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Post by londonandy on Feb 2, 2024 8:37:13 GMT
I saw it a couple of days ago (in one of the cheap(er) seats behind a pillar in the dress circle). I am of an age where the songs were a jukebox of my youth, so enjoyed it for that, if nothing else, but the rapping Mrs Thatcher was a added bonus :-).
It doesn't try to force songs into a story line (a la Mamma Mia / We Will Rock You) but does tell the story of how Band Aid / Live Aid came about quite well. If you want to hear more about the back-story there is a very good Reunion programme on BBC Sounds - search for BBC Reunion Band Aid.
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Post by mrnutz on Feb 2, 2024 8:52:37 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth.
And I thought I’d reached peak cringe earlier during Mrs T / Mr G.
This incredibly talented cast can do so much better than this utterly confused show. Just delete the script and keep the songs (but remove the over-reliance on Queen’s back catalogue while you’re at it).
Book of Mormon meets We Will Rock You meets karaoke night at a northern Labour club on a Friday night, in a show written by Ollie Plimsolls from the Legs Akimbo theatre company.
Still, lots of dudes in their 60s had a great night out waving their arms in the air and pretending they were at a real gig, so maybe that’s its audience.
2/5
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Post by ceebee on Feb 2, 2024 8:56:02 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth. This is the funniest comment I've read in a long time.
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Post by max on Feb 2, 2024 8:58:18 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth. And I thought I’d reached peak cringe earlier during Mrs T / Mr G. This incredibly talented cast can do so much better than this utterly confused show. Just delete the script and keep the songs (but remove the over-reliance on Queen’s back catalogue while you’re at it). Book of Mormon meets We Will Rock You meets karaoke night at a northern Labour club on a Friday night, in a show written by Ollie Plimsolls from the Legs Akimbo theatre company. Still, lots of dudes in their 60s had a great night out waving their arms in the air and pretending they were at a real gig, so maybe that’s its audience. 2/5 Yes! OMG - You've reminded me that I sat there thinking: 'this is what Legz Akimbo would do if given a West End stage - transferring from their school gyms and village halls tour'.
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Post by ladidah on Feb 2, 2024 9:05:08 GMT
My friend saw this, this week, and said to her it felt like a GCSE drama project...
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 2, 2024 9:11:41 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth. 😂😂 You've got to tell us. What made it so cringe?
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Post by ceebee on Feb 2, 2024 9:15:19 GMT
You put it all far better than I could have and I agree (at least about the elements in act one which had us scrambling for the exit). I wasn't so much offended by the characterisation of Thatcher as I was by the insipid writing. Cringeworthy. And yes, I saw MANDELA and yes, it was that bad. What I didn't mention was the appalling crowd behaviour which also tested our nerves and didn't help an already gowdawful experience. A phone going off a couple of times, a couple next to me who seemed more interested in fiddling with their wine than paying attention to the actors (can hardly blame them) and 2 people near to us, though not together who sang along and pounded their knees/legs to the rhythm. I just can't..... Yes I had a knee pounding singer who knew all the words to Rat Trap (a first, I think). I've already said I enjoyed this show but having been twice now it certainly attracts a large number of a particular demographic. But I didn't expect any different tbh. On a positive note, it provoked my kids (15/13) into asking if I could show them footage from the actual concert. I then showed them the Cars / Drive video. I then told them: "Your generation's job is to try and avoid the mistakes of the past and make the world a better place." Trite, perhaps, and wishful thinking. But beyond the nostalgia and slightly preachy tone, I hope this show raises awareness of the power of collaboration and inspires the next generation to do their own thing to improve a pretty fractious world.
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Post by shownut on Feb 2, 2024 9:16:12 GMT
Yes I had a knee pounding singer who knew all the words to Rat Trap (a first, I think). I've already said I enjoyed this show but having been twice now it certainly attracts a large number of a particular demographic. But I didn't expect any different tbh. On a positive note, it provoked my kids (15/13) into asking if I could show them footage from the actual concert. I then showed them the Cars / Drive video. I them told them: "Your generation's job is to try and avoid the mistakes of the past and make the world a better place." Trite, perhaps, and wishful thinking. But beyond the nostalgia and slightly preachy tone, I hope this show raises awareness of the power of collaboration and inspires the next generation to do their own thing to improve a pretty fractious world. I think if they do the special matinees where students are brought in then yes, they could likely get an interesting message across and those kids could possibly walk away inspired - but that would be the extent of whatever good might come from an otherwise dire attempt at musical theatre. I actually liked the idea of the show and agree with the fellow poster who said that 'verbatim' theatre would have worked better (ala the amazing LONDON ROAD). That said, I also agree with the poster that said for most of the LIVE AID crowd, it had little to do with helping starving Ethiopians and more to do with catching a once-in-a-lifetime gig. I would hazard a guess that last night's audience and others buying tickets to this show are no different. They are likely there for the melodies, not the message though who knows, maybe some found it compelling?
