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Post by orchestrator on May 21, 2017 13:49:37 GMT
Although your average Joe may not be able to put a technically term to chromatic scales and diminished sevenths "blah blah. Yawn yawn" but they can still feel the psychology of the score Maybe so, but ALW's shows are still more popular than Sondheim's. This means your average Joe must like his shows more. What’s your point? Never mind the quality, feel the width?
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Post by orchestrator on May 20, 2017 10:30:40 GMT
Except that he’s kinda failed at giving them what they want with most of his recent shows. So does that mean he’s been trying to be better than “The McDonalds of Musical Theatre”? You might as well say that pop music is better than classical music because more people like it. Or The Mousetrap is better than Hamlet, it’s been running for 62 years. It's not like Sondheim has been giving people what they want either. Also, the Mousetrap/Hamlet comparison doesn't add up, because they were written hundreds of years apart, while Sondheim and Webber were at their prime around the same time. Scratch Hamlet and insert Waiting For Godot. Is Christie to be commended for giving people what they want over Beckett who insisted on aiming higher? The thing about Sondheim compared with ALW is that, apart from Joseph which was written as a show for schools to do, Sondheims show are and will continue to be performed at every level, professional, college, high school, amdram, whereas no one will even know that Beautiful Game, Jeeves, Love Never Dies, Woman In White, the most recent one, even exist in 30 years time.
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Post by orchestrator on May 19, 2017 22:52:06 GMT
I’m guessing you mean exalt, not exult or exhort. Weird biblical word to use about any composer. I think there are plenty of Americans who don’t “get” Sondheim. I’d go so far as to say the proportion of Brits that “get” him is higher! ALW has had a great knack for giving the public what they want and real bravery in choosing his subjects. Some of his melodies are stirring. His middle-8s are often a let-down, even in Memory, and he doesn’t really write with an understanding of the human singing voice, as shown by the melodies which shift octaves including that song that was in Beautiful Game and then appeared in the Phantom sequel. He doesn’t really understand chromaticism, which is why the Phantom “theme” is believably a steal: “Listen to this, guys, I’ve gone chromatic!”. I’m not an expert in ALW but the worst song I know by him is The Holly And The Ivy from WIW. I think the main point is that he's giving people what they want. For me that's what's most important, because at the end of the day theatre is supposed to entertain people. And that's what ALW (usually) does. Except that he’s kinda failed at giving them what they want with most of his recent shows. So does that mean he’s been trying to be better than “The McDonalds of Musical Theatre”? You might as well say that pop music is better than classical music because more people like it. Or The Mousetrap is better than Hamlet, it’s been running for 62 years.
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Post by orchestrator on May 19, 2017 6:42:02 GMT
if Webber was American they would exhalt him. I’m guessing you mean exalt, not exult or exhort. Weird biblical word to use about any composer. I think there are plenty of Americans who don’t “get” Sondheim. I’d go so far as to say the proportion of Brits that “get” him is higher! ALW has had a great knack for giving the public what they want and real bravery in choosing his subjects. Some of his melodies are stirring. His middle-8s are often a let-down, even in Memory, and he doesn’t really write with an understanding of the human singing voice, as shown by the melodies which shift octaves including that song that was in Beautiful Game and then appeared in the Phantom sequel. He doesn’t really understand chromaticism, which is why the Phantom “theme” is believably a steal: “Listen to this, guys, I’ve gone chromatic!”. I’m not an expert in ALW but the worst song I know by him is The Holly And The Ivy from WIW.
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Post by orchestrator on Apr 22, 2017 21:45:10 GMT
It still works as a period piece. I'm young and I don't even make phone calls. Also most of my friends aren't married nor are we rushing to, some prefer to be single and have lots of dates and one night stands. I didn't understand half the references in Ladies who Lunch. Also alcoholism isn't cool any more, most of the kind of class portrayed in Company are probably on party drugs and cocaine. I seem to remember Adrian Lester’s Robert snorting the white stuff in the Donmar production 20 years ago. My feeling is that unless you’re going to change the lyrics (my service will explain, vodka stinger, Mahjong, Sazerac Slings), change the attitudes to gays, and rewrite the opening “phone tone” guitar riff you’re better off setting it in 1970 than any other time.
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Post by orchestrator on Apr 16, 2017 13:44:22 GMT
Bigger certainly doesn't mean better. The best Follies production I've seen was at the now closed Landor Theatre. A tiny 60 seat theatre with no set, some filmed projections and just a 3 piece band. It was fantastic. I don’t doubt that. But put that production in the Olivier and it would seem thin and underpowered.
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Post by orchestrator on Apr 16, 2017 13:23:50 GMT
Follies with a band of 12? What 12 are you thinking of? And you’d have to pay for new orchestrations and copying. Actually maybe they’re already reducing the band from the commercially available arrangements. It’d sound great with the 3d Opera band.
