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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 26, 2017 21:21:39 GMT
Yes!!!! I am the first poster on page 100. Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy
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Post by ali973 on Sept 27, 2017 8:47:40 GMT
So I must be the 700th person who saw this...
I was completely overwhelmed by it. Fabulously staged and acted for the most part. The ghosts tend to be slightly annoying and a cliche device. The old selves versus young selves cutting into each other's scenes was done well sporadically, Some of the book scenes between Buddy & Phil/Sally & Ben flipping back and forth was kind of clunky. The Loveland sequence was underproduced, considering the other stellar versions I've seen on YouTube. The male dancers could have been tighter. I was pretty disappointed in The Story of Lucy and Jessie, which could have been more exciting.
Otherwise, this is amazing stuff. Loved it.
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Post by michalnowicki on Sept 27, 2017 12:05:20 GMT
I've seen it last night and loved every second of it. I have never seen a full production of Follies (neither live nor bootleg) I was only aware of the songs and the general premise. I wish I could see it over and over again. It was nice to see Imelda (I had no idea how wee she was... Weemelda!) perform on stage and singing with Mr Quast (swoon). Janie Dee was phenomenal as Phyllis. So much spite and bitterness. Can't wait for NT live!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2017 18:16:39 GMT
I really liked this, and the more I've thought about it afterwards, the more I liked it. I didn't really know what to expect beyond having read the very basic synopsis.
I really liked the ghosts and the way they hovered around watching, the way the old and young selves watched each other mostly without interacting. The real standouts for me were older Phyllis and the older one in the red dress (agree with earlier comments about how bad the programme is - apart from a handful, I have no idea of characters' names or which cast member was which). There were some very funny one liners that I really liked, and some bits that made me massively tearful. I didn't enjoy the older lady's duet with her young self (couldn't understand what she was singing and wasn't keen on her voice) and I didn't particularly enjoy the Loveland sequence as much, especially Buddy's bit which was a bit too bonkers for me. I loved the set and the staging - the bit I really noticed was when the older selves were coming down the stairs at the front and the younger selves appeared at the back, they had the same movements in sync even though they couldn't see each other. I thought overall it was quite magical, and I've spent a lot of time since Saturday feeling quite melancholic and regretful about lost youth and opportunities and so on.
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Post by lonlad on Sept 27, 2017 23:10:54 GMT
Shame you didn't respond to ONE MORE KISS, which is the first song Sondheim wrote for the score and is a complete beaut.
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Post by michalnowicki on Sept 28, 2017 11:19:30 GMT
I keep thinking about this musical ever since I saw it. I think this was the first time I've seen Sondheim performed by such a talented cast. Listening to the songs on repeat I keep finding new things all the time. I really hope that the NT records the cast album - it would be such a treat.
I really liked the ghosts/younger selves - the way they just showed up - I would be focused on the "older" actors, when suddenly I would realise that there is someone in the background. Looking. Listening. Very eerie.
I must agree, that adding interval wouldn't feel right and the 2 hours flew past in an instant. The way Sally, Buddy, Phyllis and Ben spar on stage builds up a lot of tension, which I think would be lost if an interval was added.
Sondheim is a great composer and lyricist - he was definitely ahead of his time, given that Follies wasn't successful when it originally opened, but has such a fabulous revival. I really like the way he wrote male roles - my partner recently asked me why do I always listen to women singing in the musicals, and I told him that there is not a lot of male roles/songs that work for me - that is not the case with Follies. There is so much truth in "The Road You Didn't Take" - I keep listening to John McMartin performing it during Sondheim's birthday.
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617 posts
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Follies
Sept 28, 2017 17:59:44 GMT
via mobile
Post by loureviews on Sept 28, 2017 17:59:44 GMT
I keep thinking about this production, too. Small things, big numbers. It was the little details which mattered, and I completely believed in what I was seeing. Everyone contributed really well and were given something concrete in their pasts to play with, even Solange and Weissman.
It contains Sondheim's best songs, I feel, and they were delivered superbly.
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4,361 posts
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Follies
Sept 28, 2017 19:12:08 GMT
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Post by shady23 on Sept 28, 2017 19:12:08 GMT
Was hoping to see this again but with it not being on every night I am not sure the dates are going to fit so the cinema it is!
The date my Hamilton ticket has been changed to means I can go to the talk with Tracie Bennett so happy about that.
