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Post by alison on Feb 15, 2024 13:37:00 GMT
For anyone who has been in the last couple of days, are they still doing the badges or were they just for the first preview?
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Post by alison on Feb 12, 2024 17:02:35 GMT
Jamie was originally Georg if I remember correctly? So I guess they'll need someone else in for that role as well.
Jamie was in the ensemble and understudy Georg. Also very glad I booked a ticket as soon as it was announced just in case.
According to the list that Evelyn has posted on her instagram today, Aneurin, Iwan and Jamie Blackley (Hanschen) are missing from the original "child" cast. I wonder if Richard Southgate (Moritz understudy) will play him, or if they'll get someone new.
Edit: That's what I get for not realising there was a page two before replying, oops!
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Post by alison on Oct 31, 2023 15:05:30 GMT
A whole load of singles across the week for Milton Keynes have been reduced to £13 today. I've picked one up for Wednesday and Thursday evenings to see the two alternates.
Too late for me now, but where did you find this offer, please?
Just on the ATG website - I'd been keeping an eye on ticket prices for this week and when I logged in this afternoon there were the singles at £13.
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Post by alison on Oct 31, 2023 14:12:19 GMT
A whole load of singles across the week for Milton Keynes have been reduced to £13 today. I've picked one up for Wednesday and Thursday evenings to see the two alternates.
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426 posts
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Post by alison on Oct 21, 2023 13:48:59 GMT
I sat the end of row K stalls and could not see centre stage at all because of the tall person in front, and I've had that problem before at Pretty Woman with mid stalls seats too. The rake in the stalls is generally pretty poor at the Savoy, in my experience.
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Post by alison on Sept 21, 2023 20:21:01 GMT
Has anyone who has been so far bought a programme by any chance and could please post the cover list?
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Post by alison on Aug 10, 2023 14:45:53 GMT
My new TheatreCard arrived two days ago (payment was taken mid July) ... surely they knew this was coming. How unhelpful!
I won't be renewing again at that price, the discounts have been getting progressively worse for years.
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Post by alison on Apr 3, 2023 12:21:02 GMT
Has anyone seen anything to say who will be George when MB is off? I mean, I'm sure I'll enjoy them more than him either way, but it would be nice to know who I'm going to see. Even that BWW article credits Soophia as alternate Giulietta but doesn't mention anyone as alternate George.
Assuming that they won't give them both the same alternate night, I might have to go twice - Soophia was captivating in Rumi, I need to hear her Hand Me the Wine and the Dice.
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Post by alison on Aug 7, 2022 22:25:49 GMT
I just hope that whoever it is they've cast age appropriately - Satine is not a fresh faced young ingenue, I really don't want to see someone straight out of drama school (unless they were a mature student, I suppose).
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Post by alison on Aug 5, 2022 17:12:44 GMT
Sticking with the "Jamie with an o at the end of his surname" theme ... Jamie Muscato for Christian?
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Post by alison on Aug 2, 2022 20:47:33 GMT
Well, I go right back to the launch concert at The Barbican and have seen many productions and reincarnations (including in Sweden) and - one or two reservation aside - I thought this was excellent, for a concert, presumably put together in a short space of time and with limited rehearsal. I'm not naming individual performers (negatively) but one just did not work and was a totally missed opportunity for a bit of fun, and another was just vocally dull and really disappointing. The most irritating element of the whole evening was the ridiculous and distracting background choreography - a prime example of "less is more". SB certainly sang it (IMHO) better than anyone since the peerless - in this role anyway - Elaine Paige (and Siobhan McCarthy) but could have reigned it in slightly at times. I pity anyone following in the footsteps of Tommy Korberg but I thought HF did a fine job. And I liked JH-J. He missed clarity in certain lyrics but I felt his 'Pity the Child' was well-delivered if maybe too understated for fans of Murray Head's original. I do agree though about some of the cuts and, given it went a such a pace, there was scope to have included things like 'Merano' without 'Chess' becoming, as it can sometimes be, long and lumbering. And I loved seeing the 'Anthem' reprise back, although including the brief dialogue between Molokov and Florence that preceded it in the original text would have made the finale more powerful. 'Chess' remains a flawed masterpiece that won't go away and I, for one, am not complaining. I was there this afternoon, and I was going to type up my thoughts but honestly this sums up my feelings pretty well.
