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Post by amyja89 on Aug 8, 2024 22:15:16 GMT
What a peculiar show, my first time seeing any production of it, and I don’t quite know what to make of it!
I had a fun time in the first half after a quite flat first 20 mins or so. The bulk of the best comedy moments for me were all played out between SJB receiving the flowers then all the way through to interval.
The second half feels really bizarre, both in mixed tone and in scattered story telling. Too Darn Hot is pretty spectacular but it almost feels like it belongs in a completely different show! The focus on the two supporting players and their backstage love story feels completely redundant, and they play the ‘wait… song isn’t finished just yet!’ card too many times.
Positive reactions all round from the audience after that first flat 20 that I mentioned. Probably 80% standing in the stalls by the end.
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Post by capybara on Aug 9, 2024 0:42:51 GMT
What a peculiar show, my first time seeing any production of it, and I don’t quite know what to make of it! I had a fun time in the first half after a quite flat first 20 mins or so. The bulk of the best comedy moments for me were all played out between SJB receiving the flowers then all the way through to interval. The second half feels really bizarre, both in mixed tone and in scattered story telling. Too Darn Hot is pretty spectacular but it almost feels like it belongs in a completely different show! The focus on the two supporting players and their backstage love story feels completely redundant, and they play the ‘wait… song isn’t finished just yet!’ card too many times. Positive reactions all round from the audience after that first flat 20 that I mentioned. Probably 80% standing in the stalls by the end. Thought I was re-reading my own thoughts on this show. Couldn’t have (and didn’t) put it any better myself. Fun in places, but a weird experience overall. |
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Post by ladidah on Aug 9, 2024 9:39:33 GMT
Most of the performances feel like they are all in different shows to one another.
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Post by michaell8 on Aug 9, 2024 18:07:40 GMT
I am sad that the excellent actors/actresses I saw in Crazy For You (Charlie, Lucas, and a girl whose name I forgot) were not given bigger roles in this production. I agree with the other posters that the whole thing was good but something missing.
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Post by badlydrawnhamster on Aug 12, 2024 10:37:42 GMT
I saw this on Saturday and really enjoyed it, I get the criticisms of Dunbar's voice but I thought he was so charismatic he pulled it off, and all of the rest of the cast were superb. But the one thing which spoilt it for me was the really abrupt ending, it felt like such little effort had gone in to it, {Spoiler - click to view}
what with the way the gangster problem is hand waved away with a convenient phone call, Bill and Lois may end up together but he's still something of a sh*t whose gambling problem could have led to Fred being killed, and while Lilli might have realised she didn't want to endure life with The General the idea that's she back in love with Fred (and vice versa) seemed questionable and another scene / song was needed to highlight this. All of which makes it sound like I didn't like the production whereas for 90% of the time I did, but after the (slightly overlong) Brush Up On Your Shakespeare the ending felt really abrupt sadly. Also, I'm new here, but a long time lover of musicals, and can't believe I only discovered this board after looking to see if anyone else had issues with the ending!  |
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Post by ceebee on Aug 12, 2024 11:59:21 GMT
I saw this on Saturday and really enjoyed it, I get the criticisms of Dunbar's voice but I thought he was so charismatic he pulled it off, and all of the rest of the cast were superb. But the one thing which spoilt it for me was the really abrupt ending, it felt like such little effort had gone in to it, {Spoiler - click to view}
what with the way the gangster problem is hand waved away with a convenient phone call, Bill and Lois may end up together but he's still something of a sh*t whose gambling problem could have led to Fred being killed, and while Lilli might have realised she didn't want to endure life with The General the idea that's she back in love with Fred (and vice versa) seemed questionable and another scene / song was needed to highlight this. All of which makes it sound like I didn't like the production whereas for 90% of the time I did, but after the (slightly overlong) Brush Up On Your Shakespeare the ending felt really abrupt sadly. Also, I'm new here, but a long time lover of musicals, and can't believe I only discovered this board after looking to see if anyone else had issues with the ending! Luckily the threads on this board are never-ending so no issues there! Welcome aboard! |
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Post by Talisman on Aug 12, 2024 12:03:00 GMT
It would seem that it is the book you are not happy with, rather than the production.
