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Post by MoreLife on Aug 2, 2023 12:13:10 GMT
I have not seen this production, so my comments here are more of a general consideration occasioned by what I have read here.
I know for a fact that LMTO - the orchestra that played at these Evita concerts - put a lot of work and care into everything they do. This has been proved brilliantly in previous concerts and productions of theirs: for example, I remember that people were enthusiastic about Audra's concert with them, and the comments here suggest that they've done a fantastic job again.
IMHO, the issues with these "in concert" version begin when, while the orchestra has been preparing with the utmost care and shows up at the sitzprobe in the best shape possible, the leads, ensemble and choir go through a super short rehearsal process and are then given maybe one full day to rehearse with the orchestra before moving into the theatre for a day of tech, which in all likelihood bleeds into a dress rehearsal if not into the first performance right away.
Under these circumstances, a lot comes down to each performer's own level of commitment (and schedule) in the lead up to the actual rehearsal process. If they arrive having prepared thoroughly on their own, or knowing the material from being involved in earlier productions, even a short and fast-paced rehearsal process is going to be enough for them to do a good job. It also helps if, in the case of the Mistress in Evita, they essentially have to sing one number beautifully, and then they can pretty much fade into the background. If, on the other hand, they arrive expecting to have time to properly learn the material there and then... they're unfortunately in for a very challenging time.
Auli'i Carvalho was maybe never going to be the best Evita ever, talking purely in matters of suitability to the role, but I suspect she underestimated how much preparation she should have done on her own. The fact that she admittedly wasn't super familiar with the score beforehand was never going to help. Further, as she doesn't have a lot of stage experience, having worked primarily in films, she may have been thrown off by the challenges of singing live with a full orchestra and by all that even a semi-staged production entails on top of showing up and singing nicely.
I have some sympathy for her, if this is what she has in fact experienced, because it must have been a horribly stressful few days! On the other hand, I really don't think it is forgivable that the producers charged that amount of money for a production that was - according to so many - so flawed. Personally I am more than willing to enjoy a semi-staged production even if something goes wrong on the day/night, and I accept that things may not be as polished as for a full run (sound design, mic or light cues are tricky to get perfect with so little time), but charging certain prices without guaranteeing a quality that justifies those prices is just not OK.
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Post by MoreLife on Aug 2, 2023 9:27:06 GMT
I would say that there is a "Disney sound" that vocals in Disney productions tend to have, but that has been influenced by years of Disney movies before these started to be turned into stage shows.
I know that an awful lot of work goes into making them look and sound "practically perfect", to quote from one of their hits. Once I saw the MD of a Disney production at work for a one-off performance of a number from the show, a performance they would even not be conducting personally... and I was left speechless by how strict they were on having the number performed at the same exact bpm used for the West End production (by which I mean: not a single bpm more, not a single bpm less!).
However, I have not seen loads of Disney stage musicals, the main reason being that, whilst impeccably executed from a technical viewpoint, I've generally found them to lack heart, and I have not been able to respond emotionally all that much. They always look super polished, to the point that to me they feel artificial and insincere... Sure, they're meant to depict a fantasy world, but once it's real human beings in front of me telling those stories, I should be able to see their humanity and relate to that, otherwise it's just an exercise in beautiful visuals and sounds.
Having said that - which is of course a matter of personal taste - Disney productions have done a lot in terms of providing a steady income for performers, crew, FOH staff, etc. for years and their economic success has done good to the industry, because along with the high technical standards associated with anything Disney, I understand these productions have also set the bar higher in terms of how they manage the people who make that success possible, in ways that smaller productions would never be able to afford.
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Post by MoreLife on Jul 28, 2023 14:25:26 GMT
Pretty sure they never have covers at the Donmar I didn’t know that. So does that mean a show is cancelled if one of the performers is ill? Or is a ‘cover’ technically a different thing to an ‘understudy’? I also would have immediately said that there would not be covers/understudies, as that's the usual Donmar policy, but having just checked... the website actually lists covers for Diana (Carolyn Maitland), Gabe/Henry (Joshua Gannon), Dan/Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine (Ben Morris), and Natalie (Lucy Munden). I can't remember seeing their names when the casting for the leads was announced, but given that the run has sold out and it would be virtually impossible to make up for cancellations, having covers seems a very wise choice.
