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Post by Stephen on Feb 18, 2018 4:00:32 GMT
Finally! I’ve had my Hamilton experience.
A few notes firstly on the logistics of the evening. We arrived sharp at 6pm and walked straight into the theatre getting our tickets immediately without hassle. The friendly team made the entire evening even more enjoyable! There was hardly any queue for merchandise and easy access to the toilets.
We luckily had great seats to enjoy the show from (Stalls H 15-17) I believe these are amongst the premium seats and although they have a fantastic view I feel if I returned a seat in the dress circle would give a more complete experience being able to see the stage from above.
This really did live up to the hype for me and I found it to be an incredibly slick production.
The standout performances for me were Giles Terera, Michael Jibson and Jamael Westman. I know it has been spoken about to death here and everywhere but I had no problem with Giles’ performance. I thought he sang the part well with great articulation even in the most complex moments of fast speech! Michael Jibson, I thought, gave a hilarious performance and I also thought that he sang well. Interesting to hear that others disagree! I thought that Jamael Westman grew as Hamilton throughout and I was really with him by the interval.
On a side note, the sound of the orchestra was quite different than expected. Having listened a lot to the cast recording I was used to a very full and “in your face” type sound but really enjoyed the live sound not being too overpowering. I may have just been excited and distracted but I didn’t even think that the opening chords were loud at all? Almost glazed over...
Was amazing to finally be in the room where it happens and hope I’ll be back soon.
Sir Cameron may have to tighten the screws on his new seats soon as the rate of ovation at the finale caused them all to thunder closed!
The rear stalls boxes look lovely and as the stalls is fairly shallow, likely provide a good view?
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Post by Stephen on Feb 16, 2018 12:53:51 GMT
Just found out i’m in stalls premium seats. Will report back on them and on the show!
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Post by Stephen on Feb 16, 2018 8:08:59 GMT
Finally going tonight! Is there a pre-show announcement or does it start straight off? So I can prepare for my fright...
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Post by Stephen on Feb 9, 2018 2:47:43 GMT
What a lovely afternoon seeing "Lady Windermere's Fan" It's rather lovely. I laughed a lot and really had a tear in the final act and closing moments. Saunders delivers her musical interlude with such comic flair as only she could! BRAVA!
The only bizarre thing was the other musical excerpts? Were they produced on Sibelius this morning? The electronic drums seemed out of place and unnecessary. Who really cares though? It's a great afternoon of comedy with a lot of heart at the end.
I also didn't realise how nice the Vaudeville is to see a play. Wasn't full in the Dress Circle this afternoon so box office kindly moved us down into the centre from the rear left (offered better views of all the fans)
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Post by Stephen on Feb 6, 2018 9:23:38 GMT
I really want to see this, but after looking at the prices I'm having second thoughts. £95 for the end of Row F in the dress circle is ridiculous. I'm also heartbroken there's no @theatremonkey graphic yet saying which seats are good value and which are the equivalent of having Really Useful Theatres beat me unconscious with a baseball bat Personally I would say that the rear stalls are a good deal. The Palladium is surprisingly intimate on all levels I find. Gotta love a Matcham!
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Post by Stephen on Feb 1, 2018 1:38:25 GMT
How does the orchestral setup for the tour compare to the production in town? I remember seeing the tour a few years ago in Glasgow and thought it was much thinner but then again isn't London smaller than it was when it opened?
Something which interests me. Perhaps a real Wicked geek can help me on this one?
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Post by Stephen on Jan 31, 2018 3:16:08 GMT
I prefer 42nd Street as a musical but would want this to win for cast alone! Let's not forget Di Botcher and the amazing Philip Quast!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 25, 2018 23:52:35 GMT
Enjoyed this tonight. I thought that it was a nice play on the shorter side with good performances. At times touching and poignant ending. Is the dramatic music really necessary? I think it made things seem a little amateur in this production.
The audience was swimming with lovely men (and 5 ladies!) although the only wet one in the end was the lovely Roly Botha.
