1,254 posts
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Post by theatrelover123 on May 21, 2017 21:37:54 GMT
Utterly glorious night. Wonderful cast, orchestra, choir, show and great view from middle of Row M. Love love loved it xx
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 21:38:52 GMT
Man-hating? Forgive me if I'm missing something as I only saw this show once on Broadway 11 months ago, but what is man-hating about it? The abusive male character even gets redeemed at the end.
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 21:40:32 GMT
It was interesting being at the front as wel, the people all around me were on their own, and no joke, when we were chatting pre-show, pretty much everyone said as soon as they saw Marisha, Rachel and Tyrone listed in the cast list ahead of time, they booked instantly because they had either seen them or had heard about them. And there was alot of tears down the front, I was pretty much an emotional wreck at several points in the proceedings.
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2,051 posts
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Post by infofreako on May 21, 2017 21:51:51 GMT
It was good, I'm not sure I was familiar enough with it. Superb voices though, pity the sound wasn't slightly better as that may have impacted my enjoyment
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1,477 posts
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Post by Steve on May 21, 2017 22:03:07 GMT
Man-hating? Forgive me if I'm missing something as I only saw this show once on Broadway 11 months ago, but what is man-hating about it? The abusive male character even gets redeemed at the end. Spoilers follow. . . Snutte, All I mean is that, for me, the book goes too far down the men-are-awful route. No men are decent, all women are decent. Dad rapes and beats his own step-daughter, man systematically beats his wife, other man cheats on women without a care, redemption merely amounts to "oh I feel a little regret, now that you've left me, please take me back." Frankly, I'd expect him to start beating her again if she did, as actions speak louder than words (especially the words of someone who wants something). For me, Dreamgirls is far better and more sophisticated in it's depiction of myriad kinds of men, and the way they mistreat women. I compare it, as it's got the same feminist trajectory of an underdog woman defining herself, in a world of abusive men. Then again, the show really worked for me tonight. So what I'm saying is, I'm rethinking these thoughts now. I'm open to hearing anything about this.  It was interesting being at the front as wel, the people all around me were on their own, and no joke, when we were chsting pre-show, pretty much everyone said as soon as they saw Marisha, Rachel and Tyrone listed in the cast list ahead of time, they booked instantly because they had either seen them or had heard about them. And there was alot of tears down the front, I was pretty much an emotional wreck at several points in the proceedings. DanielJohnson14, I was next to you, I realise, re-reading the thread. I was in CC8. Your bouts of crying were as infectious as sneezes, as I found myself crying too shortly after lol. Nice to meet you. I definitely booked because I wanted to see Marisha Wallace, based on some youtube clips of her, having missed her in Dreamgirls. She's as good an actor as a singer, so I hope to see her in Dreamgirls sometime, which I've only seen with Amber Riley, previously. |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 22:07:19 GMT
Man-hating? Forgive me if I'm missing something as I only saw this show once on Broadway 11 months ago, but what is man-hating about it? The abusive male character even gets redeemed at the end. Spoilers follow. . . Snutte, All I mean is that, for me, the book goes too far down the men-are-awful route. No men are decent, all women are decent. Dad rapes and beats his own step-daughter, man systematically beats his wife, other man cheats on women without a care, redemption merely amounts to "oh I feel a little regret, now that you've left me, please take me back." Frankly, I'd expect him to start beating her again if she did, as actions speak louder than words (especially the words of someone who wants something). For me, Dreamgirls is far better and more sophisticated in it's depiction of myriad kinds of men, and the way they mistreat women. I compare it, as it's got the same feminist trajectory of an underdog woman defining herself, in a world of abusive men. Then again, the show really worked for me tonight. So what I'm saying is, I'm rethinking these thoughts now. I'm open to hearing anything about this. It was interesting being at the front as wel, the people all around me were on their own, and no joke, when we were chsting pre-show, pretty much everyone said as soon as they saw Marisha, Rachel and Tyrone listed in the cast list ahead of time, they booked instantly because they had either seen them or had heard about them. And there was alot of tears down the front, I was pretty much an emotional wreck at several points in the proceedings. DanielJohnson14, I was next to you, I realise, re-reading the thread. I was in CC8. Your bouts of crying were as infectious as sneezes, as I found myself crying too shortly after lol. Nice to meet you. I definitely booked because I wanted to see Marisha Wallace, based on some youtube clips of her, having missed her in Dreamgirls. She's as good an actor as a singer, so I hope to see her in Dreamgirls sometime, which I've only seen with Amber Riley, previously. Ahaha! Well it wae nice to meet you then! It really was fabulous, such a sensational performance, and the general consensus where we were sitting agreed! The audience went nuts for this cast and rightly so! But really moving, I found the final few songs incredibly touching, as well as the Act I finale. |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 22:10:31 GMT
