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Post by d'James on Jun 8, 2024 23:18:54 GMT
Saw the first preview tonight. Itâs good but not great. The cast overall are fabulous but the playing space is just a bit too small which means the races etc are underwhelming as they canât build up the necessary speed. This is not the fault of the cast as the nailed it especially when it came to the skating and in general gave a very assured performance and worked well as an ensemble. A lot of changes to the show a lot worked well some not so much. Spoilers below, apologies don't know how to hide, maybe one of the admins can help. - Itâs now very much a childâs dream / play set and the child is the controller and onstage throughout. -Greaseball is now a female character and for me that was one of the things that didnât work as Pumping Iron in particular was underpowered. -Electra is done brilliantly in this version. -Costumes are fantastic, really great design, same for the lighting. -Theyâve cut Locomotion which I was sad over. -Papa is now Mama and again this didnât quite work for me and the numbers lacked the Umph. -Next Time We Fall in love has been replaced by a new duet which I enjoyed. -Pearl is a true standout and gives a fantastic professional debut. -Rusty is good and has potential, at 17 years old to be making his pro debut, huge respect to him. Crazy was a bit underwhelming but that may have been sound issues in Act 1 as he sounded a lot more powerful in Act 2. -A lot of new characters who all add something lovely to the show. -The only real tricks are done by two race marshals on scooters. -The space is really immersive and the design is great bar the staging constraints. -It felt like the story had a bit more heart in it. Overall its a fun show but nowhere near as exciting as the London production when it was at its best. The audience really enjoyed it and I think it will have a decent run but for me it was a 3 star that hit 3.5 stars at certain points. Very interesting. I thought Electra was the weakest in the first half; better in the second. The planets seemed a waste of money to me - what was the point? |
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Post by mattnyc on Jun 9, 2024 5:38:20 GMT
Saw this on YouTube - the âMegamixâ at the end
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Post by danb on Jun 9, 2024 6:51:32 GMT
An exciting prospect, but the costumes look a bit like âLazytownâ on speed. It deserves to be a massive success.
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Post by dan on Jun 9, 2024 7:21:19 GMT
Thoroughly enjoyed the show! It was the first show I ever saw in London so has a ton of sentiment attached to it.
Theyâve done an incredible job here for such a ridiculous show that I love. My only note would be try and make the races at least look a bit quicker. When the safety rails start rising you think this must be fast! But alas, not so much. I know strobe lighting would probably cause issues, but something like that to create an illusion of speed.
Loved the updates, especially Electra as an incredible drag queen type character (they/them đ„łđ„°).
The line for merch was TOO long⊠there was a website listed on a screen to get merchandise from but I didnât take a note of it and I canât find it⊠did anybody catch that?
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Post by alece10 on Jun 9, 2024 7:56:00 GMT
I know I sound like an old record but once again none of the 1 star voters have posted a review or opinion. It would be great to hear why they disliked it.
