19,650 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 30, 2023 14:25:42 GMT
What a great detailed review ceebee thank you. Everyone, given the length of those posts please think twice about quoting, especially without editing the quote. If you want to refer to ceebee’s post specifically please consider tagging him instead, just type @ ceebee but without the space. Cheers! |
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Jul 30, 2023 16:05:47 GMT
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Post by toomasj on Jul 30, 2023 16:19:14 GMT
Thanks for the photos ceebee Regarding the disappearing trick, is it not how I predicted a few pages back? Seems the only way to do it. Also the pre-show aspect sounds as described in the same post, but please correct me if I’m wrong. I am curious about Shelob, and the Balrog? Also how are orcs portrayed in the battle with such a relatively modest sized cast, and Ents of course? Did you spot any musical cuts or additions from the original score? Were there any changes to the book or running order? I was also wondering about accents, from the clip they released it sounds like Sam sings in his native Indian accent, and Frodo similar to the original cast. I was wondering if Boromir still Scottish, that kind of thing? Any other regional accents or is it mostly RP elsewhere? |
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Post by ruthieh on Jul 30, 2023 16:34:09 GMT
Anyone travelling a distance who needs to stay overnight, top tip is the Hare & Hounds in the next village..walking distance… www.hareandhoundsnewbury.co.uk/ |
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Post by toomasj on Jul 30, 2023 17:14:43 GMT
Anyone travelling a distance who needs to stay overnight, top tip is the Hare & Hounds in the next village..walking distance… www.hareandhoundsnewbury.co.uk/Looks lovely but £185 for B&B on a Friday or Saturday is out my price range sadly, especially when factoring in £57.50 for a theatre ticket and £40 (with a network card - £70 otherwise) on train fare. The £50 Sunday rate at the B&B looked promising as there is a matinee every Sunday, but it’s actually £150 with £100 credit at the bar/restaurant, or a flat £125 for B&B. Add a programme, interval drink and a very cheap lunch/dinner to that and it’s easily over £300 just to see one fringe show. The Travelodge London Road (£10-£15 cab or 40 minute walk to the theatre, but I think it’s a dual carriageway) is available most Sunday-Thursdays for £25-£30 for a double room. For example; Sunday 10th September is £27.99 for the room (not per person). And in the cabs and it’ll be £60 for the night tops, which is a bit more budgetable for me! |
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Jul 30, 2023 17:26:09 GMT
Thanks for the photos ceebee Regarding the disappearing trick, is it not how I predicted a few pages back? Seems the only way to do it. Also the pre-show aspect sounds as described in the same post, but please correct me if I’m wrong. I am curious about Shelob, and the Balrog? Also how are orcs portrayed in the battle with such a relatively modest sized cast, and Ents of course? Did you spot any musical cuts or additions from the original score? Were there any changes to the book or running order? I was also wondering about accents, from the clip they released it sounds like Sam sings in his native Indian accent, and Frodo similar to the original cast. I was wondering if Boromir still Scottish, that kind of thing? Any other regional accents or is it mostly RP elsewhere? Hi Toomasj - it definitely isn't a two-way mirror. I must be honest and say that I don't know for sure how he disappeared. He might just have jumped off the stage and I might have missed it; more likely for me is that there is a false floor/rubber flap in the raised stage section which would enable him to fall through, though to do so would require the ground underneath to be dug out as the height of the stage is only around 1m high. I genuinely don't know! :-) There are no fireflies in the pre-show aspect, but there are rope hoopla type games, plus they all seem very curious about which way the wind is blowing... There's much more audience interaction than at Drury Lane, and it's a very informal/relaxed intro. They then begin their storytelling and tell us that they need our help, and the audience then follows the cast to the theatre in a very relaxed and jovial way. I am not going to give anything away about Shelob / Balrog - you'll have to wait and see, but it involves epic scale puppetry not dissimilar to the Drury Lane production. There is definite WOW factor and they are quite chilling effects which leave the audience feeling quite edgy. The production is unpredictable and there are some good crossovers between "haha I'm kind of a bit scared " to "woah, now I'm freaked out". The key is the closeness of the audience - the intimacy of this production means that everything is really in your face if you are in the stalls first few rows. Regarding the orcs, they are nasty b***ards in gas mask type apparel - well drilled choreography not dissimilar to the original version. Simialrly some of the hand gestures and movement from the original have been resurrected. You asked about cuts - yes, there are a couple of trims and slices, unsurprising given that the actors are also playing the instruments. But it all feels less "showy" than the original version, and thus more authentic. The audience is far more invested in this production because of the proximity to the action - we end up taking the journey with them as passengers rather than observers. There is one interval, not two (though I believe the second interval at Drury Lane was to enable the immense sets to be shifted around for the final Gollum scene (executed beautifully btw at the Watermill with as much impact as the original did, if you suspend disbelief - the end of that scene is particularly powerful). The cuts made are judicious and minor, and the pace of the production runs better by having fewer showstopping moments, and not having a cumbersome set to move around. It flows much better and the running order is accelerated as a result, though not at the expense of the storytelling. Sam sings in his natural accent (I think) - Frodo and co have that kind of country twang (if that is correct?). Boromir is not Scottish - the remaining male actors all do standard english. The set has all sorts of secrets within that gradually emerge as the show moves on - some really clever use of projection, perspective, scale, sound design, lighting left me shaking my head at times, because I can usually work the theatrical tricks out, but this show has been so well created that it is very hard to see the seams and the stitching. It just flows fluidly - even when somebody is lugging a trombone or a harp around the stage, it all feels perfectly natural, as if you are at an exclusive hobbit story telling session. Hope these answers help you build a picture - feel free to message me if you have any other questions... I'm aware that I'm writing some lengthy posts on this thread and I don't want to pee people off. |
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Post by toomasj on Jul 30, 2023 17:32:04 GMT
Extremely excited now, thank you ceebee for your write up and taking the time to answer my questions. Have a feeling this is going to be special. Thanks again! |
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Post by hades on Jul 30, 2023 21:29:47 GMT
Managed to catch this yesterday and WOW, it was fantastic. I initially had some doubts about how well it would work in such a small space but it really did feel like it was written to be staged like this. I don't have time to write down my full thoughts but I agree with pretty much everything ceebee wrote. It felt intimate and magical and was everything (and more) that I was hoping for.
