148 posts
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Post by FJ on Sept 26, 2023 23:18:45 GMT
Isn't it? It definitely was during the first preview it was last night too! And tonight 😂 |
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Post by toomasj on Sept 26, 2023 23:19:46 GMT
is it normal for characters to be portrayed in different ways by different actors in the same version of a show? cause reading all the comments, it looks like Nicole's Norma was very much built around her own public-persona. curious to know how Rachel will play the character... No, it is not at all normal to do this. But nothing about this production sounds normal. Take Joseph’s revival at the Palladium, for instance. Much of the Narrator’s character was tailored to Sheridan Smith’s public profile, which at the time caused quite a bit of discussion about whether this was a good thing for maintaining a theatre piece’s integrity (even with a show as light as Joseph). Her understudy gave an identical performance when she had to go on, right down to the same “ad-libs but not really” than Sheridan did. That was simply how the part was directed, full stop. I’ve seen other examples of this where understudies are cast precisely because they look/sound like or can mimic the principal, so that under heavy make up, wigs and costume many punters may not even realise they aren’t seeing the star. In Spamalot in the West End, all the covers did absolute 1:1 impersonations, such was the strictness of the direction. This led to lots of unfortunate pauses for laughter which didn't arrive, for example, when a star performer gives the same reading. In this specific case, it wouldn’t surprise me either way to be honest. They could leave it and say “that’s just how this version of the character is”, they could tweak it to give the alternate her own meta flourishes or simply tone down/eliminate the most overt Scherzinger stuff. In my opinion and solely based on prior experience, Tucker will perform it identically to Scherzinger in direction. It sounds like a rather technical show for one thing, and changing anything can lead to problems. Additionally, where does one draw the line? Does the on-stage (in effect second cover) understudy have their own direction too? |
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Post by toomasj on Sept 26, 2023 23:24:58 GMT
I fear they were asking for trouble doing this. It’s risky on many levels. What I find strange are reports that the audio is crystal clear every performance. Now I worked at a theatre on the Strand and I can tell you emergency vehicle sirens seemed to be going off every few minutes at times. Not least on Friday/Saturday evenings around 8:30-9pm. Nathan Amzi has said on X that both the video and audio are 100% live, which is an amazing feat. In my view they’ve had an amazing enormous run of luck avoiding sirens, drunks shouting, people pushing their way into shot (guard or no guard). The video seems more manageable by using the theatre’s bouncers, but the audio has me scratching my head a bit. |
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5,169 posts
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Post by Being Alive on Sept 26, 2023 23:26:02 GMT
It could go either way but if Tucker tries to do what Scherzinger is doing it's going to go horribly wrong - I think she needs to make some different choices (which I think there's actually quite easily scope for)
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7,160 posts
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Post by Jon on Sept 26, 2023 23:40:45 GMT
I wouldn't be surprised if they have a back up video or two in case of a technical failure.
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Post by seeseveryshow1 on Sept 26, 2023 23:45:55 GMT
What did I miss? Help please.
Was at the show tonight.
Started with young Norma standing on stage.
She danced her way off.
I thought then the ensemble came on and did an energetic dance/choreography, and then Joe started his song, and several characters were introduced - Artie, Betty, Sheldrake etc. Joe was looking to borrow $300 to pay off the hitmen. He escapes from them and crashes on Norma’s property.
Where was the flashback? In previous productions, the show begins with a dead body on stage in the swimming pool, and a police investigation. I don’t recall seeing that tonight. But, I vaguely recall there was a body bag on stage at one point.
Could someone please clarify the opening for me?
I was definitely distracted and fiddling with the malfunctioning theatre headphones while trying to pay attention. Thank you.
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Post by doornumberthree on Sept 27, 2023 0:16:41 GMT
What did I miss? Help please. Was at the show tonight. Started with young Norma standing on stage. She danced her way off. I thought then the ensemble came on and did an energetic dance/choreography, and then Joe started his song, and several characters were introduced - Artie, Betty, Sheldrake etc. Joe was looking to borrow $300 to pay off the hitmen. He escapes from them and crashes on Norma’s property. Where was the flashback? In previous productions, the show begins with a dead body on stage in the swimming pool, and a police investigation. I don’t recall seeing that tonight. But, I vaguely recall there was a body bag on stage at one point. Could someone please clarify the opening for me? I was definitely distracted and fiddling with the malfunctioning theatre headphones while trying to pay attention. Thank you. {Spoiler - click to view}
Joe is in the body bag! He sits up in it then unzips it and steps out of it and begins. So sorry you had such a bad experience with the hearing loop thing, I’ve never had a successful experience with one! |
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Sept 27, 2023 1:45:26 GMT
Caissie Levy has some competition for the Olivier Award!
