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Post by WireHangers on Feb 18, 2018 1:09:29 GMT
Wasn't planning to see the show as I'm all the way in Scotland but as luck would have it work are sending me to London in March so I'll be able to catch it! I have a friend in the cast so I'm really looking forward to seeing it.
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Post by WireHangers on Jan 14, 2018 0:33:20 GMT
Awful show and awful producing company. I'll avoid this one like the plague.
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Post by WireHangers on Jan 9, 2018 17:56:47 GMT
I saw her convert in Melbourne. If you have a chance to see it then DO. She's incredible live. She's funny, warming, charming and intimate.
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Post by WireHangers on Jan 8, 2018 12:53:24 GMT
Just watched the last 2 episodes. What a wonderful series and quite sad at the end. Fantastic acting from everyone and such detail to the period. Has it been nominated for any awards? Hope it's released on DVD as it's something you could return to again and again. It's been nominated for just about every major award. Don't think the show has won many but both leading ladies have been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes as well as a handful of nominations for the Supporting Cast. The show has also been nominated for Best Miniseries for both Golden Globes and Emmys.
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Post by WireHangers on Jan 6, 2018 18:13:10 GMT
I sent this to one of my performer friends in London and he said he had an audition for the tour in December and his callback is this coming Monday.
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Post by WireHangers on Dec 28, 2017 22:35:46 GMT
We can talk about how dodgy the NT's security is but a very similar prankster did the same thing in the White House and got away with it.
He went in during the day and stayed there until the place closed down and he managed to walk around and eventually walk out without being caught.
My point is these people will manage to get in anywhere they want if they want to.
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Post by WireHangers on Dec 17, 2017 13:16:02 GMT
Does anyone know if Luke Bayer has gone on as Jamie yet? He's a mutual friend of a few of my friends so I'd be really interested in hearing how his performance is.
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Post by WireHangers on Dec 6, 2017 12:46:22 GMT
I'm obsessed with Spongebob at the moment. I don't want to like it but there's something amazing about it that I can't quite put my finger on.
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Post by WireHangers on Nov 19, 2017 11:15:30 GMT
Has anyone seen the show and can give a detailed report?
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Post by WireHangers on Nov 17, 2017 19:25:41 GMT
IsMisePrinceton -> I. M. P. -> Imp. Ohhhh! Jesus H. Christ. I'm so embarrassed. Please don't look at me.
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Post by WireHangers on Nov 17, 2017 16:55:49 GMT
Hey So I'm going to put my degree to good use and start a review website but I'm struggling to think of a name. I've come up with a fair few but none of them are striking me as THE ONE so can any of you lovely people help? Something to do with Imp to fit with your screen name? What's Imp?
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Post by WireHangers on Nov 16, 2017 18:56:27 GMT
Hey
So I'm going to put my degree to good use and start a review website but I'm struggling to think of a name. I've come up with a fair few but none of them are striking me as THE ONE so can any of you lovely people help?
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Post by WireHangers on Oct 18, 2017 7:45:38 GMT
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Post by WireHangers on Oct 11, 2017 11:30:28 GMT
Saw the show last night in Glasgow. Was really looking forward to it after reading your reviews for so long.
First off, the show is not in bad shape for being so far along in it's tour schedule, however, the audience were in incredible spirits last night and I suspect some of the cast had friends and family in attendance. Every single number was met was rapturous applause and every joke landed with deafening laughter so that would no doubt have energised the cast. Les Dennis was out last night and THANK GOD he was because Scott played the role wonderfully. His acting and his singing were all on point that I couldn't have imagined Les Dennis playing the role that strongly.
Cameron and Samantha didn't have great chemistry bit still played off each other well. Cameron in particular was the highlight of the show, it was evident that the show was originally written to have Gomez at the front and centre. Samantha sung and played the part well but her dancing was tired looking and I'd like to see her do something with more energy next time she's cast in a musical. The actors who played Pugsley, the Grandma, and in-laws were fine. Nothing particularly special and nothing particularly bad.
I was extremely disappointed by Carrie Hope Fletcher. I was living abroad when she started being cast in musicals and only moved home last year when she begun doing Addams Family. I assumed, because she seemed to be going from one high profile job to another, that she'd be an absolute star in the making but alas, she was far from it. She had virtually no star power nor charisma. While her singing was lovely she lacked any sort of spirit and character - there was no bite or any sort of darkness that Wednesday Addams needs to have and Carrie just seemed like she had a bad attitude on stage which made her extremely unlikable to watch. Her comedic timing was pretty bland as well, she missed every cue for a joke and each time she attempted to get a laugh it fell disastrously flat. It's such a shame as I really love her online presence but I'd seriously think twice about seeing her in any role in the future. She just isn't a leading lady.
