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Post by showoff on Dec 16, 2017 13:05:28 GMT
Money on Louise Redknapp? Very confident of them to say a year "initially". Louise Redknapp is so last year. There's another pop singer in the 'Strictly' final this year who might need some work and will want to show off her dance skills and all that jazz . . . I doubt it as she's signed up for the SCD tour.
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Post by showoff on Dec 14, 2017 19:22:53 GMT
Is that a thing? Eating hats? Passed me by... however Bette has told me that she fancies a fortnight bobbing around Argyll Street, mostly because she's a fan of Steak Houses. First, please let this be so. Second, the eating of hats is done in a way where someone says if so and so happens they'll 'eat my hat'. So a poster on here could say if Bette comes to London and does this I'll eat my hat.
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Post by showoff on Dec 14, 2017 13:39:55 GMT
Is it really a spoiler when it's a historical fact? Yes. It's still not the most widely known story even in the United States, most people over here probably still don't have a clue who Alexander Hamilton even is, and frankly Hamilton got up to so much in his lifetime that even if you did know his biography inside out, you wouldn't necessarily know what made it into the show and what didn't. Spoilers can be just as much about how a story is told as they are about what the bare facts of the story are. I get what you're saying, but then again there's going to be the musical of Henry VIII's wives. Do we avoid talking about Anne Boleyn 's beheading in case some people haven't studied it? And throughout the thread people are recommending either listening to the soundtrack to have an idea about Alexander Hamilton, or read up on him.
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Post by showoff on Dec 14, 2017 11:12:05 GMT
What happened to people using the spoiler brackets in their posts?? Now I know what happens.... cheers. Oh s**t that's my fault. Didn't think. Really sorry. I'll remove it. Too late now I know. Is it really a spoiler when it's a historical fact?
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Post by showoff on Dec 12, 2017 19:21:32 GMT
I think it depends - I find that most theatres/producers now are relax about patrons taking pictures before the show starts. My Instagram account is basically me holding a ticket or Playbill right in front of my camera with the stage behind it. I only recall Groundhog Day (in London) being very strict about it- otherwise it's been years since I've asked to stop taking a picture BEFORE the show starts. Funny girl were very much against it, telling everyone before they sat down to not take photos. Well, actually they started out telling people they couldn't take selfies, I didn't understand that to mean photos of the stage, she saw me taking one and told me not to, and I explained that maybe they should say no photos of the stage, because I just thought they didn't want everyone taking selfies.
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Post by showoff on Dec 11, 2017 17:08:16 GMT
Hi, would you be able to tell me which dates are available please? It's very odd - if you search through Chrome, like others have said, it doesn't give you a 'pick your seat' option, AND on the dates I can see there are multiple seats available, the search for tickets at that price level says 'none available'. I thought it was weird, so I opened both Chrome and Explorer, and did the same search at the same time. Explorer says tickets are available, Chrome won't show any non-premium seats. In May and June, there are multiple dates (many weekday performances and several weekend ones) with both premium and standard seats available, but the Chrome searches don't show them. Is it a bug in the system, or a very odd method of withholding tickets?! I'm wondering if there are slight issues with Ticketmaster, as I went through the entire booking process on Explorer, ticked the box to complete the purchase, and got an error message. However, when I went back into my account details, the tickets were sitting there, clearly bought and paid for! As I don't really know what's going on with this, I'd just suggest you use Internet Explorer, and do some trial searches for dates you'd like to book for. I opened a couple of tabs, searched one at a time, and then compared what was there for each date, and selected the best option for me. I can't work out if the seats are ones the theatre withheld to the new booking period they started last month, or if these are a lot of returns, from touts realising that the hassle of trying to bypass a decently watertight security system is too much trouble, and they're cutting their losses and swallowing the £3 admin fee for returned tickets - so new tickets are showing up now! Thanks for this, it seems like they have a bit of a bug in their system, especially if your tickets were not available and then in your account. I'll have to see, I don't know if I can get IE as I'm on a chromebook, but there may well be a way. I'll have a google! Thank you.
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Post by showoff on Dec 11, 2017 16:01:02 GMT
Royal Box C is on the left, further from the stage of the two boxes. I would think it has a better view than the one closer to the stage. You miss everything that happens on the stairs on the left, which isn't a huge amount I am guessing. I would recommend the boxes on the right, since very little happens there. Thanks for that - I think I might book one of the right hand boxes, as I've spotted quite a few have opened up later in the run, and I've only booked 3 out of my 6 allowed tickets so far! I wonder if the new booking period (soon?) will also reset everyone's allowances (will there still be a restriction on the number of tickets people can book)? Hi, would you be able to tell me which dates are available please?
