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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 30, 2019 10:58:09 GMT
Perhaps Kelsey Grammer and Peter Polycarpou at 64 and 62 respectively should have a word with their agents and get it in their contracts - no steps or stairs! Coming down I was quite relieved they didn't fall down and going up I was relieved they made it to the top! Elaine Paige at 71 now would have just refused to do it!! No dry ice rolling down though - I was quite disappointed!
Press night tonight - I wonder what the critics will make of it! I suppose it will depend on how many G&T's they are supplied with at the bar! I certainly needed one!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 30, 2019 1:06:20 GMT
I have just got my nephew into the show. He started on Monday morning and was on ep3 by lunchtime He is loving it Perhaps your nephew is H ? Pretending he knew nothing about this show is simply a cover!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 30, 2019 0:08:15 GMT
As I said I have never been challenged "upgrading" and if I was I would be perfectly polite and move being the gentleman I am and of course knowing I am technically in the wrong. However, I would say to the usher that it is a pity that bad behaviour (phones etc) are not dealt with by them in the same ruthless manner!!!!!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 29, 2019 23:59:35 GMT
I am gutted I missed @ryan tonight - I too was in the stalls thanks to a £25 Today Tix Rush ticket. Side stalls row E - a seat that was £105 dynamically priced down to £75 on the ENO website this morning. Gallery closed and although 3 levels busy - there were plenty of empty seats despite (I suspect) massive comping and discounting. I came across a group around the corner from the theatre being given tickets - I suspect for free!
The orchestra (in the pit this time) are fabulous and when the orchestra struck up the overture and lights half dimmed in the gorgeously lit London Coliseum I was in heaven.
Then the curtain went up...….
On what I can only describe as the most ugliest set I have ever seen in Londons glittering West End. It looks like some broken concrete post apocalyptic bomb site. After a long initial dialogue scene we are informed it is a prison. I would never have guessed. The poor ensemble spend all the time on stage sat around the edges of this among what appears to be hundreds of props and bits of costumes - it's a mess. Nicholas Lyndhurst does not even get to sit but has to stand for intermidable amounts of time on a stage left rostra watching. I am sure they would rather have been in their dressing rooms catching up on Instagram and trying to get hold of their agents!
Each musical number ends with a lighting bump to signify the end and illicit applause - it does, just about.
For anyone not familiar with the show, they would have had no idea at all as to what was going on. The man next to me fell asleep!
Performance wise the principles looked like they had wandered in from another show. Danielle De Niese was attractive, feisty with a great voice (she stole the show for me) but costumed in a red dress I did expect her to burst into "As Long As He Needs Me" at any moment and a few urchins may have livened up proceedings!
Peter Polycarpou always gives good value and makes the most of his one good number "I really like him" in the first Act but was wasted in the role of Sancho really and sounded like a Spanish (ish - the accents were all over the place) Ali Hakim from Oklahoma!
Nicholas Lyndhurst gives a comedy turn as a drunken Innkeeper - but really should not be allowed to sing!
As for Kelsey Grammer - I suppose if he was playing the role with the local Amateur Operatic Society you would have said he was absolutely marvellous but as he was playing the London Coliseum he looked completely out of his depth!
Mercifully it was not too long - it came down at 10.00pm but it really is a two song show - "The Man of La Mancha" and "Impossible Dream" which are sang once in Act One and then reprised 3 times in Act Two!!
A fabulous rendition of "Impossible Dream" at the end by Danielle and the entire company could not save this show I'm afraid especially as they sang it with their backs to the audience watching Peter and Kelsey stagger up a huge staircase like Elaine Paige did in Cats! In fact the set could have been recycled from Cats come to think of it!
2 wickedgrin stars.
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 29, 2019 23:21:21 GMT
Not sure if I could pull this off alone ( ) but I love the idea of a whole group of £10ers decamping to a box! No I wasn't alone - safety in numbers - but only 4 of us!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 29, 2019 16:59:37 GMT
Interesting discussion.
I have never upgraded or swapped seats prior to the first act. I would be too nervous of the real ticket holder turning up late and being embarrassed having to move.
I completely agree about the law in this matter in that you have paid for the seat you are sat in and not “entitled” to upgrade. However I have frequently upgraded myself at the interval - I have never been challenged as I am clearly an asset to any audience and completely fabulous!
The move of seats can be for many reasons. Sitting behind someone tall or with big hair or bad behaviour and simply moving to a different seat in the same price band. Moving back to an empty row for more room or solitude.