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Post by shownut on Feb 2, 2024 9:20:20 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth. 😂😂 You've got to tell us. What made it so cringe? Well, good thing I decided to scram after act one. That might have put me over the edge. :-)
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Post by mrnutz on Feb 2, 2024 9:35:18 GMT
In the ‘My Generation’ scene I physically cringed so hard I thought my penis would travel up through my body and fall out of my mouth. 😂😂 You've got to tell us. What made it so cringe? Picture a scene where Bob Geldof is talking to a character representing "the youth of today", and metaphorically hands over the baton of helping all of the poor people in the world. Geldof exits as said character bursts into song - "My Generation". 🫠
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Post by max on Feb 2, 2024 9:46:50 GMT
The final insult for me was the portrayal of Thatcher as a loveable, rapping rogue. Although we're meant to laugh *at* this character, it's done with such a light touch -- where Thatcher is almost in on the joke -- that there's an implied revisionism that she was not so bad really. Yes she bloody well was! I found these scenes pretty offensive. Thank you for saying this about Thatcher. It trades on the beloved camp musical theatre tradition of 'posh straightlaced person goes wild' or 'fat lady amazes by nimbly tap dancing'. It's a trope designed to delight via naughty surprise at the reversal. If this show thinks that's a route to satire then it's a monumental backfire, that just turns Thatcher cute. There's an odd line later when Thatcher says 'I'm not evil you know'. It doesn't come from anywhere or go anywhere. Perhaps it's set up to encourage the audience to shout out 'yes you were'. If so, I really should have taken the bait, but didn't want to indulge this show by getting on side with any of its deeply confused games.
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Post by max on Feb 2, 2024 9:53:33 GMT
😂😂 You've got to tell us. What made it so cringe? Picture a scene where Bob Geldof is talking to a character representing "the youth of today", and metaphorically hands over the baton of helping all of the poor people in the world. Geldof exits as said character bursts into song - "My Generation". 🫠 And as he leaves the stage she shouts 'you're a hero'. Out of vision, he shouts back 'I'm not'. Typical of this show to make sure that even then he gets the last word. Argh!
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Post by mrnutz on Feb 2, 2024 9:54:33 GMT
Picture a scene where Bob Geldof is talking to a character representing "the youth of today", and metaphorically hands over the baton of helping all of the poor people in the world. Geldof exits as said character bursts into song - "My Generation". 🫠 And as he leaves the stage she shouts 'you're a hero'. Out of vision, he shouts back 'I'm not'. Typical of this show to make sure that even then he gets the last word. Argh! 🤮
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Post by mkb on Feb 2, 2024 9:54:44 GMT
The final insult for me was the portrayal of Thatcher as a loveable, rapping rogue. Although we're meant to laugh *at* this character, it's done with such a light touch -- where Thatcher is almost in on the joke -- that there's an implied revisionism that she was not so bad really. Yes she bloody well was! I found these scenes pretty offensive. Thank you for saying this about Thatcher. It trades on the beloved camp musical theatre tradition of 'posh straightlaced person goes wild' or 'fat lady amazes by nimbly tap dancing'. It's a trope designed to delight via naughty surprise at the reversal. If this show thinks that's a route to satire then it's a monumental backfire, that just turns Thatcher cute. ... Indeed. Cf. Widdecombe on Strictly or Farage on I'm a Celebrity...
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Post by Dr Tom on Feb 2, 2024 10:12:04 GMT
Attending tonight. Reading all the comments, I'm not sure if I should be excited or terrified!
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Post by ceebee on Feb 2, 2024 10:18:08 GMT
Attending tonight. Reading all the comments, I'm not sure if I should be excited or terrified! Enjoy - it's marmite but I loved it!