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Post by showoff on Dec 9, 2017 17:21:05 GMT
Just saw on the website, there were/are 6 £32 Grand Circle seats, 1 £47 Dress Circle seat and 4 £79 Stalls seats for this afternoon! Snatch them up if they haven't gone already! Where is this? Is it on the website where it says book tickets and leads you to ticketmaster? I know they won't be there now, but wondering where to look. Thanks.
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Post by showoff on Dec 9, 2017 7:46:20 GMT
Yes I found the curtain call peculiarly short as well. Maybe they were overrunning. They could've definitely milked it with ensemble bows followed by minor characters followed by supporting characters etc... Was the kind of curtain call you'd get at a 300 seat venue after a nothing-more-than-adequate play I believe this is the same curtain call they do on Broadway, it must be as written and directed.
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Post by showoff on Dec 8, 2017 16:30:52 GMT
Oh, and I've never heard Leslie lisp. I can't hear it at all. 44:10 here: Is this it or is there more? Because I really cannot hear any lisp, I can hear that because it's towards the end of a heavier song for him the 'S's may not be very crisp, but I think you can see the same in a lot of other instances of people saying a lot of 'S' words in one go. This isn't a lisp as such a way as I would say 'he has a lisp', whereas with Giles you can hear it right away.
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Post by showoff on Dec 8, 2017 13:30:17 GMT
Good LORD, if no one was "not listening to the song, you're waiting for the lisp in a way" before, they will be now. Is it possible people could talk maybe a little more about the show rather than homing in on one comparatively tiny aspect that has been discussed so much already that it's beginning to feel a little mean-spirited? I don't see it as being mean spirited, the delivery of the songs are always up for debate, and yes,it's quite noticeable, there's nothing to be done, but I really don't see why it can't at least be discussed. There was only a couple of posts about it, are we to leave talking about it because it's a speech impediment, whereas if someone was mispronouncing something we could talk about it all the time? Oh, and I've never heard Leslie lisp. I can't hear it at all.
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Post by showoff on Dec 8, 2017 11:37:05 GMT
I've just had a listen of The Schulyer Sisters from the first preview, all three girls sound in great voice and a few more performances, will be phenomenal. Giles... yeah. I don't mean to be rude, but based on that song alone, its not good really is it. Never seen him in anything or heard his voice. Obviously its not his fault, but his lisping is a real distraction, and takes away from the lyrics and song. I feel awful saying that because that is something he can't help (although I would of thought there would be someone backstage to help him through that). Maybe we were just spoilt with Leslie on the Cast Recording or maybe its just one of those performances you have to be there for. I'm reserving judgement of him until I see the show, however the female cast are the main reason for my going, and they sound great, so at least I won't wait away dissapointed! Yeah the girls sound really great. It's just a bit off putting, so you're not listening to the song, you're waiting for the lisp in a way. The trouble is, he has some songs that include words where is sounds bad, in wait for it, the way he says Theodosia isn't great, but then he also has Dear Theodosia as another song. Like you say, maybe Leslie spoilt it because he pitches it perfect and it's so easy and smooth, but it's a bit of a distraction.
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Post by showoff on Dec 8, 2017 10:56:03 GMT
Would love the link to listen If you go on tumblr, in the search bar type in Hamilton London and a few different songs will come up including the Sisters, Wait for it, and even one of Guns and Ships, which I think was quite well handled considering how it was tailored to Daveed's very specific skills.
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Post by showoff on Dec 8, 2017 10:43:49 GMT
Its quite strange to see that Giles has been recieving somewhat mixed reception for his portrayal, whereas Leslie on Broadway (correct me if I'm wrong), gained near universal acclaim and a Tony Award for his performance in the show. Leslie has such a smooth voice and an ease to him which the role is made for. I just listened to the link of Giles in the Schuyler Sisters and it's quite distracting and almost clumsy. Maybe it's better live and you can forget about it, but it wasn't pleasing to the ears as Leslie is. It's strange because I do feel the show rests on Burr as he's always present and the narrator of the show. I find it odd they would choose him.