This is not your Grandmas's Sunset Boulevard.
Now I really didn't like Jamie Lloyds' Evita. At all. I thought it was too flashy, too random, too far removed from what it was, so I was skeptical about seeing this tonight. This SB couldn't be further from the original if it tried. It has many of Lloyds usual directorial choices, and yet it works amazingly well on so many different levels. I didn't miss the set, the costumes, the props, it helps put the score front and centre.
The orchestra, with the original orchestrations (i believe) sounded amazing and the sound was spot on. You could hear individual instruments, the mix was perfect and you could hear every word that was sung.
Scherzinger's Norma was kooky, sexy, scary, sensual, playful and it played very well into her known persona (There's no way that Rachel Tucker could play it the same way, she's too... mumsy) and she sung the hell out of her big numbers. In fact, alot of what i loved about this production, was that the main songs were treated as such. They were focussed, front and centre and worthy of all the applause they got. The noise made after With One Look went on for a very long time.
Tom Francis has moved up into leading man status and carried the show with confidence. It was nice to hear him sing in a style that wasn't pop/rock and David Thaxton was great, sounding glorious in all his solo numbers. I wonder why he played it with an English accent? Grace Hodget Young made a wonderful Betty, a straight forward modern take on the role, without the sappiness of past productions.
I won't go on but I loved almost everything about it. The tech rehearsals for this must have been long (Karen Cartwright would not be happy) because the lighting plays such an important part in this production, it's almost like it's own character. The choice to use red lighting when it does, is odd to me. No idea why there, as opposed to the final scene where she shoots Joe.
The Perfect Year is a great example of things that shouldn't work and yet it does. The hats, the very modern dance references, the confetti lol, but it works brilliantly. When the scene moves onto Arties Party, This Time Next Year, They use part of the digital screen to backlight it, and the size of the screen and the angle it's tilted, is identical to the original production, when the house rose up and you saw the party underneath it. Not sure if that was intentional, but it seemed too similar for it not to be. Or maybe i was imagining it, either way it was very cool.
I'm looking forward to the reviews, because it could go either way, though i hope it gets the raves it deserves. It's audacious and thrilling and i can't wait to go back.
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621 posts
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Post by chernjam on Sept 27, 2023 3:25:48 GMT
Caissie Levy has some competition for the Olivier Award! This is not your Grandmas's Sunset Boulevard. Now I really didn't like Jamie Lloyds' Evita. At all. I thought it was too flashy, too random, too far removed from what it was, so I was skeptical about seeing this tonight. This SB couldn't be further from the original if it tried. It has many of Lloyds usual directorial choices, and yet it works amazingly well on so many different levels. I didn't miss the set, the costumes, the props, it helps put the score front and centre. The orchestra, with the original orchestrations (i believe) sounded amazing and the sound was spot on. You could hear individual instruments, the mix was perfect and you could hear every word that was sung. Scherzinger's Norma was kooky, sexy, scary, sensual, playful and it played very well into her known persona (There's no way that Rachel Tucker could play it the same way, she's too... mumsy) and she sung the hell out of her big numbers. In fact, alot of what i loved about this production, was that the main songs were treated as such. They were focussed, front and centre and worthy of all the applause they got. The noise made after With One Look went on for a very long time. Tom Francis has moved up into leading man status and carried the show with confidence. It was nice to hear him sing in a style that wasn't pop/rock and David Thaxton was great, sounding glorious in all his solo numbers. I wonder why he played it with an English accent? Grace Hodget Young made a wonderful Betty, a straight forward modern take on the role, without the sappiness of past productions. I won't go on but I loved almost everything about it. The tech rehearsals for this must have been long (Karen Cartwright would not be happy) because the lighting plays such an important part in this production, it's almost like it's own character. The choice to use red lighting when it does, is odd to me. No idea why there, as opposed to the final scene where she shoots Joe. The Perfect Year is a great example of things that shouldn't work and yet it does. The hats, the