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Post by Dawnstar on May 1, 2019 18:45:52 GMT
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Post by bimse on May 4, 2019 13:19:51 GMT
Thoroughly enjoyed this at Manchester Opera House. I saw it at the Palladium last year, and the performances and production were equal, in fact Jose Llana was (for me) way better than Ken Watanabe. I could tell what he was saying, his acting is way better, and I enjoyed his take in the role . I would have liked to hear him sing more. Only one reservation, if they are going to use chorus members to augment the children, at least use short ones. Two were taller than Mrs Anna.
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Post by danieljohnson14 on May 11, 2019 12:04:37 GMT
Maria Coyne has tweeted she has no scheduled shows until the third leg of the tour for those wanting to see her.
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Post by Dr Tom on May 25, 2019 18:16:37 GMT
Popped over to Dublin to see this before the likely cast change (the principals are only confirmed for the first three venues).
Much more chaotic in Dublin than usual. It had completely slipped my mind that this was the first stop of the Spice Girls reunion. That, and Ryanair seating cruelly putting me in the midst of a hen party made me very happy to get through the centre of Dublin last night and into a bed.
Anyway, a much more settled performance today than the first preview, but still a few line slips. Sound was sorted though. Note to self, Saturday matinee in Dublin is not a good choice if you get distracted by other audience members singing, rattling, coughing, predicting upcoming lines, recounting the plot to their children etc. It was very much three generations in attendance.
Also had a very annoying item nearby which flashed a series of bright lights every few minutes. Possibly a phone, but probably a smart watch.
The cast very good as usual, particularly the two leads. Not sold by Cezarah Bonner as Lady Thiang, but perhaps that’s because everyone else whose played the role for this production has been so outstanding. She’s still good. No cast board, so I wouldn’t want to say for sure which Louis we had, but he was very polished. Think there was a different Eliza to last time.
Don’t think I’ll get to see this in Sunderland and then the tour has a summer break. Will be interesting to see who the leads are after that point.
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 6, 2019 18:29:50 GMT
Just seen Maria Coyne is making her Anna debut tonight. Anyone there?
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Post by sophizoey on Jun 6, 2019 21:42:40 GMT
Just seen Maria Coyne is making her Anna debut tonight. Anyone there? Yes and she was just fantastic, absolutely incredible. So natural and not a bum note or a missed line. 🌟 |
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Post by shady23 on Jun 6, 2019 22:03:04 GMT
Just seen Maria Coyne is making her Anna debut tonight. Anyone there? How annoying that it clashed with the Spice Girls at Sunderland Stadium. I wasn't missing that for anyone 😉 |
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Post by Dr Tom on Jun 8, 2019 14:16:22 GMT
Kok-Hwa Lie making his debut as the King of Siam today, with Eu Jin Hwang making his debut as the Kralahome.
Also Jacqui Sanchez is on as Lady Thiang.
If anyone is lucky enough to be there in Sunderland, do please let us know how everything goes.
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Jun 10, 2019 17:41:10 GMT
Special Sunderland offer for under 25s See #TheKingandIUK for just £15 if you're 25 or under Use promo code UNDER25 at (link: tinyurl.com/yy4aa9c3) tinyurl.com/yy4aa9c3 *Bands B-D and Mon - Fri perfs only. Fees apply to online/phone sales. |
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Post by helso1 on Sept 5, 2019 9:28:00 GMT
Hi!
Wonder if anyone could offer any advice. Has anyone sat in the restricted view seats at Leeds Grand Theatre before? Just trying to work out how much we might miss for this show if we go with them. Difference of almost £40 a ticket compared to the Stalls.
Thanks for any help :-)
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5,138 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Sept 5, 2019 10:04:19 GMT
Hi! Wonder if anyone could offer any advice. Has anyone sat in the restricted view seats at Leeds Grand Theatre before? Just trying to work out how much we might miss for this show if we go with them. Difference of almost £40 a ticket compared to the Stalls. Thanks for any help :-) There are, broadly, three types of restricted view seats at Leeds Grand - those that are high, those that are at the sides, and those behind one of the theatre's numerous pillars. I have to wait until next February, but I'm seeing it in Hull from a £20 stalls seat, which seemed like the better option. |
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Post by helso1 on Sept 6, 2019 9:36:19 GMT
Hi! Wonder if anyone could offer any advice. Has anyone sat in the restricted view seats at Leeds Grand Theatre before? Just trying to work out how much we might miss for this show if we go with them. Difference of almost £40 a ticket compared to the Stalls. Thanks for any help :-) There are, broadly, three types of restricted view seats at Leeds Grand - those that are high, those that are at the sides, and those behind one of the theatre's numerous pillars. I have to wait until next February, but I'm seeing it in Hull from a £20 stalls seat, which seemed like the better option. Thank you! I'll report back with how the view is if I go the restricted view route! |
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Post by Dr Tom on Sept 6, 2019 21:34:30 GMT
One thing I noticed at the Alexandra tonight is that there are posters up advertising the tour being there over Christmas. The posters have Annalene Beechey and Jose Llana listed as the leads.
