1,042 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by mattnyc on May 6, 2022 14:30:32 GMT
Oh, how I hated this on Broadway. I’m always one who is happy to see older shows like this take chances and do something new but this was a total miss for me on nearly every level. This show has some of the best dance numbers ever written and this production tosses them to the side for whatever reason they decided on (don’t get me started on the “dream ballet” which I believe they put where they did to avoid people walking out).
I just walked out of this wondering “Why”?
|
|
|
Post by FairyGodmother on May 7, 2022 6:35:51 GMT
That's so interesting viserys thanks - I think I just sometimes look at this that are pretty universally acclaimed and then am always puzzled on here when I see a couple of people ticked one star because it seems so out of step. I tend to cancel out 1 and 5* reviews against each other, which hopefully gets rid of some of the gushers and the moaners, but still shows the trend well enough. It might not work if something is very divisive, but I read the comments for that.
|
|
|
Post by circelily on May 7, 2022 10:40:03 GMT
It might not work if something is very divisive, but I read the comments for that. I'm going to nick that technique. Wise.
|
|
3,070 posts
|
Post by Rory on May 7, 2022 11:49:38 GMT
I know there has been a lot of discussion about dodgy or terrible views from top price seats but if you've paid for a top tier seat then where is the best place to sit for this? Is it upper level?
|
|
3,059 posts
|
Post by Dr Tom on May 7, 2022 11:58:45 GMT
I know there has been a lot of discussion about dodgy or terrible views from top price seats but if you've paid for a top tier seat then where is the best place to sit for this? Is it upper level? Back row of the side stalls, at the performance end (as opposed to the band end) if possible. First level might be fine too, in which case you could go for the central seats, but you’re still a fair way back due to the positioning of the band.
|
|
3,070 posts
|
Post by Rory on May 7, 2022 13:17:47 GMT
I know there has been a lot of discussion about dodgy or terrible views from top price seats but if you've paid for a top tier seat then where is the best place to sit for this? Is it upper level? Back row of the side stalls, at the performance end (as opposed to the band end) if possible. First level might be fine too, in which case you could go for the central seats, but you’re still a fair way back due to the positioning of the band. Thanks very much for this Dr Tom
|
|
1,199 posts
|
Post by Steve on May 7, 2022 23:31:53 GMT
Saw the matinee today, and was flabbergasted at how original it was, in a good way: it was as if every character became a sullen teenager, unwilling to smile or dance, with the decrease in agreeableness, echoed in the affectless anodyne unpleasing surface of the rehearsal room setting, somehow illuminating the interior intensity of every interaction. Familiarity with the material, previous stage versions and concerts, as well as film versions (if you haven't seen any version before, I'd recommend watching one or two of the film versions first), will massively enhance the gut punch of the alien approach adopted here. . . Some spoilers follow. . . Having seen quite a few versions of this show, this is by far the least agreeable approach I have ever seen to this material, in the lack of exultant energy, and in the dearth of sexed-up surface. I mean, even the stripped back Albert Hall prom version was luscious and over-the-top in its exuberant staging and devil-may-care dancing, compared to this sulky, moody, affectless and challenging presentation. Ironically, the uneffusive moodiness of the characters ultimately makes the moment to moment experience of the show more sultry and mysterious, and more interesting, than it usually is, even if it is less of a confection, less sweet and pleasurable, but more thrillingly dangerous and revealing. Anoushka Lucas, terrific as Mary Magdalene in JCSS at Regents Park (in some moments, she gave Tyrone Huntley's exceptional Judas a run for his silver), is amusingly disinterested and sullen for almost the entire running time here, like an Amalia from "She Loves Me," but one who refuses to brighten. Except in song, where like any sullen teenager, the scent of sex is fuel for an interior intensity, that drives passionate vocal expression, belying a standoffish surface. If Lucas is the anchor of the show, the standout performances in her orbit are undoubtedly those of Marisha Wallace and Patrick Vaill. Although, in keeping with the production, Wallace is never ingratiating, she is the least sulky, most comically imposingly selfish of all the characters, and coupled with Wallace's fabulous voice (as seen in "Dream Girls") and pin point comic timing (as seen in "Waitress"), she thunders through this show like an hilarious hormonal hurricane. Vaill's achingly alienated "teen" Jud is marginalised teen squared, sinisterly reminiscent of the sort of outsiders who threaten high school violence IRL. The production goes all Van Hove on him, blasting cinema screen size images of his disaffected self-loathing face onto the back wall, and I have never felt for any Jud as much as him, despite how scary and explosive he threatens to be. Also, I loved seeing Greg Hicks in this, another chameleon of a performer, who tends to appear in hard-nosed productions, and is as hard-nosed as ever, in this, as the judge. Overall, this show is so internalised, that it often fails to convey it's narrative, which must be bolstered by familiarity with the material, but it is a striking and original, strangely affecting and unforgettable version of the show. In my opinion. 4 stars from me.
