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Post by mattnyc on Sept 21, 2023 8:33:02 GMT
One thing I’ll never understand is the choice not to use the projections to show fire. They do it for water for the whole show but just red lights for the fire? To me that was such a wasted opportunity.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Sept 21, 2023 8:38:55 GMT
One thing I’ll never understand is the choice not to use the projections to show fire. They do it for water for the whole show but just red lights for the fire? To me that was such a wasted opportunity. They all probably just lost the will to live by that point so just flashed red lights on and off |
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Post by adamkinsey on Sept 21, 2023 9:44:46 GMT
Libby Purves has given it FOUR stars. What the actual??
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Post by mrbarnaby on Sept 21, 2023 9:47:08 GMT
Libby Purves has given it FOUR stars. What the actual?? Hilarious!!! Oh and I forgot to mention “I’ll scratch your back”… the most excruciating number I’ve ever seen on stage, both in performance and placement in the show. |
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Post by adamkinsey on Sept 21, 2023 9:50:11 GMT
I mean, theatre is subjective but some aspects are black and white. I find it beyond belief than any experienced theatregoer, let alone a "professional" reviewer/critic, could give four stars to a production with such awful and inept lighting and set design.
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Post by adamkinsey on Sept 21, 2023 9:54:36 GMT
Kevin Wilson has just tweeted a FIVE STAR review from a "freelance journalist" writing for The Upcoming (whatever that is).
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Post by max on Sept 21, 2023 10:06:47 GMT
I particularly enjoyed all of the banging and movement of the white curtain whenever I was doing a little solo on the downstage steps. And I particularly enjoyed this sentence, which on first view suggested you got so frustrated you went up on stage to show them how it's done - several times! |
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Post by austink on Sept 21, 2023 10:22:07 GMT
Th Variety review seems to be the only one to say what I a lot of us our thinking.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Sept 21, 2023 10:26:49 GMT
I particularly enjoyed all of the banging and movement of the white curtain whenever I was doing a little solo on the downstage steps. And I particularly enjoyed this sentence, which on first view suggested you got so frustrated you went up on stage to show them how it's done - several times! 🤣 |
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Post by 42ndBlvd on Sept 21, 2023 12:20:59 GMT
An interesting video from Wait in the Wings about the London production. I see Mr Levy is still BS’ing his way to try and convince everyone this was a good idea. Interesting they've reposted this video onto their Instagram account. It'll certainly get people talking. Any publicity is good publicity at this point... also hilarious to see my comments being used 😂 |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 21, 2023 12:43:40 GMT
While it’s fine for members to refer to YouTube content which is created by “professional” theatre vloggers and therefore monetised please don’t post the link on the forum. Anyone wishing to find the video will be able find it from the channel name if they wish to do so.
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Post by gussiemwra on Sept 22, 2023 13:52:01 GMT
Went to see this last night. I SOOOOO badly wanted to love it. But, I went away just wondering how in the world did Charing Cross Theatre come up with this mess!
First off, there is a good musical somewhere in Rebecca. It just needs some serious reworking. If they were going to bring it to the UK for its premiere, they should have taken it apart and looked at it from a new perspective. On my journey home, I kept thinking that if they moved the beginning of Act Two to the End of Act One (the confrontation between I and Mrs. Danvers) it would have been so dramatically stronger.
The talent on the stage is incredible. I saw the understudy for Mrs. Danvers, and although a little camp, her voice was powerful. The voices of the rest of the cast, especially those of Richard Carson and Lauren Jones were sublime and if this had been a concert, it would have been a hit. The score is lush and even if they lyrics are a tad basic, I enjoyed that aspect of it. Where I felt it went flat was in the direction by Alejandro Bonatto. It was all so presentational and very amateurish. Why in the world was a London premier of such an infamous musical put in the hands of someone who hasn't directed any other musicals? I cringed every time the cast came into the audience. It was something an amdram director would have done. Also, when I and Maxim went on their first date to the mountains and they were climbing on the tables and chairs... awful. I was embarrassed for the actors needing to do this.
As has been mentioned on her prior, the set is terrible. If they wanted to scale such a huge musical down to a chamber piece, then they should have gone with an interesting unit set. The projections didn't bother me, but when you have characters in a song describing how elaborate Manderley is and you can see that it is just some badly painted wood flats with a staircase that has no escape backstage, you loose interest in the show quick. All the banging around behind a flapping white scrim took me out of the show every time it was done. The fire or lack of fire really let down what should have been a cataclysmic ending.
This is the second time I've left Charing Cross Theatre simply disappointed. They have done such great work in the past. I'm really hoping that after this and Glory Road (Rebecca was 10,000 times better than that production!!) they really get their act together.
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Post by anthony on Sept 22, 2023 22:51:28 GMT
Watching the Bootleg has made me so angry that they butchered Zeit in Einer Flasche. The English demo isn't too bad:
(Same with Kein Lachen... the demo translation is honestly so superior to what we ended up with in London).
(And who decided that Rebecca's bed REALLY needed was a hot pink runner?!?!?!)
