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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 18, 2018 22:07:45 GMT
The King and I is on after Oklahoma at 13:30 on Channel 5 on Christmas Eve too.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 16, 2018 17:09:01 GMT
The main one - Hamilton. The main issue - laughing! There's a few moments where you would smile, or maybe a little laugh but in the main it is not a comedy. But people around me were in loud hysterics at every 'joke,' immediately, sometimes a fraction before the 'punchline' was delivered. To me that created an atmosphere of 'we know the show and we know it backwards and this is our club. That aside, a good musical, but nowhere near the hype. Oddly I would have enjoyed it much more in a half empty theatre. I loved Hamilton, but I did enjoy it more the second time round, when the audience was more muted. The first time was very shortly after opening, and the audience was clearly full of super-fans, as you say, in hysterics at every mildly funny part or laughing ahead of the joke. The second time was more recently, with a much more relaxed audience, and less of the feeling you describe of not being in the club.
I think I'm right in saying that early performances had an extra bar of silence factored in after the first 'Alexander Hamilton' to wait for cheers to die down, which didn't happen on my second visit.
I still really enjoyed the show on both occasions, but I totally get where you're coming from. And it's the reason I didn't even bother going to see Heathers, as the descriptions of audience behaviour both here and on Twitter put me off.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 16, 2018 17:01:23 GMT
I always found them boring when watching them in the films or recorded performances, but was absolutely entranced watching the ballet when I saw Carousel last year.
I also love the ballet in The King and I, mainly because it's absolutely bonkers. I'm also quite happy to just sit and listen to that track on the CD too.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 11, 2018 23:21:15 GMT
Booking period extended to APRIL 2019 now. Why just one month? They did similar last time too. Just quietly added July, before going all big on the announcement of the following few months going on sale.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 11, 2018 23:06:06 GMT
FABULOUS. One of the best things I've seen all year.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 4, 2018 21:56:09 GMT
Saw this tonight - so charming, lovely piece, well worth a watch. Bronté Barbé in particular is fab (though admittedly does get the best songs too).
Agree about the drum sound, and I think that's just a problem with being relatively close to the band in a small space (though at least the drums and piano are at the back rather than at the side like it was at Children of Eden. Are the performers amplified? They had mics, but they didn't sound amplified. Declan in particular was quite drowned out on the louder numbers, while Bronté's voice came through a bit better.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 4, 2018 21:45:17 GMT
I saw this on Sunday. A fun and quirky show that appealed to the geek in me and the fact that I like to support new British musicals where I can😉 Good to visit a new venue too, chatting to staff it's only been open a year, so hope it finds its niche. Sounds like we were at the same show
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 4, 2018 21:39:23 GMT
Something that sounds like a parody, but... the man next to me at Striking 12 tonight was breathing so loud!! I could hear him over the music!
He fell asleep about two thirds of the way through, which actually helped. I didn't bother trying to wake him.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 3, 2018 21:52:59 GMT
A couple with two young boys at Fanatical yesterday, both about seven or so I'd guess. Both had come dressed in superhero outfits, as the publicity encourages, and were absolutely entranced during the first half as they sat on the front row.
When I came back in from the interval the family had moved, sitting where I'd been sitting (free seating, and not especially full), on the other side and on the fourth row, which is the first that's raised. Which was clearly a mistake, as once they were away from the front, both boys were distracted, crawling under seats to get to the front, being dragged from underneath by the dad, then going and sitting on two seats on the back row at the top and chatting away - dad kept going back to them to tell them to be quiet, then leaving them, then they'd talk, repeat etc. I don't really understand why they moved, as they seemed to be enjoying it at the front.
Thankfully when I'd seen them in 'my' seats I'd moved to the other side (into the empty seats on the second row behind where they'd been, giving me a clear view of the stage), so I was away from the talking, but because of the layout could still see everything going on through the corner of my eye.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 3, 2018 21:45:37 GMT
Couldn't find a thread for this despite the fact it's near the end of its run, which I suppose suggests I might be the only one here who's seen this?
Well, that should change. I went to this yesterday and thought it was absolutely great! Do try and catch it before it closes, especially recommended for those like me with a sci-fi nerd inside them! Some cleverly observed humour that's never mean, excellent performances by a really hard-working cast, and some stand-out numbers.
A shame it's out at the Playground Theatre - or rather, a shame the Playground is all the way out at Latimer Road. It's a really cool space actually, and the sound is good too, with friendly staff and a nice cafe on the front. But being in such an out-of-the-way location can't be helping sales. But worth the trek!
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Dec 3, 2018 21:14:11 GMT
Fab evening, indeed. Hugely engaging storyteller in Claude-Michel himself, a deeply interested interviewer, and stunning performances. Glad I caught it.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Nov 27, 2018 22:40:01 GMT
Saw this at the afternoon matinee today. A few very high points, a couple of great songs, but in all, over-long and bordering on tedious in parts. I loved Wait For Me. I loved Why We Build the Wall. I loved Doubt Comes In. I loved the entire last 20 minutes, when I finally started to care about Orpheus and Eurydice and all these people. But before that? No. No character motivation and over-long, uninteresting songs. I feel it has potential - it just needs tightening up, some songs shortening/cutting and others adding to flesh out the plot and the characters, especially early on. But the look and the staging of it is great {Spoiler - click to view} (I loved the lights flying in, and the use of the turntable and the 'drop' is really good) , and the performances are good, though some of the actors are doing their best with under-written parts.
