95 posts
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Post by theatre on Jul 12, 2017 21:39:11 GMT
I went to see Footloose at GLive in Guildford today having seen it at the New Victoria in Woking last year, and it got me thinking... has anyone ever had the venue severely impact their view on a touring show? I always used to be of the school of thought that the show was the show and all that matters is if the stage size is big enough to accommodate the set. After today I have totally changed my mind. When I saw this show with most of the same cast in Woking I was incredibly impressed and thought it was a rather well put-together touring production, and the energy in the room was great. Today, the whole thing just seemed very amateurish to me and I'm pretty sure that it was down to the space (though a more than half empty matinee audience didn't help either). Anyone else found a similar thing?
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 12, 2017 22:21:15 GMT
I think it's the night, rather than the venue. Which of course means the size of the audience has a big impact.
Having said that I think there was a hugely noticeable difference between Wicked at the Palace and Wicked at the Lowry. But that might be because it had been touring for for so long it was basically on its arse by the time it got to its final venue.
Do you mean the Footloose tour with Gareth Gates? Is he still in that?
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Post by daniel on Jul 13, 2017 1:22:23 GMT
I think that the venue can have a massive impact - I guess it's probably subjective to each of us but every venue has a "feel", and for me, places like G Live that have more of a multipurpose hall vibe rather than that of a traditional theatre just create a whole different atmosphere. Equally I saw WWRY at the Dominion and loved it despite its flaws...saw it again at Manchester Arena and detested it, the space just swallowed it up.
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Post by showgirl on Jul 13, 2017 3:38:27 GMT
I've never been to G Live because of the venue type, even though there have been productions there I'd have liked to see. (It also doesn't help that it's so far from the station, unlike the Yvonne Arnaud theatre, which is 5 mins' walk.) However, the comparison with the New Victoria in Woking is interesting, as though it's very pleasant, I find that an absolute barn of a place which also needs a fairly full house to create atmosphere and avoid a show feeling lost.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jul 13, 2017 6:42:03 GMT
G Live is a terrible venue. I can imagine a one man Hamlet would work better in an aeroplane hangar than G Live
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449 posts
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Post by SageStageMgr on Jul 13, 2017 7:42:10 GMT
I personally loathe the Adelphi, it's my personal least favourite theatre... shows just get swallowed up, the sight lines are atrocious and it smells of wee.
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114 posts
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Post by showbizkid on Jul 13, 2017 10:04:42 GMT
So many factors go into the enjoyment of theatre - your mood, your company, your pay check, the weather, the theatre, the performers, the audience around you, the evening, the period in the contract of the actors (is it the 11th month), the temperature, the air, how comfy the seats are/aren't, the theatre design - so many things. I saw Wicked on Broadway and adored it and saw it on the West End and didn't like it at all! So strange and a vortex of reasons.
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Post by Steffi on Jul 13, 2017 12:21:00 GMT
I've been considering going to see Blood Brothers at G Live. Maybe I'm better off waiting until the tour comes to Leicester.
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Post by richey on Jul 13, 2017 12:30:06 GMT
I've always found shows at Liverpool Empire to be disappointing. The sound quality there is dreadful and it always seems a cavernous space to fill. Footloose died a death there it was awful.
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449 posts
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Post by SageStageMgr on Jul 13, 2017 12:39:17 GMT
I've always found shows at Liverpool Empire to be disappointing. The sound quality there is dreadful and it always seems a cavernous space to fill. Footloose died a death there it was awful. I sound an electric Blood Brothers there 8-9 years ago... it was incredible. Evita, however, was balls. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2017 13:30:14 GMT
I really feel this almost every time the WMC brings a play in. The size of stage and configuration of the theatre as a whole nine times out of ten ends with it feeling 'lost' in there, and I end up feeling if I'd seen them in the New Theatre, or perhaps over in Bristol I'd have a far better experience of the shows.
