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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 11, 2016 13:47:04 GMT
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 17, 2017 18:00:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2017 18:22:40 GMT
Yank! Has a fantastic score and a beautiful story. I don't have the money to spare otherwise I would invest. I was hoping Southwark Playhouse would do this show.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 17, 2017 18:25:24 GMT
I was just looking at the original off Broadway productions website and they used a Kickstarter campaign to get the production on stage.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 7, 2017 18:40:42 GMT
Anyone else venturing to Manc for Yank!? I'm going next week after the previews.
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Post by benny20 on Mar 7, 2017 18:49:03 GMT
Anyone else venturing to Manc for Yank!? I'm going next week after the previews. Going this Friday night. I've got the sound track and it's pretty good. Music of the era. Should be a great show as usual at Hope Mill |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 7, 2017 18:51:04 GMT
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Post by anthony40 on Mar 8, 2017 7:56:16 GMT
Same here
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Post by benny20 on Mar 11, 2017 0:06:09 GMT
Really enjoyed it tonight. Great cast, good story, great vocals especially from Scott Hunter and
Barnaby Hughes as Stu and Mitchell. Both very watchable as well. Sarah Young as the only female took your eye and ears whenever she was on in a variety of roles. I've only seen Tom Lloyd before when he was in Parade at Hope Mill and he played a fairly small role as an Italian conscript. I was speaking to James the director before the show and he was pretty pleased how well they'd done with a very short rehearsal period. This was only the 2nd preview and there were some microphone issues,too quiet at times and the odd lighting miscue.
The stage is at one end so you enter from the small door inside the bar area. It is Raked pretty well and has about 12 rows. Sound and effects were good and the band sounded fairly tight.
Some laughs and some serious bits, a BIT camp at times but a good show.
And if you want to see a bare backside....
Enjoy and support another excellent show at Hope Mill
Pretty well full house as well
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 14, 2017 8:13:22 GMT
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 16, 2017 10:16:20 GMT
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 17, 2017 12:24:12 GMT
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Post by aprilamy on Mar 17, 2017 18:33:47 GMT
Thought this was excellent. Really strong ensemble and Scott Hunter and Barnaby Hughes give two of the best performances I've seen in a while. They play it with complete conviction and sincerity, plus have lovely voices too. Great support from the rest of the cast, very versatile and a sudden tap number is only ever a good thing in my book. An ambitious choice of show that definitely pays off. I wrote a full review here - www.thereviewshub.com/yank-hope-mill-theatre-manchester/ Would highly recommend it. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 19, 2017 21:21:29 GMT
Saw it today (Sunday 6pm performance, very civilised!) and overall enjoyed it. Act one is the weaker, the book trots along at a pace, sometimes a bit TOO fast (from tentative blokey neck massage to full on declaration of "I love you" on a bunk bed in about 45 seconds) but there was something amiss. It wasn't the "Stenographer girls" that some reviewers have been raising eyebrows at. I find it completely believable that slightly effeminate homosexuals would be abolished to office jobs where they'd camp it up hugely when not under the eye of an officer. If we're supposed to somehow not refer to that because it stereotypes gay men then it's not very truthful is it. I think Act 1 was a bit too long and I'm afraid the songs in this show are not very memorable so it dragged a bit.
Act 2 turns things round completely. Much much darker and a huge emotional impact in the storyline as the consequences of the gay relationship are played out brilliantly by the two leads. Scott Hunter as Stu, the main protagonist, is brilliant.
Act One 2.5 stars. Act Two 4.5 stars. Let's go 3.5 overall. Definitely worth a look.
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Post by hulmeman on Mar 29, 2017 0:04:56 GMT
I saw this tonight and frankly, it blew me away. First of all, it is a love story "against the odds", a gay love story, but love is love. Set during WW2 the music and lyrics are so very true to the period, as is the homophobia of the troops. the self loathing of Mitch and the optimism of Stu. The piece has the right balance of comedy and tense drama perhaps one too many "torch songs" but they are the currency of the time. Sarah Louise Hughes plays her multiple roles with reality and relish. There isn't a dud performance in the cast and Scott Hunter and Barnaby Hughes are outstanding. Beautiful orchestrations and stunning choreography brilliantly executed. The later is no mean feat considering the space they are working in. Well worth a view. I hope it has another life after Manchester.
This was also my first visit to Hope Mill, it won't be my last, it has a wonderful vibe.
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Post by hulmeman on Apr 7, 2017 15:47:19 GMT
Off for a second viewing Saturday afternoon. That's a rare accolade from me!!
