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Post by theatrelover123 on Feb 3, 2023 7:47:24 GMT
Um, sorry to add to the gloom and doom but the unfortunate fact is that Rosalie HAS dropped out of this. Meanwhile, Jamie's performance in MOULIN ROUGE was one of the worst West End debuts I've ever seen, so the indices on this aren't great. Was Rosalie ever actually in this? It was just a rumour floated here. Plus she played it at the Menier. To fairly bad reviews
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Post by cezbear on Feb 3, 2023 9:11:11 GMT
Oh... well, that started well enough but deteriorated quite a bit by the end. It sounds like it's arranged for a concert rather than an actual production to my ears, which bugs me more than a little. Alarmed by Jamie's casting but also feel he's probably been give a rough job here, playing what has been quite famously Michael's role alongside Michael with Michael taking the 'big song' for himself. I wonder who the alternate for George will be.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 3, 2023 9:39:19 GMT
Do I misremember or was it said somewhere that this was being set in the present day?
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Post by karloscar on Feb 3, 2023 9:50:14 GMT
The social attitudes of the piece were dated enough when it was first done in the eighties,never mind setting it now. Things have moved on too much for it to stand up to scrutiny.
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Post by zephyrus on Feb 3, 2023 11:16:18 GMT
I'm totally baffled by the casting of Jamie Bogyo in this. The buzz around his performance in Moulin Rouge was mostly negative, so why anyone would even go near him for another West End lead role is a mystery to me.
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Post by distantcousin on Feb 3, 2023 11:39:36 GMT
Bogyo was awful in Moulin Rouge. Definitely waiting for offers on this show, not paying full price. Could be the first major ALW production in London that I haven’t seen in over 30 years. Same! Especially since really quite enjoying the Southwark Playhouse version, and that was only 4 years ago. I'm not going just for La Ball! (good as he is), but I find it hard to see him as anything other than Michael Ball - the broadcaster and partner of Alfie Boe.
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Post by angie on Feb 3, 2023 14:49:45 GMT
Well, after reading comments on here I am glad Rob Houchen is not doing it especially after the main song is being taken off the Alex character and sung by the father.
I saw the original production and I did enjoy it but I feel this is just going to be the Michael Ball show.
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Post by cezbear on Feb 3, 2023 15:06:54 GMT
Well, after reading comments on here I am glad Rob Houchen is not doing it especially after the main song is being taken off the Alex character and sung by the father. I saw the original production and I did enjoy it but I feel this is just going to be the Michael Ball show. My worry also. And with him not doing all performances that's leaving his off days... tricky.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Feb 3, 2023 15:41:35 GMT
Strikes me as a Ball vanity project.
If the big song for a man in the show has been given to Michael Ball, maybe they struggled to get top tier young leading men to take the part.
Or maybe, being very cynical, Ball didn’t want someone too talented to compete with him both on stage and to be better in the role than he was
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Post by Someone in a tree on Feb 3, 2023 15:49:34 GMT
Strikes me as a Ball vanity project. If the big song for a man in the show has been given to Michael Ball, maybe they struggled to get top tier young leading men to take the part. Or maybe, being very cynical, Ball didn’t want someone too talented to compete with him both on stage and to be better in the role than he was I suspect the latter
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Post by karloscar on Feb 3, 2023 20:44:02 GMT
Surely George is far too cynical and experienced to sing the twee and naive Love Changes Everything. Next you'll be telling me he doesn't drop dead at the thought of his underage daughter shagging his nephew.
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Post by christya on Feb 3, 2023 21:14:49 GMT
Even Michael sounded shaky on that one, though I did like that he backed off from the old 'changES' pronunciation he used to do. But there is no excuse for the wobbling/cracking going on from Boygo at the end. A West End leading man, at those prices? Nope.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 4, 2023 6:29:29 GMT
“Reimagined”. This announcement from last year is why I was thinking it would be present day. I wonder how it will be re-imagined?
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Post by mrbarnaby on Feb 4, 2023 7:51:20 GMT
Maybe the casting of an absolutely useless leading man is ‘reimagining’ the show? It’s certainly a very bold move.
