125 posts
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Post by annette on Jun 25, 2023 23:53:00 GMT
Apologies Steve A, I did not know your post was an amalgam of comments made by other board members. I think this was obviously going to be a Marmite show.
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364 posts
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Post by dazzerlump on Jun 26, 2023 10:25:02 GMT
Is Kyle definitely not staying for the full run? That’s surprising I believe he's been cast in something in America that starts before the end of this Strange Loop run so he can't stay the full run. Do you know when he's due to leave? I don't go until last week in August? |
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2,480 posts
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Post by zahidf on Jun 26, 2023 21:02:30 GMT
I thought this was great tonight! Super sold out and loud for a Monday. Looks like another hit for the barbican
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371 posts
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Post by sam22 on Jun 26, 2023 21:50:21 GMT
Saw this on Saturday night and loved it, albeit not quite 5 stars for me but nearly there.
It was really refreshing to see something so different and I thought quite a few of the songs were excellent on stage (perhaps helped by having listened to the album).
I thought Kyle Ramar Freeman as Usher was fantastic!
I'm not sure I'll get to it again before it closes but would love to. If you're on the fence I'd say go for it!
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Post by intoanewlife on Jun 26, 2023 22:10:22 GMT
Just got home...one word...WOW!
What an astounding piece of musical theatre!
Hilarious, clever, moving, biting and stunningly original.
By far the best thing I have seen since Preludes at the Southwark many moons ago.
Is there a harder working leading man on the stage in London than Kylie Ramar Freeman? I think not! What a phenomenal performance!
The entire cast were brilliant and the staging and lighting was not only fantastic, but perfectly filled the space!
I cannot WAIT to go again!!!
5 HUGE stars from me x
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371 posts
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Post by sam22 on Jun 26, 2023 22:33:31 GMT
Just got home...one word...WOW! What an astounding piece of musical theatre! Hilarious, clever, moving, biting and stunningly original. By far the best thing I have seen since Preludes at the Southwark many moons ago. Is there a harder working leading man on the stage in London than Kylie Ramar Freeman? I think not! What a phenomenal performance! The entire cast were brilliant and the staging and lighting was not only fantastic, but perfectly filled the space! I cannot WAIT to go again!!! 5 HUGE stars from me x Padam Padam |
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Post by intoanewlife on Jun 26, 2023 22:34:49 GMT
Just got home...one word...WOW! What an astounding piece of musical theatre! Hilarious, clever, moving, biting and stunningly original. By far the best thing I have seen since Preludes at the Southwark many moons ago. Is there a harder working leading man on the stage in London than Kylie Ramar Freeman? I think not! What a phenomenal performance! The entire cast were brilliant and the staging and lighting was not only fantastic, but perfectly filled the space! I cannot WAIT to go again!!! 5 HUGE stars from me x Padam Padam Literally the only thing missing that could've made it even better x |
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Post by princeton on Jun 26, 2023 22:52:49 GMT
As noted above Kyle Ramar Freeman has another job lined up and is going to play the Lion in the upcoming pre-Broadway tour of The Wiz. It begins in Baltimore on 23 September - which is only two weeks after A Strange Loop closes at the Barbican. Whilst it is possible that he could rehearse remotely and/or with an associate director in London then join the company for the final rehearsals (he was cast in The Wiz after he'd been confirmed for A Strange Loop - so there will definitely have been 'talks' about how to manage it). I think it's also possible he will leave early and that once the reviews come out and he is much acclaimed - a line will be added to the booking page saying "Kyle Ramar Freeman will play Usher until xxxx. Casting after that date to be announced"
Update: Just noticed that on his insta - Kyle Birch who is billed as Cover Usher - says: "Can’t wait to play this amazing role twice a week!". Doesn't seem to be mentioned on either the Barbican or show website. So presumably another line to be added to the booking page - post reviews!!