I think that's great news they're returning after the break, as previously this was listed as "star casting to be announced". Jose Llana is the strongest of the kings for me. Hopefully means they're both seeing out the rest of the tour.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2019 22:14:21 GMT
I'm personally hoping to see Maria as Anna if I see this in Edinburgh due to her recent connection with one of my favourite shows. She has said she will be on in a 9 show week which I am guessing will be the Thursday matinee during half-term, so I guess I could go then.
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3,325 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 11, 2019 10:00:59 GMT
Last night in Birmingham was my first time seeing the tour since the cast change (and also the first show in the Birmingham run, which extends until 4 January).
The theatre seemed pretty full. I had a ticket at the extreme end of the front row, probably the closest to the stage I've ever sat as the orchestra pit was further along. Lots of leg room too. Do steer clear of the aisle end of the side front row sections. The orchestra pit extends out with a fence and the leg room there looks horrible.
The seat I had was one with an extreme angle into the wings, as well as one of the only seats where you could see the stage crew pushing the boat into position and standard there during the first song. It is also very restricted view as several points, particularly when Anna sits in the corner during The Small House of Uncle Thomas ballet and her dress blocks much of the stage. Didn't matter too much to me as I've seen this show a few times, but it may be annoying if you've not seen the show before. A lot of the seats at the front edges suffer from the same problem.
Also had a man sat next to me who just could not sit still, but otherwise the audience was pretty good.
Annalene Beechey and Jose Llana were excellent as usual.
Cezarah Bonner was playing Lady Thiang with a walking stick. Don't know if I completely missed that before.
Paulina Yeung has taken over as Tuptim, a role she played on tour in North America. I think I've seen her before. She has a pleasant voice and did a great job.
I had hoped to see Ethan Le Phong, who has taken over as Lun Tha, but he was off and the role was played by Joaquin Pedro Valdes. He was fine, good build, his voice better suited to I Have Dreamed than We Kiss In The Shadow. Will hopefully see Ethan another time.
Joseph Black was on as Louis and did great. Unusually, they listed the names of all the children on the information board.
Started a few minutes late yesterday, finished about 10:35pm.
Still a fantastic show which doesn't date.
Just seen Kok-Hwa Lie is on as The King from 17 December until 4 January, so I'll try and catch him too. It does mean there are only a few days to catch Jose Llana's excellent portrayal in Birmingham.
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Post by xanady on Dec 14, 2019 21:18:24 GMT
My work boss has just texted me to say that after sitting with her Mum in their seats for 45 mins at the start time,the show(in Birmingham)was cancelled due to stage heating problems making it unsafe for actors.Oh dear!
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3,325 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 14, 2019 22:38:14 GMT
My work boss has just texted me to say that after sitting with her Mum in their seats for 45 mins at the start time,the show(in Birmingham)was cancelled due to stage heating problems making it unsafe for actors.Oh dear! What a shame for everyone concerned. It was Jose Llana's last Birmingham date as well. |
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 31, 2019 23:13:27 GMT
Final show of the decade and only fair it should be arguably the greatest musical of all time, seen from a perfect front row centre seat.
Quite a few of the cast were absent (this was the New Year's Eve matinee, then there are no more shows until January 2). And many others were keen to get away as quickly as possible; one of the male ensemble was changed and zoomed by me only minutes after the show ended.
We had:
Kok Hwa Lie as The King of Siam. I was looking forward to seeing him and he was great. It's hard to replace Jose Llana, but Kok got across the humour and inner turmoil of the role.
Eu Jin Hwang as the Kralahome. Perfectly fine. It's not a role there's too much to say about.
Jessica Gomes-Ng as Tup Tim. Really good. Her voice matched up perfectly with Ethan Le Phong for I Have Dreamed, which got the most applause of the night. She also said "Oh My God" quite loudly to Ethan during the bows when the full house standing ovation happened.