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Post by danb on Jul 13, 2017 13:32:31 GMT
I've never been to G Live because of the venue type, even though there have been productions there I'd have liked to see. (It also doesn't help that it's so far from the station, unlike the Yvonne Arnaud theatre, which is 5 mins' walk.) However, the comparison with the New Victoria in Woking is interesting, as though it's very pleasant, I find that an absolute barn of a place which also needs a fairly full house to create atmosphere and avoid a show feeling lost. I remember seeing the first 'Tommy' tour in Woking back in the day & the theatre definitely detracted from that. They may aswell have left have left the lights on the auditorium was so bright and 'airy'. When you're trying to lose yourself in an audio visual spectacle it really doesn't help. I found the same to be true of the Majestic on Broadway; no idea why. |
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Post by crowblack on Jul 13, 2017 13:59:36 GMT
I've always found shows at Liverpool Empire to be disappointing I've never seen a play there, but when I was a teenager I never liked it as as a band venue, probably because I like indie bands and they're better suited to somewhere intimate. Even quite big names seemed lost on it. The newly reopened Everyman is great, a comfy theatre in the round with very good sightlines - I haven't been to the Dorfman, going next week for the first time, but I think it's by the same designers. |
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Post by showbizkid on Jul 13, 2017 22:31:07 GMT
I've always found shows at Liverpool Empire to be disappointing. The sound quality there is dreadful and it always seems a cavernous space to fill. Footloose died a death there it was awful. I sound an electric Blood Brothers there 8-9 years ago... it was incredible. Evita, however, was balls. The Empire is MASSIVE! One of the biggest in Europe. You really need to sit front stalls or have a really in your face show otherwise you have no emotional connection. It is so beautiful though. One of the best in the UK. |
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Post by crowblack on Jul 13, 2017 22:36:30 GMT
You really need to sit front stalls Yes - the best concerts I saw there were when we were right at the front (got a bit squashed, though!). Relatives who are into dance and big 'showy' shows like it, but I generally prefer small theatres where you can see the actors' spit. |
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 14, 2017 13:00:36 GMT
You really need to sit front stalls Yes - the best concerts I saw there were when we were right at the front (got a bit squashed, though!). Relatives who are into dance and big 'showy' shows like it, but I generally prefer small theatres where you can see the actors' spit. If you haven't already done so, you need to sit on the front row of the Royal Exchange in Manchester. Lot's of spittle action! |
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Post by firefingers on Jul 14, 2017 13:44:58 GMT
Yes - the best concerts I saw there were when we were right at the front (got a bit squashed, though!). Relatives who are into dance and big 'showy' shows like it, but I generally prefer small theatres where you can see the actors' spit. If you haven't already done so, you need to sit on the front row of the Royal Exchange in Manchester. Lot's of spittle action! Ditto Hamlet in town. People nearly drowned! Having toured a few shows, the venue affects massively. This can tie right back where the designer or director might go "We start at Leicester Curve so fill that stage and make it perfect for their?" "What about the village halls with a stage 1/4 of the size and with sightlines that'll be blocked by our main set piece?" "Design for Leicester, that's where we are getting reviewed". I toured a show where the design team pretty much actively ignored the smaller houses so we had to wedge in a show that was too big and was all the worse for it, with the reviews pretty much invariably being a star lower in them. Even the little things can be a problem, like the dressing rooms being 3 flights of stairs away so the principles don't get to rest or the in house team being slow on the fit up meaning tech got pushed late and was rushed so cast and crew are frazzled for first performance and starts the week badly. Or the audience are that bit further away from the stage so the energy isn't the same for cast. |
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 14, 2017 13:55:23 GMT
For the record, I meant lots, rather than lot's. I'm from the north!
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Post by crowblack on Jul 14, 2017 15:50:17 GMT
you need to sit on the front row of the Royal Exchange in Manchester. It's probably my favourite theatre - it feels really intimate despite being a 700 seater or something. |
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