I did think that the plot (such as it is) was the most coherent today than in any version I've seen either live or on film, and it's the first time I've been quite so impressed with all three leads both from a singing and acting point of view.
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Post by alison on Jul 1, 2022 20:22:13 GMT
There will be the front row day seats on the day too, although I suspect people might queue up very early for them.
I got very lucky - I came through to my computer for something else less than 5 mins after it was announced, so got straight onto the ATG site before the dates had been loaded anywhere else and picked up row A for both shows with no fuss.
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Post by alison on Jun 26, 2022 19:14:07 GMT
Is anyone familiar with the boxes at the Palladium? There seem to be 7 on sale (four two person ones stage right, two two person ones and the four person royal box stage left) but only three are listed on seatplan.
I'm guessing some must be higher and some lower, possibly with ones closer to the stage and ones further away like at the Shaftesbury. Trying to figure out if any of them might be worth it for this show.
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Post by alison on May 30, 2022 12:40:55 GMT
Anyone who has an ATG account know if there's a way to access that seat on the end of row B that was only showing up to logged in ATG members? Since they changed the site (so being logged in to your account from the top of the site rather than having the members/access log in here button by the show date) it never shows up, even on shows way in the future where nothing around it is sold, so I'm assuming there's still a trick to it. Anyone know?
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Post by alison on May 25, 2022 18:49:44 GMT
Honestly, with what I'm hearing from people who have seen this, anyone giving it 4 or 5 stars loses all credibility for me. Frankly the set alone should lose it a star, as should what I've seen of the costumes. It sounds like a mess, I don't know what they're thinking. Costumes have been overhauled during previews. think a lot of work has been done to the show. that's what previews are for. And yet the one that seems most incongrous (Elle's midriff baring dress for the final courtroom scene and into the finale) doesn't seem to have been changed. That costume was always pink, and often sparkly, but also always appropriate in style. Elle Woods is many things, but she understands fashion and what's appropriate for certain situations. I don't buy for a second that the same character who encourages Emmett to dress the part to be taken more seriously by Callahan etc would then turn up in that outfit herself, knee high boots and all. I just don't.
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Post by alison on May 23, 2022 20:09:51 GMT
That would make the show 2 hours 15 including interval, I’m sure it’s longer than that. At the first preview they were citing times as Act 1: 65 mins 20 min interval Act 2: 55 mins and with a 7.45 start, we were out just after 10pm, even with a slight delay on that 7.45 start time. It definitely wasn't just after 10pm for first preview - the timestamp on my bows video is 10:33, and I remember having to move it pretty quickly to make my last train home.
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Post by alison on May 17, 2022 16:49:36 GMT
Got an email and text today saying this has been rescheduled to September 12 for some reason.
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Post by alison on May 15, 2022 0:01:48 GMT
I liked it for the most part. Courtney Bowman is excellent as are most of the cast including Michael as Emmett and Nadine as Paulette. A very strong ensemble who doubt up lots of roles. Two casting misfires - Isaac Hesketh as Margot can’t sing the role as written. They sounded pretty awful but then you can’t really change keys when singing as part of a trio. The other was Eugene McCoy who seemed to have a lot of stumbles and line flubs and I believe sang the same verse twice in Blood in the Water - he also reads very young but there’s definite room for improvement. The Costumes…… THE COSTUMES… burn them. Hideous. The set is basic and I guess limited by the open air theatre as a venue. It looks better in person but actually maybe plain golden streamers against a pink backdrop would have worked a whole lot better. The dogs are certainly different and actually, I didn’t have an issue with that concept. I also thought most of the updating worked pretty well. It makes perfect sense for Brooke to be a Fitness Insta Queen rather than have home video tapes. That said, it’s still Legally Blonde and I love the score and show so I did really enjoy it tonight and glad to be returning in a few weeks. I was there last night and I agree with most of this. Eugene only had one slip that I noticed yesterday, that's a shame that he had more today.