I'm afraid I didn't love this as much as a lot of the rest of you seem to have done. I agree with pretty much all of what HereForTheatre said. I think I was spoilt by seeing the Broadway production, because I couldn't help but compare it to this - not the production, of course, as this was just in concert, but the vocals and acting. In that respect, I don't think Marisha lived up to Cynthia, though I doubt anyone can in that role as I can't imagine a better, more nuanced Celie than Cynthia's. Overall, Marisha was very, very good for the most part, particularly in Act 1. I can certainly see why she's had such hype for her performances in Dreamgirls - she's got one hell of a set of vocal chords! However, I think all Celie performances to a certain extent stand or fall on I'm Here, and unfortunately that is where I thought Marisha's performance didn't work. She was clearly giving it her all, and there is no doubt she was pouring emotion into it, but for me she overdid it in the second half of the song, to the point where it seemed almost to be screaming for the sake of screaming, and the heart of the piece got lost. At the start it was beautifully measured and I thought it was really going to soar gradually, but instead it just got a bit too shrill too quickly. When I saw it on Broadway, I was blown away by how much power Cynthia created out of silence in that song, and from singing parts so softly she might as well have been whispering. I didn't get that from Marisha, and I think some of the impact was lost in her attempt to make it so big and loud. I didn't get as emotional as I expect that song to make me. I thought her Color Purple Reprise was wonderful though (that did make me cry!), and she had great chemistry with Rachel John even though they mustn't have had much rehearsal time at all given Rachel was still in Canada not so long ago! If she sings And I Am Telling You in Dreamgirls in the same manner as she sang I'm Here, then I'd have a few reservations about going to see her, but given this was the one weak link for me in her performance this evening, I think it'll be worth me going along to the Savoy on a night she's on anyway, as I can see how her voice suits that score. It was clear that Rachel hadn't had as much rehearsal time as she was relying on her score and script a lot more than anyone else, but it didn't affect her performance at all, she was fabulous. I'm a bit biased as I've been a fan for a long time, but I thought her vocals were the standout performance on that stage, and her acting a perfect mix of subtlety and perfect comic timing. Can't wait to see her in Hamilton! I thought Wendy Mae Brown was a brilliant Sofia, just as good as Danielle Brooks was on Broadway and very similar - great comic timing and I powerhouse voice. She and Tyrone Huntley were a good pairing - I thought he was great in Act 1 but faded a bit in Act 2, but as a pair they worked well together. I thought Seyi Omooba was a wonderful Nettie, everything that character should be, and she and Marisha worked really well together. T'Shan Williams was fine as Squeak, a bit too shrill at times and some of her diction was unclear, but it's not the greatest of parts and she did well with what she had, albeit missing a bit of the comedy factor that Patrice Covington brought to the role on Broadway. The weak link for me was Cavin Cornwall's Mister - I thought he completely overacted it to the point where it was just cringeworthy. Mister doesn't have to turn into a giggly mess at the sight of Shug to make the audience see he's in love with her, it was so over the top it was funny for all the wrong reasons. I'm afraid I also thought his diction was poor. I also wasn't particularly impressed by the Church Ladies - I couldn't see them at all where I was sitting so couldn't judge any acting, but purely from a vocal point of view they seemed not to be completely in sync with each other and either they were over-miked or they were singing so loudly that at times they overpowered everyone else on stage when they shouldn't have done. They all have great voices, but the balance was wrong. And I've already posted my thoughts on the ensemble/choir - all good singers, but the choreography was dreadful and it just wasn't tight enough, it looked messy and amateurish. Same with the diction in places. There were also a few people who seemed intent on drawing attention to themselves by over-acting, particularly when they were at the front for Miss Celie's Pants, to the point where it got distracting and not in a good way. I wasn't impressed with the sound balance overall - sometimes it was difficult to hear the leads because the musicians were too loud. There were a few missed mic and lighting cues, but given it's a one-off that's to be expected. I thought generally the leads coped well with balancing the mics and props and scores though, and apart from Mister they all had really good diction and had clearly put a lot of thought into how to speak the dialogue as well as sing the songs, which meant they created Celie's world very vividly despite the lack of a full set. Overall, it's always wonderful to hear that fabulous score played and sung live, so it was lovely evening, made all the better by the standout performances from the female leads. Definitely worth a lot more than the ticket price I paid! |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 22:14:17 GMT
I said exactly that to the girl sat behind me! I am so glad I didn't see the Menier or Broadway Production because I knew it would cause me to compare and potentially be dissapointed. I am so glad I never saw it before tonight.
