134 posts
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Post by magnificentdonkey on Jul 9, 2021 10:57:07 GMT
So Long, I Am No Longer Me, Unbreakable and Moment of Triump are all TERRIBLE What makes Unbreakable terrible? I thought it a nice - although rather simple - tune, it reminded me of Close Every Door to Me. Also regarding So Long. I find it interesting that this number borrows a section of music from 2005's The Woman in White's 'I Hope You'll Like It Here' ('But until he left for Hades he was catnip to the ladies' more specifically), which, in its turn, comes straight from 1965's The Likes of Us's 'I'm a very busy Man'! What's even more interesting is the fact that this music appears only in the WiW of 2005, it was re-written for the 2017 Charring Cross revival. |
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842 posts
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Post by stuartmcd on Jul 9, 2021 11:04:41 GMT
The cast recording shows that this musical has 5 decent songs and the rest is just awful. So Long, I Am No Longer Me, Unbreakable and Moment of Triump are all TERRIBLE….. with What Were You Thinking the worst of the lot. ALW / what were you thinking!!!! The ballads are pretty decent. Why is there no duet? Not one. Imagine if the Six composers or Pasek and Paul has been commissioned this. Maybe the Amazon Prime Cinderella that’s coming out soon may be more your thing if you’re after something more like Six or Pasek & Paul. |
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jul 9, 2021 11:05:21 GMT
I wonder if V B-H works better when you're seeing it (because a lot of you have said she's very good). On the soundtrack it occasionally slips into a take-off of Millicent Fritton!
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Post by max on Jul 9, 2021 11:09:43 GMT
FromTheBoxOffice website quotes age recommendation as "6 +" but I couldn't find anything on the show's own site (though they're doing School rates). I guess they're all "self-cleaning jokes"? e.g. Is the bird that's on stage being referred to in cross-dialogue - "is that a cock?" - at the same moment the defaced statue is unveiled? I'm guessing that's how they get away with that one. Or did they really go there?! The statue defacing has been toned down and that section of dialogue from the album is gone. It never actually made it to the first preview, if I'm recalling correctly. I'd say these kids were maybe 10-12? Don't think quite enough of it went over their heads. I did clock the schools rate tickets before, but I certainly would not take a gaggle of primary school kids :') Haha - that'll be a nice surprise if they get the album then. I always wonder how many nice grannies were given James Blunt's first album for Christmas by their grandchildren, based on her hearing 'You're Beautiful' on the radio and TV. Family gather round to listen. Said track comes on in its album lyric version: "Yes, she caught my eye As we walked on by She could see from my face that I was f***ing high". Christmas cancelled, children sent to bed early, brandy sauce on the walls. |
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Post by boak on Jul 9, 2021 11:45:43 GMT
I quite enjoy Prince Charming's solo number. Too bad it's been axed.
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jul 9, 2021 11:57:00 GMT
What does Unbreakable remind me of? I keep thinking of Christmas for some reason...
It might just be the bells, but I keep thinking "since our saviour was born".
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639 posts
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Post by christya on Jul 9, 2021 12:05:07 GMT
Can anyone who has seen this with both CHF and Ivano Turco give an opinion on how well they work together? I was just watching a video this morning where they were both there, and honestly he looked so very young! I'm a bit concerned it might be one of those casting situations where they're both fine individually but don't really work as a pair. Assuming they're even supposed to be a pair because every time I hear more about the plot I become more confused.
When I saw Newsies on Broadway it had that issue - a very new, very young Jack Kelly with an older more experienced Katherine made her come across as his exasperated aunt.