My only (minor) gripe is that while the outdoor sections were great, getting everyone in/out took quite a while and would not be ideal in colder or wet weather
A very easy 5 stars; I wish the Watermill wasn't such a pain to get to as I would see this again in an instant if I could
As for Bilbo's disappearing trick:
{Spoiler - click to view}
I was sat at one of the sides at the start so could see what happened. He fell backwards off the stage onto a crash mat and lay there for the rest of the outdoor part. |
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1,052 posts
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Post by David J on Jul 30, 2023 22:59:33 GMT
I'm expecting to miss a few things but how much happens to the sides of the stage under the slips?
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Jul 31, 2023 7:48:21 GMT
I'm expecting to miss a few things but how much happens to the sides of the stage under the slips? Depends where you are sat - are you on the balcony side slip seats? If so, on the stage right / audience left side, there's a little bit of Gollum action around the balcony... Looking side on you won't miss much as most of the action is in the middle of the stage (it's a very small stage - imagine trying to fit 20 actors on it in one go...) The areas under the slips are used for storing instruments - strings, flute, tin whistle, cello, harp tends to be stage right / audience left, and brass, piano, accordion, guitars, percussion / bells stage left/audience right. But the instruments interchange between actors so get played anywhere they are required. Entrances and exits are via both slips down each side of the stalls, plus some additional entrances/exits from the back of the stage at ground level and balcony level. If sat on the balcony you might not get the full scale of some of the effects and I'm not sure how the projections will look side-on. This is a thrilling production though and I think you will be too immersed to worry about the odd sightline issue. I imagine the puppetry from above will look fantastic and there were audible gasps at several points on Saturday at both stalls and balcony level. This really is an astonishing production. |
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Post by toomasj on Jul 31, 2023 13:50:34 GMT
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Jul 31, 2023 14:21:48 GMT
These photos are excellent and certainly do the show justice, capturing the beautiful set and lighting superbly. Hopefully they whet the appetite a little more for anybody considering going. I can't emphasise how great this production is. |
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258 posts
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Post by notmymuse on Aug 1, 2023 21:17:43 GMT
Thanks so much for the info ceebee . I had a quick look at tickets and that made my mind up - even before reviews are out, the day I looked at going in September, there were all of 4 tickets left across 2 shows, all singles. So if anyone wants to go, looks like you need to buy now or miss out. |
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Post by ruthieh on Aug 1, 2023 22:16:01 GMT
Just home and still collecting my thoughts but I’m buzzing. That was nothing short of amazing what they have achieved in that wonderful little theatre!
(ACE should be ashamed…but the Watermill have come out fighting…)
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Aug 2, 2023 8:31:23 GMT
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Post by hadeswasking on Aug 2, 2023 9:02:52 GMT
With all the great reports I've been hearing - I've decided to pull the trigger and book myself a ticket. When you count travel and hotels this is one hell of an expensive theatre ticket but I'm very excited.
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Aug 2, 2023 11:14:08 GMT
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Aug 2, 2023 11:41:52 GMT
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Aug 2, 2023 12:52:25 GMT
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Aug 2, 2023 13:34:22 GMT
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Aug 2, 2023 15:07:24 GMT
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Aug 2, 2023 18:29:15 GMT
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7,050 posts
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Post by Jon on Aug 2, 2023 18:47:56 GMT
Given Kevin Wallace and Middle Earth Enterprises are involved with this production, I imagine there will be discussions regarding a future life but they would have to make changes.
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Aug 2, 2023 18:52:04 GMT
The Spy In The Stalls 5 stars (and a really well written review): thespyinthestalls.com/2023/08/the-lord-of-the-rings/“The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale” is little short of a miracle. As we are led back outside, back to the Shire, darkness has fallen. We bid farewell to Frodo. Emotions are running high. Our senses have been caught in the storm of a spectacle, but we have still heard the intimate sounds of extraordinary theatre making. Most people who have read Tolkien’s high-fantasy novel would agree that they could read it again. Everyone, I’d like to think, who sees this adaptation at The Watermill will agree that they could see it again. And again." |
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Post by ceebee on Aug 2, 2023 18:55:22 GMT
Given Kevin Wallace and Middle Earth Enterprises are involved with this production, I imagine there will be discussions regarding a future life but they would have to make changes. Both producers were there when I saw it; I would imagine there is potential to scale this production up. Their dilemma is that by removing the actor-musician element that has borne so much success for this revival might undo the intimacy that has been achieved. My preference would be for the Watermill version to incorporate whatever changes might be required and revived in 2024 with a view to transferring or touring thereafter. |
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