1,477 posts
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Post by Steve on Apr 18, 2017 23:51:50 GMT
Saw this tonight from bang in the centre of the front row (Row C for this production) In summary - a good show, but with a lot of untapped potential. I'd give it 3 stars. JGBlunners, given where you say you were sitting, I think I was sitting next to you, moaning to you about how much I was missing the musical "I Can't Sing", which also featured the superb Simons Lipkin and Bailey, except unhindered by this monotone moroseness. I was grumbling about the song list in the programme, which showed that the two ghosts (Simon Bailey and Naimh Perry) got almost all the songs, and you were egging me on by pointing out that the one song with the most grimly teenage title, "Better to be Dead," got four reprises. Upon which, I started singing the praises of the marvellous "American Psycho" musical, which led me to buy the ticket to this in the first place via the Duncan Sheik connection, upon which the American lady on my left and I got into a discussion about how much I felt that it was wrong to cut the song "Oh Sri Lanka" from the show for Broadway. I think that must have been you, as my seat was front row, centre adjacent, and I'd agree the view was excellent, and the multi-tiered round lighthouse deck design is quite awesome to behold. Some spoilers follow. . . This show is one for adventurers and completists, who have already seen all the 4 star shows in town, and are looking for something that bit different, even if the things that are different have a tendency to sink the drama. The ghosts are sirens, peripheral to the main action, who seek to convince everyone involved in the show to end themselves. The songs they sing are samey, designed to depress the listener, with one being the exact same song sung five times (mentioned above). The songs sound to me like the bridge to grungy Nirvana numbers, with the proviso that just as you are about to rock out, the song stops, lest you accidentally get excited. Ironically, the one superb rock out song, "Take A Bow" is omitted from the programme and the show, and is performed AFTER the bows, in order to energise the audience to get up and leave, following the downbeat torpor of the main show. Simon Bailey and Niamh Perry perform it superbly, though I'm not surprised, as Bailey was the lynchpin of an awesome final London Jersey Boys line up, and Niamh Perry owned that Ben Elton show "The Beautiful Game" at the Union Theatre! In the main body of the show, Simon Lipkin is an invaluable boon, as his irrepressible vivacity brings humour to the character of the Sheriff, who moves the main plot, by pursuing the US wartime policy of the day, persecuting Japanese residents. Lipkin performs the heck out of his one number, "The Tale of Solomon Snell," a rare song not performed by the Greek chorus of the 2 Ghosts. Poor Nicholas Goh, as said persecuted Japanese resident, gets no songs at all! Beneath the siren songs of misery, two good dramas struggle to surface, one pertaining to Nicholas Goh's Yasuhiro's struggle against institutionalised xenophobia (very topical) and the other concerning the naivety of a judgemental child (which drama recalls the much more engaging "The Go Between" at the Apollo). That the cast make us feel a little something for these underwritten characters, involved in these two dramatic situations, over the wailing of the ghosts, is to the company's credit. Strangely, I don't regret seeing this show, as seeing a show that dares to be different, even when it fails to work dramatically, is always interesting, and with performers like Lipkin, Bailey and Perry to watch, you at least get some blood out of a stingy stone of a musical. 3 stars. |
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1,046 posts
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Post by jgblunners on Apr 19, 2017 6:36:21 GMT
JGBlunners, given where you say you were sitting, I think I was sitting next to you Yes, that was me! I listened to the American Psycho soundtrack and you're right, it's fantastic! |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2017 9:39:13 GMT
I think it should have decided to be a ghost story *or* a story of the war affecting this one tiny micro-community, exploring either in a little more depth would have made for a decent evening out, but it didn't really manage to do much by having both aspects. I was looking forward to it but it just didn't do much for me in the end. The cast were all great, but I felt the material was sadly lacking and the interval was just a plain old mistake.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Apr 19, 2017 21:12:33 GMT
I feel bad for saying it, because I like supporting new musicals and there should be more of them on the London stage, but... this was pretty crap.
As others have said, it doesn't know what it wants to be. The story relating to four people struggling to cope with the situation this war has suddenly thrust them in is really strong, thought-provoking and has something to say. It's then coupled to the most pointless ghost story... And that's the worst thing about it, it's completely pointless. The ghosts have almost nothing to do with the wartime plot (and what to do have could easily be excised), and serve as a distraction every time things threaten to get interesting. Their plot also has no narrative, conclusion or resolution, adding to the 'so-what' nature of it.
The ghost characters also sing the majority of the songs, which are for the most part quite samey and forgettable. The exception is the first song, which I really liked.
