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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 2, 2018 22:53:55 GMT
Also doesn’t it make sense that SWP and and HM should work together on their artistic programme, with musicals being exchanged, for instance The Rink going to Manchester after London, as you have shelled out for all the sets, lighting, costumes and rehearsals, so costs in Manchester would be wages, accomadation and marketing, it keeps actors in work for a month extra, with minimal costs, also keeps an active production in the venue, when it maybe it maybe dark. Same as HM shows coming to London to the SWP - makes great business management sense. Shows at SWP that come down via HM, still can transfer to the West End if good enough. This makes total sense in theory, not sure what the practical issues would be. While we were waiting for the show to start the other night my friend commented that that HM would be a perfect space for Xanadu. It would go down an absolute bomb in Manchester too.
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Post by firefingers on Apr 2, 2018 22:55:03 GMT
Also doesn’t it make sense that SWP and and HM should work together on their artistic programme, with musicals being exchanged, for instance The Rink going to Manchester after London, as you have shelled out for all the sets, lighting, costumes and rehearsals, so costs in Manchester would be wages, accomadation and marketing, it keeps actors in work for a month extra, with minimal costs, also keeps an active production in the venue, when it maybe it maybe dark. Oh if only were that simple. There would be some savings but not much. A fringe set is built cheaply so that taking it down without destroying it is nearly impossible, and paying the extra to build a set that would last more than the 6 weeks and moving is rarely something a producer wants to shell out. And that ignores that elements such as scaffolding will be hired rather than bought.same goes for sound, lighting, video, and to a lesser extent costume and props, all hired or containing elements that are hired. As an example, a musical I did at Southwark cost over 1000 pounds just in sound equipment hire. To avoid rehearsal cost you'd need to have the audiotrium be the same size, and for the whole cast to be able to do the extra run, otherwise new company members would need to be rehearsed in. It's a very expensive business doing fringe theatre, particularly musicals.
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Apr 2, 2018 23:06:10 GMT
One audience member was so overcome with the emotion of it all at the finale tonight, she leapt onto the stage during the bows to embrace Nikita Johal who plays Wendla!
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 2, 2018 23:23:34 GMT
Also doesn’t it make sense that SWP and and HM should work together on their artistic programme, with musicals being exchanged, for instance The Rink going to Manchester after London, as you have shelled out for all the sets, lighting, costumes and rehearsals, so costs in Manchester would be wages, accomadation and marketing, it keeps actors in work for a month extra, with minimal costs, also keeps an active production in the venue, when it maybe it maybe dark. Oh if only were that simple. There would be some savings but not much. A fringe set is built cheaply so that taking it down without destroying it is nearly impossible, and paying the extra to build a set that would last more than the 6 weeks and moving is rarely something a producer wants to shell out. And that ignores that elements such as scaffolding will be hired rather than bought.same goes for sound, lighting, video, and to a lesser extent costume and props, all hired or containing elements that are hired. As an example, a musical I did at Southwark cost over 1000 pounds just in sound equipment hire. To avoid rehearsal cost you'd need to have the audiotrium be the same size, and for the whole cast to be able to do the extra run, otherwise new company members would need to be rehearsed in. It's a very expensive business doing fringe theatre, particularly musicals. Okay they just done Manchester and London with Pippin and Hair if you were planning to do both venues, you plan set, sound, lighting, contracts and rehearsal accordingly. I know margins would be tight, for no other reason that so little money is made on the fringe.i What you say for such venue holds about 150 people with an average ticket cost of £15 so you do that 8 times a week and that would give you £18k* a week, sounds a lot, but in reality it isn’t. *All educated guess, so a guesstimate.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 2, 2018 23:27:34 GMT
Also doesn’t it make sense that SWP and and HM should work together on their artistic programme, with musicals being exchanged, for instance The Rink going to Manchester after London, as you have shelled out for all the sets, lighting, costumes and rehearsals, so costs in Manchester would be wages, accomadation and marketing, it keeps actors in work for a month extra, with minimal costs, also keeps an active production in the venue, when it maybe it maybe dark. Same as HM shows coming to London to the SWP - makes great business management sense. Shows at SWP that come down via HM, still can transfer to the West End if good enough. This makes total sense in theory, not sure what the practical issues would be. While we were waiting for the show to start the other night my friend commented that that HM would be a perfect space for Xanadu. It would go down an absolute bomb in Manchester too. I certainly agree with Xanadu. Would also think other SWP shows could work at HM like In The Heights, Bat Boy, Carrie, Working and Titanic.
