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Chess
May 14, 2018 13:20:02 GMT
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Post by loureviews on May 14, 2018 13:20:02 GMT
Grow up.
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Chess
May 14, 2018 11:17:22 GMT
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Post by loureviews on May 14, 2018 11:17:22 GMT
No need to get crabby. You're right and I was having a brain fog.
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Chess
May 14, 2018 10:25:03 GMT
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Post by loureviews on May 14, 2018 10:25:03 GMT
Actress/singer Cassidy Janson, who has led in small musicals and covered in larger ones, is Florence Vassy. Would you consider playing the lead in ‘Beautiful’ for the lion’s share of the run at The Aldwych Theatre a small musical ? Also CJ went on as Elphaba in’Wicked’ numerous times during the Mendel/ Ellis period. She’s an incredibly gifted performer who I think is pretty much wasted in this messy production. She was not the regular lead in either. I think she's very talented but my description of her is accurate IMO
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Chess
May 14, 2018 10:23:45 GMT
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Post by loureviews on May 14, 2018 10:23:45 GMT
You're wrong about this being the concept album song order. It isn't. Pity The Child moved a long time ago.
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Post by loureviews on May 13, 2018 18:57:39 GMT
Review mk 2, after last night's visit!
Now, you may recall that last week we took a visit to see one of my all-time favourite musicals, Chess, and that it was not an entirely enjoyable experience as our upper circle seats were most definitely ‘restricted’ although not sold as such. The show was fantastic, as I expected, so I took a very rare decision to pay for a more expensive ticket, and revisit the show to see what I was missing.
I’ll talk a bit about pricing at the end of this piece.
The difference between viewing the show from a seat in the upper circle, row J, in the central block, and a seat in the dress circle, row E, at the side, is like night and day. In the case of this production of Chess, the effect is like watching a completely different show from a design point of view.
Just look at the difference here; last week’s view first, then last night’s view.
[photos here]
The ENO’s annual musical has become a big event of limited runs: we have had Sweeney Todd, Sunset Boulevard, Carousel, and now Chess. These are generally big productions with star names, and for the last two years, they have been fully staged. None of these were ‘new’ musicals to me, and in fact all have been long-time favourites, and Chess is no exception.
I talked a bit about the casting for Chess last week. Musical theatre veteran Michael Ball has been cast as the Russian challenger, Anatoly Sergievsky. Rock singer and musical star from Canada, Tim Howar, is the American champion, Freddie Trumper (an unfortunate surname right now with the current President). Actress/singer Cassidy Janson, who has led in small musicals and covered in larger ones, is Florence Vassy, Freddie’s second and girlfriend of seven years. X Factor winner turned musical belter Alexandra Burke is Svetlana Sergievska, the wife of Anatoly and mother of their son Ivan. Phillip Browne is the Russian second, Molokov, a KGB operative and a sinister bass. Cedric Neal comes from Broadway and a leading role in Motown the Musical to portray The Arbiter, the judge and referee of the Chess Federation tournaments we see.
In the last post I referred to the casting drama during rehearsals which saw Neal brought in at short notice to take over the role (hard on the voice, but underwritten). There was an additional event which affected the first preview, when Tim Howar’s wife gave birth to their son Hamish during Act One, which meant the understudy had to take on Act Two (including the big solo number, Pity The Child, and some tricky moments of recitative). There have also been reports of Michael Ball missing some lines in the Endgame number which has all the principals together for the last time, but no such problem was present last night (although his “Frederick, thank you” in the close of The Deal/No Deal number has now switched to “Freddie”).
So what’s ‘new’ if you are in the lower levels?
First off, there is a platform which comes up during key scenes, and this is located in the pit, where the orchestra is usually based. Honestly, from the upper circle last week I had no clue this was even there, nor did I realise that some of the chess board set design was made up of steps which allowed some characters to exit quickly or for technicians to nip under the stage to set up the next scene or the video projections.
