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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 7, 2023 17:22:19 GMT
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4,596 posts
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Post by Someone in a tree on Aug 7, 2023 18:33:56 GMT
What excellent photography (just like the production). Shows pics don't normally stand for me but here they really do
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Post by ladidah on Aug 8, 2023 7:47:57 GMT
Yes, great photos
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3,793 posts
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Post by anthony40 on Aug 8, 2023 8:22:56 GMT
Hmm, pics aren't showing. Just thumbnails.
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4,596 posts
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Post by Someone in a tree on Aug 8, 2023 8:54:46 GMT
Hmm, pics aren't showing. Just thumbnails. The pics are one the current current news items on whats on stage
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885 posts
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Post by lonlad on Aug 8, 2023 22:39:54 GMT
Press night tonight started 15 minutes late and was cancelled due to weather 50 minutes into the first act, just after Georges's first big solo. Rotten luck.
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Post by sph on Aug 9, 2023 0:52:42 GMT
I really want to see this but since we're having such an awful summer this year I don't know if I want to chance it!
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185 posts
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Post by harry on Aug 9, 2023 10:04:05 GMT
Oh what a shame for them - I guess reviews will trickle out slowly over the next couple of weeks then, as the press slot in when they can. And especially sad given the sun today and predicted sun tomorrow.
On that note, I notice that tonight is sold out and tomorrow night is basically sold out too - they must get mobbed with last minute bookings once the weather forecast looks relatively assuredly nice!
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Post by QueerTheatre on Aug 9, 2023 10:07:39 GMT
i went on monday night and managed to catch the whole thing, though i wish i hadn’t.
Albin is played purely for laughs & has no depth at all, the accents i didn’t mind but the pier explicitly stating the location was blackpool did kind of take me out.
personally, considering the current political scene i just don’t think a musical where a family try to change themselves to fit in with a. at right fascist politician (who’s only comeuppance is managed to escape the press?) is needed.
The score is one of my favourites, and i worked in the menier transfer so i had such high hopes… but Tim’s lack of imagination, and the lack of clear dramaturgical reasoning for presenting it in 2023 made it a dull, if occasionally pretty evening.
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1,878 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Aug 9, 2023 10:12:11 GMT
It's not everyone using their own accent though. Debbie Kurup as Jacqueline uses a really strong Geordie accent for example and Carl Mullaney as Albin has a Lancashire one. John Owen-Jones over emphasises his Welsh accent. Ultimately it didn't detract from the show for me once I'd got used to it, but I can see maybe some reviewers picking up on it. Again not trying to come across as facetious, nor especially trying to defend the decision to have lots of UK accents as I’ve yet to see the show, but just pointing out that the three people you mention would probably have those regional accents naturally. Debbie Kurup’s Wikipedia says she’s from Sunderland, John Owen-Jones is Welsh, and a google of Carl brings up his agent and CV which has Lancashire listed as his native accent. Perhaps they lean into this in the show, and I couldn’t comment if or why that would be, but I’m just saying doesn’t seem like they’ve picked random regional accents to have a go at.
Maybe this is a Regents Park contrivance?! All the actors in Carousel were encouraged to just use their own accents.
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1,878 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Aug 9, 2023 10:15:12 GMT
It is farcical in places, but it's quite fast moving so wasn't too irritating (not a huge fan of slapstick stuff)
Which is the main reason I won't see it again, after seeing it with John Barrowman years ago. It was far too much of an "OTT" show for me.
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Post by lonlad on Aug 9, 2023 10:51:35 GMT
I have to say, the hour of it I saw last night wasn't very encouraging. The two leads both sing loudly but not especially musically, and the narrative seems past its sell-by date.
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7,540 posts
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Post by alece10 on Aug 9, 2023 11:18:18 GMT
Oh what a shame for them - I guess reviews will trickle out slowly over the next couple of weeks then, as the press slot in when they can. And especially sad given the sun today and predicted sun tomorrow. On that note, I notice that tonight is sold out and tomorrow night is basically sold out too - they must get mobbed with last minute bookings once the weather forecast looks relatively assuredly nice! I have a friend going tonight who told me it was "media" night as opposed to press night, so guess its for the bloggers and floggers or whatever they are called.
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Post by alexandra on Aug 9, 2023 12:09:45 GMT
Oh what a shame for them - I guess reviews will trickle out slowly over the next couple of weeks then, as the press slot in when they can. And especially sad given the sun today and predicted sun tomorrow. On that note, I notice that tonight is sold out and tomorrow night is basically sold out too - they must get mobbed with last minute bookings once the weather forecast looks relatively assuredly nice! I have a friend going tonight who told me it was "media" night as opposed to press night, so guess its for the bloggers and floggers or whatever they are called.
