wanted to comment that in my experience of attending ENO at the Coliseum was that the sound was very good in the stalls and in the balcony but it became muddy in the dress circle and the upper circle, which made it hard to understand words when sitting in those parts of the theatre.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 20, 2017 12:33:07 GMT
Some good suggestions there tonyloco. A smaller venue would make more sense for all Mozart's operas, the Coliseum and the Garden are too big for these core repertory masterpieces, not to mention Gluck, Monteverdi and Handel, the latter being one of the few composers ENO have excelled at. Regarding audibility of words, particularly when singing in English, I think this is just a generational thing and has little to do with venue size. Years ago, at the Coliseum, words were very audible for I would say around 80% of a performance when ENO were on, even from the balcony. Singers from an earlier generation enunciated properly. When a really great singer like Janet Baker was performing you could hear every word. A few years ago I went to a modern opera (can't remember what, but it was a premiere) and this was just before surtitles were introduced, I made out one word in the whole performance, which bizarrely was 'cephalopod'! Contrast that with a performance about 30 years ago given by WNO at the Dominion Theatre of Das Rhinegold (in English) and sitting on the back row of the stalls , n this barn of a place,I was able to hear 90% of the words.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 19, 2017 16:39:29 GMT
OK. Here's the solution: Return the Coliseum to full commercial use. ENO move to a smaller theatre where the operas sung in English can be heard and understood without surtitles just as they used to be at Roseberry Avenue when it was the Sadler's Wells Opera. Obviously the whole ENO company needs to be restructured but as the 'English' National Opera (as it says on the tin) and not a direct competitor to the Royal Opera, which is London's international opera company. Maybe I am seeing s golden past through rose-tinted spectacles but I can clearly recall some bobby-dazzlers at Rosebery Avenue in the 1960s and 70s like 'Orpheus in the Underworld', 'Carmen', 'La traviata', 'The Flying Dutchman', 'Iolanthe', 'Cinderella', 'Il trovatore','Oedipus Rex', etc (listen to the EMI recordings of highlights from some of these for confirmation of the high musical standards). Surely the underused Barbican Theatre would be worth serious consideration for the new home of ENO in its revised form?
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 18, 2017 9:45:10 GMT
I just posted this on the ENO New Season thread but now realise it should have been posted here.
From an email received this morning from WhatsOnStage
English National Opera's new season opens at the London Coliseum next month with a striking new production of Verdi's Aida. Set in Ancient Egypt, it is a timeless story of love and betrayal against the backdrop of war. A roller coaster of emotions told through Verdi’s powerful music, this is opera on a grand scale.
28 September – 2 December 16 performances Tickets from £1380 – £143.75 Sung in English, with surtitles projected above the stage
I don't want to cheapen the discussion about the future of ENO but if those are their prices for the new season then there will be no future for ENO! I guess that's a typo but hey, who knows?
Seriously, having been attending ENO since 1960 when it was Sadler's Wells Opera, I believe the most disastrous decision they ever took was moving to the Coliseum. In my opinion they should go back to operating in a smaller venue and maybe the wonderful Hackney Empire would restore the ethos of when they were in Rosebery Avenue, or perhaps the Barbican Theatre. But, having said that, history tells us that in the late 1950s the company was on the verge of financial ruin and it was only the summer seasons of 'The Merry Widow' starring June Bronhill and several other operettas at the Coliseum that saved the company from bankruptcy at that time. So moving out of the West End into a smaller theatre may not be the answer, but staying in the Coliseum is not the answer either, certainly not artistically and it seems not financially either.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 18, 2017 9:11:37 GMT
I have just had an email from WhatsOnStage urging me to buy tickets for the new ENO 'Aida' as follows:
English National Opera's new season opens at the London Coliseum next month with a striking new production of Verdi's Aida. Set in Ancient Egypt, it is a timeless story of love and betrayal against the backdrop of war. A roller coaster of emotions told through Verdi’s powerful music, this is opera on a grand scale.