Second, without a clear view of the front of the stage you miss around half of the choreography of The Soviet Machine, roughly a third of One Night in Bangkok, and you are unable to see the chorus behind the screen in The Story of Chess, or the chorus based under the platform during the chess games. This does a great disservice to the hard working singers and dancers who deliver the layered melodies and high energy movement the ensemble numbers require.
This time I hardly glanced at the video projections (which are sometimes mirror images of the same scene in close-up, but sometimes seem to be there just so you can see what is going on – for example, in Burke’s two solo numbers, in Janson’s two solo numbers, and -with some synch problems last night – for Howar’s big Act Two number). I found them distracting in the major duets I Know Him So Well and Mountain Duet, as that by definition requires two people to be shown, and the screens seemed superfluous.
In other places they are used well – the plane arrival in Merano, the fire-breathing dragons in One Night in Bangkok in front of which acrobats and aerial contortionists perform, the chess games (although, rather than 1960s headlines about the space race, it might be fun to show us the actual moves, assuming they are not just random!), and the explanatory pictures about the history of the game and former champions.
Last night I could watch close-up, on the stage itself, what was going on.
I still can’t find any emotional engagement with Svetlana – she appears briefly early on in the show, and then we don’t see her again until the end of Act One, in which we are supposed to empathise with her delivery of Someone Else’s Story. This song was written for the character of Florence (in the original Broadway production), and still makes more sense, as she finds one relationship collapsing as another begins.
Neither female character is fully drawn, but I find Florence an interesting one. She is Hungarian-born and living in the US, with a self-centred lover who treats her as an accessory, although she’s fiery in support for him when we first see them. Why she’s stayed so long, and why she suddenly bails to join with a refugee from a country she hates, is not explored sufficiently, nor the reasons this Russian leaves his family for a new life in the West. Janson seems to make Florence fluffy in love by the time we get to Heaven Help My Heart, which makes the You and I duet between her and Anatoly bittersweet by its conclusion. Perhaps the implication is that Freddie’s drinking and coke sniffing had made him less exciting between the sheets than the focused Russian!
Svetlana has another song which opens Act Two, a translation of the Swedish production’s song He Is A Man, He Is A Child, which is a towering ballad for a character we don’t really know. But without those two songs, it isn’t much of a part, regardless of the engagement the audience would have with her. Burke does well enough and is very good indeed in Endgame, and she’s a hard woman to return to, for sure.
Michael Ball probably wouldn’t have been my first choice for Anatoly, but with his spectacles and air of concentrated ennui, he does convince – and the songs, Where I Want To Be, Anthem, and the duets previously mentioned, are delivered well, without too much of the vibrato that has characterised his recent collaborations with Alfie Boe. Hopefully we will see him in some more mature musical roles as time progresses. Anatoly, though, is a difficult proposition for any actor – he appears emotionless, he hates the West and everything Freddie Trumper represents, then beats him in the championship and steals his girl. It’s to the credit of the writers and the actor that we still feel some connection with him, and don’t dismiss him as a selfish sot.
Freddie is another conundrum – clearly focused on the game of chess, but highly-strung and feted (and behaving) like a rock star, from the moment he touches down in Merano. His songs range from massive power force fields like Pity The Child to cynical rap in One Night in Bangkok. He throws things around and hurts people who get close to him; he is by no means the confident front he puts on. It’s a tough part because it isn’t the one which gets the natural audience sympathy, but he’s always been my favourite character in Chess, and he’s pitched just right in this, with a redemption arc in The Deal/No Deal which might, despite Florence’s pointed look during the TV interview which opens Endgame, lead to some form of reconciliation for them.
The ensemble numbers are absolutely fine, and well done, and from close-up they were very enjoyable. The orchestra from the ENO is conducted by John Rigby, and musical director is Anders Eljas, who has been involved with the musical since square one, doing the original orchestrations, and what a glorious sound they make. As for the ensemble, let’s have a shout out for the pop choir trio Jordan Lee Davies, Sinead Lang and Alexandra Waite-Roberts, and associate choreographer Jo Morris, although all are excellent.
