Post by CG on the loose on May 19, 2019 21:07:17 GMT
It is indeed a real shame and a great show, I’m so glad I saw it today.
The theatre was about 70% full I’d say, but may have benefited from people due to see it later in the run rescheduling. One thing I liked, and have never seen in London ... just before curtain up, FOH spoke to people seated in the side Stalls and Circle slips and invited them to fill spaces in the centre blocks. There was a mass reshuffle and then the lights dimmed and the overture started (observed very quietly given that a whole bunch of people had just shifted... I’m thinking about the ‘arrived late, spent 10 minutes getting settled’ comments in the bad behaviour thread!)
Clare Halse, Matthew Goodgame and Ria Jones were all wonderful and although I wasn’t 100% sold on Chris Howell’s Nathan, the niggle wasn’t enough to dim my enjoyment of the whole. I loved Joel Montague in Funny Girl and I loved his Nicely Nicely Johnson for many of the same reasons, even if it wasn’t quite the best I’ve seen. The ensemble were tireless, sharp and delivered Stephen Mear’s vibrant choreography with deceptive ease.
I watched from the front row - eyeline just above stage height, so not a foot placement lost, a wonderful view - but not having seen the excellent advice someone (sorry, haven’t scrolled to check who) gave, I was in BB3 rather than BB5 and consequently suffered the ‘conductor bulge’ (ooh er missus) limiting my leg room. That vantage point did however give me a wonderful view of Sky and Nicely after they’d gone through the manhole cover to get to the sewers... climbing down a ladder in the middle of the orchestra pit and making a fast exit pit-left to rejoin the action on stage.
I can’t recall another production (or maybe I’ve just been really unobservant) where the dancing gambler numbers in the sewers were swelled by a trio from the female ensemble - it worked well, and I suspect from further back wouldn’t even have been spotted. I’m whiffling now... reviews are not my strong point, so please forgive the random selection of things that have stuck in my memory and just know that I loved it!
The theatre was about 70% full I’d say, but may have benefited from people due to see it later in the run rescheduling. One thing I liked, and have never seen in London ... just before curtain up, FOH spoke to people seated in the side Stalls and Circle slips and invited them to fill spaces in the centre blocks. There was a mass reshuffle and then the lights dimmed and the overture started (observed very quietly given that a whole bunch of people had just shifted... I’m thinking about the ‘arrived late, spent 10 minutes getting settled’ comments in the bad behaviour thread!)
Clare Halse, Matthew Goodgame and Ria Jones were all wonderful and although I wasn’t 100% sold on Chris Howell’s Nathan, the niggle wasn’t enough to dim my enjoyment of the whole. I loved Joel Montague in Funny Girl and I loved his Nicely Nicely Johnson for many of the same reasons, even if it wasn’t quite the best I’ve seen. The ensemble were tireless, sharp and delivered Stephen Mear’s vibrant choreography with deceptive ease.
I watched from the front row - eyeline just above stage height, so not a foot placement lost, a wonderful view - but not having seen the excellent advice someone (sorry, haven’t scrolled to check who) gave, I was in BB3 rather than BB5 and consequently suffered the ‘conductor bulge’ (ooh er missus) limiting my leg room. That vantage point did however give me a wonderful view of Sky and Nicely after they’d gone through the manhole cover to get to the sewers... climbing down a ladder in the middle of the orchestra pit and making a fast exit pit-left to rejoin the action on stage.
I can’t recall another production (or maybe I’ve just been really unobservant) where the dancing gambler numbers in the sewers were swelled by a trio from the female ensemble - it worked well, and I suspect from further back wouldn’t even have been spotted. I’m whiffling now... reviews are not my strong point, so please forgive the random selection of things that have stuck in my memory and just know that I loved it!