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Post by MoreLife on Jul 27, 2023 17:28:48 GMT
The Donmar didn’t need to cast a name. It was guaranteed to sell out regardless of who played the role. Also if she were to act the song as it will be done in the show- it may just come across badly/OTT. This is just advertising. Agreed! Look at the set-up, the golden mic, the all-acoustic arrangement, the candles burning... it's clearly meant to be a pretty-looking, pretty-sounding video, not a preview of how the number will be performed in the context of the show. And as far as advertising goes, it's classy AF! At the same time, I believe it also hints at the fact that this production of "Next to normal" will so not be a carbon copy of the original Broadway production, and it would be wrong to go in expecting it to be, or looking for Alice Ripley's Diana in Caissie Levy's performance. Let's focus on vocals, to begin with. Caissie's tone is very different to Alice's, but even beyond that, her way of using her instrument is less "rock" and more "indie", if you get what I mean. Alice will intentionally add a touch of growl / rasp to her vocals, and tends to use a chest-rich belt quality on her high notes, while Caissie will often play with vocal fry, falsetto, she will at times yodel between head and chest voice, and most of her high notes are typically sung in a headier mix-belt. Even in this video, she reserves a fuller belt sound only to parts of the final chorus. All those differences just looking at one of their tools as performers. Add in a different direction, a different vision, a brand new rehearsals process... Personally, I am very excited to see what they're working on!
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Post by MoreLife on Jul 20, 2023 10:00:00 GMT
I think it was always going to be a hard show to consistently sell - it's not one for tourists or people looking for an easy, fun night out. To be fair, I can count on my fingers the times I have been to see shows at the Barbican, but aside from 'Anything goes' I don't remember them programming a lot of material that is meant to make for an easy, fun night out. I really don't think they generally count on tourists or hen do group bookings to fill their seats
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Post by MoreLife on Jul 19, 2023 10:57:55 GMT
If I could have it my way, Imelda Staunton would not have anything to do with any production of 'Hello Dolly', but I appreciate it's a very personal opinion and many will be excited to see her as Dolly. I will gladly wait for her understudy to go on...
As for Jenna Russell, I love her and I think she is one of the best MT actresses, but let's be honest here: in the earliest productions, Irene and Cornelius were played by actors both in their early thirties; in the Broadway 2017 revival, they were played by Kate Baldwin and Gavin Creel who were both just past 40, but could definitely play a bit younger, and their pairing worked well on stage... I'm sorry, but casting Irene and Cornelius well into their fifties would seem a bit too much of a stretch to me.
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Post by MoreLife on Jul 5, 2023 8:47:37 GMT
Having seen Caissie in a number of shows prior to Caroline Or Change, I would have agreed with you, but her performances in that and Leopoldstadt really made me rethink my stance on her acting abilities. She was like a completely different performer and I was very impressed. A transfer would be wonderful, there are so many incredible actors who could play Diana/are finally in the correct age bracket. Absolutely not Kerry Ellis. I remember first seeing Caissie in 'Hair' and falling IN LOVE with her voice, but perhaps not seeing her shine acting-wise. To be fair to her, it's not that Sheila's the best written and developed character in the canon. I thought I could already see her acting chops more in 'Ghost', but it was when I saw her do her own concert at Cadogan Hall just pre-pandemic that I got to appreciate how much her storytelling has matured and got to another level. The way she was able to transition from sharing (emotional!) episodes of her own life right into songs attached to those moments was so impressive, but perhaps the most surprising moment for me was when she sang 'Dangerous to dream' from 'Frozen'. She found so many nuances and details in a number which others may sing like a fairly "generic" Disney ballad... I was very impressed. So I am very excited to see her inhabit Diana (and I definitely would not be excited if someone cast Ellis in this role).
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Post by MoreLife on Jun 16, 2023 14:49:10 GMT
OK, I'll do you a favour.
Tesori composes music that complement the books and amplify the book. That's why her the music for the shows she's been a part of is so varied. They often do not win you over when separated from the book and the production, something true of Sondheim and others.
Awards are very subjective as you note. But this is just false: "Tony's just decide which show they're gonna give everything to and go for it. It's a joke and not objective." The Tony Awards are voted on by 800+ individuals from varied background throughout the country. The idea that such a diverse group would adopt a monolithic mindset focused on which show they will give multiple awards to is amusing.
