1,013 posts
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Post by talkstageytome on Aug 22, 2016 4:07:14 GMT
Going home tomorrow, can't believe what a fabulous week I've had. Two more shows tomorrow, but at the mo my favourite 3 have been. -Torch (Underbelly Cowgate) - an absolutely exhilarating one woman show! Honestly, it is just outstanding! -Paper Hearts the Musical (Underbelly Med Quad)- Lovely, heartwarming new musical. Totally reccomend. -Lucy, Lucy and Lucy Barfield (Pleasance Courtyard) - Another one woman show. Engrossing, tear jerking, brilliant. Also, in perhaps the strangest evening of my life, tonight I went to Alan Cumming's club night, which was an experience to say the least. Met and had a chat to Cherry Jones and Michael Esper (TOTALLY lovely people!), Jonathan Mills who was fascinating, and saw John Tiffany milling around all night too. The club night itself was totally bizarre, but excellent fun. A great way to end the week!  Not totally sure how tickets for the event work, but it's so worth going. |
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848 posts
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Post by duncan on Aug 22, 2016 7:26:27 GMT
As everyone who has been to festival will know there is a lot of standing in queues that goes on and a lot of passing people standing in queues. I'd temporarily forgotten the conversation I heard yesterday near to a queue which went along the lines of,
"which one is your friend?"
"the XXXXXXX one"
"Oh yes, she's very good - normally plays the younger parts"
"Indeed, we met at an audition. She got the part but we've been good friends since"
"Good good"
"Of course her boyfriend just had that major operation on his penis"
"Oh dear"
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Aug 22, 2016 7:44:04 GMT
I've bought a ticket to Tomorrow, Maybe on your recommendation so the pressure is on! I am not sure whether anyone is interested in my reviews at this late stage of the festival, so here's a short list of opinions on things I've seen thus far. If anyone would like details let me know. OUTSTANDING 1. Ada/Ava 2. Undermined 3. All Quiet on the Western Front GOOD 1. Eurobeat 2. Lucy, Lucy and Lucy Barfield AVERAGE 1. The Ruby and the Smoke POOR 1. Cut I'm intrigued, have you seen it? Did I recommend correctly? |
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Aug 22, 2016 7:47:23 GMT
As everyone who has been to festival will know there is a lot of standing in queues that goes on and a lot of passing people standing in queues. I'd temporarily forgotten the conversation I heard yesterday near to a queue which went along the lines of, "which one is your friend?" "the XXXXXXX one" "Oh yes, she's very good - normally plays the younger parts" "Indeed, we met at an audition. She got the part but we've been good friends since" "Good good" "Of course her boyfriend just had that major operation on his penis" "Oh dear" There were so many performers from other shows in things I was seeing that it eas sometimes hard to find someone who, like me, was simply a visitor. |
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Aug 22, 2016 7:50:44 GMT
Going home tomorrow, can't believe what a fabulous week I've had. Two more shows tomorrow, but at the mo my favourite 3 have been. -Torch (Underbelly Cowgate) - an absolutely exhilarating one woman show! Honestly, it is just outstanding! -Paper Hearts the Musical (Underbelly Med Quad)- Lovely, heartwarming new musical. Totally reccomend. -Lucy, Lucy and Lucy Barfield (Pleasance Courtyard) - Another one woman show. Engrossing, tear jerking, brilliant. Also, in perhaps the strangest evening of my life, tonight I went to Alan Cumming's club night, which was an experience to say the least. Met and had a chat to Cherry Jones and Michael Esper (TOTALLY lovely people!), Jonathan Mills who was fascinating, and saw John Tiffany milling around all night too. The club night itself was totally bizarre, but excellent fun. A great way to end the week! Not totally sure how tickets for the event work, but it's so worth going. I was unable to do the club night as it wasn't on during my time there, but I did see his live show which was excellent. He spoke about how his 'club' started whilst belting out some 'sappy songs'. He's such an amazing performer, and his rendition of 'Goodnight Saigon' blew me away (I'm a big BJ fan). |
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1,013 posts
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Post by talkstageytome on Aug 22, 2016 7:53:38 GMT
I didn't get to see his show as it had totally sold out when I looked at getting tickets! But me and a couple of friends were in the bar when they were bringing round the entry wristbands for the club night, and just went along. Glad to hear it was an excellent show, a friend who saw it said much the same thing!