My most outrageous upgrade was for Chess last year with friends. They had booked cheap seats in the gods (£10) and due to the staging and behind a tall man I could not see a thing. During the first act I spied an empty Upper Circle Box - so we moved. I did expect to be challenged but we weren’t!
I disgracefully upgrade myself at my local ATG theatre frequently. Most recently at Glengarry Glen Ross in a very empty theatre. They NEVER discount and for this show there was not even a discount for senior citizens! So the show was quiet. The box office refused to sell me a front stalls seat at a discount so I bought a seat at the back and blatantly told him I would move forward - which I did. I was happy to be challenged but I wasn’t. @ryan did not come and sit on my lap unfortunately but then I am sure he never ventures into the provinces with the great unwashed!!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 29, 2019 16:08:08 GMT
A friend of mine who occasionally goes to the theatre saw this BBC article and was utterly appalled that this sort of thing was encouraged!!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 28, 2019 13:03:55 GMT
For £25 Today Tix Rush for a good seat it has to be worth an evening.
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 28, 2019 8:30:24 GMT
I'm having serious doubts as to whether I want to sit there being angry for 2 hours. Completely agree with this. Although I *deal with* "bad behaviour" promptly if it is my immediate vicinity (ignoring it only enables it) it can ruin the night and take you completely out of the show. *deal with* usually involves my death stare and throat slitting gesture which I find surmounts any language barriers!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 27, 2019 10:38:11 GMT
The thing that amuses me is when ushers merely walk to the front of the auditorium with a sign (like a road sign) indicating no phones 📵 or photography which are not seen as audience members are engrossed in their phones until the last possible second!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 27, 2019 7:35:51 GMT
Fun fact: Natalie Lowe met her husband on a train journey from Leeds to London, which is almost the same as Connie Fisher, who met her husband on a railway platform. Can't write much now as I am running to the nearest railway platform to loiter and get on the first train to somewhere...….may not be back for a while!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 27, 2019 7:22:00 GMT
At almost 5000 posts now on this thread - beaten only by the Wicked and Hamilton threads, I do feel the theatre industry should take a unified and concerted effort to improve (or educate) audience behaviour which is getting steadily worse in my view.
I think some well respected actor should record a message which should be played in all theatres before a performance requesting "good behaviour". The same message at whichever theatre or show/play would re-enforce constantly.
It should say something like " Welcome to tonights performance. Please be considerate to other audience members so that you all may enjoy this unique live event. You can achieve this by ensuring all mobile phones are switched off - the light from phones (or watches) can be as distracting as the sound. No recording or photography is permitted. Please restrict your talking, texting and unwrapping noisy sweets to the interval or after the show. We hope you enjoy this performance".
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 26, 2019 10:17:19 GMT
Yes, I too checked Today Tix at 11.00am and still Rush tickets available for tonight at £25. Offered row K of the side stalls. On the ENO website for £105!! A good deal I would say apart from for the producers. Still LOADS of tickets available for tonight. I cannot go tonight but may check it out for that money just to hear the orchestra alone. Anyone going tonight/tomorrow?
Edited to add that I don't even think rave reviews will save this. Press night is Tuesday I think. Still a lot of availability even for that - back of the Circle and loads in the Upper Circle, although to be fair they have managed to fill the stalls!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 24, 2019 13:16:50 GMT
Let’s hope they have fully vetted their twitter and social media accounts!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 22, 2019 22:27:22 GMT
Gosh, this opens on Friday. Still full prices and lots of availability.
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 22, 2019 12:10:23 GMT
I’d make a crap detective as I definitely haven’t a clue what is going on but it’s absolutely riveting viewing! The only thing I know for certain is that H is definitely not me as I have spell check on my PC!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 21, 2019 1:28:51 GMT
Well, this has made my Easter - seeing this 42nd Street thread topping the charts of the musicals thread 4 months after closing!
What's all this Waitress malarkey?
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 19, 2019 10:47:53 GMT
Regardless of the reviews I really don't think the show has any widespread appeal. The only thing that would have sold in IMO is a major star name e.g. Hugh Jackman.
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 19, 2019 9:28:22 GMT
Good luck with your play @emicardiff
I hope you are not directing. It reminded me of being in a play (as a very young man - a very long time ago) and bitching chatting about the director and saying something like "he couldn't direct traffic!" Of course he was stood right behind me. For some strange reason I never got cast after that - no idea why?
