|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 24, 2023 9:47:31 GMT
It's a start.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 23, 2023 18:43:14 GMT
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 22, 2023 15:26:57 GMT
Amanda Hadingue did a fantastic job when I saw her in Oxford. Not once did I question her age or height. Indeed she was utterly convincing as someone who was almost invisible to the people around her by the nature of her age and ordinariness.
I think that is why I was glad not to have seen Kathryn Hunter who, I would imagine, would have given a far more present interpretation that would have made it far harder to view her as someone to easily overlook.
As a piece, I agree it needs tightening to command the stage for no longer than 2.5 hours.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 23:15:04 GMT
There is nothing about moving with the times about regendering characters. It is, if anything, becoming very predictable. And I would take exception to the idea that this is a silly musical. It is actually a clever, witty look at a number of key subjects and all done with a light touch. I guess the positive about you not going is that it frees up a ticket for somebody to enjoy it and/or have an informed opinion about it when it opens. Silver linings all round. We all have to make decisions about shows that have not opened based on the information provided by the producers and the venue. I stand by my interpretation of what has been announced here. It runs contrary to my view of a brilliant show. When people are making choices as to how to spend their limited disposable income, they are entitled to use whatever they like to reach their decisions. Making snide comments towards me is really not a helpful contribution to a discussion.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 20:05:28 GMT
Totally agree about Sex and the City covering similar ground, but it is much less common for it to be realized in a musical stage production, particularly one as iconic as Sondheim's Company. Changing Bobby to Bobbie did break ground in its own way.
Also wasn't Sondheim all up for the company changes? Was a great production as well! I'll give this one a go. Its just a silly musical. Things should move with the times if it works. There is nothing about moving with the times about regendering characters. It is, if anything, becoming very predictable. And I would take exception to the idea that this is a silly musical. It is actually a clever, witty look at a number of key subjects and all done with a light touch.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 16:42:50 GMT
There is a difference between refreshing a show and just using it as a vehicle for the whims and caprices of a director.
What is key, for me, is respecting the essence of the original. This is something that brilliant reinterpretations do. And reinterpretations are at the top of my list of best shows I have seen over the past 30/50 years.
There is nothing about what has been announced about this version that gives any real indication that this necessary respect to the material is being given.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 16:14:35 GMT
as JB Biggley Much as I like TB as a performer, this only confirms to me that this production will be too far removed from the original for me. A real shame as the original has plenty to say about contemporary issues as well as those from the time it was written. This is just change for the sake of change. Change, for me, is always exciting. Seeing musicals in new light (Company, Guys and Dolls etc) always add something new and connect the issues then to the issues now. Plus it's all just a bit fun! Guess it's down to what you want your theatre going to achieve. On the whole I want to go to see the show that the writers created. Not what a director wants the show to be. Modern theatre has placed too much emphasis on the director and too little emphasis on the writer(s) In this particular case, I don't believe the director actually understands the original and certainly not what it is satirising. And that is troubling. It feels like exploiting an existing known piece to use it as a vehicle to tell a completely different story. And that is lazy. If you want a musical exploring how women bosses behave in modern business, go ahead and commission one. Don't impose an agenda on an existing show.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 15:12:36 GMT
Tracie Bennet cast in this as JB Biggley Much as I like TB as a performer, this only confirms to me that this production will be too far removed from the original for me. A real shame as the original has plenty to say about contemporary issues as well as those from the time it was written. This is just change for the sake of change.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2023 12:03:08 GMT
Announcing a transfer this early strikes me as being astonishingly brave...or foolhardy. I suspect (barring some sort of major critical mis-step/misfire) that this will prove to be a very fruitful combination of successful literary title, the RSC, and the traditional West-End-price-paying playgoer. Not really my thing at all, but it feels like very similar territory to the Hilary Mantel adaptations, and they were generally well-met by the public. The first two Mantel adaptations were well received. The final one flopped. It probably would have done better if Mike Poulton had done the adaptation and it had run in Stratford as part of a full trilogy season before being transferred. Allowing Mantel to do her own adaptation was a big mistake Hamnet has sold in the reputation of the novel and the past work of the adaptor. Whyman is not a widely respected director and so we have no idea whether this will actually be a good production or just something pedestrian as that is the maximum to which she can aspire. I suspect the initial transfer is relatively safe but it will only extend if it is actually a decent stage play. The RSC needs successful transfers.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 20, 2023 19:06:11 GMT
Lucas Hedges
"In the early stages of my life, some of the people I was most infatuated with were my closest male friends. That was the case through high school, and I think I was always aware of that, while for the most part I was attracted to women," also adding that he exists "on that spectrum: Not totally straight, but also not gay and not necessarily bisexual." He later spoke about being an ally to the LGBTQ community and said that he considered his sexuality to be a "fluid experience."
