Just For One Day - Old Vic / Shaftesbury

[theatremiss]

I’ve just seen this tonight and I loved it. I took it for what it is, a juke box musical that evokes an era. It took me back decades and I thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgia, as did so many in the audience. I would happily make a return visit. I’d also like to see this get a transfer

[ruby]

In the interval. I LOVE IT.

[ruthieh]

I went this afternoon, and loved it as well. Went with 5 friends including two husbands who hate musicals….and we all loved it.

[colelarson]

Went to the Matinee today and enjoyed it. Didn't see anyone leave!

I liked how they mixed some of the songs together. Simple staging and great to see the band on stage and brought forward for moments too.

The Mrs T and Mr G rap reminded me of some of the Churchill moments in Sylvia. There was no Julie Atherton so Kerry Enright was Margaret and I thought she played the role well.

Great talent on the stage and I like how people were not look-alikes and songs just wove into the tales we were being told.

I enjoyed it more than I expected! Think they are missing out on merch opportunities as lots of people were wearing Live Aid and Live 8 tees!

[ruby]

Still buzzing from last night. My regular theatre buddy and I thought it was one of the best things we've seen. I was a child when Live Aid happened, don't remember much of the concert itself but the dreadful films on the news were probably the first world events I was aware of.

We were blown away by the amount of talent on the stage last night, just superb. Really hope will have chance to go again before the end of the run!

[littlefan]

A few covers on tonight:

- AJ Lewis on for Ashley Campbell as Jim
- James Hameed on for Joel Montague as Harvey (possibly the start of paternity leave, I wonder?).

[thedriftersgirl]

Mar 1, 2024 21:34:19 GMT littlefan said:

A few covers on tonight:

- AJ Lewis on for Ashley Campbell as Jim
- James Hameed on for Joel Montague as Harvey (possibly the start of paternity leave, I wonder?).

Carrie had her baby yesterday so very much the start of his leave.

I was lucky enough to catch Joel for his final performance before baby on Thursday night and he was great.

[ceebee]

There are just a few seats left for today's evening performance... Hurry up and buy them people so I can shift a lovely spare seat in Stalls L13 - one of the best in the house!

Of course, if you fancy that particular seat yourself, a quick call to the Old Vic Box Office and a request for that particular seat might see them sell it to you... No idea what the price is but imagine it will be around the same as other single seats sold on the day (i.e. significantly cheaper than the regular price).

[ceebee]

Great to see some alternates on tonight. This show is on fire right now - there's a real connection between cast and audience now and the comedy is landing really well.

I'll be amazed if an announcement isn't in the offing for its future life.

[sf]

Oh dear.

I saw it this evening.

It's never less than superficially entertaining, but it's totally superficial. It has a phenomenally talented, incredibly hard-working cast, a good set and great lighting and video projections, and no depth whatsoever. John O'Farrell's book features some buttock-clenchingly awful dialogue, and appears to be aimed at people who find flashcards too intellectually demanding. Matthew Brind's arrangements take an incredibly diverse selection of songs and compress them into the musical equivalent of a bargain-brand sausage. It's never painful to sit through when people are singing (when they're speaking, on the other hand...), and the singers are great, but it's as if Brind set out to sandpaper everything interesting out of this phemomenal stack of music. Particularly in the second act, far too much of it just all sounds the same - at least, if (as I am) you're old enough to have been an obsessive teenage pop fan in the mid-1980s. Very little of this music is bland on the original recordings, and that's a challenge Brind works very hard to overcome.