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Post by badlydrawnhamster on Aug 12, 2024 12:57:02 GMT
I saw this on Saturday and really enjoyed it, I get the criticisms of Dunbar's voice but I thought he was so charismatic he pulled it off, and all of the rest of the cast were superb. But the one thing which spoilt it for me was the really abrupt ending, it felt like such little effort had gone in to it, {Spoiler - click to view}
what with the way the gangster problem is hand waved away with a convenient phone call, Bill and Lois may end up together but he's still something of a sh*t whose gambling problem could have led to Fred being killed, and while Lilli might have realised she didn't want to endure life with The General the idea that's she back in love with Fred (and vice versa) seemed questionable and another scene / song was needed to highlight this. All of which makes it sound like I didn't like the production whereas for 90% of the time I did, but after the (slightly overlong) Brush Up On Your Shakespeare the ending felt really abrupt sadly. Also, I'm new here, but a long time lover of musicals, and can't believe I only discovered this board after looking to see if anyone else had issues with the ending! Luckily the threads on this board are never-ending so no issues there! Welcome aboard! Thank you! That's very true, though I know a Broadway version tinkered with the ending a few years back and I wish they'd done something similar - www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/axv0ij/kiss_me_kate_switched_up_ending/ |
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Post by ladidah on Aug 12, 2024 13:17:52 GMT
It hasn't aged particularly well I think, so sometimes the endings of musicals from this era can seem abrupt.
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Post by greeny11 on Aug 12, 2024 16:21:13 GMT
I thought Adrian was fine last week - his singing was perfectly acceptable and didn't seem to struggle with the big notes. Stephanie J Block was fantastic, and has a great soprano voice. I was shocked at how little Charlie gets to do in this, he completely faded into the background for me. Jack Butterworth was fantastic, and I hope the start of big things for him, as he's very talented. I will say that Too Darn Hot feels like it's from a completely different show to the rest of the score (for me).
My issues are with the show in general, rather than this particular production - I thought it was pretty tedious at times. Highlights for me were Too Darn Hot and Brush Up On Your Shakespeare.
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Post by moviebuffff1n on Aug 30, 2024 9:08:28 GMT
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Post by max on Aug 30, 2024 11:43:00 GMT
'Anything Goes' at the Barbican (same producers) did Cinema, and then turned up on BBC TV for Christmas (it's still on BBC iplayer now). Wonder if this will be the same. Of course they won't give away if it'll be free on TV til after the Cinema run, so have to make a judgement on seeing or wait and see. |
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Post by danb on Aug 30, 2024 11:53:47 GMT
I saw this on Saturday and really enjoyed it, I get the criticisms of Dunbar's voice but I thought he was so charismatic he pulled it off, and all of the rest of the cast were superb. But the one thing which spoilt it for me was the really abrupt ending, it felt like such little effort had gone in to it, {Spoiler - click to view}
what with the way the gangster problem is hand waved away with a convenient phone call, Bill and Lois may end up together but he's still something of a sh*t whose gambling problem could have led to Fred being killed, and while Lilli might have realised she didn't want to endure life with The General the idea that's she back in love with Fred (and vice versa) seemed questionable and another scene / song was needed to highlight this. All of which makes it sound like I didn't like the production whereas for 90% of the time I did, but after the (slightly overlong) Brush Up On Your Shakespeare the ending felt really abrupt sadly. Also, I'm new here, but a long time lover of musicals, and can't believe I only discovered this board after looking to see if anyone else had issues with the ending! Welcome! 🤗 |
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Post by alece10 on Aug 30, 2024 12:21:10 GMT
Thats good news as I'll now be able to see the actors in full rather than from waist up which what I got from my front row seat.
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Post by anthony40 on Aug 30, 2024 12:21:50 GMT
Welcome badlydrawnhamster
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Post by marob on Aug 30, 2024 12:24:51 GMT
Will look forward to seeing this again, some great performances. I saw it from the second row and thought Adrian Dunbar’s performance was more suited to the screen, so whatever shortcomings he has with the score he’ll probably come across better on camera.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 30, 2024 13:51:23 GMT
'Anything Goes' at the Barbican (same producers) did Cinema, and then turned up on BBC TV for Christmas (it's still on BBC iplayer now). Wonder if this will be the same. Of course they won't give away if it'll be free on TV til after the Cinema run, so have to make a judgement on seeing or wait and see. They put Anything Goes on TV before they toured the show with Kerry Ellis then struggled to sell tickets. Maybe do it the other way around this time, if a tour is planned? |
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Post by erik24601 on Aug 30, 2024 13:54:18 GMT
totally unconnected to today's news but does anybody else find the artwork for this production really............. meh?!
