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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 30, 2022 16:52:53 GMT
Aspects was my musical awakening. An intelligent musical with thoroughly reprehensible characters. Although the story does shine a spotlight on every form of love for good and evil.
Aspects well got famous for its non appearance of 007, Roger Moore realised he couldn’t sing so pulled out as George before the show previewed. Making way to make Michael Ball a massive star, which I saw, I also saw the better revival with Kathleen Evans as Rose 3 years later in the same theatre.
The Menier and Hope Mill production was alright, the tour wasn’t good though.
The late Ann Crumb was very good I; the original. Andrew Lloyd Webber ex wife Sarah Brightman starred in this on Broadway. I’m sure it was her last stage role?
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 29, 2022 22:48:54 GMT
Saw this tonight.
I get that revivals aren’t static and need to be revitalised to breathe new life into the work. If you like your big flashy musicals, well this one isn’t for you.
Oklahoma set the gold standard for Broadway shows, it was where Broadway started, imagine being in the St James Theatre 31/03/1943, that would be like indulging on the finest sweet trolley. I liked this a lot, but not as much as I did on Broadway where the Tony winning Ali Stroker was sensational. What I didn’t like with this was the parred down orchestrations. It is a beyond glorious score that was done tonight by an orchestra of 8 musicians, seven strings and one percussion, god did I miss the piano and brass.
Marissa Wallace does what she normally does best and that is steal the show.
Glad it came over though.
4 stars.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 29, 2022 11:19:26 GMT
If rumours of the imminent demise of bad Cinderella are true, I could see it going into the Gilliam Lynne.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 28, 2022 22:11:59 GMT
Shaftesbury Avenue is the clue it is a smaller musical.
I wouldn’t think it be Aspects, because of the reasons already given.
There has been rumours for several years that there is a gender swapped Song and Dance in the works.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 28, 2022 12:44:41 GMT
I think it is hard to level any criticism of the RSC as it is trying to find its feet again after an incredible couple of years. Besides even the new Shakespeare theatre on the outskirts of Liverpool are doing A Christmas Carol.
I love Shakespeare, but it shouldn’t stop an artistic director from going off piste.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 22, 2022 22:01:11 GMT
Gemma Collins has hijacked this thread. No real comment about Russell Watson.
I saw this a couple of months back in Southend and Russell was out and was out all week
This week in Dartford Saw this again and yes Russell was out again and has been all week apart from Tuesday.
A poster said 10 pages ago that he was also out in Liverpool.
as anyone seen him perform?
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 22, 2022 12:13:44 GMT
For the life of me I never really understood why they didn't go safe and open Sleep No More a guaranteed hit.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 12, 2022 16:09:46 GMT
Cannot recall exactly but there have been several times I have seen shows and there have been an actress with a upper body disability, Could be the same lady though, if it was she played the roles very well.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 12, 2022 16:03:42 GMT
Like everyone on here, I hope that Covid (god I didn’t want to use that word again) is in the rear view mirror and we can move on with our lives.
However if a new deadly variant of Covid mutated and Boris tells the country we must go into another lockdown, how is anyone going to take him seriously?
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 12, 2022 13:25:22 GMT
I am all over this and believe the stage is a brilliant place for ‘disabled actors’ but saying that disabled actors are still very much underrepresented, which is a great shame.
When I saw Liz Carr, I said then she deserved the Olivier, she was simply fantastic, in a production I was very tepid on.
However if the Olivier committee broke with convention to accommodate a disabled actor, then they would be criticised, as pandering, they cannot win.
I mean some people knit pick and want to get offended over the slightest thing.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 10, 2022 10:51:03 GMT
I agree with that.
There should be more proper public toilets especially in Central London where they are all but none existent, apart from those god awful portable loos for men, which completely exclude ladies’ needs and besides there is no hand wash facilities, so that wouldn’t be for me. Westminster Council has one of the lowest council tax rates in the country, as they raise so much from businesses. So with all that money raised from the entertainment economy, they could build several public toilets.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 10, 2022 10:38:56 GMT
Oh I thought that was you. I was the other side virtually underneath the band!
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 9, 2022 11:55:06 GMT
Did I see sitting with your partner sitting on the aisle last night?
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 8, 2022 23:35:53 GMT
Judging by the thread title, I thought Stephen Sondheim had been reincarnated as Catherine Howard.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 6, 2022 18:08:51 GMT
No.