I really hope they can play around with letting Isaac sing the notes down the octave where it's appropriate. In the parts that are lower and sit comfortably in their register (eg. some of Positive), they sounded good - surely dropping the octave for eg. Omigod You Guys and fully embracing the fact that they've cast a non binary Margot would be a much better choice.
The costumes aren't great, but I can live with most of them. The thing that annoyed me most were the courtroom costumes for Elle and Emmett - the whole point of Elle and Emmett's clothes discussion isn't "You need a makeover to look attractive" - it's "There are times and places where it's appropriate to dress in a certain way." Even Warner had a jacket for the courtroom - for goodness' sake give Emmett one, or the point is lost. Same with Elle's pink outfit for returning to the trial - a crop top in court ain't it.
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Post by alison on May 12, 2022 21:00:15 GMT
It must have been last minute cast rehearsals - Barney made his debut as Buck last night. He's second cover and as far as I'm aware they haven't had second cover rehearsals yet, so a week after making his midshow Clyde debut he's now played his second cover. It's been quite the chaotic week down at the Arts.
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Post by alison on May 10, 2022 16:29:29 GMT
It's interesting how we all have such different opinions. I always found David to be too OTT for my liking, but I love Matt's more "quiet awkward" rather than "outwardly awkward" interpretation, and the more subtle take of the tour cast as a whole. I felt the whole London production played up the comedy in a way that wasn't my favourite, and the tour cast made me feel more.
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Post by alison on Mar 24, 2022 20:58:29 GMT
I'm team Simon, I think the hair is wrong for Jamie.
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Post by alison on Nov 17, 2021 21:22:53 GMT
With this talk of alternating row entrances in the upper circle, if anyone who has been already/going soon in the upper circle would be willing to share anything they remember about where the aisles are that would be much appreciated.
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Post by alison on Nov 16, 2021 14:51:38 GMT
As long as it isn’t full of late 20’s ‘Six’ alumni playing 19/20 year olds I won’t mind. The recent Les Mis & Heathers tour have shown that there is plenty of age appropriate talent out there so lets use it. It’s not 19/20 year old characters in Legally Blonde though - they’ve all completed a bachelor’s degree first so we’re talking at least 22/23 depending on whether they took a gap year or not. I absolutely agree with your point in principle though - we don’t need Jodie here too.
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Post by alison on Oct 25, 2021 21:23:53 GMT
It was definitely Stephanie on for Anna on Sunday, I know someone who was there.
I think it's just a coincidence that Danielle has done the last two Sundays (not just the matinee, she did both shows each day). Last weekend was scheduled for Magic at the Musicals, and another friend was there Saturday night and said Samantha didn't sound on top form so could be that she's sick.
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Post by alison on Oct 18, 2021 19:12:04 GMT
If they bump Alyn up, they also have the problem that he's first cover for three roles. Much easier to bring in a new Beast who just has to learn the one role than a new ensemble member who has to learn their own ensemble track plus three covers.
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Post by alison on Oct 18, 2021 15:14:07 GMT
Sorry but this is disgustingly ableist. You're saying that people who have tourette's or learning disabilities shouldn't be able to go to the theatre to enjoy a show? I'm actually shocked at this comment. My brother has severe learning difficulties and one of his favourite things to do is go to the theatre. Yes, occasionally he'll ask for his drink in a normal speaking voice instead of a whisper, or will loudly declare "look at that!" at something he finds funny. We obviously try to tell him to whisper but sometimes he just gets too excited because he loves the theatre so much. You're saying that for that reason he should never be allowed to go and see a show? Just wow. Hi, thank you for sharing this information and I apologise if I caused any offence with my post. I absolutely don't think that anyone should be prevented from going to the theatre. I was really raising this as a question as there may be some scenarios, for example someone who suffers extreme coughing fits, where there might be better alternatives for them (apart from anything else). I am sure that your brother's problem is perfectly manageable in the theatre, it sounds like that's the case, and there is no reason for him not to be there.