|
|
4,458 posts
|
Post by poster J on May 8, 2022 8:35:56 GMT
4 stars from me as well - it would have been 5 but the dream ballet is so astonishingly awful that I had to knock off at least one star.
I can only think that they have moved the dream ballet to Act II to stop people walking out at the interval, because up until then I and the rest of the audience were loving the show. Then we get a seemingly interminable piece of dance that makes very little sense and certainly makes no sense in the context of the rest of the show, with music loud enough to give anyone a headache (though I do appreciate the re-imagining of the score and why it was loud, it went too far). I couldn't wait for it to end and most of the audience seemed as bewildered by as I was.
It's a shame, because both before and after that the rest of the show is largely fantastic. Arthur Darvill and Anouska Lucas are both doing exceptional work, Liza Sadovy is having a huge amount of fun, Patrick Vaill has clearly refined his character over the many years he has played it and Marisha Wallace brought the house down with I Can't Say No (despite a couple of far too over the top notes at the start). The band are excellent too.
They need to fix the mic balance as sometimes I struggled to hear the actors clearly, but that was a minor issue overall. The staging is interesting but it seems to me to be a show crammed into a space that is slightly too small for it (though thinking about it I'm not sure Circle in the Square is much bigger). It somehow works as a concept, but no-one is going to have a perfect view - if you are downstairs you will at some point have someone's back to you and everyone upstairs seemed to be leaning forward at times. But row D stalls is I think the best view as it is raised up and the view is mostly clear, even down at the band end. I can see why they aren't filming it for broadcast, as there just isn't any space to do it - it would be impossible.
Overall a really interesting and fresh take on a show we all know (and which although revolutionary at the time is rather dated now), just a shame it loses its way so badly for 15 minutes in the middle.
|
|
18,811 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on May 8, 2022 9:23:46 GMT
The dream ballet in OAT Carousel was controversial last year, although I didn’t mind it personally. But I wonder why when a show is being reimagined so drastically they insist on keeping these ballet sequences in?
|
|
1,197 posts
|
Post by theatrefan77 on May 8, 2022 13:45:23 GMT
I didn't like this at all. Thought it was bad on so many levels. It looks more like a workshop or a school project than a proper professional production. That dance sequence was just so awful, felt sorry for the poor girl who can certainly dance and deserves better choreography. And she was wearing an awful "Dream Baby Dream' t-shirt, just in case the audience doesn't realise that the dream sequence has arrived, so bad!
Good cast but very pretentious, bland, dull and boring production. Just my two cents.
|
|
|
Post by digne on May 10, 2022 12:31:01 GMT
My visit started off with disappointment when I saw that my £10 seat meant I'd been allocated the unreserved gallery seats - before, every time I'd bought a ticket in a cheap category at the Young Vic before they'd finished seating plans, I'd ended up with a great seat regardless.
The view wasn't too bad though since the Young Vic is so small; you're still really close and just have to lean forward.
Apart from that, what a wonderful evening. This seems to be one of those productions you either love or hate, and I loved it. I can't remember the last time I sat in a theatre that was filled with such a palpabable tension. I thought the blackouts were used to great effect too - how chilling to hear Curly whisper suicide fantasies into Jud's ear in utter darkness.
Standout performance for me was Marisha Wallace as Ado Annie. I also caught myself thinking during the final song that I should really get another of the cheap gallery seats to see it again...
|
|
|
Post by inthenose on May 10, 2022 15:42:22 GMT
Also saw this last night. Didn't like it.
I knew it was a "reimagining" so I adjusted mentally, but it left me completely cold. I also went for a tenner and was given a "top" seat. Is there even a good seat in the house?!
Lots of raves here about the cast, personally I didn't see it. What was going on with the tee shirt(s)? Blown notes. There are a couple of very attractive people, but that is not exactly a reason to upmark this. It felt cheap cheap cheap and the lighting designer has stolen a paycheck.
And the dream ballet was worse than I'd heard.