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Post by showoff on Dec 8, 2017 10:02:56 GMT
Interval and it's totally amazing. Is Lin here tonight? Already spotted Cammy. He is here. Not a massive fan of Mr Terera as Burr so far, mainly because of his lisp, which – in this show – is quite unfortunate. He struggles with the wordy parts (so basically 90% of the score). Great staging, still not sold on the cast as a whole, but it’s definitely worth seeing. Wait, what? The actor who plays Burr has a lisp? I've never seen him anything, how does that work then? There's a lot of 'S' words in there. I had a vision of the Only Fools and Horses episode and Crwying.
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Post by showoff on Dec 8, 2017 9:59:55 GMT
Fantastic review, as are all of them, thank you to all for sharing your experiences from last night. I was looking at the side boxes, I've never used one, but feel they would be good for me with my requirements. Can I ask, was it the rear royal V&A box you was in? And it says rear, but is it positioned at the front? Thanks for any answer on this. Hi! No we were in the royal circle at the front. There are 3 boxes, The closest to the stage are not for sale as these house speakers which are covered with mesh so just look like an empty box but are speakers. Then 1 large box, which is split into 2, its hard to explain but makes sense once you are in there. Ill post a picture from my phone now. Thanks, that's good. I was only confused as they were called rear boxes, so wondered how that was, but it seems they're just the normal boxes.
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Post by showoff on Dec 7, 2017 18:31:30 GMT
Tibidabo there is one way that I suspect is the only way that it'll work. Definitely breaks all the rules though so I'm not sure if you'd want to try it. When your daughter joins the queue, she'll be checked that her faces matches the photo ID, and that the name on the photo ID matches the card. At this point they don't check the confirmation (or didn't for me at least), so if she were to show her own ID and payment card she should be able to pass. Between here and the front doors she'll need to switch her card for yours, so that that is the one that they swipe to release the ticket. Again, at this point they didn't ask to see the ID or confirmation. As I say if definitely breaks the rules, and in line with their T&Cs they could refuse entry, but I can see it working if you were to give it a try. Of course this wouldn't work for secondary market sellers as there's no way anyone is going to give their card to a random person! That's quite risky, and runs the risk of none of them getting to see the show.
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Post by showoff on Dec 7, 2017 18:29:36 GMT
Given the reselling that went on for the Broadway production, I think this system had to be implemented and shows do have problems with touts, Potter had tickets being sold for £1000s and I suspect if Nimax and ATG had a similar system in place, they would use it and if Hamilton's method works then I could see it being implemented elsewhere Completely get that, and thats fine. I just personally find it a bit meh, but thats just me. If there were something I think that is good about it, is that Harry Potter and Hamilton are two of the hottest shows, if not, the hottest shows in London to get a ticket for. It also makes it a hotspot or target for some of the actions currently facing the country sadly. In that respect, I'm glad for the sake of safety and security of the performers, staff and audience. I actually think my main issue is this barrier to stop people leaving the front of the theatre apart from having a cigarette or having a breather. If I wanna go for a short walk or go to a cashpoint, who are they to stop me? They can search me again if they want when I come back in. That, for me, is ridiculous. I do agree about the leaving thing, but otherwise, I really like the system, the only thing is gifts, and you could just gift people the cash to buy them, or theatre vouchers. I like that this means touts will not drive up the prices, and it seems the fairest way to do it. I think they could solve the not going out thing with maybe stamping people's hands when you go in if you want to go out. I guess it must be quite hard for the smokers in the audience, or no, just saw you'er allowed to smoke. Oh well, it's really not that big of a deal to stay inside for the duration.
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Post by showoff on Dec 7, 2017 17:36:37 GMT
stuartmcd, how would it work if I went to collect the tickets and then gave them (along with my credit card) to my daughter and her friend to enter the auditorium? I can't work it out from what people are saying - it almost looks like I'll be held prisoner inside the theatre until the show is over! Actually, as long as the two of them can get in, a book in the bar until the show is over would be fine by me! How many tickets do you have? Two? If you only have two then only yourself and one other person will be allowed into the building. It might be worth contacting them to see if you can go with them to print the tickets and then they enter the building but if this is allowed you would then have to leave the theatre. I don't know how old your daughter is but the website does say that anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. If you only have two tickets then only two people are getting in. They are very strict with this. If you bought them with your card, you will need to see the show. You can't even gift them, it says on the website if you are wanting to gift them then give cash and let them buy them with their own card. There's zero allowance for it, because if they let you, they'll let another person who is doing it to tout them.
