|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 10:19:32 GMT
Bake Off's going to channel 4, Groundhog Day's going to Broadway, is this the true cost of Brexit here, guys? (I know it was always planned to go to Broadway but it still feels like a valid part of this summer of loss.)
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 10:50:52 GMT
Bake Off's going to channel 4, Groundhog Day's going to Broadway, is this the true cost of Brexit here, guys? (I know it was always planned to go to Broadway but it still feels like a valid part of this summer of loss.) Things always come in threes... So where are you going?  |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 10:53:52 GMT
They phoned me today and asked my age. The woman explained that they were looking for people of certain ages for particular groups, but had omitted to ask people this information initially. As it was I was the wrong age, so didn't get in. So it seems that they are still in the process of filling the groups. You've reminded me of an acquaintance of mine who had a similar return call after applying to participate as one of her family in a televised quiz show. After answering a few questions, she was rejected on the grounds of being racist and bigoted, and her son and brother-in-law were picked instead. She vehemently retorted that she wasn't racist and bigoted and offered as proof her longstanding marriage to an Italian and her frequent prolonged sojourns in Italy where she'd learnt the language. This didn't convince the telephone researcher who stuck with her initial gut reaction. So, I think the research assistant may have been personally assessing you so as to select the focus group according to other criteria than just age. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 11:20:52 GMT
Bake Off's going to channel 4, Groundhog Day's going to Broadway, is this the true cost of Brexit here, guys? (I know it was always planned to go to Broadway but it still feels like a valid part of this summer of loss.) Things always come in threes... So where are you going? That's sweet, but no matter what your opinion, I'm just not as good as Groundhog Day or Bake Off, so wouldn't really be grouped together with them.  |
|
1,307 posts
|
Post by londonmzfitz on Sept 14, 2016 11:21:46 GMT
I was part of a recent focus group on the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), the bods that work out council taxes. They are changing the way you can make changes to non domestic properties with more than one occupier. I found it really quite interesting, 4 of us around a table for about 1.5 hours discussing whether tables made the layout easier to read and how not to dumb down blocks of text for professional companies. And got £80 for it!
|
|
209 posts
|
Post by Flim Flam on Sept 14, 2016 11:43:51 GMT
They phoned me today and asked my age. The woman explained that they were looking for people of certain ages for particular groups, but had omitted to ask people this information initially. As it was I was the wrong age, so didn't get in. So it seems that they are still in the process of filling the groups. You've reminded me of an acquaintance of mine who had a similar return call after applying to participate as one of her family in a televised quiz show. After answering a few questions, she was rejected on the grounds of being racist and bigoted, and her son and brother-in-law were picked instead. She vehemently retorted that she wasn't racist and bigoted and offered as proof her longstanding marriage to an Italian and her frequent prolonged sojourns in Italy where she'd learnt the language. This didn't convince the telephone researcher who stuck with her initial gut reaction. So, I think the research assistant may have been personally assessing you so as to select the focus group according to other criteria than just age. Ha ha. I knew I shouldn't have started the conversation with that racist rant. I'll tone it down next time... No, actually, on this occasion the entire conversation consisted of what I mentioned above (apart from the usual pleasantries), She didn't ask me anything else. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 11:53:14 GMT
Ha ha, you're fine, Flim Flam. They'll be looking for either a spread of ages (and if they've already filled their quota of your age range, they won't want more), or for a specific narrow age range, which you may happen to land either side of. I often fall foul of this when doing online surveys!