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Post by Scswp on Feb 4, 2023 8:29:11 GMT
I suspect there may be something in the fact that MB does not wish to be ‘out-shone’ in the production. To my mind, his performance as Javert in the Les Miserables concerts was, by far, the weakest in the cast and he was likely cast in the role due to his name.
Leading stars, I’m guessing, can be quite insecure. I remember reading back in the nineties that Bernadette Peters was in talks as a replacement Norma Desmond in the original production of ‘Sunset Boulevard’ and that she wanted to decide who her cover/understudy would be. This particular casting never happened for whatever reasons, but I suspect the ‘Aspects’ circumstances may be quite similar.
It’s very common for stars to support younger stars and perform the actions of ‘giving them the limelight’ in front of the audience (eg, Michael Ball’s support of Bradley Jaden at the end of the Les Mis concerts), but it’s quite likely that if the younger ones become a ‘threat’ to them or if they begin to ‘pull focus’ in a more significant way, then the older stars - who might feel past their peak - may wish to ‘create circumstances where they don’t feel threatened’.
To an extent, it’s easy to empathise with this, but it’s not fair on the paying public, who deserve to see the best performer.
Having said all of this, just because Bogyo was panned in Moulin Rouge doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be ‘bad’ in Aspects of Love.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Feb 4, 2023 8:53:24 GMT
I feel dirty after watching that vid. What's JB's weird looks at MB ? Fear or lust ?
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 4, 2023 9:52:20 GMT
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Post by cezbear on Feb 4, 2023 10:26:51 GMT
I mean it's clear to me JB was cast for the coordinating hair....
In seriousness, I maintain that for the majority of that video it's all just fine. Until the last bit when I regret having ears. I do struggle with JB to find any charisma but as a poster above said, just because he was poor in MR doesn't mean he can't be good in this. I'll be optimistic it'll get better (I have to be, I have tickets).
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 4, 2023 10:35:52 GMT
Something a bit odd about MB’s delivery on certain phrases though. Almost like he’s singing softly at certain times as if to hide something. Probably my imagination. He was in fine voice in Chess at the ENO but staggeringly that’s 5 years ago now.
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Post by wardrobemistress76 on Feb 4, 2023 11:31:11 GMT
To me, Michael Ball feels like the world’s worst cameo. Lovely chap, but I’ve never EVER understood the hype.
He is like the person that turns up without being invited.
His Javert was offensive.
Can someone please explain the appeal? Genuinely, I need to know.
I’m talking purely professionally here, from a casting point of view. I get that he’s now a ‘star’ name and highly regarded and reliable, but even when he was younger, and starting out — how did he do it? His Marius is laughable. Mind you, so is Colm.
He feels like the MT equivalent of an X Factor contestant. Awful, but he pulls people in.
He is the Iceland of the supermarkets.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Feb 4, 2023 12:38:31 GMT
I didn't see Michael Ball when he was young but have seen him in various things like woman in white, sweeney Todd, les mis and Hairspray. Hairspray was the only time I genuinely thought he was excellent in the role. I just can't see him as an aging casonova type character.
He is just his usual cheesiness otherwise, I don't think he is a particularly strong actor. And I cringe whenever he sings les mis as he defaults into this kind of 'come on guys here we go' look.
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Post by zephyrus on Feb 4, 2023 12:54:21 GMT
Having said all of this, just because Bogyo was panned in Moulin Rouge doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be ‘bad’ in Aspects of Love. Well... Bogyo was laughably wooden when he was a drama student at RADA, and he was very weak in Moulin Rouge, so at this point I would say that the odds are stacked against him delivering a nuanced, detailed and appealing performance in Aspects.
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Post by angie on Feb 4, 2023 13:00:12 GMT
He is the Iceland of the supermarkets. Ouch....😁 MB has a huge fanbase who are devoutly loyal. To them MB is the best Marius, which of course he isn't in my opinion. Just as Colm W fans believe him to be the only JVJ, another myth, again in my opinion . MB is very popular and seems a nice chap, also puts bums on seats. I saw him in the original Aspects of Love as I was also a fan. Looking back his voice was wonderful and I dont remember his slow vibrato and back phrasing being so obvious and irritating. His acting on the otherhand was not particularly memorable. My concern re him singing Love Changes Everything is that unfortunately I do not believe he has the voice now for that song, he will get away with it though due to his legions of fans buying tickets to see him.