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Post by alexandra on Aug 9, 2023 12:14:21 GMT
Oops sorry Harry. I meant to say that last night was certainly press night - critics, industry people, fabulous drag queens, all rained off sadly, but well-handled by the theatre and happily re-accommodated tonight.
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Post by toomasj on Aug 9, 2023 12:19:10 GMT
I haven’t seen this production, and likely won’t get a chance to, but I wanted to address a general point that’s been made a few times.
Regarding Edouard, the politician, played in this production by John Owen-Jones;
He serves an absolutely crucial purpose in the plot, namely being a “hate sink”. Even the most rudimentary plots require conflict of some variety. Without conflict, characters have no purpose or room for growth or development. If every character in this show arrived fully formed, there would be absolutely nothing at stake.
I can’t comment on John’s performance in this, but the character is written intentionally as a huge pastiche of a certain type of person, and how he presents his views is written as on-the-nose as possible in a clear morality message. The message being intolerance = bad. Without the character of Edouard, the plot would go absolutely nowhere.
You aren’t meant to like him. He is a character intentionally written to be antagonistic and have the audience universally dislike him, in order to make the protagonists ever more sympathetic. The majority (not all) of fiction uses this device.
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Post by alexandra on Aug 9, 2023 13:18:34 GMT
Yes, thank you, toomasj. My point was that whilst there is reaction from the other characters to his homophobia, his misogyny and downright abuse of his wife is not commented on in the play and nor did it draw, the night I saw it, the slightest reaction from the other characters. So it didn’t serve the purpose you posit.
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Post by shownut on Aug 9, 2023 13:31:25 GMT
I haven’t seen this production, and likely won’t get a chance to, but I wanted to address a general point that’s been made a few times. Regarding Edouard, the politician, played in this production by John Owen-Jones; He serves an absolutely crucial purpose in the plot, namely being a “hate sink”. Even the most rudimentary plots require conflict of some variety. Without conflict, characters have no purpose or room for growth or development. If every character in this show arrived fully formed, there would be absolutely nothing at stake. I can’t comment on John’s performance in this, but the character is written intentionally as a huge pastiche of a certain type of person, and how he presents his views is written as on-the-nose as possible in a clear morality message. The message being intolerance = bad. Without the character of Edouard, the plot would go absolutely nowhere. You aren’t meant to like him. He is a character intentionally written to be antagonistic and have the audience universally dislike him, in order to make the protagonists ever more sympathetic. The majority (not all) of fiction uses this device. And the character once had a song (cut early on) that could never be performed nowadays called "Have A Nice Day" which more or less spelled out how happy his world would be were it not for an exhaustive list of those he finds undesirable. Dorothy Loudon performed it in JERRY'S GIRLS on Broadway but it was never recorded, and is definitely not for those whose boundaries around what constitutes as comedy are quite strict.
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Post by stagey on Aug 10, 2023 22:05:28 GMT
How easy has getting rush tickets for this been since it’s opened? Does anyone know if they tend to be good seats?
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Post by oxfordsimon on Aug 10, 2023 23:42:17 GMT
I haven’t seen this production, and likely won’t get a chance to, but I wanted to address a general point that’s been made a few times. Regarding Edouard, the politician, played in this production by John Owen-Jones; He serves an absolutely crucial purpose in the plot, namely being a “hate sink”. Even the most rudimentary plots require conflict of some variety. Without conflict, characters have no purpose or room for growth or development. If every character in this show arrived fully formed, there would be absolutely nothing at stake. I can’t comment on John’s performance in this, but the character is written intentionally as a huge pastiche of a certain type of person, and how he presents his views is written as on-the-nose as possible in a clear morality message. The message being intolerance = bad. Without the character of Edouard, the plot would go absolutely nowhere. You aren’t meant to like him. He is a character intentionally written to be antagonistic and have the audience universally dislike him, in order to make the protagonists ever more sympathetic. The majority (not all) of fiction uses this device. And the character once had a song (cut early on) that could never be performed nowadays called "Have A Nice Day" which more or less spelled out how happy his world would be were it not for an exhaustive list of those he finds undesirable. Dorothy Loudon performed it in JERRY'S GIRLS on Broadway but it was never recorded, and is definitely not for those whose boundaries around what constitutes as comedy are quite strict. I can see why it would be a challenge to make this work in the show...
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Post by shownut on Aug 11, 2023 7:13:03 GMT
And the character once had a song (cut early on) that could never be performed nowadays called "Have A Nice Day" which more or less spelled out how happy his world would be were it not for an exhaustive list of those he finds undesirable. Dorothy Loudon performed it in JERRY'S GIRLS on Broadway but it was never recorded, and is definitely not for those whose boundaries around what constitutes as comedy are quite strict. I can see why it would be a challenge to make this work in the show... And that is the cleaned up version with some substituted words....