I mean fair enough for best musical. But shouldn't best score stand up independently? I mean like I said music is perhaps THE most subjective aspect of musical theatre and so granted it's difficult. And I guess you can get into a debate about what "best score" should stand for. IMHO it should be for the best music that you can stick the CD on and love before seeing the show. Might be 800+ individuals but they clearly have much in common. And there is a pattern in what Tony awards "reward." I think the point is the Tony award for Best Original Score is there to recognize excellence in composing new material for theater, not composing in general. When it comes to the score for a piece of theater, it's best when it complements and works in synergy with the book. Sure, a score may include many ear-pleasing melodies, but if it doesn't work dramatically, if it fails to underscore the characters' qualities, if it doesn't ever move the plot further... then it's not a great score for theatre, no matter how nice it may be to listen to it as a standalone body of music. I saw 'Kimberly Akimbo' on Broadway for the first time before the recording was even released, and as I sat there I couldn't stop smiling because of how well balanced it is, and because of how well the songs and the libretto work together at telling the story of these characters. Even the most whimsical moments - say, when Kimberly's school mates start to sing backing vocals in Aunt Debra's numbers - make sense because, well, they're actually the school show choir and they respond as a group of teen-age friends to what Debra's proposing that they do, etc. Think of 'Anagram', which they performed at the Tony ceremony... you have Kimberly's part that starts in a rather conversational place, but grows to a melodic climax ("I wonder what you see when you look at me") when she begins to realize that she kinda really likes Seth. At the same time Seth is lost in his own little world, scrambling letters in his head, and doesn't really notice any of that. And yet you have no doubt that they're really connecting while Seth's (spoken) thoughts so perfectly counterpoint Kim's (sung) ones. Think of 'Better', which is over the top and loud and a bit wacky... because Aunt Debra's personality is precisely that, and when selling her "philosophy" to Kim and the other kids she really is convinced that she's in the right and that she's doing something good for Kim. And, because she's at a bit of a desperate point in her life, she needs to do something major about it! And precisely because it's such a catchy and big sing you as the audience buy that all the kids are like "ok, she's a bit cuckoo but I like her, after all", because that's the effect she's had on you by the time the song finishes. Think of 'Hello, darling': no, it's not a "pretty" piece of music, there's plenty of unusual intervals and changes of tempo, a clashing chord here and there, and I don't think it's a song one would want to listen to on repeat in isolation. Plus Alli Mauzey intentionally sings it with a slightly annoying vocal quality. But hey, Pattie (Kim's mum) which is being introduced with that song has plenty of flaws, and her thoughts are all over the place, so of course her "melodic" line is far from linear and the dynamics of the number are jumpy to say the least... I could go on, but I'll stop here To me, this is what composing for theater is about!
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Post by MoreLife on May 18, 2023 13:51:19 GMT
I saw this production earlier this week and enjoyed it, although admittedly I thought that Act One dragged a little, but that's down to the book and to a plot whereby - as Steve pointed out above - the protagonist is not actually challenged, and even when something resembling a hurdle comes up, they get over it with stroke of luck after stroke of luck.
I saw another production of HTSIBWRT years ago, but I'm certainly not familiar with (or even fond of) the material as some here are, so perhaps I went in with no specific expectations and I was just happy to be lightly entertained, and I felt that the show delivered precisely that.
The cast is indeed very young, with the obvious exception of Tracie Bennett, but that did not bother me at all, as they're all competent singers/dancers/actors. Some performances actually stood out for me, especially Allie Daniel inhabited Rosemary in a very earnest and heartfelt way, which is not the easiest thing to do when your role is written pretty much as a stereotype and has barely any arc. All in all, however, this production sat around the 3.5/5 stars for me.
I didn't think that there was necessarily a major "design" behind the choice of gender-swapping the casting for some of the roles, just as there often isn't one when an actress is cast in a traditionally male-cast Shakespeare role. It's curious to see how much more of a "strong" reaction this choice elicits in this context, where with Shakespearean revivals it's often welcome as a breath of fresh air offering some new approach, etc. At the same time, I don't think it was just a "gimmick". I'm not sure that all the swaps worked equally well, as I was not always convinced by Gabrielle Friedman's Finch, but in general I thought it was just a beautiful way of honouring the fact that in 2023, in contrast to 1961 when HTSIBWRT was first staged, there's a pool of performers to choose amongst who can give more of a voice and representation to the whole LGBTQIA+ community.
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Post by MoreLife on May 16, 2023 9:48:42 GMT
Thank you. Pretty costly indeed… Any indication of how long previews are going to last? Purely based on the fact that you can't book tickets for 21.02.2024, I'd guess it's going to be opening night. It's a fairly short preview period, but the show is likely going to be a photocopy of the one that's been running on Broadway for years now, so the previews are more for the cast and tech team to settle into their tracks, than for making adjustments to the material. Also, I note it looks as though they'll be performing on Sundays, but will be dark on Mondays.