What I did like was how brazen... sorry clear... they made it within seconds of what type of "Oklahoma" this would be. He picks up a guitar and looks at the audience as if to say "this is what we are doing folks".
I thought the singing was really poor at times too.
2* from me.
|
|
1,187 posts
|
Post by theatrelover123 on May 10, 2022 19:33:45 GMT
My visit started off with disappointment when I saw that my £10 seat meant I'd been allocated the unreserved gallery seats - before, every time I'd bought a ticket in a cheap category at the Young Vic before they'd finished seating plans, I'd ended up with a great seat regardless. The view wasn't too bad though since the Young Vic is so small; you're still really close and just have to lean forward. Apart from that, what a wonderful evening. This seems to be one of those productions you either love or hate, and I loved it. I can't remember the last time I sat in a theatre that was filled with such a palpabable tension. I thought the blackouts were used to great effect too - how chilling to hear Curly whisper suicide fantasies into Jud's ear in utter darkness. Standout performance for me was Marisha Wallace as Ado Annie. I also caught myself thinking during the final song that I should really get another of the cheap gallery seats to see it again... Don’t think that’s true. I neither loved it not nor hated it. I liked some parts. I loved some parts. I admired some parts. I didn’t like some parts. I hated some parts. I thought some things were worth trying but ultimately failed.
|
|
185 posts
|
Post by harry on May 11, 2022 12:00:04 GMT
Loved this last night. I can’t say I really “got” the ballet, but otherwise I thought it was pretty fabulous. It’s by turns genuinely both life affirmingly joyous and horrific and disturbing, and for me that really worked. Playing on our expectations of an old fashioned musical and the archetypal characters within them, it really does seem to have its cake and eat it.
For example, when the company first sing the title song we’re almost dancing along with them. After the way the ending is staged and acted, when the song is reprised in the finale you felt the audience was willing them to stop.
It’s also amazing how a little emphasis here, a nod there can bring out very contemporary resonances both comedic and serious in a show pushing 80years of age. It’s Shakespearean in that sense.
Plus with that bright lighting there’s lots of audience watching opportunities. Star spotting too if you’re lucky - Emma Thompson on the opposite side of the auditorium to us last night!
|
|
6,338 posts
|
Post by danb on May 11, 2022 14:24:04 GMT
My son has gone today on our ten pound tickets and been moved to dead centre dress circle. I hope he enjoys it. I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t.
Edit: he loved it and had some sort of theatrical epiphany. I don’t have the heart to recount the years of student drama I watched.
|
|
|
Post by Boob on May 12, 2022 18:31:08 GMT
Some things I really liked about this (take a bow Patrick Vaill), many things I hated. It left me thinking, but overall I don’t think I liked it.
But what I REALLY want to know is - are they really drinking Bud Light throughout the show?!?
|
|
2,812 posts
|
Post by couldileaveyou on May 12, 2022 18:37:27 GMT
Some things I really liked about this (take a bow Patrick Vaill), many things I hated. It left me thinking, but overall I don’t think I liked it. But what I REALLY want to know is - are they really drinking Bud Light throughout the show?!? Nope!
|
|
30 posts
|
Post by cheri78 on May 13, 2022 7:45:14 GMT
A FOH told me it was soda water, with especially printed cans. It needed to be something fizzy to get the"pop" as it opened.
|
|
165 posts
|
Post by MoreLife on May 13, 2022 10:50:28 GMT
Some of the comments here make for a rather fascinating read (for me, that is) - while I expected this to be divisive, I did not expect people to full on "hate" it on the basis that it's not what they'd want Oklahoma to look and sound like.
First thing first, let me start by saying that I did enjoy this production of 'Oklahoma'. Did I find it perfect? No, but I'd definitely consider seeing it again to get a chance to focus on details I may have missed the first time.
But I'm a rather unusual audience member, in that I have never seen the movie, nor had I seen another (more traditional) staging of the same material before. I had tried at some point to listen to the original recording / watch the NT video and... I gave up after a few minutes out of boredom. The material didn't seem to speak to me, it didn't thrill me, there was little I enjoyed in the way it sounded, etc. So, for sure, I walked into the Young Vic with very fresh eyes and ears.
This production gave me something that, from a musical viewpoint, intrigued me: the folksy/country orchestrations suddenly made the music sound like it belongs to geographical setting of the show, and the people on stage, with the clothes they're wearing and the way the look, move, and talk could actually be the inhabitants of a small town in that part of the world. If you have ever travelled through rural parts of the US, where you can drive for hours through fields and nothingness, if you've ever stopped in one of those tiny towns where everybody knows everybody else, you may recognise that sense of it being stuck in that small world where the height of your social life is the local country fair...
