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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2017 9:49:46 GMT
Well, if Umbrellas of Cherbourg were a romantic comedy about chocolate, not a sad love story with the Algerian War in the background. Apart from being French and having a touch of Legrand about its score, with jazz waltzes and such, they are tonalkynvery different.
What it also shows off is Rice as our most romantic director (always has been) and that hope and yearning suffuse her greatest successes, fulfilled or otherwise. As above, I went in knowing little and was very quickly won over by this (again with the great seat offer). It finds that bit of hope amidst your cynicism and prises it wide open until your defences are useless. Resistance is futile!
I loved it, hopefully it will have as long an afterlife as her other great romences, Tristan and Yseult and Brief Encounter.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2017 11:17:33 GMT
tonalkynvery = tonally very.
I blame ios 11....
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Post by dlevi on Oct 28, 2017 10:48:03 GMT
I saw this last night and was utterly captivated by it. The smart lyrics, infectious music and delightful performances made this a very happy surprise. It's a little twee, but I guess I was in the perfect mod for it.
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Post by foxa on Oct 28, 2017 12:10:43 GMT
Oh - without wanting to spoil anything - but, at least judging from my experience, it's worth being in the foyer (the one near the lower gallery entrance/gift shop on the day I was there) for something extra that happens.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2017 12:27:39 GMT
Before or after?
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Post by foxa on Oct 28, 2017 13:29:36 GMT
Sorry - I meant during the interval, (i.e. don't spend the whole interval in the auditorium or the toilets - if you can help it.) |
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Post by partytentdown on Oct 28, 2017 14:54:27 GMT
Emma Rice loves neon lights, that's for sure.
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Post by djp on Oct 30, 2017 4:45:57 GMT
Lauren samuels is a swing in this?! Wow.. what a comedown. Is she a swing or part of the ensemble? She is both - all of the female side of both. Which means she might have to cover for any of the named female roles. She's demonstrating her skill at learning parts again - after Laronde where she had to learn every part as who played what was random every show. Who plays the ensemble and swings for anyone else, if there's a lead or two off sick is an interestng question. |
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Post by jamb0r on Oct 30, 2017 14:02:15 GMT
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the advice on this thread - booked row C of the lower gallery using the discount code for Wednesday this week. The reviews have come out this morning and they're all pretty great.
Broadway World *****
The Upcoming *****
The Stage ****
TimeOut ****
The Times ****
Telegraph ****
Evening Standard ***
This isn't something that would have been on my radar if it wasn't for this board, and now I'm really looking forward to it.
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Post by Steve on Oct 31, 2017 13:29:17 GMT
Superficial depiction of shyness mitigates against the well-structured plot and delightful songs making the emotional impact they should. . . Some spoilers follow. . . This is based on a film. A film is blessed with a trump card that a stage musical lacks: the close-up. On film, the manufactured tweeness of the plot can be counterbalanced by closeups of faces exhibiting acute and "real" social anxiety, that roots the plot in a common pain nearly all of us have experienced. On stage, where the closeup is impossible, what we see is a supremely poised musical theatre actress command her diaphragm to produce exquisitely beautiful musical phrases, as she looks us directly in our eyes. No amount of gurning anxious overlarge facial expressions will ever convince me that Carly Bawden's Angelique is so timid that she faints at the sight of another human being! And this is not Bawden's fault, an actress so good that her spot-on Squeaky Fromme in Assassins stole the show (for me) even from Aaron Tveit! What is wrong is the slavish fealty to the movie script, which was bolstered by the secret weapon of the close-up. What Emma Rice and her fellow creators needed to do was show less sympathy, and more empathy. They needed a moment at the beginning, before Bawden ever sings, where her character suffers horribly from shyness. They needed to dramatise that moment so acutely that our hearts broke for her. Only then should she be allowed to sing. Anyway, the songs are good, and by the time we get to the interval, the plot is moving at a delicious clip, and the songs hit rate is improving (I did love the song "Savoir Faire" in the first half though.) Yes, in the second half, there is a tremendous run of lovely songs (I'm guessing their titles lol):- After Joanna's Riding sets the scene with a welcoming and wistful "Quelle Surprise," the Bawden-Marsh romantic duet, "Some Things" really moved me, then the best song of the evening is teasingly and energetically performed by the enemble at our main duo "Don't Think About Love!" It's always delicious to be asked NOT to think about something lol! Then we get a touching "Don't Let Her Go" and an even more tender "If you Loved Me. . ." And I couldn't help thinking, as the musical took flight, how much higher we'd be soaring if the emotional take-off had been effectively handled at the beginning! Heck, we might even have another "She Loves Me" (though to be honest, Bock and Harnick are peerless)! Anyway, I loved the second half. And as a bonus, I also lived the comic turns of Lauren Samuels as the sarky Ozzie self-help tape and Gareth Snook as the Mumbler, a man so shy we can't make out a word he says. All in all, good fun. But it could have been great!  3 and a half stars. |
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Post by theatrefan77 on Nov 2, 2017 8:46:14 GMT
I saw it last night and loved it. It was great fun and for me one of the big surprises of this year. The cast is top notch and they had me smiling all the way through. Beautifully staged with a lovely score. Will try to catch it again before it closes.