BIB - except that's literally what you said in your first post, you used an example of someone who can't help from shouting out occasionally and said they "shouldn't go" and now you're trying to backtrack because you don't like being told how ableist that is? It's fine to reconsider and change your view with new information (in fact, it's healthy!), but don't try to claim you didn't say what's written there in black and white.
There is a huge difference between someone who doesn't care/think about the people around them and is just having a chat, singing along, shouting out because they think they're funny etc. and someone whose disability might cause them to involuntarily make noise, or a small child who doesn't know any better.
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Post by alison on Oct 17, 2021 15:53:38 GMT
Booked. Now to find a train that doesn’t take 2 hours to travel 70 miles. 90 minutes each way is the best on offer, astonishing that two of the UK’s major cities are so poorly connected. TallPaul will probably turn up in a minute abd tell me there’s a secret magic train that only takes 45 minutes (but isn’t avaiable in any of the schedules like the mystery late service between manc abd Sheffield! 😐) I live a couple of stops further down the Birmingham-Euston line. Unfortunately, after about 10pm trains aren't able to run on the fast lines (I think because of works on the line?) so they have to travel on the slow lines instead. If I see a full length evening show in London my train in takes around 55 mins, the train back takes 1h 40. And if, God forbid, I want to see one on a Saturday night I have to find an alternative method because the slow lines are closed too, so the last train out of London is 9:42.
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Post by alison on Oct 15, 2021 15:47:50 GMT
Yep, I've been checked every time at every ATG venue I've been to, including on tour. I've also been to Frozen twice - checked the first time, not the second. Tbf, the second time they didn't even check my bag as I was trying to get to the box office to buy a ticket for Danielle's Elsa debut last minute.
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Post by alison on Oct 9, 2021 21:42:43 GMT
He was about 12. Sang it very well but it jars when they look younger than you.
Back when the then-new production toured in 2010 I saw the understudy Valjean, Chris Jacobsen, who was only something like 21 or 22 at the time. I thought when I saw he was on that he'd seem way too young but I was actually very impressed with his performance. (Admittedly it may have helped that I was sat in the upper circle & I'm short sighted!) So I suppose performance doesn't always depend on actual age. Wasn't JOJ the youngest ever Valjean some decades ago. I would however agree that the blanket very young casting that they seem to have done for the last few years is not ideal. I last saw the show in 2014 & thought the cast came over as rather too young as a whole & I gather it's only headed more in that direction since.
Mum and I saw Chris from front stalls for press night in Edinburgh when JOJ was stuck somewhere because of the Icelandic volcano eruption. From there he was obviously too young but not ridiculously so, and we both said that we thought he'd make an excellent Valjean in a decade or so.
I have no issue with the students/Eponine/Cosette being cast younger on the whole, but please give us some older Valjeans and Javerts again. It seems to have become more and more the thing over the last few years (not just with Les Mis) that where a character covers a large age range on stage, rather than casting someone in the middle who can somewhat reasonably play both down and up, they just cast someone young and have done with it.
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Post by alison on Oct 9, 2021 10:56:56 GMT
Yes, Danielle made her Elsa debut last night. I was supposed to be at Come From Away - I heard while I was on Oxford Street getting food and I ran to Drury Lane. So worth it! Again, the kids around me were absolutely fine, it was the adults that weren't. Particularly the couple behind me who insisted on talking throughout the show, despite getting glares from both me and the young girl sitting in front of me. Was she wonderful? I've been excited to see her because I lived her in The Color Purple. I think she will be a big star. She was fabulous! She made the score sound easy (and I’ve sung most of it in my lessons, it’s definitely not!), she was so calm and composed throughout act one and then her smile when she got to Let It Go. She’s one of those performers who has that little bit of magic IMO, and I agree that she should be a big star.
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