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Post by MoreLife on May 16, 2023 9:09:25 GMT
Had my NT member presale link this morning, tickets booked with extreme ease! Hadestown, I'm Cominnnnnnnnnng! What are prices like? Also, did it say how long previews were going to be for? Looking at one of the first dates - but it seems to be fairly consistent at least during the first month: STALLS: a good chunk of seats towards the front are at £ 89.50, with a section of what we'd probably call "premium seats" at £ 125 and "very premium seats" at £ 150. A handful of seats towards the back of the stalls are priced at £ 69.50 £ 52.50 (some of which are marked with a "pillar in sightline" warning...), with £ 39.50 in the second from last row and £ 20 in the very last row. DRESS CIRCLE: a similar distribution and similar price categories, but not going below the 69.50 mark. GRAND CIRCLE: these range from £ 29.50 to £ 69.50 BALCONY: these range from £ 20 to £ 39.50. Personally, I find these to be generally too high, with some being pure madness (the ones at 52.50 with a pillar in sightline and the 39.50 ones in the balcony...). In fact, I have not booked although my NT membership would allow me to... I'm not going to fork out that kind of money without even knowing yet who will be cast in the lead roles, especially as I was lucky enough to catch the show at the NT and saw it from the second row of the Olivier for very little...
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Post by MoreLife on May 11, 2023 9:22:30 GMT
Don’t know if this old news but starring Jennifer Hudson, Billy Porter, Mindy Kaling, Alan Cumming and Ilana Glazer(according to the Instagram post I’ve just seen anyway): might have to be done, if theres tickets left when I get paid in a fortnight. I'm afraid the Insta ad you saw shows some of the producers of the show, not the cast. Which doesn't mean that the show may not be worth investing in a ticket anyway I believe there's still plenty of those and there's probably going to be offers floating around at some point.
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Post by MoreLife on Apr 27, 2023 9:31:08 GMT
Did some Googling of my own and stumbled upon a few YouTube videos of Mason Alexander Park as Hedwig in the US national tour of the production that opened in NY with Neil Patrick Harris at the helm. Based on that, I can definitely see why they'd be considered a good fit for the EmCee, and clearly they are a competent and reliable performer if they were chosen to lead the touring production stepping in the role that NPH had been spectacular in on Broadway.
Besides, given the stamp that Eddie Redmayne - whose vocals are solid, but not out of this world good - has given the role in this production, the performer's charisma, energy and physicality count more than anything else, and someone who's played Hedwig should easily pass the test in those departments.
On the other hand, I haven't been able to find examples of Maude Apatow's singing/performing. The fact that the LSOH production has published videos with almost all the other actresses who've played / are playing Audrey, including Tammy Blanchard - who brought to life an unusual and interesting portrayal of Audrey, but wasn't quite vocally flawless - but not a single one with Apatow does make me wonder...
Of course I also wonder whether these names are big enough to command the ticket pricing that was originally deemed "justified" when Redmayne and Buckley were cast, but the show has been running for a year and a half now and despite the cast having changed to include leads with maybe less of a resume/name it keeps selling reasonably well, the lottery remains super tough to win, there's still a certain buzz about it, it's a well-known title that can sell to tourists and those have been returning to London in recent months... so I feel that it can continue to run with that pricing for another while!
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Post by MoreLife on Apr 19, 2023 16:15:46 GMT
Anyone know when standing tickets to these are likely to become available? I was told they don’t release them until much nearer the time? The Donmar's website says "£10 standing released when all seats are sold", which makes it sound that they will become available much closer to the time - possibly on the same day, for certain performances. They also have an initiative whereby some tickets should become available for all productions each day, they say "An allocation of tickets will be released every morning, Monday – Saturday (excluding Bank Holidays), at 10am for performances seven days later."
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Post by MoreLife on Mar 28, 2023 11:21:34 GMT
The presale is on now, I have just bought a restricted view ticket in the stalls row C, we will see. Prices are high but not stupidly so, I think! I'm 22000th in the queue lol. Can I ask what the ballpark prices are for premium seating? A friend of mine just got in as she had a much lower number and she reports £100 for top price, then £85, then £55 (which still gets you decent stalls seats), at least during previews. I feared it would be much worse!
