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Post by emsworthian on Jan 22, 2019 20:24:07 GMT
The best afternoon tea I had was when I was invited to the House of Lords restaurant. It made me decide that it was worth accepting a peerage to be able to have afternoon tea there. Strangely, I have yet to be offered a peerage.
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Post by emsworthian on Jan 21, 2019 14:20:27 GMT
Savoury afternoon tea? That's so wrong. Like Keanu Reeves in 'Dracula' or Prince Philip in 'Driving School' or Alexandra Burke in . . well anything.
Have you not heard of a "cricket tea"? (I'll admit I hadn't until last year). It involves sarnies and cakes plus savouries such as sausage rolls, pork pie, scotch eggs, etc.
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Post by emsworthian on Jan 14, 2019 19:53:57 GMT
Fela!
Oh, Kay!
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Post by emsworthian on Jan 14, 2019 19:25:05 GMT
Viva Forever!
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Post by emsworthian on Dec 30, 2018 14:30:19 GMT
Apologies. I meant Paul Jackson, not Peter Jackson and W1A, not W2. I think I have been putting too much brandy in my mince pies.
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Post by emsworthian on Dec 29, 2018 9:19:53 GMT
I'm glad Exeter lost last night as I got fed up with them conferring on starter questions. How come Peter Jackson is a legend at the BBC but he can't master the basic rules of a quiz show that has been going for decades? Very W2.
Edit: I now realise Exeter won but they failed to qualify as one of the highest scoring teams. I was just glad to see the back of both of last night's teams.
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Post by emsworthian on Dec 28, 2018 8:06:58 GMT
I'm not sure who you are referring to but I enjoyed seeing ex-Conservative Party leader Michael Howard say "Beaver" as an answer to one of the questions.
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Post by emsworthian on Dec 26, 2018 10:27:54 GMT
Someone has given me a tub of roses and I find they are named on the wrappers! So no need to remember what each one is. That would explain a lot about the decline in standards of education. How do you think I honed my colour recognition ? I suppose they do encourage reading in adults. I had the same experience. My husband won a tub of Roses in a Treasure Hunt competition in his sailing club (which basically involved sticking a pin at random in a map). I couldn't believe that they have done away with all the pretty wrappings in place of the utilitarian ones.
I remember as a child at school pasting Roses wrappers on the outside of a glass bowl and then covering them in some acrylic paint so the bowl would look pretty through the glass. I did a similar thing as art therapy at a Carers' Relaxation day.
I must try to find my bowl; it might be a collectors' item.
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260 posts
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Post by emsworthian on Dec 4, 2018 15:53:34 GMT
My desire to see a one man Ian McKellen show is ZERO. In fact, it's ZERO MINUS ONE MILLION.
I was interested to see the show in Chichester until they announced a ballot for the £80 tickets. I thought he was all for making theatre more accessible.
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Post by emsworthian on Oct 21, 2018 19:59:09 GMT
I wonder what Seann and Katya will do for their show dance if they make it past Halloween. Wasn't burlesque one of the options?
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260 posts
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Post by emsworthian on Oct 10, 2018 8:16:06 GMT
I think he should have gone for the "Only Fools Eat Horses" pun.
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Post by emsworthian on Oct 9, 2018 17:15:24 GMT
Heavens! All this fuss over a drunken snog! I wonder what the real Strictly judges would make of it after watching the footage! CRAIG: FAB-UL-OUS darling! DAME DARCEY: Loved the drama. Great story telling. I loved your top line, your head placement was perfect. Can't wait to see what you do next week!! SHIRLEY: I would have liked to have seen more hip action and movement through the lower body, Sean you were a bit stiff at times, but great tongue work - you could go all the way! BRUNO: (Falls off chair with excitement). It was a FULL ON RUSSIAN ROMP! SIZZLINGLY SEXY! A LICENCE TO THRILL!
Great. Except I think Craig is more likely to say: I thought you looked a bit woody - I mean wooden, Seann.
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260 posts
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Post by emsworthian on Oct 9, 2018 8:40:53 GMT
Perhaps the cat could stand in for Seann while Katya dances round it? The cat has three photos in the Daily Mail and I am sure is now on his way to celebrity.
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260 posts
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Post by emsworthian on Oct 6, 2018 14:02:37 GMT
Thwapped who? Your mate or James Graham?
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Post by emsworthian on Oct 3, 2018 10:07:39 GMT
I see that executive director Rachel Tackley is quitting Chichester Festival Theatre citing a clash of leadership style with Daniel Evans. Anyone any thoughts on this?
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Post by emsworthian on Sept 23, 2018 6:51:43 GMT
I caught the final matinee. I feel that I should now read the script to completely understand the scientific points being made; I think I got the general gist. However, the ethical dimensions were fully explored.
I was surprised how humorous it was in parts, given the subject matter. Patricia Hodge's acerbic put downs were great - in fact, all three actors were superb.
It was a play I really had to concentrate to follow but I felt at the end it had been worth it.