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 22:16:56 GMT
I said exactly that to the girl sat behind me! I am so glad I didn't see the Menier or Broadway Production because I knew it would cause me to compare and potentially be dissapointed. I am so glad I never saw it before tonight. I don't think the Broadway production can be bettered, it was just breathtaking from Cynthia right through the entire ensemble - no weak links. Tonight didn't reach those levels for me - I didn't particularly expect that it would, so I had a feeling I wouldn't love it as much as others probably would. I think maybe I just expected a bit more from Marisha in I'm Here in terms of nuanced performance rather than just belting. |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 22:18:37 GMT
Interesting. I think the book has issues (the show wasn't received well the first time around on Broadway for a reason) and they largely lie in what's on the page. I can see where you're coming from with the characters being simplistic, although I don't necessarily agree with it being a gendered thing. The women do come across better than the men in general - this is after all a show with a female protagonist in which much of the plot revolves around her escaping the sexism that surrounds her - but I definitely don't think the show states that 'all women are decent'
Spoilers:
Celie encourages Harpo to beat Sofia, Shug practically cheats on Celie and is largely depicted as being self centered etc.
I certainly didn't see Harpo as any worse of a person than Shug for example. Perhaps it is in the way that the actor plays him as I only saw the Broadway actor and not the Menier actor, but I found him mostly likeable and I felt as if the audience was meant to be rooting for him. Correct me if I'm wrong as my memory is a bit fuzzy, but he is taken back by Sofia and they conspire to help Celie. Whilst I agree with you that Mister isn't fully forgiven by the text, I'd say he is forgiven as much as he should be. There's a reason why people have an issue with the ending of Carousel in comparison for example.
I guess I just don't see it as completely far fetched that a woman in a community like this would have two or three awful men surrounding her and whilst perhaps they could have been written in a more nuanced way, I didn't leave the show thinking I was meant to feel that the message was anything to do with all men being bad.
