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Post by backtothetheatre on Jun 12, 2023 22:20:22 GMT
Anyone know how much programmes are? Seeing the show on Saturday!
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Post by Stephen on Jun 12, 2023 22:30:47 GMT
Anyone know how much programmes are? Seeing the show on Saturday! They are £4. Went along tonight with my friend who hadn't seen the show before. She loved it. I don't have much new stuff to add except some things in spoilers below. {Spoiler - click to view}
I didn't miss the revolves except a couple of clunky set movements. Namely at the very end, the bench is pushed right on by someone loosely in costume with a notepad hanging out of his back pocket. Took me right out of the moment.
I thought the moment of slow mo during the funfair scene was even more special that I remember from Broadway. It didn't miss the revolves in my opinion.
I loved that the waiter from the diner was dancing with a man at the gala. Thought it a sweet moment.
The characters dancing in the falling snow at the end was very special too. Made my friend cry!
I thought it was as special and fantastic as the first time around. Teller, of Penn & Teller, was sitting behind us. As a big magic fan and fan of his work I wanted to ask what he thought of the illusions! |
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Post by Stephen on Jun 13, 2023 9:39:30 GMT
Also! Did anyone notice the new orchestration in ‘If i Had my Time Again’ it confused me as I couldn’t see real reason to change it and found it a little jarring.
The only thought I’ve had since is that it’s a click track playing to keep things more in sync. Just found it strange as the rest of the score sounded very live (which it was)
Bizarre?
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Post by dlevi on Jun 13, 2023 10:02:44 GMT
I saw this the first time round and didn't like it, but given the acclaim I decided to give it another shot. It's the same show, and while the lyrics are smart the music is at best servicable and I found the book to be leaden. Andy Karl is his usual charming self but the whole enterprise to me just isn't good enough. Given that the sales are only just ok , I doubt there will be a further life for it in London, though a tour would probably make more sense.
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Post by Mark on Jun 14, 2023 11:10:02 GMT
For those wanting slightly cheaper tickets, they seem to have introduced a "day rate" at £40. Pretty good considering the normal prices.
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Post by mrnutz on Jun 14, 2023 12:05:06 GMT
For those wanting slightly cheaper tickets, they seem to have introduced a "day rate" at £40. Pretty good considering the normal prices. A bargain! |
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Post by ceebee on Jun 14, 2023 14:02:49 GMT
It's a bargain but a shame - despite reviews it seems to be struggling to sell.
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Post by anthony40 on Jun 14, 2023 15:09:13 GMT
YouTube link of the making of the cast recording
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Post by alexander on Jun 14, 2023 17:32:09 GMT
At the risk of displaying toxic positivity:
I understand (but don’t agree) with criticisms of Tim Minchin’s score. If you’re after a musical with “catchy, roof raising songs” then this ain’t it. For that there’s always Mamma Mia, Six, Moulin Rouge or sure….Les Mis.
I’ll gladly take Groundhog Day instead.
In my opinion Tim Minchin demonstrates numerous inventive variations of his stirring musical themes, he’s managed to create an incredibly complex score that expertly services the story, the world and its characters. It could be argued that to fully appreciate his work can become a bit of an intellectual exercise but even on surface value there’s so much to enjoy, some examples:
- The Muzak elevator/waiting room style music chosen for when Phil is “Stuck” is one of the many brilliant uses of shifting musical genres to tell a story.
- The monotonous, rhythmic, jazz inflected verses that Phil performs in the opening just perfectly suits the character. If he sang Andrew Lloyd Webber style ballads it simply wouldn’t work.
- Some of my favorite parts of the score aren’t even the “songs” but musical theme instrumentals that are played throughout, particularly in the transitions between days, the minute differences that chart Phil’s growth and humility.
- The snarky baseline used when Phil first gets out of bed is reused but to sound more playful in “Philandering”, and then again in “Philanthropy” but with bright, chaotic optimism.