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Post by steven22 on Jun 27, 2023 0:08:48 GMT
I’m going Friday, September 1. Will Kyle Freeman be in? I saw him twice in NYC and loved his performance. I preferred him to Jaquel.
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4,955 posts
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jun 27, 2023 8:04:30 GMT
Wow. This is so bold, raw and self exposing with literally nowhere to hide. I loved how it flipped from comedy to tradegy in a split second.
My friend and i loved it, gave us lots to discuss and reflect on.
The lighting is really stunning, and it's something I don't normally notice. It also fits really beautifully onto the Barbican stage.
My one criticism was that the sound was a bit quiet. Hopefully, this will get ironed out in further previews.
Sound aside everyone and everything is universally excellent. I'll try and sneak in another visit.
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1,280 posts
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Post by theatrefan77 on Jun 27, 2023 23:39:12 GMT
Saw this on Saturday and enjoyed it very much. Will try to see it again before the run ends. I would love to see this in a smaller house and being closer to the stage.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Jun 28, 2023 6:06:29 GMT
I saw this on Monday and really enjoyed it. The theatre was packed and the audience was older than what I was epecting it to be, but thats good that it is appealing to a wider range of people.
I did feel that 10-15 Mins could be cut from the second act, the whole Mother sequence went on for too long IMO.
Michael R Jackson does seem to have a pattern of writing songs where the the same melody line is repeated over and over, and it got a bit repettive towards the end.
I also thought the show was very moving. The staging was great, as was the lighting, but as mentioned above, the sound didn't seem loud enough and struggled to hear some of the lyrics at the start of the show. The Ensemble was great too, with Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea being the standout for me.
Kyle Ramar Freeman was good, but he didnt blow me away like some on here. It felt a bit like an understudies performance.
Tickets go up in price from 10th July, so try and see it before then if you can. My ticket centre stalls seat was £50. It goes up to £95 from 10/7
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245 posts
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Post by barelyathletic on Jun 28, 2023 11:57:20 GMT
I saw this on Monday and really enjoyed it. The theatre was packed and the audience was older than what I was epecting it to be, but thats good that it is appealing to a wider range of people. I did feel that 10-15 Mins could be cut from the second act, the whole Mother sequence went on for too long IMO. Michael R Jackson does seem to have a pattern of writing songs where the the same melody line is repeated over and over, and it got a bit repettive towards the end. I also thought the show was very moving. The staging was great, as was the lighting, but as mentioned above, the sound didn't seem loud enough and struggled to hear some of the lyrics at the start of the show. The Ensemble was great too, with Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea being the standout for me. Kyle Ramar Freeman was good, but he didnt blow me away like some on here. It felt a bit like an understudies performance. Tickets go up in price from 10th July, so try and see it before then if you can. My ticket centre stalls seat was £50. It goes up to £95 from 10/7 Agree entirely with this. Fifteen minutes too long and the music is fairly forgettable but it's sharp as a tack lyrically, and funny and moving though, yes, the sound levels at the opening made it hard to follow some of them and I had to work to catch on. I did think KRF gave a really strong lead performance and the ensemble were just great. A packed house, large sections of fans whooping it on. A solid four stars from me. I'll be thinking about it for a while yet. |
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Post by Matt on Jun 28, 2023 19:08:02 GMT
I saw this today. I thought I would hate this, and that’s mostly due to the negative reviews on this thread. I knew little to nothing about it but after reading people’s comments I got a good idea of the content to expect and knew that I was not the target audience. But I thought it was great! The songs were the standout for me, so much that I put the cast recording on as soon as I left. The performances were brilliant, and the heart and emotion that builds throughout the show was captivating.
Yes, it’s very in your face, vulgar, offensive, and speaks to a handful of communities that I don’t relate to so can’t connect to the content, and as much as it’s billed as a musical about a man writing a musical about a man writing a musical etc, it’s really not about that, and it didn’t really feel like a beginning, middle and end story and more of just a moment in time, which was fine by me. I can see why people hate it, and honestly I expected to too, so if you’re reading this debating whether to go then I recommend you do, as long as you’re okay with very descriptive gay sex, or racist, homophobic and offensive slurs.