A solid 3* from me.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 24, 2018 23:12:53 GMT
Thank you so much @ryan
I know things now, many valuable things, that I hadn't known before.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 24, 2018 16:01:50 GMT
I had a peek this morning on the Mackintosh site to see if I could grab a last minute slip seat. £52.25! I sat in the slips a few years ago for around £10. Those seats aren't worth paying more than £20 for in my opinion.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 24, 2018 15:42:22 GMT
Can somebody tell me about gunshots please?
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Post by Stephen on Jan 23, 2018 3:14:58 GMT
Saw this tonight with Today Tix Rush. Odd to arrive to see the middle of the stalls empty with a clear divide between those who had payed full price and those on rush/discounted seats. About 100 empty seats in the stalls.
I enjoyed parts of the piece. Shirley Henderson gave an excellent standout performance throughout however the cast in this are great. The songs are mostly beautiful with some stunning vocals and lovely musical moments. This did fall a bit flat for me in places though. I'm yet to really put my finger on why.
3* from me.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 23, 2018 3:04:41 GMT
I forgot to ask others who have been in the front row. In the party scene copious amounts of whisky are consumed. Obviously this is not real. However, I got a very distinct whisky aroma for some time. Anyone else? I have not rejected the possibility that it was simply my mind playing tricks! I was in the front row and didn't notice this. Probably because all I could smell was my own lovely gin...
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Post by Stephen on Jan 21, 2018 22:15:51 GMT
It has been closed this week as they are making it look pretty for the new season. Looks like there's a nice bar to hangout in upstairs too.
Rothschild and Sons has a great cast so I will look forward to seeing it!
It's also great to see that the studio space has room for the audience and they aren't just crammed right against the walls!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 21, 2018 22:05:50 GMT
I was helping a friend with the get in for a play opening shortly at Park Theatre "There Or Here" and also noticed that there are some interesting things coming up including David Haig's play "Pressure" and a new musical. Having explored a little this looks to be a great venue with a nice little studio space too.
I thought this would a good thread to start any discussion of productions which have played here and those yet to open. I look forward to visiting again soon!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 19, 2018 4:05:57 GMT
Both times that I have been I have ovated but like you said, the audiences seem reluctant for some reason even though they obviously love the show!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 18, 2018 0:04:36 GMT
I agree with the comment on Zoë Wanamaker giving a career defining performance. At the closing of the play she was so in the action and herself that she struggled to come back to reality in the bows. To add to that haunting ending was the superb 'to blackout' lighting design that made her literally vanish as if a ghost.
I could sit through it all again right now. 5* from me.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 17, 2018 23:19:06 GMT
Ah it wasn't I. Alas I was in A13. Must recommend the front row for this play also. There is very little missed as the stage is fairly low and the closeness makes the atmosphere even more palpable!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 17, 2018 23:13:06 GMT
Shame to have missed you Steve - I was front row too! Excellent seats and an excellent show. By no means should it be anyone's first ever play they go and see, but it was an amusing, compelling, creepy evening. All of the cast at the top of their game - particularly Zoe Wanamaker and Toby Jones. Thought Peter Wight did well too. The fact that the fire exit lights were turned out during 'that' sequence was a brilliant touch. It was very intense. And I think, on reflection, that's what the play is about - Pinter's sparseness with exposition, background and setting allows him to drive through an intensity and (sometimes humorous) creepiness in their place. Definitely recommended. I agree. The complete blackouts were perfect! I also liked the notices about not eating in the theatre. Had my friend not bought me gins I'd not have drank either! Were you on your own Callum? If so you may have been sitting beside me!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 17, 2018 22:46:42 GMT
Also there tonight with great front row seats. Thought cast were excellent with Toby Jones and Zoë Wannamaker really shining! Great theatre!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 17, 2018 15:28:04 GMT
Seeing The Birthday Party tonight. It will be my first venture into the fitting setting of the Harold Pinter Theatre. I am excited as we managed to get front row stalls seats on the Today Tix rush. I’m even more excited at the prospect of Stephen Mangan staining my programme with his little sharpie. Will report back.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 15, 2018 22:32:44 GMT
Jack and the Magical Flying Beanstalk courtesy of the Twins FX! That would be a good one...
