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Post by winonaforever on Mar 29, 2019 14:22:01 GMT
I'm still quite confused by the seating! I'm going to be in N19 next week, it looks as though there are 3 row N seats on their own on one side of the catwalk, but I think someone said earlier that there are some seats in that row that aren't on the seatplan. I suppose I'll find out when I get there!  I don't know if I'm going clarify or confuse here .. There's a runway used by cast from the centre of the stalls to the exit which splits each row . N19 you're on the right hand side of the theatre with the runway to your left. On the left hand side of the theatre there is a sound/lighting booth splitting the rows N/O again (absolutely no distraction from it), from N20 to O21. Thankyou! Must be the sound booth that looks like a mysterious blank next to my seat (on the ATG seating plan) |
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Post by winonaforever on Mar 29, 2019 14:23:12 GMT
I'm still quite confused by the seating! I'm going to be in N19 next week, it looks as though there are 3 row N seats on their own on one side of the catwalk, but I think someone said earlier that there are some seats in that row that aren't on the seatplan. I suppose I'll find out when I get there! I'd be interested in your view next week as I've booked N18 and N19 for later in the run. I'll definitely report back! It's the 4th I'm going, next Thursday. |
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Post by theatregeek on Mar 29, 2019 15:38:45 GMT
Bloody hell, I saw a video of the stage being built for this yesterday and when I booked I thought I would be safe by choosing a stalls box since the staging was confusing me. Well now it seems I'm inside a little house in Anatevka! What if I need to cry, or pick my nose! No hiding place. From where I was Sat that box looked like it would give the best experience of the original staging at the Menier. Therefore I think it's a good choice and you'll feel very much a part of the action. Plus, it isn't Don Quixote so you won't have bread thrown at you! Ha! If anyone on here is at the evening performance on 8th June I'll do a wee bow for you - lol. |
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Post by pianowithsam on Mar 29, 2019 17:43:29 GMT
I'm still quite confused by the seating! I'm going to be in N19 next week, it looks as though there are 3 row N seats on their own on one side of the catwalk, but I think someone said earlier that there are some seats in that row that aren't on the seatplan. I suppose I'll find out when I get there! I don't know if I'm going clarify or confuse here .. There's a runway used by cast from the centre of the stalls to the exit which splits each row . N19 you're on the right hand side of the theatre with the runway to your left. On the left hand side of the theatre there is a sound/lighting booth splitting the rows N/O again (absolutely no distraction from it), from N20 to O21. Any insight into how B21, B22 & B23 stalls will be? |
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Post by theatrefan77 on Mar 31, 2019 22:15:34 GMT
This was just ok. It's entertaining enough but nothing special really. I've seen much better productions. The Stalls area was immersive and there were lots of times when we had some of the actors next to us which was nice. The main problem is the rake, or lack of. The stage is very low and if you get somebody tall in front you won't see a thing, or you will see very little. I was fine, but lots of people around me were really struggling. Andy Nyman does a decent enough job as Tevye, but I was disappointed by Judy Kuhn as Golde. She was a bit on the bland side and you don't believe for a minute that Tevye is a bit afraid of her. The rest of the cast are no more than adequate. The dream sequence was very poorly staged and I'm not really sure why they went for a man in drag to play Grandma Tzeitel. Stalls row N gives a nice view of the stage as long as you don't someone tall in front. Good value for £20. Disappointed by Judy Kuhn? She should win every award available for this role. Breathtaking. She wasn't very good the day I saw her. Maybe she was having an off night. I was looking forward to her performance but left me completely cold. I've seen four different productions of Fiddler and Kuhn is definitely my least favourite Golde. |
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Post by jek on Apr 2, 2019 17:40:11 GMT
Really enjoyed this this afternoon. I am old enough that I remember going to see the film 'up West' in Leicester Square as a child. I have very fond memories of Paul Michael Glaser (before Starsky and Hutch) as the revolutionary Perchik! My daughter has no such memories but is very fond of Mrs Maisel and so was waiting for the bottle dance.
Thought it was quite thrilling to see such dancing on a small stage - properly worried at a couple of points that there might be collisions.