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4,361 posts
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Follies
Sept 29, 2017 16:54:58 GMT
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Post by shady23 on Sept 29, 2017 16:54:58 GMT
Was looking at the prices for NT Live. Eighteen odd quid. Wow! That's more than I paid for my seat to see the actual show.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2017 23:54:04 GMT
The Loveland sequence was underproduced Ah, that's an interesting take on it, ali973 . It's been bugging me since Saturday. I put it down to a total change of pace and style that jarred - but your idea that it is simply underproduced is a pretty good one. Thanks. I don't think it was underproduced at all. Loveland is a total change of pace and as such demands a change of style. After the opening which prepares us for the look back to the past and the pessimistic reality of the present I found the light, airy change of scene was totally in tune with the optimism of the 4 protagonists. The lyrics of Loveland and You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through are supposed to alleviate the tension that has been mounting up between the two couples. Not having an OTT scenery change made me appreciate the songs more and certainly added to each Folly that came along afterwards. The Shaftesbury Theatre version had a far more spectacular Loveland sequence and while I didn't come out humming the scenery, I found the songs seemed to take second place. This didn't happen for me with this new version at the National and for the first time I think I understood the emotion behind Losing My Mind. I just have the feeling that sometimes simple is better but of course that's my personal opinion.
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Post by mallardo on Sept 30, 2017 6:32:02 GMT
I agree with you, buddyvic. Nothing in the show was "underproduced". The Loveland sequence was a stylistic choice which provided an appropriate visual setting for the songs being showcased.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Oct 5, 2017 10:48:59 GMT
NT Live trailer!
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Post by loureviews on Oct 5, 2017 11:56:46 GMT
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Post by couldileaveyou on Oct 17, 2017 22:20:52 GMT
So I finally saw Follies, for the first of three times. I liked it, I really liked most of it. It's the best possible version of the script, you get all these info about Phyllis and Sally, I have no idea why it's not always performed like this instead of the edited "improved" version. Performing it without an interval is miraculous, again should always be like this. I loved how much they used the younger versions of the characters (a part from those miserable male dancers in "Ah, Paris"). I wished the old ladies had danced more in the mirror number instead of delegating the hard chores to the young girls. It was so beautiful and moving when they all danced together, I wanted more of that.
Very strong cast, Philip Quast sings like an angel, it's the first time I have ever cared about Ben. Loved Tracie Bennett as Judy Garland as Carlotta, fabulous Di Botcher as a butch Hattie and Josephine Barstow’s Heidi was simply sensational, for once you feel that “One More Kiss” is the heart of the show (as it should be). Great Buddy, Janie Dee is bae even when she can't reach all the notes - she gloriously fell flat belting "just fine" in Lucy & Jessie. But it doesn't matter, I loved her all the same.
Imelda is so good for the most part. Her voice sounds beautiful live in the theatre, her In Buddy's Eyes is really fantastic and so is her Too Many Mornings. But after her duet with Ben she started doing her act-like-mad thing. Hated when she whispered like crazy her "I'm gonna live with the man I love", she sounded like Gollum. I thought the staging of Losing My Mind was a disgrace, but I can't really blame her for that... finishing the song with an empty glass in her hand? Really? At the end she screamed the "oh god it is tomorrow" like she did with "don't be like June" and I kinda hated that. I wish she had toned it down in the last 30 minutes, she won't come across well in the live broadcast and we'll have to read a lot of crap from the Americans on how she cannot act.
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Post by lonlad on Oct 19, 2017 0:34:54 GMT
Julia McKenzie was in tonight, apparently - that must have been quite something for Imelda in particular !
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Post by Theo on Oct 21, 2017 9:30:03 GMT
For those interested. I have just returned a £ 15 seat for Thursday December 28th evening performance. Stalls C27
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Post by Theo on Oct 21, 2017 10:58:12 GMT
Thank you Theatremonkey ! I have been reading the old board and this one for ages. The ticket was sold within minutes after they put it back up for sale. It would be nice though to think someone from the board managed to book it. I'm seeing Follies next month and had planned to see it December for a second time but booked to see Belleville at the Donmar instead. I'm not from the UK so it always takes a bit of planning to decide what to see.
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Post by viserys on Oct 21, 2017 11:51:27 GMT
I'm not from the UK so it always takes a bit of planning to decide what to see. Are you the Dutch Theo from musicalworld.nl by any chance?