The lad playing Lucas was pretty bland also. His singing voice didn't sound real, it was incredibly animated and people around me were commenting on how bad it was to listen to him. Apart from the fact he was a pretty face he offered nothing to the production. Lurch's slow walking joke got real old real quick. He definitely had friends and family attending last night as each time he walked slowly across the stage the audience would laugh for a few seconds but this select group of people would cheer and whoop and holler as if he was the funniest thing since sliced bread.
I couldn't stop watching the ensemble every time there were on stage... the choreographer should be shot. The dancing was extremely pantomime and amateur, I didn't understand why every syllable needed a dance move to match. Someone needs to have the choreographer chant to themselves every morning "LESS IS MORE" because what every single routine was overkill. It was far too distracting when members of the ensemble would appear and start busting out awful choreography, especially on such a tight stage as I was sure someone was going to get smacked in the face by a rouge foot or a wild hand, which was a shame as I did think the ensemble were very very fine.
The show is lovely and will do well with amateur groups. Most of the songs were forgettable. Half the cast were incredible and half were forgettable but the show is definitely saved by nostalgia and the fact that audience members absolutely adore these characters.
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Post by WireHangers on Sept 14, 2017 16:05:21 GMT
Goddamn, Brad Judge does it for me everytime. Bravo! I went to uni with Brad (also made out with him once in our younger years) I'm definitely screenhotting your comments and sending them to him, he'll absolutely piss himself 😂
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Post by WireHangers on Sept 14, 2017 14:22:03 GMT
OK, let's be entirely fair to danieljohnson14 here. He didn't accost her at all. They did literally bump into each other as she walked in front of him. He said hello (they had met before and she remembered) and he asked if she was on that evening as he was going to see the show in about an hour or two. She said no, he said bye. They both went their separate ways. She was very friendly. He wasn't "stage dooring" her in the slightest. No animals were harmed in the making of that show. Cool story. Needs more dinosaurs.
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Post by WireHangers on Sept 12, 2017 13:45:57 GMT
Helen Woolf also recently followed Sophie Evans and her most recent follow was Aimee Fisher who's first cover Elphaba and second cover Nessarose. Could Aimee be the new Standby? Nah Aimee will be contracted to London for the year. Money is on Jessamy Stoddard who was 1st U/S Elphaba in London and recently left after just one contract! Yeah. As soon as I posted that I saw that she'd only just started in London. Still interesting though, that she followed both the main Glinda and an Elphaba. ... its a a very slow day at work so this detective work is getting me through it.
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Post by WireHangers on Sept 12, 2017 13:38:53 GMT
Helen Woolf also recently followed Sophie Evans and her most recent follow was Aimee Fisher who's first cover Elphaba and second cover Nessarose. Could Aimee be the new Standby?
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Post by WireHangers on Sept 10, 2017 23:08:50 GMT
I'd love to see a musical about Isabel Martínez de Perón who was Juan Perón's third wife and Evita's successor. She had a similar life to Evita but ended up having a far more controversial career. She was the first female President in history and it all came crashing down after two years. If ALW created it as a successor to Evita rather than a standalone musical then it would be great to see the similarities and how Juan plucks these women from nothing and creates formidable forces. I think ALW is probably going to steer clear of sequels forthwith. In my fantasies he writes sequels, including one about Isabel Person, and I'm his wife and we have three toad-looking children.
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Post by WireHangers on Sept 10, 2017 9:58:22 GMT
I'd love to see a musical about Isabel Martínez de Perón who was Juan Perón's third wife and Evita's successor. She had a similar life to Evita but ended up having a far more controversial career. She was the first female President in history and it all came crashing down after two years. If ALW created it as a successor to Evita rather than a standalone musical then it would be great to see the similarities and how Juan plucks these women from nothing and creates formidable forces.
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Post by WireHangers on Sept 10, 2017 9:39:07 GMT
I'm a bit miffed that Kara isn't a Northern actress.
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Post by WireHangers on Sept 1, 2017 20:36:32 GMT
One of my pals from uni is one of the five young girls in the cast. She's an incredible performer but even my ears were bleeding during their performance. God knows what they've been doing throughout rehearsals.