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Post by MoreLife on Oct 18, 2022 10:09:24 GMT
Would you recommend listening to the score first if it is all sung through as I tend to find shows like that quite dense and a lot to take in upon first viewing? I wouldn’t say it’s necessary, it is very spoilerific, but if you aren’t fussed about that in my opinion it is one of the best cast recordings produced. It really captures the experience. But if you already know the plot and just want to listen to a really good musical with phenomenal performances it is strongly recommended. I actually first discovered the show when it was playing in Dress Circle, I stopped and asked the (deeply unpleasant and b**chy) middle-aged owner what it was and he said “don’t you know? *sigh* it’s Next to Normal”. He pointed me to the soundtrack CD, I got my phone out to Google what the musical was about, and as soon as I did he said “I think you’ll find *sir* it’s the same price on Amazon”. I put down my basket of CD’s and merch and walked out, and never shopped with them again. The whole anecdote played before my eyes as a scene from the movie, and I could so easily picture it (and hear said owner's slightly condescending tone) - thanks for a good chuckle! I also echo your words about listening to the recording in advance - it does reveal most details of the plot as it's to be expected of a sung-through show, but for anyone who fears missing those details when seeing it live and being exposed to the material for the first time, a good listen may actually add to the experience (even just for the pleasure of discovering how different performers will deliver the same material).
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Post by MoreLife on Oct 14, 2022 8:10:31 GMT
Thanks, it has just updated. "Priority booking has not yet opened. It will open on 14 October 2022 at 09:00." I'd try to log out and then back in - or to give the venue a call?
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Post by MoreLife on Oct 13, 2022 17:21:21 GMT
Ok, lovely to see all the enthusiasm about it but for those of us who haven’t seen this and don’t know much about it, please tell us why we should be excited? I can't speak for all those who have expressed enthusiasm about this, but I can try to explain why I am excited about this and why I certainly will be booking tickets for this production. As an all-round lover of theatre who has always had a soft spot for musical theatre, I have been keeping an eye on what was happening on Broadway since the early noughties. I was still living in Italy back then, and with no social media yet that meant periodically browsing Playbill.com and Broadway.com as much as getting my hands on recordings of shows that had only just been released. By the time Next to normal (n2n) opened on Broadway, I'd been lucky enough to travel to NY a couple of times and to have seen a few shows there, so my interest in new productions and new talent hitting the boards across the pond had been fueled further. So, it won't come as a surprise that my first contact with n2n happened rather early in its life, and it probably involved me listening to bits of the recording shortly after its release. However, I have a much more vivid recollection of watching the performance the cast gave at the Tony Awards that year. I remember marveling at the emotional intensity of that sequence of numbers and being equally impressed by those "rock" vocals, but I also remember feeling somehow overwhelmed when I first listened to the recording in its entirety. It's fairly long and a lot of it is... seriously high octane, for lack of a better expression. Still, that left me curious to learn more about it, and in those days I may have stumbled upon one of those videos that should not exist, and which now on YouTube would probably be titled "NOT next to normal" (or something along those lines). I think it was when I finally allowed myself to spend more time with those characters (and I allowed them to actually tell me the story) that I started to appreciate the raw power of a piece of musical theatre that does not shy away from going to a number of dark places, one that - in ways that may be perfectible, and of course if someone sat down to tell the same story 14 years later they'd consider making different choices, etc. - is not afraid of showing you different facets of human vulnerability and imperfection which, no matter how far from your personal experience, are relatable. This summer I had the luck and privilege of seeing the immersive production that was on in Barcelona for a couple of months, and I was blown away by Alice Ripley's reprising her original role, by the general display of talent and by the emotional impact of the score. Sure, having "spent" some time with those characters and those songs through the years will have played a role in my emotional response to the show, but I was with friends who knew little to nothing about it before going in, and they were equally enthusiastic about it afterwards. Do the themes, the musical style, the predominance of sung text over spoken lines make it one "not for the masses"? I don't like to reason in terms of "masses" and "niches": let's face it, it's all a lot more fluid than that. However, I do think that someone who is not much of a theatre fan and maybe goes to see a show once or twice a year in the hope of being primarily entertained is less likely to choose to see n2n than, say, Mamma mia! or Moulin Rouge. And this is because even if they have not done much "research" beforehand, they kind of know already what they will get, and that's a good night of fun, spectacle and entertainment. Do I think there's anything wrong with that? Absolutely not! Sign me up for an evening of laughter and gaiety! On the other hand, I think that the audiences that will end up going to the Donmar to see n2n will have - for the most part - made a rather conscious choice to do so, maybe because they've heard about it before or because, having just heard about it, they are not put off by the thought of hours of an almost sung-through, predominantly belted contemporary MT score telling the story of a rather dysfunctional family dealing with loss, grief, bipolar disorder and its various possible forms of treatment... and more. So I'll let others decide if n2n is "for the masses" or not, but I do think that some people will really love it, while to some other people it may well be close to their personal idea of hell, so... it's all good if they choose to go and see something else that's more in line with their taste and preference!