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Post by Theo on Oct 21, 2017 11:56:58 GMT
Yes I am ... It's a small world
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Post by nialld on Oct 21, 2017 12:00:36 GMT
Does anyone know if the tickets to be in the theatre audience for the NT Live screening have been on sale yet? And if not, when they're likely to go on sale? Just as it's not being listed as a show date on the website, and for Twelfth Night I got an Entry Pass ticket to be in the audience whilst they were filming for NT Live that was only released about a week before, so I'm wondering if they'll do a similar thing for this?
Saw it on Tuesday and though it was absolutely incredible - hands down the best thing I've seen on stage and every second felt like a masterpiece. I'm desperate to see it again!
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Follies
Oct 21, 2017 14:50:17 GMT
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Post by finalperformance on Oct 21, 2017 14:50:17 GMT
When did the 15£ seats go on sale I never saw them when the site started . I looked twice a day for months. Do day tickets become available in that price ever? I also noticed the Friday weekly queue alwa ys has Follies tickets available in the dress circle only.
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Post by sf on Oct 21, 2017 15:32:20 GMT
When did the 15£ seats go on sale I never saw them when the site started . I looked twice a day for months. Do day tickets become available in that price ever? I also noticed the Friday weekly queue alwa ys has Follies tickets available in the dress circle only. I have an advance membership for the National, but there were certainly £15 tickets available for 'Follies' the day tickets went on public sale, because I booked one of them. They went fairly quickly, though.
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Post by westendfan on Oct 22, 2017 17:06:41 GMT
Hi guys Just a quick question. I've got two tickets for the Saturday evening performance on 28th October which unfortunately I cannot now attend. I contacted the box office as I thought they could be re-sold, but I can only get a credit voucher or they can be put up for re-sale 90 minutes before the performance at the box office. I just wondered the likelihood of many people showing up for this and paying for tickets that are the most expensive £65 each? I'm ok to get a credit voucher, it's fair enough, it's just I'm not local to London and am laid up for a while so don't know when I'd be able to use them. I probably won't take the risk but it seems a shame when the shows are all sold out. Any thoughts please let me know. Thanks
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Post by couldileaveyou on Oct 22, 2017 17:31:53 GMT
I just wondered the likelihood of many people showing up for this and paying for tickets that are the most expensive £65 each? When I collected my ticket last week there was a big queue for returns and if you go for returns you know you have to pay full price. So yeah, I'm sure someone would buy them
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Oct 22, 2017 19:29:01 GMT
I'm ok to get a credit voucher, it's fair enough, it's just I'm not local to London and am laid up for a while so don't know when I'd be able to use them. I probably won't take the risk but it seems a shame when the shows are all sold out. Any thoughts please let me know. Thanks On the other hand - the credit vouchers don't have an expiry date so you'll know you have the money back as long as you'll be able to use the vouchers at some point. And there's always a risk that they have a lot of other returns, or a lot of house seats, or people in the queue don't want to pay top price.
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Follies
Oct 22, 2017 20:17:31 GMT
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Post by Rory on Oct 22, 2017 20:17:31 GMT
I have emailed them to return a £65 ticket for this Thursday's matinee.
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Post by crabtree on Oct 22, 2017 21:26:27 GMT
I can't make the live screening, but there does not seem to be any encore screenings. Anyone seen any sign of an Encore?
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Post by robertb213 on Oct 22, 2017 22:05:22 GMT
I can't make the live screening, but there does not seem to be any encore screenings. Anyone seen any sign of an Encore? One has been listed near me on 10th January 2018 😁
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Post by westendfan on Oct 23, 2017 13:09:55 GMT
I'm ok to get a credit voucher, it's fair enough, it's just I'm not local to London and am laid up for a while so don't know when I'd be able to use them. I probably won't take the risk but it seems a shame when the shows are all sold out. Any thoughts please let me know. Thanks On the other hand - the credit vouchers don't have an expiry date so you'll know you have the money back as long as you'll be able to use the vouchers at some point. And there's always a risk that they have a lot of other returns, or a lot of house seats, or people in the queue don't want to pay top price. Thanks so much for your opinions guys, I think to be on the safe side i'll go for the credit vouchers. I'm sure I'll go and see something at the national at some point, so it won't be wasted.
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Post by mistertonymac on Oct 27, 2017 16:05:56 GMT
Crazy scenes last night. Revolve failed just before Who's That Woman. Half hour delay then an announcement that the rest of the show would be with no revolve....
Cue lots of actors walking round in circles until the (thankfully) revolve-less Follies section at the end.
Odd but a great job by the cast. Was my second time so I didn't mind.
Proved one thing though, the flow is definitely lost with a break - especially an unscheduled one. Lots of people did use it as an opportunity for a toilet break though!
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