28 September – 2 December 16 performances Tickets from £1380 – £143.75 Sung in English, with surtitles projected above the stage
If they sell out the run at those prices they will soon be in a very healthy financial state!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 17, 2017 18:59:14 GMT
OK, tmesis, but I think you should lead off!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 17, 2017 12:47:50 GMT
Thanks Remark for making me aware of those chord variations in 'Oh what a beautiful morning.' Very interesting. I will file that away for reference. My own bit of geeky-ness in the field of analysis in the musical theatre is to point out how Jerome Kern made good use of an almost identical melodic phrase several times in 'Show Boat', albeit in different keys and in different directions. Compare the notes in: 'Cotton blossom, cotton blossom'; 'Ole man river, dat ole man river'; 'Fish got to swim and birds got to fly' and even (almost) 'Why do I love you? Why do you love me?' I'm not sure how strongly this registers on the listener but it's certainly there as a kind of Leitmotif.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 15, 2017 9:24:57 GMT
Absolutely right, and as tmesis says, we heard RRB's contribution magnificently realised on Friday by John Wilson's orchestra and his particular way of getting them to play. I'm all in favour of bigging up RRB for his unique contribution to the Broadway musical over so many years. The only problem is that RRB also stands for Richard Rodney Bennett, another musical genius in a totally different way, so a big shout going out to both the RRBs! I'm a big R.Rodney Bennett fan. I love playing his piano music - some of it quite Ravelian in style, (no greater praise from me in that) his film music is superb - Far From the Madding Crowd is as good as V. Williams and Murder on the Orient Express is very classy with some great !920s pastiche-ing going on. Then the icing on the cake is his fab jazz piano playing, either solo, or accompanying the likes of Clare Martin. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the Great American Songbook and was a great player of their music and, in interview, talked about it fascinatingly. Sorry off-topic! My fault for going off-topic but delighted to find another R.Rodney Bennett fan with such a comprehensive knowledge of his achievements. Now, any more for the surrey with the fringe on top?
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 14, 2017 14:43:23 GMT
It's interesting that the song Oklahoma was a last minute addition. This was one of the best moments in the RAH performance. The song always, when as well done as on Friday, gives a real frisson. We should big up Robert Russell Bennett who supplied the amazing choral arrangement (not to mention his superb orchestrations for this, and many more musicals.) Rodgers was undoubtedly a genius and here provides us with a stonking tune, but at least 50% of the pleasure the title song provides is down to RRB. Absolutely right, and as tmesis says, we heard RRB's contribution magnificently realised on Friday by John Wilson's orchestra and his particular way of getting them to play. I'm all in favour of bigging up RRB for his unique contribution to the Broadway musical over so many years. The only problem is that RRB also stands for Richard Rodney Bennett, another musical genius in a totally different way, so a big shout going out to both the RRBs!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 14, 2017 9:28:39 GMT
It must've been when the number occurs in the show, as John Wilson's thing is, as we all know, painstakingly re-creating the original Broadway orchestrations, so he wouldn't leave anything out. But also; they weren't replicating the staging or choreography anyway, that was all new to this performance, so it's possible you may never have got your wish! Yes, theatremadness, you are absolutely right. I have checked the piano vocal score and it is clear that John Wilson gave us every note of what appears printed there, in the right order, including the company calls at the end to a brief reprise of 'Oh what a beautiful morning' and the end of 'People will say we're in love'. There is a written encore to 'Oklahoma!' in its place in the show when Will Parker shepherds the company together for a group photograph, and that's exactly what we got on Friday, so maybe they lined up at the start of the 'Oklahoma!' encore. Sorry to go on about this but I was so looking forward to that moment and it never came!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 13, 2017 23:11:42 GMT
Found the picture on the internet! This is the original cast singing the title song. I assumed it was an encore at the very end but maybe it was the end of the number as it occurs in its normal place in the show. I was really longing to see it at the RAH last Friday but alas it didn't happen. How sad must I be!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 13, 2017 22:29:31 GMT
There is only one star at a John Wilson prom and that is the man himself and, by extension, his orchestra. He conducts Roger's music better than any of the other Broadway/Hollywood greats that he specialises in. The orchestra were magnificent, beautifully balanced textures, subtle rubato and sumptuous string tone. I have only just properly read this post from tmesis and I want to comment further on how John Wilson's superb realisation of Rodgers's music lets us fully appreciate how working with Oscar Hammerstein allowed Rodgers to develop the romantic and poetic side of his composing which for various reasons had been suppressed during his time working with Larry Hart. Yes, I know they wrote love songs like 'My funny Valentine' and 'Blue moon' but I think in 'Oklahoma!' we suddenly hear new beauty and a wider range of emotions in the music than ever before, and all this was perfectly displayed in Wilson's inspired direction of the orchestra.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 13, 2017 21:48:09 GMT