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Apr 3, 2018 9:35:37 GMT
I think Hope Mill Theatre have surpassed all of their previous work with this one.
What a cast they've assembled for a start. Soaring vocals and performances brimming with passion one moment and invested with great subtlety the next. The central trio of Darragh Cowley as Melchior, Nikita Johal as Wendla and Jabez Sykes as Moritz are outstanding, while Sophia Simoes Da Silva as Anna can riff as well as any Elphaba.
From a badass reprise for Mama Who Bore Me, through gorgeous melodies such as The Guilty Ones and Whispering, to the anarchic Totally F***ed, this is probably my favourite musical score and one that the Hope Mill cast did more than full justice. The finale of Song of Purple Summer in particular, led by Teleri Hughes as Ilsa, was spine-tingingly powerful and sincere. I agree with BurlyBear that if there's a better, more beautiful and life-affirming rendition of this song out there then I'm yet to hear it. It's remarkable that the cast are so assured in what's only the fourth preview of a show that for a number of them represents their professional debuts.
I think this is one of those nights at the theatre that stays with you for a long time afterwards. The production values are terrific and the set in particular is a huge improvement on the rather basic offering for Little Women. It's such a welcoming venue too. One of the owners was watching the show last night and as he looked at the audience on their feet at the finale roaring their approval, with several moved to tears, I hope he felt very proud of what the Hope Mill is achieving.
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Post by theinvisiblegirl on Apr 3, 2018 10:46:17 GMT
One audience member was so overcome with the emotion of it all at the finale tonight, she leapt onto the stage during the bows to embrace Nikita Johal who plays Wendla! I saw this and thought it must have been a friend or family member not a random audience member!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2018 11:13:10 GMT
This makes total sense in theory, not sure what the practical issues would be. While we were waiting for the show to start the other night my friend commented that that HM would be a perfect space for Xanadu. It would go down an absolute bomb in Manchester too. I certainly agree with Xanadu. Would also think other SWP shows could work at HM like In The Heights, Bat Boy, Carrie, Working and Titanic. The big difference is that Hope Mill produce a lot of their shows in-house (with Aria Entertainment) - Southwark seldom produce their own shows; Carrie, Working & Titanic are three different independent producers who hire out Southwark to House their productions.
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 3, 2018 15:02:45 GMT
I saw this last night too and would be shocked if it didn’t transfer (to a similar fringe venue in London).
First, logistics. I got there about 6:55 and got one of the last first group entry tickets. Plenty of seat choice in that group and I got a good front row seat. It was said to be sold out and little choice left for the people in later groups.
There were a few empty reserved seats in the second row (one of the worst places to sit as it isn’t raised). Sounded like that was the friends and family area.
A very good production with a running time just over two hours with most of the cast fresh out of drama school. It’s not the easiest show to follow, but there’s a certain poetry to it. And very adult themed.
Some odd staging with a lot of the action taking place away from the audience. And the usual challenge with the band being rather loud. Strong vocals even where the songs aren’t that memorable.
One concern is that most of the show is darkly lit, but there are a few scenes with intense light that brought tears to my eyes (and I didn’t think I was light sensitive). Suggest sitting further back if that’s a problem.
Anyway, another good production. I won’t get to see it again in Manchester but certainly will if it transfers to London.
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Apr 3, 2018 15:20:25 GMT
There were a few empty reserved seats in the second row (one of the worst places to sit as it isn’t raised). Sounded like that was the friends and family area. The second row seats were initially being held back in case there were any latecomers, then they whisked the reserved signs off when there were the only seats left. We must have been sat pretty close to each other - I was on the end of the front row of the main block, right by the entrance door.
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 3, 2018 16:45:42 GMT
There were a few empty reserved seats in the second row (one of the worst places to sit as it isn’t raised). Sounded like that was the friends and family area. The second row seats were initially being held back in case there were any latecomers, then they whisked the reserved signs off when there were the only seats left. We must have been sat pretty close to each other - I was on the end of the front row of the main block, right by the entrance door. Ah right, I’m sure we both overheard different bits of conversations! Fair enough the latecomers got bad seats, although the people behind me did sound like they knew someone in the cast. Yes, I was in the same row, pretty central, so would have been a few seats down. A great view, although because of how it’s staged I think the side seats would be a good view too.