I personally find musical scores that take a while to appreciate are the most rewarding and this is no exception.
I also think the book is arguably one of the absolute best I’ve experienced in musical theatre. There’s not a single dull or wasted beat, you’re never WAITING for the next song to come, I find it to be sharp as hell.
The show (I believe) splits people into two groups:
- Those that think the moral of the story is to be nicer to other people.
- And those that connect with the layered themes relating to birth and death, day and night, living with vitality and mindfully vs living a depressive loop (with the sun seeming out sight). Being one’s own worst enemy (as Phil is tormented by the Groundhog version of himself in both rodent and mascot form). And being able to see the world as if for the first time. Groundhog Day absolutely captures this experience of peaceful acceptance, powerlessness and catharsis.
I think this show is pure gold and I reckon one’s reaction is largely dependent on your emotional response to it.
Groundhog Day conjures such an atmosphere - it’s themes and overall production allow the show to be theatrical and intimate yet utterly cosmic in scale.
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Post by lynette on Jun 14, 2023 17:36:31 GMT
I like your two groups, Alexander. Makes me feel somewhat wanting in the play appreciation department. 😁 I loved this when I saw its first time round at the Old Vic back whenever it was.
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Post by theatre22 on Jun 14, 2023 18:21:09 GMT
Has anyone sat in the front row for GD and if so was it a good view? I sat in the front row for Sylvia which was great but just wondering how high the stage is for this production.
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Post by CG on the loose on Jun 14, 2023 19:20:31 GMT
Has anyone sat in the front row for GD and if so was it a good view? I sat in the front row for Sylvia which was great but just wondering how high the stage is for this production. I sat in the front row last week... the stage is about eye level for a 5' 6" bod and I found the view was comfortable, not too neck achy and good leg room, and obviously without obstruction, but I do think the view would be better from further back. Given the adverse rake (is that a thing?) at the Old Vic, my next visit is back where the floor starts to rise again. Saw the show a few times first time round, loved it then and love it now. |
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Post by danb on Jun 14, 2023 21:07:53 GMT
I think, with a week between us, I rated it highly but have no compunction to rush back. This is often the case for me with quality productions. It isn’t an addictive fast food high, more a three course meal with a cauliflower veloute you’ll remember for years.
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Post by Mark on Jun 14, 2023 21:17:01 GMT
Has anyone sat in the front row for GD and if so was it a good view? I sat in the front row for Sylvia which was great but just wondering how high the stage is for this production. Loved the front row! |
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Post by Being Alive on Jun 14, 2023 21:45:26 GMT
Andy Karl's face does look bizarre from that close but yes, great experience.
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Post by ceebee on Jun 14, 2023 21:58:29 GMT
Has anyone sat in the front row for GD and if so was it a good view? I sat in the front row for Sylvia which was great but just wondering how high the stage is for this production. Yeah, have sat there 3 times - it's good, though better a few rows back. |
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Post by max on Jun 15, 2023 8:03:00 GMT
Alexander: "The monotonous, rhythmic, jazz inflected verses that Phil performs in the opening just perfectly suits the character. If he sang Andrew Lloyd Webber style ballads it simply wouldn’t work".
Sounds good and fitting to the dramatic moment. Not that Andrew Lloyd Webber would write an Andrew Lloyd Webber ballad for that circumstance either. In 'Evita', after the prologue, the similarly restless scene 'Junin/Eva Beware Of The City' changes time signature, melody, or rhythm 16 times. When it finally seems to settle into a ballad that ballad is disrupted twice by an indignant Eva with a different time signature/tune.
