1,481 posts
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Post by steve10086 on Sept 16, 2017 11:34:11 GMT
It's a shame to have lost the melody of Engine of Love/He Whistled At Me altogether. It was there very briefly (at least on Friday night) - a few lines sung to that tune by Pearl just before 'Make Up My Heart'. When I heard it I got my hopes up for a full song, but it wasn't to be. Only negative - Girls Rolling Stock and Right Place Right Time both cut! 'Right Place Right Time' was in on Friday. I wonder how many songs are dropped in and out at each performance. Wish I could have seen them all! Speaking of Dustin, there was the moment when he came to Rusty's aid after he had been kicked out of the race, or attacked by some others. That could be the perfect place to bring back 'There's Me' Dustin having a crush on Rusty would be cute! I like this idea... though I may have been influenced by the fact that both actors were super cute  In a really impressive cast I thought Mica Paris was the weak link. She had the least to do and yet managed to be the only one who messed up. Everyone else was fantastic. 'I Got Me' wasn't great, but I'm glad to see the back of 'Whole Lotta Locomotion' (though best case scenario would be 'A Lotta Locomotion' reinstated). Apart from the races (lights go out and Control says "you gotta use your imagination") I was very impressed (and pleased as an ALW fan) that the show was a great piece of entertainment without the costumes, the staging... and the skates! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 11:51:17 GMT
Totally agree Steve. No skates, very simple costumes, minimal set with the band on stage. But some very creative staging by Arlene Phillips and fab lighting and really was a wonderful evening's entertainment.
Testimony IMO to what a wonderful show Starlight is at it's core. I also love the story. Simple but uplifting.
Best £25 I've spent on theatre for ages!
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Post by d'James on Sept 16, 2017 11:53:38 GMT
I have to say, steve10086 that I've grown to love A Whole Lotta Locomotion. I hated it on the first tour but the reworking on the 2012-13 tour made it very poppy and fun. Of course it has nothing to do with the story. I think that's the same with I Got Me. It's a good pop song which means nothing to the show. At least with A Whole Lotta Locomotion once it was finished you didn't hear it again until the Megamix. You hear I Got Me far too much. It's also the same with I Do, a nice enough pop song but nothing to do with the story, at least with Next Time You Fall In Love they said the word Starlight even if the context wasn't great. I think with I Do and I Got Me they feel like they were already written and plonked into the show rather than having the lyrics be written specifically for the show. |
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141 posts
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Post by blobble84 on Sept 16, 2017 11:54:44 GMT
I really liked the kid (Control) on the ipad rather than just hearing a voice. I can just imagine it in a big theatre / arena with a tiny figure high above the stage. It would make it feel even more spectacular that everything was happening in his vivid imagination. And well done to the kid for such professionalism - some of this friends were clearly in last night and their dad kept yellling his name really loudly before the show started, but he didn't even acknowledge!
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136 posts
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Post by Lemansky on Sept 16, 2017 16:00:43 GMT
Glad Right Place Right Time was back in. I saw it on Thursday & really felt like it should have been there so mentioned it on the questionnaire. Wish I was seeing it again tonight to see any other changes etc.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 16:20:36 GMT
So Right Place Right Time cut again this afternoon!
No idea why as had been staged brilliantly on Friday.....
Otherwise it was fabulous!
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Post by d'James on Sept 16, 2017 16:26:10 GMT
So Right Place Right Time cut again this afternoon! No idea why as had been staged brilliantly on Friday..... Otherwise it was fabulous! Interesting. I wonder why they cut it again. I liked the new 'rap' verse in it. |
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Sept 16, 2017 16:33:35 GMT
Excellent workshop this afternoon. Great cast. Nice to see the good Lord. My daughters loved it - one said it's now her favourite show. It's easy to forget how damn good this show is - updated lyrics are great,revised score is more modern, band were fantastic. Contrary to other comments, I thought Mica Paris was fine. Very strong cast. Deserves a full reimagining. 25 quid was a steal for the quality. As ALW said at the interval: "It's just a little workshop...".
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 16:36:47 GMT
So Right Place Right Time cut again this afternoon! No idea why as had been staged brilliantly on Friday..... Otherwise it was fabulous! Interesting. I wonder why they cut it again. I liked the new 'rap' verse in it. Me too was fab :-) They'd clearly put some work into it and it went down well! |
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Post by d'James on Sept 16, 2017 16:42:57 GMT
Did anyone notice how slow Rolling Stock was? Even Pumping Iron was a bit slower I think.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 16:46:28 GMT
Did anyone notice how slow Rolling Stock was? Even Pumping Iron was a bit slower I think. Very much so! Thought was way too slow the first time but on going again I quite liked it. Though (at the risk of sounding like a broken record) would be even better contrasted against an uptempo Girl's Rolling Stock in Act 2! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 16:48:05 GMT
Was great this afternoon. I have never lsitened to any of the music, or had any idea of the story, so have no idea about any of the changes...but I loved it.