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Post by michalnowicki on Apr 4, 2018 9:49:02 GMT
Now I'm really tempted to go to Manchester to see this!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 4, 2018 9:59:21 GMT
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wilma ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Stage ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reviews Hub ⭐️⭐️⭐️ WoS ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Guardian
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Post by Jonnyboy on Apr 4, 2018 18:32:07 GMT
Looking forward to this. I wholeheartedly support the Hope Mill but not terribly impressed with their latest email saying the show has had 4s and 5s across the board. False advertising doesn’t sit well with me.
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Post by david on Apr 7, 2018 18:26:54 GMT
Just come back from seeing this at today’s matinee. All I can say is WOW! Of all the shows I’ve seen at Hope Mill, this is the best one so far in my opinion. The cast are vocally stunning and the fact that the majority of them are recent or soon to be MT graduates is unbelievable. They all give really assured and at times heart breaking performances. There is absolutely no weak performances in any of the cast.
The standard of the set is a marked improvement in comparison to previous shows which had a simpler approach and the band where also great.
It’s great to see this theatre having so much support from the public and the shows the team produces are well received. The fact that they are getting runs in London is testament to this. Hopefully this is another one to add to the transfer list at the end of the current run.
If you haven’t already booked, do yourself a favour and come and see it and support a great theatre.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Apr 8, 2018 19:37:05 GMT
I went to see the matinee today, and can only reiterate what has been said above. I really enjoyed it (if that is the right word for such a dark and harrowng story).
I have wanted to see SPRING AWAKENING since its initial UK/London Production. I had tickets booked for the West End run, but it closed before I could see it. When I saw they were doing a production of this at the Hope Mill, I jumped at the chance, not only because I would finally get a chance to see the show, but I would also have the opportunity to visit this theatre for the first time. I have to say that it is a lovely little theatre, with a lovely performance space. Small yes, but very well used.
I actually knew very little about the show, apart from a few of the songs. It is quite a piece - as I have said, it is very dark, but challenging and thought-provoking, touching on such things as masturbation, under-age sex, pregnancy, abortion, teenage suicide and homosexuality, The cast gave it their all - the show crackled with energy, and they attacked each of the musical numbers with huge commitment. Seriously impressive to say that many of the cast were making their professional debuts. I loved the musical staging and chreography in particular, with really effective and ingenious use of the available space. The singing was also very strong. Whilst I wasn’t overly fond of the score from listening to the cast recording, in context, the songs really worked, and it was played beautifully by the small band. My newsest earworm is “Totally F*****”, which is totally inappropriate for work in the morning! I also have to mention the use of lighting in this, which was really creative, and added to the atmosphere and colour of the piece.
My first visit to the Hope Mill, but certainly not my last. I will be looking out for future productions of interest in the hope of making a return visit.
GO!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 8, 2018 20:24:26 GMT
I guess the two musicals as yet unannounced for 2018 will be revealed on 16th April at the Aria Of Hope and Dreams gala night.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2018 20:58:35 GMT
I guess the two musicals as yet unannounced for 2018 will be revealed on 16th April at the Aria Of Hope and Dreams gala night. Its only a matter of time before the decide to do The Last Five Years I recon.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2018 7:27:18 GMT
Sorry if this has been mentioned already but whats the running time on this?
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Apr 9, 2018 8:39:53 GMT
Sorry if this has been mentioned already but whats the running time on this? Around 2 hours 15 minutes including an interval.
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Post by spendleb on Apr 9, 2018 15:27:27 GMT
Can't wait to see this at the end of the month, is anyone watching the new musical US series 'Rise' as this show/score is featured weekly
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2018 17:47:24 GMT
Third visit to Hope Mill this afternoon. With previous visits being to see Pippin and The Toyboy Diaries and this was my favourite piece yet. Average age of the audience I'd say was early twenties, which is really inspiring - I'm guessing the cast had graduate peers in.
The cast were very strong and they were all vocally impressive. We'll definitely be seeing more of these in years to come, I feel.