My only disappointment was the the cast at the end did not line up for an encore of the title song, go down on one knee and raise their arms in a wide arc as they sang. I am sure this is what happened at the end of the original Australian production in 1949 but I might just be mis-remembering. I know every amateur musical society in Sydney did that in every revue for the next couple of years! Regarding my earlier quote about the finale, I have now found my copy of the piano vocal score, which lists the original Drury Lane cast including 'Harold' Keel as Curly, and the front shows a photo which must be either the Drury Lane production or the original Broadway production and there is the entire cast lined up along the footlights singing the title number. I was wrong in thinking it was a single line because it seems to be three lines where it is just the front line down on one knee and the others standing in two lines behind them. For technical reasons that elude me I am unable to put this image up here on Theatre Board. I cannot find this picture anywhere on the internet but at least it proves I was not wrong and I was really looking forward to that happening at the Albert Hall last Friday.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 13, 2017 8:56:51 GMT
My only reservation was the mixed bag of the cast - superb were Robert Fairchild and Lizzy Connolly. I also liked Scarlett Strallen although slightly too "operatic" for my taste in the role. Rather poor, however, was Belinda Lang as Aunt Eller who took "hollerin" to a whole new level with no warmth to her performance at all and truly dreadful was Marcus Brigstocke as Ali Hakim. I agree with most of that. For those of us no longer in the first flush of youth, I thought Belinda Lang's hollering and her characterisation in general were a good imitation of Mammy Yokum from 'Li'l Abner'. And I wonder whether the problem with Ali Hakim is in the writing rather than in the performer.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 12, 2017 20:59:51 GMT
Interesting item on Proms Extra just now. Julian Ovenden was on talking about Oklahoma and said rehearsals were only 10-11 days. Amazing! Also said he has a man crush on Robert Fairchild. Who doesn't?
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 12, 2017 13:56:22 GMT
Oops! Sorry tmesis. I overreacted to your comments about Frank Sinatra etc and I fully understand now what you meant.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 12, 2017 13:42:11 GMT
Agreed that Strallen was miscast in this. I would be interested to know why mrbarnaby says Scarlet Strallen was miscast as Laurey. I suspect Laurey may be one of those roles for which people have a strong image of their ideal interpreter but never actually see them. For me such roles include Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth and Verdi's Violetta in 'La traviata' I've seen various talented ladies playing both roles but never to my total satisfaction! I thought Scarlet Strallen was fine, more so on the TV than live at the matinee, but I was not disappointed. For the record, I have seen just four previous Laureys (including Shirley Jones in the 1955 film) but thought none of them seemed ideal although I'm not sure why!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 12, 2017 13:30:46 GMT
To do these songs justice you need a Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan et al. His best vocalists for his concerts have been Julian Ovenden and Anna-Jane Casey. I have to say that I continue to be puzzled by some of the posts I have seen on this Oklahoma! thread. I will not pick up further on the comments complaining about the almost all-white cast and the lack of a genuine Persian to play Ali Hakim, but I really don't understand what tmesis means by saying we need singers like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, etc to do these songs justice. The John Wilson concerts are about show songs performed by experienced stage performers as they were originally intended. The performances of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, etc are in a totally different genre. None of those people have ever appeared in a stage musical and their personalised performances would be totally out of place at a John Wilson concert where the singers are expected to sing the music exactly as the composers wrote it. Of course I love what Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald et al do with songs from the Broadway Songbook but that's not what I go to a John Wilson concert to hear!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 12, 2017 9:18:02 GMT
I'm not playing devils advocate here, I am genuinely interested to read your opinions - Given that John Wilson has created such a niche for himself and his orchestra and can and has created so many magical evenings with his music, do people feel he is playing "second fiddle" (pun intended!)when the performance is semi-staged like this? I agree. It seems to me we now have two separate John Wilson events at the Proms. One when he appears with his full orchestra and has soloists singing at the front with no staging, and another where a full musical is presented on an open stage in front of what is an orchestra of fairly standard 'symphonic' size such as we had for 'Kiss Me, Kate' and 'Oklahoma!'. For my liking, I want to see more of the big John Wilson Orchestra concerts, especially they end with an encore as amazing as 'Tap your troubles away'! Going to all the trouble of effectively doing a fully staged complete musical seems to be a wasted opportunity for John Wilson's special talents. PS I hit the wrong button when I 'liked' my own post!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 11, 2017 23:09:03 GMT
Robert Fairchild was a joy throughout but I was happy with all the casting, especially the rather sympathetic portrayal of Jud Fry. The dancing was excellent and overall I thought the production worked slightly better than I was expecting in the Albert Hall. John Wilson's contribution was as always superb. I don't see what is wrong with having a white cast performing a musical written in 1943 about the state of Oklahoma, as it was about to become, in 1906. Yes, it is a bit long but what would you cut? My only disappointment was the the cast at the end did not line up for an encore of the title song, go down on one knee and raise their arms in a wide arc as they sang. I am sure this is what happened at the end of the original Australian production in 1949 but I might just be mis-remembering. I know every amateur musical society in Sydney did that in every revue for the next couple of years!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 10, 2017 14:02:40 GMT
Just thinking about what I would like on Strictly:
