Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder-Fringe / Tour / Ambassadors

[bigredapple]

May 30, 2024 22:18:11 GMT mrbarnaby said:

Anyone booking a front row seat for a musical is asking for trouble.

Also a director has nothing to do with this problem. High stages are only due to tracks in floors/revolves/lighting.

Nope. Front row at Sunset Boulevard was great. It’s usually pretty good at the NT Olivier. Even the DoY is high but was still fine in my opinion.

[ncbears]

I have row H in late June. Hopefully that is far enough back!

[Steve]

May 31, 2024 5:27:07 GMT ncbears said:

I have row H in late June. Hopefully that is far enough back!

I saw last night's show, and while I can't guarantee your eyeline would be above stage level, that is definitely far enough back lol.

In fact, I sat in Row B and had a great time. From there, it was clear that Row A is the serious problematic row for this show, as its too close to the high stage.

But let's try to be fair. If you took the ordinary preview prices for seats (rather than the splendid one day one off deals that were occasionally available), then Row A at £20 was sold, as restricted, at less than half the £45 price of Row B, and Row C was sold at £65. If tickets are less than half the price as the Row behind, and marked as "restricted," is it really such a surprise when it turns out that they are in fact "restricted?" (I'm mindful of the fact that many other producers sell seats as "restricted" when they in fact aren't, making the term "restricted" exceptionally confusing for bookers).

In my view, here, the Row A £20: Row B £45: Row C £65 preview price split pretty much exactly reflects the proportionate value of the seats in those rows.

By contrast, at the Haymarket, for "A View from the Bridge," restricted view Row A is not restricted at all, whereas Row A at the Royal Court, for "Bluets," right now is an impossible mess, with absolutely no view at all of the show.

So, it's no wonder we audiences find it hard to know what's what. I'm just reporting that the price split for this show is particularly fair for what you get.

So how high is this stage? Well, I stood up in the centre of Row B, and, as an average height person, my eyeline was stage height (STANDING) lol!

At Row B distance from the stage, sitting, I could see the actors from above the knee when they were centre stage. As this is a comedy, where facial expressions are critical, rather than a tap dance spectacular where you really need to see those dancing feet, this was a great view overall, for the price, I felt.

Row C and back would have had a much better view than me, again, because of the viewing angle, though I suspect not a single stalls seat eyeline is actually as high as that very high stage.

The viewing angle for Row A is evidently very poor, being too close to the high stage, and it is right to sell it at less than half price of Row B.

If there are bargain views to be had for this production, I suspect they are in the front of the Dress Circle.

[thedrowsychaperone]

I'm booked row B for Benjamin Button, crossing everything it'll be alright!

[ladidah]

They really need to fix the mic cues!

[winonaforever]

I'm in row B tomorrow, full of trepidation now!

[ladidah]

The show is mainly performed at the front of the stage, if you know what I mean, so hopefully you'll be fine.

Also - keep an eye out for empty seats in case you want to move.

[curiouskc]

Just walked by the Ambassodors and felt really pleased seeing this little gem of a show getting its own West End run (having seen it twice at Edinburgh festival and Manchester HOME). A bit of a shame that Jodie Jacobs and TJ Lloyd are no longer in the cast, but I got a pleasant surprise earlier this week seeing TJ in Guys & Dolls on a night he was on as understudy for Nicely Nicely Johnson.

[Steve]

Saw this last night and LOVED it.

Its exuberant, it's funny, it's likeable, and it's very entertaining.

Some spoilers follow. . .

I was too cheap to buy a programme, but I did notice the chap next to me had one open at the song-list, so thanks in advance to whoever posts the song-list here.

In any event, the USPs of this show are loveable characters and good laughs, not memorable songs, which are mostly propulsive and frenetic yet ultimately forgettable, with the odd exception like the more soulful "The Approval of Strangers," which is there to strengthen our sense of the genuine bond between the characters.

The bond reminds me of the movie "Wayne's World," in which two inseparable losers struck it lucky with their public access show (the nineties version of a podcast lol). That the duo's bond is real is important, I think, as this is a musical and musical theatregoers like something emotive and real at the core of their comedies.

So while the plot is a "Play that Goes Wrong" level cartoon, involving the Scooby Duo investigating the case of the Decapitator, the main characters are not cartoons at all.

Indeed, main character Stella is played with refreshing realness by Rebekah Hinds, her world weary downbeat demeanor grounding the show emotionally, and allowing her sarcasm to comedically cut through the incessant chirpiness of her loveably upbeat sidekick, Bronte Barbe's Kathy, the even more upbeat percussion and music, and the utter hysteria of the cartoon plot, which feels like one of those French and Saunders vehicles from their days on "The Comic Strip."