I mentioned the pricing. The upper circle pricing is £65-80, and the dress circle will cost you over £100 for a ticket. I hear that there are rush tickets for £25 through TodayTix for weekday performances, so this would seem to be the future of such shows – eye-watering prices for committed fans, and cheap tickets for casual ones. I find this a worrying trend as a theatre obsessive, and one who nearly always puts hand in pocket for pre-discount prices. If I visited a show on a cheap ticket or a comp, I would tell you. It’s a rare occurrence, but if you are in the happy position to not have to plan your visits to a show until the day itself, it’s an option to play the discount lotteries.
Chess continues for a further three weeks.
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Post by loureviews on May 13, 2018 15:14:53 GMT
Much as I love London theatre these deals make committed fans feel like idiots for spending money out. Especially when those who take advantage of cheap tickets bad-mouth the production.
And 'everybody' doesn't think the plot of this show is a mess. I wish they would settle on one plot and one set of songs and stop tinkering witb it but it is perfectly simple to follow!
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Chess
May 12, 2018 22:42:31 GMT
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Post by loureviews on May 12, 2018 22:42:31 GMT
Tempted ...
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Chess
May 12, 2018 22:31:50 GMT
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Post by loureviews on May 12, 2018 22:31:50 GMT
Just back from watching this a 2nd time from the Dress Circle. In terms of design it is like watching a different show.
I had no idea there was a platform that kept coming up and down. And steps. And I missed most of One Night in Bangkok and The Soviet Machine's dancing content last week.
Honestly you cannot see the pit from the upper levels. I can't post pics for comparison here as per board rules but I have on Twitter.
But the show is still sensational. If I didn't have to fork out another £100 for a ticket I would visit again before it closes.
And tonight they didn't black out immediately after Pity the Child, so Tim, rightly, got his solo applause.
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Post by loureviews on May 12, 2018 11:36:50 GMT
A random question, but this book came out in e-format only and was filled with gorgeous photos, but my hard drive copy is now unreadable Gable was of course male principal at the Royal Ballet before his retirement from dancing, and after many collaborations on film and TV with Ken Russell, he did wonders as AD of Northern Ballet Theatre for a decade as well as co-founding the Central School of Ballet. The book was called The Dancer from the Dance and was available from Money's now defunct website - does anyone know if it is still available anywhere?
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Post by loureviews on May 11, 2018 6:33:15 GMT
Check back a couple of pages for my review to get a bit of positivity on this show (it got lost in the watergate discussion).
I do not get the haters of this show. It is what it is, an 80s musical about the game of chess and the US/USSR rivalry. And it is beautifully performed by that orchestra.
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Chess
May 11, 2018 6:29:59 GMT
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Post by loureviews on May 11, 2018 6:29:59 GMT
I downloaded the RAH concert at the weekend and upon listening to it I would say apart from Josh Groban and Kerry Ellis the voices of the Coliseum cast are far superior. Idina Menzel just screeches through her numbers and you can really hear the difference between that orchestra and the wonderful ENO orchestra. Idina was appalling. Adam Pascal was good though.
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Post by loureviews on May 8, 2018 21:00:12 GMT
I watched the one about the Blitz, how wonderful to see 90-something former company principals so lucid and positive about what must have been trying experiences.
I'll catch up with the MacMillan one this week, and look forward to revisiting the Michael Clark show again having seen it twice at the Barbican.
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Chess
May 8, 2018 18:41:11 GMT
Post by loureviews on May 8, 2018 18:41:11 GMT
To add a positive voice - my review which I blogged today and will be adding to after visit two at the weekend:
I love Chess. It’s the concept album I’ve played the most, and I think it has one of the strongest scores in musical theatre.
With music by Bjorn and Benny from ABBA, and lyrics from Tim Rice, it started life in 1984 as a recording, before progressing to the West End stage in 1986. It ran for four years before going on tour within the UK, and there was also a Broadway production and others, including one in Sweden, which is available on DVD. A concert version played at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008, also recorded for DVD, and a high camp tour ran in 2010.
