Hair - Hope Mill MCR / National Tour
Aug 11, 2019 16:20:47 GMT
Dr Tom, cheesy116, and 2 more like this
Post by steg on Aug 11, 2019 16:20:47 GMT
Having first seen Hair at the Palace in Manchester, which feels like a long time ago now, I left not quite knowing what to make of it. I had no idea what was going on in the show, but there was something about the finale which struck a chord. So I booked to see it again, this time at the Empire in Liverpool, and I did some research to find out more about where Hair was coming from. At Liverpool it clicked. There is very little coherent plot, but it fits with the hippy vibe, and there are great songs and performances. The plan was: that was it. But I started to get withdrawal symptoms, so I checked the remaining dates and decided I could make it to Glasgow for a couple of days.
Due to a cock up on my behalf, I booked a Thursday matinee rather than the evening show, so I rearranged my travel plans to make that, and booked the evening as well. I also made the bold decision to book the front row. Unlike the earlier performances I had seen, where Hubert stands in the auditorium to take the photograph, they were now brought up on stage; so on Thursday afternoon I made my stage debut as Hubert. I think if I this had been my first time seeing the show I would have found this terrifying, but knowing what was happening I went with it and enjoyed my brief time on stage. And after that getting up on stage at the end was no problem. We had started the show with 12 actors, with Bradley Judge playing Berger, and David Heywood playing Woof. After an extended interval Aiesha Pease, playing Dionne, didn't reappear, so they omitted White Boys and part of the presidents section of the trip.
Thursday evening was when I met the costumed super-fans, fantastic to talk to them and hear there stories of other shows. Berger and Woof were as the matinee, plus Dionne was now being played by Laura Sillett, so we were down to 11, again omitting sections. At the interval I decided that since I had nothing better to do on Friday night I booked to see it for the third time in two days.
Friday in Glasgow was wet. Very wet. So I was one of the ones moved from the front row to the middle of row K. I didn't make a fuss, it's just one of those things, though I did move further forward at the interval to an empty seat (with the ushers permission) that I had spotted. Mainly because there was some chatty lasses behind me. There was only one small group that I saw really making a fuss about being moved, and I think that most of the super-fans wouldn't have objected to being dripped on! Berger and Woof were still being played by the understudies, but we had Louise Francis back to play Dionne, so we got the full show. It was also great that members of the cast recognised me from the earlier shows and welcomed me back on stage at the end (for sweaty hippy hugs). I thought that I would just be one face in thousands.
I felt that the Kings was a much better venue for the show than the Palace or Empire, it felt much more intimate, even when sat in K which was further back than I was in either of the other two theatres. (I am becoming a fan of being at the front though, it makes a show feel completely different.) This is a show that has changed every time I've seen it, the cast seem to be enjoying themselves, playing and messing around, and sometimes very touchy-feely, perhaps too much at times. I hadn't realised that smoking was banned on stage in Scotland, so it did seem a bit odd in those two scenes.
Sadly I needed to be back in Cumbria on Saturday so couldn't make the last night (an 'interesting' journey on the train Saturday morning). I think I am going to miss this show, though I will be following several members of the casts careers with interest.
Due to a cock up on my behalf, I booked a Thursday matinee rather than the evening show, so I rearranged my travel plans to make that, and booked the evening as well. I also made the bold decision to book the front row. Unlike the earlier performances I had seen, where Hubert stands in the auditorium to take the photograph, they were now brought up on stage; so on Thursday afternoon I made my stage debut as Hubert. I think if I this had been my first time seeing the show I would have found this terrifying, but knowing what was happening I went with it and enjoyed my brief time on stage. And after that getting up on stage at the end was no problem. We had started the show with 12 actors, with Bradley Judge playing Berger, and David Heywood playing Woof. After an extended interval Aiesha Pease, playing Dionne, didn't reappear, so they omitted White Boys and part of the presidents section of the trip.
Thursday evening was when I met the costumed super-fans, fantastic to talk to them and hear there stories of other shows. Berger and Woof were as the matinee, plus Dionne was now being played by Laura Sillett, so we were down to 11, again omitting sections. At the interval I decided that since I had nothing better to do on Friday night I booked to see it for the third time in two days.
Friday in Glasgow was wet. Very wet. So I was one of the ones moved from the front row to the middle of row K. I didn't make a fuss, it's just one of those things, though I did move further forward at the interval to an empty seat (with the ushers permission) that I had spotted. Mainly because there was some chatty lasses behind me. There was only one small group that I saw really making a fuss about being moved, and I think that most of the super-fans wouldn't have objected to being dripped on! Berger and Woof were still being played by the understudies, but we had Louise Francis back to play Dionne, so we got the full show. It was also great that members of the cast recognised me from the earlier shows and welcomed me back on stage at the end (for sweaty hippy hugs). I thought that I would just be one face in thousands.
I felt that the Kings was a much better venue for the show than the Palace or Empire, it felt much more intimate, even when sat in K which was further back than I was in either of the other two theatres. (I am becoming a fan of being at the front though, it makes a show feel completely different.) This is a show that has changed every time I've seen it, the cast seem to be enjoying themselves, playing and messing around, and sometimes very touchy-feely, perhaps too much at times. I hadn't realised that smoking was banned on stage in Scotland, so it did seem a bit odd in those two scenes.
Sadly I needed to be back in Cumbria on Saturday so couldn't make the last night (an 'interesting' journey on the train Saturday morning). I think I am going to miss this show, though I will be following several members of the casts careers with interest.