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Post by andypandy on Feb 4, 2023 13:25:11 GMT
Well I'm sorry but this is tragic. Micheal has sadly mostly lost it - physically and vocally. Basic acting through song. Bad placement, reaching and scooping for notes, unsure head voice, flat at times, liaisons galore (badly connecting words), bad breathing, horrible phrasing, coming off notes early and an awful strained screech of a belt for the end note. He sounds like a semi pro who needs a few singing lessons! Like our wonderful Ruthie Henshaw, they have half the vocal ability they used to have in the 90's and that's what happens to older vocal chords and after 50 years of use. I used to be a big fan of both - it's very sad. As for Jamie - he might be a decent guy as a person (I don't know him) but as a talent - I've seen and heard better (and more visually appealing) average chorus boys sing better than this. Not the most satisfying vocal timbre to listen too, odd placement, odd mouth shapes, odd presence, no emotional gear changes, sub textual emotional delivery or any hint of a RADA training. Why on earth would any producer cast this way? I'm truly baffled. Who does he appeal to? Even the orchestra, arrangements and harmonies were FLAT. 3/10 WHAT. A. SHAME.
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Post by alece10 on Feb 4, 2023 14:02:44 GMT
Well I will probably annoy quite a few people on here but I don't care as I've just come out of hospital, am on such strong painkillers that I don't know whether it's Tuesday or Christmas so that's my excuse 😀 I think there is so much theatre snobbery towards Michael Ball and its not "cool" to say you like him these days but he is a damm fine performer, sells tickets by the truckload and a fantastic ambassador for MT. I've seen him in a lot of things right back to his days of Marius and always thought he has put in a great performance. I bet if you ask most people in the street to name a MT person and he would be the first name that comes up. Anyway looking forward to seeing him in Aspects later this year. Now I'll take some more medication and head back to bed!
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Post by Jon on Feb 4, 2023 14:09:51 GMT
I would say about Michael Ball is that he's a good all rounder. Not many theatre actors could go into presenting on TV and radio and be successful.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Feb 4, 2023 17:02:33 GMT
Why all the hate for Michael Ball? Yes his concert performances are cheesy, but he's always been great in a role in a show. He's been working consistently for nearly 40 years. Not many West End leading men can say that.
How can his Marius be laughable when he created the role and that is what the director/creatives wanted for the character?
I was actually shocked to see that he is 60 now. That's 8 years older than Kevin Colson was when he first played George all those years ago. George could easily sing Love Changes Everything if he is reminiscing, the same way Alex did in the original, or maybe there will be some tweaks to the lyrics.
He's become an easy target like James Cordon. God forbid people actually be successful in this country.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Feb 4, 2023 19:27:37 GMT
Or, you know, maybe people just don't like his performances. There doesn't have to be an agenda or jumping on a bandwagon.
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Post by anthony40 on Feb 4, 2023 19:30:58 GMT
The first spoken like of the show "Alex, it's all in the past!"
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Post by max on Feb 4, 2023 19:36:32 GMT
Disappointing he does that cheesy handover, name checking Jamie mid song! It's not a great way of suggesting the characterisation of the piece is what matters most. Of course 'lifted out of the show' happens a lot before the director's properly got their hands on a show. Ball almost mimes doing the drums leading into 'the big bit' - oh dear. That's all the stuff that needs dismantling in the show, not built up.
Hoping Michael Ball is very aware of the tricks and fake-slick moves that go with his gigs with Alfie Boe, and is keen for Jonathan Kent to be on him cutting them out (including vibrato when it's meaningless). Surely the only satisfaction of going back to Aspects Of Love is for people to be impressed by his acting performance - while aware that lots of fans will be there who'll just accept him doing anything whatsoever.
It really is a piece that needs to be cast for acting, including offbeat and unexpected choices. Otherwise I don't see the point of Jonathan Kent on it.
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