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Post by WireHangers on Aug 20, 2017 22:30:40 GMT
Also. I bumped into Tamsin Carol outside of Miss Saigon after the show. She was walking away from the wild crowds and it was clear no one recognised her so I stopped her and said I loved her performance (I didn't but I'm a nice person) and we spoke about the new version of Ellen. She very politely said she loved the new song and the idea that Ellen would step aside if Chris wanted her to, I said I preferred "Now That I've Seen Her" and the idea that Ellen would slap a bitch for her man, Tamsin giggled and said she agreed. Absolute sweetheart!
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Post by WireHangers on Aug 20, 2017 22:17:50 GMT
I met Jim Cartwright after a show I was in that also had his children in it. I was in my last year of drama school and had read virtually all his plays so I approached him and said I was a huge admirer of his work. He was so lovely and chatted for ages and was genuinely interested in what I'd like to do after drama school. I mentioned I'd love to be in a production of Little Voice and he said "I'll keep an eye out for you" and winked at me. Proper stand up guy. I get the impression he's still extremely humble and actually enjoys meeting fans.
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Post by WireHangers on Aug 13, 2017 10:34:37 GMT
Please take it from me when I say that trained professional actors don't care about stunt casting. The only people who seem to care are actors who trained at a University and have never had a professional job, acting like celebrities have taken a role off them, and the general public. We know how this business works. We know the world doesn't owe us anything. Most of us are just grateful to be involved in a touring show. If any professional actor is against star casting then they can easily step aside and let the 100's of us that couldn't give a fig more of a chance of getting cast. Well the reaction from many well-known actors (in musical theatre) suggests the exact opposite! Acting isn't brain surgery or some other sort of life-saving vocation, but for those who do it (and do it well), it's their livelihood, so they have every right to stand up and confront decisions that they believe makes a mockery of their career. I totally get the argument that it helps get a show put on and, as a result, actually allows more people to be cast therefore providing more jobs, but surely there's got to be a line? It doesn't affect you now, great, but the way we're going, it very may well affect you at some point down the line in your career. Don't you care? Aren't you passionate enough about what you do to believe that whilst you work in a cut-throat business, your industry should also be treated with respect? I dunno, and of course I don't know you from Adam so I'm not making these assumptions about you at all, just making general statements, but I just feel that rolling over and taking it seems a very wrong and submissive way to treat questionable decisions an industry you hope to make a life and career from. I completely agree with you for most points and I get what you're saying but in the same way I don't judge the state of Hollywood over the release of the Sharknado film series because this show and Freddie Flintoff is a tiny, minuscule part of a huge machine with more going on that you could ever even begin to know. Touring as the ensemble in any show whether is be a huge production or a small production is an absolute joy when you're my age and like I mentioned earlier, most people I know are absolutely chuffed to be involved in any capacity. The latest example of what I'm saying is a very good friend of mine from drama school has been cast as a featured role in Gary Barlow's THE BAND. She certainly isn't going to pipe up and say how much she hates the fact the leads were cast via a reality show because she knows that biting that hand that feeds her would be honourable yet detrimental to a career in a famously flippant industry. As well as having a friend cast in THE BAND the two of us also have friends who have just premiered a new musical at The Other Palace. So, no I'm not rolling over and taking it. We always have so many different things going on that being involved in ONE production that has a celebrity lead doesn't affect our passion, talent or drive and it certainly doesn't define the entire industry. Not to make this about me personally but when I'm not employed, like many other actors who CARE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO and are PASSIONATE ENOUGH, I take part in multiple readings, workshops and varying development stages of new work, plays, musicals, etc. I can't be sure but I'm sure I've taken part in about 50+ readings/workshops since I started drama school and I've never seen a single celebrity near of any those productions. THAT'S where actors put their passion and their craft. THAT'S where our love of theatre lies. THAT'S what our training prepared us for - not some second rate show that we all know is a pile of pish but sign up for anyway because bills gotta get paid. I recently moved back to Scotland after a few years performing in France, Germany and Australia (and a lot of karaoke in South East Asia). I've just finished a well received show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Two weeks ago I auditioned did my second call back for a new drama on ITV and I'm in the process of setting up a Glasgow based theatre group exclusively LGBTQI+ performer so I reiterate to you, yes I am very passionate and I care about what I do more than you'd ever know. This industry pays my bills (as does Ted Baker but that's another conversation to be had). If the producers of FAT FRIENDS want to hire a minor celebrity to star in a show that's based on a series that's been off the air for over a decade, written by a woman who has some alright credits to her name and composed by someone who just happens to be related to the world's most famous theatre composer then LET THEM. It's their money and their head on the board if it flops. Whatever happens the actors still have the pay check, the credit on their CV and they'll move onto the next job. Please don't think me, or anyone else, is being submissive and disrespectful just because we're not rioting at the thought of Freddie Flintoff being in a musical, we have just more important sh*t to be worrying about. Sorry for the rant. This would have been easier to say if we were in the pub with a pint.