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Post by MoreLife on Oct 13, 2022 11:07:35 GMT
So I just paid to become a 'friend' but at 9am tomorrow how does it work? Simply log in my account and I can buy tickets or do I need to do anything else? Hi apubleed, that's exactly how it should work - I did that most recently when I bought tickets for 'The Band's visit'. You may want to log in a little ahead of time, but basically your being logged in will allow you to access the booking, which you wouldn't yet be able to otherwise. From that on, it should be a fairly regular booking experience (and hopefully a lucky and successful one!)
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Post by MoreLife on Jul 21, 2022 8:42:20 GMT
Having seen the show last Sunday night, I can only echo Furet's comments above: it's so, so good and would definitely deserve a longer life. This is not a "oh let's just make it into a shorter thing and sell it like that", it was perfectly trimmed down, the order of certain numbers rearranged so that the narrative could be followed and would make perfect sense despite entire verses (or even whole numbers) having been cut.
Sadly I've never seen a full production of N2N in any incarnation, even though I've tried - in fact, managing to see this one felt a bit like dispelling a curse. I was, however, very familiar with the recording and I may have watched enough of it on Youtube to know the plot and characters well. I had the feeling (and I'd be curious to hear whether you had a similar impression, Furet?) that through being compressed and condensed into 70 minutes, and with the enhanced sensorial involvement coming from the projections and immersive set-up, the material hit even harder from an emotional standpoint. I certainly teared up multiple times including at points where it was the sheer power of it that got to me, rather than a specific plot point.
Alice Ripley shines in this, and 13 years after the Broadway run she still brings to the role loads of raw vulnerability and gosh, can she make it sound an almost easy sing - which it very much isn't! But I was truly impressed by the quality of the performances delivered by the young actors playing Natalie, Henry, and Gabriel. Eloi Gomez (who plays Henry) and is the only company member from Cataluña stood out for me, for he sang the part so beautifully, and brought such a fresh, naive and hopeful energy to a role which could, in less capable hands, fade into the background.
I would of course be thrilled if at least in this incarnation the show could finally make it to London, as I'd certainly love to experience it again. I still believe this will call for a bold production team who are willing to make a bit of a bet and cross their fingers, as I really feel that it's a rather hard sell for British audiences (this being an overly generalised comment, of course all you guys reading this thread are well interested!)
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Post by MoreLife on Jun 7, 2022 14:44:05 GMT
Over the years I have certainly enjoyed a lot of productions at the Menier, including some that later went on to have a second life on larger stages in the West End. At least for a good chunk of time, it has made some bolder than average choices and we have been lucky to catch some theatrical magic in an intimate space.
However - and I'm not sure if it was done merely in an attempt to get more bums on seats - sitting in there had become a bit too much of a torture, so little was the space assigned to each ticket holder on those benches. And on a warm day in summer, the temperature in the auditorium could become really a bit too much to bear...
So I will be curious to see what happens with it, and hope that the refurbishment is about making it into a more comfortable space, both for casts and crews and for audiences, without giving up its charm and cozy vibe. Fingers crossed we will get an announcement about a winter season (and maybe a musical around the end of the year) to kick things off again!
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Post by MoreLife on May 25, 2022 10:01:09 GMT
In my days of regular reviewing, I perfected the art of silent clapping if I felt I was likely to be noticed. But not clapping is a perfectly legitimate response to a show that has failed in some way. I don't believe in booing to show your displeasure. But sitting quietly and not joining in the applause is not disrespectful. I agree, there's nothing disrespectful in not joining a roaring applause / standing ovation. In the same way as stage door chats, signing autographs, taking photographs with a cast member are not something having paid a ticket entitles an audience member to, stepping on stage to do your job as a performer does not automatically mean you get everyone's applause if you have not "earned" it. It doesn't mean your performance was bad in absolute terms, it doesn't mean you can't do your job, it only means someone out there was not won over. It's only happened to me a couple of times, but I have found myself sitting in an audience leaping to their feet and cheering a performance that personally I didn't connect with and couldn't respond enthusiastically to. One of the two times, it was a very specific performance that had left me cold... and while I definitely cheered and clapped for the production and cast as a whole, I did not join in with the big cheer that the specific performer was welcome with. Mind you, the threshold past which I do respond showing warm appreciation is relatively low, so those two times I really felt something had not clicked at all.