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218 posts
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Post by Peter on Jul 9, 2021 12:08:55 GMT
lso regarding So Long. I find it interesting that this number borrows a section of music from 2005's The Woman in White's 'I Hope You'll Like It Here' ('But until he left for Hades he was catnip to the ladies' more specifically), which, in its turn, comes straight from 1965's The Likes of Us's 'I'm a very busy Man'! What's even more interesting is the fact that this music appears only in the WiW of 2005, it was re-written for the 2017 Charring Cross revival. Yes, I'd just spotted that when I read your post (doing a first listen-through of the album right now!) - I wasn't aware it had been cut from WIW though, so I suppose ALW then considered it 'freed up' for use elsewhere... |
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Post by fiyerorocher on Jul 9, 2021 12:09:44 GMT
The statue defacing has been toned down and that section of dialogue from the album is gone. It never actually made it to the first preview, if I'm recalling correctly. I'd say these kids were maybe 10-12? Don't think quite enough of it went over their heads. I did clock the schools rate tickets before, but I certainly would not take a gaggle of primary school kids :') Haha - that'll be a nice surprise if they get the album then. I always wonder how many nice grannies were given James Blunt's first album for Christmas by their grandchildren, based on her hearing 'You're Beautiful' on the radio and TV. Family gather round to listen. Said track comes on in its album lyric version: "Yes, she caught my eye As we walked on by She could see from my face that I was f***ing high". Christmas cancelled, children sent to bed early, brandy sauce on the walls. I did see some very young girls in princess dresses at the show, and presume their parents were horrified when they realised they hadn't come to see a Cinderella that was all sweetness and light. But the kids themselves were certainly too young to get any of the more inappropriate stuff, so they were just having a great time :') |
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jul 9, 2021 12:13:40 GMT
I don't think he needs to call her a knob, that's completely unnecessary.
I can see the bit with the the lady being bitten and calling it a "little bastard" is funny (decidedly not fairytale) but again could probably be replaced.
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913 posts
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Post by karloscar on Jul 9, 2021 12:23:09 GMT
Listening to the almost cast album, who are you supposed to be rooting for in this show? Everyone seems equally obnoxious and whiny!
And if Cinders is such a badass rebel without a cause, why on earth does she feel the need to be transformed to go to the ball? Seems unbelievable and dumb.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Jul 9, 2021 12:26:34 GMT
I don't think he needs to call her a knob, that's completely unnecessary. I can see the bit with the the lady being bitten and calling it a "little bastard" is funny (decidedly not fairytale) but again could probably be replaced. The whole part with the wishing well has been cut (I think that's where someone gets bitten?), so that doesn't happen. Sebastian's line gets a lot of laughs so it's likely going nowhere. It think it works really well to solidify the bickering friends dynamic they have. I can only actually think of three times they use arguably 'bad' language (as of the most recent preview, could still change). There's that, there's Cinderella calling Sebastian a Pr**k, and there's Cinderella calling the Stepmother a b****. All of them, in my opinion, work well for their respective moments and the characters, and the audience seem to have no complaints so I don't think they're likely to axe them. |
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Jul 9, 2021 12:27:39 GMT
I don't think he needs to call her a knob, that's completely unnecessary. I can see the bit with the the lady being bitten and calling it a "little bastard" is funny (decidedly not fairytale) but again could probably be replaced. Haha! See, the 'knob' lyric was genuinely one of my favourites in the whole jumble of dodgy writing. I wasn't expecting it, and it just felt so pally and real for a platonic friendship like that. Rhyming Cinderella with Salmonella - now that's unnecessary! Regarding the little girls in Cinderella dresses, I also spotted 2 or 3 there last night. I knew that would be an issue as soon as this show was announced - parents seeing the title and booking with no knowledge of what it is, expecting a panto or a Disneyfied take on the fairytale. I assume many going in with those expectations will be ok for most of the first act, but will be highly disappointed when the Godmother is revealed (as that's really where the concept swiftly deviates from any magical expectations) and will have a swarm of bored and annoyed kids to deal with come the interval. Actually, whilst I'm on the transformation scene... {Spoiler - click to view}
Even knowing roughly what to expect, I was really sad not to see a true transformation. It's so cheaply done - with a Cinderella double wearing a full face mask for a full verse of the song, so long that it's obvious it isn't her - there's really no "wow" factor when she's revealed. Even with this alternate take on the transformation process, there should have been a "moment". |
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3,474 posts
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Post by ceebee on Jul 9, 2021 12:27:56 GMT
Can anyone who has seen this with both CHF and Ivano Turco give an opinion on how well they work together? I was just watching a video this morning where they were both there, and honestly he looked so very young! I'm a bit concerned it might be one of those casting situations where they're both fine individually but don't really work as a pair. Assuming they're even supposed to be a pair because every time I hear more about the plot I become more confused. When I saw Newsies on Broadway it had that issue - a very new, very young Jack Kelly with an older more experienced Katherine made her come across as his exasperated aunt. I think they work very well, though it's a vocal mismatch (though he was stronger vocally the second time I saw it). He has a lovely voice but was occasionally flat in first preview. I can't say that I'm a CHF fan but she has been flawless both times I've been. There's something quite endearing about the two of them together though, and they bounce some of the funnier lines well off each other. |
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jul 9, 2021 12:36:09 GMT
Sounds like it works better in the show then!
