236 posts
|
Post by undeuxtrois on Sept 23, 2018 13:11:49 GMT
Saw the matinee yesterday and it was amazing. Engineer- Christian Rey Marbella Kim- Aynrand Ferrer Chris- Ashley Gilmour Ellen- Elana Martin John- Ryan O'Gorman Thuy- Gerald Santos Gigi- Kristine Diaz
Sat in stalls K4 and the view was great- only missed a little bit of the stage. Audience was nearly full and everyone clapped after every song and gave a standing ovation at the end. Surprisingly cried at Maybe, Elana Martin was an amazing Ellen. Aryand Ferrer was a great Kim and she's such a good actor. People might hate me for this but I don't think Ryan O'Gorman was that great as John but I'm not sure why. Marbella had the audience in the palm of his hands and I really enjoyed his performance.
Such an amazing show the actors were great and the scenery/lighting/visuals were great, especially Dreamland, Bangkok, Nightmare scene and American Dream. The Alhambra theatre felt intimate but £5.50 for a cup of wine was a bit much. Definitely worth seeing this show 10/10
|
|
190 posts
|
Post by tsxmitw on Sept 23, 2018 21:33:04 GMT
Saw the matinee yesterday and it was amazing. Engineer- Christian Rey Marbella Kim- Aynrand Ferrer Chris- Ashley Gilmour Ellen- Elana Martin John- Ryan O'Gorman Thuy- Gerald Santos Gigi- Kristine Diaz Sat in stalls K4 and the view was great- only missed a little bit of the stage. Audience was nearly full and everyone clapped after every song and gave a standing ovation at the end. Surprisingly cried at Maybe, Elana Martin was an amazing Ellen. Aryand Ferrer was a great Kim and she's such a good actor. People might hate me for this but I don't think Ryan O'Gorman was that great as John but I'm not sure why. Marbella had the audience in the palm of his hands and I really enjoyed his performance. Such an amazing show the actors were great and the scenery/lighting/visuals were great, especially Dreamland, Bangkok, Nightmare scene and American Dream. The Alhambra theatre felt intimate but £5.50 for a cup of wine was a bit much. Definitely worth seeing this show 10/10 Aynrand Ferrer is one of the best Kim’s I’ve ever seen.
|
|
695 posts
|
Post by cheesy116 on Sept 23, 2018 22:07:34 GMT
Saw the matinee yesterday and it was amazing. Engineer- Christian Rey Marbella Kim- Aynrand Ferrer Chris- Ashley Gilmour Ellen- Elana Martin John- Ryan O'Gorman Thuy- Gerald Santos Gigi- Kristine Diaz Sat in stalls K4 and the view was great- only missed a little bit of the stage. Audience was nearly full and everyone clapped after every song and gave a standing ovation at the end. Surprisingly cried at Maybe, Elana Martin was an amazing Ellen. Aryand Ferrer was a great Kim and she's such a good actor. People might hate me for this but I don't think Ryan O'Gorman was that great as John but I'm not sure why. Marbella had the audience in the palm of his hands and I really enjoyed his performance. Such an amazing show the actors were great and the scenery/lighting/visuals were great, especially Dreamland, Bangkok, Nightmare scene and American Dream. The Alhambra theatre felt intimate but £5.50 for a cup of wine was a bit much. Definitely worth seeing this show 10/10 I think we're in the minority of liking Christian Marbella! I loved him, more so than Red but he seems to get a hard time on here and various other reviews for some reason.
|
|
449 posts
|
Post by SageStageMgr on Oct 2, 2018 3:40:43 GMT
Re: Leo, he was provisionally booked for the West End revival to replace Jon Jon, but it closed before he took over.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 10:01:56 GMT
Cameron keeps announcing in interviews that this will be the last time Miss Saigon is seen in the UK. Which is a bit upsetting! Not sure if he means it or if it's a sales pitch to make people buy tickets for Bradford and Sunderland.
He seems very definitive. Sure, it's done for now and the tour sold well but not well enough to do return visits to venues. But in 10-15 years time won't there be the appetite to do it again? As with most of the big musicals!
Anyway, do hope this isn't the end of the road for Miss Saigon!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 10:50:09 GMT
I initially wasn’t going to see this, but the announcements of “last chance to see in the UK” made me panic buy a ticket for Sunderland. Pleased to hear of Valdez’s return as I’ve heard mixed reports of Chuck as the Engineer.
I’ve booked a Saturday matinee, so does that mean I’ll have Joreen as Kim?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 11:01:49 GMT
I initially wasn’t going to see this, but the announcements of “last chance to see in the UK” made me panic buy a ticket for Sunderland. Pleased to hear of Valdez’s return as I’ve heard mixed reports of Chuck as the Engineer. I’ve booked a Saturday matinee, so does that mean I’ll have Joreen as Kim? So if it is a sales tactic it's working :-) Sure you'll love it! Yes Chuck as the Engineer doesn't cut it for me (have seen him a few times over the years) so will be good to see someone new (to me). I've thrown caution to the wind and am going to the final three performances in Sunderland. Never been to Sunderland before! Will stay in Newcastle though...