Now the musical returns to London for the first time in nearly thirty years, and in this staging relies heavily on the structure of the original concept album, with the addition of Someone Else’s Story from the Broadway production, The Soviet Machine from the London production, and He is a Man, He is a Child from the Swedish production.
There was a bit of off-stage drama before rehearsals got going for the new production, with original London cast member Murray Head, cast as The Arbiter at the age of 72, having to leave for personal reasons. I admit he was a major draw for me when booking, so I was a little sad to hear of his withdrawal, but if you want to see him at the height of his powers, you can find the promo videos of Pity the Child and One Night in Bangkok and the Swedish TV broadcast of the truncated Chess in Concert online.
The story of Chess is both simple (a game of chess between an American and a Russian, West vs East, freedom vs oppression) and complex (the American’s partner and second, Florence, a Hungarian by birth, has a father who disappeared during Soviet occupation; the Russian has a wife, Svetlana, and child back home but walks away from them for the love of the game and asylum in England).
At the time of the concept and first production, the Iron Curtain was still a reality, and the ‘Red menace’ was still a very real threat to the freedoms of the West. The West, represented by the brash USA, was seen as materialistic and superficial, while the East was viewed as repressive, inflexible, and unemotional. When Chess was first conceived, it was a reflection of its times, mixing camp and overblown numbers with political commentary. It was also a hit album, with at least two huge chart hits (I Know Him So Well and One Night in Bangkok).
This production casts widely – the Russian (Anatoly) is played by musical veteran Michael Ball, a tad too old for the part but on good form in both acting and singing terms, sporting glasses and an unruffled expression, even when falling in love with Florence. She is played by Cassidy Janson – we saw her in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical where she impressed with her high octane energy and vulnerablity, qualities which serve her well as Florence, who moves from one chess-playing lover to another and ends up believing “stories like ours / have happy endings”.
The American (Freddie) is Mike and the Mechanics lead singer Tim Howar. I wasn’t familiar with him but he puts across the obnoxious front of the man who is a hurt little child inside, and he has a powerful set of pipes which stop the show with Pity the Child (I understand that earlier performances had issues with pacing due to extended applause for this number, but on the performance last Saturday afternoon the lights cut to black directly afterwards, curtailing any audience appreciation).
Svetlana, not usually a major role, is played by pop singer Alexandra Burke, who has a belt of a voice but limited acting skills. At the age of 29 she is far too young for her 55-year-old Anatoly, and her drab – but accurate – Soviet costumes have attracted comment from those who probably seek to see her in sparkles. Aside from one brief scene at the beginning, she does not appear until the end of Act One, when her character is given the song of Someone Else’s Story, which makes much more sense for Florence.
There are several chorus numbers – the opener is The Story of Chess, led by The Arbiter (now played by Cedric Neal, who gives yet another dimension to the complex yet underused role), followed by the tongue in cheek cavorting of Merano. There are video projections throughout the production, but aside from showing a plane arrival during this number, and a sequence of slick merchandising product during the American cheerleading number, they are mainly utilised to show blow-up film of what is going on before us on stage.
I enjoyed the British Embassy number, which is hopelessly dated, but very funny, and the acrobats, strippers, and pole dancers of Bangkok, with fire, masks, and that cheesy rap. The orchestra and ensemble singers and dancers do a fabulous job throughout, required to change focus, nationality, and style as the musical progresses. Everything about this show is huge in scale – everything, that is, except the chess board, which those with long memories may recall was much larger in those early productions.
This is a big, loud, dynamic show which is about as 80s as you can get. For those of us who grew up with it, it is a little corner of musical theatre heaven. For those of you not sure, go if you can. It’s like Marmite, so you may hate it – or you may not. In any case, I would be surprised if a big production is put on in the West End again.
Chess is on a limited engagement at the ENO Coliseum, and closes on the 2nd June 2018. I am visiting again this weekend, and will update this review after that – I felt that despite the greatness of the show, it cannot be fully appreciated from the poor sightlines of the upper levels, and I look forward to reporting back from a more premium seat at my next visit.
