22 posts
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Post by phantz on Dec 12, 2017 9:34:24 GMT
Really enjoyed it, what did you think? I rather like Chris beard even though he was villainous with it!! ....great vocals throughout other than an off rendition of ‘all for laura’. Think a frog in throat as otherwise the actress playing part was vocally perfect.... That's really interesting as the same thing happened when I saw it. Absolutely rock solid, then that moment of croak - and certainly not the highest note she sings - is it a directional instruction then? |
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80 posts
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Post by jay78uk on Dec 12, 2017 21:52:19 GMT
....great vocals throughout other than an off rendition of ‘all for laura’. Think a frog in throat as otherwise the actress playing part was vocally perfect.... That's really interesting as the same thing happened when I saw it. Absolutely rock solid, then that moment of croak - and certainly not the highest note she sings - is it a directional instruction then? Well, i guess marian’s character is v stressed and upset when she sings the song. But would seem odd to deliberately sing it poorly, particularly given its one, if not the stand out song of the show |
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Post by Dawnstar on Dec 13, 2017 22:52:18 GMT
I saw the matinee today & I was so-so on it. I didn't see the original production but I did see a play adaptation about 10 years ago, which I remember as one of the dullest nights I've spent in a theatre. This was certainly better but I found it extremely melodramatic & the lyrics sometimes pretty clunky. Music-wise it only seems to have 2 really good tunes, but then Bizet managed to get by in The Pearl Fishers with only 1 so I guess Lloyd Webber can manage with 2!
The stand-out performance for me was Greg Castiglioni as Fosco, excellent both vocally & dramatically. It was believable that Marion could be attracted to him, which I gather wasn't the case in the original production. I also thought Anna O'Byrne & Carolyn Maitland were very good as Anne & Marion (the former I've seen in several other roles but it was my first time seeing the latter). I was not as impressed by Chris Peluso as Glyde. It's an interesting casting decision to have him as the villain when he has the looks for a hero but at times he seemed a little lacking in force. I also found his American accent came through quite a lot, which was distracting (unlike Anna O'Byrne, who did perfect RP).
Overall I'm glad I saw it but I think 1 viewing was probably enough.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2017 8:50:34 GMT
Really liked this and a big improvement on the original staging and direction. Great set and costumes (especially considering the venue), uniformly strong cast (actually preferred all roles to the original cast and replacements). Characterisation was better, especially Fosco who is no longer a big cartoon character.
As a piece it is occasionally too melodratic and Ann's 'I have a secret' is a bit too overused. Also some things I think would be better spoken than sung.
Main changes I spotted were replacing lammastade with the wedding song and lost souls being cut (which is a shame).
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2017 20:03:18 GMT
I'm being lazy...but any offers kicking about on this one. I can't see any on the Monkey but I might be being dense.
merci buckets etc.
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1,046 posts
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Post by jgblunners on Dec 17, 2017 21:33:56 GMT
I'm being lazy...but any offers kicking about on this one. I can't see any on the Monkey but I might be being dense. merci buckets etc. £18 Rush on TodayTix  |
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1,254 posts
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Post by theatrelover123 on Dec 17, 2017 21:46:04 GMT
It's being comped on lots of theatre groups/clubs.
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1,280 posts
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Post by theatrefan77 on Dec 17, 2017 22:47:15 GMT
Yes, every single theatre club seems to be given away tickets for this so I guess it's not doing very well.
It's a nice enough production with a good cast and strong vocals but I don't think it's a very good show. It's certainly one of my least favourite Lloyd Webber shows.
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Post by Mark on Dec 18, 2017 0:20:12 GMT
It's being comped on lots of theatre groups/clubs. I must be in the wrong clubs! I got rush tickets through Todaytix, row P stalls excellent view. Lots of empty rows behind us though. The show was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Act one was a bit of a bore, started feeling very sleepy about halfway through the act. Certainly picked up for the better in act two. I didn't find it very typical of an ALW score. Some great moments but the music was all a bit meh. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2017 6:36:23 GMT
I was the opposite, enjoyed act 1 and that flew by but act 2 dragged
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1,578 posts
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Post by anita on Dec 18, 2017 10:39:05 GMT
It's being comped on lots of theatre groups/clubs. Not on the 3 I belong to it isn't! |
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1,254 posts
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Post by theatrelover123 on Dec 18, 2017 12:13:45 GMT
It's being comped on lots of theatre groups/clubs. Not on the 3 I belong to it isn't! It is on the 4 I belong to. But mainly one  |
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449 posts
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Post by SageStageMgr on Dec 18, 2017 19:06:08 GMT
I am on literally all of them. Haven’t seen it comped yet.
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449 posts
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Post by SageStageMgr on Dec 18, 2017 19:12:05 GMT
Incidentally I seat G4 in stalls for tonight - £18 todaytix app.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2017 19:20:12 GMT
Incidentally I seat G4 in stalls for tonight - £18 todaytix app. Are they still going? Do they still sing their opera stuff? |
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Post by SageStageMgr on Dec 18, 2017 20:35:47 GMT
Incidentally I seat G4 in stalls for tonight - £18 todaytix app. Are they still going? Do they still sing their opera stuff? I had to google them to get the joke, I hadn’t heard of them! |
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449 posts
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Post by SageStageMgr on Dec 18, 2017 20:36:16 GMT
At the interval - this is absolutely brilliant.