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Post by MoreLife on May 24, 2022 9:01:20 GMT
I assume they were going for a sexy vibe, and yet this is one of the most underwhelming and least sexy renditions I've ever seen...
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Post by MoreLife on May 20, 2022 13:53:37 GMT
Daniel Radcliffe?!?! This is a glorious casting!!! I wish he originates more roles in musicals here in the West End. If he’s the Emcee, they have to get a younger Sally Bowles, or at least around his age. That would rule out Billie Piper as my dream Sally. But maybe she could be in the future runs. Rachelle Ann Go would be a very left field casting. She sings really well. Not sure of her acting skills. Sally Bowles being played by an Asian would be something. I feel Sally is substantially unaware of the privilege associated with her being white and British in Weimar era Berlin. It's reflected in how she can't seem to, and won't really, acknowledge what's going on with Herr Schultz and Ernst Ludwig, or even the progressive change in the overall mood in the city. I believe it's not the only reason for her lack of awareness, but the fact that as a white, British person she would not have stood out or looked like she belonged to a minority would have played a role. By contrast, the change in the mood of the city and the increasing sense of unease are among the reasons why Cliff decides to leave and go back to the US - and it's worth noting that in this production Cliff has been consistently cast as non-white. At least for this reason I am not convinced that Rachelle Ann Go would be the right fit for Sally. And that's even before I consider her tone (which is beautiful, but could do with a touch more rawness for this role) or her acting chops (she never convinced me as Eliza in Hamilton).
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Post by MoreLife on May 20, 2022 9:13:48 GMT
I’ve always loved Rent and was super lucky to see it twice on Broadway after getting tickets through my husband's work My local theatre group is putting on a production of Rent and I am thrilled to say that I have been cast in the role of Maureen! I loved seeing Eden Espinosa in the role. We have been doing some rehearsals this morning at one of our cast member's home and we did a rehearsal for La Vie Boehme and my co-star Alan managed to capture this great cheeky action shot of me! 😂❤️ Has anyone been in a production of RENT? Any advice would be massively appreciated! Well done Sarah on being cast, and what a wonderful and challenging (in a very good way!) material you'll be digging your teeth into I played Mark in an am-dram production on Rent (alas, a good few years ago!) and my main piece of advice is in fact for you all as a company: Rent is a celebration of a community of friends who have each other as their chosen family, as it were, so while of course you'll all be telling each character's specific story, and each of you (including every ensemble member) will be on a unique journey during the show, it'll work so much better if it is supported by an underlying feeling of connection and unconditional mutual support. So, if you can, try and plan moments when you all get together and gel as a group of people: those real life connections and bonds between you guys will shine through in your performances. For example, you will realise it is way more interesting to watch two characters fight and bicker (like you'll do with Joanne) if you can tell that underneath all that those two characters do care for each other. The tip I have specifically for you is this: as Maureen, you will be on stage in 'Rent' (when the audience won't really notice you) and then only be back for 'Over the moon', so while the rest of the cast learns and rehearses material from Act 1 you probably won't be "needed". I encourage you to pop in at some rehearsals you're not needed at, just to see what's going on with the rest of the cast, and to begin to work on your own on the 'Over the moon' monologue as early as possible. It's long, and it requires a bit of an over the top delivery (hey look, I'm an artist doing artsy, unconventional and provoking things!), but you also need to be on top of it in that there's a political point that, as Maureen, you're trying to get across with that schpiel.
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Post by MoreLife on May 17, 2022 9:13:09 GMT
Anyway. It's a great play I loved it, especially the Welsh choir. I didn't hate the new changes but they were a bit intrusive and needed to be toned down in the first 2 scenes. I have a question for the esteemed community here though, what was the idea in the framing device petering out as the play progresses? We went from a black box set, to a set where you can see behind the scenes, to a properly framed and realistic theatrical set piece, all the while getting less and less of the read-out stage directions. Is this Davies coming to terms with his memories, is it him building more artifice and unreality to his past as he goes on? I wasn't sure. My - very own, and therefore quite possibly flawed - interpretation is that we get to see the space inhabited by the characters evolve from a Brechtian set-up to the fully detailed set piece of Act 2 at the same time as we see Morgan evolve from reserved kid - whose existence is basically confined to the village, school and mine - into a brilliant young man, whose agile mind, gift for eloquence and thirst for knowledge open up his world and enable him to let other people, thoughts, and feelings in. To me it felt that the more Morgan grew and learned to express his ideas, the more the world he inhabited could actually be seen for what it was.