It does make you wonder if they actually saw the show.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Jun 9, 2024 8:00:20 GMT
I know I sound like an old record but once again none of the 1 star voters have posted a review or opinion. It would be great to hear why they disliked it. It does make you wonder if they actually saw the show. That could be said for the 5 star too. None of the reviews so far really sound like a 5 star show |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jun 9, 2024 8:05:30 GMT
14 million advance sales. Has any musical achieved that in recent years? 13 million. |
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Post by alece10 on Jun 9, 2024 8:10:29 GMT
14 million advance sales. Has any musical achieved that in recent years? 13 million. Indeed and if you read my comment further back I corrected that last night. |
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Post by alece10 on Jun 9, 2024 8:11:39 GMT
I know I sound like an old record but once again none of the 1 star voters have posted a review or opinion. It would be great to hear why they disliked it. It does make you wonder if they actually saw the show. That could be said for the 5 star too. None of the reviews so far really sound like a 5 star show This is true. |
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Post by danb on Jun 9, 2024 8:14:52 GMT
âHated it. No Maynards in it, nobody from Shalimar and all the songs were different to when I last went (in 1986). What a rip offâ đđđ
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Post by BVM on Jun 9, 2024 8:16:00 GMT
I know I sound like an old record but once again none of the 1 star voters have posted a review or opinion. It would be great to hear why they disliked it. It does make you wonder if they actually saw the show. This is a recurrent theme on opening nights on here. Also makes me wonder if they actually saw the show! I have my own personal reservations but nonetheless this was a very slick high quality show and even if you hate the piece I really canât understand how an appreciation of some of the elements wouldnât push the rating to two stars at least! As ever, be good to hear from those three people :-) |
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Post by BVM on Jun 9, 2024 8:16:35 GMT
âHated it. No Maynards in it, nobody from Shalimar and all the songs were different to when I last went (in 1986). What a rip offâ đđđ No Maynards đ€Łđđ. Love it! |
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Post by justfran on Jun 9, 2024 8:58:14 GMT
EDIT: The thing that took me the longest to get used to was the accents. What accents are they using? |
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Post by ceebee on Jun 9, 2024 9:03:09 GMT
âHated it. No Maynards in it, nobody from Shalimar and all the songs were different to when I last went (in 1986). What a rip offâ đđđ Yeah, where was Lon Satton? (RIP Poppa) |
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Post by BVM on Jun 9, 2024 9:28:42 GMT
A few more random thoughts in no particular order now I have slept on it.
- I loved the approach to gender. For all the early concern re a female GB, it 100% fitted into the context of this version. Not just her, but the approach among the whole piece was that gender is fluid and not of importance in the innocence of a child's world. They are just toy trains in a dream innit. The intention may not have been that profound but it all just felt very inclusive and respectful (especially given some of the sexism claims towards the show some have felt in the past).
- The young cast really are fantastic. The leads all sang and acted it so well. I Do and the Sequence sounded incredible.
- Anyone, sat anywhere has to cross a track to get out. I do worry this may be problematic. The ushers do not yet know what the safe times are to let people cross and have to radio someone every time someone gets up and wants to get out. Yes drunk people need the loo but there are a number of people with medical and psychological things that might like to feel they can get out easily at any point (which you can't).
- Audience can mingle willy nilly over all tracks to get to seats, many carrying pints and other drinks. Amazingly no sweeping of and inspection of track before either act (they are obsessive about this in Bochum). Was really surprised by this. Skates and liquid or debris don't mix!
- Queues everywhere and ingress and egress to auditorium are very slow. The bars and merch queues I guess will iron out but not sure there is anything they can do about the auditorium entrances.
- It really did sound fantastic and I hope a cast recording of the whole thing will be along very soon.
- I love the bonkers inclusion of Tyre Tracks and Broken Hearts in I Am Me.
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Post by freddyf on Jun 9, 2024 10:10:44 GMT
Thoughts on last nightâs preview:
- The cast: Excellent - great voices and stamina. You would never have known this was the first proper time they had performed in front of an audience.
- The set: Eek - far too small to allow for any exciting skating. The hokey set only allows for leisurely rolling around during the races, and honestly I was gob-smacked by how low energy this then made the show feel overall. The only âtricksâ were from a set of random scooters which felt like a plaster covering up a much larger problem. I would say this was down to first preview, but unless they can extensively extend the size of the set, I canât see this changing. Noticeable murmurs from the audience at both interval/end that it didnât have âoomphâ or energy - and as Starlight lives/dies by the skating, itâs a real shame that the set restricts the potential of the show. I also heard one comment in the audience that the set looked like the âWho Wants To Be A Millionaireâ TV show set and honestly I canât look at it in any other way. And Iâll be honest, I couldnât agree more - it looked like I was watching Starlight performed on a promotional âChildren In Needâ segment within a TV studio.