It will still be 11 digits!
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 4, 2022 12:27:04 GMT
With dynamic prices the producers are taking hundreds of pounds for tickets, gone are the days when all tickets were sold at a fixed price, the terms and conditions were more relevant to those days, but now star power adds greatly to the ticket cost. What’s to say a theatre production company puts a massive name in a show someone like Lady Gaga (others names are available) and say don’t worry you only have to do the show to just after press night, by which time the show will be sold out at hundreds of pounds. Then we will provide you a plausible excuse to pull the show.
We need to get to a Broadway style refunds, to protect the ticket holder.
Taron Egerton behaviour if true is completely unprofessional.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 3, 2022 0:49:10 GMT
What was the running time please?
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 31, 2022 15:49:50 GMT
Can't wait for the government to start trumpeting the massive drop in cases that will come next week, whilst the untested prevalence continues to hit new highs. It like when they cut benefits and then tell people more people are employed.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 28, 2022 23:51:42 GMT
You have made many posts of how appalling the physical violence was, which mostly everyone on here agrees with. But you say nothing on how bad the verbal insult was. It was a nasty reprehensible comment, that wasn’t funny.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 28, 2022 17:15:54 GMT
Physical violence isn’t the answer, however saying that Will Smith wife looked a G.I. Is terrible insult in itself, especially as she is suffering from the medical condition alopecia. This can be very tough for a lady.
Verbal assault can be as/or more so damaging than physical violence and should be called out as reprehensible.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 24, 2022 12:53:20 GMT
I went to see Habit of Art in Richmond and we were the only people in the audience not audibly sucking our breath and tutting at the fellatio references. Still at least they were sucking something. However they do sell falafel in Waitrose.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 23, 2022 23:33:58 GMT
Oh I haven’t heard the term ‘Waitrose Tour’ before, a brilliant description though.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 22, 2022 21:40:38 GMT
You have no Charlie and the Chocolate Factory without The Candy-Man and Pure Imagination, what were thy thinking in London by dropping those iconic songs.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 22, 2022 12:56:01 GMT
I know generally in the subsidised theatre that runs are quite short to give the piece the best chance of transferring to the West End. However it seems mad to finish this run on 03rd December, I would have thought they would keep the show open until the New Year, it is going to easily sell out and will likely transfer to the West End, so don't understand why they are closing when they are. A transfer isn't guaranteed by any means, just look at Fun Home. Fun Home is a great example, however surprisingly the Young Vic production wasn’t great, it was nowhere near to the New York production. Saying that I am surprised it hasn’t been done in the regional theatre since, in a better production this could be a route back to the West End. Same with Spelling Bee which was done in the same venue, that didn’t transfer too. If The Band’s Visit did transfer it would be in a very small theatre, could even be the Other Palace as they seem to be a receiving house now. However let’s just say we have 2 cracking productions coming over.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 21, 2022 16:15:30 GMT
I know generally in the subsidised theatre that runs are quite short to give the piece the best chance of transferring to the West End. However it seems mad to finish this run on 03rd December, I would have thought they would keep the show open until the New Year, it is going to easily sell out and will likely transfer to the West End, so don't understand why they are closing when they are.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 21, 2022 12:15:52 GMT
The Band’s Visit and a Dolls House (Part 2) does theatre get any better than this.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 20, 2022 20:20:51 GMT
I am sure Eddie and Jessie will come back into the show, when the box office needs a boost.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 20, 2022 2:02:41 GMT
I saw this last night.
There is a reason why this became a Pulitzer, Tony and Olivier Award winning play and that is because the level of playwright is exceptional. I love theatre that takes me out of my comfort zone, this play certainly does that, by giving it to the white American middle class with both barrels subtlety and at times brazen, but still manages to get laugh out loud moments. This play has the best insult ever to be written for the stage.
When I saw this 11 years ago, it was one of the first plays I ever saw.
5 stars.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 18, 2022 22:10:54 GMT
When you took over from Heather Hadley in the Bodyguard the show became a sell out, so yes she was.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 18, 2022 21:23:52 GMT
Beverley Knight is great, but she is not a big draw as she once was, as she has done theatre to death (she certainly got the call) and it is a massive place to sell out.
Just looked at the seating map for several performances and many seats apparentley sold maybe 70% already. Well I wonder if that is true?
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