There is one cartoon character in the show, the podcast superfan, Erica, played by a hilariously exaggerated and OTT Imelda Warren, whose eye-popping face gurns in such spiraling spasms of fanatical ecstasy that even a Tom Holland fan would be scared of her lol. Needless to say, she gets the biggest laughs, and she deserves it.

As Felicia and other characters, Hannah Jane Fox is actually very good as a series of pushy, self-important, blustering, characters around whom the plot is built. What she doesn't do, that I expect a seasoned comedian like Jodie Jacobs did, is add an extra level of unscripted exaggerated camp comedic zaniness to her portrayals that signal to the audience to laugh it up with her.

For example, on the page, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt's Mistress character was the antagonist of "Bronco Billy," and could have been played that way, a hate figure for the audience, that would make us bond with the protagonist. But instead VHB surreptitiously signaled to the audience by her divaish, surprising, camp, wildly exaggerated mannerisms, to celebrate her evil ways and to bond with the antagonist, and it was infinitely funnier than the words on the page. A VHB or Jodie Jacobs can bring that extra unscripted camp comedy to bear on roles like this.

Anyway, true crime and podcasts are so now, the two Hull accented protagonists are a believable and endearing duo, and its supremely entertaining to watch them blunder their way through the cartoon music and the cartoon plot, cheered on by their cartoon superfan Imelda Warren, to the tune of 4 stars, for me.

[lonlad]

Goodness, I can't BEGIN to imagine what show Steve saw. I lasted the first half tonight and then my guest (who turned to me plaintively at the interval with a trapped look in her eyes) and I bolted in favour of a very nice Italian meal, pondering all the while how something probably very exuberant and anarchic on the Edinburgh Fringe could have devolved into the hyped-up school production on view at the Ambassadors -- I could say more but it seems unfair to the cast except to question aloud the absurdly cumbersome plotting of what should be a divertissement and, instead, feels like a leaden, charmless ordeal.

The sub-WICKED duet in the first half is shameless but at least intelligible, as are some VERY questionable jokes that aren't worth repeating here. But oh my, the brilliant BENJAMIN BUTTON can't arrive soon enough.

[PineappleForYou]

May 31, 2024 22:56:13 GMT lonlad said:

Goodness, I can't BEGIN to imagine what show Steve saw. I lasted the first half tonight and then my guest (who turned to me plaintively at the interval with a trapped look in her eyes) and I bolted in favour of a very nice Italian meal, pondering all the while how something probably very exuberant and anarchic on the Edinburgh Fringe could have devolved into the hyped-up school production on view at the Ambassadors -- I could say more but it seems unfair to the cast except to question aloud the absurdly cumbersome plotting of what should be a divertissement and, instead, feels like a leaden, charmless ordeal.

The sub-WICKED duet in the first half is shameless but at least intelligible, as are some VERY questionable jokes that aren't worth repeating here. But oh my, the brilliant BENJAMIN BUTTON can't arrive soon enough.

Is this a "Listener Email" they've added to the show?? 😂

[winonaforever]

So I saw it yesterday (for the first time) and LOVED it! I was worried about being in row B, but it wasn't a problem at all. The stage is ridiculously high, but, apart from not being able to see the actors' feet most of the time, I could see almost everything perfectly.
Only one exception (don't know how to do spoilers, but it's a potentially tragic moment when both women are down on the floor and I couldn't see Stella for a few seconds)
I wasn't really aware of needing to look up either, so I'd definitely sit in this row again (I'm intending to go back ASAP)
The mic issues people have previously mentioned occurred about six times!
I had no problem with hearing/understanding everything Felicia said or sung, though I thought some notes in the opening song seemed a little weak.
Bronté and Bex were glorious!

[ladidah]

I wonder why they aren't solving the mic issues!?

[winonaforever]

Jun 2, 2024 11:35:31 GMT ladidah said:

I wonder why they aren't solving the mic issues!?

Yes, I was surprised, after having read about it on here, that it was still happening yesterday.

[mrbarnaby]

May 30, 2024 22:28:14 GMT bigredapple said:

May 30, 2024 22:18:11 GMT mrbarnaby said:

Anyone booking a front row seat for a musical is asking for trouble.

Also a director has nothing to do with this problem. High stages are only due to tracks in floors/revolves/lighting.