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Post by hitmewithurbethshot on Dec 21, 2017 11:46:37 GMT
£18 front row rush seats from TodayTix a few days ago - can't complain! A few thoughts on the show: This is Carolyn's show, through and through, despite how much the advertising hypes up Anna O'Byrne. CHILLS during both All For Laura's. Chris Peluso also a highlight, very believably villainous but also charming, with a near-perfect accent. Diction a little sloppy on his maybe 2 spoken lines, but I've always found it's easier to sing in a different accent than to speak in it. In general, a fantastic cast. The main issue is the material. It's very over-dramatic in a "classic ALW" way, basically trying to be another Phantom but the story doesn't really lend itself to that kind of musical. Phantom worked with its bombasic music and melodrama because of the characters and setting, the character of the Phantom himself is basically the definition of over-dramatic. TWIW however would do better as a Sondheim type show. The lyrics are amusingly cringy at times, there were a lot of points where I'd think "oh I know what they're going to rhyme this with" and the lyricist really needs lessons in subtlety. I had to laugh at the lead up to Glyde's introduction, Walter asks Anne who wronged her and she says "Sir Percival Glyde" twice and Walter repeat it, then there's the revelation that Laura is engaged to him, then when he finally enters "Sir Percival Glyde" is sung over and over just to really hammer the point home that THIS IS THE BAD GUY COMING IN. I did enjoy the clever rhymes in some parts, they worked well for Marian and the uncle, one an intelligent young woman whose mind probaly runs a hundred miles an hour, the other a sarcastic old man. The show starts very oddly and abruptly with Walter just singing "hello there", I feel it needs an overture or opening song to properly lead the audience into a sung-through musical format. {Spoiler - click to view}
The ending is a little contrived: why did Glyde go to the trouble of killing Anne and having her switch places with Laura instead of killing both? If he wanted the fortune it would be in his best interest to ensure Laura couldn't stop him getting it or reveal he was in debt and had motive to fake her death that way. Especially with the asylum apparently had such lax security that Anne escape several times.
It just meant that Laura and Marian could be reuinted while Anne webt through a horrible experience and was just killed when she was more useful dead than alive. |
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Post by phantz on Dec 27, 2017 9:37:26 GMT
{Spoiler - click to view}
The ending is a little contrived: why did Glyde go to the trouble of killing Anne and having her switch places with Laura instead of killing both? If he wanted the fortune it would be in his best interest to ensure Laura couldn't stop him getting it or reveal he was in debt and had motive to fake her death that way. Especially with the asylum apparently had such lax security that Anne escape several times.
It just meant that Laura and Marian could be reuinted while Anne webt through a horrible experience and was just killed when she was more useful dead than alive. It was Fosco's idea. Glyde didn't really give a Scooby as long as he had time to take off with the money. I guess Fosco's reasoning to spare her is up to interpretation (perhaps from a sense of genuine affection for Marion?). There's no implication that Fosco is aware of the full history, of course. Interestingly, the secret in the novel is that Glyde is illegitimate and not eligible of his 'Baronet' status. Anne dies of natural causes after escaping the asylum which makes substituting in Laura easier to manage.
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608 posts
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Post by chernjam on Dec 28, 2017 1:28:11 GMT
Musically can someone tell me how the revival ends? Between the boots I've heard, the 2 times I saw the original on broadway and then the London recording - they're all different
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Post by AddisonMizner on Dec 30, 2017 19:47:38 GMT
I saw the show this afternoon, and absolutely loved it, with nothing but positive things to say!
I have been a huge fan of the score for such a long time, and hearing it live for the first time was truly a treat. I have often said on here that I find Lloyd Webber’s score for LOVE NEVER DIES to be his most beautiful, but actually I now believe that THE WOMAN IN WHITE is. Yes, there is a lot of recitative and repeating themes, but when they are as gorgeous as this, I don’t mind hearing them again and again. There was barely a moment when I didn’t have tingles down my spine, or tears in my eyes. At some points, I nearly burst out into fill out sobs. Remembering some moments now, I still get shivers. The score is also Lloyd Webber’s most cohesive, with all musical moments being fully related to the show. It set mood and atmosphere perfectly.
I also think that it helps that this is attached to an excellent story, with lots of twists and turns. Whoever said that they were bored with this, I do not understand, as the drama went at such a fast pace! The time flew-by! I was gripped, and knew the story beforehand. If I hadn’t have had a train to catch, I could have quite easily sat through it again.
The production itself was excellent, as were the cast. It was nice to hear singing as good as this on a London stage again.
The Charing Cross Theatre is getting to be one of my favourite venues. I can’t wait to see what they do next!
JUST GO!
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Post by vabbian on Jan 4, 2018 0:34:19 GMT
Saw this tonight.
I think a very dry story with a dry score,
quite disappointed considering it is an ALW musical.
I do think the cast were great though,
standout moments being All for Laura and the Fosco solos.
3/5
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Post by chernjam on Jan 6, 2018 4:46:43 GMT
Hey - other WIW fans. If you're interested in a new cast recording - tweet @womaninwhiteuk and @officialalw. Some of the cast members seem to believe that the more the producers hear and see their is an interest from fans, the more the topic will be brought up and discussed. I for one would love to hear this cast which has been pretty much praised across the board, and hear what changed ALW made
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 14, 2018 15:44:31 GMT
Saw it yesterday afternoon. Loved it. I found it touching and heartfelt. I really believed every character, and the small scale production really found the heart of the story for me.
I thought its greatest achievement was the reimagining of Count Fosco from the fat-suited grotesque. Worked brilliantly.
The ending was bittersweet and poignant.
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 14, 2018 15:59:31 GMT
Really liked this and a big improvement on the original staging and direction. Great set and costumes (especially considering the venue), uniformly strong cast (actually preferred all roles to the original cast and replacements). Characterisation was better, especially Fosco who is no longer a big cartoon character. Agree 100% |
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