|
|
Post by capybara on Jun 9, 2024 0:29:22 GMT
Seeing this next week. Can we get a poll?
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2024 7:28:18 GMT
I'd disagree, if a someone dislikes a show that much that the feel they cannot stay for the second act, then I don't see why that wouldn't be a valid opinion. Do they have to stay (and potentially feel tortured) just to be allowed an opinion? |
|
|
|
Post by danb on Jun 9, 2024 7:34:56 GMT
I'd disagree, if a someone dislikes a show that much that the feel they cannot stay for the second act, then I don't see why that wouldn't be a valid opinion. Do they have to stay (and potentially feel tortured) just to be allowed an opinion? Exactly. It doesn’t negate your powers of critical thought. Yes, they might pick up some previously meandering threads and pull them together in act 2, but pacing is everything. Good theatre making is about creating a rounded whole, not just moments, and if they’re all in act 2 you’re doing something wrong. Unless you’re on a comp, or its a work in progress that you have committed to support, I see no reason to torture oneself by staying. |
|
|
|
Post by westendgirls on Jun 10, 2024 13:20:32 GMT
Overall I liked it. It does get better as it goes on but initially starts out feeling like it could be at the Fringe (and not in a good way). Maybe it was just the nerves of the cast
You will come out singing the main song as it is such an ear worm and they use it well throughout the show. I thought the songs had quite a 90s vibe too them, interesting as it is clearly aimed at the gen-z/gen-alpha crowd
Talking of the crowd, it was the usual Other Palace rent-a-crowd that were in when I went. Seriously, there really isn’t the need to scream so much. Oh I am definitely getting old!!
The actress playing Leah was definitely the stand out and can see her do very well as she executed the fun and serious balance of her character very well. We also had understudy Becky, which I didn’t know until I randomly heard two women talking about it in the tube going home. She was really great
What I think is a positive is that this is the perfect show to give young performers just coming out of drama school a great experience at the start of their career
|
|
19,651 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 10, 2024 13:30:43 GMT
Poll added. Please tag me or TallPaul for quicker service on setting up polls! |
|
3,325 posts
|
Post by Dr Tom on Jun 10, 2024 13:46:40 GMT
I nipped back for the early (13:15) Sunday performance, mainly because of a last minute heavily discounted ticket deal, but also a performance around that time on a Sunday suits my schedule performance.
Much as I'm usually a front row person, I was sat a few rows back this time, and it was a much better view, especially of the action taking place at the ends of the stage and in the audience. As usual, I enjoyed this more second time around, and I thought that everything was smoother.
This wasn't too full, unfortunately, but there was a lovely guy on the row behind who was very enthusiastic. I do hope to catch one of his Toby shows before the run comes to an end.
|
|
25 posts
|
Post by hoopoe on Jun 10, 2024 14:44:51 GMT
I thought the songs had quite a 90s vibe too them, interesting as it is clearly aimed at the gen-z/gen-alpha crowd I think it's as much aimed at millennials as these groups. Musically it's definitely evoking pop rock of the 2000s/late '90s, and nostalgia for that from millennials has been big lately; just look at this year's Download line up! I also felt that Grace's song was absolutely aimed at all the millennials choosing not to have kids, much more so than it was for current teens to relate to. As a 31-year-old I'm young enough to clearly remember being in year 11 and could see people I used to know in all of the characters (I know Leah's initial response to the babies is exactly how I would have behaved), but old enough to be disconnected from it and see things differently than I would have as a teen. To me, this is the feel of the show too; accurately representing teens and thus appealing to them, but also with a reflective knowingness about the teen experience e.g. in the final song, and thus appealing to anyone whose school experience looked like this but is firmly in the past. |
|
|
|
Post by teentheatremumma on Jun 11, 2024 7:12:55 GMT
Saw Babies at the weekend with my two teens, we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Very upbeat and funny with a thread of emotion running through with the Leah story.
Great songs, will have you singing on the way home.
My two met the cast afterwards for a photo, which was lovely. Our favourites were Ben (Max Mulrenan) and Becky (Grace Towning) A really fun trip to the theatre.
|
|
|
|
Post by theatre22 on Jun 11, 2024 10:31:47 GMT
Saw Babies at the weekend with my two teens, we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Very upbeat and funny with a thread of emotion running through with the Leah story. Great songs, will have you singing on the way home. My two met the cast afterwards for a photo, which was lovely. Our favourites were Ben (Max Mulrenan) and Becky (Grace Towning) A really fun trip to the theatre. Agreed. I also saw it at the weekend with my teens and we all enjoyed it too. |
|
|
|
Post by westendwhistledown on Jun 11, 2024 10:32:41 GMT
Press night tomorrow! Hopefully good reviews!
|
|
2,775 posts
|
Post by daniel on Jun 11, 2024 10:47:11 GMT
Unfortunately I didn’t like this. Granted I’m probably not the target market but I found it a bit boring and predictable. A couple of strong performances (Becky and Leah stood out) but also plenty that were nothing to write home about. The songs I found generally to be samey and indistinguishable.
Thankfully it was a super cheap ticket so it doesn’t feel like time wasted, but I did leave at the interval.