Yes, there's more than a touch of self-complacency in some of the staging choices: the use of videocameras and live projections à la Ivo van Hove, the alternate use of stark lighting and long black outs... I certainly appreciate it cannot be to everyone's liking, and some will just not enjoy it, and they have all the rights not to. But I could see rather clearly that most of those "tricks of the trade" had been consciously chosen to try and tell an old story in a different way, and without shying away from its darkest parts (which traditionally would perhaps be hidden in the midst of saccharine-filled, dance-y ensemble numbers).
Would it have been equally interesting to present the old 'Oklahoma' again?
I can only think of my experience last year, when I went to see 'Anything goes', and I was left cold and not very much entertained at all. In fact, I was primarily bored by it. Everything was technically very polished on that stage, but nothing about that production thrilled me or made me think or feel things.
By contrast, to me this production of Oklahoma is commendable in that it proves that theatre is alive and kicking and tries to evolve. Sure, not all the choices and not all the routes taken pay off in equal measure, but - to paraphrase a very wise man - they are moving on and are giving us more to see...
|
|
204 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by jaggy on May 14, 2022 18:12:13 GMT
This has practically sold out and probably will before the end of its run.
Does anyone think or have heard rumours of a planned transfer?
|
|
4,564 posts
|
Post by Mark on May 14, 2022 18:35:37 GMT
Loved this in New York and loved it again today. Glad I’m going back in 3 weeks time! All the cast brilliant but particular shoutouts to Patrick and Marisha
|
|
185 posts
|
Post by harry on May 15, 2022 8:12:22 GMT
This has practically sold out and probably will before the end of its run. Does anyone think or have heard rumours of a planned transfer? I’ve heard nothing and obviously it won’t be able to just plonk itself straight into a West End proscenium arch house, but it does say it is presented in association with Sonia Friedman Productions (among others) which makes me assume they have always had eyes on and plans for a life for it after the end of June.
|
|
204 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by jaggy on May 15, 2022 9:28:52 GMT
This has practically sold out and probably will before the end of its run. Does anyone think or have heard rumours of a planned transfer? I’ve heard nothing and obviously it won’t be able to just plonk itself straight into a West End proscenium arch house, but it does say it is presented in association with Sonia Friedman Productions (among others) which makes me assume they have always had eyes on and plans for a life for it after the end of June. Exactly. Finding a theatre to house it which is free is the difficulty. I really hope it does as a majority of the cast are doing amazing work. Here’s hoping.
|
|
|
Post by Boob on May 15, 2022 11:36:29 GMT
It has been touring the US in a traditional end-on reconfiguration, so I don’t think this would be an issue if they can find a venue.
|
|
1,265 posts
|
Post by mkb on May 16, 2022 11:48:43 GMT
After seeing Friday night's show, what can I add to what has already been said?
The first disappointment was that this was a concert performance rather than being properly staged. That wasn't mentioned at any point in the marketing that I saw, so I wasn't aware. I just knew that it had been "re-imagined" and was different, and had created a bit of a stir Stateside, which sounded promising.
While I can be quite a traditionalist, I also enjoy being wowed by innovative and modern new takes. Sadly, this interpretation did not hit the mark for me. It adopted a surrealist air (the costumes especially with the Baby Jane ball gowns) that made the characters unreal and difficult to engage with emotionally. They continued to be cyphers, often being moody purely for the sake of it, and that just became tiresome after a while.
As for the extended black-outs and camera-up-the-nostrils projections and in-your-ears over-miked dialogue, this didn't just tip over into pretension, it was full-blown peacockery by the director, making Ivo van Hove look subtle and nuanced by comparison.
Quite what was happening as the prelude to Act 2 escaped me. Whatever it was, it went on for fourteen minutes, and seemed to consist of a young girl, who bore no resemblance to any of the other characters -- was she supposed to be a young Laurey? -- who simply ran in interminable circles around the stage accompanied by the score played on discordant electric guitar and synth, with the musicians not present. (Was this a pre-record?) This section detracted from rather than added to the experience.
Where this production succeeded was in the blend of musician's instruments and cast voices that were quite beautiful and soaring at times. There were some stunning renditions of the popular numbers. If I could have just had those, without the pseudo-intellectual interpretation of the interspersed script, this show would have been elevated to four stars.