- The costumes: the less said about those the better. Bad cosplay meets âLazytownâ as Iâve seen in other comments. No immediate visual signifiers to point out which train is who - they just become one metallic muddle. If you were a first-time viewer of the show, I honestly think youâd struggle with knowing who was who and therefore what was going on.
- The music: the majority of the Starlight discography is here - plus a few new additions. In terms of orchestrations, a lot of âmodernâ beatâ added to make it sound current (a la âI Know I Have A Heartâ from the Broadway production of Bad Cinderella) which often clashed with the 80s sound of the rest of the show. All in all, a bit of a confused sound (although the sound design itself was very clear, as opposed to the not-so-favourable sound at âNewsiesâ).
- The show: pushing aside the elephant in the room, yes I have seen the Bochum production. However, treating this as a stand-alone piece, it left me raising a few eyebrows. I found the whole thing surprisingly boring - which, letâs face it, is the opposite of what this show should be.
In a nutshell, this felt like a âWishâ version of what could have been an excellent show. By all means, the cast and creative team have it all. However, this doesnât translate to stage, and what weâre left with is a bit of a train-wreck (pun absolutely intended).
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Post by d'James on Jun 9, 2024 10:26:37 GMT
EDIT: The thing that took me the longest to get used to was the accents. What accents are they using? A variety of British accents. |
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Post by richey on Jun 9, 2024 10:43:42 GMT
It does seem like a lot of the negative comments here are when comparing it to the original or the Bochum versions.
Can't we just accept this is a new production and judge it as such?
I for one didn't get to see the original and only saw the very first tour with the awful 3D sections so for me this will be a new experience.
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Post by d'James on Jun 9, 2024 10:46:16 GMT
It does seem like a lot of the negative comments here are when comparing it to the original or the Bochum versions. Can't we just accept this is a new production and judge it as such? Iâm comparing it to the UK Tour version because that was the most recent UK production. |
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Post by PineappleForYou on Jun 9, 2024 10:55:45 GMT
Saw this on YouTube - the âMegamixâ at the end Have your opinion but this doesn't look like a 1 star show to me. People need to move on. |
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Post by danb on Jun 9, 2024 10:58:36 GMT
It sounds like the bug-bear is it being a show about racing trains that donât really race. As others have said, with a bit more time on the set and getting used to the lighting levels etc, Iâm sure itâll pick up the pace as time progresses.
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Post by greatauntedna on Jun 9, 2024 11:01:58 GMT
It deserves to be a massive success. Why though? I mean it is the most garish thing in the world. It didnât make me a fan last night. Very slick, great cast, some catchy songs. But itâs a relic! |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 9, 2024 11:04:36 GMT
It canât speed up that much though surely? The whole thing will have been blocked based on the speed that the skaters are required to go at. If they speed up theyâre going to be in their next position too early. Our old friend the âElfâ is probably dictating too, not to mention insurance clauses. Anyone being what might be considered reckless and injuring themselves is going to be a problem on the claim. Things have changed in forty years.
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Post by nash16 on Jun 9, 2024 11:07:51 GMT
If a show is called Starlight EXPRESS, and a badly designed set/caution has resulted in a top speed of 3.5mph for the skaters, there is a problem.
The shows musics material has never been its highlight, and the visuals and skating have always done the heavy lifting.
If theyâve not got that element right, the âbookâ/music suddenly get very exposed. That massive venue had so much potential to house a spectacular set and theyâve gone cheap. (And dangerous: why is no one checking for liquid spills/debris???)
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Post by d'James on Jun 9, 2024 11:09:48 GMT
It canât speed up that much though surely? The whole thing will have been blocked based on the speed that the skaters are required to go at. If they speed up theyâre going to be in their next position too early. Our old friend the âElfâ is probably dictating too, not to mention insurance clauses. Anyone being what might be considered reckless and injuring themselves is going to be a problem on the claim. Things have changed in forty years. I read something quickly in the programme about them having trackers or something so the lights follow them wherever they are. I mightâve misunderstood, can anyone confirm? |
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