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Post by WireHangers on Aug 12, 2017 15:57:33 GMT
Please take it from me when I say that trained professional actors don't care about stunt casting. The only people who seem to care are actors who trained at a University and have never had a professional job, acting like celebrities have taken a role off them, and the general public.
We know how this business works. We know the world doesn't owe us anything. Most of us are just grateful to be involved in a touring show. If any professional actor is against star casting then they can easily step aside and let the 100's of us that couldn't give a fig more of a chance of getting cast.
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Post by WireHangers on Aug 11, 2017 10:21:15 GMT
Shut your face, this never happened!?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I AM DYING. Good on wee Jax for using her fame in the most perfect way! She's gone way up in my book now.
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Post by WireHangers on Aug 11, 2017 10:07:34 GMT
The performance I was at was actually the press night! The show was very, very "meh". The audience were lapping it up and were extremely responsive and it was clear the cast were having a blast on stage but nothing felt particularly professional about this production. My date for the evening performed the show in Drama School and, honestly, her production was on par with this one. Everything just screamed CHEAP and BUDGET.
Firstly, Joanna Clifton. Jesus. That girl is a star in the making, I wish she'd drop the celebrity tag and just focus on becoming a bona fide leading lady because her voice and dancing are unbelievably refined. Her acting left a lot to be desired but she was doing the best with a bad script.
Ben Adams was as you'd expect. He was handsome, his acting was average and his singing sounded like a faded pop star throughout the show - constantly nasally with horrendous diction. I doubt he has a career in musical theatre past cheap shows like this one. Not that it matter because that man has aged extremely well so I'd happily just stare at him.
Apart from Joanna Clifton the only other actor on the stage who left an impression was a nurse who helped look after Alex's mentor, Hannah. She was a bit part who was on stage maybe three or four times but she had the audience in stitches every time. She was the living proof that there really aren't any small roles. Everyone else, especially Alex's friends, were complete let downs. The girls had no personality outside their great singing voices and were woefully miscast. I mean, characters aren't exactly well written anyway but there was so much comedy to be found in the dialogue and it was all wasted. Gloria was the biggest disappointment of the night - everything about her was amateur. Her acting was painfully dull, her singing was average and she rarely danced so can't comment on that.
Speaking of which the choreography came across forced and very vanilla, nothing spectacular or original and a lot of the dance numbers felt recycled. The direction was "safe" and a bit bland. The set was cheap but that's expected from Selladoor who produce shows that will distract everyone with nostalgia so that no one notices their cheap production costs.
The famous songs from the movie were great but the new additions were completely forgettable. I remember there was a song called "One In a Million" but I couldn't tell you about the rest of the numbers. Act One was full of energy and everyone seemed to be on top form. But Act Two dragged and my God, I've never seen so much filler in all my life. People's energy just seemed to die a death!
None of this particularly matters because 26 year old male performers aren't exactly their demographic. The people in the audience seemed to absolutely love the show and this was evident from the multiple standing ovations the cast got during the finale/curtain call/megamix. Flashdance is what it is. It's not a particularly good show but that's alright, not everything needs to be. It'll sell well and some middle aged woman will have a great night out when they see it.
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Post by WireHangers on Aug 11, 2017 9:05:50 GMT
So caught the tour of 'Flashdance' at the matinee yesterday. Last minute decision as I had not seen the show before (don't think I have even seen the movie all the way through) and was clinched by the offer of a cheap ticket. As a show it is certainly on a par with Fame and Flashdance with 2 dimensional characters, a few great pop songs and few forgettable songs to pad it out. I liked Joanna Clifton in Millie and think she has enormous potential in musical theatre, with the right direction. She can sing and she certainly can dance but here I felt she was not hard enough as Alex. The supporting cast has strong singers and dancers, particularly the male ensemble, but there was some very poor acting going on from some, particularly Gloria and her stand up comedian boyfriend. I am glad I saw the show and wish I had seen the original with Victoria Hamilton Barritt. It will never be a great piece but entertaining enough and what's not to love about a mega-mix finale of 80's show. I was there in the evening show! I'd love to bump into you finally.
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Post by WireHangers on Aug 10, 2017 9:13:21 GMT
Not the most inspired casting I've ever seen in my life but he's reasonably attractive and I heard great things about him from Cool Rider and Loserville.
I do enjoy the bad boy vibe he gives off. I hope he plays on that instead of the usual vanilla Fiyero we get.
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