145 posts
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Post by appoul on Jun 20, 2024 11:40:27 GMT
Offer extended for 24 hours |
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5,250 posts
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Post by Being Alive on Jun 20, 2024 20:13:32 GMT
Offer extended for 24 hours Looking at the seating plan there'll be a lot more of this.... |
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Post by blamerobots on Jun 20, 2024 21:08:07 GMT
Wow, this really isn't selling.
Gonna grab some tix
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8,212 posts
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Post by alece10 on Jul 6, 2024 14:06:14 GMT
First preview tonight cancelled due to cast illness.
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Post by Seriously on Jul 6, 2024 14:16:03 GMT
Gluten intolerance?
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Jul 6, 2024 18:40:21 GMT
Pom Pom was throwing up big furballs. It's their professional debut and very nervous.
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Post by westendwhistledown on Jul 8, 2024 12:46:51 GMT
First preview tonight cancelled due to cast illness. The Lucie Jones curse continues? |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 9, 2024 5:13:05 GMT
I hear it went ahead last night - was anyone off?
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Post by anthony40 on Jul 9, 2024 7:40:24 GMT
I hear it went ahead last night - was anyone off? It definitely went ahead. I read a tweet about it this morning. |
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Post by ladidah on Jul 9, 2024 8:51:00 GMT
Was looking at this, after seeing Lucie Jones the other month.
I am tempted, but it's expensive and the seating looks so strange.
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1,093 posts
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Post by andrew on Jul 9, 2024 11:10:09 GMT
I'm waiting on reviews to decide, personally.
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Post by pineapple4you on Jul 9, 2024 15:47:39 GMT
Could the voters so far give us an idea what this is like please?
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288 posts
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Post by singingbird on Jul 9, 2024 17:45:31 GMT
Could the voters so far give us an idea what this is like please? Seeing this tonight. Will report back! |
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288 posts
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Post by singingbird on Jul 10, 2024 7:52:53 GMT
I'm giving this four stars, as it is a five star production of a three star show. The design and performances are wonderful. Stepping into the auditorium - a sun dappled French village square recreated to the smallest detail - in the middle of the greyest, wettest London summer in a long time - was just the tonic I needed. I didn't feel like there was a weak link in the cast, although the sound balance between the vocals and the band meant that sometimes the actors sounded further away than they were when singing - something I'm sure can be tweaked, as this was only the second performance. Standout for me was Clive Rowe, who really is SO good and absolutely nails his character's journey effortlessly and joyfully. Lucie Jones is good too but because I feel the role is underwritten, and yet so important to the piece, I didn't quite buy into her character in the same way. But I think her performance will grow. But beyond them, this really is an ensemble character piece and each character and performance is clearly defined, natural and distinctive. I had a few problems with the direction, principally because I'd booked a restricted view seat next to one of the pillars the Menier is famous for. I had seat B58 but was emailed on the day of performance to say this seat no longer existed and I'd been moved to F60. This meant the pillar was right in my line of sight and, very weirdly, at least three or four major scenes are played out immediately on the other side of said pillar, despite there being a huge empty stage space just beyond. It's really crazy, given that it means about 8 to 10 seats cannot see key parts of the action at all - and for no good reason. Additionally, F60 is immediately next to the booth where the band are playing, and the door into it is used repeatedly for cast entrance/exits, meaning I was forever moving my legs so as not to trip over actors! That seat really should be removed from sale and I would strongly recommend not booking it by choice. I'd seen the show once before - years ago at the Union - and have the OBC and OLC so know the score well. Schwartz (who was in attendance, across the other side) is possibly my favourite theatre composer,/lyricist more for his work in the seventies than after, but I've always found this score patchy. It veers from breath-taking beauty to somewhat clunky comic numbers. But here, throughout act one, I thought they'd finally nailed the show. The numbers I had previously found annoying were charming, vibrant, funny and performed with real wit and attention to detail. The numbers I already loved I loved even more. I was totally swept up by it. Unfortunately it went off the rails for me a bit in act 2, largely because I feel they still haven't nailed the book and it just dribbles away. I suspect this is the fault of the original source material (a 1938 French film) but unless the creative team decide to veer wildly from the original plot, then this is always going to be a problem. {Spoiler - click to view}
Genevieve for me is the real problem character. She leaves her husband so easily - which is believable as it's done on romantic impulse and beautifully explained in the classic song Meadowlark. But then she all but disappears from Act Two, especially as the (not very good) song Endless Delights has been cut. Her decision to ultimately leave her lover feels rushed and underdeveloped. I want to see their relationship develop and then unravel, as it's so crucial to the rest of the show. I need to really get into her head in order to care about anything else that happens. And when she does decide to leave, and head off by herself, the really abrupt scene where the Mayor, Priest and Teacher suddenly bump into her at a bus stop and convince her to come home, just feels like clunky plot mechanics. There's no drama here.
