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Post by japhun on Jan 19, 2017 9:28:44 GMT
Well I can now say I've done Thom Sunderlands first season at Charing Cross. 'Death takes a Holiday' score is such a nice discovery just like 'Titanic' was', and I hope I can find it as I would love to hear it again. It being the same writer it has echos of the 'Titanic' score in style but it is its own and fits well with the musical. It's not as instant or as heartbreaking I will admit. The two leads here are fantastic, Chris just ouzzes with charm and both vocals are insane. The supporting cast are good, I think they need to embed into the characters more but this is a preview. I was very glad to see the dashing Samuel Thomas get a solo and showcase - in fact whilst it's less ensemble numbers, each character gets a solo. For us us fans of last years 'Titanic' you will instantly spot cast alumni in this, it was great to see them again (I saw 'Titanic' twice!). The set is once again simple yet effective (quite a gothic theme) and the transitions work well (not a pot plant in sight!). I very much enjoyed it and I'm glad of this season I have seen 3 pieces who's scores had passed me by. Enjoyed my evening and I'm now very much ready to go back to 'Titanic' on Saturday afternoon as I'm going to Arts Educational School in Chiswick. I was Titanic spotting as well!  I saw Titanic 3 times and wish I could have seen it more- am not free this weekend or I would go to Chiswick! I love the score. I have tried to find Death Takes a Holiday on Spotify and Apple Music- no luck. I also like that each character got a solo- nice touch and a big difference from Titanic. The notable similarity was the 'rag' number in both Titanic and DTAH! Glad someone else liked it- hope this does well- I will keep going back to Charing Cross Theatre as long as they keep up the good work! |
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Post by Anniek on Jan 19, 2017 10:50:35 GMT
I hear things about Titanic.. Im still gutted that show is gone, so I can't wait to see some familiar faces again and be at this theatre which gave me the best show of 2016. Seeing this saturday matinee, anyone there?
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133 posts
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Post by japhun on Jan 19, 2017 12:18:39 GMT
Well I can now say I've done Thom Sunderlands first season at Charing Cross. 'Death takes a Holiday' score is such a nice discovery just like 'Titanic' was', and I hope I can find it as I would love to hear it again. It being the same writer it has echos of the 'Titanic' score in style but it is its own and fits well with the musical. It's not as instant or as heartbreaking I will admit. The two leads here are fantastic, Chris just ouzzes with charm and both vocals are insane. The supporting cast are good, I think they need to embed into the characters more but this is a preview. I was very glad to see the dashing Samuel Thomas get a solo and showcase - in fact whilst it's less ensemble numbers, each character gets a solo. For us us fans of last years 'Titanic' you will instantly spot cast alumni in this, it was great to see them again (I saw 'Titanic' twice!). The set is once again simple yet effective (quite a gothic theme) and the transitions work well (not a pot plant in sight!). I very much enjoyed it and I'm glad of this season I have seen 3 pieces who's scores had passed me by. Enjoyed my evening and I'm now very much ready to go back to 'Titanic' on Saturday afternoon as I'm going to Arts Educational School in Chiswick.
'Death takes a Holiday' score is such a nice discovery just like 'Titanic' was', and I hope I can find it as I would love to hear it again.
Found it on Amazon Prime Music, but on my USA Amazon account, not on the UK one...will keep searching! |
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543 posts
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Post by freckles on Jan 19, 2017 13:00:44 GMT
Some production shots here:(reminds me that, as well as too much dragging the set about, I thought there was a bit too much standing on chairs!) Beautiful set though. |
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Post by Marwood on Jan 19, 2017 14:16:40 GMT
If there's any cheap(ish) seats left, might go and see this tomorrow night - what is the running time?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2017 14:20:08 GMT
TodayTix is doing rush seats for £20 (or £10 if you use a referral code like SEZCE ) Available from 10am each day |
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Post by freckles on Jan 19, 2017 14:25:29 GMT
If there's any cheap(ish) seats left, might go and see this tomorrow night - what is the running time? About 2 hours 10 mins including the interval. |
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Post by d'James on Jan 19, 2017 14:39:03 GMT
TodayTix is doing rush seats for £20 (or £10 if you use a referral code like SEZCE ) Available from 10am each day ORWWY to you!! It says you have to unlock the Rush tickets. Do you know if that'll have to be done everyday? I don't want to annoy my friends on Facebook. Also, what exactly are Rush tickets? |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2017 14:45:44 GMT
You just do it once then have access every day (i tweeted then deleted the tweet  ) Rush seats in this case just means the same as day seats as far as I can see. Looked yesterday and today, both times got offered stalls for £20 several hours after the rush seats were made available |
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Post by d'James on Jan 19, 2017 14:49:52 GMT
Great thanks, so there's no element of luck, like a lottery? Anyone have any idea what time they go on sale?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2017 14:52:07 GMT
No, it's first come first served, not a lottery. And you find out the seat number before booking. Yesterday was offered row C, today further back, so not specific seats on offer.