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 19, 2019 9:04:29 GMT
Oh, how I miss this show!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 19, 2019 9:02:20 GMT
I was on the front row of the first gallery and the view is terrific!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 19, 2019 8:54:14 GMT
Not seen this and no plans to. I have seen Sweet Charity a fair few times over the years and never seen a truly great production. I have come to the conclusion it's a difficult show to pull off. Great score, very iffy book and the whole show doesn't really hang together - for example "The Rhythm of Life" which is a great number really doesn't belong in the show at all and is ridiculously shoehorned in! The role of Charity too (like Sally Bowles) is a difficult one.
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 19, 2019 8:49:47 GMT
No expense has been spent on this production. Love this line - I am going to steal it at some point!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 18, 2019 16:42:23 GMT
Oh good, I can stop checking the website for returns then! Will be interesting to see if the cast changes, I suspect it largely will. I'd hope they'd keep the leads atleast. I think it will be difficult to retain the leads as it is only about two months work and may prevent them taking a longer, more lucrative contract or TV work etc. Plus artistically they may wish to move on to other projects and challenges. Certainly Andy Coxon who was in the original production of Hair at the Vaults in London has not done the UK tour of the show. I would hope that this production will showcase talent and open other opportunities.
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 18, 2019 12:22:58 GMT
Mmmmm, difficult to secure the same cast for a year ahead I would have thought, especially for a limited run. The cast was the strongest element of this production for me - especially the leads.
Apparently it is the first time in the history of the Exchange that a production has been brought back in this way.
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 18, 2019 10:30:38 GMT
A bit greedy. I paid £49 which I thought was expensive for the Exchange, although it must be an expensive production to mount. The view from the front row of the first gallery was terrific though.
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 18, 2019 8:32:00 GMT
So Moss West Side Story.
A pleasure to be in this building after a long absence. The theatre is a very exciting space - although I am not a fan of theatre in the round. In an effort to minimize the back view of an actor for any length of time the cast have to keep on the move - often unnecessarily, constantly turning and turning.
This is one of my all time favourite musicals - the score is superb and here is sounds fabulous under the musical direction of Mark Aspinall. The orchestra are terrific - housed in sound proof booths outside, but next to the theatre itself. All the cast have superb voices too - especially Gabriela Garcia as Maria and Andy Coxon as Tony. The production is lucky to have such superb leads. Vocally Andy Coxon is wonderful giving the most gorgeous rendition of "Maria" and Gabriela Garcia heartbreaking in her final scenes. Jocasta Almgill as Anita turns in a very strong performance too.
Although the production sounded great I was less convinced about the look of the show. The set made up of white steel and Perspex ladders and platforms could have been from a double glazing showroom and the central piece which was lowered at times wobbled precariously and I worried for the safety of the cast climbing and jumping on this, and this took me out of the show. The lighting too (inexplicably) in red, white and blue was flat and lacked atmosphere - especially the white light which simply looked like rehearsal / working light.
Of course this is the first production (to my knowledge) that has been allowed not to use the Jerome Robbins choreography and any choreographer of this piece (here Aletta Collins) has big shoes to fill. It is an almost impossible job to pull off. The original choreography of this show is simply stunning and although I can understand completely it being very restrictive now to new creatives - the dance here I found very underwhelming (although I am no dance expert) but I found the constant running around and street/contemporary style rather lack lustre. I could not help but think what a choreographer like Drew McOnie would make of it.
The knife fight sequences were superb however - realistic, bloody, dangerous and having a raw resonance today with gang knife crime and senseless young deaths very much a contemporary issue.
Did I enjoy this? Yes. Was I blown away? No. Highlights - the singing and the two leads. The visceral gang knife fighting. Lowlights - the staging/lighting. Overall 3.5 stars.
Edited to add that despite the production completely sold out for the run - on Monday evening I counted at least 8 empty seats opposite me in the auditorium which were never filled.
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 13, 2019 9:19:02 GMT
Not really selling this is it? I did see it at Regents Park and LOVED it. Tempted to go back (prices are reasonable) but I dislike the Barbican Theatre and I perhaps feel that I should leave it and just enjoy the memory of a glorious evening in the open air?
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 10, 2019 22:54:10 GMT
Watched episodes 1 and 2 tonight, it is a bit mad isn't, I do hope it doesn't give me disturbing dreams. What a cast though. Episode 1 was a tough watch but it gets increasingly better and more addictive!
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 10, 2019 22:51:35 GMT
I always thought the show was a bit beneath her really. She is a class act and will be missed. It surely has something to do with her not getting on with Shirley Ballas. Both have mentioned in the press what good pals they are. I think they protest too much!!
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