I get that the whole point of the show is that these big romantic decisions and feelings are almost secondary to the small details - the bread and the neighbourly squabbles and the café and the games of boules - but it feels to me that they are presented so baldly and so quickly that we can't believe in them, and the piece therefore ultimately lacks heart, weight and believability. And it's such a shame, because it undermines the wonderful attention to detail everywhere else. Anyway, I don't think this show is ever going to set the world alight, without such a radical overhaul that it is no longer the same show. It's a shame in a way because the score deserves a more developed, adult and psychologically insightful script. But, for all that, there is so much here to enjoy, as long as you don't book seat F60. |
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Post by singingbird on Jul 10, 2024 7:55:04 GMT
Sorry - when I say OBC I mean the American recording. I realise the show never went to Broadway!
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Post by londonmzfitz on Jul 10, 2024 8:48:33 GMT
Sorry - when I say OBC I mean the American recording. I realise the show never went to Broadway! Don't want to quote the long review post but do want to say thank you for such a well put together review. I adore Clive Rowe. |
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Post by thedrowsychaperone on Jul 10, 2024 9:33:25 GMT
Going on Saturday and can't wait - have always had a soft spot for this show even if it is a bit lumpy and uneven... Lucie Jones sounded fantastic at WEL too.
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Post by BVM on Jul 10, 2024 10:34:30 GMT
So on the seating plan A6-11 come with the warning “bench seating.” Rest of seats don’t.
Does that mean it’s now mainly normal seats in there?!
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Post by westendwhistledown on Jul 10, 2024 11:36:18 GMT
especially as the (not very good) song Endless Delights has been cut NOOOOO I loved this one!!! |
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Post by joonas on Jul 10, 2024 12:55:48 GMT
Does anyone know what kind of a band this production has? I love the score and the classical sound of the original orchestrations. I’ve never been to the Menier Chocolate Factory before so I don’t know what to expect. I’m pretty sure I saw a harp in one of the photos from the sitzprobe though!
Really looking forward to seeing this and many other shows at the end of the month! My last visit to London was a year ago so there’s a lot of catching up to do.
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Post by wefox on Jul 10, 2024 16:22:10 GMT
Never been to the Menier. Booked B35, hope it is an ok seat (and that still exists!) :/
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Post by terrylondon79 on Jul 10, 2024 19:53:18 GMT
So on the seating plan A6-11 come with the warning “bench seating.” Rest of seats don’t. Does that mean it’s now mainly normal seats in there?! Nope still all same seating as before. (Except the cafe seats) |
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Post by BVM on Jul 10, 2024 20:00:37 GMT
So on the seating plan A6-11 come with the warning “bench seating.” Rest of seats don’t. Does that mean it’s now mainly normal seats in there?! Nope still all same seating as before. (Except the cafe seats) Thanks! Assumed was an incorrect anomaly on the booking site. |
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Post by theatre22 on Jul 10, 2024 20:01:31 GMT
singingbird I have a ticket in D38 which was a £15 deal on Today Tix. It does say it was a restricted view but is it behind the same pillar you had?
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288 posts
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Post by singingbird on Jul 10, 2024 20:29:08 GMT
singingbird I have a ticket in D38 which was a £15 deal on Today Tix. It does say it was a restricted view but is it behind the same pillar you had? It seems unlikely as it's a much lower seat number. There are two main pillars so you may find you have some scenes blocked by the other one? Hopefully it won't be too bad! |
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