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Post by ali973 on Mar 16, 2017 14:02:45 GMT
Sneaky audience recordings have made their to the intraweb.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2017 18:35:05 GMT
No surprise the first week blew the box office up. From just five preview performances, they took $1,404,161.
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Post by westendwendy on Apr 2, 2017 12:18:23 GMT
I'm seeing this in two weeks if anyone wants any merchendise.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2017 13:45:49 GMT
Well jeez, with only 7 performances this week, this show made almost $2 million!!  most shows don't do that with an 8 show week, that's crazy! |
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Post by japhun on Apr 3, 2017 14:20:26 GMT
Well jeez, with only 7 performances this week, this show made almost $2 million!! most shows don't do that with an 8 show week, that's crazy! I am watching on April 13- for what we paid, I would believe it! (I booked back in the summer when tickets first came available- friends say prices have increased even more since the initial booking period!) |
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Post by crabtree on Apr 7, 2017 17:53:04 GMT
What is the word about Hello Dolly with la Midler? Have they reinvented it - the photos look pretty much as to be expected. Not a favourite show at all, but the joy of seeing Midler in a reasonable sized theatre would be wonderful. I saw her in Manchester 18 months ago in an arena theatre, but to be up close would be better.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 7, 2017 18:02:03 GMT
OMG! You have DARED to post this in the UK page and not in the International section. How very dare you! Kidding. Someone will merge it.
It's getting all the raves and currently one of the hottest tickets in town. It's mainly based on the original. I think a few lifts here and there to make it look more polished and lavished, but it's mainly based on the original Gower Champion version.
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Post by barrowside on Apr 7, 2017 18:09:30 GMT
Would be great fun if this came over for a season at The Palladium.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 7, 2017 18:29:58 GMT
I think they'll have issues filling it up in London.
Bette Midler is a huge superstar in the US (and the UK I suppose?) but I think she's got more impact there than in the UK. Then there's the Dolly brand. I think the show is a lot more recognizable in the US than it is across the pond. From the audience reviews I read, and the bootlegs I heard, the entire production has such fanfare to it.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 7, 2017 18:38:52 GMT
OMG! You have DARED to post this in the UK page and not in the International section. How very dare you! Kidding. Someone will merge it.
It's getting all the raves and currently one of the hottest tickets in town. It's mainly based on the original. I think a few lifts here and there to make it look more polished and lavished, but it's mainly based on the original Gower Champion version. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 10:31:29 GMT
In the UK It would struggle, unless it had a megastar level lead. Thinking about who might be cast reveals the weakness in the material; far too dull and lacking in real emotion for the actors a la Staunton, not enough of a sing for the singers like Paige.
It really is a patchwork kind of show, Herman didn't even write one of the best numbers (Elegance, ghosted by Bob Merrill) and the book does no more than navigate between songs. Put ten million quid into a staircase and scores of leaping waiters and it could pass for spectacle, I suppose.
Of the 'big lady' Herman shows, Mame is better (but very dated in its sensibilities), Dear World has the most interesting score but needs a massive rewrite of the book.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 8, 2017 11:03:00 GMT
TBH I can't even see it majorly succeeding with Elaine Paige. I think it needs to have a Dame Shirley Bassey-level to do as well as it's doing in New York. Imelda is an actor first and foremost. I think this role requires a diva, first and foremost.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 11:45:24 GMT
Channing's voice limitations means that the songs don't really give much chance for Bassey-esque belting (can she even act?). The most interesting casting was when Danny La Rue played Dolly in the West End in the early eighties. Paul O'Grady maybe?   |
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Post by ali973 on Apr 8, 2017 11:57:59 GMT
The score isn't about belting. Even Midler, who is a great vocalist until about a decade ago, isn't belting during this run. I definitely think it's persona above all.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 13:46:55 GMT
People probably think the score is for a belter because of Barbra in the movie.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 14:35:20 GMT
How old is Dolly supposed to actually be? Because I swear Barbra was like 25 when she did the film (I haven't seen it in a while), but then here's Bette doing it at 70.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Apr 8, 2017 14:45:27 GMT
How old is Dolly supposed to actually be? Because I swear Barbra was like 25 when she did the film (I haven't seen it in a while), but then here's Bette doing it at 70. She should be middle aged, one of the many reasons why the movie didn't work was Dolly's age |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 19:56:59 GMT
She wouldn't do it here as she isn't as big a name star as she is in America (though she is well known), but I would love to see Kristin Chenoweth do this one day! And she will soon be 50!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 21:01:46 GMT
Bette Midler is a big name, maybe not AS much as America but i think she could sell it here. I could see it at Palladium or Drury Lane. Several generations will be wanting to see her, and thanks to her at times headline grabbing tweets, even young generation may have heard of her.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 21:22:42 GMT
Throw it somewhere near Soho, the gays will flock!
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Post by ali973 on Apr 9, 2017 5:31:13 GMT
It's too bad the UK doesn't have a star with the gravitas equalled to Midler. Though this casting fantasy wouldn't work for a London commercial run, I would love to see Caroline O'Connor or Hannah Waddingham as Dolly.
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Post by crabtree on Apr 9, 2017 8:45:15 GMT
But what is it about Dolly, the show, that people like. She is an annoying character, and the plot so limp. It has some good songs but really is a pretty flimsy piece about an interfering middle aged woman.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 9, 2017 10:13:17 GMT
Pretty ageist of you  I think the best roles for women in musical theatre are middle-aged women. Rose, Mrs Lovett, Norma Desmond, Dolly..list truly goes on and on. I haven't seen it, so I can't tell exactly what it is. But I feel it has to do with the fact that it's a classic, old-fashioned musical comedy with excellent costumes, great choreography, big numbers, and happens to be a star vehicle. |
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Post by crabtree on Apr 9, 2017 12:30:44 GMT
Nothing wrong with being middle aged, but a lot wrong with being irritating and interfering......
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Post by Dawnstar on Apr 9, 2017 15:53:00 GMT
It's too bad the UK doesn't have a star with the gravitas equalled to Midler. Though this casting fantasy wouldn't work for a London commercial run, I would love to see Caroline O'Connor or Hannah Waddingham as Dolly. Caroline O'Connor was supposed to do it in Leicester at few years ago but dropped out to do something else (sorry, can't remember what) and Janie Dee took over. |
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most shows don't do that with an 8 show week, that's crazy!
I think the best roles for women in musical theatre are middle-aged women. Rose, Mrs Lovett, Norma Desmond, Dolly..list truly goes on and on.