Absolutely loved the colour palette of the show perfectly uniting the set, costume and lighting. The sound of the show was absolutely on point too. So glad they've binned off the Yamaha keyboard from previous productions and gone for something a bit more full bodied. The orchestration of the piece was great. I don't know if that and the vocal arrangements came with the piece or were production specific but they really were both great a - some lovely vocal cluster chords throughout - which I'm a massive fan of.
Only a couple of technical hitches, both in 'Totally F£&$ed'; 1) the mic flying off the cable (this could have been prevented with a couple of wraps of black LX between the mic and XLR - a slight oversight there) causing Melchior to break character momentarily and corpse, everyone else held it together well. 2) The on-stage guitar being muted whilst played a few times and cues missed. But these are little niggles. Glad to see they've addressed the previous issue of moving lights randomly resetting mid-show this time round I'd mentioned.
Only a slight reservation with the piece being the German names but Yorkshire accents. That threw me off slightly. Which as a result meant that it took a while to digest the show and it's message. Whilst not immediately obvious to me, it really is quite poignant at this period in time, that we really should do more to guide the younger generations, and others in our society. Don't just leave them to figure it out for themselves. Let's be a bit more inclusive and auspicious. What use it knowledge if we keep it to ourselves.
This is a solid production though, another strike from HMT, well worth a visit! Hyped for Aspect of Love next.
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Post by danb on Apr 11, 2018 18:01:03 GMT
Can't wait to see this at the end of the month, is anyone watching the new musical US series 'Rise' as this show/score is featured weekly No, where can it be found?
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Post by spendleb on Apr 12, 2018 7:39:26 GMT
Can't wait to see this at the end of the month, is anyone watching the new musical US series 'Rise' as this show/score is featured weekly No, where can it be found? At the moment online, not sure if the UK has picked it up yet, it's like a darker, more serious Glee but the songs are all on stage and not MT style, enjoying it so far (it's based on a book and true story)
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Post by pajonk on Apr 18, 2018 18:10:49 GMT
I'm so excited to see this on Saturday! Sadly, Ryanair cancelled my flight, and now I have to catch a flight to MAN from another airport which is 200 miles away. I hope it will be worth the effort! One (silly) question. I stupidly forgot to check football schedule before booking a trip. Not suprisingly, there is a match I would normally love to see (Barcelona vs. Sevilla - Copa del Rey Final). Does anyone know if there is a pub near the theatre, where It will be possible to see it? I know that Spanish football interest virtually nobody in the UK, so the chances are pretty slim, but hey - it's always worth to ask.
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Post by firefingers on Apr 18, 2018 23:25:56 GMT
Made a trip up to Manchester to see this and it didn't disappoint. I'd never seen a production of Spring Awakening before but had several friends rave about it, and really glad I have finally caught it. Great cast with some excellent choreo and lighting, and a great set which all felt far more upmarket than the... er... run down surroundings of the area around theatre. Totally f***ed was a stand out moment for me. Would slip perfectly into Southwark Playhouse if the rights are available for London.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 19, 2018 5:57:19 GMT
I'm so excited to see this on Saturday! Sadly, Ryanair cancelled my flight, and now I have to catch a flight to MAN from another airport which is 200 miles away. I hope it will be worth the effort! One (silly) question. I stupidly forgot to check football schedule before booking a trip. Not suprisingly, there is a match I would normally love to see (Barcelona vs. Sevilla - Copa del Rey Final). Does anyone know if there is a pub near the theatre, where It will be possible to see it? I know that Spanish football interest virtually nobody in the UK, so the chances are pretty slim, but hey - it's always worth to ask. Have a look here www.manchesterbars.com/mobile/sports.htmGeographically the one called Second City is closest to the theatre but I’ve never been and can’t vouch for it.
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Post by pajonk on Apr 19, 2018 15:26:00 GMT
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 24, 2018 6:10:34 GMT
Did you make it to Manchester pajonk and if so what did you think of the show? and did you manage to see the footy!?
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Post by spendleb on Apr 29, 2018 17:37:31 GMT
Wow just wow, slightly lost for words, what a performance, pitch perfect, high energy and so emotional, everything I wanted it to be and more! The acting, lighting, staging were top notch and the angry jarring choreography a sight to behold, can't recommend this enough. Also agree with BurlyBear the Song of Purple Summer was the best version I've heard.
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