2.5 stars out of 5.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Nov 16, 2018 14:27:57 GMT
Booking tickets for this for next year and could do with a little advice.
Last year I sat up near the back of the dress circle. View was good from up there, but obviously you're a bit distant so don't really get faces. I'm considering for 2019 going for the side stalls (the third price ones closer to the edge). Can anyone offer any thoughts on those seats, compared to being up the circle? Obviously they're closer, but are they too side-on? I can't really remember if this production plays very 'out' on to the thrust or not.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Nov 3, 2018 21:05:11 GMT
I suppose often it will depend if it's a central aisle seat or an side aisle seat. I got a dayseat for Miss Saigon late in the run which wasn't front-row, it was at the side, which meant it was slightly restricted view. At the interval, someone a few seats down asked to swap with me because they needed to get out quickly. I agreed, as the seat I was moving into had a much better view, so we both won. Both were side aisle. I've had the "I need to get away" trick too, as in "I need to get away from the large / tall / smelly / noisy person beside / in front / behind me, so I'm trying that one on the chump at the end, hoping he hasn't clocked it." I choose seats deliberately, and I'm not going to move. If I did have a disruption problem in the seat I've chosen, well, that's that house managers and their held seats are for, isn't it. I suppose not everyone does choose seats deliberately. For some (like me in the Miss Saigon case), it might just be what you're given.
I generally don't think there's any harm in asking someone to swap seats, as long as you ask nicely and accept gracefully when someone says no.
Though as you say, if the reason you want to swap is an irritating person, talk to the house manager.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Nov 3, 2018 17:47:19 GMT
TWICE in a row, someone asks if I want to change places with them so that they can take my carefully chosen aisle seat. IF YOU WANT AN AISLE SEAT, BOOK ONE. And for the record, no way am I trading when I had the good fortune of both the seat in front, and the seat in front of that, empty. Is it possible that sometimes these people think they're doing you a favour?
I suppose often it will depend if it's a central aisle seat or an side aisle seat. I got a dayseat for Miss Saigon late in the run which wasn't front-row, it was at the side, which meant it was slightly restricted view. At the interval, someone a few seats down asked to swap with me because they needed to get out quickly. I agreed, as the seat I was moving into had a much better view, so we both won.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Nov 2, 2018 22:43:22 GMT
So this was glorious, and the cast are sublime. Do go and see it tomorrow if you can.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Oct 5, 2018 22:31:41 GMT
I saw this on Tuesday night, and I'm afraid I don't share the prevailing opinions on here. Thought it was quite mediocre really, and didn't really know what it wanted to be. Elements of pastiche of other shows, elements playing it relatively straight, elements playing for comedy. I expected a wafer thin plot, and I can cope with that if it's propping up a bunch of good songs, but it isn't here. A couple of excellent songs (the last two, in particular), and some very forgettable ones.
The (very annoyingly chatty, but quite astute) girls behind me said that it felt like a workshopping production, both in terms of the music and songs, and the way it was slightly shambolically staged, and they were right. It felt unfinished and shoddy, could do with some cutting, re-writing, and someone to actually write some endings to the songs, many of which just fade away or get interrupted.
Excellent cast for the most part (though I hated the guy playing Lord Hector), the standout is clearly Laura Baldwin, who draws the eye every time she's on stage.
I'm glad it's doing well, and is getting a transfer - I'm actually quite intrigued to see how it works on a bigger stage, it felt very cramped, and the stage design with the stairs did it no favours - but overall not for me.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Aug 28, 2018 20:24:49 GMT
This tweet on their twitter channel shows the same thing too:
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Jul 31, 2018 20:28:04 GMT
Saw this for the second time last night, and I loved it even more than the first time. It's just gorgeous, and Kelli O'Hara is wonderful. The whole cast is excellent, really, and it's just such a good show - the only slightly weak link is Dean John Wilson's acting, but that's more than made up for by the chest.
Got an interesting 'upgrade' on tickets - bought stalls L40 and L41 on TodayTix rush tickets, when I collected them they were actually L32 and 33. I didn't notice until we were going into the auditorium, so we decided to just sit there, and noticed that there was a large group across L38 to L44. I wonder what happened, maybe they sold our tickets twice by accident? Either way, nice little upgrade into what are technically premium seats, with an excellent view of DJW's nipples.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Jul 16, 2018 20:45:30 GMT
Depends where you are, I'd guess. I was in the Grand Circle slips and there was airconditioning blowing directly on us from behind, it was properly cold!
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Jul 12, 2018 11:54:15 GMT
Looking forward to seeing this for the second time tonight. The first time, I went in completely cold, whereas now I am minutely familiar with the soundtrack. I'm looking forward to quite a different experience, being able to take in every element of the performances and staging.