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 11:11:28 GMT
I've thrown caution to the wind and am going to the final three performances in Sunderland. Never been to Sunderland before! Will stay in Newcastle though... Sunderland Empire theatre is lovely, but the town centre is a depressing hellhole. Newcastle is the better city but Sunderland gets better shows. Mackintosh productions tend to go to the Newcastle Theatre Royal now, but I guess they'd booked into Sunderland before they could really consider Newcastle.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 11:59:27 GMT
The marketing says Last chance to see this production in the uk. i'm assuming that it wont tour in this form again in the uk as it's not as big as the original tour but much bigger than the tours and productions that have opened or toured in later years.
if it goes around again it will either be a smaller tour with different sets, lighting direction etc.
i may be wrong.
|
|
|
Post by justfran on Oct 6, 2018 13:36:23 GMT
I agree, the marketing seems to be saying last chance to see the full production, meaning future tours would be scaled down. It’s not the kind of show to go round every year or 2 but I can see this touring again in a different form in the future.
With regards to Sunderland - the city centre has been developed and improved so much over the last few years, no doubt helped by events such as running for capital of culture and being part of the Tall Ships. The Empire is the best part of the city and a beautiful theatre. Hope you enjoy your visit there Dom 😊
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 19:12:16 GMT
I shall catch the 2024 revival at the Union Theatre, with many fresh out of drama school graduates and a helicopter made from Ping-Pong balls. Don’t be silly. They’ll have graduates ‘play’ the helicopter - much cheaper.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 19:26:10 GMT
Or the Bill Kenwright production - where he uses the exact same excuse as he did for Ghost "the classic love story is put at the centre of the piece instead of award-winning special effects" - there would be a cardboard helicopter, and Sarah Harding would star as Kim with Joe McElderry as Chris, featuring Marti Pellow as the Engineer.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2018 19:28:47 GMT
Or the Bill Kenwright production - where he uses the exact same excuse as he did for Ghost "the classic love story is put at the centre of the piece instead of award-winning special effects" - there would be a cardboard helicopter, and Sarah Harding would star as Kim with Joe McElderry as Chris, featuring Marti Pellow as the Engineer. Given the last big run of Miss Saigon used projections for the helicopter due to technical restrictions, the show works perfectely when the love story is front and center. As it is anyway.
|
|
449 posts
|
Post by SageStageMgr on Oct 6, 2018 21:24:30 GMT
I shall catch the 2024 revival at the Union Theatre, with many fresh out of drama school graduates and a helicopter made from Ping-Pong balls. Don’t be silly. They’ll have graduates ‘play’ the helicopter - much cheaper. Oh my God, yes. Make this happen. Couldn’t help think of Forbidden Broadway, the Les Mis “revolve”...
|
|
|
Post by tf on Oct 7, 2018 6:00:27 GMT
I’ve booked a Saturday matinee, so does that mean I’ll have Joreen as Kim? Most likely. She normally goes on, on Sat matinees and the evening show for a two-show weekday. If you want to see Joreen, you can try asking her via PM/DM in Facebook or Twitter. She's also in Instagram. I had PM'd her in FB before booking my tickets for their Manchester run. She didn't ask me to treat her sked as confidential, but I volunteered to do so until showtime.
|
|
3,067 posts
|
Post by Dr Tom on Oct 7, 2018 10:44:47 GMT
I agree, the marketing seems to be saying last chance to see the full production, meaning future tours would be scaled down. It’s not the kind of show to go round every year or 2 but I can see this touring again in a different form in the future. I'm sure, a few pages back, they said they were already using the projection this tour in some of the smaller venues that couldn't fir the helicopter. Personally, I wasn't wowed by the helicopter effect anyway, so I'd be fine if it toured without it. And it will tour again in the UK. The US tour is still going strong as well and the UK tour has international dates scheduled. Based on how other shows of this type work, this production will probably end up in Asia and Australia in two or three years time. So it's not dead in the water yet.
|
|
358 posts
|
Post by tysilio2 on Oct 8, 2018 9:34:06 GMT
I shall catch the 2024 revival at the Union Theatre, with many fresh out of drama school graduates and a helicopter made from Ping-Pong balls. ...which might make the bar scene with the flying ping-pong ball interesting.......
|
|
236 posts
|
Post by undeuxtrois on Oct 24, 2018 18:29:23 GMT
Thinking of seeing this again in Sunderland. How long would it likely take me to walk from Sunderland train station to the theatre, and how restricted is the view from the near front side stalls?