They go on sale at 10:00 - once you unlock access to them todaytix will send you a notification each day.
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Post by d'James on Jan 19, 2017 14:53:01 GMT
Great. Thanks, yeah, just unlocked them and saw the 10 am thing. Thanks again.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2017 16:27:31 GMT
The set looks beautiful judging by those photos! |
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Post by daroca on Jan 20, 2017 12:04:13 GMT
I saw this yesterday and really enjoyed it, I'm quite a fan of Thom Southerland work.
I was sat in row M (3rd row in the second block), a little further back than I normally sit at the Charing Cross Theatre, as I normally aim for the first block, but it was a great view and I would recommend it.
The creative crew where in, as was Maury Yeston who appeared to really love this production, he was chatting to Thom in the interval.
The theatre was maybe a little over half full. (not bad for a preview)
I agree with the previous comments about the constant moving of the set, but it does allow a seamless production, at least the wheels don't squeak. I have to add the lighting is beautiful and really enhance the set design.
Really like the whole cast, Zoë Doano and Chris Peluso stood out, as I expected. I also liked James Gant playing Fidele, this role adds
some humour to the action, I'm not sure how he will be when he plays Prince Sirki once Chris Peluso leaves to be in Funny Girl.
Dean Austin (MD) also should get praise for making the orchestra sound so lush. (the band is made of up 10)
I think it will get a 4 or 5 * from the reviewers, some may not like it as it is slightly quirky, the two acts flew by for me.
Go see it, specially whist Chris Peluso is in the lead role.
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Post by notmymuse on Jan 20, 2017 13:27:47 GMT
Thanks for the reviews! Seeing it in a week so I'm excited now. I like Yeston's scores usually, his "Phantom" is well worth a listen, even if the voices on the recording aren't to my taste. His music tends to be quite lush but I prefer the Phantom score to Titanic, shame Phantom had such a short run in London a few years back (I can't even remember where I saw it - some upstairs pub theatre?). And I'm a fan of Thom too, so should be fun.
I went to see Umbrellas of Cherbourg a few years back, and the terrible moment happened when you're in an old theatre with a bad rake and someone really tall comes to sit down in front of you who you know will block your view. So I was predictably annoyed. When he sat down, he also had a giant head it transpired, which made matters work. And then he turned around and it was Thom! I went though about a year of seeing him almost everywhere I went.
I forgave him for having a huge head and being tall as he's directed some lovely stuff. His Carousel was beautiful, as was State Fair and many others. Can't wait for next week.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 11:42:31 GMT
I saw this last night, and overall I have to say it was disappointing. The premise of the show sounded promising - however it failed to live up to my expectations, personally. I thought that the story really wasn't very strong, and had been fleshed out to fit into a two and half hour show which didn't seem to go anywhere. Characters appeared on stage, to sing unnecessary numbers and then left again, some songs just lacked all purpose and felt too long, in my opinion.
None of the characters seemed to develop, therefore losing any connection to me as an audience member. Grazia's choice at the end of the show seemed far too implausible for my liking and whilst I know that this is not a naturalistic piece (how often does the Grim Reaper become an imposter?) the main arc didn't bother me, but I felt that her fickle nature was extremely unattractive and unbelievable.
I found myself frequently checking my watch which I haven't felt before in a show in a long time, but perhaps because I was tired it's impacted upon my opinion of the show.