Bit odd they forgot to ask on the form in the first place, though. I'd have thought that was a recognised way of segmenting!
|
|
14 posts
|
Post by forgetmenot on Sept 14, 2016 12:03:29 GMT
I've only read the past dozen or so pages of the thread but thanks to everyone for convincing me that my little tale of woe should have a happy ending: I had a great ticket for the very first preview of GD but I had to return it because my house move got rescheduled for that day. I then made plans to attend the next week but one of my cats went missing from my old house on the day of the move so my train tickets went to waste. I haven't had the opportunity to get up to London since, but reading all these raves and knowing this is my last chance to see the show at the Old Vic, I have booked a seat on the overnight 'milk train' from the West Country on Saturday and I will be in the day seat queue from stupid o'clock. I'm stupidly excited too! I just hope I can sleep on the train and don't start snoozing during the show.  I've never day seated at the Old Vic before - anyone know what time the cafe opens so you can collect the numbered day seat vouchers? TIA!  She was safely recaptured a couple of days later and is now happily ensconced in her new home (probably minus one of her nine lives) - thanks for asking! Thanks also to Andrew and CharlieC for the information about the cafe - not quite what I wanted to hear though. Guess I'll just have to make myself comfy on the pavement and hope for good company to pass the time. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 12:23:00 GMT
I was asked to leave when I queried whether "Sleazy" was one of the Seven Dwarfs. I don't know about Sleazy, but we now know one of them's Jeremy. |
|
677 posts
|
Post by westendcub on Sept 14, 2016 12:35:10 GMT
I did a focus group recently for 'Smiths of Smithfield (SOS)' which is a resturant in Smithfields/Farringdon as had booked a table and then filled out a feedback survey.
It was great, 1.5 hours with a group of others discussing anything from the look of the venue, what emotions made us book and respond to a survey to the best part sampling from their menu and then rating dishes. It was quite fun and I rather enjoyed giving my opinion!
We all got a £50 voucher to use at the restaurant, which I took a good friend and we had a lovely meal there!!
Would love to do a 'Groundhog Day' focus group (enjoy it if you get picked!)
|
|
1,307 posts
|
Post by londonmzfitz on Sept 14, 2016 14:07:55 GMT
I did another one on Made In Dagenham! Got free tickets for the show for me and a friend + cold hard cash (think it was £60). Most of the others in the group hadn't seen it, judged it from the posters and thought it would be boring, all about striking women and there weren't any men in the cast. Them someone said that Lee Evans was in it (no, that was Barking in Essex) but the group were off on a tangent then, and had to be roped back in. Shown several posters and asked which we preferred. Which review would give the most information on the posters, etc. Fascinating stuff.
I hadn't see the show at that time, went with my free tickets, didn't like it (sorry to the lovers).
|
|
219 posts
|
Post by PalelyLaura on Sept 14, 2016 14:50:44 GMT
So I've been trying to get my thoughts together since I saw Groundhog Day last night. I've never seen the film and I'd assumed it was a comedy, but the production was a lot darker (at least in the second half) and had much more depth than I'd expected. I started off thinking that I wasn't going to like the show. During the first fifteen minutes or so I thought it was going to be a kind of soppy sentimental romcom. By the interval it had grown on me and I thought, "Hey, this isn't so bad". Act II blew me away. The songs were better, the plot was tighter and there just seemed to be more depth to it. Even though we see the same day repeated numerous times the show never gets boring, which impressed me. {Spoiler - click to view}
When we initially meet Phil he is a rude, selfish, sarcastic asshole, but we see him grow and develop throughout the show, going from gleefully don't-carish to despairingly suicidal before finding peace and gaining a greater understanding of himself and others. The whole show hinges on Phil's character development and a lead actor could make or break it. Luckily Andy Karl is brilliant.
Talking of character development... remember the whole show takes place over the course of one day. There isn't really room for any "character development" other than Phil's because we're only seeing one day in their lives, as opposed to many, many days in Phil's life. Interest in the other characters comes mainly from Phil's perception of them and how it changes over time. An exception to this is the song Being Nancy which I LOVED - both the song itself and what it says about characters and how they are portrayed on stage (particularly female characters).
