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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 17:24:27 GMT
Reassuring to see that Rebel will perform at every performance for her run, 8 shows a week, no holiday dates. She confirmed to a fan on Twitter. At the first performance in Instagram, she also posted that she had "1 down, 63 to go", so it is great she is planning to do all performances!  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 17:28:11 GMT
I was there last night, and this show has morphed under the new cast into the most hilarious escapism in London! Spoilers follow. . . I had seen the show at the Savoy, but booked one of those half-price flash sales, to see Samantha Spiro, after reading good things here. I had hoped to see a more subtle take on Adelaide than the effortful Sophie Thompson, so I was peeved when the cast changed under me. However, post Brexit, I felt so miserable, that the prospect of being "steamrolled by the Rebel Wilson train" seemed like just the tonic. This show is through-the-roof hilarious now! Clearly, if you haven't a taste for broad comedy, this isn't for you. But if you do, only Mischief Theatre can rival this show for laughs. And here, the singing is better. It isn't just Rebel Wilson. Swapping David Haig for Simon Lipkin is like swapping cheese for chalk. Haig really was "good old reliable Nathan [Detroit,]" wheres Simon Lipkin's Nathan is about as reliable as a promise from Michael Gove. You wouldn't trust this klutz to walk up stairs without falling over, let alone run a crap game. And that doesn't bother me, because this is escapism, not realism. Simon Lipkin's shtick amuses the heck out of me: he stutters and sweats, frets and jigs, more nervous than a teenager on his first date. If Haig was butter, Lipkin is scrambled eggs. One of the problems of the show at the Savoy (perhaps the only one) was the mismatch between Haig's realistic performance and Sophie Thompson's comic exaggerations. By contrast, Simon Lipkin and Rebel Wilson balance each other. Not merely in the sense that they both have an effortless easy talent for comedy. They also balance each other because the shtick each does is the opposite of what the other does. Where Lipkin is nervy and fearful, Wilson is brazen and fearless. Where Lipkin fears to tread, Wilson will tread on everyone and everything and not notice. It makes so much sense that someone-who-thinks-too-much (Lipkin's Nathan) and someone-who-thinks-too-little (Wilson's Adelaide) fall head over heels for each other. They are like Jack Spratt and his wife, and between the two of them, they lick the comedy platter completely clean, with their complementary styles of comedy. Rebel Wilson is quintessential blundering blustering Fanny Brice. In "Take Back your Mink," her charisma makes her stand out from every girl around her, spiked by the obvious visual difference of her body type. She is a natural comedienne, able to expand her frame and mouth and gestures, but also has the musical theatre knack of withdrawing into sudden sentimentality and making it work. If there was one thing Wilson could make work better, it is that she doesn't appear sneezy enough in "Adelaide's Lament," though perhaps she saves that for "Adelaide's second lament," which worked a treat. As long as you are prepared to throw realism to the wind, and are ready for big silliness, the Lipkin-Wilson duo are the most joyful and funny pairing on the London stage. And this show keeps on giving, because the Oliver Tompsett - Siubhan Harrison pairing is almost as delightful, and by the end, it IS as delightful. Not at the beginning though, as Tompsett is a very different beast to Jamie Parker. Parker is so loveable and charismatic a presence that I was rooting for his Sky Masterson from his first gleaming toothy grin. Tompsett is smarmy by comparison. It is as if Parker was one part Frank Sinatra, one part preening puppy, whereas Tompsett is one part Clark Gable, one part slithering snake. It is the snake-like quality of Tompsett that had me rooting for Lipkin's Detroit to take sleazy Tompsett's money. At the Savoy, I wanted the opposite, for chirpy Parker's Masterson to take Haig's money. But Tompsett's oily presence actually proves a boon to the production, as it gives his character further to narratively travel towards falling in love with Siubhan Harrison's adorable Sarah Brown. And when Tompsett makes his turn, and gets heartfelt about Harrison, he really milked it, and I was very touched! Overall, this is a stonkingly funny and entertaining show, and the move away from romantic realism to all around comic escapism makes this the best and most entertaining tonic for our times that I can think of. 5 stars It's such a classic show, but I had heard reports of it being quite a dull one previously. By all accounts though it sounds as though the new cast have injected some life into it... I had this booked a while ago, for mid July, but until now it wasn't necessarily one I was 'looking forward to'. Feeling excited now! |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 17:30:59 GMT
Is Simon Lipkin due to stay on after Rebel leaves too? At the moment, I think it's just Oliver who is most likely to stay on for the majority of the run?