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2,051 posts
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Post by infofreako on May 21, 2017 22:19:10 GMT
I said exactly that to the girl sat behind me! I am so glad I didn't see the Menier or Broadway Production because I knew it would cause me to compare and potentially be dissapointed. I am so glad I never saw it before tonight. Strange isn't it? I came away thinking had I seen it previously I might've enjoyed it more. But then I was completely unfamiliar with the whole score which may have hindered. |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 22:20:29 GMT
I said exactly that to the girl sat behind me! I am so glad I didn't see the Menier or Broadway Production because I knew it would cause me to compare and potentially be dissapointed. I am so glad I never saw it before tonight. I don't think the Broadway production can be bettered, it was just breathtaking from Cynthia right through the entire ensemble - no weak links. Tonight didn't reach those levels for me - I didn't particularly expect that it would, so I had a feeling I wouldn't love it as much as others probably would. I think maybe I just expected a bit more from Marisha in I'm Here in terms of nuanced performance rather than just belting. Thats completely fair enough, I understand that and I know from the clips I have heard, Cythia was sensational so those who saw her, it is tough to beat. I can see why her I'm Here may not be to everyones taste, but my god I just found it so powerful and moving. Maybe being in 3rd row made the difference as it was really felt there? I agree with you that Rachel relied alot on the script, especially in the first half. But remembering she only finished in Canada on Sunday and flew straight over, I was alot more forgiving and understood it wasn't entirely her fault in thst instance haha. |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 22:28:36 GMT
Thats completely fair enough, I understand that and I know from the clips I have heard, Cythia was sensational so those who saw her, it is tough to beat. I can see why her I'm Here may not be to everyones taste, but my god I just found it so powerful and moving. Maybe being in 3rd row made the difference as it was really felt there? Fair enough! I don't think where I sat would have made a difference as it was Marisha's vocal choices I didn't like, not her acting. It didn't move me because it was too loud and too big too soon. For me it didn't build in the way Cynthia managed to build it without being at the very top end of her belting capabilities all the time - for me it seemed that Marisha went to that part of her voice pretty quickly and then when she did get to the big money notes at the end they sounded a bit forced and over-sung. Just my point of view though, I think it's really just style preferences I'm definitely still glad I saw the Broadway production though, hands down one of the best afternoons I've ever spent in a theatre, it really was something special. |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 22:32:36 GMT
Also, took me until the middle of the second act to realise why Marisha was wearing a purple dress whilst everyone else was in black...
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 22:41:19 GMT
Also, took me until the middle of the second act to realise why Marisha was wearing a purple dress whilst everyone else was in black... It didn't even occur to me that that was deliberate until you mentioned it! Presumably Nettie wearing white was symbolic too then. |
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270 posts
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Post by littlesally on May 22, 2017 0:02:23 GMT
We were in the really cheap gallery side seats.
The sound was perfect.
Having seen MCF twice and Broadway twice with CE I have to say this blew us away. Cynthia E is unique. And unparalleled. Which is why the different take we saw tonight worked so well for MW. She made the role her own and owned it.
Having seen four Shug's now Rachel equalled Heather H. High paise indeed. For a concert this ticked every box and proved that there is s market for a full production in the WE.
Bring it on!
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2017 7:30:03 GMT
We were in the really cheap gallery side seats. The sound was perfect. Which side of the gallery - from where I was sat in the cheap side gallery seats the sound balance was woeful in Act 1! I don't agree that this concert proves there is a market for this show in the West End though - for one, there were a fair few empty seats and quite a few others clearly filled by friends and family of the performers and organisers, and also we've quite recently had a revival that was so different and groundbreaking in terms of the history of the show that it doesn't need to be repeated anytime soon. There are plenty of other shows crying out for a revival before we get TCP back, and I think even if we did it would likely struggle unless it was at the Menier or another smaller venue. And I'm saying that as someone who loves the show. |
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2017 8:58:00 GMT
We were in the really cheap gallery side seats. The sound was perfect. Which side of the gallery - from where I was sat in the cheap side gallery seats the sound balance was woeful in Act 1! I don't agree that this concert proves there is a market for this show in the West End though - for one, there were a fair few empty seats and quite a few others clearly filled by friends and family of the performers and organisers, and also we've quite recently had a revival that was so different and groundbreaking in terms of the history of the show that it doesn't need to be repeated anytime soon. There are plenty of other shows crying out for a revival before we get TCP back, and I think even if we did it would likely struggle unless it was at the Menier or another smaller venue. And I'm saying that as someone who loves the show. I'm not arguing your point haha, but it should be noted the seats by the veey front wall were not put on sale at all, so they were empty or filled by friends of people. The Stalls did look pretty much full, I didn't see a single empty seat. But obviously you had a more clear view of the full stalls. I agree a one night concert doesn't atomatically prove anything, but I think the right venue and right promotional campaign it couls work a limited run, sure. Plus the audience last night made enough noise most theatres double in size don't make haha. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on May 22, 2017 9:30:09 GMT
Yes it was a very loud audience. I enjoy that though.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2017 9:38:42 GMT
Anyone reading this who wasn't there though, at least from my experience, the audience was very respectual and bar a couple of times mid song, cheered and went crazy only at the end of numbers.