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Post by elfie1984 on Aug 11, 2023 10:20:52 GMT
I am so happy to see this is getting good reviews (4 and 5 stars from the ones I’ve read). I had a wonderful time and smiled throughout when I saw it. It started raining during in Act 2 but this didn’t dampen the audience’s spirits.
I saw the Menier production at the Playhouse multiple times, which I adored, and was nervous that I wouldn’t enjoy this version, due to comparison. But I enjoyed the Regents Park production immensely. I felt that Carl’s Zaza had far more vulnerability than others I’ve seen previously, and agree with the comments that as a queer performer he seemed to really bring nuance to the character. I laughed with him and felt his ‘I Am What I Am’ deeply. I also really appreciated the range of representation in the Cagelles and thought the cast overall was fabulous. It seemed like a real team effort, the cast was cohesive and clearly having a good time.
This show is still so apt with everything going on in the States, and I felt more moved watching it than I ever have, as a queer person who can find the current climate quite frightening.
Would love to see a transfer of this into town.
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Post by shownut on Aug 11, 2023 13:14:35 GMT
I am so happy to see this is getting good reviews (4 and 5 stars from the ones I’ve read). I had a wonderful time and smiled throughout when I saw it. It started raining during in Act 2 but this didn’t dampen the audience’s spirits. I saw the Menier production at the Playhouse multiple times, which I adored, and was nervous that I wouldn’t enjoy this version, due to comparison. But I enjoyed the Regents Park production immensely. I felt that Carl’s Zaza had far more vulnerability than others I’ve seen previously, and agree with the comments that as a queer performer he seemed to really bring nuance to the character. I laughed with him and felt his ‘I Am What I Am’ deeply. I also really appreciated the range of representation in the Cagelles and thought the cast overall was fabulous. It seemed like a real team effort, the cast was cohesive and clearly having a good time. This show is still so apt with everything going on in the States, and I felt more moved watching it than I ever have, as a queer person who can find the current climate quite frightening. Would love to see a transfer of this into town. I agree that it is apt with what is happening in the States but sadly it is also happening closer to home in Italy, Hungary and France and a handful of other European neighbours. Visited Italy last year (Verona) and experienced homophobia beyond belief.
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Post by harry on Aug 11, 2023 17:44:59 GMT
Nice to read generally positive comments here and in the press. And I nteresting to read the (relative) voice of dissent in Nick Curtis’ 3* Evening Standard review.
To be fair I didn’t think Ben Culleton’s Jean-Michel was subtly acted (although he dances up a storm!) but I think it’s a bit mean to lay into such a young actor in one of his first stage roles quite so harshly. I hope for Ben’s sake he doesn’t read it.
I also quite strongly disagree with Curtis’ criticism that the central couple aren’t affectionate - their genuine affection and tenderness was probably the thing that made this production stand slightly above the excellent Menier one for me in terms of a proper emotional arc and truly heartwarming payoff.
But anyway, we’re all entitled to our opinions. This has really stayed with me since I saw it last week and I hope the positive reviews help it have a healthy summer (and who knows, possibly a life beyond…?)
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Post by ladidah on Aug 12, 2023 11:01:25 GMT
I agree, I really felt the love between them.
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3,793 posts
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Post by anthony40 on Aug 12, 2023 11:43:18 GMT
I'm looking out the window as I type this and despite the humidity,given the wing and rain here in Nth London, I wouldn't be surprised if today or tonight performance is cancelled.
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Post by curiouskc on Aug 12, 2023 21:59:44 GMT
Really hoping to see this show but can anyone who has experience with Regent's Park open air tell me if it is true that they don't offer refunds (only credit) for shows that are cancelled due to poor weather? This policy seems really unfair to people who live outside of London who may not get an opportunity to use that credit.
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Post by Mark on Aug 12, 2023 22:12:06 GMT
Really hoping to see this show but can anyone who has experience with Regent's Park open air tell me if it is true that they don't offer refunds (only credit) for shows that are cancelled due to poor weather? This policy seems really unfair to people who live outside of London who may not get an opportunity to use that credit. Correct - only credit.
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Post by Jon on Aug 13, 2023 0:33:35 GMT
TBH if the Open Air refunded tickets every time there was bad weather, they'd go out of business and I think people booking need to accept the risk of the British weather when booking in the first place.
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Post by Stephen on Aug 13, 2023 1:00:07 GMT
Really hoping to see this show but can anyone who has experience with Regent's Park open air tell me if it is true that they don't offer refunds (only credit) for shows that are cancelled due to poor weather? This policy seems really unfair to people who live outside of London who may not get an opportunity to use that credit. The credit never expires so could be used years later.
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