Washed out, bland, no real styling to it. Doesn't sell the show to me at all.
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Post by blamerobots on Aug 30, 2024 14:01:54 GMT
The marketing has not done this show any favours. It looks boring and it's the same picture of all the guys dancing on a vague-ish brick set. Not at all enticing.
How has attendance been? I've not really been paying attention to how this is doing. It's been constantly promoted to me on sale on various websites. I was considering booking some tix in FOMO pressure but honestly this show isn't really my thing and if it's going to the cinema and then maybe on TV/streaming, I'll pass.
A shame, because SJB is a gem. |
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Post by erik24601 on Aug 30, 2024 14:14:52 GMT
The marketing has not done this show any favours. It looks boring and it's the same picture of all the guys dancing on a vague-ish brick set. Not at all enticing.
How has attendance been? I've not really been paying attention to how this is doing. It's been constantly promoted to me on sale on various websites. I was considering booking some tix in FOMO pressure but honestly this show isn't really my thing and if it's going to the cinema and then maybe on TV/streaming, I'll pass.
A shame, because SJB is a gem. Agreed. In fact, if you didn't have any prior knowledge of the show, even the period that it's set in isn't all that obvious with the photography. Even the shows official website landing page is just bland and messy. |
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Post by shownut on Aug 30, 2024 14:17:06 GMT
The marketing has not done this show any favours. It looks boring and it's the same picture of all the guys dancing on a vague-ish brick set. Not at all enticing.
How has attendance been? I've not really been paying attention to how this is doing. It's been constantly promoted to me on sale on various websites. I was considering booking some tix in FOMO pressure but honestly this show isn't really my thing and if it's going to the cinema and then maybe on TV/streaming, I'll pass.
A shame, because SJB is a gem. Bad marketing and probably worst word-of-mouth I have heard on a production. I know few people who stayed after the first act and two of my pals who booked to see SJB specifically were short-changed as she didn't show up for either performance. Can't imagine why they would lose more money by filming this dreck. |
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Post by anita on Aug 30, 2024 15:29:09 GMT
I wonder if there will be a DVD?
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Post by amyja89 on Aug 30, 2024 15:48:12 GMT
I must admit I only went to see SJB too, the show in general would never have piqued my interest otherwise.
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Post by dahlia on Aug 31, 2024 2:13:02 GMT
I saw this a few weeks ago, and the thing that really hits me is that I can remember next to nothing of the numbers, including CS who I loved in Crazy last year. The music was lovely, I had a very nice time, but it didn’t stick with me. Shrew is difficult to like, and so are the characters here. It’s definately (heh) the book, not the production.
SJB was fabulous, in a league of her own, and I guess that does work with the plot. I kept comparing the show with the run of Anything goes with Sutton Foster, and how that show maybe felt better matched to their star, even though she too was exceptional. It might just be me enjoying the story of Anything goes more.
I don't think I'll catch another run of Kiss Me Kate, but I'd love to catch SJB in something else.
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Post by iwanttix on Sept 5, 2024 22:17:29 GMT
I don't know how many nights they are filming this over, but there were signs and multiple cameras there tonight. A voice over from Adrian at the start informed us it was being filmed and to feel free to laugh a bit louder at the relevant parts if we so wish.
It was my first time at the Barbican, and after finding it a bit of a strange venue - I was blown over when I walked into the actual theatre. I'd love to go see something else there now I've been once.
I didn't know anything about Kiss Me Kate except it was taming of the shrew - it was a nice surprise that it was a musical within a musical because that's always a bit fun. My main reason for booking was Nigel Lindsay, who I've liked since I saw him as Nathan Detroit forever ago. The £25 front row seat sealed the deal. It was a shame I couldn't see the feet for the tap numbers, but I felt like it was a big enough bargain that I didn't mind too much.
Too Darn Hot was a showstopper for sure and yes, as others have pointed out, it did feel like a different show. I laughed far more than I thought I would and overall I enjoyed it a lot.
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