Edit: just seeing on West End Covers that Ash is on all this week - will be interesting to see a different Hamilton from the first time too.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Jun 26, 2018 22:14:02 GMT
It would seem odd to bring this into the West End when it did a run at Wimbledon already, as part of the tour, which didn't sell particularly well.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Apr 15, 2018 13:41:44 GMT
Saw this on Friday night, and was very pleasantly surprised, I really quite enjoyed it. I honestly wasn't expecting much from it, but it has great performances, it's genuinely very funny and - most importantly - it has good songs!
It's certainly not flawless - it's unfortunately impossible to do a parody of a horrible screechy stage brat without having some horrible screechy stage brat songs. That's not a criticism against the young actress who was playing Tina, who was excellent (with the exception of one song, it does have to be said), playing the role to an absolute tee, and with great comic timing. But it does mean some of the songs can be quite wearing, and the whole show is very 'full on' in general.
The audience seemed to really enjoy it too, despite for the most part not getting a lot of the references (I laughed very loudly at 'Sing out Louise' before realising I was the only one laughing), so I think it can be enjoyed on different levels. It's a good show for the Friday night party crowd, but there's plenty there for the more discerning musicals fan too.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Apr 14, 2018 11:34:35 GMT
The matinee was very full of seniors which showed me that I’m probably not in the show’s target audience (I’m 17) Midweek matinees are almost always full of seniors, so I don't think that's any indication. I've only ever seen evening performances of this, but although this one does skew old, it's mixed, and there are definitely younger Danny Mac fans who attend. Forgot to say before, the Wimbledon audience very really well behaved (just one phone going off during the finale, but at least it was way upstairs out of the way). I was sat right behind this woman - her phone went off FOUR times, at least. First time, she ended the call and shoved it down into her handbag. Second time she got it right out and tried to turn it off, but I could see from behind her that she hadn't managed to actually turn it off. So obviously it rang again. And then again. I very nearly grabbed it off her and turned it off, but she got it back in her handbag in time. I didn't have the heart to actually say anything to her afterwards, she seemed very shaken up by the whole thing and was clearly punishing herself enough without me having a go! I thoroughly enjoyed the show though, thought it was absolutely superb. Danny Mac really surprised me, I thought he was excellent, and Ria Jones is similarly really good - early on I thought she verged close to caricature, but later on she really captured the emotion of the part. It's staged fantastically (especially for a touring production), and a particularly highlight is As If We Never Said Goodbye in that regard. Not very full though, sadly. I was in the Dress Circle, in those Row K seats that are weirdly cheap at Wimbledon, so about halfway back, and there was nobody behind us apart from four people in the very back row. And nobody in the sides at all.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Mar 26, 2018 21:50:35 GMT
I'm still disappointed I never got to see Beauty and the Beast, and hope it can come back in some form, as the cast recording is gorgeous. The only 'proper' Disney musical I've actually seen is Aladdin, which was underwhelming - if we're counting Pinocchio I'd rate that higher.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Mar 25, 2018 11:12:16 GMT
I actually rather liked Mairi Barclay as the grandmother, yes she was way too young but it fitted in with the whole idea of the show and ensemble playing it as a theatre troupe. And she was delightfully funny. Agreed, I thought she was excellent as the grandmother, very funny, and it really worked. In contrast, I didn't think she worked at all as the stepmother - didn't have the right kind of presence for it, and her bizarre accent kept coming and going. And also, it just seemed a weird choice to have the same actress doubling up on two roles that are so close together in the show - is this standard?
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Feb 20, 2018 9:31:25 GMT
I've never seen the film, so can't comment on that, I'm afraid.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Feb 19, 2018 22:35:47 GMT
Saw this tonight in its first preview. It was... fine. It's oddly lifeless and felt like a long two hours. The second half is better than the disjointed and slow first half, and it does suffer from the twin Charing Cross curse of actor/musicians and performers pushing bits of scenery about.
That said, it has some lovely moments, and some quite funny ones (it's all a bit 'gentle humour' though, and probably not quite as funny as it thinks it is). Sheila Hancock and Bill Milner both give excellent performances though, and Rebecca Caine is brilliant.
The ending was touching, but overall it was all a bit flat for me, both in the actual experience and the final impression - a bit 'what's the point?'
2.5 stars.
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Chess
Feb 16, 2018 22:14:36 GMT
Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Feb 16, 2018 22:14:36 GMT
^Rail in view, and you can lose the front of the stage. Also, if anyone leans in A, you are in big trouble. Ok, sounds as if it is then! Thanks. It really depends where you are in B too. The rail itself into too obstructive, but the upright supports are quite wide, and it's those that would block your view if you were unfortunate enough to get behind one.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Feb 15, 2018 21:20:18 GMT
That surprises me, as the program does credit a number of understudies (though most of them understudy two parts). What surprised me more though, is that they are all credited as 'ensemble' - but there is nobody else on stage other than the Moes, plus the main character. Are they singing off-stage? Or...?
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