Thank you to everyone one who recommended this. I would have missed it otherwise. And thank you for mentioning the code also. Got great seats in the Pit for £20. You guys are the best!
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Post by jamb0r on Nov 2, 2017 12:30:51 GMT
I saw it last night and loved it. It was great fun and for me one of the big surprises of this year. The cast is top notch and they had me smiling all the way through. Beautifully staged with a lovely score. Will try to catch it again before it closes. Thank you to everyone one who recommended this. I would have missed it otherwise. And thank you for mentioning the code also. Got great seats in the Pit for £20. You guys are the best! I was going to post pretty much exactly the same! I was there last night too, and wouldn't have been there had it not been for this board. I absolutely adored it - loved all the little touches before the show started and during the interval (thanks to the tip from the earlier poster about being in the lower gallery foyer during the interval). It was my first time in the playhouse (it's stunning!), and even though my seat had a 'back' in row C of the lower gallery I was still very sore at the end - definitely take a jacket to roll up behind you. I still left with a huge grin on my face though! Will definitely be going back again before it finishes. |
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Post by CG on the loose on Nov 4, 2017 0:57:36 GMT
Adored this... thanks to everyone in this thread for glowing reviews, and the discount code, the interval extras tip-off. I was in Row A of the Lower Gallery and didn't find it too uncomfortable, but that may have been (a) because I had empty space either side so could move my legs about and (b) because I was entralled by what I was watching. The view from A19 is supposed to be restricted but was pretty much perfect. Yes, there's a pillar in your eyeline, but only if you're trying to scope out the audience across the room... the stage is in full, delightful view.
Will also be going back again before it closes.
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Post by bingomatic on Nov 8, 2017 18:33:43 GMT
Brilliant. Loved it and will be returning again in a couple of weeks.
I defy anyone to see it and not come out with a smile on their face and a spring in their step.
Catchy tunes - I really hope they release a recording - and great performances from everyone.
Sure, it is a slight story but once you get carried away with it, you're hooked.
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Post by jek on Nov 11, 2017 9:53:16 GMT
Really enjoyed seeing this last night. Lovely atmosphere in the theatre with the whole audience charmed - and involved - in what was going on onstage. Nice woman from Arizona sitting next to me who didn't know of the film and just delighted in the whole story.
Thanks for the tip about the interval.
Was in the back row of the lower gallery and so had a wall to rest against (I have learnt from previous trips to the Globe) but even so I (and more tellingly my 16 year old daughter) were both a bit stiff by the end.
Would be nice to see this staged at Wilton's Music Hall. There is a precedent in that the Flying Lovers of Vitebsk is playing there in January. Would be a lovely setting for it.