Sunny Yeo as Lady Thiang (or Thaing as the cover notice listed it). Excellent voice, particularly during Something Wonderful. Acted well, lots of little touches. Only problem was she invented a few lines, particularly during the first verse of Western People Funny when she sang the wrong line too early and created something of a pause before the ensemble filled in. She might not have been on as Lady Thiang many times.
Joseph Black was on as Louis and was excellent (I also saw him last time).
Glad to have finally seen Ethan Le Phong as Lun Tha too. Vocally excellent. Facially, he looks older than the actors who normally play Lun Tha. He doesn't really get the chance to show off his body either (not that his Instagram leaves much to the imagination).
Anyway, this remains an excellent production and fits perfectly in the Alexandra. It's very hard to keep dry eyes. It was my pleasure to see this very different combination of cast members to usual, all accompanied by the truly accomplished Annalene Beechey. Let's hope the next decade starts off just as strongly.
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Post by danb on Jan 12, 2020 19:09:46 GMT
Might treat myself to the Weds matinee in Cardiff. Assuming that the production values are high and it’s as sumptuous as it looks?
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Post by Dr Tom on Jan 13, 2020 13:40:36 GMT
Might treat myself to the Weds matinee in Cardiff. Assuming that the production values are high and it’s as sumptuous as it looks? Yes, high production values and elaborate sets. But the sets are designed to be realistic, rather than opulent. |
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Post by danb on Jan 13, 2020 17:36:11 GMT
I’m not really familiar with the show. I just remember the film a little bit. Will it hold my interest or will I just appreciate the quality?
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Post by Theatre Fan on Jan 13, 2020 17:43:03 GMT
I’m not really familiar with the show. I just remember the film a little bit. Will it hold my interest or will I just appreciate the quality? For me, I don't see there being a better production of this show. It's gorgeous 💖 |
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Post by undeuxtrois on Feb 27, 2020 4:56:22 GMT
Probably a silly question, but if I take my ticket meant for the 21st to the box office on the 13th, will they just switch the ticket date without a fee?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2020 7:26:31 GMT
I’m not really familiar with the show. I just remember the film a little bit. Will it hold my interest or will I just appreciate the quality? For me, I don't see there being a better production of this show. It's gorgeous 💖 I dont think a better production will tour, or probably be done in London, for many years. It's not selling particularly well at my local venue and I think generally a trend is emerging that these golden age shows are not quite as popular as they once were, partly because the generations the loved them the most are slowly dieing out. Both king and I and my fair lady had unexpectedly short broadway runs. I'd say see this if you want to see a quality production of a classic |
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Post by Dr Tom on Feb 27, 2020 8:59:28 GMT
Nipped to Milton Keynes last night to see the tour and had a shock when the King appeared and it wasn't Jose Llana.
Then, it took me quite a while to warm to the gentlemen playing a weathered, abrupt and argumentative King. A very different portrayal of a cold King, who only let a slight smile grace his lips when he was introducing his children.
Apparently Jose Llana left the tour after Cardiff and Darren Lee has taken over. He is advertised as having played The King on the US tour, although I believe that he really played Phra Alack and covered occasionally.
If you're used to The King being played with a light touch, this is very different. Have to say, I've seen six different Kings for the Lincoln Theatre production (in the UK and in North America) and Jose Llana was by far the best, so it's disappointing to see that he's left the tour, but keen to give Darren Lee a chance. He enunciates every word clearly whether he's speaking or singing, which is something different. And I can still see what Anna sees in him. Good that he's made the part his own.
Apart from that, all of the leads were on and in fine form. Sound in Milton Keynes was excellent. Only downside was I was sat in the centre of the fourth row of the Stalls and the seat is directly behind and on the same level as the one in front. It is discounted, but probably not one to go for if you haven't seen the show before. The whole row is made up of strange fold-out seats which do end up with lots of legroom, but it's a tight squeeze to get into the role.
In my detective work, I also noticed that Annalene Beechey has tweeted that she is leaving the tour on April 4, which is a shame as she has been excellent and I won't get to see her in the role again. Do catch her before she leaves.
Incidentally, I see that people have said this show is struggling, but there are lots of high priced tickets and very few discounts in Milton Keynes (Birmingham was the same) and several of the cast tweeted that it was the best selling UK tour of 2019. Perhaps this is venue selective?
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