Ultimately for me, here the book was terrible and the score rather bland in parts, which together made this one of the least enjoyable visits to the theatre I have had in a long time.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 11:43:27 GMT
Evenings, and not press night. Rush - American for "day seats." The Rush seats are available for matinees too |
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Post by ali973 on Jan 21, 2017 11:48:16 GMT
I always thought that the plot sounded very Meet Joe Black, the 90s blockbuster with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins.
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Post by freckles on Jan 21, 2017 11:51:28 GMT
I always thought that the plot sounded very Meet Joe Black, the 90s blockbuster with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. It kind of is. The musical is based on a play/black & white film from the 30s. Meet Joe Black was based on the same source material. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jan 21, 2017 17:11:52 GMT
I do love it when people note that the 'creative team' were in. I'm amazed.. I'd have thought they'd be out having a meal together somewhere ?? I saw this yesterday and really enjoyed it, I'm quite a fan of Thom Southerland work. I was sat in row M (3rd row in the second block), a little further back than I normally sit at the Charing Cross Theatre, as I normally aim for the first block, but it was a great view and I would recommend it. The creative crew where in, as was Maury Yeston who appeared to really love this production, he was chatting to Thom in the interval. The theatre was maybe a little over half full. (not bad for a preview) I agree with the previous comments about the constant moving of the set, but it does allow a seamless production, at least the wheels don't squeak. I have to add the lighting is beautiful and really enhance the set design. Really like the whole cast, Zoë Doano and Chris Peluso stood out, as I expected. I also liked James Gant playing Fidele, this role adds some humour to the action, I'm not sure how he will be when he plays Prince Sirki once Chris Peluso leaves to be in Funny Girl. Dean Austin (MD) also should get praise for making the orchestra sound so lush. (the band is made of up 10) I think it will get a 4 or 5 * from the reviewers, some may not like it as it is slightly quirky, the two acts flew by for me. Go see it, specially whist Chris Peluso is in the lead role. |
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Post by mallardo on Jan 21, 2017 18:14:24 GMT
Maury Yeston was there again this afternoon hanging out in the lobby waiting for friends so I took the opportunity to tell him how much I loved all his shows and had a nice little conversation with him. The fact that he was so friendly and charming will, of course, not be reflected in my review of Death Takes A Holiday (Yeah, right).
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Post by couldileaveyou on Jan 21, 2017 18:43:16 GMT
I always thought that the plot sounded very Meet Joe Black, the 90s blockbuster with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. That's because they're based on the same play |
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Post by finalperformance on Jan 21, 2017 20:22:20 GMT
I saw this musical twice off broadway and Julian Ovenden was terrific. Hope it does well at Charing Cross Theatre.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2017 8:31:32 GMT
Maury Yeston was there again this afternoon hanging out in the lobby waiting for friends so I took the opportunity to tell him how much I loved all his shows and had a nice little conversation with him. The fact that he was so friendly and charming will, of course, not be reflected in my review of Death Takes A Holiday (Yeah, right). I was there this afternoon too - I may have seen you taking to Maury on my way out! Very much enjoyed it. Clearly an odd premise but once you go along with the central idea it works really well. First visit to the Charing Cross Theatre, a great space! Hope they continue in the same vein rather than returning to the days of "Dusty" etc. Used the TodayTix rush deal - seats were in row R. Small theatre with a good rake so the view was excellent. Bargain for £10 (I had £10 thanks to someone using my £10 off referral code SEZCE ) |
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Post by mallardo on Jan 22, 2017 9:53:01 GMT
Xanderl, it was after the show upstairs in that space by the entrance to the bar. I hope I didn't appear to be gushing too much!
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I saw Titanic 3 times and wish I could have seen it more- am not free this weekend or I would go to Chiswick! I love the score. I have tried to find Death Takes a Holiday on Spotify and Apple Music- no luck. I also like that each character got a solo- nice touch and a big difference from Titanic. The notable similarity was the 'rag' number in both Titanic and DTAH! Glad someone else liked it- hope this does well- I will keep going back to Charing Cross Theatre as long as they keep up the good work! 
)
