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Post by ix on Mar 14, 2024 12:16:03 GMT
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Post by mkb on Mar 14, 2024 12:26:39 GMT
Their cruelty is long established. The Scum should not be given the time of day, and personally I wouldn't be facilitating clicks to their website.
Sheridan Smith's forté is in showing convincing raw emotion. Who can forget The Twelve Days of Christine which I believe is Inside No. 9's episode with the highest feedback rating on IMDB. She's no different in Opening Night, giving a superb performance. The failings here are not down to any of the cast.
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Post by andypandy on Mar 14, 2024 12:53:59 GMT
How are they wrong when most people here say the same and it's flooded with one star ratings above? I'm not a Sun fan at all - but they are correct no? |
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Post by alece10 on Mar 14, 2024 13:09:08 GMT
How are they wrong when most people here say the same and it's flooded with one star ratings above? I'm not a Sun fan at all - but they are correct no? No. Most people on here are critical of the musical and not Sheridan. Many of the posts are praising her performance. |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Mar 14, 2024 13:12:47 GMT
I refuse to go onto the Sun website.
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Post by ix on Mar 14, 2024 13:30:04 GMT
How are they wrong when most people here say the same and it's flooded with one star ratings above? I'm not a Sun fan at all - but they are correct no? It's the show that's dreadful, not her. The piece with specific text and images at the start makes the reader think that it's all her fault, it's only right at the end of the piece that they acknowledge she was receiving a standing ovation. But most people wouldn't have read that far. It's devious. |
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Post by ix on Mar 14, 2024 13:33:20 GMT
Their cruelty is long established. The Scum should not be given the time of day, and personally I wouldn't be facilitating clicks to their website. Sheridan Smith's forté is in showing convincing raw emotion. Who can forget The Twelve Days of Christine which I believe is Inside No. 9's episode with the highest feedback rating on IMDB. She's no different in Opening Night, giving a superb performance. The failings here are not down to any of the cast. Wow, I'd completely forgotten about The Twelve Days of Christine and how good it was. That's something to rewatch tonight – thank you. |
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Post by Jon on Mar 14, 2024 14:18:46 GMT
This show has 3 main co-producers, all of whom are experienced: Wessex Grove, Gavin Kalin & Playful. The three producers were all involved in A Little Life which was very successful so no surprise they decided to work with Ivo again. I think Sheridan Smith will be fine because not all shows will be hits and she has had plenty of duds. I wouldn't be surprised if she signed on to work with Ivo. |
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Post by Being Alive on Mar 14, 2024 14:38:16 GMT
How are they wrong when most people here say the same and it's flooded with one star ratings above? I'm not a Sun fan at all - but they are correct no? I mean, they're absolutely wrong about Sheridan, and I also think they're wrong about the show.... |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 14, 2024 14:53:17 GMT
How are they wrong when most people here say the same and it's flooded with one star ratings above? I'm not a Sun fan at all - but they are correct no? You don’t have to read very far before you get to this quote “Sheridan put on an excellent show, but the material she and the rest of the cast had been given to work with was pretty shocking - with poor songs and a dull storyline.” which is exactly the majority view here. I’m no defender of The Sun but I don’t think they’re being unfair here. |
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Post by chriss on Mar 14, 2024 15:20:15 GMT
The Sun wrong, Sheridan was very good. Its the material that's bad. |
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Post by ladidah on Mar 14, 2024 15:22:29 GMT
I think the paper knows full well Sheridan is great in the role, but it's a better story to pretend everyone hates her.
Awful.