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Post by loureviews on May 8, 2018 16:37:26 GMT
They do seem to have form. Wish I had waited on this one!
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Chess
May 8, 2018 14:03:56 GMT
Post by loureviews on May 8, 2018 14:03:56 GMT
I spent a while this morning watching the promo videos and concert from 1984 with the concept album leads. Always forget how moving it is when Elaine Paige as Florence and Tommy Korberg as The Russian sing together.
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Post by loureviews on May 7, 2018 20:24:53 GMT
I'm going to review this production in full when I've seen it again on Saturday. Suffice to say though that I was very happy to see so much of the concept album numbers used (although I would have welcomed a return to the original lyrics in some places), and the addition of the two songs for Svetlana (I know SES was written for Florence originally) helped develop her character in a way. I disagree about Florence not being showcased until part way through Act One as I felt she was the strong one of the American delegation from the moment she stepped off the plane in Merano.
If I was going to rank the productions I'm familiar with right now:
1. Concept album 2. Original London 3. This one 4. Storm-Barnes-Clarke tour 5. Swedish production 4. Concert RAH (way down the list)
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Post by loureviews on May 7, 2018 9:21:49 GMT
Laughing at the girl's reaction to ONIB being a big hit. 80s children, admit it, you knew all the words and danced to it in your bedrooms when playing your tapes of the charts It makes me a little sad to read people dismissing this show's score as 'boring'. But then I have had the concept album for 35 years and this was my fourth time seeing a production. I love the cheesy bits. I love the high octane emotional bits. I love the clever lyrics (I think they are). I love the glorious sound of an orchestra and chorus. I love the conceit of having a musical number about chess champions of the past. If you have grown up with the show go and see this. If you're curious give it a chance. Oh, and Burke's costumes. She is a wife and mother behind the Iron Curtain. She won't have access to fashions from the West.
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Post by loureviews on May 6, 2018 12:39:49 GMT
It's called greed. Pure and simple. But as long as the tickets continue to sell, the prices will continue to rise.
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Chess
May 5, 2018 19:08:38 GMT
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Post by loureviews on May 5, 2018 19:08:38 GMT
Rebooked for dress circle next Sat evening. Fingers crossed that we will both be able to see and love it this time.
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617 posts
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Chess
May 5, 2018 18:03:50 GMT
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Post by loureviews on May 5, 2018 18:03:50 GMT
Denada, what is the show like from the stalls? Seriously considering shelling out if we can to see the show again.
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Post by loureviews on May 5, 2018 17:58:11 GMT
We paid £65. With everyone doing leaning and stretching gymnastics to see it's safe to say this production has scored a spectacular own goal.
I liked all the principals - even Ms Burke (!) - but Trevor McDonald, er, sorry Cedric Neal was a bit underused. Is this why Murray walked I wonder?
Tim and Michael were fantastic, and the emotional core of the piece, but that score, that score.
As for the grumblings about Bangkok it is no worse than the mickey takes of Russia, the USA, the Brits and the citizens of Merano, all performed very tongue in cheek.
I want to shoot the set designer though.
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Chess
May 5, 2018 17:11:00 GMT
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Post by loureviews on May 5, 2018 17:11:00 GMT
Michael Ball got entrance applause. (And I hasten to add not from me) That’s my only comment for now. I’ll wait till the end From where? Sorry I was there and didn't hear it. The production - infuriating. The music as ever is terrific. The sound is absolutely fine. All cast and chorus members work hard. Superficially the set is impressive. But in the upper circle middle - not exactly cheap seats - you cannot see. I played head tennis at the end of a row but had to lean forward to see the chess board and anything going on at front of the stage. Even then I missed bits. No wonder you need the video projections, which are in synch but which, having been utilised throughout, were missing for You and I/Endgame. Why?? My companion saw nothing beyond the video projection. We both love the score. This show could be fantastic - but I am getting fed up of shelling out for productions which have clearly been designed for the most expensive patrons. Rant over, review to follow
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Post by loureviews on May 3, 2018 14:49:33 GMT
Why exactly should critics always get freebies - or feel entitled to them?