George Ure was definitely the highlight, after only ever seeing him as Boq, I had no idea he had such a good voice.
Hoping this actually leads to something bigger, cause I am now in love with this show.
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Post by d'James on Sept 16, 2017 16:51:29 GMT
Did anyone notice how slow Rolling Stock was? Even Pumping Iron was a bit slower I think. Very much so! Thought was way too slow the first time but on going again I quite liked it. Though (at the risk of sounding like a broken record) would be even better contrasted against an uptempo Girl's Rolling Stock in Act 2! So true. They could even have used Momma in Girls' Rolling Stock like Belle on the OLC. I know she's an engine but it shouldn't matter. They had new lyrics for it in Bochum for the English show so why not use them for the workshop. It's only two and a half minutes long and it's a shame for the characters. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 17:00:05 GMT
Very much so! Thought was way too slow the first time but on going again I quite liked it. Though (at the risk of sounding like a broken record) would be even better contrasted against an uptempo Girl's Rolling Stock in Act 2! So true. They could even have used Momma in Girls' Rolling Stock like Belle on the OLC. I know she's an engine but it shouldn't matter. They had new lyrics for it in Bochum for the English show so why not use them for the workshop. It's only two and a half minutes long and it's a shame for the characters. They did indeed! And yup it's so short and so many of the fans love it! Was not in the original tours but was back in the most recent one. Funny you were at the English show; reckon we must have been at a few Starlights together without realising! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 17:40:01 GMT
I'll write my thoughts later, but the highlight of the show was easily Mica scrambling along the back of the stage whilst someone was singing, looking for some throat soothers and popping them at the back of the stage. I wont get that image out of my head anytime soon! 😅
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270 posts
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Post by stageyninja83 on Sept 16, 2017 19:13:32 GMT
Was great this afternoon. I have never lsitened to any of the music, or had any idea of the story, so have no idea about any of the changes...but I loved it. George Ure was definitely the highlight, after only ever seeing him as Boq, I had no idea he had such a good voice. Hoping this actually leads to something bigger, cause I am now in love with this show. Isn't he doing Big Fish at the Other Palace next? |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 19:46:03 GMT
Well. Never has such a great cast been wasted on such a rotten show. The Lord came on with Arlene Phillips and talked about the show in Germany. Needless to say he didn't sell it well so I hope he's got someone else in to do the marketing there. Arlene told us to use our imaginations which meant no roller skates. I almost left there and then. How very dare they.
They've updated some of the lyrics to go all modern like but they've kept the 80s music though. So that's nice. There's an embarrassing bit at the beginning of the second half where they make a valiant attempt to go all Hamilton. Suffice to say I don't think Lin Manuel will be making any calls.
Liam Tamne gives us his best Frank N Furter in some fugly shoes for those who like that sort of thing. Rusty and Dusty are so going to run away together and dump poor Pearl. Due to the shocking lack of roller skates and some cost saving on the electricity the races happen in darkness. On the plus side, it allows you to sing 'Holding Out For A Hero' with the score. Bonnie Tyler should sue. Do do do dooooo, aaaaah, aaaaaaaah!
Highlight of the whole show is Mica Paris creeping around the back of the stage looking for a paracetamol. Perhaps she had a migraine. I certainly did.
Oh and Coco didn't even attempt a French accent. All of the other trains had a bash at an accent except her. Very bad form.
Really the whole thing could have done with a tap routine. And some skates. Both would have been more impressive.
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1,736 posts
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Post by fiyero on Sept 16, 2017 22:10:02 GMT
I loved the show this evening. Odd how it is a mix of sings I know from the cast recordings, recognise from seeing the show and ones I don't know. Would have been interesting to see the difference each evening.
I think it is a bit dangerous that some of the changes will date more than the show already has (swipe right)
I was disappointed they ran out of cast lists so I didn't get one. They did say I could email then for a copy.
Now to book some tickets to Germany...
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3,426 posts
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Post by ceebee on Sept 16, 2017 22:47:57 GMT
Oh do please stop bitching Mica Paris - I'm not a huge fan but she was bloody good Saturday afternoon. Catty Queenie comments are so passe.
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141 posts
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Post by blobble84 on Sept 17, 2017 0:55:00 GMT
Arlene told us to use our imaginations which meant no roller skates. I almost left there and then. How very dare they. There's an embarrassing bit at the beginning of the second half where they make a valiant attempt to go all Hamilton. . Surely you weren't expecting roller skates for a workshop performance in a tiny theatre? And I'm sure "The Rap" at the start of the second half has been in there since the days of the Apollo Victoria? |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2017 1:21:37 GMT
I saw the show tonight without knowing anything at all about it (beyond the fact that there are usually rollerskates) and had a really good time.
The plot is total nonsense, but it's endearing nonsense, in the same way that We Will Rock You was and Bat Out of Hell is. I like the idea that the whole show is about trains, it stops it ever taking itself too seriously and means it's okay for characters to behave like total stereotypes without it seeming cliche.