The funniest thing, I don't know if it was just me who found it funny, was that the appaluse for the entry at Act I and Act II was hilarious. The Ensemble would come on and people would clap and cheer, then stop. Then the conductor would come on and it would happen again and stop. And then the cadt would come on and it would happen again and then the Act would begin. I don't know why I found it so funny, it was just because we kept stopping snd starting again literally three times over with a gap of two seconds between I think, but it made me really laugh.
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Post by Mr Wallacio on May 22, 2017 9:43:37 GMT
Which side of the gallery - from where I was sat in the cheap side gallery seats the sound balance was woeful in Act 1! I don't agree that this concert proves there is a market for this show in the West End though - for one, there were a fair few empty seats and quite a few others clearly filled by friends and family of the performers and organisers, and also we've quite recently had a revival that was so different and groundbreaking in terms of the history of the show that it doesn't need to be repeated anytime soon. There are plenty of other shows crying out for a revival before we get TCP back, and I think even if we did it would likely struggle unless it was at the Menier or another smaller venue. And I'm saying that as someone who loves the show. I'm not arguing your point haha, but it should be noted the seats by the veey front wall were not put on sale at all, so they were empty or filled by friends of people. The Stalls did look pretty much full, I didn't see a single empty seat. But obviously you had a more clear view of the full stalls. I agree a one night concert doesn't atomatically prove anything, but I think the right venue and right promotional campaign it couls work a limited run, sure. Plus the audience last night made enough noise most theatres double in size don't make haha. There were empty seats around me during act one. These were filled at the start of act two. Couldn't work out if this was people sitting further back who moved forward, or people who couldn't read the start time on their tickets. |
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2017 9:45:54 GMT
I'm not arguing your point haha, but it should be noted the seats by the veey front wall were not put on sale at all, so they were empty or filled by friends of people. The Stalls did look pretty much full, I didn't see a single empty seat. But obviously you had a more clear view of the full stalls. I agree a one night concert doesn't atomatically prove anything, but I think the right venue and right promotional campaign it couls work a limited run, sure. Plus the audience last night made enough noise most theatres double in size don't make haha. There were empty seats around me during act one. These were filled at the start of act two. Couldn't work out if this was people sitting further back who moved forward, or people who couldn't read the start time on their tickets. Thy did have really messed up times of letting people in I found. There were four empty seats behind us for alot of Act I then when Rachel had her entrance the usher brought those people in. I saw another group enter toward the end of Act I in the Gallery too. |
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2017 11:37:04 GMT
Anyone reading this who wasn't there though, at least from my experience, the audience was very respectual and bar a couple of times mid song, cheered and went crazy only at the end of numbers. The funniest thing, I don't know if it was just me who found it funny, was that the appaluse for the entry at Act I and Act II was hilarious. The Ensemble would come on and people would clap and cheer, then stop. Then the conductor would come on and it would happen again and stop. And then the cadt would come on and it would happen again and then the Act would begin. I don't know why I found it so funny, it was just because we kept stopping snd starting again literally three times over with a gap of two seconds between I think, but it made me really laugh. This is usually the case at classic/orchestral concerts. Applause for the first violin, applause for conductor, applause for soloist. |
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2017 12:23:42 GMT
Ooooo I have got a flaw, finally about the show. The male ensemble/chorus. Too stage school. When they performed with Tyrone it was so over the top and embarassing. And then when the guy who brought on Wendy in the second half, he was soover the top in his few lines. Itwas toally not believeable. More trainign is definately needed.
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4,177 posts
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Post by HereForTheatre on May 22, 2017 12:33:19 GMT
Ooooo I have got a faw, finally about the show. The male ensemble/chorus. Too stage school. When they performed with Tyrone it was so over the top and embarassing. And then when the guy who brought on Wendy in the second half, he was soover the top in his few lines. Itwas toally not believeable. More trainign is definately needed. Yeh they were a little too enthusiastic. That 'prison guard' made me laugh because he was probably the campest 'prison gaurd' i've ever seen LOL. And yeh, i had no idea what was going on in that scene with Tyrone, they seemed drunk or something. Bizarre. The choreography in general was quite OTT. For me a few things would have made it better: - Toned down choir/ensemble - Better sound and lighting - Someone else playing Mister (sorry) |
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