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Post by Figaro on Jun 15, 2023 10:06:13 GMT
For those wanting slightly cheaper tickets, they seem to have introduced a "day rate" at £40. Pretty good considering the normal prices. Where do i find these? Couldn't see them on the website this morning. |
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Post by jamb0r on Jun 15, 2023 10:22:49 GMT
For those wanting slightly cheaper tickets, they seem to have introduced a "day rate" at £40. Pretty good considering the normal prices. Where do i find these? Couldn't see them on the website this morning. If you choose any seat it gives you a list of prices for that seat (full price, under 16s, senior citizen), for todays performance one of those options should say ‘day rate - £40’ |
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Post by starlight92 on Jun 15, 2023 14:39:36 GMT
Saw this the other night and really enjoyed it overall, I just have some (spoiler heavy) comments:
- I could barely hear Andy Karl in his first song while he gets ready, the orchestra were too loud!
- Rita singing about fairytales and 'someday my prince will come' feels so cliché and overdone, I get they wanted to explore her feelings about maybe one day finding someone, but it just felt a bit lame and cringy for me. Kind of lazy writing too.
- I don't think the car chase scene was as funny as it could have been, but the guy who played Gus (I think that's the character name) absolutely nailed the gormless expression. Hilarious. Feel like the audience the night I went was a little subdued so maybe that affected it (the more people laugh, the funnier it seems).
- The songs aren't the most memorable but were still quite enjoyable, especially Stuck, Hope and If I Had My Time Again.
- Nancy having a song felt a little random as she's a minor character, but the actress had a beautiful voice and it was pleasant enough.
- The scene where Phil shoots the groundhog and then himself was really, really dark and a little out of place with the rest of the show. The film at least had a few laughs even in the suicide scenes (not that suicide is a laugh-heavy topic, obviously), to lighten up the scenes a little bit, like Larry saying "He might be okay" shortly before Phil's car explodes, followed by "Okay maybe not now". But then obviously they couldn't really show him falling off a cliff very easily on stage...
- Not a comment on the musical, but unfortunately the air con didn't seem to be working when I went, and good lord was it hot in there! I felt for the actors in their coats, and especially the poor soul in the groundhog costume. A beautiful theatre though.
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Post by stuartmcd on Jun 15, 2023 17:18:22 GMT
- Nancy having a song felt a little random as she's a minor character, but the actress had a beautiful voice and it was pleasant enough. The song can feel a little random but it's actually a great way to open Act 2. All through Act 1 the focus is on Phil and the ensemble play very stereotypical small townspeople who Phil just uses for his own enjoyment and has no care for. And Playing Nancy makes you stop and go "there's more to these people than you think" and makes you care for them which is what Phil learns to do over the second Act. Phil essentially manipulated this woman to get her into bed alongside taking advantage of pretty much everybody in town for his own pleasure. And this song just takes the focus away from Phil for a moment and forces you to pay attention to these characters who have just been a joke up until that point. |
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Post by ceebee on Jun 16, 2023 14:27:38 GMT
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Post by sf on Jun 16, 2023 14:59:15 GMT
- Nancy having a song felt a little random as she's a minor character, but the actress had a beautiful voice and it was pleasant enough. The song can feel a little random but it's actually a great way to open Act 2. All through Act 1 the focus is on Phil and the ensemble play very stereotypical small townspeople who Phil just uses for his own enjoyment and has no care for. And Playing Nancy makes you stop and go "there's more to these people than you think" and makes you care for them which is what Phil learns to do over the second Act. Phil essentially manipulated this woman to get her into bed alongside taking advantage of pretty much everybody in town for his own pleasure. And this song just takes the focus away from Phil for a moment and forces you to pay attention to these characters who have just been a joke up until that point. Not just that - the point of the song is that Nancy is also trapped in a cycle that she is unable to break. |
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Post by og on Jun 16, 2023 19:53:14 GMT
Wow thats some pretty horrendous editing and mixing |
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Post by ceebee on Jun 16, 2023 22:28:43 GMT
Wow thats some pretty horrendous editing and mixing I think it was just cobbled together from a sitzprobe video - trying to distil an 8 minute track into a 2 min vid is probably quite tricky. |
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