Nearly every significant moment is short-changed - most obviously I Don't Like Mondays, which loses impact by being given a more bombastic musical arrangement than the original single had. THAT pause during the concert was a heart-stopping moment, even on television; here, it's just yet another piece of bland sentimental uplift, partly because the dialogue surrounding the song is so painfully trite and partly because the song itself doesn't get space to breathe. One of the reasons it stood out during the original concert is that the song began small and was allowed to build, and it didn't sound at all like the song before it (the Style Council's Walls Come Tumbling Down). It was given space to breathe, and giving it that space paid off. Theatre can't precisely recreate what that moment looked like on the day, but it could give us some insight into how it felt and what it meant. That's what this show tries to do, but it fails at just about every hurdle. The show's attempt to discuss the very real issues with a) white saviour syndrome, b) the lyrics of Do They Know It's Christmas?, and c) the entire project's reductive understanding of the continent of Africa are so laughably simplistic that they would insult the intelligence of a seven-year-old. Throughout, the show has the same problem as The Little Big Things, which also didn't completely work but was vastly better than this: the creative team appear to be terrified of engaging with difficult emotional territory or morally complex ideas, to the point where everything is just dumbed down and pumped up into an endless stream of generic uplift.

And yet - as I said, when people are singing it isn't painful to sit through. The arrangements are bland, but the voices are great.  It doesn't work - at all - as an examination of the event it's supposed to be about, but it does have some entertainment value as a mindless nostalgia trip. And bless Julie Atherton's Mrs. T for supplying the only moments of genuine wit in the entire evening.

It just could and should have been so, so, so much better than that.

Two stars - and one and three-quarters of them are for the voices, which are excellent.

[ceebee]

Mar 5, 2024 0:30:15 GMT sf said:

Oh dear.

I saw it this evening.

It's never less than superficially entertaining, but it's totally superficial. It has a phenomenally talented, incredibly hard-working cast, a good set and great lighting and video projections, and no depth whatsoever. John O'Farrell's book features some buttock-clenchingly awful dialogue, and appears to be aimed at people who find flashcards too intellectually demanding. Matthew Brind's arrangements take an incredibly diverse selection of songs and compress them into the musical equivalent of a bargain-brand sausage. It's never painful to sit through when people are singing (when they're speaking, on the other hand...), and the singers are great, but it's as if Brind set out to sandpaper everything interesting out of this phemomenal stack of music. Particularly in the second act, far too much of it just all sounds the same - at least, if (as I am) you're old enough to have been an obsessive teenage pop fan in the mid-1980s. Very little of this music is bland on the original recordings, and that's a challenge Brind works very hard to overcome.

Nearly every significant moment is short-changed - most obviously I Don't Like Mondays, which loses impact by being given a more bombastic musical arrangement than the original single had. THAT pause during the concert was a heart-stopping moment, even on television; here, it's just yet another piece of bland sentimental uplift, partly because the dialogue surrounding the song is so painfully trite and partly because the song itself doesn't get space to breathe. One of the reasons it stood out during the original concert is that the song began small and was allowed to build, and it didn't sound at all like the song before it (the Style Council's Walls Come Tumbling Down). It was given space to breathe, and giving it that space paid off. Theatre can't precisely recreate what that moment looked like on the day, but it could give us some insight into how it felt and what it meant. That's what this show tries to do, but it fails at just about every hurdle. The show's attempt to discuss the very real issues with a) white saviour syndrome, b) the lyrics of Do They Know It's Christmas?, and c) the entire project's reductive understanding of the continent of Africa are so laughably simplistic that they would insult the intelligence of a seven-year-old. Throughout, the show has the same problem as The Little Big Things, which also didn't completely work but was vastly better than this: the creative team appear to be terrified of engaging with difficult emotional territory or morally complex ideas, to the point where everything is just dumbed down and pumped up into an endless stream of generic uplift.

And yet - as I said, when people are singing it isn't painful to sit through. The arrangements are bland, but the voices are great.  It doesn't work - at all - as an examination of the event it's supposed to be about, but it does have some entertainment value as a mindless nostalgia trip. And bless Julie Atherton's Mrs. T for supplying the only moments of genuine wit in the entire evening.

It just could and should have been so, so, so much better than that.

Two stars - and one and three-quarters of them are for the voices, which are excellent.

Sorry, do you have a simple flashcard that summarises all of that?