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Post by n1david on Apr 26, 2017 9:18:54 GMT
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Post by hulmeman on Apr 26, 2017 9:42:34 GMT
Excellent news! Well worth a look, for all you Southern based theatre fans.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 26, 2017 12:51:07 GMT
Well done Aria and the Hope Mill!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2017 13:02:53 GMT
Oooh, some songs, some gays and probably a few hot boys in uniforms.
Booked.
Shallow? I?
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 26, 2017 13:31:53 GMT
Never!
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Post by ali973 on Apr 26, 2017 13:36:21 GMT
I just read an article on how more and more white gay men are voting right and are pro-May and pro-Le Pen, followed by reading another article about "no black and no Asian" Grindr profiles (hardly a new phenomenon now).
So a musical about white WWII lovers looking like GQ models and bunkering up doesn't sound exciting, or relevant to contemporary queer politics. In fact, it's pretty safe and boring. Gay media and resources are vastly dominated by white bodies and representation, and have some serious shortcomings with the presentation of other queer communities. I would hope for more intersectional and inclusive stories and characters if we were to tackle queer topics in the future.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 26, 2017 14:21:16 GMT
........ but there's tap dancing in it!
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Post by hulmeman on Apr 26, 2017 16:21:06 GMT
I just read an article on how more and more white gay men are voting right and are pro-May and pro-Le Pen, followed by reading another article about "no black and no Asian" Grindr profiles (hardly a new phenomenon now). So a musical about white WWII lovers looking like GQ models and bunkering up doesn't sound exciting, or relevant to contemporary queer politics. In fact, it's pretty safe and boring. Gay media and resources are vastly dominated by white bodies and representation, and have some serious shortcomings with the presentation of other queer communities. I would hope for more intersectional and inclusive stories and characters if we were to tackle queer topics in the future. I don't doubt your assertion about current gay male attitudes, but this musical is about a time when ANY gay relationship was forbidden. It serves to give context to how far we have come in the last 70 years. The book directly addresses this and indeed mentions several other ethnic groups of which the naive hero has no knowledge. I too hope for more intersectional and inclusive stories and characters, but "Yank!" tells a story about a particular time in a particular style that needs to be told. I am old enough to have known men who were queer and served during WWII many of them didn't live long enough to see the sexual liberation we have experienced in very recent years and enjoy the freedoms you and I enjoy now. These men and women would have to visit covert pubs and bars and risk rejection for their very being, never mind their ethnic background. They deserve this musical. There must be people in the current generation to write about the current right wing tendencies of many of our more affluent brothers and sisters, bring them on. |
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Post by anniel on Apr 26, 2017 19:27:13 GMT
I just read an article on how more and more white gay men are voting right and are pro-May and pro-Le Pen, followed by reading another article about "no black and no Asian" Grindr profiles (hardly a new phenomenon now). So a musical about white WWII lovers looking like GQ models and bunkering up doesn't sound exciting, or relevant to contemporary queer politics. In fact, it's pretty safe and boring. Gay media and resources are vastly dominated by white bodies and representation, and have some serious shortcomings with the presentation of other queer communities. I would hope for more intersectional and inclusive stories and characters if we were to tackle queer topics in the future. I'm sorry you feel this way - you'll be missing a real treat if you think that it is a conventional show. i found the love story at the heart of the play really tender and touching. The two lovers are everyday men - yes, there are some camp moments - but they are affectionate and gentle with each other. In lots of plays about gay life, there is a lot of emphasis on sex ( Boys in the Band, My Night with Reg) but this is a love story - and a really romantic one too. I'm not saying I don't appreciate male buttocks ( especially from the front row - God bless you Hope Mill) but as the show goes along you stop noticing the muscles and get involved with the characters. They are a couple of people in love. There is a song where the men are dreaming of a future together which is wonderful. i think this is a vital story to be told - about men who fought bravely for their country but yet couldn't love freely - it's vital and current and perhaps a reminder of how fat attitudes have changed - but yet still have to change - remember it's not that long since it was illegal to be gay in the armed forces. It's so important to recognise how fragile freedom is. I think of my gay friends so happily married and who can hold hands in the street and love openly and this show made me sad. As a middle aged straight woman, I could argue that there isn't a lot of theatre that reflects my life, experience and culture ( apart from The Girls, which is why it is so important - sorry Burly Bear) and I can't recall a musical that explores feminism. But I would urge you to get your tickets. It's wonderful. |
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