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Post by showoff on Dec 7, 2017 17:33:00 GMT
Just back. Can say that whilst you may miss a very very very small side of the set, the view from royal circle box b at 47 quid a ticket is an absoloute steal compared with other prices in the theatre for not as good a view and to be so close with a view of both the stage and audience was amazing! The show is in amazing shape for a first preview, although having seen an extremely polished performance in Chicago this September, there is a little bit of refining and tightening up to do but way beyond what a first preview should look like so only praise is intended! Giles is incredible in this role, and owning it already. Rachel John and Rachelle Ann Go were both awesome, and Jason Pennycook was also a brilliant performer who really stole his moments. Michael Jibson I thought needed to milk Youll Be Back a little more the first time, but was very good none the less. Some of the little touches and attention to detail really did make all the difference including one moment where Eliza broke my heart with a movement of her hand and I let out a little sob - I dont know how to insert spoilers yet so just in case no one has heard the cast recording or seen it (can this be possible?) I wont give the full details. I also want to give credit to the VP staff and ticketing system. Incredibly friendly, helpful, and enthusiastic. Ticketing was a breeze and dare I say the way forward for all theatre and concert events moving forward! I've queued longer at McDonalds. I will post a picture of the view from my seat shortly. I believe this is ok as there were hundreds of people taking pictures and videos of the set quite clearly with flash etc before the show began and ushers did not stop or make any announcements. Apart from 1 rogue flash towards the very beginning of the show from the mid stalls, the audience were impeccably behaved but to be expected for a first preview and for a show that getting tickets is like winning the lottery - literally in some cases! Fantastic review, as are all of them, thank you to all for sharing your experiences from last night. I was looking at the side boxes, I've never used one, but feel they would be good for me with my requirements. Can I ask, was it the rear royal V&A box you was in? And it says rear, but is it positioned at the front? Thanks for any answer on this.
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Post by showoff on Dec 7, 2017 16:44:52 GMT
So where to begin with tonight's experience. Like I previously said, the ticketing system worked great and it did not take me long at all to get into the Theatre. I arrived at around 6:15 so quite earlyish so I don't know if this changed as time went on. And it was a good job I got there early as the merchandise queue was a bit crazy. I probably had to wait about 20 minutes but by the time I had got to the front the queue had looped round and back again. There was another merchandise stand upstairs but I don't know if that was a similar situation. The Theatre looks great but there's definitely a few things that needs to be finished off. There was an area near the merchandise stand that had a little sign up to apologise for not being finished. There was definitely a smell of fresh paint. And then to the show itself which was incredible. I loved the cast recording but this show needs to be SEEN. The design and detail that goes into every little move is amazing. It's a show where every element works hand in hand from the sound design and lighting to the choreography. And the cast were perfect. To be honest I would probably recommend everyone to stop listening to the Broadway recording as the Original Broadway Cast these guys are not. Particularly want to mention Giles Terera who is going to win every award going. Happy to go into detail about anything people are interested in. Is this in a good way?
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Post by showoff on Nov 26, 2017 22:17:39 GMT
Potter was one I had to book because I'm a fan of the books and film and it was worth the stress of doing that booking crush although that was nothing compared to booking A Streetcar named Desire at the Young Vic! Oh I'm a massive Potter fan too, but weirdly was decidedly 'meh' about the whole thing- I did want to see it but didn't care when my ticket buying friend got them a year from then. Streetcar was an unholy nightmare- nearly broke my faultless Gillian on stage record with that. I'm a huge fan of the books, but that made me not want to see the play, because to me it wasn't the same thing, it wasn't even written by JK Rowling, it feels more like fanfiction for me. I do really want to see Hamilton though, but I was late to jumping aboard the fandom, I listened to it a bit last year but didn't think much of it, then this year I really fell into enjoying it. I haven't booked tickets yet, I'm in no real rush to be one of the first, and I'll see about tickets at another date.
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Post by showoff on Nov 5, 2017 22:35:57 GMT
Heard a rumour today that this was returning to London next year, possibly with Sheridan Smith. No idea if will turn out to be true or not. Wondered if anyone else had heard rumblings of this? I adore this show when done well, so really hope it's true, but not with Sheridan, I'm just not a fan, her voice is nowhere near as good as people make it out to be/she thinks, I just can't get on with it.
