1,115 posts
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Post by Stephen on Jun 24, 2023 22:32:49 GMT
‘That’s 30 minutes of my life I’ll never get back’ says one of the kids half an hour in to the ‘new comedy musical’ an understatement.
This musical assault on the senses has no nuance, no comedy and ultimately no heart.
The prosthetic/mask was confusing and creepy. It barely moved when the character spoke!
This evening the eldest child was played by what seemed to be an ensemble member in their 30s…very confusing and difficult to see past. Had to chuckle when Daniel says ‘you’ve grown up so much’ at the end. Literally.
Gone are the days when laughing at men in dresses was funny. Was it ever really? But the audience didn’t seem to think so…happily chuckling away at line after line of dud jokes.
Mr Vick is working hard but it’s more a case of quantity over quality with lots of not quite great impressions and confusing cultural references which don’t fit the setting.
Having enjoyed listening to the soundtrack with Rob McClure I was surprised that not a single song stood out as enjoyable.
The Shaftesbury Theatre staff were being very helpful and patient dealing with complaints about the heat. Incase you are planning to go during the heatwave please note that it was as warm in the theatre as outside. Incredibly hard uncomfortable seats on the end of Stalls Row M too.
What is it Mrs D says ‘oh dearies’ Being generous, 1 star poppets.
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Post by NorthernAlien on Jun 25, 2023 9:01:47 GMT
I saw it on Thursday (yes, Press Night). Stalls, Row T.
I've read through the reviews here, and I agree with the comment about it being a three star production with a five star performance. Gabriel Vick is really great - especially when he's allowed to make the role his own, rather than having to try to channel the spirit of Robin Williams - who is the huge elephant in the room here.
I also agree with the several other comments talking about the lack of memorable songs - three days on I can recall one line from the song that closes act one, and similar from one of the songs in act two.
The plot is barely there. You can tell that Frank and Andre are gay because they wear animal print, block heels, and mince a bit. It's lazy and reductive, but those actors are trying their best. All the actors are trying their best, but it's all just so thin - and the inclusion of lots of British references and character impersonations doesn't make sense if you think about it for more than about three seconds.
There's also the unfortunate problem that, in the time between the movie and now, we've had the "Fathers for Justice" movement/campaign in the UK, and the entire premise has a whiff of being about a member of that group that we're supposed to sympathise with, despite his patently appalling behaviour as a husband, father, and employee. You could make a production that ran that storyline, but it's not this one, and all that Daniel's crassness in Act One does is make you think that his wife did the right thing. It's compounded by Daniel hacking into Miranda's emails on his phone, something he's very proud of, rather than slightly contrite about and/or shown as being doing it out of desperation - in short, the character's sense of entitlement to do whatever he wants is so high that he could be one of the Tory politicians he impersonates.
I suspect the reason the reviews published so far have focused on the technical aspects is because they're where this is good. There's obviously been a lot of money spent on the set, all the bits of which look fantastic. The transformation from Daniel into Mrs D (and back again), is also really well executed, and quick. At a couple of points they show you the trick, and it still remains impressive.
Overall however, this is too long, too unmemorable, and, from the programme notes, heading towards being a project of love on the part of the Producer, rather than a decent show. I've looked back on here, and when it was in Manchester, people seemed to like it. I wonder if something significant has changed since it ran there?
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Post by capybara on Jul 31, 2023 10:43:43 GMT
I tried for rush tickets today but didn’t have any joy getting singles or pairs. I’m guessing it’s a combination of the show still being relatively new to the West End and the school holidays.
I might leave it until the autumn before trying for rush tickets again but, in the meantime, does anyone know of any offers or deals for this show? It seems quite expensive on most websites right now.
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5,292 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 31, 2023 11:09:57 GMT
Does Graham Vick do all 8 shows?
Feel like I need to tick this off the list- but also keen to know if there any offers for it
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Post by jarnew on Jul 31, 2023 13:50:56 GMT
Everything ive seen so far concerning this production, and this musical in general, gives off a very soulless and artificial impression to me. Its why im not running to get a ticket for it, unless I could get it for cheap and nothing else is on. But am I alone on this? Because it seems to be selling relatively well for now!
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2,151 posts
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Post by richey on Jul 31, 2023 15:43:05 GMT
Everything ive seen so far concerning this production, and this musical in general, gives off a very soulless and artificial impression to me. Its why im not running to get a ticket for it, unless I could get it for cheap and nothing else is on. But am I alone on this? Because it seems to be selling relatively well for now! It's not just you. I really didn't enjoy it im Manchester but again I felt I was in a minority
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Post by ladidah on Jul 31, 2023 15:55:50 GMT
I agree with you, this should be a show on my list but I've got no interest at all.