From Wikipedia
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 20, 2023 12:43:36 GMT
Can we stop with speculation about the mental health of an individual please?
It is not at all appropriate to throw about such thoughts with zero evidence.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 20, 2023 12:37:40 GMT
They had me with the casting of the Balladeer... I love her voice
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 20, 2023 12:35:02 GMT
For several years, I was the 'theatre guru' for my local BBC radio station. I would line up 3 guests for a once a month segment talking about shows/events coming up in the county. It was a mixture of local groups and touring productions.
So I would talk to local theatres to see what they wanted to promote and put together a half hour of air time. I would then go in and share the questioning with the BBC presenter.
Sadly I never got paid for this!!
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 19, 2023 21:00:27 GMT
It's a Sunday evening so there won't be a huge number of performances affected.
Evening church services on the other hand...
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 19, 2023 19:30:49 GMT
To add some positivity to the mix, I have met some delightful theatre and arts types
Michael Ball was lovely. As were Miriam Margolyes and Zoe Wanamaker.
I was warned in advance about Boy George and Danny Boyle. But both were charming and easy to talk to.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 19, 2023 18:54:44 GMT
That’s very sad indeed. Wishing his son and the whole family well I know Nick Lloyd Webber's wife from her days running Oxford Shakespeare Company. Nick wrote most of the music for their productions
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 19, 2023 18:50:29 GMT
I used to do radio interviews with various theatre types for the BBC. My worst experiences were with Dillie Keane of Fascinating Aida who was affronted at being asked to tell us a bit about FA for those who hadn't encountered them in the past.
The other was with Ellen Kent, the Opera producer, who was doing the interview from the middle of a boozy lunch. She was live on air ordering more white wine for her table!
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 17, 2023 13:58:42 GMT
There are a number trying to emulate the success of Italy with rock numbers. Plus a number trying to recreate the Dutch winning ballad the title of which always eludes me but had the lyrics 'loving you is a losing game'
The UK, Austrian and Israeli entries are almost interchangeable.
Loreen's effort is no Euphoria and I think she is overstated in the betting.
I quite like the French song. And that is one I can't vote for as I will be in France at the time!
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 17, 2023 0:53:52 GMT
Without a full rosta of available musicians, the Proms would be a very different beast.
Given ongoing visa issues for visiting musicians, they are not going to easily replace performers and ensembles this close to the publication of the guide.
On top of the letter from the leaders of UK choral groups, the pressure is rightly mounting
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 16, 2023 22:27:13 GMT
Musicians have written to The Times threatening a boycott of the Proms if the BBC doesn't reverse the decision to kill off the Singers.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 16, 2023 20:22:42 GMT
I enjoyed it a lot but would have loved an extra 15 minutes to give greater soace to the storytelling.
Some bits felt very rushed.
There were lots of lovely moments but it all felt a bit breathless
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 16, 2023 12:54:01 GMT
This is a musical based a French play that was adapted into a French film. Jerry and Harvey retained the original setting - when they could easily have changed it
Song on the Sand is scored with accordion just to reinforce that sound world and setting.
Yes, Blackpool is a seaside town with a drag club but the whole vibe of the place is very far removed from the French Riviera. One setting has glorious weather, stunning scenery and glamour. The other has donkeys, sticks of rock and grit.
Some pieces can be relocated in time and/or place. This should be left alone.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 15, 2023 20:37:37 GMT
I'm not saying a word...
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 15, 2023 18:28:37 GMT
I've been lucky enough to have met hundreds of actors over many years as a volunteer in the theatre and also working as production assistant. I can't say I have come across anyone who stood out as being rude (maybe I was lucky) but I do have some favourites who are absolutely lovely and include: Cynthia Erivo Sheridan Smith Anna Jane Casey Damian Humbley Alexander Hanson Jamie Parker Matthew Horne Curious, one of the names on your list is one of the worst people in terms of behaviour that I have met in a theatre context.
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 15, 2023 14:44:53 GMT
|
|