I would never call somebody that, so I was a bit shocked. <sheltered>
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Post by fiyerorocher on Jul 9, 2021 12:42:48 GMT
I don't think he needs to call her a knob, that's completely unnecessary. I can see the bit with the the lady being bitten and calling it a "little bastard" is funny (decidedly not fairytale) but again could probably be replaced. Haha! See, the 'knob' lyric was genuinely one of my favourites in the whole jumble of dodgy writing. I wasn't expecting it, and it just felt so pally and real for a platonic friendship like that. Rhyming Cinderella with Salmonella - now that's unnecessary! Regarding the little girls in Cinderella dresses, I also spotted 2 or 3 there last night. I knew that would be an issue as soon as this show was announced - parents seeing the title and booking with no knowledge of what it is, expecting a panto or a Disneyfied take on the fairytale. I assume many going in with those expectations will be ok for most of the first act, but will be highly disappointed when the Godmother is revealed (as that's really where the concept swiftly deviates from any magical expectations) and will have a swarm of bored and annoyed kids to deal with come the interval. Actually, whilst I'm on the transformation scene... {Spoiler - click to view}
Even knowing roughly what to expect, I was really sad not to see a true transformation. It's so cheaply done - with a Cinderella double wearing a full face mask for a full verse of the song, so long that it's obvious it isn't her - there's really no "wow" factor when she's revealed. Even with this alternate take on the transformation process, there should have been a "moment". Yeah I go back and forth on the 'salmonella' rhyme. I couldn't technically argue with them if they said it was purposefully bad to match Sebastian's awkward character - there is also the 'buffet'/'tooth decay' rhyme which is equally not excellent - but I don't think they really follow that through enough to make it clear. From what I've seen so far though, Ivano did deliver in a way that suggested Sebastian knew it was terrible, which did work with the awkwardness, but Michael didn't (that's no complaint of him though, he's really been thrown in at the deep end and its a tiny thing). And while I'm on the subject of Michael vs Ivano - can someone with better memory please tell me what Ivano wore for the Ball scene because I can't remember and either Michael's costume isn't ready yet and they've just given him a plain suit, or it's a dreadfully boring costume :') |
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345 posts
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Post by johartuk on Jul 9, 2021 12:52:30 GMT
The cast recording shows that this musical has 5 decent songs and the rest is just awful. So Long, I Am No Longer Me, Unbreakable and Moment of Triump are all TERRIBLE….. with What Were You Thinking the worst of the lot. ALW / what were you thinking!!!! The ballads are pretty decent. Why is there no duet? Not one. Imagine if the Six composers or Pasek and Paul has been commissioned this. The voice singing the 'What Were You Thinking?' bit sounds odd. Not keen on that. The instrumental bit that follows sounds like something from the Harry Potter film soundtrack! |
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4,977 posts
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jul 9, 2021 12:55:41 GMT
I made it upto the Hunks song. I liked bad cinderella but the rest was not for me. No surprise really, as I've never been a fan of his work. Ahh well...
