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Post by Rory on Jan 16, 2024 13:54:01 GMT
Maybe the Lynne for Christmas?
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Post by ceebee on Jan 16, 2024 14:31:05 GMT
Can't believe this show is even being considered for a future life. It's dire.
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Post by Being Alive on Jan 16, 2024 14:35:48 GMT
Can't believe this show is even being considered for a future life. It's dire. It's interesting you say this, given you were fairly positive after the first preview on this thread! What changed, in your view? |
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Post by zahidf on Jan 16, 2024 14:47:24 GMT
Obviously, everyone is entitled to their own opinion on the show, but judging from the critical reviews, word of mouth ( given the run is sold out) and the voters tally above, a lot of people don't think its terrible!
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Post by Being Alive on Jan 16, 2024 14:51:24 GMT
Oh I very much wasn't thinking that - genuinely interested in what changed for ceebee as they were fairly positive about it to begin with! |
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Post by zahidf on Jan 16, 2024 14:57:55 GMT
Oh I very much wasn't thinking that - genuinely interested in what changed for ceebee as they were fairly positive about it to begin with! Oh, i gathered, no probs. Im just surprised the tone of talk on here is that its a flop in some way, when by most metrics is a critical and commerical hit for the NT |
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Post by ceebee on Jan 16, 2024 15:14:59 GMT
Can't believe this show is even being considered for a future life. It's dire. It's interesting you say this, given you were fairly positive after the first preview on this thread! What changed, in your view? It's more a case of what didn't change. I saw it very early on and felt there were some obvious elements that would change through the preview process - I anticipated some cuts to lines and scenes and the first preview was so disrupted due to tech issues I felt it could only get better. I felt there was promise. However, after seeing it again I found that little had changed and the more "complete" evolved production I had anticipated hadn't actually happened. It's very unusual for me to be negative about a show - in fact, anybody reading my previous views on some shows might think that my views are quite lightweight as I err on the side of the positive and probably overscore a lot of productions. This show just didn't do it for me, despite giving it three chances. That said, there seem to be plenty of people who do like it, so what do I know? |
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Post by ceebee on Jan 16, 2024 15:16:44 GMT
Oh I very much wasn't thinking that - genuinely interested in what changed for ceebee as they were fairly positive about it to begin with! Oh, i gathered, no probs. Im just surprised the tone of talk on here is that its a flop in some way, when by most metrics is a critical and commerical hit for the NT Yes, I'd say it has been a success for the NT, though I don't think there is enough to carry it through anything other than a brief transfer. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jan 16, 2024 20:32:01 GMT
Maybe the Lynne for Christmas? Again- it would have to be considerably redesigned for even the Gillian Lynne. |
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Post by Jon on Jan 16, 2024 21:32:08 GMT
I wonder if the Olympia Theatre which is due to open in 2025 could be an option depending on how big the stage is? Not West End but at 1576 seats, it would be an option.
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Post by showtoones on Jan 16, 2024 23:46:08 GMT
Maybe the Lynne for Christmas? Isn't Standing at the Sky's Edge going to extend there? |
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Post by greatauntedna on Jan 17, 2024 0:08:28 GMT
Well I’ve seen it three times, including the first preview, and it really clicked for me the third time!
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Post by horton on Jan 17, 2024 23:12:19 GMT
[br Because it’s not very good? She has found the show and the director exhausting. |
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Jan 19, 2024 10:38:38 GMT
Seems more and more wise to stay away from this board before seeing a show, everyone has become so negative. Absolutely enjoyed the production, the whole audience loved it, great leads, great production values. Just the one number with the weird kids costumes reminded me of a school production. Still 5 stars.  |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jan 19, 2024 11:28:57 GMT
You might also want to stay away from the Kiss me kate thread
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Post by Being Alive on Jan 21, 2024 11:29:08 GMT
Finally got to see this yesterday, and I have a lot of thoughts about it 😂
It's so nearly there for me, and has all the ingredients of a properly fun, dark family musical, but there are some bits that just need work doing to them before it can properly take off.
The score needs one more absolute banger, and at least two more earworms that you come out humming I think.
What's there is at times very clever (brilliant Dave Malloy lyrics as per but very wordy) but it's quite uneven.
Get Up, which I've heard the intro to about 8000 times due to YouTube ads, is fine, but it needs more voices behind it. Just having the kids singing doesn't allow it to take off - I'd have had the adults in the wings adding some oomf to it as it got into the final chorus.
Also, for a show about Witches, it's not nearly magic enough. When you get to the end of Act 1 and the most magical thing that's happened is some doors opened on their own, you have an issue, so that's another big thing for me - just have some fun slight of hand tricks you don't need to spend ££ on it really.
My other main issue is that if this was to have a future life, or be revived in 10 years time, the references are incredibly specific to now (TikTok etc). The creative team are cleverer than that and they could have set it in a non descript time and it mean it's timeless. It'll just need unnecessary work doing to it if that opportunity arises and they could have done without that (did love the Grand High Witch's Cilla Black moment though!)
Casting wise it's super strong which I think we all could have expected - the chorus of women is absolutely stacked with people I love watching in shows and it's great to see a chorus of solely women of all ages etc.
Daniel Rigby is fun - it's a shame he can't really sing but it sort of works anyway.
Sally Ann Triplett and Katherine Kingsley are chewing the scenery to high heaven but are absolutely excellent.
