Made in Dagenham: 10th Anniversary Concert - Palladium

[Being Alive]

Also enjoyed this at the adelphi, but this was Diana The Musical levels of bad tonight (and at least Diana is camp and fun)

Literally inaudible for a good 85% of it - had I not already known the words I'd have had basically no idea.

Obsessed that the pop star forgot how a microphone worked in the final number too..

Christ, this was...bad.

[normasturban]

An absolute mess of a production tonight which was a total shame.

To go from the excellence of Side Show at the Palladium a few weeks ago to this, where mic cues and lighting cues were all over the place.

Bonnie, a star as usual.

[lotster]

Oh dear. Who produced this one? I'm going to Wild About You and am considering Pippin too, are either of those the same producers?. I agree Side Show was fantastic.

[Being Alive]

Oh thank god for Bonnie, and Jenna Boyd.

[ruthieh]

It’s not Lambert Jackson who produced Side Show, and who have Bare coming up

[normasturban]

This one was Sisco Entertainment.

[demelza]

Mar 16, 2024 23:21:37 GMT lotster said:

Oh dear. Who produced this one? I'm going to Wild About You and am considering Pippin too, are either of those the same producers?. I agree Side Show was fantastic.

Sisco produced this! Carter Dixon McGill is doing Wild About You and I think their concerts are normally decent. Pippin is Aria Ents & Carter Dixon McGill if I remember correctly?

[Being Alive]

Mar 16, 2024 23:30:42 GMT normasturban said:

This one was Sisco Entertainment.

And they should never produce another one

[lotster]

I always wonder what the old pros like Bonnie Langford and Killian must think when they are in something like this. Obviously they are pros so don't let it show, but deep down they must have known it was a sh*t show. (I wasn't there, but from all the comments).

[lotster]

Mar 16, 2024 23:34:18 GMT Being Alive said:

Mar 16, 2024 23:30:42 GMT normasturban said:

This one was Sisco Entertainment.

And they should never produce another one

Have they done any of the other concert series ones?! I've been to a few. Recently The Addams Family and Side Show were excellent (and above my expectations).

[FJ]

Such a shame to read so many bad experiences tonight because I just came out and loved every second of it.

Granted, I was sat at the front of the stalls so I think the mic problems didn't affect me as much. Only knew about 3 of the songs going into it but from where I was sat thankfully I could hear everything pretty clearly.

The only real issues I noticed are the previously mentioned Pixie Lott stepping away from the mic a lot in the final song, but I think maybe this was no accident..

But yes I always regret not seeing this at the Adelphi, and so glad I finally saw some sort of production of this show, and I really enjoyed myself.

[lotster]

The curtain call vid on All That Dazzles looks enthusiastic?!?

[westendcub]

I had a fab night, I do agree the only mistake was Pixie moving away from the mic in the final number (It’s Rita’s number!).

So I loved a 10th anniversary concert but at the same time, we need to say goodbye to concerts, I missed the great storyline watching tonight!

[westendcub]

Mar 16, 2024 23:53:25 GMT lotster said:

The curtain call vid on All That Dazzles looks enthusiastic?!?

It was a fun & fabulous night, that’s why!!

[capybara]

What a bloody mess. This was supposed to be a triumphant return to the West End for Made in Dagenham, a celebration to mark ten years since the original production debuted. Instead, this concert version ruthlessly exposed just what a weak, crass and all-round uninspiring piece of musical theatre it is.

Much of the talk in the bar at the interval was how Richard Bean - the playwright who gave us One Man Two Guvnors and The Mentalists - managed to churn out such a drab book. So much of Bean’s script was painful to sit through, with cliched dialogue giving way to outdated jokes. The whole show is utterly charmless.

One of the many low points was a scene in which a stereotypical stand-up comedian spits out a host of tired one-liners. Sure, the jokes are tired and I guess that’s the point but, in terms of the quality, there was little to differentiate between this parody and the rest of the book.

With a concert production though, most of the focus is on the score. That was a travesty also. David Arnold’s melodies are occasionally catchy in the moment (couldn’t name a song now, however) but any hope of a decent number is extinguished by Richard Thomas’s banal lyrics. It must rank as one of the most drab scores I’ve heard - and I’ve seen Pretty Woman!