[bryan99]

Agree with a lot of sf has to say, sadly. As much as one is thrilled to see a young, talented, diverse cast working brilliantly together, there was so much (almost everything else, I'm afraid) that didn't work for me, either. Mainly the book. But, overall, this sense that the idea behind the show and its staging could/should have played out differently. But such is life!

[luvvie23]

Mar 5, 2024 0:30:15 GMT sf said:

Oh dear.

I saw it this evening.

It's never less than superficially entertaining, but it's totally superficial. It has a phenomenally talented, incredibly hard-working cast, a good set and great lighting and video projections, and no depth whatsoever. John O'Farrell's book features some buttock-clenchingly awful dialogue, and appears to be aimed at people who find flashcards too intellectually demanding. Matthew Brind's arrangements take an incredibly diverse selection of songs and compress them into the musical equivalent of a bargain-brand sausage. It's never painful to sit through when people are singing (when they're speaking, on the other hand...), and the singers are great, but it's as if Brind set out to sandpaper everything interesting out of this phemomenal stack of music. Particularly in the second act, far too much of it just all sounds the same - at least, if (as I am) you're old enough to have been an obsessive teenage pop fan in the mid-1980s. Very little of this music is bland on the original recordings, and that's a challenge Brind works very hard to overcome.

Nearly every significant moment is short-changed - most obviously I Don't Like Mondays, which loses impact by being given a more bombastic musical arrangement than the original single had. THAT pause during the concert was a heart-stopping moment, even on television; here, it's just yet another piece of bland sentimental uplift, partly because the dialogue surrounding the song is so painfully trite and partly because the song itself doesn't get space to breathe. One of the reasons it stood out during the original concert is that the song began small and was allowed to build, and it didn't sound at all like the song before it (the Style Council's Walls Come Tumbling Down). It was given space to breathe, and giving it that space paid off. Theatre can't precisely recreate what that moment looked like on the day, but it could give us some insight into how it felt and what it meant. That's what this show tries to do, but it fails at just about every hurdle. The show's attempt to discuss the very real issues with a) white saviour syndrome, b) the lyrics of Do They Know It's Christmas?, and c) the entire project's reductive understanding of the continent of Africa are so laughably simplistic that they would insult the intelligence of a seven-year-old. Throughout, the show has the same problem as The Little Big Things, which also didn't completely work but was vastly better than this: the creative team appear to be terrified of engaging with difficult emotional territory or morally complex ideas, to the point where everything is just dumbed down and pumped up into an endless stream of generic uplift.

And yet - as I said, when people are singing it isn't painful to sit through. The arrangements are bland, but the voices are great.  It doesn't work - at all - as an examination of the event it's supposed to be about, but it does have some entertainment value as a mindless nostalgia trip. And bless Julie Atherton's Mrs. T for supplying the only moments of genuine wit in the entire evening.

It just could and should have been so, so, so much better than that.

Two stars - and one and three-quarters of them are for the voices, which are excellent.

I agree with you on the book. But I really liked the arrangements. But then again I don’t really know the songs from the first time round. But the voices are superb. Every single one. But the show has had a lot of understudies- Which throws the show a bit from the times I’ve watched it. There’s a real chemistry with the cast when it’s not so heavily understudied. I was in last night. The cover Bob was very good. And it was great to have Ashley Campbell back with my fan girl obsession Danielle Steers! It’s like a roller coaster of different people every night! Thank you for your points.

[ceebee]

Mar 5, 2024 9:57:58 GMT luvvie23 said:

Mar 5, 2024 0:30:15 GMT sf said:

I agree with you on the book. But I really liked the arrangements. But then again I don’t really know the songs from the first time round. But the voices are superb. Every single one. But the show has had a lot of understudies- Which throws the show a bit from the times I’ve watched it. There’s a real chemistry with the cast when it’s not so heavily understudied. I was in last night. The cover Bob was very good. And it was great to have Ashley Campbell back with my fan girl obsession Danielle Steers! It’s like a roller coaster of different people every night! Thank you for your points.

