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Post by Michael on Jan 20, 2016 21:05:27 GMT
Sell A Door's production of Avenue Q is touring the UK until mid June. For tour dates, please see here: avenuequk.com/tour-dates |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2016 17:06:51 GMT
Thinking about booking for this on tour later in the year... I've always avoided the Sell a door production, as I last saw the original production, which I loved. The puppets for this tour just look too... rubbish!
Are we ever likely to see Avenue Q again in this country in it's original form again? Or should I swallow my pride and give Sell a Door a chance?
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4,369 posts
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Post by Michael on Jan 28, 2016 18:05:09 GMT
I've seen the Sell a Door production in Greenwich and Brum in 2014 and in Richmond in 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I thought the puppets looked great - rubbish is the last word that'd come to my mind. Yes, they are slightly different to the original ones, but who cares?
Great cast, especially Stephen Arden who is a fantastic Nicky/Trekkie Monster.
You should definitely go and see it. I even preferred it over the off Broadway production I saw on Monday.
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Post by firefingers on Jan 29, 2016 0:28:15 GMT
Those puppets were built just different enough to the West End ones to avoid copyright issues, but we're built by the person who made the West End ones. At over £2,000 a week to hire them, they better be good.
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Post by danielwhit on Jan 29, 2016 15:45:15 GMT
Yeah - I'm in a similar situation to you with regards to giving their production a go. I know it's been doing the rounds long enough now, however I'm still resisting as I know it isn't the same as the original production.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2016 16:29:44 GMT
Those puppets were built just different enough to the West End ones to avoid copyright issues, but we're built by the person who made the West End ones. At over £2,000 a week to hire them, they better be good. I didn't mean to cause offence, honestly, so apologies if that's the case. I'm just very familiar with the original puppets - and to see these ones is just a stark difference. Kate monster for example looks much paler by comparison (in tone) and fluffier. Thanks for the opinions though, I think I'll definitely be going to give it a try  ? |
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Post by talkstageytome on Jan 29, 2016 19:51:45 GMT
I adore the original production, everything about it was great from the cast to the promotional stuff to the puppet design (I agree there is a stark difference) however, having seem multiple versions of the show now I think that really it's worth catching in any form. Plus I hear the cast is fab (though I've not seen this tour yet)
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4,369 posts
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Post by Michael on Jan 29, 2016 19:58:53 GMT
I didn't mean to cause offence, honestly, so apologies if that's the case. I'm just very familiar with the original puppets - and to see these ones is just a stark difference. Kate monster for example looks much paler by comparison (in tone) and fluffier. Thanks for the opinions though, I think I'll definitely be going to give it a try ? A few minutes in the show and you won't even realise anymore that they're different. At least I didn't. |
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Post by djdan14 on Jan 29, 2016 21:18:12 GMT
You won't notice the difference. I've seen the show 9 times now, 5 original and 3 Sell a door and it all just blurs into one.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2016 10:49:33 GMT
Saw this is Liverpool last night, the production was great as were the cast. I saw it back in 07 with Daniel Boys and Julie Atherton and it was equally as good. A few little set changes but I imagine mostly to reduce touring costs and they were all pretty unnoticeable changes anyway.
I took my boyfriend to see it for his first time, and as not a very big musical fan (he HATED wicked) he really enjoyed it and has spurred him on to see more, thank god!
The only thing I really noticed was how badly it had sold! I have never seen the Empire so quiet! I don't know about the circle but the stalls were bleak, extremely bleak. We could have moved absolutely anywhere we wanted and not really bothered anyone. We paid for the £10 restricted view row D stall seats and ended up with a centre aisle, was great but I felt a bit sorry for the cast. Especially as they had just done a 5pm show before hand and I had seen online that was even quieter! That's showbiz though!
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Post by critchyboy on Feb 27, 2016 17:11:55 GMT
It played The Grand theatre here in Blackpool two years ago - pretty much a sell out and a great venue.
This year it is playing the huge Opera House and I fear it will be too big a place for the show and the audience it will draw.
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Post by chinatoy on Feb 27, 2016 17:20:17 GMT
Genuine question as I'm curious but the cast have no known "names". Do you think that makes a difference these days?
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Post by drowseychap on Feb 27, 2016 22:21:59 GMT
I saw their original tour and loved it must admit considering it was much smaller production all performers were excellent ... Saw it in a small theatre and also a large atg theatre was only half full and most were £15 special offer tickets ... But was a good quality show
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2016 15:09:52 GMT
I saw the original TRB/Cameron Mackintosh tour both years, first at the Birmingham Hippodrome then at the Belgrade in Coventry, it was great both times but I probably enjoyed it more the first time even though it was a bigger theatre (and it was more full than Coventry was!). Although it was still good in Coventry I noticed a few cutbacks they made to accommodate it in a smaller theatre (no flying bed with pyrotechnics, less wedding decorations etc. - no front cloth even!).
