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Post by AddisonMizner on Oct 25, 2016 15:50:00 GMT
Well hello Miss Barks!
Loved the old poster, but like this too.
I really can't wait to see this in a few weeks time.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Oct 23, 2016 15:10:08 GMT
Having seen the matinee yesterday (22nd October), I have to (mostly) agree with the above post in how much I really, really enjoyed this. I have never seen the show before, but it has long been on my 'want to watch' list.
The running time absolutely flew by. The piece was absolutely beautifully directed (it was a delight to actually see Thom Southerland hovering around the theatre during the show), and I agree that the actor-musician concept worked brilliantly (though I am generally a fan of this). The score sounded so full. I did not feel that the stage felt cramped at all, and the staging matched the sprawling epic-ness of the material. The use of lighting was also atmospheric.
However, my one big qualm with the production is the singing. The score is lovely, and has moments of ravishing beauty, but I did not feel that the cast had the voices to do the songs justice. There were more than a few times that I felt that some of the performers were shouting rather than singing, and that this was replacing genuine emotion. This took me out of the show a few times, which was a real shame.
TITANIC is still winning for me. That had a beautiful production, beautiful score and beautiful singing.
4 stars.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Oct 11, 2016 14:49:02 GMT
Where is the info about this? Can't see it yet on the Union Theatre website. May be able to squeeze this in for a matinee when I go in December. One of, if not the best of the Stiles and Drewe scores that I have heard.
What was the running time of the original show?
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Post by AddisonMizner on Oct 10, 2016 20:03:25 GMT
This seems to have disappeared from Amazon. Does anyone know why?
This is indeed a lot of money in the cinema. Contemplating whether to go or not.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Oct 7, 2016 19:35:45 GMT
Hate the new name (what was wrong with the St. James Theatre?), but the programming seems interesting. I don't know Michael John LaChiusa's work at all, but may give THE WILD PARTY a go, as he seems like a composer I would like (plus I LOVE the poster art). In two minds about WHISPER HOUSE. I am interested, but not enamoured by the music I have heard.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Oct 3, 2016 16:34:29 GMT
This is one show I have booked that I am REALLY excited about! Wanted to see this show for ages, and will finally get chance here.
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Follies
Sept 30, 2016 6:18:20 GMT
via mobile
Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 30, 2016 6:18:20 GMT
WOW! Imelda AND Follies...I'm there!
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Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 28, 2016 5:45:10 GMT
I've just noticed that Sky Arts are screening an HBO filmed version of this. It's at 11pm on Sunday 2nd October, though I would expect it to be repeated. There is a positive review on IMDb from someone who had also seen it live, so it sounds promising for those of us who missed out in the UK. Thank you for drawing my attention to this. I would have missed it otherwise.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 24, 2016 8:39:46 GMT
Here is the beautiful trailer for the Merrily We Roll Along Documentary "The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened":
I believe this is being shown in cinemas in the States, but do we think it will get some form of release over here in the U.K?
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Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 23, 2016 6:22:12 GMT
I rarely go and see plays, but I will definitely be booking for this. Imelda Staunton can have all my money!
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Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 20, 2016 5:41:35 GMT
Any chance this might transfer?
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Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 11, 2016 15:34:13 GMT
I'm going to try and watch the BBC adaptation soon.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 11, 2016 14:30:34 GMT
Thanks for the clarification. I actually initially thought that she had committed suicide. This of course didn't make sense as Leo met her again in the end scene, where she was very much alive. The ending very much makes sense now.
Do you think it is too much to hope for a cast recording for this show? It would be a real shame if the music was't preserved in some way or other.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 11, 2016 10:38:10 GMT
Certainly, not all of the Met screenings have been released on DVD. The Met have screened this production of "Don Giovanni" before (not released on DVD), so I doubt that this one will be. Plus, there are multiple DVD's available with Keenlyside as the Don.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 11, 2016 10:33:39 GMT
I saw the matinee of this show yesterday (10th September). I booked for this when it was first announced, purely on Michael Crawford's name alone, as I have always wanted to see him live on stage. I have never read the book that the musical is based on, or seen any of the film/TV adaptations, so did not know the story. I have to be honest, as the months have passed, I have looked forward to this less and less. Part of me was hoping that it would close (awful I know), so that I could book for GROUNDHOG DAY instead.
However...
What an absolutely beautiful show! It is a simple story, simply told and seemed so fresh compared to what is currently running in the West End. The music had moments of ravishing beauty. The piano accompaniment seemed full, and I did not miss a traditional band.. The world of this show was created from just this single instrument. I had shivers down my spine more than once, and found myself welling up at points. Gemma Sutton's "Grow and Change" nearly had me full-out sobbing.