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Post by A.Ham on Feb 2, 2024 15:33:48 GMT
Really interesting to catch up on this thread and read the very polarised reviews and comments. Having seen it last night, I think I'm somewhere in the middle I'm afraid!
There was lots I liked, but I can see the points many of you are making about the way it patronises and belittles, and the somewhat irritating desire to learn about 'what it was really like' from Gemma and her(My) generation who would've done it differently. Ultimately it's depicting views and behaviours from 40 years ago, when yes, attitudes were different and out of kilter with how things are viewed today. As an explanation and celebration of what Bob achieved (trying to put some of the politics and rights and wrongs of how he went about it aside), the show works, but unlike Come From Away where I didn't know about Gander and the passengers the community there took in, I did know about Live Aid and how it came about, so inevitably the book scenes become somewhat formulaic and less interesting as by and large they didn't impart any new information.
I reference Come From Away, as with the multiple characters, narration coming from several of the ensemble-led cast and the rushing to the front frequently, I was reminded of it several times. In fact, stretching that a little further, with Bob leading the narrative for a large part of the show, plus of course his Irish accent which the Newfoundland accent sounds similar to, I couldn't help but put him into very similar territory to Mayor of Gander Claude Elliot!
I felt it took a while to get going and I didn't love the first half hour or so. It then moves into an extended section telling us all about Band Aid and the song's conception and recording - I know you can't tell the Live Aid story without prefacing it with Band Aid, but this did feel laboured and a long time was spent on this. It probably felt longer as I'd also watched Netflix's Greatest Night in Pop documentary about We Are The World earlier this week (an interesting coincidence that both that film and this show have launched in the same week, 39 years on).
By the end of the first half I was enjoying if not loving it, then the second act initially seemed to step up a gear. I'd been wondering why Joel Montague had barely appeared in Act I so was good to see him feature more as Harvey in Act II. As ever, Danielle Steers was a stand out, great stage presence and voice, and whilst I know Bob is a marmite character, Craige Els did a super job of portraying him - his accent was spot on. Vocally I thought pretty much everyone did a good job of performing the Live Aid classics we all know and love without venturing into parody or poor imitation of the original artists. Mrs T was all rather bizarre if I'm honest - I'm not entirely sure it provided the light relief intended, for me at least.
Did I love it? No. / Did I hate it? No. I'll go 3.5 stars I think and will round up to 4 for the poll given some of the individual performances and the sound, which was excellent, and very loud!
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Post by forumusername on Feb 2, 2024 17:19:12 GMT
Saw this Monday, Jan. 29, four days into the previews. This show was very entertaining. Opening with the showstopper was an interesting decision. The Thatcher character was magnificently portrayed and like how King George's character is used in Hamilton - singularly funny as a non-central character. The actor who plays the hard-driving concert promoter came out of nowhere with a banger opening song and added significant juice to the second act. Abiona Omonua has a wonderful voice; I wanted more from her. I had tears in my eyes for about half the songs, but I'm a softy. The book was a little preachy. The show celebrates a unique event, but spends a lot of time apologizing to today's audience for what they tried to do 40 years ago. Narratively it seems to be the opposite of a show like Six. In Six, it has banger music and tells little-known stories to shed light on something new; in this it has banger music telling a well-known story and having to explain and defend unironically decisions and choices made 40 years ago. I flew 4,000 miles just to see this show because I couldn't tell if it will come and go quickly or run for 50 years. I am rooting for it.
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Post by ceebee on Feb 2, 2024 17:38:26 GMT
Current voting pattern: 9 6, 11, 6, 9.
Literally split right down the middle!
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Post by mrnutz on Feb 2, 2024 18:01:41 GMT
Please could the five-star reviewers reveal themselves?!
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Post by ceebee on Feb 2, 2024 18:12:52 GMT
Please could the five-star reviewers reveal themselves?! Yup. I'm one of them.
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Post by corblimey on Feb 2, 2024 19:06:19 GMT
Sat in my seat waiting for the show to start ,excited and I only saw it on Tuesday! Great view from Row B first seat with loads of legroom. Noel Gallagher is in watching tonight!
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Post by mattnyc on Feb 2, 2024 19:55:15 GMT
The votes here are fascinating and making me even more excited to see this next month.