I suppose now if it's a new smaller production anyway it probably doesn't need to visit the huge venues, but as for the question of whether or not this show needs "names", I think the main draw for this is the show itself and perhaps the puppets or the idea of an adult-styled Sesame Street spoof. When I went to Coventry, many people around me where whispering the punchlines to some of the jokes in the songs before they came (bloody annoying for the people who hadn't seen it - luckily I had!), so I think it is a bit well-known by now.
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489 posts
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Post by djdan14 on Mar 4, 2016 7:38:57 GMT
The size of theatres this is playing is interesting, for example, Blackpool opera house is huge. 2920 seats according to Wikipedia. However I was supposed to be seeing this in Wakefield this evening at a theatre of 499 seats and it got pulled some weeks ago due to poor sales.
It seems that large theatres half empty are OK for this tour but small half empty theatres are not.
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Post by critchyboy on Apr 22, 2016 6:29:45 GMT
Just had an email from Groupon - £35 tickets down to £15 for the tour at the Manchester Palace Theatre.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2016 17:04:30 GMT
Gosh I'm late, but I saw it the final night it was in Southampton. (the 13th)
As much as I adored Sarah as Kate/Lucy when I saw it first time around in Bournemouth, I did a little victory "yes" when Jess was announced to go on. I did have some brief degrees of separation from her at some point although I didn't even realise it at the time, but I really like her. From what I saw at the Olivier's and WEL last year, she makes the best facial expressions and really engages with the puppets and knows her characters well.
Sarah seems to 'fit' the characters better, as in she looks more in character holding them and her voices snap into place, but Jess, although very similar, had her own little quirks too. Her Kate was more possessive of Princeton and Lucy more sly. Her expressions are fabulous too, as I mentioned before, and she even changes stance slightly as Lucy. She didn't lose character at any point-I honestly think she could fit any of the roles. One thing to note, even though this isn't Jess' fault, is that Kate's mouth seems to be a little hard to manoeuvre. Having handled one before I know how stiff your thumb can get, and how hard it is to keep it going, but to me in Row D at some points Kate's mouth was barely opening at all. I'd put this down to the fact that her head is ever so slightly weightier than the mouth (it looks bigger), which can put more pressure on the fingers and prohibit the thumb from moving much.
Richard was lovely as Princeton and Rod, just as good as I've remembered and his puppeteering is spectacular.
Stephen, Richard M and Etisyai(?) were awesome too. Very lively and absolutely perfect for their characters.
Gracie was on for Christmas Eve, too. She seemed a little too young for the part but she fit right in and I cried with laughter when she (spoiler) pulled out her fans during Racist.
There were two new people in the cast. Both men, and one went on as the New Guy (I didn't see him in any other songs). He got a good round of laughter.
The other dude was on for Yellow Bear, which really irked me. It's not his fault, they probably had a shortage of cast and/or wanted to give him some spotlight, but at For Now, he didn't play her and instead was played by the girl playing Mrs T/Right Arm, who had a more fitting voice for Yellow Bear. He totally made the role his own, don't get me wrong, but as far as I remember Yellow's always played by Right Arm/etc. I wonder why this was?
All in all, the Mayflower was packed to the brim. There was a lovely little Labrador guide dog asleep in the aisle that seemed startled during the Money Song. This is a nice change as when I first saw it it was barely scraping 50 people if that, and this was in a theatre that a quick Google search tells me holds 1,458. The Mayflower houses well over 2,000. Although I suppose closing night is a huge attraction, and the Mayflower is a well-established theatre in the South, but I'm glad the cast got to see this many people appreciate this awesome musical.
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489 posts
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Post by djdan14 on Mar 26, 2018 9:58:46 GMT
My favourite returns! Back on tour again from next January starting in Portsmouth according to WoS
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489 posts
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Post by djdan14 on Mar 26, 2018 16:35:17 GMT
With the last tours I’m up to 10 times seen, im making 11 times shortly in New York. So glad it’s back!
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2018 14:53:02 GMT
Dublin date has now been added
Monday 13th May, 2019 - Saturday 18th May, 2019
This time though it is going to the Gaiety Theatre not the Bord Gais Theatre (A wise move in my opinion)
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2018 15:04:22 GMT
I see that it’s also going to Dunstable too *shudders* 6th - 11th May. Incidentally where I first saw the show. The theatre is lovely, the town, however...
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Post by waybeyondblue on May 28, 2018 16:57:43 GMT
I see that it’s also going to Dunstable too *shudders* 6th - 11th May. Incidentally where I first saw the show. The theatre is lovely, the town, however... |
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Post by timothyd on May 28, 2018 19:48:19 GMT
Any chance this will get to either London or Edinburgh? Would love to see it.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2018 19:54:13 GMT
A production of Avenue Q has been announced at the Broadway in Peterborough for a week at the beginning of March. Dunno if it is this production though?
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