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Post by showoff on Oct 19, 2017 14:11:18 GMT
I belong to the 'Up in the cheap seats' meetup group. Everyone is friendly and relaxed and again you just buy your own ticket, sit where you like and meetup before/afterwards. It's also handy to join whether you attend or not because sometimes they post cheap deals you might not know about! www.meetup.com/Up-in-the-cheap-seats/Thank you, that's really good to know. I've seen that group too and wondered about joining it, there's so many shows to choose from there too.
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Post by showoff on Oct 19, 2017 14:03:19 GMT
Hello, I'm the lady who runs the matinée theatre group, thanks for your kind words on here, and yes, feel free to join 😃 Hello. I only just now saw your reply, so sorry for the late reply. I definitely will join your group. I'm only waiting as I cannot find my usb to connect my camera to upload a photo!
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Post by showoff on Oct 10, 2017 18:20:27 GMT
Yes, that's actually one of the groups I was looking at myself to join. How do you find it? Enjoyable? Do you sit in different places, then meet up afterwards? I'm sorry to hear about your ex though, but that's the way to go, living better and all that! I have had quite bad health, I've got connective tissue disorders which have messed up my health severely and effected energy levels. Sadly it had a big impact on my social life too, because I just couldn't keep up with people! So I thought I would look into things I enjoy for groups. The only thing is I would be a little nervous to join!!!! This particular group is lovely, I've been to, I think, 4 or 5 shows with them - it's relaxed and friendly. We've met up before the show, in the interval, afterwards - it is, truly, very relaxed; if you don't want to stop after there's no problem. The "leader" puts where her seat is and sometimes people will sit near her, or other places. I saw The Kite Runner earlier this year with them and had something to eat after. Some of the shows I don't fancy, more often than not I've bought a ticket for something before she puts up the date she's set - give it a bash, you've nothing to lose! That's really good to hear. I'll definitely give them a go, or at least a look to see if they are arranging anything I fancy. It's a nice idea, the meetings at the theatre, I'm glad you enjoy them.
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Post by showoff on Oct 10, 2017 13:52:48 GMT
Theatre Matinee Group on meetup, seeing Apologia with them on Saturday. Lovely lady runs it. She goes for the cheap seats but it's not like we sit together, she'll give a show and date, and we meet up and chat after. I love the meetups, saved my (social) life after I split from the bh (b*st*rd husb*nd). Yes, that's actually one of the groups I was looking at myself to join. How do you find it? Enjoyable? Do you sit in different places, then meet up afterwards? I'm sorry to hear about your ex though, but that's the way to go, living better and all that! I have had quite bad health, I've got connective tissue disorders which have messed up my health severely and effected energy levels. Sadly it had a big impact on my social life too, because I just couldn't keep up with people! So I thought I would look into things I enjoy for groups. The only thing is I would be a little nervous to join!!!!
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Post by showoff on Oct 10, 2017 13:45:53 GMT
There was a time when you had things like the Theatregoers group of Great Britain etc. All of it fell away, mostly I think due to cost and logistics. With cost, the members were mostly senior - and realised that they could get a far better ticket price deal going alone than with the group. With logistics, for a company to make money it has to take people to theatres regularly. Since theatre for most people isn't a regular activity, it's very hard to sustain a business doing it. Finally, as us group organisers know, the rates and seats offered are terrible these days and getting a coach into London is difficult. I gave up 2 years ago and won't organise another for sure. I think some of the groups you can get your ticket on your own, as you say senior or other people with concessions can get better deals, but it can be an event where you make your own way there, and get your own ticket, but meet up afterwards or something and all got to the same show.
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Post by showoff on Oct 10, 2017 13:43:34 GMT
I've never actually heard of these! Interesting idea, I think some people dislike going to theatre alone and would really appreciate it. Past experience suggests most of us on here are a bit 'Lone Wolf' in our theatre-going so wouldn't want to partake. But I think a meetup to discuss shows is a great idea! (I make it sound like we're really unsociable but a lot of us regularly meet up, we just do it more by accident than design) Yes, there are quite a few of them out there on sites like meetup, so there's quite a bit of choice out there too. I know what you mean though, some people just like to go and do things by themselves, certain things I do too, I can be a bit of a lone wolf too, there's something about being on your own and just not having to do something to fit in with others wants from time to time, just eating where you want and not bothering if someone else is running late! But I thought I would throw out some feelers on here.
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Post by showoff on Oct 9, 2017 18:15:28 GMT
I was wondering if any members here belonged to any groups that went to the theatre, like book clubs, but for the theatre.
I've seen a few online and wondered if anyone had any experience with them, and where better to ask then here?
It will be interesting to see what people make of them.
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