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Post by mrbarnaby on Sept 23, 2023 12:11:32 GMT
Watching the Bootleg has made me so angry that they butchered Zeit in Einer Flasche. The English demo isn't too bad: (Same with Kein Lachen... the demo translation is honestly so superior to what we ended up with in London). (And who decided that Rebecca's bed REALLY needed was a hot pink runner?!?!?!) That pink bedding was OFFENSIVE. |
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Post by thinkbigkimmie on Sept 23, 2023 18:01:26 GMT
Just curious -- if I want to maximize my chances of seeing the main cast rather than understudies, would it be better to book an evening show (as opposed to a matinee)? Or is it really just luck of the draw?
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Post by mattnyc on Sept 23, 2023 18:18:48 GMT
Just curious -- if I want to maximum my chances of seeing the main cast rather than understudies, would it be better to book an evening show (as opposed to a matinee)? Or is it really just luck of the draw? I spoke to the box office today actually and they said Kara Lane isn’t doing matinees, now. |
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Post by anthony on Sept 23, 2023 18:46:05 GMT
Just curious -- if I want to maximum my chances of seeing the main cast rather than understudies, would it be better to book an evening show (as opposed to a matinee)? Or is it really just luck of the draw? I spoke to the box office today actually and they said Kara Lane isn’t doing matinees, now. I don't think she ever did - Danvers has an alternate and from West End Understudies, I think the alternate has done all matinees? |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Sept 23, 2023 18:55:19 GMT
I’d not expect to see all of the 3 leads if I was seeing it.. I bet they are all trying desperately to miss shows knowing what a turkey it is.
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Post by mattnyc on Sept 23, 2023 21:46:22 GMT
I spoke to the box office today actually and they said Kara Lane isn’t doing matinees, now. I don't think she ever did - Danvers has an alternate and from West End Understudies, I think the alternate has done all matinees? I saw a matinee last week and she was in. |
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Post by Mr Snow on Sept 23, 2023 21:59:56 GMT
Cant rate this as it's either a 0 or a 6.
Bad/Brill/Bonkers in equal measures.
Like going to the Ed Fest for a week and all the players doing their parts in 2:hrs. You also got the good, the bad and the indifferent shows all mixed up together.
Great evening out. Just dont ever want to see it again.
Danni was great the rest less so.
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Post by rowm on Sept 23, 2023 22:25:14 GMT
I don't think she ever did - Danvers has an alternate and from West End Understudies, I think the alternate has done all matinees? I saw a matinee last week and she was in. Also saw Kara in a matinee last week |
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Post by rowm on Sept 23, 2023 22:26:04 GMT
Cant rate this as it's either a 0 or a 6. Bad/Brill/Bonkers in equal measures. Like going to the Ed Fest for a week and all the players doing their parts in 2:hrs. You also got the good, the bad and the indifferent shows all mixed up together. Great evening out. Just dont ever want to see it again. Danni was great the rest less so. What did you like and what did you not like ? |
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Post by originalconceptlive on Sept 24, 2023 2:51:54 GMT
First off, there is a good musical somewhere in Rebecca. It just needs some serious reworking. If they were going to bring it to the UK for its premiere, they should have taken it apart and looked at it from a new perspective. On my journey home, I kept thinking that if they moved the beginning of Act Two to the End of Act One (the confrontation between I and Mrs. Danvers) it would have been so dramatically stronger. This is just speculation, but it's possible that Michael Kunze is still too spooked by Tanz der Vampire Broadway debacle to let his shows be extensively reworked for new markets any more (for example, see www.vulture.com/article/broadway-dance-of-the-vampires-bloody-disaster.html). Maybe there were a lot of ironclad clauses in contracts or whatever for this production, to prevent changes from being made. (Although, he was presumably supportive of the changes made to 'Elisabeth' back in the day for Japan's Takarazuka theatre, to great success locally, so... it's not as if giving a local production team some room to move has never worked out well for him.) |
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Post by Scswp on Sept 24, 2023 6:41:48 GMT
I spoke to the box office today actually and they said Kara Lane isn’t doing matinees, now. I don't think she ever did - Danvers has an alternate and from West End Understudies, I think the alternate has done all matinees? Why would the character of Danvers need an alternate? I know the last chorus of the reprise of the title song has some big notes, but Danvers is a supporting role. Even Willemijn (who was clearly the star of the show in Austria) took her bow before the actors playing Maxim and I. If you have Elphabas doing eight shows a week, then surely Danvers should be doing eight (especially for such a limited run). There are far heavier roles in musical theatre than Danvers. I wanted to see Kara Lane, but I’m attending a matinee. At the time of booking, there was no announcement of an alternate. |
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Post by sixdegrees on Sept 24, 2023 8:00:49 GMT
I don't think she ever did - Danvers has an alternate and from West End Understudies, I think the alternate has done all matinees? Why would the character of Danvers need an alternate? I know the last chorus of the reprise of the title song has some big notes, but Danvers is a supporting role. Even Willemijn (who was clearly the star of the show in Austria) took her bow before the actors playing Maxim and I. If you have Elphabas doing eight shows a week, then surely Danvers should be doing eight (especially for such a limited run). There are far heavier roles in musical theatre than Danvers. I wanted to see Kara Lane, but I’m attending a matinee. At the time of booking, there was no announcement of an alternate. For what it's worth I saw the matinee this past Wednesday and Kara Lane was on. |
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