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Post by corblimey on Feb 2, 2024 23:34:03 GMT
Had a great time once again ,went down really well tonight Cast are so incredible and love it when they all sing altogether. Never thought I’d hear one of my favourite ever songs Drive performed live as I never will by The Cars now. Noticed they corrected the date on the newspaper in the Mrs T/Mr G scene in Act 2.
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Post by rumbledoll on Feb 3, 2024 10:21:57 GMT
Please could the five-star reviewers reveal themselves?! *raising a hand* present! I vote 5 stars only when I am swept away with emotion so much that I don’t even notice the little imperfections or a couple of lines I would have changed. It’s completely irrational, you see.
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Post by Dr Tom on Feb 3, 2024 10:50:22 GMT
It's good. It's a fairly traditional jukebox musical which has a better selection of songs than most to work with (the 60, 70s, and 80s are all represented). They are integrated into the plot well and performed well.
The first half is stronger than the second. It runs very long (2 hours 45 minutes), and I presume they're still making a lot of changes as there were a few line slips.
The book itself is weak, as is the framing device, preaching to the converted, lots of characters introduced but it's not clear why they're there (and their subplots just fizzle out). The cast are uniformly excellent, particularly when performing the songs from the era. The Queen set is sensibly sprinkled throughout. There isn't much of a set. For most of the show, the cast sit on chairs at the back, coming forward as needed, and there are projections. The highlight is easily Mrs Thatcher, the Hamilton parody scenes, and it's almost as if someone is using this show to rehabilitate her in the public eye. There are times when talking about the horrors of the era that Miss Saigon style visuals may be needed, as opposed to just talking around the edges (and swearing).
I'm pleased to report the audience was well behaved. Very little singing along. They even largely refrained from responding from the attempts of those on stage to get hand waving and clapping going. I could tell that some were waiting for a mega-mix at the end, but that didn't come (just as well, as the show is too long already).
In many ways, this reminds me of the Old Vic and Sylvia, in that there's a lot of potential here, but it feels like there was some workshopping missed along the way.
Despite my misgivings, I'd happily see this again based on the strength of the music. I had a bad pillar restricted view seat (good legroom though), booked solely to use up a credit voucher. I'd like to see this from nearer the front. This could easily transfer as it will sell based on the strength of the music and subject matter. I do feel there's a gem of a show hidden away here, just waiting for someone to set it free.
I've gone with 3 stars in the poll. I imagine it will be 3.5 stars within days, and could hit 4 stars.
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Post by ceebee on Feb 3, 2024 11:03:48 GMT
Will be interesting to see the reviews on this show after press night, but it's starting to ignite. I was at a concert last night and chatting to a couple of people who had "heard good things" about this show. Sales are good. It might just be one of those shows that is good enough for people to forgive some of the contrived scripting. I'm going again tonight as it is relatively easy for me to get to.
Very much looking forward to hearing Jack Shalloo's (Midge) fantastic "Vienna", Joel Montague's (Harvey) mindblowing "Pinball Wizard" and utterly moving "Against All Odds", Abiona Omonua's (Amara) sensational "Blowing In The Wind", Danielle Steers (Marsha) and Ashley Campbell's (Jim) rocking "Dancing In The Streets".
The anthems in this "We Are The World" / "We Are the Champions" / "Message In A Bottle" / "We Will Rock You" / "Summer of '69" take the roof off. So many great songs in this - those listed are not even 1/3 of what gets covered. Has anybody seen the band Status Quo'ing their guitars in Olly Dobson's lively "Rockin' All Over The World"?
What would I change after my second viewing on Tuesday? The big reveal of the band had been stripped out - they were visible from the outset, whereas on opening preview a panel lifted up to show them on stage (which I felt was a nice touch, as when it started I felt disappointed that the musicians were going to be out of sight). I liked this moment as it added to the sense of occasion/concert feel. I think Maggie T's scenes need a couple more props to indicate No.10 (a big black door perhaps) as the background screen dominates and the headlines are a little distracting. For some reason, I'd like to see "Mrs T/Mr G" done on a platform or in a "Two Tribes" style boxing ring with an "Eye of the Tiger" guitar intro before they go into the rap sequence.