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Aug 22, 2016 7:58:32 GMT
I didn't get to see his show as it had totally sold out when I looked at getting tickets! But me and a couple of friends were in the bar when they were bringing round the entry wristbands for the club night, and just went along. Glad to hear it was an excellent show, a friend who saw it said much the same thing! Did you stay until the end. He said that he always played Elaine Stritch 'Ladies Who Lunch' to get everyone to leave when he had the parties in NY. |
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1,013 posts
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Post by talkstageytome on Aug 22, 2016 10:47:25 GMT
I didn't get to see his show as it had totally sold out when I looked at getting tickets! But me and a couple of friends were in the bar when they were bringing round the entry wristbands for the club night, and just went along. Glad to hear it was an excellent show, a friend who saw it said much the same thing! Did you stay until the end. He said that he always played Elaine Stritch 'Ladies Who Lunch' to get everyone to leave when he had the parties in NY. I did indeed stay until the end, and we all sang along to Ladies Who Lunch. It was brilliant! |
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Post by synchrony on Aug 22, 2016 16:56:33 GMT
I've bought a ticket to Tomorrow, Maybe on your recommendation so the pressure is on! I'm intrigued, have you seen it? Did I recommend correctly? LOL - not going until Wednesday, will let you know ;-) In the meantime I've seen: Carnegie - very good leads (lovely singers), and nice music but I thought the book plodded, with too much exposition and an awful framing device involving God and a steel worker debating whether or not to send Carnegie to hell or not. Krapp 39 - it was good, with a strong actor and rather thought provoking. But it's rather serious and depressing so not enjoyable per se. Cinemusical High - good, catchy songs taking the mick out of high school movies. Light entertainment. Mr Incredible - excellent actor in a piece about a guy explains why he broke up with his girlfriend. I was intrigued to know the answer, and my feelings towards him were complicated. Again, thought provoking. Paper Hearts - I liked the actual musical, esp the songs which were strong. Cast were decent amateurs. Enjoyed it. Holmes and Watson, the Farewell Tour - amusing comedy mystery. Good plot twist and good actors although a bit too slapstick in style for me. Free Association: Jacuzzi - improv show. I thought it was pretty bad and wouldn't recommend it, but it's a classic example of a show in which everyone except me seems to be laughing hysterically! Jane Eyre - excellent one woman show, great if you like Jane Eyre (which I do). This actress is a fringe regular so worth looking up in future years. To be continued.... |
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155 posts
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Post by synchrony on Aug 22, 2016 18:51:09 GMT
Showstopper (Pleasance Grand) - not too sure on this one, on the one hand its very well done but on the other I suspect that they have the story beats set out beforehand and then work the suggestions into the outline. They also ignored the clear audience vote winner for the setting of the musical and instead went for another choice but that then showed that them there London types dont understand the Scottish language and when we say "Carnival" we dont mean the sort of thing they have in Rio - we mean dodgems and the like. The attempts at the differing musical styles suggested by the audience also varied wildly, there was a rather good pastiche of Phantom of the Opera but the section that was based around Mamma Mia! had nothing of the style of Abba or the musical to which it gave its name and could just as easily have been any other show. (Mamma Mia, Phantom, Bob Fosse(!!!), Sweeney Todd, Matilda and Hamilton being the styles on show) I'm kind of glad to hear this because I saw it last year and thought it was only mildly entertaining. I have sometimes wondered if it was just me, or if I was just unlucky on the night I went. It was alright, and I'm sure what they do is very difficult, but I wouldn't rave about it. |
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1,013 posts
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Post by talkstageytome on Aug 22, 2016 18:57:01 GMT
I saw Mr Incredible too and really enjoyed it. The twist really got to me. Excellent suspenseful writing.