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Post by Stephen on Jan 15, 2018 22:27:49 GMT
Saw this on Friday evening through the great deal on Today Tix of amazing seats for £2.50. I saw amazing as the view was great however at least one limb always gets contorted at Trafalgar Studios. Really glad that we went having failed to grab seats for The Birthday Party (hopefully this week) After seeing this I described it to my friend as 'If the London Dungeon did a musical but a bit less tacky and funnier' and she agreed. The good: Some lovely songs. I liked Stars in The Sky a lot. Use of the space. There isn't a great amount of space in Trafalgar Studios but I felt they adapted to it well with lots of simple set pieces doubling up and even space for a little pit (the best place to keep badly behaved musicians) {Spoiler - click to view} Actors come amongst the audience, enter from in front of the stage and the pit. It's all good fun.
Julian Bleach stole many scenes for me as Barkilphedro (the clown) He is lucky enough to have a lot of the comedy and he has a surprisingly large part.
Nice to see Julie Atherton back on the West End stage. I haven't seen her since Avenue Q!
I enjoyed the dark/vaudeville feel of the piece. It isn't scary but you are transported to a darker time.
The not so good: As I've read in other reviews I felt that it did drag a bit in the second half but not unbearably so.
I didn't really connect with Grinpayne as much as I think I was supposed to. This made the ending feel a bit flat for me!
I recommend this to anyone looking for a slightly wacky but beautiful and funny night out. The staff are lovely at Trafalgar Studios also.
Four stars.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 12, 2018 13:38:26 GMT
Seeing this on the good deal from Today Tix! Excited to see it and will report back on my thoughts!
Does anybody have my usual loud noises warning for me?...
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Post by Stephen on Jan 11, 2018 15:50:32 GMT
Heard from a friend that Christopher Eccleston was in the audience for 12th Night at RSC last weekend. As he is likely rehearsing the "Scottish play" for company at moment then this would make sense. Does anyone know what is the procedure for cast members getting complimentary tickets for shows, it would depend from theatre to theatre and company to company. But would they get a set number per run to be used when they want, availability pending or might it be say for first night etc. Also depending who the performer was, I would guess a star might get them a lot easier than an ensemble member. I’d imagine that’s right that a star would have a better chance of getting tickets. One of our family friends was in the RCS production of Death of a Salesman at the Noël Coward. He got us ‘house seats’ which were about £25 cheaper per ticket than other top price tickets. I think the cast also had a few comps to use.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 11, 2018 0:55:12 GMT
Seeing this hopefully on Friday night. Can anyone give me a loud noises warning?!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 11, 2018 0:54:05 GMT
All going well i'll grab some rush tickets for Girl From the North Country on Friday night!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 10, 2018 1:53:12 GMT
The Bridge is excellent, after all it is a theatre that speaks for its time and is designed for a 21sr century audience, where some theatres featured on this thread were aimed at a 19th century Victorian audience. Looking forward to going back there to see a Julius Caesar and going not just for the play. And isn't it just wonderful to exit and be greeted with the spectacular views of Tower Bridge and the Thames? And perhaps pop into the Ivy next door. I really hope the theatre does well. I plan on visiting for everything especially as they do some deals for young people. I suppose in response to your thread i'd firmly put this up there as a great new guest experience. Lovely before you even enter, loads of space, friendly ushers, easy to locate facilities and all brand new. Long live the Bridge Theatre!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 9, 2018 15:19:07 GMT
I really do hope that it returns.
I saw it in New York the evening that Mr Karl was injured. I enjoyed it then but listening to the cast recording since I get something else from it each time I listen. It’s a very human emotional piece and I think seeing it again here, I would connect with it even more.
Dare I say it could work just as well without such complex staging and many revolves?!
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Post by Stephen on Jan 8, 2018 22:02:44 GMT
The size of the programme for An American in Paris put me in almost as bad a mood as the show did.
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