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Post by emsworthian on Sept 17, 2018 6:22:21 GMT
I'll be back to see it again if it is ... loved it in Sheffield, and loved it all over again yesterday (no sound issues from the front row). I had been wondering if anyone on this board had seen both the Sheffield and Chichester productions. According to the programme, Rachel Wagstaff, who did the book for the musical, says that they have re-ordered some of the events in the first act and trimmed it by about 10 minutes. Did you notice the changes and, if so, did you feel it was an improvement?
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Post by emsworthian on Sept 16, 2018 11:07:23 GMT
I saw yesterday's matinee and loved it.
First, the quibble about sound. I was in a £10 seat to the left of the stage, two rows back, and I could hear everything about from a couple of lines delivered from the other side of the stage. Annoyingly, one of them got a big laugh. Someone I know that I bumped into in the interval was sitting further back and complained that she couldn't hear a lot of the (sung) dialogue. I hope they get the sound issues sorted.
I was surprised at frankubelic's comment about the audience being bemused and merely polite applause at the end. As theatregeek62 noted, there was a standing ovation; I estimate about 40 per cent stood, which considering a significant proportion probably had mobility issues, is pretty impressive. The applause, as stated, was prolonged and enthusiastic and the only lead in a musical I can recall getting a warmer response, in my 20-odd years of Chichester Theatre visiting, was Imelda Staunton for "Gypsy."
I feel it is a show that takes a while to work on an audience not familiar with the story. I heard several members of the audience say after the show that they enjoyed the second half/the Paris section most. When Mrs. Harris boarded the plane at the end of the first half, there was a cheer from a small section of the audience. As Mrs. Harris encounters snobbery at the Dior Fashion House and Chassagne gives a speech about democracy, there were loud and widespread cheers and applause and I felt that the audience was starting to root for Mrs. Harris. By the time she brazened her way through Customs, the audience were cheering and clapping her on.
It is a show that will not appeal to everyone. If it transfers, I can't see it drawing in hen-parties (Thank God). But it was a tender, lovely show and Clare Burt as the lead was tremendous.
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Post by emsworthian on Sept 8, 2018 7:34:18 GMT
I dont normally ask this but i am trying for a certain london train after the matinee on 22 September. What is the running time? A few here saw the show in Sheffield. I am hoping for 2 hrs 45 max. Ta muchly.
According to an email from CFT I received today (I'm going to matinee on 15 Sept), it has a running time of 2 hrs 30 mins including interval.
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 25, 2018 8:11:29 GMT
Liza is sensational in the film "Cabaret" but some people think she is too good to be believable as Sally Bowles. She plays a neurotic, insecure woman in a 10th rate Berlin nightclub and then she goes out and gives a performance that only a world-class entertainer can give.
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 23, 2018 10:03:08 GMT
Oh, dear. Perhaps I should have posted this in the unpopular opinions thread but the one occasion I saw Dame Judy on stage was in "Coriolanus" at Chichester nearly 30 years ago and I am afraid that I was underwhelmed. I wasn't impressed by Kenneth Branagh's performance in the title role either and I am a big fan of Branagh. Perhaps it was just a dud production.
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 20, 2018 11:51:53 GMT
I remember Matt Lucas in one of those 100 best musicals TV shows as a talking head and I was impressed by his knowledge and enthusiasm for musicals. According to the Chichester Observer, Daniel Evans took Lucas out to dinner and asked what he would like to appear in at Chichester and Lucas said "Me and My Girl" as it was his favourite musical. It seems tragic that he was so deluded to think that he would make a great lead in this. That is surprising, if true ( not doubting you emsworthian but local newspapers are notoriously unreliable). I had begun to form the opinion that Evans, normally such a good judge of talent, had had Lucas foisted on him. I do also think his press night absence was really fishy as I'm sure the reviews would have been less favourable.
Don't forget another spectacular miscasting by Evans - Richard Wilson in "Forty Years On."
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 20, 2018 8:11:55 GMT
I remember Matt Lucas in one of those 100 best musicals TV shows as a talking head and I was impressed by his knowledge and enthusiasm for musicals. According to the Chichester Observer, Daniel Evans took Lucas out to dinner and asked what he would like to appear in at Chichester and Lucas said "Me and My Girl" as it was his favourite musical. It seems tragic that he was so deluded to think that he would make a great lead in this.
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 19, 2018 10:13:06 GMT
Saw this yesterday afternoon. The cast worked their socks off and the (largely mature) audience loved it, interacting loudly with the jokes and giving each song a huge ovation. Yes, it was a most enjoyable way of spending two and a half hours, but.... I have to agree with the comments about Matt Lucas being the wrong casting. I never felt his Bill was really in love with Sally, and of course this is crucial to the plot. Also the scene in the original show between Jacqueline and Bill on the sofa with cushions which can be deliciously funny and sexy was here replaced by the (portly) Bill sitting in a bath. Why?
