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Post by Mr Snow on Aug 14, 2023 14:36:57 GMT
If anyone is interested in seeing the 2003 NT production of this play, you can view it on video at the NT archives. It's not a great quality recording, but I still enjoyed it. I went there to see their version of Candide. Left me wondering why the quality was so poor, particularly the sound. People do a better job Videoing school plays. For obsessives only. So yes I was glad I saw their Candide (even if I constantly wondered why it was such a poor record.)
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Post by Mr Snow on Aug 14, 2023 8:24:29 GMT
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Post by Mr Snow on Aug 9, 2023 7:43:51 GMT
I can't say why it is.... but... I don't much care for Sweeney,
Phew, I've been working upto saying this here for some time and that's a real weight off me.
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Post by Mr Snow on Aug 8, 2023 20:14:50 GMT
If The Nose had had an interval I would have left in it! Since then I've avoided Kosky. I didn't see the last Ring either. In fact I've never seen a live Ring & doubt I will unless I can find a time machine! Regents Opera are buildng thier Ring. I was very impressed with Rheingold last year and will sign up for the full Cycle when its avaible. The orchestration is just enough and works in the smaller space for an authentic experience. Prices 'realistic'. regentsopera.com/
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Post by Mr Snow on Jul 20, 2023 20:59:59 GMT
Showing the acute sensitivity and compassion his supporters constantly tell us he demonstrates, at this time of straightened circumstance and national belt tightening, Ponce Charlie is limiting his pay demands to a a 45% increase.
Rejoice at this wisdom. After all the alternative could be elected and lets all fear who might get elected (for a defined and limited term).
PS I could add that I suspect that for the past month he's been on strike in support of this, but the evidence for whether he's actually at work or not is inconclusive.
PPS anyone know if the Met have made any more progress with their investigation into him selling Honours for cash, since the coronation?
God save us from the king. (To eradicate any doubt I'd like to state I'm also highly skeptical that God is worth the name).
End of todays rant.
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Post by Mr Snow on Jul 9, 2023 21:25:41 GMT
Do WNO revive productions. i.e. is there a chnace I might get to see this?
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Post by Mr Snow on Jul 8, 2023 5:03:53 GMT
Talent free zone.
Avoid or bring your own pillow.
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Post by Mr Snow on Jun 7, 2023 21:48:43 GMT
Too late to do a proper review and I'm hitting the road early tomorrow.
But so glad I went to this. John Wilson is a modern great.
Strong cast and chorus, brilliant playing. Whats not to like.
Special kudos for alerting me to this for the member who is permanently off the ground -= do you come down for shows?
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Post by Mr Snow on Jun 5, 2023 21:11:22 GMT
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Post by Mr Snow on May 28, 2023 19:10:06 GMT
BBC 4 is currently showing The Yeomen of the Guard.
Presumably it will be on iplayer for a while?
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Post by Mr Snow on May 18, 2023 7:21:26 GMT
Well we enjoyed it.
For once the blind (is that the right term here with so much variety) was never a distraction and probably part of the 'modernisation ' or softening of the misanthropy of the original. After all, if the old man who exploits his position to employ a much younger girlfriend is comically played by a woman, it's somehow less creepy.
Enjoyed (nearly)all the cast but Ainee Aitken had a spectacular voice when given the chance. Re Orchestrations worked, good band. But I missed the original for "A secretary..." Worth checking out.
Have never really liked HTSIB. They also tried to soften Pierpoints sheer narcissism and it left the actor in no man's land. Would like someone to revive where's Charlie or Greenwillow, amazing to think Loesser may be remembered as a One hit wonder.
Fun evening out, but the piece is not suited to todays thinking. Needs to be revived as a period piece in 100 years - "Come and see what life in offices was really like".
Last night probably 2/3 full. There's a lot of mouths to feed...