Glad that others are enjoying though - it’s all subjective!
|
|
|
|
Post by teentheatremumma on Jun 11, 2024 11:14:55 GMT
Unfortunately I didn’t like this. Granted I’m probably not the target market but I found it a bit boring and predictable. A couple of strong performances (Becky and Leah stood out) but also plenty that were nothing to write home about. The songs I found generally to be samey and indistinguishable. Thankfully it was a super cheap ticket so it doesn’t feel like time wasted, but I did leave at the interval. Glad that others are enjoying though - it’s all subjective! You’re right theatre is so subjective. Not every show is going to appeal to everyone. If I’d taken my teens to Phantom they would have probably wanted to leave in the interval too. As long as a show appeals to its target then that’s a good thing. I’d say the enthusiastic standing ovation was testament to that. (Not that you witnessed it  ) |
|
|
|
Post by theatre2023 on Jun 11, 2024 13:38:40 GMT
The show won't be lasting. It's already on the seat filler services ...
|
|
3,325 posts
|
Post by Dr Tom on Jun 11, 2024 13:55:00 GMT
The show won't be lasting. It's already on the seat filler services ... That's been the case pretty much since the first preview. It's a shame really that it's running at the same time as Heathers has made its short-term return (and also Mean Girls is running), as a lot of the likely audience will go to those other shows first. |
|
|
|
Post by westendwhistledown on Jun 11, 2024 14:33:57 GMT
Hopefully will pick up after reviews are out tomorrow
|
|
|
|
Post by westendgirls on Jun 11, 2024 16:36:43 GMT
Lauren Conroy who is playing Jasmine has just been announced as Zoe on the DEH tour
|
|
4,778 posts
|
Post by Mark on Jun 13, 2024 7:01:14 GMT
This is on TKTS today for as little as £8!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by dancingthroughlife on Jun 13, 2024 9:04:34 GMT
Wondering about first row on this, which is marked as Restricted View. I believe this was the case as well with Cruel Intentions (and maybe Heathers?), but there was nothing blocking the view apart from actors coming in too close to the front and maybe you'd miss some / very little on the action
Is it *actually* blocked by anything on stage on this one?
|
|
4,778 posts
|
Post by Mark on Jun 13, 2024 9:10:27 GMT
Wondering about first row on this, which is marked as Restricted View. I believe this was the case as well with Cruel Intentions (and maybe Heathers?), but there was nothing blocking the view apart from actors coming in too close to the front and maybe you'd miss some / very little on the action Is it *actually* blocked by anything on stage on this one? I'm sitting in the front row tonight thanks to those £8 tickets so I shall let you know if nobody can provide any insight beforehand. |
|
|
|
Post by capybara on Jun 13, 2024 9:16:39 GMT
Absolutely loved this on Tuesday night. Jack Godfrey is such a talented composer and it’s so exciting to see this and 42 Balloons enjoying success. Many of the cast featured in the show’s concert performances at the Lyric Theatre last year and have returned for the full run. Lauren Conroy is a standout as high-achiever Jasmin, striking the right balance between the character’s Monica Geller-esque desire to succeed and, well, being a 15-year-old girl. ‘Jasmin’s Soliloquy’ is a great character performance through song and Conroy captivates as Jasmin becomes increasingly desperate, often to comic effect. Jaina Brock-Patel is wonderful as Becky, who sees caring for her baby simulator as the perfect vehicle for Tiktok paid partnership videos. Having appeared as Katherine Howard in the UK tour of Six, she was clearly channeling her previous role as she brought the house down with ‘Someone Else’. Lucy Carter as Lulu also proves a highlight, giving excellent comedic timing as her character fights to be heard among her domineering friendship group. Meanwhile, Babies is Zoë Athena’s (playing Leah) debut in a professional musical production and she handled it with ease. Leah is at the centre of Geelan’s book and is very much the ‘lead’, if an ensemble piece such as this could be considered to have one. However, that is the show’s only drawback; here are eight characters, all battling for space and sometimes their narratives get a little bit lost. While the story is endearing, a stronger, more compelling narrative is needed if Babies is to achieve commercial longevity. It’s a shame to see that this is struggling to sell. Its indie pop score really ought to speak to those of us in the MT community aged late 20s/early 30s. I reckon I’ll be back for a second watch. Four stars. Wondering about first row on this, which is marked as Restricted View. I believe this was the case as well with Cruel Intentions (and maybe Heathers?), but there was nothing blocking the view apart from actors coming in too close to the front and maybe you'd miss some / very little on the action Is it *actually* blocked by anything on stage on this one? No restrictions and in fact the seats are at stage level, rather than being slightly below for previous productions. If I go again I will aim for the first row I think. |
|
3,325 posts
|
Post by Dr Tom on Jun 13, 2024 9:58:06 GMT
Front row is fine. The main obstructions are:
1. You are so close that the cast block your view
2. There is action at the extreme sides of the stage area (areas that would be backstage in Heathers) and behind on the steps leading to the stage, which are hard to see from the front.
Neither of these are major problems, but I think the sweet spot here is three or four rows back.
|
|
|
|
Post by westendwhistledown on Jun 13, 2024 10:32:59 GMT
My 3rd time last night, just brilliant. 4* across the board so far by the looks of reviews. Cast are so brilliant and it's the kind of show I want to see right now - just fun and silly and great cast
|
|
3,325 posts
|
Post by Dr Tom on Jun 13, 2024 19:42:03 GMT
This is on TKTS today for as little as £8!!! I did spot this just after midnight, although I wasn't quite ready for a third viewing today. At some point in the day, they pulled the show from TKTS, then this reappeared with the regular (discounted) prices. So, I'm curious if this was deliberate, or if someone had set the wrong discount and it took a while for anyone to notice. |
|
|
|
Post by blamerobots on Jun 13, 2024 19:53:12 GMT
This is on TKTS today for as little as £8!!! They're trying!! I really want to see but there literally no days I am free to get up to London  Maybe I'll make a blank space in my schedule. I hope they release a recording maybe. |
|
4,778 posts
|
Post by Mark on Jun 13, 2024 22:20:21 GMT
I loved that! Great score and a hugely energetic cast. Lots of fun to be had!
Front row was great, I'd avoid the far sides but the central section was very good.
|
|
)
Maybe I'll make a blank space in my schedule.