I was engrossed with the show right from the start, and was with it nearly right until the very end. However, this is my one criticism. I did not understand the ending. I thought that one thing had happened, when actually something else had happened entirely (though I'm still not entirely sure what). If someone could enlighten me, then that would be great. A slight flaw in storytelling, in an otherwise engagingly told story (unless I'm just being thick!)
The cast was superb, and it was nice to hear a musical so well-sung. It was an utter joy to finally see Michael Crawford finally perform on stage in a thoroughly committed performance. To say he is in his seventies, he sounded unbelievably fresh.
I would urge anyone to go and see it, even if you have reservations. Like others have said, it wasn't very full yesterday, and it is a real shame that this musical has not found an audience. It certainly deserves to!
4 stars.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 7, 2016 15:12:31 GMT
Thank you for all your help.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Sept 7, 2016 6:12:57 GMT
I'm going to try my luck for this when public booking opens tomorrow. I studied HAMLET for A-Level English, but have never seen a production of it. I wasn't overly enamoured by the play when I read it back then, but seeing it onstage might just bring it alive for me.
I've never been to the Almeida. What is it like as a venue? There seems to be no seating plan for it on TheatreMonkey.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Aug 24, 2016 8:12:19 GMT
I saw this on Saturday afternoon, and absolutely adored it. Highly inventive, imaginative, clever, witty and emotional. I don't think I'll ever see a better production.
5 stars.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Aug 4, 2016 12:14:59 GMT
Any opinions from people who have sat in D8 Dress Circle?
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Post by AddisonMizner on Aug 3, 2016 18:59:20 GMT
Best places to sit? I want to try for tickets tomorrow.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Aug 3, 2016 17:36:36 GMT
My initial post was not so much a review p, as a rant. I needed a space to get all the things that were swirling around in my head last night, written down. I still love the show dearly. It is just this production that didn't work for me.
As for the Actor-Muso thing, yes I felt this worked well. As said in my initial post, actors not playing a major role in a scene would often play instruments. This was not always the case - the nuns accompanied all of their own songs, singing and playing. Sweaty Eddy accompanied himself at the beginning of his solo song. There was also a small band of unseen musicians at the back of the stage, filling out the parts.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Aug 3, 2016 12:24:03 GMT
Yes, she gets drunk during "I Haven't Got A Prayer". Haven't seen the changes before, so could just be how it is staged for this production. I didn't like it anyhow.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Aug 3, 2016 9:22:25 GMT
I saw this last night. Before I begin my review, I just want to say that I saw the original London production and absolutely loved it! Also, bear in mind that this was only the third preview, so certain things may change and tighten as the run progresses.
Overall, I found this VERY disappointing. The further in the show got, the more I disliked it. This is the first time I have seen it with the Broadway changes, and I did not like them at all, as they added nothing to what was there before. If anything, they hindered the show. As others have said above, whilst I understand why they replaced "How I Got The Calling" with "It's Good To Be A Nun", the former was a much better song. It was funnier, and introduced the audience to each of the nuns, telling us more about them. So what if they were singing! It really wasn't an issue for me in the London production, and surely audiences can suspend their disbelief. It is a musical after all! The cutting of "Sacred Mass" made the bar scene so short and inconsequential. As for the additions, all I have to say is...why? The confession scene at the top of Act 2 should be cut. There is no reason for this to exist, as it does not tell us anything we do not need know already. In this production, it is also very oddly staged (More on the staging later!) It makes Act 2 come in with a whimper, when it should be a bang. "Sunday Morning Fever" did this job, so should go back to opening Act 2 from the get-go. The new song for Mother Superior also needs to go. It is not a bad song, but I feel as though it stops the show cold. Again, it does not tell us anything we do not already know, and it seems so out of character for a person of that stature to be getting drunk on communion wine (only then to be stone-cold sober 10 minutes later). These changes are definitely not for the better!
I also had an issue with Revel-Horwood's direction and choreography. This is a shame, as I very much enjoyed his production of "Fiddler on the Roof" a couple of years ago. There were times when the blocking just looked amateurish, with actors having their backs to the audience for extending periods of time, or actors standing blocking the view of what others were doing. His staging of the "Fabulous Baby (Reprise)"/"Sister Act" was a shambles and totally robbed those moments of their poignancy. Particularly during "Sister Act", Alexandra Burke was walking around, singing to nuns in random corners of the stage, whilst being blocked by other nuns. There was far too much movement in that song. What is wrong with just getting her to stand still centre stage and get her to sing it, exactly as it was in the London production? It was so much more emotional when done like this, rather than getting her to move everywhere, and gesticulate with her hands. Other staging decisions were equally as baffling! During Mary Robert's song, at one point Deloris and her playfully roll around the stage whilst she is singing. There is nothing wrong with this per se, but this would come to a natural end, only for them to mount one another again, and resume their frolics. I thought the whole ending of the show was going to change with Sister Mary Robert and Deloris starting a lesbian relationship. Such staging compromised the vocal quality, and this seemed to be a theme throughout the evening. The three goons girated their way through "Lady in the Long Black Dress", repeating a series of sexual visual puns that grew tiresome. Slow motion was also over-used throughout the show. I had no clue what was happening during the last chase scene in the convent. Line readings also missed some of the humour in the dialogue.