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1,970 posts
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Post by sf on Jun 28, 2023 22:57:50 GMT
I saw it this afternoon.
I liked it very much. It's a very talented, very intelligent piece of writing, there's some terrific music in it, it's staged very cleverly and there's a wonderful cast. I suspect some of the Tyler Perry stuff got much bigger laughs in New York; overall, I think it's very entertaining but sometimes also very self-indulgent - there's a fine line between ruthless self-examination and navel-gazing, and the show crosses it several times - and it isn't quite as edgy as it thinks it is.
Jackson is obviously a major talent, though, and this is a spectacular debut.
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125 posts
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Post by annette on Jun 29, 2023 19:25:03 GMT
I revisited the show last night after seeing it twice in NY.
Firstly I was amazed to see how well the production had been adapted for a much bigger venue. My fear was that it might get lost on such a massive stage, but there was no sense of that at all.
Secondly I found it hard to imagine anyone other than Jaquel Spivey inhabiting the lead role of Usher, but I was totally wrong about that. Kyle Ramar Freeman was outstandingly good. His performance was so nuanced, both very funny and immensely moving. Also his voice is utterly divine.
The show has lost none of its impact, despite a couple of members of the ensemble not being quite as sharp as their NY contemporaries. Having said that though, the NY cast had been with the show through much of its development, so it’s probably not fair to compare them. Stand-out performances for me were Sharlene Hector and Nathan Amarkwei-Laryea.
As other posters have mentioned, the sound in parts is not great. The lyrics are so important and to not be able to hear them properly, particularly at the top of the show is really bad. I hope this can be sorted out .
I felt so fortunate to be able to see the show again and from the reaction of the audience, I think it proves that the show does work every bit as well outside of the UK. I’m already planning a second visit.
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Post by Matt on Jun 29, 2023 20:43:09 GMT
Do you think this will get a west end transfer if it does well?
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3,532 posts
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Post by Rory on Jun 29, 2023 20:45:05 GMT
Do you think this will get a west end transfer if it does well? I doubt it. It's run at the Barbican is tantamount to a West End run. |
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Post by Matt on Jun 29, 2023 21:13:53 GMT
Do you think this will get a west end transfer if it does well? I doubt it. It's run at the Barbican is tantamount to a West End run. Yeah but it’s a limited engagement no where near the west end. If reviews are great and they sell well then fingers crossed it does. |
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Post by Matt on Jun 29, 2023 21:38:19 GMT
Reviews are coming out now, 4 brilliant reviews and 1 negative so far.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2023 21:49:37 GMT
Sounds issues were a common complaint on Broadway as well.
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Post by max on Jun 30, 2023 9:30:50 GMT
The Daily Telegraph review begins with a quoted line from the show:
"There will be white s--- and black s---. And butt-f---ing!”
Barbican switchboard jammed as Middle England screams 'take my money'.
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Post by jr on Jun 30, 2023 11:55:00 GMT
Tyler Perry will produce the film adaptation;)
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677 posts
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Post by westendcub on Jun 30, 2023 12:26:26 GMT
I have to say overall this was disappointing. There’s a good musical in there somewhere but this was a confused mess that seemed to want shock value over substance and it really lacked heart.
The cast are talented & in good voice (sound mix issues aside).
The show for me made no impact, one I will forget about I’m afraid to report. Can’t get my head how this won the Tony over ‘Paradise Square’ (yes I am aware of the troubles with its producer)
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125 posts
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Post by annette on Jun 30, 2023 12:29:05 GMT
Do you think this will get a west end transfer if it does well? I think that would be very unlikely unfortunately. Sadly the Broadway run didn’t last very long and I think the potential audience for the show is larger there. Given that past history, I think it would be a massive risk for any producer to transfer the show to the west end. |
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