Some songs don't land well (probably because it is just snippets shoe-horned in - particularly "Everytime You Go Away" and "True". "All You Need Is Love" is sweetly sung by Jason Battersby but underplayed - it worked with Elvis Costello because he is charismatic and had 70,000 willing backing singers. I think the intention is for the audience to join in (like they did in the stadium) but it ends up falling a little flat. Also, Freddie Love (Skye) was used much more in the first preview and seemed to suffer from some of the cuts. This is a shame because they had a magnetic presence and sass, very much in the vein of Freddie Mercury (they also sang a couple of Queen tracks).
It's interesting watching this show evolve.
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Post by theatrelover123 on Feb 3, 2024 13:49:53 GMT
Will be interesting to see the reviews on this show after press night, but it's starting to ignite. I was at a concert last night and chatting to a couple of people who had "heard good things" about this show. Sales are good. It might just be one of those shows that is good enough for people to forgive some of the contrived scripting. I'm going again tonight as it is relatively easy for me to get to. Very much looking forward to hearing Jack Shalloo's (Midge) fantastic "Vienna", Joel Montague's (Harvey) mindblowing "Pinball Wizard" and utterly moving "Against All Odds", Abiona Omonua's (Amara) sensational "Blowing In The Wind", Danielle Steers (Marsha) and Ashley Campbell's (Jim) rocking "Dancing In The Streets". The anthems in this "We Are The World" / "We Are the Champions" / "Message In A Bottle" / "We Will Rock You" / "Summer of '69" take the roof off. So many great songs in this - those listed are not even 1/3 of what gets covered. Has anybody seen the band Status Quo'ing their guitars in Olly Dobson's lively "Rockin' All Over The World"? What would I change after my second viewing on Tuesday? The big reveal of the band had been stripped out - they were visible from the outset, whereas on opening preview a panel lifted up to show them on stage (which I felt was a nice touch, as when it started I felt disappointed that the musicians were going to be out of sight). I liked this moment as it added to the sense of occasion/concert feel. I think Maggie T's scenes need a couple more props to indicate No.10 (a big black door perhaps) as the background screen dominates and the headlines are a little distracting. For some reason, I'd like to see "Mrs T/Mr G" done on a platform or in a "Two Tribes" style boxing ring with an "Eye of the Tiger" guitar intro before they go into the rap sequence. Some songs don't land well (probably because it is just snippets shoe-horned in - particularly "Everytime You Go Away" and "True". "All You Need Is Love" is sweetly sung by Jason Battersby but underplayed - it worked with Elvis Costello because he is charismatic and had 70,000 willing backing singers. I think the intention is for the audience to join in (like they did in the stadium) but it ends up falling a little flat. Also, Freddie Love (Skye) was used much more in the first preview and seemed to suffer from some of the cuts. This is a shame because they had a magnetic presence and sass, very much in the vein of Freddie Mercury (they also sang a couple of Queen tracks). It's interesting watching this show evolve. Doesn’t sound like it deserves 5 stars in a poll then?
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Post by toomasj on Feb 3, 2024 13:52:41 GMT
I don’t think there is anything that would get me back to this. As I said it made it angry - almost Liam Neeson angry. I just can’t look past how bad the book was; posters earlier in the thread likened it to a GCSE project. I entirely agree. I love so many of the songs, but as always with these concert style jukebox musicals (Rock of Ages, for instance) I’d rather stay home and watch YouTube videos of the original artists. I’ve never been one for tribute bands and cover artists, so I had similar issues with numerous other biographic musicals like Beautiful.
The ones which have I personally have enjoyed such as Piaf, Over the Rainbow or Jersey Boys either lean heavily into the drama of the piece or provide wit and humour in the writing to support the excellent music.
I can honestly say, hand on heart, that whilst this is nowhere near the objective “worst” show I’ve seen - the performances are competent enough and obviously the songs are superb - I can’t recall ever genuinely hating or getting angry about what I was watching.
The only thing I can think of which comes close is the Phantom remake, but even then the core show is still good, just less than we had before. I really didn’t enjoy but gave it 2* for the production, not the piece.
Fair enough for those who love this and can look past its faults (I note even the biggest fans of this seem to recognise issues with the book and the narrative style) but if I wanted an angry lecture I’d go to my Grandparents house and bring up politics.
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Post by ceebee on Feb 3, 2024 15:17:18 GMT
"Doesn’t sound like it deserves 5 stars in a poll then?"
I am more interested in evolution rather than perfection. Evolution is exciting. Perfection always leaves me wondering where "more" can come from.
So yes, a deserved five stars.
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