very modern dance references, the confetti lol, but it works brilliantly. When the scene moves onto Arties Party, This Time Next Year, They use part of the digital screen to backlight it, and the size of the screen and the angle it's tilted, is identical to the original production, when the house rose up and you saw the party underneath it. Not sure if that was intentional, but it seemed too similar for it not to be. Or maybe i was imagining it, either way it was very cool. I'm looking forward to the reviews, because it could go either way, though i hope it gets the raves it deserves. It's audacious and thrilling and i can't wait to go back. From the raves I'm reading here, I can't imagine the critics not eating this up. Especially since of ALW's scores, Sunset has often been treated well by critics in the UK and I would think they're going to appreciate the rawness of this minimalist approach, especially since its bringing a new dimension to a classic story. Really excited about all this. Is it too early to ask about a new cast recording? |
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Sept 27, 2023 6:29:10 GMT
In my opinion and solely based on prior experience, Tucker will perform it identically to Scherzinger in direction. It sounds like a rather technical show for one thing, and changing anything can lead to problems. Additionally, where does one draw the line? Does the on-stage (in effect second cover) understudy have their own direction too? It's doesn't need new direction for each Norma, the Scherzinger moments are small, a look here, a gesture there, blowing a kiss to the camera. It's an attitude, not big set pieces. I really can't see Tucker dancing down into a split and rolling across the stage, but as long as she gets across the stage to the next marked spot, it doesn't matter how she gets there. Go and see it. |
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Post by toomasj on Sept 27, 2023 6:35:31 GMT
In my opinion and solely based on prior experience, Tucker will perform it identically to Scherzinger in direction. It sounds like a rather technical show for one thing, and changing anything can lead to problems. Additionally, where does one draw the line? Does the on-stage (in effect second cover) understudy have their own direction too? It's doesn't need new direction for each Norma, the Scherzinger moments are small, a look here, a gesture there, blowing a kiss to the camera. It's an attitude, not big set pieces. I really can't see Tucker dancing down into a split and rolling across the stage, but as long as she gets across the stage to the next marked spot, it doesn't matter how she gets there. Go and see it. Goodness me no. |
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Post by danb on Sept 27, 2023 6:52:14 GMT
I’m just pleased that NS is a “Mayyy-er” not a thin, ready “Meee”- er. I haven’t slept with the worry.
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1,432 posts
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Post by BVM on Sept 27, 2023 7:57:32 GMT
It's doesn't need new direction for each Norma, the Scherzinger moments are small, a look here, a gesture there, blowing a kiss to the camera. It's an attitude, not big set pieces. I really can't see Tucker dancing down into a split and rolling across the stage, but as long as she gets across the stage to the next marked spot, it doesn't matter how she gets there. Go and see it. Goodness me no. If you hate Jamie Lloyd productions so much and definitely won’t be seeing it, why are you so fascinated in this thread may I ask? If I hated a director and had zero interest in seeing a show, the thread really wouldn’t interest me at all. Maybe that’s just me IDK 🤷🏻♂️ At least the guy who tells us every 5 mins how much he hated The Little Big Things had SEEN it. #GenuinelyCurious as the young say. |
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Post by westendwhistledown on Sept 27, 2023 9:17:17 GMT
Caissie Levy has some competition for the Olivier Award! I hope this isn't the case, Caissie deserves that hands down.... |
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5,169 posts
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Post by Being Alive on Sept 27, 2023 9:22:39 GMT
Caissie Levy has some competition for the Olivier Award! I hope this isn't the case, Caissie deserves that hands down.... This has more producers and investors behind it than Next To Normal does, so I would imagine Scherzinger has absolutely knackered the Olivier up for Caissie Levy (on an awards political thing rather than actually "who is the best") |
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Post by danb on Sept 27, 2023 9:29:43 GMT
Heres where awards shows fall down. Because despite arguably having quite similar themes in terms of ‘middle aged lady breaking down’, they aren’t remotely comparable productions, nor does it feel that they should compete in the same space.