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Post by Mr Snow on May 16, 2023 11:06:38 GMT
Politics is cyclical. Parties rise and parties fall and often rise again. Trying to rig the system to prevent any one party from gaining power on the future is not democratic and should be resisted whoever is trying it. I totally agree rigging the system is anti Democratic. However the Unionist/Conservative/Tory (whatever they currently call themselves) party are the single most successful democratic party in all history, anywhere. This fact is worthy of more attention than the Labour Party seems to give it. Roughly since Disraeli organised them as a force to be reconned with, they have easily won the majority of elections. I believe its because as general elections come close they close ranks and get behind their leaders whatever they are promoting (and it tends to pull them to the centre no matter what their opponents call them). The current batch of convict(ion ) activists at the top of the party is an anomaly for them. One party being re-elected over and over is a terrible thing - no matter what party. If I was into conspiracy theories I would be looking increasingly closely at the current narrative that I hear more and more. "It doesn't matter who you vote for, they are all the same". This seems to play into the hands of the rock solid Tory support as the uncommitted become apathetic. Even if there is some truth in that, after all most politicians are human, we should recognise that the longer any party is in power the more corruption gets hold. If I were the slightest bit religious I'd be praying every day that the next elections gets rid of many of the failures that now crowd our government. It would actually do the Tory party good to get a spanking and that would be excellent news for Democracy. I too favour PR but I'm not holding my breath. I presume Labour have conducted private research which doesn't show it as a clear vote winner. I do know one lifelong party member who has at times been close to the then leadership. He too favours PR but says whenever it is discussed at senior level within the party they all believe they can win a clear majority under the current system. Unless the Scottish Nationalist continue to implode in Labours favour, that seems unlikely to me. Sad because amongst other things a hung parliament it won't get rid of enough of the (Eton educated) bad apples.
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Post by Mr Snow on May 8, 2023 20:14:56 GMT
Unfortunately The Sunday Times reporting is behind a firewall, so I can't show you how their investigation into The illegal selling of a knighthood for cash has "been stalled" since Charles got the top job. Their formal requests under the Freedom of Information act for disclosure have been illegally ignored. His two closest aides have resigned over this, saying he knew nothing. Apparently this is the first case in all of history where the fish rots from just below the head. You can get a few pointers here. www.cumnockchronicle.com/news/23144939.princes-foundation-metropolitan-police-investigation/People on here keep repeating he's not corrupt! Read the above and marvel at the fact he saw the donations and he saw the Knighthood and yet he had nothing to do with it and didn't put 2&2 together and personally sack those who resigned only once the police got involved. Look at the recent series of articles in the Guardian showing how gifts to the Royal family are suddenly not listed in the States assets. If the man at the top has his finger in various pies, believing the rules don't apply to him, is it any wonder more are developing a taste for this?
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Post by Mr Snow on May 8, 2023 20:02:26 GMT
Ithought there was something very fairytale-like about this photo taken from behind the two of them on the balcony looking out over the crowds. The ermine cloaks, the crowns looking unfeasibly tall, it is exactly what people unfamiliar with our monarchy think it’s all about. A friend was in London last week for business and as he was coming out of his hotel in Victoria an American couple asked him for directions to the palace. He told them where to go and as they walked ahead the woman said to guy “do you think there’s a chance we might see the King?”. I think they’re a huge pull for tourism and probably generate more revenue than they cost us.
The argument is though - do we really need all this expensive ceremonial stuff, and keeping them all in the lap of luxury? Tourists would still come to see the castles and the palaces. As they do in France!
It is a mainstream media narrative that is peddled and repeated so much that everyone believes it to be fact.
Legoland Windsor gets more visitors than any Royal building!
Well made point vs. "I think". Well I know that Versailles in India and the Taj Mahal are no less popular despite having no king for at least a couple of centuries. In fact we recently visited 7 Royal "Palaces" in India and saw not a single Prince. The guides said in February they were likely to be in Gstaad but by June they will be in st Tropez! For Charles replace Highgrove and Sandringham; neither of which are as big a tourist earner as The Tower of London,Windsor Castle and Buck House.
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Post by Mr Snow on May 5, 2023 21:20:18 GMT
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65448709Real gold cloak. So 2023. I'm a member of a charity where everyone stood aside as Edward suddenly decided he should be parachuted in for the top position. He then attended one dinner and now sends an annual letter saying 'keep up the good work' in about 75 words. Its one of hundreds of similar honourable titles he holds. Today that charity emailed me asking for a donation £50 towards the cost of a present for Chas and Cam on this happy occasion, to decorate Sandringham. Not only that, the Billionaire gets to approve the design of his present before its made. Words fail me. This subservience and obsequience has to stop!!!! Its 2023!
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Post by Mr Snow on May 5, 2023 21:09:46 GMT
I don't think the POTUS is a relevant comparison. That power is not even "officially" given to the king. As the article states Trump gave less pardons than any modern President, proving once again how inefficient he was.😉 I know what it says. The point was he didn't use the power unless he was paid to use the power. I was trying to be funny. Doh! This power is widely abused, can't recall the detail but Clinton's list doesn't read well. Do any? If the founding fathers or whoever came up with it only knew how it would turn out...Strange rule.