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Post by midge on Jul 31, 2023 15:57:06 GMT
I agree with you, this should be a show on my list but I've got no interest at all. Same! But then again, when the strength of the film is largely Robin Williams, what's the point in even trying when no one could ever come close?
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Post by ladidah on Jul 31, 2023 16:00:35 GMT
I think that's the issue, it's a film entirely based on his performance.
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Post by toomasj on Jul 31, 2023 17:49:25 GMT
I agree with you, this should be a show on my list but I've got no interest at all. Same! But then again, when the strength of the film is largely Robin Williams, what's the point in even trying when no one could ever come close? This is a problem I’ve often had in the past with iconic screen performances being recreated on stage. Mary Poppins, for example, left me completely cold because despite lovely sets, gorgeous choreography and dancing and a strong cast, the whole time I was simply mentally comparing to Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. Same with Connie Fisher and The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz and many others including plays such as Harvey, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and so on. I realise it’s completely unfair on the production and the cast to compare like for like, but sometimes they make it very easy to by copying the movie in everything from looks to characterisations beat for beat. I appreciate this is more the case for movie musicals, but for me the success is had when characters are made unique by actors allowed to put their spin on the character through brave direction and derring do. I’d use Roger Bart in Back to the Future as an example of this, giving a very different performance to Christopher Lloyd in the movie. Essentially what I don’t want is an impersonation of a famous performance in a well known IP, but on stage.
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Post by ladidah on Aug 1, 2023 7:17:24 GMT
I think that's almost the price they pay. Because they are benefitting from people's nostalgia and warmth for the original production - they also suffer from being compared and mostly ultimately being found lacking.
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Post by tommy123 on Aug 1, 2023 9:04:39 GMT
Does anyone have the understudy list for this show?
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Post by evilmat360 on Aug 1, 2023 9:43:35 GMT
Does anyone have the understudy list for this show?
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Post by capybara on Aug 7, 2023 23:38:05 GMT
Well, that was underwhelming. For a show with parental love and affection at its heart, it felt almost entirely gutted of emotion in an attempt to play it safe and appeal to the once-a-year West End tourists. And maybe we need shows like this for musical theatre to thrive more generally.
But that doesn’t stop me being frustrated with the bland score (almost entirely generic filler) which didn’t challenge an undoubtedly talented cast to show off their vocals at all. Laura Tebbutt, playing Miranda, gave us the highlight with ‘Let Go’ - the only moment of genuine passion in this cold piece.
The choreo was unadventurous, the direction baffling in places and, in this era of adaptation, you could only wonder why this was chosen for a stage musical beyond being a cynical cash grab. The restaurant scene was especially tedious with most of it given up to a Spanish singer/dance act.
It’s not all bad. The source material (thanks Anne Fine and Robin Williams) give the cast a lot of meat to work with. There are well executed comedic moments, among the less well executed humour. Gabriel Vick is perfect in the role of Daniel and demonstrates his repertoire of impressions, physical comedy and, at times, vulnerability.
It didn’t drag quite as bad as some recent adaptations (naming no names, Pretty Woman…) but it misses the mark and is dining out purely on audience affection for Williams and the 1993 film. The story is there - get the score right and it could have been something special. Alas.
Two stars.
(Note - the worst audience I’ve experienced. I know it’s the summer holidays but come on. If you are talking, using your phone to text, using your phone to receive a call *mid-performance* or too much of a greedy f***ing slob to go an hour without stuffing your face with noisy crisps or sweets, do us all a favour and stay on your sofa at home)
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642 posts
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Post by greeny11 on Aug 8, 2023 7:33:47 GMT
I was quite pleasantly surprised by this when I saw it last week - I haven't seen the film, but was laughing throughout. I thought Gabriel Vick was fantastic as the lead - the amount of impressions he does is fantastic (even if some are very much aimed at the British audience, which doesn't necessarily fit in with where this is set) while showing off the vulnerability, and he kept the Mrs Doubtfire persona up very well, and Cameron Blakely was brilliant as Frank. I know people are saying the music isn't great, and I thought that when I listened to the cast album, but I quite enjoyed it. There are quite a few 'filler' songs, but I did leave with 4 stuck in my head (Let Go, As Long As There Is Love, Make Me A Woman and What The Hell), which was a pleasant surprise.
The audience was filled with families, and the theatre quickly ran out of booster seats, but audience behaviour was generally very good at the show I was at.
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Post by dip on Sept 5, 2023 16:08:37 GMT
So, any deals about for this at the moment?
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Post by evilmat360 on Sept 25, 2023 15:10:14 GMT
Another extension announced up to 29th September 2024.