The rest of the cast were great performers, as one would expect, and the band (including the conductor's acting turns!) sprightly enough. Perhaps the aristocrats were not sufficiently sneering or toffee-nosed, which weakened the effectiveness of the times when the conflicts between the toffs and cockneys diminish. A transfer to the West End? The production has the potential to do well in London so long as the casting is improved and certain scenes are re-worked. However, I believe that Half A Sixpence struggled to sustain an audience for it full West End run, and maybe the same would happen to an improved version of this production. I agree. The fact that the bath was right next to the loo made it even less sexy. I seem to remember at one stage the loo is flushed although (Thank God) we don't see the loo being used.
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 9, 2018 8:17:00 GMT
I believe the dream ballet in Leaning On A Lamppost was added to the production when it transferred to Broadway in 1986. The full extended musical sequence is on the Broadway Cast Recording. Thanks for the info.
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Post by emsworthian on Aug 9, 2018 6:45:34 GMT
I too was at yesterday's matinee. I veer more towards SageStageManager's view than Steve's but both made some valid points.
First, I shall tackle the elephant in the room: Matt Lucas as the lead. To cast as the leading man in a musical someone who cannot sing or dance seems bizarre. Steve used the word muted to describe Lucas' performance and he did seem subdued in the first half. I wondered if he had a cold (That would at least be an explanation for his singing). However, he was more animated in the second half and I did find him amusing. I disagree that all the jokes fell flat. People around me were laughing. (Chichester audiences tend to be more subdued in their laughter - they rarely guffaw). The strange ballet sequence to "Leaning on a Lamppost" has been mentioned on this thread. I don't remember this when I saw "Me and My Girl" in the West End many years ago and I wondered if it had been added to cover up Lucas' lack of singing and dancing ability.
I shall defend Caroline Quentin; perhaps she isn't fierce enough at the beginning but the whole thing is fairytale-ish rather than deep psychological drama and she had great stage presence. As to Steve's claim that the class conflict isn't fully brought out, we are entering a world more akin to P.G. Wodehouse than Marx and Engels. I thought the issue of having to choose between the woman you love and status and possession was highlighted enough (with references to the then monarch Edward VIII).
I got the Siubhan Harrison/Meghan Merkle resemblance (she also resembled Wallis Simpson) and I thought Harrison was terrific. So was Alex Young as Sally.
The other tragic bit of miscasting was Jennie Dale as Parchester. When I saw it years ago, Parchester was portrayed as an elderly ultra-respectable, rather mousy man. When he then launched into a song and dance act, it brought the house down. I can still remember him dancing around with a carnation in his mouth and I'm pretty sure his number got an encore. Here, with Jennie Dale, it just got polite applause. Although Jennie Dale has a great voice and can dance, she is simply completely wrong for the part.
The chorus was great fun, especially during "The Sun Has got His Hat On". I loved the orchestra and the washboard sequence at the end was an added bonus.
The "Lambeth Walk" was great. When I saw the show in the West End, I thought this number was too dragged out but here I wanted it to go on longer.
Verdict: enjoyable show with some flaws. Replace Matt Lucas (although not with Marcus Brigstocke, for goodness sake) and replace Jennie Dale and you have a sure-fire West End hit.
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Post by emsworthian on Jul 27, 2018 16:59:55 GMT
B.O. What A Circus.
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Post by emsworthian on Jul 27, 2018 12:39:44 GMT
The musical Sweat Charity
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Post by emsworthian on Jul 26, 2018 11:48:49 GMT
I thought McKellan was a three star Lear in an almost four star production. He mumble-mouthed his way through acts 1-3, only really understandable in the final scenes. When you stand back you can see that he has delivered Lear, but it’s Impressionistic at best. If you are a fan of, say, the text, you will find it wanting. This production emphasises the regal with a beautiful opening scene. They make full use of the stage, a wonderfully cinematic storm and the white cliffs of Dover. That said, I go to the theatre too much to be glamoured by rain on stage. The rain was so noisy it interfered even more with understanding what Lear was saying. Regan was an odd take. I’m listening to the Stephen Fry Harry Potter audio books at the moment and Kirsty Bushell’s performance felt a bit too much like one of the voices he does. She was just being a bit too deliciously evil *leg kick* with little nuance. I liked Danny Webb (even though I thought he was Simon McBurney for the first act) and the female Kent worked for me, probably because of Sinead Cusack I came away wishing I could have transplanted Glenda Jackson into this staging. But sadly theatre does not work like that. I confuse those two as well.
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Post by emsworthian on Jul 21, 2018 5:53:01 GMT
I am going to see this in early August and the feedback I've heard locally divides into two camps; those who haven't seen a production of this before say it is great fun but those who have (especially those who saw Robert Lindsay or Gary Wilmot as the lead) say "Ah, but it could have been so much better. " (Regarding Showgirl's point about feeling like dancing in the aisles, someone who saw it with Lindsay in it said that people were dancing in the aisles at that production)
Several people have compared it to "Present Laughter" at the start of Chichester's season; a dud male lead carried by the female leads.
Anyway, I shall make up my own mind when I see it.
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