Second to last show I caught was Torch. That is absolutely excellent. Best thing I've seen all week. Would deffo reccomend!
Sad to be heading home now...
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Post by synchrony on Aug 23, 2016 16:52:52 GMT
... Continued.
Shylock: very good, professional performance of a piece that didn't do it for me personally. I could see what it was trying to do but I would have preferred more Jewish history and less Merchant of Venice.
Elephant Girls: excellent performance of a well written and interesting piece about a violent all-female London gang. Also addresses lesbian issues. Enjoyed it.
Albatross: very well staged. The professional actor completely threw himself in to this, he must have been knackered by the end! Rather dark, violent and psychological, which I wasn't expecting! It was good.
The Snow Child: I thought this was a choral piece bases on a children's fairytale, but the story is actually quite adult! For example, "Weeping, the Count got off his horse, unfastened his breeches and thrust his virile member into the dead girl"!!!
I wasn't keen - they sang the story verbatim in full, which I found clunky. Would have preferred it to be adapted as proper (censored!) lyrics.
The Noise Next Door's Comedy Lock In: I think they're brilliant and really funny, although unfortunately the night I went the audience fed them some really stupid improv suggestions.
Us/Them: amazing production looking at Beslan from a child's perspective. Highly recommended, this joins my 'Outstanding' list.
A Divine Comedy: good I suppose if you want to learn about the Divine Comedy, but I found it far, far too long.
Stop the Train: excellent production, cast and songs. The concept isn't very original and the characters are rather clichéd, but I enjoyed it very much and it's the highest quality musical I've seen at the fringe thus far.
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155 posts
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Post by synchrony on Aug 24, 2016 16:02:28 GMT
Care Takers: two woman show involving a series of interviews between a young teacher concerned about a boy being bullied and her deputy head. It looks at their relationship more than the boy. It was excellent and the deputy head was so natural - I utterly believed her portrayal. Also on my Outstanding list.
9 to 5: really good production (I saw them do Urinetown last year which was great too), but unfortunately I thought the actual musical was awful and the message of the piece highly dubious.
Tomorrow, Maybe: excellent cast without a single weak link. Tiny set made it very immersive. Really enjoyed it although it was one of those song cycle type shows where you find out snap shots about lots of unlinked characters. Personally I prefer shows with a bit more plot, but it was extremely well done. I'm glad I saw it. Thank you for your recommendation Mr Wallacio!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2016 11:55:54 GMT
Is it at all possible to put on a musical with a cast of 20 or more at the Edinburgh Fringe?
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Aug 25, 2016 16:26:29 GMT
Is it at all possible to put on a musical with a cast of 20 or more at the Edinburgh Fringe? It is, if you can find a venue large enough/can sell enough tickets to make it viable because you have to consider the accomodation costs involved. The Great Expectations musical I saw was definitely over 20, but this was a school production. Eurobeat was probably pushing 20. There are certainly venues large enough to put on something of this scale, but obviously the larger the venue then the higher the rent. |
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Aug 25, 2016 16:32:06 GMT
Tomorrow, Maybe: excellent cast without a single weak link. Tiny set made it very immersive. Really enjoyed it although it was one of those song cycle type shows where you find out snap shots about lots of unlinked characters. Personally I prefer shows with a bit more plot, but it was extremely well done. I'm glad I saw it. Thank you for your recommendation Mr Wallacio! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Song cycle shows are not for everyone, and I too prefer something where I can become invested in the characters throughout the piece, which is of course hard when each character is on stage for only a few minutes. The full show is about 2 and a half hours so I understand and this was a cut down version for Edinburgh. I don't know if in the full version characters return, or we are simply treated to more 'scenes'. I think the overriding idea is the one we develop feelings for is Rosa being the overseeing eye of everything happening around her. From looking at the show website they are looking at having a longer run in London next year and I will definitely be going to see it if they do so I can see the full piece. I think I was ultimately taken with the intimacy of the piece and the audience sat around the coffee shop observing what was happening. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2016 17:37:17 GMT