I agree about the understudies - I like the understudy Margaret (Kerry Enright) but prefer the Julie Atherton's portrayal more.  I have not seen cover Bob yet (despite seeing this show several times now) but frankly Craige Els IS Bob in my eyes.  Like you I really like the way Ashley Campbell works with Danielle Steers and I was somewhat disappointed with the understudy Jim I saw on Saturday.  I've also seen Dyd Wynford understudy Skye (usually played by the excellent Freddie Love) and I didn't enjoy Dyd's performance, but when they were the cover for Khalil/Paul on Saturday I thought they were superb with excellent comic timing and a very warm audience reaction. 

Somebody (other than Danielle Steers and Collette Guitart) who is consistently excellent in this is James Hameed who is great as Khalil/Paul, and who I saw on Saturday as a really lively and punchy Harvey.  I also think Abiona Omonua is fantastic as Amara - a great singing voice, but also a great narrator for the more serious storytelling. As it's a pretty much a roll-call of the cast, I can't not mentioned Olly Dobson who sings a couple of bangers and also has great comic timing.

All-in-all, every time I have seen this show it has had a rapturous response from the audience.  Presumably those who don't enjoy it either stay seated or leave before the end, as 95% of the audience are on their feet cheering loudly and applauding.  Populist theatre that happens to sell well - who'd have thought it...

[luvvie23]

Very good cast attendance at the moment! Even Joel back.

[ceebee]

Mar 7, 2024 10:08:31 GMT luvvie23 said:

Very good cast attendance at the moment! Even Joel back.

Yes, I was there on Tuesday and it was the full cast - which, despite the talent of the covers / swings, really put a smile on my face.  Another rapturous audience on their feet and swaying and singing along to "Let It Be" at the curtain call.  

For a long period, all of us theatre fans pined for the opportunity to be inside a theatre, see a show, support the arts, and generally indulge our interests.  I'm probably over-sentimental, but there's something joyful about seeing 1000 people cheering having a great night out and enjoying themselves.  Three years ago we couldn't do this.

[greenandbrownandblue]

Cancelled this afternoon - not sure why.

[luvvie23]

Mar 9, 2024 14:34:38 GMT greenandbrownandblue said:

Cancelled this afternoon - not sure why.

Really upset! Had family come down from the north to see it. Never mind. Hope everyone is ok.

[shownut]

Mar 9, 2024 15:19:18 GMT luvvie23 said:

Mar 9, 2024 14:34:38 GMT greenandbrownandblue said:

Cancelled this afternoon - not sure why.

Really upset! Had family come down from the north to see it. Never mind. Hope everyone is ok.

Had a long delay at our show this afternoon (Union Theatre) - I think the protests are disrupting travel for a lot of folks and lots of tube-works today as well. 

[lotster]

Anybody know if this evening's performance has gone ahead? And if any reason was given for the matinee cancellation?

[my fairly obsessed lady]

Don't know if anyone has any insight on this but... Is there any chance this will get a cast recording? This show has some amazing voices and I also would really like to listen to that mash-up with Rebel Rebel until I get sick of it 😅

[luvvie23]

Was in tonight again. WOW!!! Hardly any of the cast were on. To the point that I felt sorry for the main cast who were in attendance. Danielle Steers off!!!! She was missed 😭 No chemistry between Ashley Campbell and the understudy. And the Suzanne’s had developed broad northern accents. Even though they are from western super Mare….. Bizarre. I know the show must go on….. But Tonight was a bit silly.

[ThereWillBeSun]

This is giving Heathers and Mandela…

Matinee didn’t go ahead. So I’m shocked the evening did because of illness.

It’s not right. It’s not the show you sign up for if there are hardly any cast onstage… I appreciate the onstage cast / crew are doing all they can. Surely partial refunds by the producers.

I would complain. Just hope all the sick cast feel better soon.

[ceebee]

Great to see Just For One Day get recognition in the Olivier Award nominations. Cast album and a transfer would be nice!

[theatreliker]

West End transfer just announced on Comic Relief.