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1,432 posts
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Post by BVM on Sept 27, 2023 9:31:57 GMT
Caissie Levy has some competition for the Olivier Award! I do agree. IMHO the pinnacle of an MT performance is the fabled (but rarely seen) triple threat. - Nicole is singing the hell out of this - The modern choreography new to this production ticks that box, she totally has the moves. - And acting wise she just IS (Jamie Lloyd's version of) Norma Desmond. It's utterly thrilling. I think she deserves every award going. Not just performance of the year for me, but best performance in anything anywhere this side of the coronavirus. (And Tom Francis deserves all the awards too!) |
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1,432 posts
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Post by BVM on Sept 27, 2023 9:33:57 GMT
Heres where awards shows fall down. Because despite arguably having quite similar themes in terms of ‘middle aged lady breaking down’, they aren’t remotely comparable productions, nor does it feel that they should compete in the same space. That is an excellent point actually and awards do indeed fall down here. You really aren't comparing like for like. (Although given the reality is that they do try and do that I'd go Nicole. That said despite hoping for this I don't massively care about awards. Have loved so many things that have been 100% snubbed over the years). |
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Post by BVM on Sept 27, 2023 9:36:05 GMT
I hope this isn't the case, Caissie deserves that hands down.... This has more producers and investors behind it than Next To Normal does, so I would imagine Scherzinger has absolutely knackered the Olivier up for Caissie Levy (on an awards political thing rather than actually "who is the best") In the flip side to this, I personally think there have been varying degrees of anti ALW bias in awards nominations ever since Phantom really. (Though on that basis I guess his slightly increased distance from this production may work in it's favour). |
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Post by minion on Sept 27, 2023 9:43:54 GMT
But where do we think the reviews will land on this?
Personally, if we're looking at a possible comparison, I don't think this is quite as smart or thorough as Fish's Oklahoma, nor has the same consideration for characters that that had.
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Post by intoanewlife on Sept 27, 2023 9:53:17 GMT
At least the guy who tells us every 5 mins how much he hated The Little Big Things had SEEN it. Are you issuing a dare to the person who hasn't been in the thread for at least a fortnight because if you'd like something new every 5 minutes I'm sure he could accommodate your demands... |
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Post by BVM on Sept 27, 2023 9:54:56 GMT
At least the guy who tells us every 5 mins how much he hated The Little Big Things had SEEN it. Are you issuing a dare to the person who hasn't been in the thread for at least a fortnight because if you'd like something new every 5 minutes I'm sure he could accommodate your demands... No, but it's a free world. |
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Post by mkb on Sept 27, 2023 10:30:00 GMT
Caissie Levy has some competition for the Olivier Award! I do agree. IMHO the pinnacle of an MT performance is the fabled (but rarely seen) triple threat. - Nicole is singing the hell out of this - The modern choreography new to this production ticks that box, she totally has the moves. - And acting wise she just IS (Jamie Lloyd's version of) Norma Desmond. It's utterly thrilling. I think she deserves every award going. Not just performance of the year for me, but best performance in anything anywhere this side of the coronavirus. (And Tom Francis deserves all the awards too!) Whatever anyone's view on the current production, the idea that Scherzinger's acting comes anywhere close to awards territory is ridiculous. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time a sub-par performance has received accolades, as any year's Oscars will testify. It's often about the money and who you know. |
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Post by Being Alive on Sept 27, 2023 10:40:12 GMT
But where do we think the reviews will land on this? Personally, if we're looking at a possible comparison, I don't think this is quite as smart or thorough as Fish's Oklahoma, nor has the same consideration for characters that that had. 5s or 2s. No middle ground. |
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Post by doornumberthree on Sept 27, 2023 11:59:09 GMT
I do agree. IMHO the pinnacle of an MT performance is the fabled (but rarely seen) triple threat. - Nicole is singing the hell out of this - The modern choreography new to this production ticks that box, she totally has the moves. - And acting wise she just IS (Jamie Lloyd's version of) Norma Desmond. It's utterly thrilling. I think she deserves every award going. Not just performance of the year for me, but best performance in anything anywhere this side of the coronavirus. (And Tom Francis deserves all the awards too!) Of course, it wouldn't be the first time a sub-par performance has received accolades, as any year's Oscars will testify. It's often about the money and who you know. With all due respect, have you seen the show? |
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