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Post by d'James on Feb 18, 2017 21:15:43 GMT
You're right danieljohnson14 about the length of the first half versus the second. I guess they decided to put it there because of the song rather than anything else. Thats what I assumed, and it really is a great end to Act I so it works. Absolutely! :-)
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Post by gazzaw13 on Feb 18, 2017 22:18:11 GMT
I found the whole experience exhausting and totally relentless. Thank heavens for VHB and Donna as without them I would have left early.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2017 22:27:56 GMT
I was never tempted to leave, I was totally in the craziness haha. But Donna does offer the quieter moments in the show where it is just her singing onstage, which is fine, and totally works for the character and is needed in a show that, bar her, is pretty much intensity and high drama from the beginning. With Victoria, she gets the best number of the show, in my opinion, with Black is a Moocher, and with her vocals and the staging with the bed and the dancers, it is enthralling!
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Post by d'James on Feb 18, 2017 22:35:12 GMT
I don't get the fuss over Victoria I have to say. She was good but certainly not a stand-out.
I really did like Donna though. She's got a really expressive face. Loved her costume too.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2017 23:35:59 GMT
Saw this last night. It has a lot of things I hate: paper-thin plot, sleazy club setting, raucous jazz music. By rights, I should have hated it.
And yet...I actually had quite a good time. The choreography is brilliant, the audience were really into the singers so pretty much every song got a big response, and I actually found the ending quite moving (which is some feat, given I didn't believe for a second that most of these characters actually existed).
Also, if I may say so, I think some of the comments about Ms Ruffelle on here have been a trifle ungallant. She's got a fantastic figure and is supple with it - and let's not forget, that deliberately thick, caked-on showgirl make-up is never going to be flattering...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2017 23:48:01 GMT
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, if you are in the front row, particularly the high numbered, fiver seats, because the girls were of-the-time underwear/nighties, even though two females in the show are topless on purpose, because of the looseness of the nighties, you may accidently get a glimpse of one or two women who I assume this wasn't intended to happen. This happened to me twice during the show today with two of the ladies haha. So if you don't like nudity, they may not be the seats for you.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 0:04:10 GMT
Yeah I wondered if that might be a risk, given that there was quite a lot of, to borrow a phrase from the Daily Mail, 'leggy displays' going on.
I was a bit worried about the potential for it in the Gold and Golden undies segment to be honest!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 0:36:46 GMT
Yeah I wondered if that might be a risk, given that there was quite a lot of, to borrow a phrase from the Daily Mail, 'leggy displays' going on. I was a bit worried about the potential for it in the Gold and Golden undies segment to be honest! Of the two actresses I noticed, it was the top half that became on display, and the two women who it was, I wouldn't of thought they would do it intentionally, but I guess they agreed to wear the costume and they have talked about the risks of that happening. It is very obvious most of the women don't wear any support on the upper part of their bodies haha. On the topic of the men, from the front row, you could see those two at least were wearing other undies under their costume undies, so any risk of that happening had clearly been thought out beforehand haha.
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Post by Cardinal Pirelli on Feb 19, 2017 1:03:50 GMT
Great production, Drew McOnie is a wonderful talent. The score is luminous and so good to hear something that breaks out of the predictable structures and harmonies of far too many new shows. I don't know how old the person sniffily questioning Ruffelle's allure was but she looks, sounds and moves great (and she's a tiny bit older than me!). The male lead didn't appear dangerous enough but all the supporting cast are top notch.
One complaint, it shouldn't have an interval, it needs to play right through. The structure is such that a break hurts anything after it when it shoukd be the natural collapse and wind down from what we have just seen. If it was an artistic decision then I disagree, if an economic one then it's asinine.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 1:12:48 GMT
Well the weird thing is, I wonder if the show had an interval when it was initially on Broadway? Because with this production, the show is split into 5 sections, and looking on Wikipedia, it is the same with the original Broadway production...
The Vaudeville Promenade of Guests The Party After Midnight Dies Finale
Now, naturally you would think the interval would come at the end of one of the sections, it doesn't, it comes midway through one of the sections. That is what threw me off. It is another example of the fact the issues with the show are not production or cast or anything (in my opinion, they were all fantastic) but it is the overall structure of the piece and what it tries to fit in.
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Post by Marwood on Feb 19, 2017 1:15:32 GMT
Saw this tonight and thought it was alright but nothing spectacular, the score was pretty unmemorable (only songs that stuck out were Taboo and Gin, and I wasn't excited enough about the second one to actually order some at the interval), but the acting was pretty solid throughout and there was nothing to dislike (possibly tempered by only paying £5 to see this, excellent view of proceedings by the way)
One quibble, although maybe one for the Trades Descriptions people - 'The Wild Party' : was it really that wild? When you hear of the parties Freddie Mercury held with dwarves carrying trays of cocaine, or Keith Richards throwing a TV out of a hotel window, it's not really what I'd call wild, although to be honest, given what happens in act 2, if they'd been honest and called it 'The S*** Party' it would be a tough act to sell tickets.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 1:21:23 GMT
Saw this tonight and thought it was alright but nothing spectacular, the score was pretty unmemorable (only songs that stuck out were Taboo and Gin, and I wasn't excited enough about the second one to actually order some at the interval), but the acting was pretty solid throughout and there was nothing to dislike (possibly tempered by only paying £5 to see this, excellent view of proceedings by the way) One quibble, although maybe one for the Trades Descriptions people - 'The Wild Party' : was it really that wild? When you hear of the parties Freddie Mercury held with dwarves carrying trays of cocaine, or Keith Richards throwing a TV out of a hotel window, it's not really what I'd call wild, although to be honest, given what happens in act 2, if they'd been honest and called it 'The S*** Party' it would be a tough act to sell tickets. Well the cocaine was definitely there! That second act was pretty crazy in fairness, that was a lot of intensity and drama for 45 minutes!