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Post by loureviews on May 2, 2018 14:12:02 GMT
My review of this:
You’re probably very familiar with the story of Tina Turner – born Anna Mae Bulloch. She was spotted by Ike Turner when she was a teenager and her distinctive and powerful voice livened up his Revue Band for sixteen years of music success and violent domesticity.
The first act of this musical starts in church, when young Anna Mae already seeks attention. Abandoned by her parents she becomes a cotton picker and grows under the care of her grandmother.
On rejoining her mother and elder sister she runs wild and is practically pushed towards the much more worldly Ike, who grooms her into marriage while resenting her superior talent.
Of course we only have Tina’s word about these early years, and by the end of Act One she’s taken her two boys and made a run for it. There are some musical bits in this half, but the show didn’t come to life for me until Proud Mary.
Act Two sees Tina, ‘knocking forty’ and without a record deal. She’s taken on by a Aussie producer and finds herself on the other side of the world, with a new image, a new partner in marketing whizz Erwin Bach, and eventual super-stardom.
Adrienne Warren is note-perfect as Tina, from teenage years to mature rocker. She has her first chance to show off her pipes on River Deep, Mountain High and comes into her own with vibrant energy in the Simply The Best finale.
Produced by Turner and Bach, this show is close to hagiography, with the story clearly slanted to the infatigable determination of Anna Mae. Young Anna Mae is played by a rotating trio of girls (I think we saw Reya-Nyomi Brown) with their own infectious spirit.
Lorna Gayle is in great voice as GG, Tina’s gran, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith convinces in a tough role as Ike – he gets booed as the villain but he’s a good singer in his own right.
Interestingly, Tina’s solo success comes with a step away from the black community and with the help of whites like Phil Spector, Rhonda Graham, Terry Britten and Roger Davies. Even from David Bowie, who reportedly told the record label they would be mad not to sign her – there’s a moment where I thought he would be introduced but thankfully, no.
A decent show but it could do with a bit of a snip and be warned, it takes a while to warm up. Go for Warren’s performance though – she really is that good.
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Post by loureviews on Apr 29, 2018 14:13:08 GMT
Yesterday at Tina: The Musical one chap decided he needed to get out of the middle of his row (C of Grand Circle) just as she starts her solo number which closes the first act. So a really quiet time to cause a lot of disruption, given the lack of legroom up there and people not able to shove their bags out of the way etc.
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Post by loureviews on Apr 29, 2018 9:07:01 GMT
Bat Out of Hell today. In the Circle, at least one audience member going to the toilet throughout the entire show. At one point, I counted seven people up at the same time. It was ridiculous. Did they at least have the courtesy to leave the auditorium first?
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Post by loureviews on Apr 28, 2018 19:55:08 GMT
I think it was Adrienne today at the matinee but could anyone confirm, please? We were in the gods so I'm not entirely certain!
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Post by loureviews on Apr 25, 2018 6:41:34 GMT
that leaves a remembrance of our Willy’s birthday, but that’s gone as well... To Dad. They could perhaps call him John Thomas in that case? Close enough. We had a John Thomas in our family. His surname was ... Rose. Always known as Jack.
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Post by loureviews on Apr 23, 2018 7:02:19 GMT
Frank Moreno looks better as Joan Rivers than as himself!
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Chess
Apr 21, 2018 15:33:50 GMT
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Post by loureviews on Apr 21, 2018 15:33:50 GMT
How embarrassing for everyone concerned. Sounds like they were more concerned about casting a “name” than establishing if that person was really suitable. “Gaga is out but I’m still chasing down Murray Head for the Arbiter!” “Is Murray still working?” “Don’t worry I’m sure I can get him to do it” Only just seen this. Hope all is well with the elder Mr Head but disappointed to hear he's pulled out
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