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Post by stagedreamer23 on Sept 28, 2023 22:00:09 GMT
I really enjoyed this! I thought the pacing was spot on. The story moved along well without getting boring. The only song that felt a bit like filler was the Cooking Montage but that wasn’t a big deal. I thought the whole restaurant scene was really well done. Vicki Lee Taylor was Miranda when we went to see it and she sung so well, with so much emotion. It’s a shame because some audience members were laughing at one point at how much Gabriel Vick’s mask was dripping with sweat. This seemed to knock Vicki Lee Taylor’s confidence as she might have thought the laughter was directed at her. However, everyone in the show did a great job and even though the songs aren’t super memorable, they sound good in the context of the show.
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Oct 13, 2023 12:40:02 GMT
I was pleasantly surprised by this yesterday. Granted I'm a big fan of the original movie so nostalgia might have been in overdrive, but I thought it was a solid - if flawed - adaptation. Is it the best musical in the world? No. In fact, all of the songs are utterly forgettable, although in the moment most are enjoyable enough and some of the big production numbers are impressively staged (though the whole thing could do without the tediously shoehorned "Shape of things to Come" at the top of Act 2)
This is a musical which tries to very closely match the original movie on stage, and just like Back to the Future the production always shines most when it's sticking to the source material. The songs - on the whole - tend to "get in the way", pausing the action and filling emotional gaps that didn't need filling. Having said that, some of Miranda's expanded journey works well and Laura Tebbutt totally delivers with her poignant arc. Gabriel Vick is a force. He gives everything and totally steals the show in a role which is incredibly difficult to get right, although - if I'm being critical - as impressive as his impressive toolbox of impressions is, he's really at his best when he's simply delivering a (strong) impression of Robin Williams, line delivery and all. Then again, that's when the audience reacts, so... is that necessarily a bad thing?
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4,581 posts
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Post by Mark on Nov 8, 2023 15:16:36 GMT
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3,793 posts
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Post by anthony40 on Nov 8, 2023 17:04:39 GMT
Love it!
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1,511 posts
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Post by anita on Nov 9, 2023 11:12:14 GMT
The best Christmas ad ever.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Nov 9, 2023 11:16:07 GMT
Yes. It made me cry.
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1,363 posts
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Post by Dave B on Jan 5, 2024 15:32:31 GMT
No announcement but tickets now on sale until Feb 2025, so another extension.
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196 posts
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Post by Peter on Jan 6, 2024 19:23:14 GMT
That seems a suspiciously long booking period - it used to be that a large extension indicated producers gauging interest when considering a closing notice… Anyone know how the show has been doing - it rarely gets talked about and I rarely see much publicity for it, but it is a very popular film.
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3,793 posts
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Post by anthony40 on Jan 6, 2024 19:40:02 GMT
I rarely see much publicity for it, but it is a very popular film. Not sure exactly where you're based Peter but in London, there are posters at most bus shelters and on the side of escalators in most tube stations.
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186 posts
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Post by demelza on Jan 6, 2024 19:57:53 GMT
That seems a suspiciously long booking period - it used to be that a large extension indicated producers gauging interest when considering a closing notice… Anyone know how the show has been doing - it rarely gets talked about and I rarely see much publicity for it, but it is a very popular film. My office isn't far from the Shaftesbury so I have to walk past it when I go to the post office and when the midweek matinees are on the queues take up a good part of the street. Always seems to be a lot of coach trips and school groups from what I've noticed!
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252 posts
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Post by gmoneyoutlaw on Jan 6, 2024 20:00:08 GMT
That seems a suspiciously long booking period - it used to be that a large extension indicated producers gauging interest when considering a closing notice… Anyone know how the show has been doing - it rarely gets talked about and I rarely see much publicity for it, but it is a very popular film. Im not aware of the current booking period. If they were booking until February 2024 and extending beyond August seems unusual. Im a fan of the show. It has many delightful performances.
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252 posts
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Post by gmoneyoutlaw on Jan 6, 2024 21:26:42 GMT
That seems a suspiciously long booking period - it used to be that a large extension indicated producers gauging interest when considering a closing notice… Anyone know how the show has been doing - it rarely gets talked about and I rarely see much publicity for it, but it is a very popular film. Im not aware of the current booking period. If they were booking until February 2024 and extending beyond August seems unusual. Im a fan of the show. It has many delightful performances. I’m now aware that the current booking period is September 2024 so extending 6 months is not unreasonable. They are likely selling well through September and want yo get the year end holiday bookings started.
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Post by hannechalk on Jan 7, 2024 13:53:54 GMT
Are part of the devoted fans by any chance a young teenage crowd active on TikTok?
Teenage girls who haven't quite worked out yet Tom Scanlon in the ensemble is gay, and teenage boys who have.
Tom is very active on TikTok, often does clips BTS.
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