Nope. Front row at Sunset Boulevard was great. It’s usually pretty good at the NT Olivier. Even the DoY is high but was still fine in my opinion.

I don’t mean it’s a given that sightlines will be bad. But it’s a bigger risk if you book the front row for something.

[nash16]

May 31, 2024 22:56:13 GMT lonlad said:

Goodness, I can't BEGIN to imagine what show Steve saw. I lasted the first half tonight and then my guest (who turned to me plaintively at the interval with a trapped look in her eyes) and I bolted in favour of a very nice Italian meal, pondering all the while how something probably very exuberant and anarchic on the Edinburgh Fringe could have devolved into the hyped-up school production on view at the Ambassadors -- I could say more but it seems unfair to the cast except to question aloud the absurdly cumbersome plotting of what should be a divertissement and, instead, feels like a leaden, charmless ordeal.

The sub-WICKED duet in the first half is shameless but at least intelligible, as are some VERY questionable jokes that aren't worth repeating here. But oh my, the brilliant BENJAMIN BUTTON can't arrive soon enough.

The “brilliant Benjamin Button”?  The eternal, actor-muso nightmare at Southwark?

[QueerTheatre]

i saw the show tonight and didn’t have any noticeable mic issues to my ear - but i wasn’t very impressed either. the murderer is very easily spotted & i whilst the book contains a couple
of good gags, i barely laughed & the music is instantly forgettable.

i had been really looking forward to this but found it pretty disappointing. when text after to offer a ‘show score’ my friend and i were generous with a 55/100

[mrbarnaby]

Oh dear! Disappointed by the rather muted response on here so far

[Jon]

May 30, 2024 22:18:11 GMT mrbarnaby said:

Anyone booking a front row seat for a musical is asking for trouble.

Also a director has nothing to do with this problem. High stages are only due to tracks in floors/revolves/lighting.

Jersey Boys at the Prince Edward swore me off front rows for musicals.

[ladidah]

Jun 4, 2024 7:50:10 GMT mrbarnaby said:

Oh dear! Disappointed by the rather muted response on here so far

I really liked it! I just didn't care for one character and there were a few mic issues.

It's so original and fun. 

[MoreLife]

I saw the show last week, and while I certainly enjoyed the concept (I'm guilty of watching pretty much every true crime documentary on any streaming platform) and the performances, especially by the two leading ladies, I also noticed a few weakness.



I didn't see any of its previous incarnations, but I have a feeling it has been stretched out to fill two acts on a West End stage (so there's an interval and the bar can sell drinks twice), even though there's not enough content in it to warrant the extended duration. In a more compact form it would pack more punch and work better, I thought, but in this version I felt it dragged out a little.



There's plenty of repetitions and cliches, but hey, it's musical theatre and we can live with some of that. The lyrics (with some exceptions) are not that brilliant and the melodies are often rather forgettable. The staging is also not that imaginative, especially when they bring the whole cast on stage and the choreographed ensemble numbers look same-y (and a bit am-dram-y).



There's two interesting, lovable characters it's easy to care for, who are played with gusto and heart by two brilliant leading ladies (who I hope will also be given bigger roles in bigger shows).  But... there's a "villain" that's played not that magnificently by an actress who doesn't seem entirely comfortable singing those songs and who doesn't embrace the villain-ness / panto-like extremes of the role, so I was never convinced by her. There's some wonderful work from the ensemble members especially when they give life to the minor roles. But... it's also often louder than it needs to be, there's vast amounts of belting for belting sake even when the dramatic stakes don't really justify it.



So all in all... it's a 3.5/5 for me, not one I'll be raving about. 

[ladidah]

Yes, she was the weakest part by miles.

[hadeswasking]

This is one of my favourite new musicals so it is sad to see the usual "songs are forgettable" argument that is used for all new musicals because it's not something like Les Mis where you've probably seen it 50 times.

[winonaforever]

Jun 4, 2024 10:13:12 GMT hadeswasking said:

This is one of my favourite new musicals so it is sad to see the usual "songs are forgettable" argument that is used for all new musicals because it's not something like Les Mis where you've probably seen it 50 times.

Well I've been singing some of the songs all week since seeing it for the first time on Saturday. Also booked to see it again in a few weeks and really looking forward to it!

[amyja89]

I’ve definitely been humming along and thinking back to more than a few of the songs. I saw Heathers the day before, and only ‘I Say No’ from that made any impact.

There are definitely a couple of things to be criticised about Kathy and Stella, but I personally don’t think the numbers are one of them.