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Post by taboolie on Nov 12, 2017 23:05:53 GMT
I really want to see this after reading all the positive reviews and knowing many of the cast from other shows but have missed the pcdrom20 and the lovetheate offers. I don't want to waste my money on seats with restricted views but cannot afford the best seats (I'm only in London for a week and have gone over budget on Big Fish and Hamilton - though I really didn't have a choice with that last one). Does anyone know of any other offers. I usually follow the £25 rule, £30 max. Thank you to anyone that can help.
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Post by CG on the loose on Nov 12, 2017 23:17:40 GMT
I really want to see this after reading all the positive reviews and knowing many of the cast from other shows but have missed the pcdrom20 and the lovetheate offers. I don't want to waste my money on seats with restricted views but cannot afford the best seats (I'm only in London for a week and have gone over budget on Big Fish and Hamilton - though I really didn't have a choice with that last one). Does anyone know of any other offers. I usually follow the £25 rule, £30 max. Thank you to anyone that can help. Can't help with other offers, but I sat in the supposedly 'restricted' A19 in the Lower Gallery and it has a perfect view. There is a pillar 'in your sightline' but only if you're looking across at the gallery opposite. Line of sight to the stage is completely unobstructed. Its opposite number on the other side, A6, would be the same I imagine. Slightly above your rule at £32 mind. I also heartily recommend the show - it's beautiful, do see it if you can |
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Post by showgirl on Nov 13, 2017 5:32:30 GMT
As the run is quite long but the venue is slightly off the normal tourist track (I know it's still popular but the colder weather may have an impact) and the prices may deter those who don't know it (and the seating those who do), I'm holding on and hoping for offers. Also, this probably isn't the type of show non-regulars will choose for a Xmas outing - if they're even aware of it - which may help deal-seekers.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2017 9:09:11 GMT
the venue is slightly off the normal tourist track (I know it's still popular but the colder weather may have an impact) Shakespeare's Globe was the 18th most popular UK visitor attraction in 2016. You forgot to mention that people will also be deterred by the risks of terrorism and of flooding. |
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Post by viserys on Nov 13, 2017 9:58:07 GMT
Shakespeare's Globe is a tourist attraction, yes, but I doubt that many people are even aware that there's an indoor theatre attached to it. Or realize that there's an indoor season in winter. Or be very interested in it.
I think Showgirl is right - tourists in winter will be looking at theatres in the West End and not really pay attention to smaller shows off the beaten path. I wonder if people in France/Belgium are aware of the show, as they are the ones who most likely know the original movie and might be interested in the stage adaptation. They should definitely put ads in the Eurostar magazine!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2017 10:40:09 GMT
Hmmm... So, visitors to the 18th most popular UK attraction who stand next to an enormous poster and can enquire in person - WON'T ATTEND
People in France/Belgium who see an ad in a Eurostar magazine - WILL ATTEND
Truely, 'tis a mad world.
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Post by taboolie on Nov 14, 2017 0:47:52 GMT
Thanks to those who replied to my post. If I lived nearer London I would have risked waiting for a possible offer or last minute bargain but I'm not and am realistically limited to a couple of dates during my visit, so I gave in and got A6 after reading CG's post (A19 was taken). Available seating has started decreasing at a faster pace now that word has hot out about this show so anxiety got the better of me.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2017 9:01:37 GMT
I really want to see this, but have left it a bit late. Not sure I can justify the train/hotel for a trip to London so close to Christmas, especially given the liklihood of a return in January (GITL). So whats the chances of this having legs in 2018? Not necessarily an extension of this current run, but a life in some form?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2017 10:10:51 GMT
Last year's Sam Wanamaker Playhouse Emma Rice hit, The Little Matchgirl (and other happier tales), is now on an extensive UK tour.
And Romantics Anonymous easily merits such a further life.
But it doesn't fit the post-Emma Rice "let-there-not-be-light" diktat of the Board of Shakespeare's Globe.
So, they could be spiteful and refuse to transfer it.
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Post by tmesis on Dec 9, 2017 17:35:14 GMT
This is an absolute gem. Lovely, witty songs, fabulous performances and such an inventive, clever production from Rice. I loved it to bits. It really does deserve a life after this run.
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