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Post by orchestrator on Apr 6, 2017 16:46:17 GMT
btw was it me or was one of the songs pretty much 'bang, bang, chitty, chitty, bang, bang?!' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was released in 1968. Half A Sixpence opened in the West End in 1963. If there is a big similarity between Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (the title song of the movie) and Flash, Bang, Wallop! then CCBB is the copy!
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Mame
Mar 20, 2017 16:56:51 GMT
Post by orchestrator on Mar 20, 2017 16:56:51 GMT
Tracey Ullman would be great - with maybe Samantha Spiro as Vera. Is Samantha a bass? I thought she was only a baritone.
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Post by orchestrator on Mar 12, 2017 0:26:22 GMT
Many theatres, West End and regional do bag searches, and this became much more common after the Paris attacks. Obviously they're seeking weapons and any dangerous items, but also hot food and alcohol. Believe it or not, theatres don't stop you taking your own booze in to increase their own sales, they do it because that is what's stipulated by its license. In the same way that you can rarely take your own alcohol into a pub or restaurant, it's no different. Many restaurants allow you to bring your own wine to drink with the meal and they will normally charge “corkage”—this also happens in the boxes at the Royal Albert Hall. I’d be surprised if the licences for theatres forbid audiences drinking their own alcohol although I’m happy to be proved wrong.
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Post by orchestrator on Mar 9, 2017 18:43:25 GMT
So long as no famous comedians are involved I will be happy! Including Mel Brooks?!
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Post by orchestrator on Mar 6, 2017 11:39:12 GMT
The film was definitive. There is nothing more to say, anything further is bound to be a let down and I don't want to put myself through that. Viva Liza Over and out. Liza certainly gave an outstanding performance in the movie. How faithful it was (through no fault of hers, she did what she does best) to the character in the book and the stage musical is less clear. That the producers, writers and directors of the original West End production cast Judi Dench in the role indicate that there are other possible depictions. I always feel that Liza wouldn’t have stayed more than a couple of nights in the Kit Kat Club before either storming out or being talent-spotted for a much better job. The part of Cliff was significantly altered for the movie to fit the Hollywood mores of the time.
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Post by orchestrator on Mar 1, 2017 22:02:23 GMT
Saw it at the Watermill and seem to remember it being rather good. Not saccharine... Worth a go, if you've never seen it. Very lucky. That transferred to the National (think it was a last minute thing, as something got pulled) and went on to win the Olivier, when nominations get announced on Monday for the said award, you will notice standards have dramatically improved. Via Scarborough, I think. The Trevor Nunn Company at the National. Beat The Lion King to win the Olivier for Best New Musical. Nothing to do with Cameron Mackintosh.
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Post by orchestrator on Feb 26, 2017 22:06:07 GMT
I like all of them. I like the fact that whichever show you go to, you're guaranteed the same song just with different words. It's very comforting. It’s the same for me and Shakespeare plays, Picasso paintings and Bach fugues.
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Post by orchestrator on Nov 25, 2016 12:23:30 GMT
Charlie Stemp has said in interviews that he is contracted for a year! Completely standard for actors’ contracts in the West End. Doesn’t mean the show will run for a year. The contracts are one-sided in that the actors have to commit for the whole year but the management can give two weeks notice of closure without penalty.
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Post by orchestrator on Oct 2, 2016 14:56:07 GMT
Live, Laugh, Love really needs the band in a traditional pit [the Conductor tries to cue Ben back in etc.], which would mean the Lyttleton. The revolve would be great, which would mean Olivier. CamMac instigated several dubious changes which I hope are reversed for this; with the exception of Ah, But Underneath which was great for Diana Rigg and could be good for Dee too (easier than Lucy and Jessie ;-) ) Original orchestrations, please.
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Post by orchestrator on Aug 28, 2016 20:48:10 GMT
You are absolutely correct Dawnstar. I saw both productions- The Menier and The Garrick. I actually would mind trying to find a recording with that song on it. I'm not well up on cast recordings but I'm sure there'll be someone on here who knows if it's been recorded. I can't say I found it a memorable song, in fact all I can remember now is the "Silly People" refrain. I was much more impressed by Bang, when I heard it in Putting It Together - especially with Damian Humbley & Caroline Sheen doing a combined tango & vertical seduction! Bang is rather good, although In Praise of Women (which has the same rhythm) is better. I’m not saying Silly People is dreck, just that I’ve never heard a version that convinced me. I love the movie version of Ordinary Mothers (or is it called Glamorous Life?) for Fredrika.
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Post by orchestrator on Jul 27, 2016 13:41:40 GMT
Wonder what it must have sounded like on set. People must have been walking about with cotton wool in their ears. "Ear plugs in guys... It's the duet!" They wouldn’t be singing on set or perhaps just quietly; generally they mimed to playback of a “rough” version of the vocals and orchestra. Once the film was shot and edited the vocals would have been re-recorded in sync with the picture.