1. No stupid make-up on Halloween or any other time.
2. No show dances except when they are relevant and appropriate, like at the end of the series.
3. No elaborate sets or furniture.
4. No props except perhaps in show dances (see No.2)
5. Correct music with the proper rhythms so that the waltzes have three beats in each bar, tangos sound Latin and charlestons have the proper kind of syncopated beats.
6. Camera work that stays sensibly on the couples so that we can see their feet as well as the rest of them. The cameramen should be forced to watch all of Fred Astaire's dance routines on film.
I guess this is what's called pie in the sky!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 10, 2017 9:49:59 GMT
Sad to read of the passing of Glen Campbell – a classy performer.
Reading his obits, I am reminded of what the late Dockyard Doris used to say: 'By the time I get to Phoenix all the shops will be shut.'
Happy memories of both artistes.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 8, 2017 16:53:02 GMT
A unique talent. I cherish my memories of the three or four times I saw her in concert, especially with the wonderful Wally. One of the truly greats of the musical theatre.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 6, 2017 11:40:48 GMT
Thanks again. The show won me over in the second half and I was glad I made the effort to get to Bromley to see it, mainly to enjoy the performances of the talented cast but, as has been noted before, it must be disheartening for the performers to get so little response from small audiences for such an energetic show.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 6, 2017 8:20:13 GMT
Thanks stageyninja83. Did I misunderstand the lack of applause after those numbers in the first act? Was the silence meant somehow as a tribute because the songs had been quite effective in their dramatic context? I was ready to applaud but refrained from doing so when I realised I would have been clapping on my own.
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 5, 2017 19:18:46 GMT
I saw The Wedding Singer today at the matinee at Bromley from the front row of the stalls. Despite a strong cast working hard, I found the first act failed to engage me. The audience was very sparse and, something I cannot ever remember before at a musical, two of the songs in the middle of the first act, albeit both rather low key numbers, ended with total silence from the audience which must be very dispiriting for the actors. But things improved after a rather long interval and I thoroughly enjoyed the second half. The audience woke up and by the end there was a strong response at the finale. I asked two of the theatre staff afterwards if everybody was on and I was told they were, but whoever was playing Julia didn't look at all like the picture of Cassie Compton in the programme. Maybe it's just me, but I thought she was the least effective of the main females. Does anybody know whether Cassie Compton was scheduled to play this afternoon's performance?
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 4, 2017 15:04:16 GMT
I will be there at the matinee. I am hoping Robert Fairchild as Will Parker will do the back somersault (or whatever it is called) from a standing start that Jimmy Johnston did as Will Parker at the National and then repeated by popular demand in Pirates of Penzance in Regent's Park. Now that's what I call dancing!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 2, 2017 13:18:23 GMT
I only recently caught up with Jonathan Miller's highly praised 'Mikado' for English National Opera and was bitterly disappointed. I thought it was basically childish and silly and the only things I occasionally smiled at were some of Gilbert's original jokes in the dialogue. Maybe it was all wonderful when it was new but it certainly got 'nul points' from me a couple of years ago. On the other hand, I thought Sasha Regan's 'Mikado' was joyous, funny, occasionally moving and a theatrical triumph. The staging was highly imaginative (who would have thought tents could be so versatile?) and the singing was terrific and did full justice to Sullivan's inspired music. I am sure it would have worked equally well with mixed genders but there is a particular quality in men singing falsetto that has a special appeal of its own, as the late, great Dame Hilda Bracket demonstrated so clearly, especially when assisted by Dr. Evadne Hinge.
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Post by tonyloco on Jul 29, 2017 11:39:49 GMT
Being seriously over-weight is also a major disadvantage for sitting in some, in fact rather a lot, of seats in West End Theatres!
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Post by tonyloco on Jul 29, 2017 10:53:25 GMT
My avatar refers back to the days when I moonlighted from my proper job in a major record company by playing piano for Cockney singalongs and old time music hall shows. The pearly hatband with TL on it was made for me by Larry Barnes, the pearly king of Thornton Heath, who did some unusual music hall acts including recreating Houdini's escapology routine getting out of handcuffs and a straight-jacket and doing paper-tearing while singing 'If it wasn't for the 'ouses in-between'
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