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Post by ix on Mar 14, 2024 15:44:13 GMT
How are they wrong when most people here say the same and it's flooded with one star ratings above? I'm not a Sun fan at all - but they are correct no? You don’t have to read very far before you get to this quote “Sheridan put on an excellent show, but the material she and the rest of the cast had been given to work with was pretty shocking - with poor songs and a dull storyline.” which is exactly the majority view here. I’m no defender of The Sun but I don’t think they’re being unfair here. Over the whole piece, maybe not. In the way they've chosen to word the headline and the 'above-the-fold' information – what most people will take from a quick skim as so many of us have the attention span of golden retrievers these days ooh look a squirrel – they've painted a different picture. But I guess that's a scummy tabloid's job. |
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Post by wordsmusic on Mar 14, 2024 17:32:02 GMT
I saw this the second night and there were bits I liked and others I didn't. I knew what to expect when it came to the story since I recently watched "Opening Night" for free on YouTube - I gave up after about 10 minutes on my first attempt but went back to it and it grew on me the second time. Everyone who has said they hate the story could easily have saved themselves a few pounds by not going. As another poster mentioned, it clearly says "John Cassavetes' Opening Night" and that's what you should expect. I think a lot of people were expecting something different from Sheridan Smith and were probably more likely to walk out. We had two people walk out in our row. I don't know how they could hate it that much to not see it through. The acting/singing is good.
Regarding the music, I love Rufus Wainwright and knew that the best way to listen to his music is to really listen and open yourself up to the musical journey. I don't agree that the songs have to be similar. It's unfortunate that Rufus' music sometimes takes a few listens to really "get it" and that doesn't translate well to a West End show. Also, as others have said, the music was too loud and I had difficulty hearing the lyrics, maybe they've fixed that problem.
I applaud Sheridan for taking the risk with this - I still love her. I don't think that this will be career ending for anyone. There's way too much talent for that. I hope they'll be able to pull this off. One criticism I have is that as an American, I felt the accents were pushing it a bit too hard. Just because it's about Broadway, it doesn't mean everyone should have a New York accent. John Marquez had the best accent of everyone.
I'm not a theatre person, or know anything about structuring a show. It might help to have a few more lines of dialogue to help the story come across. I just don't think "Opening Night" deserves the vitriol it's been getting from some. I don't live in London or I would go see it again after it officially opens. And yes, I would miss the hoovering.
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Post by ix on Mar 14, 2024 18:39:07 GMT
One criticism I have is that as an American, I felt the accents were pushing it a bit too hard. Just because it's about Broadway, it doesn't mean everyone should have a New York accent. John Marquez had the best accent of everyone. I wasn't a fan of the accents either as they faded in and out on the night I saw it – some were forgetting them and then doubling down a sentence later. But, thinking back, I can't remember one bit of dialogue or story that was so Broadway-specific that it couldn't have been changed. if they'd simply relocated the action to London the whole would have made a fraction more sense – especially as the fourth wall was broken highlighting the London audience in the cheesy-beyond-belief moment when they brought the house lights up in the second half. Or when they projected the long background of footage of us arriving to the Gielgud Theatre before the show. Or with Sheridan in the alley drunkenly supporting herself on a car with British numberplates. Grounding the story in that way might have helped it take one tiny step towards believability. |
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Post by bram on Mar 14, 2024 19:00:51 GMT
I also think that the preview captions are confusing as everyone is on stage all through the preview. But maybe that is being too literal for this piece.
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Post by simon on Mar 14, 2024 21:26:46 GMT
I don't think anyone has suggested that this will be career ending for anyone on or off the stage. To some extent all theatre is a gamble. No one sets out to produce a flop (except Max Bialistock). But on occasions what seemed like a great idea in the rehearsal room just doesn't chime with the audience.