I feel bad slating it like this - the performances from the six-person cast are uniformly excellent, and some real thought has gone into the staging here (except - why do they all go into reverse in one number? I couldn't grasp the significance). But it needs the ghost story chopping, another hour of the wartime plot adding, and some melodies wouldn't hurt either.
Also - the sound mixing in there was horrible. Much of the time during the songs the 'chorus' was overwhelmed by the music, meaning you couldn't hear the words - adding to me not knowing what was going on or why, part of the time.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Apr 20, 2017 11:30:11 GMT
Goodness, I was very negative and grumpy last night. It really isn't *that* bad. 2 stars, in hindsight, and not especially recommended.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2017 11:43:59 GMT
I didn't think there was anything unnecessarily grumpy about your first post, it was very reflective of my own experience, and far more helpfully put too.
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571 posts
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Post by westendwendy on Apr 20, 2017 19:51:00 GMT
At this tonight, the WORST music I've ever witnessed in a musical in my life. What a horrible show. Nice cast but dreadful material. "Ring the belllsssss ring the bellsssss love the belllllssssss"... I rarely leave at the interval but this disaster made me think about leaving during act one! 1/10 AVOID. How on earth did this make it past a workshop? I love to support new work too - but what a turkey!
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396 posts
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Post by djp on Apr 20, 2017 20:05:28 GMT
I feel bad for saying it, because I like supporting new musicals and there should be more of them on the London stage, but... this was pretty crap. As others have said, it doesn't know what it wants to be. The story relating to four people struggling to cope with the situation this war has suddenly thrust them in is really strong, thought-provoking and has something to say. It's then coupled to the most pointless ghost story... And that's the worst thing about it, it's completely pointless. The ghosts have almost nothing to do with the wartime plot (and what to do have could easily be excised), and serve as a distraction every time things threaten to get interesting. Their plot also has no narrative, conclusion or resolution, adding to the 'so-what' nature of it. The ghost characters also sing the majority of the songs, which are for the most part quite samey and forgettable. The exception is the first song, which I really liked. I feel bad slating it like this - the performances from the six-person cast are uniformly excellent, and some real thought has gone into the staging here (except - why do they all go into reverse in one number? I couldn't grasp the significance). But it needs the ghost story chopping, another hour of the wartime plot adding, and some melodies wouldn't hurt either. Also - the sound mixing in there was horrible. Much of the time during the songs the 'chorus' was overwhelmed by the music, meaning you couldn't hear the words - adding to me not knowing what was going on or why, part of the time. Seems pretty much a definition of being a ghost - you haunt - period - for a very long period. The question is how does that relate to the story elsewhere? Seeing it Saturday. sorry to hear the sound is still unreliable - it was a problem in Exposure and Wild Party too. |
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Apr 20, 2017 20:35:53 GMT
Seems pretty much a definition of being a ghost - you haunt - period - for a very long period Or in the case of this show, just for an hour and twenty five minutes...  |
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2,452 posts
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Post by theatremadness on Apr 20, 2017 21:33:34 GMT
Well I have to totally agree with westendwendy on this one. Was also there tonight (sorry to have missed you!), but I stayed on for Act 2 for my sins. Possibly the worst musical I have ever seen and I can't understand how it got as far as a public showing! The music was boring, bland and banal, the lyrics were childish and amateurish, no real thought or care seems to have gone into what any character is singing and the book.....good grief the book. To call it Drama GCSE standard would be insulting to Drama GCSE students. Completely baron of any sense of drama, any stakes, anything interesting what-so-ever. An excruciating case of over-acting from Simon Bailey, strutting around the stage with 'smell the fart' acting on his face. Coupled with pretty shoddy performances all-round, disappointing from a pretty good cast on paper. Only redeeming features were the band & orchestrations and Simon Lipkin, mostly. Avoid!! |
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571 posts
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Post by westendwendy on Apr 21, 2017 7:33:34 GMT
Locked up in a haunted lighthouse singing the worst songs possible with no storyline THE MUSICAL
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2017 13:01:34 GMT
This isn't it's first production either. It played at the La Jolla Playhouse in Californina a while back. This is the improved version!
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1,578 posts
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Post by anita on Apr 21, 2017 13:13:03 GMT
This isn't it's first production either. It played at the La Jolla Playhouse in Californina a while back. This is the improved version! Glad I didn't see the original then.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2017 20:46:15 GMT
I was just looking on the website to see what was on and I remembered I saw that the national youth music theatre were doing Sunday in the park with George there and I was excited to see i can not find it in the website and I think it might be cancelled but I did not see anything about it. Anyone know what has happened?