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Post by d'James on Feb 19, 2017 1:21:55 GMT
So true about the name. I'd love to see a production go really wild, but then there probably wouldn't be any 'names' involved. It was the 20s though.
I totally agree that there shouldn't be an interval but some people can't cope that long - just look at the cinema. You could cut some songs and characters though.
I noticed that too, in the programme. I was trying to work out where we were in the interval.
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Post by Cardinal Pirelli on Feb 19, 2017 1:22:51 GMT
Well the weird thing is, I wonder if the show had an interval when it was initially on Broadway? Because with this production, the show is split into 5 sections, and looking on Wikipedia, it is the same with the original Broadway production... The Vaudeville Promenade of Guests The Party After Midnight Dies Finale Now, naturally you would think the interval would come at the end of one of the sections, it doesn't, it comes midway through one of the sections. That is what threw me off. It is another example of the fact the issues with the show are not production or cast or anything (in my opinion, they were all fantastic) but it is the overall structure of the piece and what it tries to fit in. It was written without an interval and performed on Broadway without one (wasn't there a performance where they tried it with one, or am I misremembering?)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 1:26:11 GMT
Yes, remember it's the 20's, they can hardly be throwing TV's out of windows, this is crazy for that time period guys and gals! Though I still think it is insane for them to have us believe that amount of cocaine in one human would not kill them.
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Post by d'James on Feb 19, 2017 1:28:23 GMT
Though I still think it is insane for them to have us believe that amount of cocaine in one human would not kill them. Sounds like a challenge. Just kidding; don't do drugs kids!!!
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Post by Marwood on Feb 19, 2017 2:51:30 GMT
Yes, remember it's the 20's, they can hardly be throwing TV's out of windows, this is crazy for that time period guys and gals! Though I still think it is insane for them to have us believe that amount of cocaine in one human would not kill them. OK, fair enough, they could have tried throwing one of the gramophones out of the window though
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Post by synchrony on Feb 19, 2017 11:27:29 GMT
I completely agree that it would have been better without an interval. Although the people next to me didn't come back afterwards so presumably they were glad it did!
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Post by mallardo on Feb 19, 2017 12:03:05 GMT
I've seen three productions of it - none had an interval. Very bad idea for the reasons CP stated.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 15:18:26 GMT
Interesting to see too there is no understudies. Obviously a short run but it is a very physical show, but each cast member has pretty equal footing in terms of roles, with everyone getting solos and moments to shine. So if a cast member has to be out of the show for whatever reason, is that performance just cancelled? Because I can't really imagine the show without each character.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 22:10:10 GMT
Sorry if this makes me either philistine or ignoramus, but I for one was grateful for the interval. I needed a break from that relentless musical style - especially as some songs in the second half tilted over into 'tuneless as Sondheim' territory. Without a few minutes to relax in between, it would have felt like being whacked around the head repeatedly with a jazzy baseball bat.
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Post by showgirl on Feb 20, 2017 4:36:02 GMT
Not at all, jeanhunt - had I gone to this (I was on the point of booking until I listened to the samples online and abandoned my basket in horror) - I'd not only have needed the interval but would have used it to escape. Each to her own, and I do know that some have loved this, but if your striking (!) image of "being whacked around the head repeatedly with a jazzy baseball bat" is how I, too, would have felt, I'd have been driven either to retreat or retaliate.
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Post by d'James on Feb 20, 2017 12:40:53 GMT
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Post by Marwood on Feb 20, 2017 13:56:03 GMT
The £5 offer for The Wild Party must have been a one off, I looked online at previews for the other shows coming up later in the year and the same seat where I sat on Saturday (A4) is priced at £20, don't know if I'd be as enthusiastic to see something at those prices, unless there was an actor or actress in it that I REALLY wanted to see.
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Post by d'James on Feb 20, 2017 14:00:16 GMT
The £5 offer for The Wild Party must have been a one off, I looked online at previews for the other shows coming up later in the year and the same seat where I sat on Saturday (A4) is priced at £20, don't know if I'd be as enthusiastic to see something at those prices, unless there was an actor or actress in it that I REALLY wanted to see. That's exactly how I feel. I remember noticing that when I was looking at other shows before. I wonder if it was a bit of a loss leader as Paul Taylor-Mills was saying about getting people to see other shows in that BBC video.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Feb 20, 2017 14:04:26 GMT
I think they did only because they expected the stage to be very high, my ticket said that the view might have been restricted due to the height of the stage. Clearly it wasn't the case
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Post by distantcousin on Feb 20, 2017 18:46:14 GMT
Sorry if this makes me either philistine or ignoramus, but I for one was grateful for the interval. I needed a break from that relentless musical style - especially as some songs in the second half tilted over into 'tuneless as Sondheim' territory. Without a few minutes to relax in between, it would have felt like being whacked around the head repeatedly with a jazzy baseball bat. Couldn't agree more!
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Post by mallardo on Feb 20, 2017 20:29:10 GMT
"Tuneless as Sondheim"... OMG. Are we still back in the MT dark ages? Does every melody have to be bouncy and familiar and right down the middle of the road? Beauty comes in many guises - open your ears to it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2017 21:01:40 GMT
My ears will be pricked this Saturday...
I'm only hoping I feel everything I'm meant to.
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Post by distantcousin on Feb 20, 2017 22:13:48 GMT
"Tuneless as Sondheim"... OMG. Are we still back in the MT dark ages? Does every melody have to be bouncy and familiar and right down the middle of the road? Beauty comes in many guises - open your ears to it. How very condescending of you.
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