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Post by theinvisiblegirl on Jun 30, 2016 17:40:00 GMT
Is Simon Lipkin due to stay on after Rebel leaves too? At the moment, I think it's just Oliver who is most likely to stay on for the majority of the run? Simon said on a Twitter that he leaves on 21 August too. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 17:41:45 GMT
I wouldn't be surprised if they have two more star names to close out the show.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 17:50:22 GMT
I wouldn't be surprised if they have two more star names to close out the show. I think they will need to if they want to keep it going until January |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 17:53:09 GMT
I wouldn't be surprised if they have two more star names to close out the show. I think they will need to if they want to keep it going until January They aren't confirmed to close in January though, they could close sooner if they don't find someone. If the advance after Rebel is so low, they could do an Audra and close not long after!  |
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Post by CG on the loose on Jun 30, 2016 17:57:06 GMT
I saw it this afternoon and it had all the energy (throughout the cast) that was missing from the touring version I saw the other week. Steve's review sums up the current vibe perfectly and while the shtick wasn't entirely to my taste (over-milked at times), I was nonetheless beaming throughout.
I agree that Tompsett's transformation was all the more affecting for the distance travelled, and I liked him more in this than I've liked him in anything, but he's never going to be my favourite performer, and I found his voice (speaking and singing) strangely muffled (though not so much as to be inaudible).
But that aside, the whole show fizzed and the audience, including several large school groups, lapped it up. I was overtaken by a sudden attack of tears at Billy Boyle's 'More I Cannot Wish You' - touched a nerve that other versions haven't reached! Special mention too for Gavin Spokes' Nicely Nicely - he restored 'Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat' to its rightful place in my personal all-time favourite numbers list after the car-crash version I witnessed on tour.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 18:02:34 GMT
I think they will need to if they want to keep it going until January They aren't confirmed to close in January though, they could close sooner if they don't find someone. If the advance after Rebel is so low, they could do an Audra and close not long after! Yeah that could definitely happen. I don't think it's what ATG want though as then there won't be anthing running in the Phoenix until Februrary when The Girls goes in there. I think they'll try and get some more names too, but it'll be hard to find someone who is more well known globally than Rebel I think. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2016 20:07:21 GMT
I saw this at the Savoy and thought I'd share my thoughts: I think the casting for this was brilliant. I dont know why people didn't like Sophie Thompson as I thought she was marvellous! Her acting and singing was hysterical and i dont think she played for laughs at all! I thought her and David Haig's chemistry was great and they got on really well as well as having a laugh together. Jamie Parker was also amazing as Sky, he has a great singing voice! Siubhan is also a great Sarah, love her in that role! She's amazing in the Havanna Scene. I really wish this had won an Oliver award, however it was up against some stiff competition with Gypsy obviously winning. I also love the set in this, simple but so effective! I love the NY billboards and how it morphed into the Havana scene. I love Peter Mckintosh's designs, his DRS design was great. I would've liked to have seen more set for the sewer scene, though. The choreography was also amazing, especially in Havana. The diva was great! I never saw In the Heights, but If that wasn't nominated think this or Kinky Boots should've won! Love the music, Sit Down is great and I thought Lorna Gayle is marvellous! Overall great show and would like to see how Rebel fairs in it. 5 stars |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2016 20:15:47 GMT
I saw this at the Savoy and thought I'd share my thoughts: I think the casting for this was brilliant. I dont know why people didn't like Sophie Thompson as I thought she was marvellous! Her acting and singing was hysterical and i dont think she played for laughs at all! I thought her and David Haig's chemistry was great and they got on really well as well as having a laugh together. Jamie Parker was also amazing as Sky, he has a great singing voice! Siubhan is also a great Sarah, love her in that role! She's amazing in the Havanna Scene. I really wish this had won an Oliver award, however it was up against some stiff competition with Gypsy obviously winning. I also love the set in this, simple but so effective! I love the NY billboards and how it morphed into the Havana scene. I love Peter Mckintosh's designs, his DRS design was great. I would've liked to have seen more set for the sewer scene, though. The choreography was also amazing, especially in Havana. The diva was great! I never saw In the Heights, but If that wasn't nominated think this or Kinky Boots should've won! Love the music, Sit Down is great and I thought Lorna Gayle is marvellous! Overall great show and would like to see how Rebel fairs in it. 5 stars I found it OK at the Savoy, but I want to give it a chance again with Rebel. I found it just a standard night at the theatre, not really memorable, I didn't quite enjoy it as much as others did. It faced very stiff competition with Gypsy truly, but in truth I thought that obviously Imelda was going to win from the word go, I wanted Matt, Killian or Jamie to win for Actor, and seeing Ian again in Henderson, I wanted him to win too haha. I had Choreography set on Kinky Boots until I saw In the Heights the day after the awards and it is totally deserved, it is stunning! A complete re-invention of the show from Broadway! Don't miss it if you get the chance! |