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Post by wordsmusic on Mar 14, 2024 21:37:49 GMT
I don't think anyone has suggested that this will be career ending for anyone on or off the stage. To some extent all theatre is a gamble. No one sets out to produce a flop (except Max Bialistock). But on occasions what seemed like a great idea in the rehearsal room just doesn't chime with the audience. Someone here said exactly that: "Is there a way back for van Hove? This is at the level of career-ending." |
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Post by sophia on Mar 14, 2024 21:59:42 GMT
Finished at 21.55 tonight. Couldn’t wait for it to end…
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Post by mkb on Mar 14, 2024 23:09:54 GMT
I don't think anyone has suggested that this will be career ending for anyone on or off the stage. To some extent all theatre is a gamble. No one sets out to produce a flop (except Max Bialistock). But on occasions what seemed like a great idea in the rehearsal room just doesn't chime with the audience. >>>>>Someone here said exactly that: "Is there a way back for van Hove? This is at the level of career-ending." Yes, that was me. It's difficult to see how anyone would be prepared to back him on another big project. He's pretty much shown that his gimmicks are all he has in his toolkit, and he will have alienated a lot of his audience who would need some coaxing to try again. Maybe he'll direct a straight play without any distractions and prove me wrong. |
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Post by Steve on Mar 14, 2024 23:28:24 GMT
Yes, that was me. It's difficult to see how anyone would be prepared to back him on another big project. He's pretty much shown that his gimmicks are all he has in his toolkit, and he will have alienated a lot of his audience who would need some coaxing to try again. Maybe he'll direct a straight play without any distractions and prove me wrong. Anyone who has directed multiple 5 star unmissable theatrical classics, like his "A View from the Bridge,” "Network," and"Kings of War" will never be out of work. Its just too rare. I put this one squarely on the madness of trying to adapt an unadaptable avant garde piece as a musical for a mainstream audience. Even then, I'm delighted this crazy show exists, and can't wait to see it again. There's a beautiful song towards the beginning, called "One More Dream," that I absolutely can't wait to hear again. Different strokes for different folks.  PS: I really do feel for Sheridan Smith, who is doing 95 percent of the heavy lifting (wonderful acting, devoted fan base) of getting audiences through those doors and may be unfairly blamed for the static narrative. |
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Post by Jon on Mar 15, 2024 0:06:04 GMT
Yes, that was me. It's difficult to see how anyone would be prepared to back him on another big project. He's pretty much shown that his gimmicks are all he has in his toolkit, and he will have alienated a lot of his audience who would need some coaxing to try again. Maybe he'll direct a straight play without any distractions and prove me wrong. Ivo has had a few duds like Obsession and The Human Voice but this show will not kill his career. His track record means that he will get work. |
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Post by sph on Mar 15, 2024 0:15:56 GMT
I'm also have the same question for this as I did about his All About Eve though. Why does a show set in a theatre, about theatrical people, telling a story about life in the theatre, need to be told with cameras? What does it really add?
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Post by simon on Mar 15, 2024 12:21:50 GMT
I'm also have the same question for this as I did about his All About Eve though. Why does a show set in a theatre, about theatrical people, telling a story about life in the theatre, need to be told with cameras? What does it really add? The framing device of the TV documentary was never developed and just seemed an excuse for using cameras. Several filmed scenes were "private" moments where a film crew would not have been present(eg the sequence on the couch) so there was a lack of consistency in that set up. Having seen several of Ivo's previous shows I did feel this was all a bit lazy and retread of his signature techniques and ,for a show which presumably sees itself as cutting edge, all a bit dated. I agree about the lack of theatrical atmosphere. I was never clear what was a rehearsal or performance. With creatives/cast sitting at the side it all looked more like a TV /film set. |
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Post by woobl on Mar 15, 2024 13:15:22 GMT
Yes, that was me. It's difficult to see how anyone would be prepared to back him on another big project. He's pretty much shown that his gimmicks are all he has in his toolkit, and he will have alienated a lot of his audience who would need some coaxing to try again. Maybe he'll direct a straight play without any distractions and prove me wrong. Ivo has had a few duds like Obsession and The Human Voice but this show will not kill his career. His track record means that he will get work. He'll be fine. He works a lot in the big European houses where they have plenty of funding to try out things like this. The difference is they aren't so reliant on ticket sales, which is where this particular commercial outing might fall down. |
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