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Post by max on Jul 9, 2021 12:56:38 GMT
Re style of racy humour, I'm reminded ALW snuck the "what is it you c*nt face" joke into BBC family prime time, on the Maria casting show!
Never seen Graham Norton look so panicked.
As for the joke, ALW did muff it (ooh pardon)
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287 posts
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Post by singingbird on Jul 9, 2021 12:58:40 GMT
So Long, I Am No Longer Me, Unbreakable and Moment of Triump are all TERRIBLE What makes Unbreakable terrible? I thought it a nice - although rather simple - tune, it reminded me of Close Every Door to Me. Also regarding So Long. I find it interesting that this number borrows a section of music from 2005's The Woman in White's 'I Hope You'll Like It Here' ('But until he left for Hades he was catnip to the ladies' more specifically), which, in its turn, comes straight from 1965's The Likes of Us's 'I'm a very busy Man'! What's even more interesting is the fact that this music appears only in the WiW of 2005, it was re-written for the 2017 Charring Cross revival. I can't make up my mind if the section from The Likes of Us/WiW is a deliberate lift. I think he may just be unconsciously echoing himself. I was singing that phrase at several points with the WiW lyrics after seeing this, but assumed it was just a short very similar phrase. |
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Post by phantom1986 on Jul 9, 2021 13:12:02 GMT
Moment of Triumph is just as horrendous as I remembered it. The whole score is. So Long is also unbearable as is the overlong song between the stepmother and queen which has no payoff. All the shows flaws are even more apparent on the recording. The whole Godmother midnight thing makes even less sense. CHF fades into the background in an unlikeable and dramatically barren role.
The critics are rightfully going to rip this to shreds.
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jul 9, 2021 13:24:04 GMT
Gosh, they really did think that Helen George was gonna play the Queen eh? Cause the cast recording cast is pretty much the show cast apart from her... I think she was definitely going to be in it (when it was meant to run) but she's expecting a baby now. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2021 13:46:35 GMT
Does anyone else think that "I Know You" (the Stepmother-Queen duet) sounds just like "The Countess and the Common Man" from Anastasia? Maybe it's just me...
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jul 9, 2021 13:55:57 GMT
Does anyone else think that "I Know You" (the Stepmother-Queen duet) sounds just like "The Countess and the Common Man" from Anastasia? Maybe it's just me... It reminded me of a cross between Dear Old Friend from LND and I Remember It Well, but that's more in lyrics and plot than melody. |
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Post by inthenose on Jul 9, 2021 14:03:05 GMT
For all those spouting bile about this show, there are more who seem to love it judging by the scores in the poll. The difference is, those who love it don't profess to do so on a daily basis. Some folk seem to revel in wanting to pour cold puke over this show, desperate to see it fail. I hope those who dislike it so much might find something more positive in their lives that they might grow to love and share their views about, instead of peeing on others' bonfires by continually trashing a show that is nowhere near as bad as some like to make out. And, once again, everybody is entitled to an opinion whether we agree with it or not. I am not seeing anything of what you describe from posters and I sense you are somewhat emotional in your responses to any sort of criticism, as in the Phantom thread. What you perceive as negativity are concerns which are valid in the minds of people who hold them. We must remember that. I don't see anyone "spouting bile" or "constantly trashing" the show. I see a wide variety of opinions and welcome them all. The point you make about the ratings in the poll is entirely redundant, as you know just a few pages back somebody joined on multiple new accounts just to rate the show 5*'s, having admittedly not seen the show, just because they are a ALW fan. But I suspect you were being intentionally tongue in cheek there. I hope. It would be very annoying for you, I'm sure, to have someone constantly calling you negative just because you don't like something that they do. Are you supporting England in the football? No? Well that's "negative". TL;Dr. I'm sorry not everybody agrees with you. I'll make up my own mind when I see the show myself. If I don't like it and say so, that doesn't make me the catch-all "negative". |
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