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Post by theinvisiblegirl on Jul 1, 2016 22:16:32 GMT
I just narrowly missed being hit by a tambourine Rebel accidentally sent flying during curtain call tonight. It bounced off the barrier in front of me and went into the pit. I really loved her Adelaide and Simon was just fab too. Got to meet her afterwards and stage door was surprisingly calm, she signed and chatted and did selfies with as many people as she could. Matt Lucas was in watching tonight too.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2016 22:18:52 GMT
I just narrowly missed being hit by a tambourine Rebel accidentally sent flying during curtain call tonight. It bounced off the barrier in front of me and went into the pit. I really loved her Adelaide and Simon was just fab too. Got to meet her afterwards and stage door was surprisingly calm, she signed and chatted and did selfies with as many people as she could. Matt Lucas was in watching tonight too. Clearly enjoying herself way too much!
Glad to hear Matt Lucas was in the audience! Fun Fact: Matt and Rebel lived together in West Hollywood for three years! And I'm not even kidding.
Can you imagine that household?!
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Post by theinvisiblegirl on Jul 1, 2016 22:21:01 GMT
Yes I knew that, I think they talked about it when they played Kirsten Wig's flat mates in bridesmaids.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2016 12:49:28 GMT
I knew that also. Anyone else?
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Post by d'James on Jul 2, 2016 13:03:34 GMT
Yes I did. Matt or Rebel said Rebel used to dress as a mermaid to go in the pool.
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Post by theatremadness on Jul 2, 2016 13:09:56 GMT
I knew, too!! Think they've both definitely talked about it publicly before. This is a fun game!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2016 20:19:25 GMT
I can't remember where I heard it, I have a feeling they had discussed it on a mainstream talk show or something?
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Post by Flim Flam on Jul 2, 2016 20:26:05 GMT
I think it must have been in a written interview, as I don't think I have seen them being interviewed on tv. I seem to remember there was something about the neighbours complaining as they had a habit of singing show tunes loudly in the garden hot tub?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2016 22:00:09 GMT
I think it must have been in a written interview, as I don't think I have seen them being interviewed on tv. I seem to remember there was something about the neighbours complaining as they had a habit of singing show tunes loudly in the garden hot tub? That's what I read or saw too, must of been in a news story! |
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Post by freckles on Jul 3, 2016 8:47:33 GMT
Is Rebel doing the matinees?
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Post by Mark on Jul 3, 2016 10:02:56 GMT
Planned to do all shows
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Post by flyingfree on Jul 3, 2016 10:24:42 GMT
Hoping to see this today if Southern can get us into London on time. Don't have tickets yet, have seen it's at tkts but was wondering if anyone's had any luck just going straight to box office and getting a good deal? Might not have time to try both.
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Post by Mark on Jul 3, 2016 10:42:56 GMT
Hoping to see this today if Southern can get us into London on time. Don't have tickets yet, have seen it's at tkts but was wondering if anyone's had any luck just going straight to box office and getting a good deal? Might not have time to try both. I would personally go straight to the box office. From looking online the dynamic pricing has kicked in and there are some great stalls/dress circle seats for £25, and all the remaining upper circle is £15 |
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Post by wickedgrin on Jul 3, 2016 12:22:35 GMT
Hoping to see this today if Southern can get us into London on time. Don't have tickets yet, have seen it's at tkts but was wondering if anyone's had any luck just going straight to box office and getting a good deal? Might not have time to try both. I would personally go straight to the box office. From looking online the dynamic pricing has kicked in and there are some great stalls/dress circle seats for £25, and all the remaining upper circle is £15 Mmmm...Rebel not filling the theatre at premium prices then...I thought she was brought in to boost the box office? |
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