This song also serves to emphasise how the "Groundhog Day" phenomenon isn't just something that actually happens to Phil, it's a metaphor for how many people live, repeating the same thing day in day out, consciously or unconsciously. Act II's "suicide song" really brought this home. I actually found this section really upsetting. As someone who has suffered from depression and felt suicidal in the past it brought back to me just how much depression really does feel like "Groundhog Day" in that you feel that you can't escape from your feelings and the only way out is to die. It probably sounds ridiculous but I felt really emotional during this song and a bit shaky, to be honest. I mean all this as a compliment - only really powerful theatre can have this much of an effect. It was really unexpected, too - as I mentioned, I thought Groundhog Day was meant to be a comedy! Yes, there are some funny scenes especially in Act I, and the suicide scenes are blackly comic, but still pretty dark. If you think about it, being forced to repeat the same day over and over again with no idea when, if ever, it would come to an end would surely be akin to torture.
I was so much more engaged with Act II and I found the ending very satisfying: Phil has really grown as a person and I ultimately found the show uplifting and full of hope, a reminder that it's important to care about others and life is more satisfying when you can form meaningful relationships with other people. I didn't feel like Phil got the girl as a "prize", I thought his happiness with Rita was hard won and came at the cost of months (years?) of genuine suffering and personal growth. I would like to see this show again, if possible, but not for a while. I honestly don't think I could cope emotionally. I would like a cast recording, too - I didn't exactly come out humming any of the songs (something I rarely do anyway after just one listen/viewing) but there were several which I think could really grow on me. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 14:57:46 GMT
I've also participated in one focus group (shan't give details) which made me despair for the state of humanity.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 14:58:35 GMT
Just had an update email re the focus group: if we haven't been contacted by Friday, chances are we won't be focusing.
|
|
330 posts
|
Post by charliec on Sept 14, 2016 16:26:15 GMT
Anyone with membership had a chance to look at how many tickets for the final show on Monday have sold ahead of public booking opening tomorrow?
|
|
330 posts
|
Post by charliec on Sept 14, 2016 17:22:05 GMT
^ About 60 seats left - mainly stalls, 4 in the dress circle. All £150. Everything else is gone. Doesn't mean they are totally sold out, as maybe they have some held back for tomorrow, but that is the state at the moment. Limited to 4 per customer. There will be day seats on that date, too, the box office tell me. crikey. Thanks for the info. |
|
50 posts
|
Post by cmcphail on Sept 14, 2016 17:54:13 GMT
I'm here tonight, so I asked at the box office. They have a handful at other price points held back for release tomorrow. Not many though, so we are going to have to duke it out for the few they have.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 19:09:59 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 20:40:26 GMT
Well that artwork is better and doesn't hurt my eyes as much.
|
|
7,064 posts
|
Post by Jon on Sept 14, 2016 21:03:46 GMT
Well that artwork is better and doesn't hurt my eyes as much. It's still not great but I suspect they may change it closer to opening |
|
1,083 posts
|
Post by andrew on Sept 14, 2016 21:51:12 GMT
And it's already been overloaded with interest seemingly, site down. I don't love the new look either, but like you say the current productions design is one of the most eye-wateringly awful things I've ever seen.
I'm gonna have a bash at getting some cheap tickets to the final night, good luck to everyone else having a go.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 22:49:38 GMT
I don't think the Broadway artwork is that bad, but I'm sure it'll change before opening. Wondering what will go on the front of the album!
The Old Vic artwork was clever but it felt like a bit of an obvious cop-out and I hoped it would've been a bit better. I was even standing in the queue waiting to buy a program when I saw the posters on sale and I thought "If only the artwork was a bit better...".
But as I said, the yellow/pink/blue colour scheme I can live with but the recent font change for the Old Vic is horrendous!
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2016 8:29:48 GMT
Woah! The website I see is now the same garish colour scheme as at the Old Vic! Good times!
|
|
330 posts
|
Post by charliec on Sept 15, 2016 11:03:50 GMT
Managed to get tickets for Monday's show. Thrilled that I will be at the final show!
|
|
1,307 posts
|
Post by londonmzfitz on Sept 15, 2016 11:06:46 GMT
Bloody hell that was a sweaty few moments. Row C Stalls, so am very, very happy (and relieved not to be parted with £150 for my seat). I love this show!
|
|
I've never day seated at the Old Vic before - anyone know what time the cafe opens so you can collect the numbered day seat vouchers? TIA! 