Does anyone have a song list from today's performances? I really enjoyed the score but as I've just discovered, it's changed so much since 1984 that it's completely impossible to find what songs were in the version you saw without knowing what you're looking for. I enjoyed them all though, there were a few highlights, Crazy, Starlight Express, the finale song, Uncoupled and another one which was reprised about 12 times that I've now forgotten but liked at the time.
George Ure can SAAAAAAAANG, I had no idea he was concealing that voice! He was definitely the best, closely followed by Christina Bennington and Natalie McQueen, and of course the ravishingly attractive Liam Tamne and Oliver Tompsett. I'm surprised they managed to get that many big names for the show, but I suppose if you mumble about it having a full run at some point everyone will rush towards it. I'm not sure if the actress playing Momma actually had severe vocal damage or was just pretending, either way she seemed to be able to hit all the notes easily enough but I was still waiting for her to miss several of them because she sounded in so much pain.
The weak point of the show was the races - or lack thereof - so I'd be interested to see a full version where the skating is included. I hated Phantom and Evita and was left unmoved by Cats so I'm glad to have finally enjoyed a Lloyd-Webber show (I quite liked Wizard of Oz but he didn't do a lot on that one). He was quite nice, very friendly to everyone who spoke to him which surprised me as I'd been informed that he's a certified knob. Overall a great night of theatre.
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Post by d'James on Sept 17, 2017 9:25:05 GMT
I can only give you the song list from memory that we had on Friday. I'll leave the races out but they're on iTunes. The stuff between the songs is often different to anything recorded so I'll just list the songs if that's OK.
ACT ONE:
Overture 1992
Entry of National Trains
Rolling Stock 1984
Crazy
Call Me Rusty
I Got Me
Freight 1992
AC/DC 1992
Pumping Iron 1984
Coda of Freight
Make Up My Heart
Momma's (Poppa's) Blues 1992
Laughing Stock
Starlight Express
ACT TWO:
The Rap 1992
U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. 1984 (1992 is more countrified though)
(Right Place, Right Time 1992)
Starlight Sequence 1992
I Got Me (Dinah's Disconnection)
One Rock'n'Roll Too Many
I Do
Light At The End Of The Tunnel 1992
Edit: The 1984 version of U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. has pretty much the introduction we had. In fact the 1984 version has a lot of the introductions to songs we had whereas the 1992 version tends to be just the songs. Actually I'll go back and give my suggestions of which version to listen to which would be most like we saw on Friday (if I don't put a date next to it either doesn't exist or is too different. (One Rock'n'Roll too many is a duet on both recordings.)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2017 9:31:24 GMT
Agree about George Ure, what a voice! And great characterisation for Rusty. Am a little bit in love lol! Hoping to see him on skates very soon...
Shame Right Place only appeared in 1/5 performances.
Otherwise what an amazing week. Great idea. Worked brilliantly. Funnily enough without the big costumes, wigs and makeup I think I connected with the actual story better than ever.
All that remains to be seen now is if these changes make it to Germany, a U.K. tour version, or if we will finally have it back in the West End.
ALW said something very interesting yesterday - he said some things were right, some needed improving but he'd soon have an up to date version he was happy with that he could "hand over if someone wanted to produce it."
Implies he doesn't wish to produce it himself. In last few years he seems to be letting go of his intense involvement of producing his own shows and concentrating on being the author. It's a change I've noticed since Love Never Dies and I think it's a good thing for him, he appears much more relaxed these days.
Right now this week is done, time for me to move to the Sunset Boulevard thread where I'll be on turban watch up and down the country for the next six months!
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Post by d'James on Sept 17, 2017 9:41:09 GMT
Have to say I didn't enjoy the portrayal of Electra on Friday - nothing to do with the shoes although they were unnecessarily hideous.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2017 10:23:19 GMT
I can only give you the song list from memory that we had on Friday. I'll leave the races out but they're on iTunes. The stuff between the songs is often different to anything recorded so I'll just list the songs if that's OK. ACT ONE: Overture 1992 Entry of National Trains Rolling Stock 1984 Crazy Call Me Rusty I Got Me Freight 1992 AC/DC 1992 Pumping Iron 1984 Coda of Freight Make Up My Heart Momma's (Poppa's) Blues 1992 Laughing Stock Starlight Express ACT TWO: The Rap 1992 U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. 1984 (1992 is more countrified though) (Right Place, Right Time 1992) Starlight Sequence 1992 I Got Me (Dinah's Disconnection) One Rock'n'Roll Too Many I Do Light At The End Of The Tunnel 1992 Edit: The 1984 version of U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. has pretty much the introduction we had. In fact the 1984 version has a lot of the introductions to songs we had whereas the 1992 version tends to be just the songs. Actually I'll go back and give my suggestions of which version to listen to which would be most like we saw on Friday (if I don't put a date next to it either doesn't exist or is too different. (One Rock'n'Roll too many is a duet on both recordings.) Thank you so much! I don't know how much it changed between Friday and Saturday but that's brilliant, thank you, I can now YouTube songs to my heart's content  |
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