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Post by MoreLife on May 16, 2022 10:31:22 GMT
The rights to perform 'Sunday in the park with George' are still locked - even for amateur companies - within Greater London, so there's perhaps still a tiny chance that this hasn't been wiped off the realm of possibility... but I wouldn't really bet on it happening all too soon.
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Post by MoreLife on May 13, 2022 10:50:28 GMT
Some of the comments here make for a rather fascinating read (for me, that is) - while I expected this to be divisive, I did not expect people to full on "hate" it on the basis that it's not what they'd want Oklahoma to look and sound like.
First thing first, let me start by saying that I did enjoy this production of 'Oklahoma'. Did I find it perfect? No, but I'd definitely consider seeing it again to get a chance to focus on details I may have missed the first time.
But I'm a rather unusual audience member, in that I have never seen the movie, nor had I seen another (more traditional) staging of the same material before. I had tried at some point to listen to the original recording / watch the NT video and... I gave up after a few minutes out of boredom. The material didn't seem to speak to me, it didn't thrill me, there was little I enjoyed in the way it sounded, etc. So, for sure, I walked into the Young Vic with very fresh eyes and ears.
This production gave me something that, from a musical viewpoint, intrigued me: the folksy/country orchestrations suddenly made the music sound like it belongs to geographical setting of the show, and the people on stage, with the clothes they're wearing and the way the look, move, and talk could actually be the inhabitants of a small town in that part of the world. If you have ever travelled through rural parts of the US, where you can drive for hours through fields and nothingness, if you've ever stopped in one of those tiny towns where everybody knows everybody else, you may recognise that sense of it being stuck in that small world where the height of your social life is the local country fair...
Yes, there's more than a touch of self-complacency in some of the staging choices: the use of videocameras and live projections à la Ivo van Hove, the alternate use of stark lighting and long black outs... I certainly appreciate it cannot be to everyone's liking, and some will just not enjoy it, and they have all the rights not to. But I could see rather clearly that most of those "tricks of the trade" had been consciously chosen to try and tell an old story in a different way, and without shying away from its darkest parts (which traditionally would perhaps be hidden in the midst of saccharine-filled, dance-y ensemble numbers).
Would it have been equally interesting to present the old 'Oklahoma' again?
I can only think of my experience last year, when I went to see 'Anything goes', and I was left cold and not very much entertained at all. In fact, I was primarily bored by it. Everything was technically very polished on that stage, but nothing about that production thrilled me or made me think or feel things.
By contrast, to me this production of Oklahoma is commendable in that it proves that theatre is alive and kicking and tries to evolve. Sure, not all the choices and not all the routes taken pay off in equal measure, but - to paraphrase a very wise man - they are moving on and are giving us more to see...
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Post by MoreLife on May 13, 2022 10:13:08 GMT
I believe what they mean is that even day seats available online will work primarily for those living in London or close enough to London that they can buy a ticket in the morning, in the certainty that they will be able to go about their day (including work) and still make it into central London in time for the show. So it's an issue with the entire concept of London based show day seats? I don't think that's quite what they were getting at. The actual problem they have is specifically with this production, which releases cheap tickets every Monday for the coming week, online, so everyone can access them. I'd like to see shows up in Manchester - the fact it's expensive for me to get up there, even if I managed to get an affordable ticket, isn't the same as me complaining that the certain show is only "for the rich". I can certainly relate to the Manchester thing - I looked into going to see the local production of Passion, then I saw that a return train ticket on a Saturday (the one day I could reasonably take the trip) would cost me more than a return flight to, say, Barcelona and more than a Eurostar return ticket to Paris. And so, regrettably, I had to say "no, thank you". In fact, the tickets to see the show are priced rather fairly, it's the way trains work in this country that's a bit of a mess!
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Post by MoreLife on May 10, 2022 10:25:01 GMT
Not really. Most people aren't in London. You can buy them online. Or is the Internet also only for the rich? I believe what they mean is that even day seats available online will work primarily for those living in London or close enough to London that they can buy a ticket in the morning, in the certainty that they will be able to go about their day (including work) and still make it into central London in time for the show.
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