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Post by Mr Snow on May 4, 2023 16:50:46 GMT
I don't know if its "just me" but I'm surprised by the level of apathy about the whole thing by my friends and acquaintances. The average age must be about 65 and rather than growing more royalist as they age, the opposite seems true. I hope this occasion marks a shift change in opinion about the worthlessness of the family.
One lady said she recalled her father sitting them all down to watch the last Coronation. "Boring and will not be repeated."
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Post by Mr Snow on May 4, 2023 15:03:34 GMT
I don't think the POTUS is a relevant comparison. That power is not even "officially" given to the king.
As the article states Trump gave less pardons than any modern President, proving once again how inefficient he was.😉
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Post by Mr Snow on May 4, 2023 4:08:11 GMT
tbh, 'Head of State' is always a bit awkward in Parliamentary democracies because it involves so much symbolic 'power'. I can quite understand why other - what are now pretty mature democracies like Canada and Australia - are still in no great hurry to establish alternatives. Outsourcing symbolic power is not a bad option, and solves a bunch of headaches. And yes, there are Republican voices and sometimes even movements, yet we are where we are even after QEII. As long as the Windsor's keep their noses pretty clean, I just let it go. I'll let others worry about symbolic power after I'm gone. The focus for now is 100% The House of Lords. Read Moneyland by Oliver Bulough. Paraphrasing: a major way for owners of corrupt money to become legit in Britain today, is by enlisting a minor royal to head up your 'Charity'. The minor royal introduces you to Lords, Senior Royals, and eventually cabinet ministers and the close 'family'. ALL receive 'donations' or sinecures and you become too valuable to have a difficult life. He writes there are a surprising no of 'impoverished' royals, many of whom are Lords. I agree re the need to reform the Lords, but the evidence is there; the Royal Family all the way to the very top man, are enablers for what is becoming an increasingly corrupt country. Matthew Syed in this week's Sunday Times wrote that one reason why the Government was so slow to act strongly against Putin is that for years the Tories have been funded by Russian donations via oligarchs. Cabinet Ministers were told to keep hands off. The consequences are here to see. I can't see this coronation as anything but a massive distraction. Spending our money to distract us from a world where we have huge problems to face. How will Charles help?
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Post by Mr Snow on May 2, 2023 7:39:21 GMT
I think it's common knowledge that the child of Elizabeth who best represents her values and hard work is Anne.
What she actually said today was "You know, he is committed to his own level of service, and that will remain true."
Wise old bird.
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 30, 2023 5:31:02 GMT
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 29, 2023 14:23:49 GMT
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 25, 2023 7:17:37 GMT
Saw this last Monday. I adored this production and I think it deserves all the success it is finding. There a few things I thought didn’t work in it’s favor. The staging in Act One took me a long time to get used to. I was distracted seeing the “police” move the crowd every time a new section of stage was about to go up. And Act One especially was like a constant change… reminded me of videos of The Lord of the Rings musical… up and down, up and down… I think there are shorter scenes in the first half. This did not bother me in the second half. The scenes are longer and more of the stage was just a rectangle in the middle. Furthermore, because the show is in the round, there is a lot of light that bleeds out behind the action onto the (sometimes) goofy and fidgety audience below. I needed more of a hard perimeter of light to help focus on the action… I guess because of the complicated nature of lighting this piece it’s a hard thing to accomplish. Maybe it’s a safety issue as well. The person I came with was angrily focused on a too-into-it standing audience member the whole time. I couldn’t help but watch an entire drama unfold on the standing room floor between an ungrateful university student complaining to her parents about having to stand. It was maddening. The last thing… for me personally, there is a “more is more” feeling with some of the blocking and set. The lyrics to these songs are so good… why must we be constantly walking around and changing positions or stirring coffees and doing “stage business” in the cafe or the barber shop … just communicate the lyric. Generally I kept thinking, “Why do we need six tables at the club? Why do we need four fully dressed tables at the restaurant (with full condiment sets)? Why do we need three barber chairs? Too much stuff for me, and everything is passed up to the stage by the police…. Again, Act Two was simpler. The most effective scenes for me were in Act One were the scenes in the mission (I’ll Know felt like the piece could finally slow down and breathe) or Adelaide’s solo, where we could just focus. Now besides those super specific gripes, let me say this show is