|
|
4,579 posts
|
Post by Mark on Oct 24, 2018 18:32:42 GMT
Thinking of seeing this again in Sunderland. How long would it likely take me to walk from Sunderland train station to the theatre, and how restricted is the view from the near front side stalls? About 10 mins. IF you mean the ones they are selling for £30, they are rather restricted, and especially for this show I imagine as I recall a fair bit taking place on a platform on the side.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2018 19:11:16 GMT
I booked the £32.50 seats on the far left in mid-stalls. Will that be relatively okay? Stalls K37. I thought it was a good deal so I booked it.
|
|
4,579 posts
|
Post by Mark on Oct 24, 2018 19:57:33 GMT
I booked the £32.50 seats on the far left in mid-stalls. Will that be relatively okay? Stalls K37. I thought it was a good deal so I booked it. Probably the best of the £32.50 seats! Its the house right seats that offer a really poor view. From what I recall a bit of action happens stage left on a platform so youre the right side for that.
|
|
236 posts
|
Post by undeuxtrois on Oct 24, 2018 20:30:52 GMT
Is stalls I37 or D36 better view?
|
|
449 posts
|
Post by SageStageMgr on Oct 24, 2018 20:33:19 GMT
Has Valdez started in this yet?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2018 21:17:55 GMT
Has Valdez started in this yet? He should have. Advertised as performing from 24/10 according to the Sunderland Empire Twitter and Facebook pages.
|
|
236 posts
|
Post by undeuxtrois on Oct 24, 2018 21:18:54 GMT
How do I get from Sunderland train station to the theatre walking?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2018 21:25:42 GMT
I booked the £32.50 seats on the far left in mid-stalls. Will that be relatively okay? Stalls K37. I thought it was a good deal so I booked it. Probably the best of the £32.50 seats! Its the house right seats that offer a really poor view. From what I recall a bit of action happens stage left on a platform so youre the right side for that. I noticed on this side of the theatre, K37 was the only one listed as restricted view proper (the next one along was slightly restricted and £45) while the other side had 2 seats on the end as RVs, so I just assumed by this that the left (facing the stage) was the better side to be on. I enjoyed F33 for Wicked, but as I've not seen Saigon before, I thought being further back would help me take in the production more. There were cheaper seats at the back of the stalls, but it said elevated scenes may be missed and I wanted to see the helicopter.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2018 21:28:27 GMT
How do I get from Sunderland train station to the theatre walking? Leave the station via the Union Street exit (platform 1/2 side of the station) then turn right onto Union Street. You'll find yourself in the pedestrianised precinct of High Street West. Turn left and keep walking until you reach the end of the street. You will see 2 different roads just after Keel Square (the big new square with the street fountains) outside a big house. Both of them lead to the Empire, but I tend to use the road that goes past the big peacock statue. Go past the peacock, turn right and the theatre is up ahead.
|
|
236 posts
|
Post by undeuxtrois on Oct 24, 2018 21:32:48 GMT
How do I get from Sunderland train station to the theatre walking? Leave the station via the Union Street exit (platform 1/2 side of the station) then turn right onto Union Street. You'll find yourself in the pedestrianised precinct of High Street West. Turn left and keep walking until you reach the end of the street. You will see 2 different roads just after Keel Square (the big new square with the street fountains) outside a big house. Both of them lead to the Empire, but I tend to use the road that goes past the big peacock statue. Go past the peacock, turn right and the theatre is up ahead.Thank you for this. I'm 16 and going on my own from Liverpool so I just really want to make sure I know where exactly to go since I've never been to Sunderland before. Do you think I would make a train at 17:30 after the matinee?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2018 21:39:03 GMT
Leave the station via the Union Street exit (platform 1/2 side of the station) then turn right onto Union Street. You'll find yourself in the pedestrianised precinct of High Street West. Turn left and keep walking until you reach the end of the street. You will see 2 different roads just after Keel Square (the big new square with the street fountains) outside a big house. Both of them lead to the Empire, but I tend to use the road that goes past the big peacock statue. Go past the peacock, turn right and the theatre is up ahead.Thank you for this. I'm 16 and going on my own from Liverpool so I just really want to make sure I know where exactly to go since I've never been to Sunderland before. Do you think I would make a train at 17:30 after the matinee? I'm not really sure. The matinees are 2.30pm and it's advertised as 2h50m including an interval, which means it would probably finish around 5.20pm, and that's if everything is running on schedule. You might just be able to make one, but if you're getting a metro, they run very frequently (i.e. every 7 minutes) in both directions.
|
|
1,908 posts
|
Post by LaLuPone on Oct 24, 2018 21:49:45 GMT
The 2 hour 50 minute running time is completly wrong, it’s been 2 hours 40 at most both times on tour and on Broadway. But obviously you do have to factor in getting out of the auditorium and the theatre and I assume a busy train station at a busy time of day so it wouldn’t be a guarantee. Hope both of you enjoy the show, it’s wonderful!
|
|