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4,955 posts
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Post by Someone in a tree on Apr 22, 2017 5:53:15 GMT
The Sondheim society may know. Although I looked on the website the other day for further details about Night Music @ Watermill and no mention of it was on the site
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Post by alece10 on Apr 22, 2017 6:32:08 GMT
I was just looking on the website to see what was on and I remembered I saw that the national youth music theatre were doing Sunday in the park with George there and I was excited to see i can not find it in the website and I think it might be cancelled but I did not see anything about it. Anyone know what has happened? I was told last week by box office that tickets go on sale towards the end of next week. It's one I want to see too. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2017 16:11:41 GMT
Well. Simon Bailey has lovely hair.
There's a LOT of walking around in this show. Someone should have installed a travelator. It would have made things so much easier.
The songs were rubbish, I'd have much preferred the show without them. Although to be fair it sounded like an extended 12" version of the same song. I'd have liked something to have evoked the era. A nice bit of Gracie Fields or Vera Lynn.
I thought Dianne Pilkington was delightful. I don't think I've ever seen her before so very much looking forward to seeing her in Young Frankenstein.
The little boy was good too. And had a lovely coat that I had my eye on.
Very strange that the cast spend most of the time in a hole though.
On the plus side, I *do* like The Other Palace, despite the name. They have such attractive staff. J'approve.
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3,057 posts
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Post by ali973 on Apr 22, 2017 17:07:43 GMT
OMG this sounds unanimously awful, and not in a "Wonderland" kind of way. Would it help if I see this show high on marijuana? I tend not to drink before shows to avoid going to bathrooms during intermission (or worse during the show..I ONCE had to during Pricilla and hated myself, but that was an emergency). Wait, where was I? Oh, right.
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Apr 22, 2017 17:21:32 GMT
I thought Dianne Pilkington was delightful Agreed! Although I bet she wishes she could incorporate a Fit Bit into that costume though, seems such a shame to "waste" all those flights of stairs. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2017 18:15:58 GMT
I thought Dianne Pilkington was delightful Agreed! Although I bet she wishes she could incorporate a Fit Bit into that costume though, seems such a shame to "waste" all those flights of stairs. I know! She's up and down them like an overworked Sherpa. |
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Apr 22, 2017 20:36:12 GMT
OMG this sounds unanimously awful, and not in a "Wonderland" kind of way. Would it help if I see this show high on marijuana? I tend not to drink before shows to avoid going to bathrooms during intermission (or worse during the show..I ONCE had to during Pricilla and hated myself, but that was an emergency). Wait, where was I? Oh, right. It's so short you can probably have a drink and be able to hang on till you get home. |
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Post by liverpool54321 on Apr 22, 2017 23:25:05 GMT
Guess I'm in the minority with this one as I didn't feel it was too bad. No denying it is far too short. If this ever reappears in the future thenI suggest they explore the individual characters more, and build in additional songs that reflect this. Too little known about the background to each person apart from the lighthouse keeper.
In terms of story there was, I thought it was OK. We debated afterwards whether additional dialogue rather than simple one liners would have been better, but that was not the nature of the play. For me the music was reasonable. Yes some of the lyrics were a bit too straight forward. I would have liked the rest of the cast to have their own songs rather than sticking to the concept of the walls singing. No faulting the band and actual singing was fine.
I think the stage set is great. Rather than build a lighthouse up into the sky, do the opposite and create the inner part of it by going down instead. The circular walking simply reflects the fact that that's pretty much what you do with a lighthouse when getting about. Doubling up as the sea and use of projected visuals all made sense to me.
I guess there is lots you could do to develop the concept. I'm curious as to what possibly got left out as I find it hard to believe the theatre thought it was taking on such a short production.
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151 posts
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Post by gra on Apr 23, 2017 1:30:04 GMT
I thought it was too long and would have been quite happy with a 75 minute show without an interval. (Thought the interval was a mistake anyway)
Found the music uninspiring -very 'samey' and doing nothing to reflect the different characters.
Although the band were good, I felt the percussion often overpowered the voices, and the rock element seemed at odds with the more folk-style of the majority of the score.
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Post by bamaboy on Apr 23, 2017 6:03:14 GMT
I love his music, and I think I want to see this on my trip to London. Is front row too close? Trying to decide which ticket to get.
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151 posts
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Post by gra on Apr 23, 2017 8:52:33 GMT
Suggest you sit towards the left hand side facing the stage. The 'rock' instruments are on the right and if you are in the front rows the balance may not be good.
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