phenomenal. I know everyone is talking about the men, who are fantastic, but my GOODNESS, the WOMEN!! The more I think about what Marisha is doing, the more I liken it to seeing a golden age legend take the stage. She sings these songs on the edge of a knife. They sound fresh and visceral, and her crooning indulgent tone and emotional character base is a thrilling combination . She is a total star, and I am a huge fan now. I don’t miss the old Adelaide characterizations one bit. This woman is a real person and she sings like the songs were written in her heart. Celinde… holy cow. What an arc we see from Sarah. Her and Sky’s journey was the through-line of the show for me. Her vocal take on the role starts with the character just being in the moment, and again it is thrilling because of the technique and tools she has at her disposal. Sarah’s big vocal leaps are like a revelation of her character… she contains multitudes of possibility within her, and we see so many sides of her. Again, a real person in these circumstances, swinging wildly between the life she has cultivated and the longing within. I can’t wait to go back, and although I had my little issues I do believe this staging is a revelation. This kind of work proves how important the Arts are. We all need this work right now. It is an uplifting exuberant experience that sits deeper in you than you think possible. Also, loved the take on Marry the Man Today!! Loved Rockin’ the Boat. The tempo allowed you to ride every vocal wave. Captivating. Cast recording would be in my ears constantly. Thank you for saving me the time writing THIS review. Agree and I'd just add it seemed to me that the way it was staged meant the audience took a lot longer to settle as some insisted on pointing out the bleedin obvious throughout the overture. It continued and one of the greatest MC nos, Fugue for tin Horns, featured 5 voices! Having the band separated from the cast in the round took quite a time to adjust to. Sat matinee and we also were surprised to discover after the show that Miss Adelaide was played by the understudy, brilliantly.
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 24, 2023 17:09:31 GMT
As per the other thread I'm repeating the bit about a musical (PS Thank you altitudinous Saul) The Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington claim to be Britain's most active amateur co. with 20+ productions a year. They have a new home and kick off with the splendid Pal Joey. 19-29th April (note: Joey is not even slightly PC, but if you can cope with "Dolls", you should be able to live with "Mice".) www.towertheatre.org.uk/pal-joey/Pal Joey introduced me to Musical Comedy. In the summer of 1980 I went 5x to see Dennis Lawson and Sian Phillips. This has been top of my list of want to see's for many years.
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 24, 2023 16:37:45 GMT
I can thoroughly recommend to all fans of modern opera Innocence by Kaija Saariaho which has a few performances left. It's a brilliant piece, amazingly sung, played and directed (Simon Stone, with a revolving box by Chloe Lamford as the set - superbly effective). For anyone who wants to get an idea of the music beforehand, it is available on youtube. I'd go one stronger. For any fans of Opera...particularly those who find most modern Operas forgettable. This is such a strong Drama that I dare you not to be affected by it. IMO the best new Opera I've heard dating back to Dialogue of the Carmelites. And that covers a long period.
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 24, 2023 13:00:29 GMT
The Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington claim to be Britain's most active amateur co. with 20+ productions a year. They have a new home and kick off with the splendid Pal Joey. (note: Joey is not even slightly PC, but if you can cope with "Dolls", you should be able to live with "Mice".) www.towertheatre.org.uk/pal-joey/ Pal Joey introduced me to Musical Comedy. In the summer of 1980 I went 5x to see Dennis Lawson and Sian Phillips. This has been top of my list of want to see's for many years. (Note isn't there a thread for upcoming productions? I couldn't find it.)
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 24, 2023 12:53:44 GMT
Helena Bonham Carter at yesterday's Guys and Dolls matinee. My wife had to ask her to move her chair so we could get to our friends and she was lovely about it! She took her Mum. Nice
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 14, 2023 14:59:38 GMT
It was made illegal in 1925. That's why the Met were once interested....
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 14, 2023 7:04:23 GMT
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Post by Mr Snow on Apr 13, 2023 20:03:13 GMT
Unfortunately The Sunday Times reporting is behind a firewall, so I can't show you how their investigation into The illegal selling of a knighthood for cash has "been stalled" since Charles got the top job. Their formal requests under the Freedom of Information act for disclosure have been illegally ignored. His two closest aides have resigned over this, saying he knew nothing. Apparently this is the first case in all of history where the fish rots from just below the head. You can get a few pointers here. www.cumnockchronicle.com/news/23144939.princes-foundation-metropolitan-police-investigation/
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