Kids are alright (I hate kids in shows but they were fine)
Our Luke was fine, but our Bruno was a star (THAT number was fabulous)
5 stars to the hoover.
They've properly shot themselves in the foot with the design though. It's absolutely ENORMOUS and sort of unnecessarily so. Most Olivier shows feel like they can fit into the Gillian Lynne but this has absolutely no hope. This is Drury Lane or bust, but I think it would get lost in that auditorium.
So it's 3 stars for me, but a strong 3 stars because there is bags of potential.
Couple more great songs, a bit more magic, and don't have it so specifically 'now' with the references and I think there's a really good 4 star show in there that could have a healthy run in the west end.
(Sorry this was so long 😂)
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Post by ceebee on Jan 21, 2024 16:57:14 GMT
Great review Being Alive - enjoyed reading it. I agree with pretty much all of it. Seems the combo of different Brunos and THAT number really hits the mark - it was my one high point of the production. I'd hate to see Drury Lane wasted on this show, though would happily see Frozen melt away. |
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Post by greatauntedna on Jan 21, 2024 21:31:06 GMT
Great review Being Alive - enjoyed reading it. I agree with pretty much all of it. Seems the combo of different Brunos and THAT number really hits the mark - it was my one high point of the production. I'd hate to see Drury Lane wasted on this show, though would happily see Frozen melt away. The way you talk about this show is as if it has some mean spirit or irredeemable rotten core, which it just doesn’t. |
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Post by ceebee on Jan 21, 2024 21:53:21 GMT
Great review Being Alive - enjoyed reading it. I agree with pretty much all of it. Seems the combo of different Brunos and THAT number really hits the mark - it was my one high point of the production. I'd hate to see Drury Lane wasted on this show, though would happily see Frozen melt away. The way you talk about this show is as if it has some mean spirit or irredeemable rotten core, which it just doesn’t. That's your opinion and mine is mine. Such is the joy of life - views differ. |
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Post by jr on Jan 25, 2024 5:42:44 GMT
£20 ticket available on noticeboard for Friday evening.
DM if interested.
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Post by singingbird on Jan 26, 2024 14:20:15 GMT
I finally saw this this week and loved it a hundred times more than I expected. It was joyous, anarchic, surreal and totally bonkers in the most wonderful way.
My expectations, from reading comments on here, were pretty low, and my experiences of family musicals at the NT have generally been so poor that there's no way I'd have booked for this if it hadn't had a Dave Malloy score. I was wary, however, because I thought doing another Dahl musical smacked of unoriginality. It felt calculatedly designed to be an easy sell, and my alarm bells ring when original talents, like Malloy, are employed to contribute to something that wasn't their original vision. But, in this instance, it really worked.
I know neither the book or either film, so I couldn't tell how much was Dahl's invention and how much was unique to this adaptation, but I just thought it was glorious. From the eccentric, yet very humane characters, to the hyper-real and beautiful sets (that kitchen was insane), and from the super-literate and off-beat lyrics to the totally delirious touches (who on earth decided that the Grand High Witch would suddenly channel Cilla Black? And how did they know it would work so brilliantly?!), I was completely swept up in the world of it, and had no idea what madness would happen next.
Malloy's work is usually much more driven by theme and allusion than by narrative, so it was nice to see him contribute to something more traditional, and yet still bring his left-field slant to proceedings. It could have failed, but it worked a treat. I don't think the music was unmemorable - I would just argue that it's a rare new show you ever come out of humming the tunes, unless the composer has reprised them repeatedly. The only son, actually, that I didn't rate at all was Get Up (or is it Stand Up?) which felt very by-numbers and only there because shows like this seem to demand a song of that nature.
The performances were also completely committed and so well realised. I'd echo that the three adult leads knocked it out the park (shades of John Cleese-esque mania, as everything span out of control), but equally the children were just outstanding, and the role of Bruno in particularly was exceptionally demanding but delivered with a level of verve, wit and polish that would be the envy of many way more experienced adult performers.
I honestly haven't enjoyed a show this much in ages, in terms of laughing and being constantly delighted, and it ranks with Sunset Boulevard for me as theatre highlight of the last 12 months. Bravo!
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Post by greatauntedna on Jan 28, 2024 13:51:31 GMT
The final performance was great last night, the atmosphere was electric! Lots of tears!
I ended up seeing the show 5 times. Everyone gives such detailed performances, it’s tricky to know where to look. I think the standout from the witches though was Bobbie Little, her choreography was elastic and demented, she always tore up the stage!
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Post by thestageyscribbles on Jan 29, 2024 8:25:37 GMT
Does anybody think that this is going to get a transfer/have heard any rumours of one?
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Post by Being Alive on Jan 29, 2024 8:26:57 GMT
It can't go anywhere. It was made for the Olivier which means it either comes back to the Olivier or it goes to Drury Lane.
It's not going to Drury Lane and I hear that it's not back for next Christmas either so I'm not sure what's happening.
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Post by vickyg on Jan 29, 2024 10:37:32 GMT
It would be such a shame for this huge show to not have a second life after what sounds like a very long development period and a relatively short run. Katherine Kingsley's instagram post seemed quite final though and even whispers of transfers seem to get to this Board somehow.
I saw the last performance on Saturday and it was great. There has been so much progress since the early stages of the run and it's been such a feel good show. I'm sad to see it go.
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