Is it at all possible to put on a musical with a cast of 20 or more at the Edinburgh Fringe? It is, if you can find a venue large enough/can sell enough tickets to make it viable because you have to consider the accomodation costs involved. The Great Expectations musical I saw was definitely over 20, but this was a school production. Eurobeat was probably pushing 20. There are certainly venues large enough to put on something of this scale, but obviously the larger the venue then the higher the rent. Hmm yeah, that's the problem. I'd like to use it as a very first production as kind of a try-out before hopefully moving to a venue in London. The problem is a completely new production by a bunch of completely unknown people probably won't sell out the bigger venues. We just need something with a big enough stage but an auditorium that's not too big. Something like the Bridewell theatre in London for example. |
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Aug 25, 2016 19:53:04 GMT
It is, if you can find a venue large enough/can sell enough tickets to make it viable because you have to consider the accomodation costs involved. The Great Expectations musical I saw was definitely over 20, but this was a school production. Eurobeat was probably pushing 20. There are certainly venues large enough to put on something of this scale, but obviously the larger the venue then the higher the rent. Hmm yeah, that's the problem. I'd like to use it as a very first production as kind of a try-out before hopefully moving to a venue in London. The problem is a completely new production by a bunch of completely unknown people probably won't sell out the bigger venues. We just need something with a big enough stage but an auditorium that's not too big. Something like the Bridewell theatre in London for example. You should investigate and price it up. Hostel accomodation could be your friend. Maybe set up a crowd funding site, that's what Tomorrow, Maybe did to fund some of their run. If you could get a production together and do a few shows outside of Edinburgh before a longer run then word gets out and you hopefully have good reviews to use to sell the show. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2016 21:05:32 GMT
Hmm yeah, that's the problem. I'd like to use it as a very first production as kind of a try-out before hopefully moving to a venue in London. The problem is a completely new production by a bunch of completely unknown people probably won't sell out the bigger venues. We just need something with a big enough stage but an auditorium that's not too big. Something like the Bridewell theatre in London for example. You should investigate and price it up. Hostel accomodation could be your friend. Maybe set up a crowd funding site, that's what Tomorrow, Maybe did to fund some of their run. If you could get a production together and do a few shows outside of Edinburgh before a longer run then word gets out and you hopefully have good reviews to use to sell the show. Yeah, I could do that. Thanks for the advice. |
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Post by synchrony on Aug 26, 2016 17:20:38 GMT
Sunshine on Leith: good, cheerful songs, not groundbreaking, but a decent jukebox musical.
[Title of Show]: good cast. I've wanted to see this show for ages. I liked it but thought it was too long. Lots of musical in-jokes, including some extremely obscure ones.
Waves: a lovely story about an Olympic swimmer from the 1930s.I thought it was a true story but it's actually fiction.
Lest We Forget: another thought provoking one about a family after WWI. Good cast and I enjoyed it although I was less emotionally affected than I expected. Can't put my finger on why.
Frankenstein: enjoyed the production and glad to hear the story for the first time.
The Money Fish: loved this. Autobiographical piece about life on a commercial fishing boat, which was fascinating and also a wonderful example of turning your life around. Recommended.
Murder She Didn't Write: clearly a very good and funny improv cast, but unfortunately I again struck unlucky with the audience suggestions. I would like to see them again.
Nina Conti: very funny indeed. Ventriloquist,well known.
Vaudevillains: loved this too. Catchy songs, good lyrics, professional cast. Pretty dark and gothic! Like a weird freak show mash up of the Cell Block Tango and Cabaret!
Lemons lemons lemons lemons lemons: interesting concept involving a dystopia in which you are limited to speaking 140 words a day. Unfortunately the scenes weren't sequential which I found very confusing.
Now off home, but it's been great!
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Not totally sure how tickets for the event work, but it's so worth going. 