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Post by orchestrator on Jun 22, 2016 22:38:01 GMT
It”s not quite the same but when Company opened in London they released a new cast album which was pretty much the original Broadway Cast Album but with Larry Kert replacing Dean Jones’s vocal tracks.
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Post by orchestrator on Jun 21, 2016 19:36:32 GMT
A Weekend In The Country (ALNM) Sunday (SITPWG) The Producers Iolanthe The Mikado
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Post by orchestrator on Jun 9, 2016 21:31:54 GMT
We went to the matinee last Saturday and really enjoyed it. What made us laugh though was that our fifteen year old daughter proclaimed at the interval that 'my school should do a production of this'! Her dad pointed out that they might have to cut rather a lot of references! A couple of days later when we were listening to a recording in the car (an old Ute Lemper version on cassette) she decided that any problems with profanity could be got round by the school (a state school not a million miles from Canning Town) presenting it in German! A few years ago I was tangentially involved in a production by a posh Catholic girls school. #justsayin'
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Post by orchestrator on May 25, 2016 23:46:07 GMT
First, are these the original keys? If so someone should have transposed everything down because it's all way too high for this cast. Even the amazing Rosalie Craig (star of the show) who sings like an angel sounds like she's at the top of her range. Haydn Gwynne, who we know has a beautiful voice, sings mainly in an uncomfortable head voice and sounds hooty and strange. Nick Holder, a natural tenor, does well with Peachum's songs but it's a bit of a struggle for Rory Kinnear who sings, perhaps, better than expected but not as well as the part requires. He flattens a couple of his lunging high notes. And Sharon Small as the iconic Jenny Diver is a disaster. She has three of the score's greatest songs - Surabaya Johnny, Tango and The Solomon Song - and she destroys each of them in turn. The Kurt Weill Estate have always been meticulous in not allowing transpositions of songs. Even though Mrs Weill (Lotte Lenya) used to sing Polly’s songs down an octave in later years. We have to wait 70 years after the death of Brecht before we can do what we like with the music. SURABAYA JOHNNY?? Are you sure this song is in 3PO at the NT? It’s from Happy End. Is “lunging” a typo? I don’t understand …
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Post by orchestrator on May 18, 2016 20:36:17 GMT
The lovey dovey "Sheridan's been so supportive" bit. Let's not forget the fan who promptly got blocked on Twitter by Sheridan for saying Natasha was good in the role. And apart from that I suspect that SS is hugely self-absorbed and not the supportive type. You only have to look at her tweets to see it's all about her. Are you saying that Sheridan saw a random tweet from someone saying Natasha was good in the role and then blocked them, or that this person tweeted ss that Natasha was good in the role and was blocked? If the latter then I think that’s absolutely fair enough—can you imagine someone tweeting @you that someone else was good in the job that you’d created? If the former then it might not be so clear cut what the reason for being blocked was, unless Sheridan tweeted the reason. Can you be a bit more specific?
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Post by orchestrator on Apr 2, 2016 6:39:52 GMT
Not being a native speaker, I hadn't heard of the phrase "to be on the lam" before. Whenever I was watching Wicked, I heard the guard saying either "there's a goat on the lamp" or "there's a goat on the lamb". I only found out about the actual meaning when I happened to attend a subtitled show and read the phrase on one of the displays. Lam is the printed word but it’s a pun—we’re meant to hear “lamb” as well.
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Post by orchestrator on Mar 22, 2016 21:55:02 GMT
Turns out this is from last December. Sorry if it was covered in depth before.
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Post by orchestrator on Mar 22, 2016 21:19:07 GMT
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Post by orchestrator on Mar 17, 2016 0:10:34 GMT
Yes Sheridan Smith has been a very reliable performer - a complete professional in all previous theatrical appearances. Missing the last shows of FG at the Menier must have added to her emotional stress. I'm sure you're referring to both on and off stage? “I’m sure” and your final ? are contradictory.
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Post by orchestrator on Mar 12, 2016 20:23:12 GMT
You are welcome to turn two blind eyes to the racism and sexism of the show, just as everyone here is welcome to love and enjoy their favorite shows, but that gives you no right to insult others. I'm done talking about Miss Saigon and I'm out of this discussion. Good, you are welcome to turn a blind eye on history. Non sequitur.
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Post by orchestrator on Mar 4, 2016 21:53:01 GMT
London, a city of more than 8 million residents and a large number of theatre-going tourists, can cope, I think. I like the Park Theatre but has it ever had an actual hit? I don’t know but the last time I went there, to see a medium-successful 4-hander American play, it was a full house.
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Post by orchestrator on Mar 4, 2016 17:06:00 GMT
So the Park Theatre announce this just as the NT are doing the Threepenny Opera just as they have a Nell Gwyn play at the same time as the transferred Globe production. Their programmer really needs to look at Twitter occasionally London, a city of more than 8 million residents and a large number of theatre-going tourists, can cope, I think.
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