Surprisingly, the choreography was also very sloppy. I don't know whether this was because some were holding instruments, so this limited what they could do, but the routines (particularly with the nuns) did not look tight or together, and gave the impression that people were doing different things at different times (some moving hands, some not etc). It just looked untidy. The whole evening needs tightening up really. Transitions between scenes could be much quicker. There were times when the lights would come up, a character would walk on stage, and the audience would wait a minute whilst they found the spot that they were meant to be standing in and began to talk. Why can't they walk and talk? That would trim some time off, and make for a much more pacy evening.
Now I come to the performances and firstly, Alexandra Burke. Well, her acting wasn't as bad as I had feared. It wasn't amazing by any stretch of the imagination, and yes some of her line readings were off, and how she would stood and moved herself on stage was often very clunky, but she actually made a decent stab at it. The disappointments came with her singing and dancing. They have quite clearly lowered the keys for her. In principle, I do not like this, as alternating the original keys robs the songs of their impact, and they don't land in quite the same way. The songs often fell flat because the change in key didn't quite result in the same musical climax. Plus, I believe the songs are now too low for her. She becomes very breathy in the lower part of her register, and is practically inaudible. I do not know what has happened to her voice since X Factor, but it seems to have gone through quite a bit of strain. Her understudy maybe on more than the scheduled matinees later into the run. Why can't they cast someone who would do the songs justice? Especially when they were originally sung by Patina Miller who was such a power-house! Alexandra's dancing was also pedestrian. She muddled through, but it lacked any attack.
There was no one performance that really stood out. As I alluded to earlier, vocally I felt that it was a very weak evening. The cast just didn't have the voices to do the songs justice. In "Lady in the Long Black Dress", they struggled to flip between the lower register, and the high falsetto. Perhaps I am too used to the more powerful voices on the OLCR, but it just wasn't good. Sister Mary Robert didn't really have the necessary belt for the role, and "The Life I Never Led" suffered as a result. Her acting choices were also very lazy. When she sang about shouting, she would shout the line, when she sang about turning away, she would physically turn away. It got very boring, very quickly. The way she would also act surprised after every line, also began to grate after a while. The sound and miking still needs to be sorted out. There were times when characters didn't have the mikes turned on when needed, were too quiet or too loud. The lyrics often couldn't be heard as a result.
I did think that the actor-musician concept somewhat worked well, despite occasional lapses in tuning. This wasn't too intrusive, and often the characters not in the scene would be the ones playing instruments.
This may tighten up over time, so not to be avoided, Overall though, I just found it a bit of a mess at this stage.
2 stars.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Jul 30, 2016 16:23:05 GMT
Did any new opera fans record yesterday's broadcast of Ades' THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL from Salzburg by any chance? I missed it, but would love to hear it. Very much looking forward to the London premiere.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Jul 29, 2016 17:20:07 GMT
Did any new opera fans record yesterday's broadcast of Ades' THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL from Salzburg by any chance? I missed it, but would love to hear it. Very much looking forward to the London premiere!
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Post by AddisonMizner on Jul 29, 2016 12:19:31 GMT
Neither did I. Oh well, always next week. I'm going to try to get tickets for the new booking period on Thursday too.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Jul 29, 2016 8:09:29 GMT
Thanks!
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Post by AddisonMizner on Jul 29, 2016 7:07:43 GMT
For the Friday Forty, do you have to login (sign up with email etc) prior to 1pm?
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Post by AddisonMizner on Jul 26, 2016 13:27:13 GMT
Having just got back from seeing this at the cinema, I thought I would start a thread, as there seems to be have been nothing mentioned about this previously.
Well, I though that this was absolutely magical! It looked gorgeous and Mark Rylance was a joy as the BFG. He brought such humanity to the role, that you couldn't fail to empathise with him. His presence was magnetic, even through CGI, and he was missed in the (rare) moments that he was off screen.
Go if you get the chance!
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Post by AddisonMizner on Jul 22, 2016 6:10:16 GMT
It says on the website that they are streaming the last performance of THE NOSE free via YouTube. I imagine they will subsequently want to release it on DVD too.
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