The staging was also sub-par. We’ve become accustomed to these large scale concerts being, at least, semi-staged and the decision to use standing mics here proved bizarre. So many moments of missed dialogue and countless lyrics drifting into the Palladium’s cast space unheard. What on earth was PL doing at the end?!

A reasonably promising cast did nothing to save this shambles. Bonnie was Bonnie and her solo was a highlight. Killian did what he could with the material but Eddie is a wafer-thin character to portray. The star name Pixie Lott was fine vocally but guarded and wooden in her acting.

A totally shambolic production of what is obviously a diabolical musical. Such a shame because the story itself is so inspiring and rich. But, in this case, consign it to the scrapheap, nobody should have to sit through that ever again.

One star.

[Being Alive]

Mar 17, 2024 0:21:13 GMT westendcub said:

Mar 16, 2024 23:53:25 GMT lotster said:

The curtain call vid on All That Dazzles looks enthusiastic?!?

It was a fun & fabulous night, that’s why!!

Glad you thought so - I did not find it fun or fabulous (I don't think anyone but Jenna and Bonnie realised that any of the lines were...funny!)

[southstreet]

I am still not over how TERRIBLE last night was. Firstly the sound in general, I expect bad sound at those concerts but this was even worse than Batboy and Diana, which I didn’t think was possible.
Then the absolutely bizarre decision to use standing mics, which was leading to comically BAD blocking situations and added to the terrible sound issues.
And the direction (or clearly lack thereof) as Pixie sang ok (I assume the weird moving away from the mic in the final number was to mask not being able to reach some notes, but I might just be cynical) but there was no acting to speak of and most of the rest of the cast didn’t seem to be able to bring the fun side of the musical across either, which lead to me being bored for most of the night.
Exceptions were Bonnie, Jenna and Oscar. Obviously the material isn’t great to work with but poor production values and direction gave the show a disservice.

Also, how did a concert version with no set (and set changes) end something like 20 minutes later than the original production did?

[Being Alive]

The decision to just use standing mics but then give the two kids head mics was WILD - Rita basically doesn't leave the stage - give her her own mic!

[capybara]

That’s a point. This lasted a few minutes short of THREE HOURS.

[normasturban]

That was another question I had. Did the original run quite as long as this? Act two felt neverending.

[Being Alive]

It was 2.45 at the Adelphi from memory, so like, it's a longish show but it did feel like it was never going to end last night.

[alece10]

Thats bizarre a concert version lasting longer than the actual musical. The thing I like about concerts is that a lot of the dialogue goes so you just get the songs (best bit for me) and you get home a bit earlier.
Seems like the deciding factor whether to go to one of these concerts is to check who the producer us beforehand.
4th Wall and Lambert Jackson seem to put on good concerts with high production values.

[capybara]

I also still can’t get over the woman two rows in front of me shouting the ‘lyrics’ into her children’s faces while waving and pointing at the stage, like a gig. This wasn’t just the finale but throughout the whole show. I’d say it’s a night off for someone but her husband was sat next to her!

[theatremiss]

Mar 17, 2024 12:08:40 GMT capybara said:

I also still can’t get over the woman two rows in front of me shouting the ‘lyrics’ into her children’s faces while waving and pointing at the stage, like a gig. This wasn’t just the finale but throughout the whole show. I’d say it’s a night off for someone but her husband was sat next to her!

We had a clapper and whooper ALL the way through the show. I say all the way but I actually left at the interval……can’t imagine he’d have stopped in the second act.

[mactheatre]

Bit late to the party! I enjoyed the MID 10th anniversary, but it was not as good as it should have been, primarily because of poor tech.
The standard mics for the ensemble were not working - throughout the whole show. OK, you might get a glitch which is then fixed, but for the whole show? Total incompetence. The two group mics were also not working or not high enough in the mix.
The band WAS way too high in the mix and the bass guitar ridiculously so. It drowned out any vocals.
The lighting was pathetic and worthy of a 2nd rate provincial venue. There was no lighting design to speak of and the desk seemed to be operated by someone unaccustomed to their job.
HOWEVER, the performances were all great. I don't agree with comments about lack of acting. I think they did as well as possible given the straight-on line-up.
And the MT student performers were equally enthusiastic. Just such a shame you couldn't hear them sing.
MID is not a classic. It does, however, have some really touching ballads and great ensemble crowd-pleasers. it is unforgivable that such a talented cast was undermined by poor technical support, which should be a given for such a high profile venue.