On-stage blocking was atrocious. The thrust stage is so long and thin, that it is akin to traverse, unless you are seated across the narrow end. For the most part, characters were facing away from me or in front of another speaking character. The long walks as characters entered and exited were clunky and amateurish. This was crying out for an end-on presentation with proscenium.
There were sections, especially at the start, where the characters were deliberately not amplified when speaking. (- More unnecessary artistic pretentiousness from the director I felt.) Much of this dialogue could not be heard. The walls all round have been covered in MDF, and that hampered the acoustics. Further, the final four seats at the band-end of stalls back row D are directly underneath a very powerful air-conditioning outlet that, when on, was generating so much white noise, that none-amplified voices were lost.
I do echo what others have said about row D offering the best view. Row A is too close for a very wide stage, and rows B and C have much less rake. Your legs may be dangling however in row D if you are very short and cannot reach either of the two foot rests: one underneath the row in front and one below your seat. (Be aware that if you use the foot-rest in front, there is an out-of-sight gap in the row C seat-back that means you are in high danger of kicking the person sat there, as I discovered to my cost.)
Two stars.
Act 1: 19:36-21:00 Dream Ballet: 21:21-21:35 Act 2: 21:35-22:35
|
|
|
Post by inthenose on May 16, 2022 12:07:23 GMT
Thank you for the detailed review, which I entirely agree with.
That "ballet" was hilarious for the first few minutes in just how spectacularly crap it was, then I remembered it's a lengthy segment and I had at least another ten minutes of it, and the joke wore very thin.
As I said before, hated it, pretentious is the right word - nail on head.
I get the feeling somewhere there's a choreographer reading this thinking "you just didn't get it". Well don't worry, I got it alright. I get that this show's desperate, almost puppy-like eagerness to please and be as "2022" as possible made it absolutely unpalatable, even to those it is pandering to, with its faux-intellectualism and "meta" nudges and winks.
The troubling thing is, by all accounts this is superb compared to Legally Blonde, which I am also seeing this week.
|
|
2,348 posts
|
Post by zahidf on May 17, 2022 23:23:29 GMT
I enjoyed it overall: some of it didn't work, but I liked the way it tried different things. And I thought some bits were genuinely funny and interesting
|
|
|
Post by sleepflower on May 21, 2022 17:21:20 GMT
I only paid 10 quid but had a perfect view on the side of row K! I had only seen the proshot before so this was mostly new to me. I really enjoyed it - the Ado Annie subplot was played with the perfect level of comedy, and I loved the arrangements of the songs - I'm glad they didn't radically reinvent them too much. The dream ballet was indeed a bit WTF and seemed out of place compared to the rest of the piece, and as much as I liked the show, the Jud storyline always makes me immensely miserable and that definitely came across here rather than just sweeping it under the carpet for an overly happy ending like more traditional versions might do.
|
|
614 posts
|
Post by jamb0r on May 21, 2022 20:40:34 GMT
It’s very, very rare that I go to the theatre and leave without having enjoyed what I’ve seen somewhat (I even enjoyed Legally Blonde last week!), but I’m definitely adding myself to the ‘absolutely hated it’ crowd. Couldn’t wait for it to end.
I asked this board months ago whether I should take my parents to see this (who love this musical), and I’m so glad I took your advice and didn’t get them tickets. When I was sat in the pitch black listening to people whisper into microphones for what felt like an hour I was thinking I would have been mortified if I’d have made them sit through that! And the less said about the dream ballet the better - my eyes rolled so far back in my head I almost lost a contact lens.
|
|
|
Post by theoracle on May 21, 2022 21:23:05 GMT
As much as I love the original orchestrations, I did really enjoy this. As a Rodgers & Hammerstein fan, Oklahoma was never my favourite but this has made me re-evaluate my feelings towards the material. I'd never seen Arthur Darvill in a musical before so was very pleasantly surprised by his soaring vocals. The whole cast were brilliant and yes, Patrick Vaill and Marisha Wallace deserve all the praise that they're getting. I think the way this show was lit was also very interesting and added to the immersiveness of the show. As others had mentioned however, this could've been blocked better but I loved the enthusiasm to recreate the show the producers and directors put in. I probably enjoyed this more than Carousel last year - there was a 70% standing ovation at the end and there were plenty of laughs throughout as well as moments of suspense and tenderness too.
|
|