We were in F25 and 26 of the stalls which I purchased at a little more than half price when the Menier had a discount running on tickets for this period. Wouldn't have paid the £85 they seem to be selling for currently but then I'd only pay that for something like Hamilton. But it was a great view.
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Post by scarpia on Apr 4, 2019 11:02:47 GMT
I really liked Judy Kuhn as Golde and liked the production overall but something was missing. Not sure if it was the small orchestra.
The sightlines in the Upper Circle aren't great, if it influences anyone's decision. When I went there was a kerfuffle between audience members (one of whom told the other really loudly to 'piss off', and then the victim of that remark stormed off) because of the ones in the front row of the Upper Circle leaning forward and blocking the view of members behind them.
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Post by winonaforever on Apr 4, 2019 19:26:04 GMT
I'd be interested in your view next week as I've booked N18 and N19 for later in the run. I'll definitely report back! It's the 4th I'm going, next Thursday. Ok, so N19, 18 and 17 are 3 seats on their own on the right as you enter the stalls. N19 (my seat) is the one at the end, so probably the best seat in the theatre for getting to the loo/bar quickly in the interval! You have to step DOWN into this row, from the aisle/walkway so watch your footing! I'm SO glad I chose the end seat because those back stalls felt very cramped and uncomfortable to me (I'm 5' 7" incidentally) and with the end seat you can put your feet up on the walkway (you're not in anyones way doing this, although the seat is right next to where the actors make their entrances and exits throughout the show) The other two people in the row must have been really uncomfortable I should think, with lack of leg room. I'm probably spoiled because I almost always sit in the front stalls at the theatre, but I didn't like being this far back at all. On the other hand, it was good value at £20 for this show. The view was pretty good, but it's definitely a case of having to peer round peoples' heads; luckily I could see almost all the stage most of the time without having to move around too much! I was VERY envious of the people in the stage boxes, that would definitely be the place I'd want to be if I saw it again, right in full view of everyone and feeling part of the action! As for the show itself, I already know it very well and enjoyed seeing it (apart from the heartbreaking ending of course) Great cast, but I absolutely loved Stewart Clarke as Perchik, he was the person who really stood out for me. |
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Post by amp09 on Apr 4, 2019 21:53:45 GMT
I'll definitely report back! It's the 4th I'm going, next Thursday. Ok, so N19, 18 and 17 are 3 seats on their own on the right as you enter the stalls. N19 (my seat) is the one at the end, so probably the best seat in the theatre for getting to the loo/bar quickly in the interval! You have to step DOWN into this row, from the aisle/walkway so watch your footing! I'm SO glad I chose the end seat because those back stalls felt very cramped and uncomfortable to me (I'm 5' 7" incidentally) and with the end seat you can put your feet up on the walkway (you're not in anyones way doing this, although the seat is right next to where the actors make their entrances and exits throughout the show) The other two people in the row must have been really uncomfortable I should think, with lack of leg room. I'm probably spoiled because I almost always sit in the front stalls at the theatre, but I didn't like being this far back at all. On the other hand, it was good value at £20 for this show. The view was pretty good, but it's definitely a case of having to peer round peoples' heads; luckily I could see almost all the stage most of the time without having to move around too much! I was VERY envious of the people in the stage boxes, that would definitely be the place I'd want to be if I saw it again, right in full view of everyone and feeling part of the action! As for the show itself, I already know it very well and enjoyed seeing it (apart from the heartbreaking ending of course) Great cast, but I absolutely loved Stewart Clarke as Perchik, he was the person who really stood out for me. I’m booked for N19 after the tip off a few weeks ago about the £20 tickets on here. Glad to hear it’s not a terrible seat. |
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 4, 2019 22:22:40 GMT
N17 (tonight), no problem with the leg room, extra space to the right, terrible take though so you feel a long way back. Nice private corner seat.
Unfortunately, the elderly lady getting into N18 didn’t know about the step and I (and others in the row in front) got soaked with her drink. She took a nasty fall, although she told us she was okay (I could hear her telling her husband something different). The usher didn’t help by laughing when the husband reported it (probably a nervous laugh, but still).
I think the lady was alright by the end, but do take care with those seats. It’s dangerous, especially with the dim lighting.
Anyway, this was good. Bigger stage than the Menier and it felt like a bigger ensemble. Andy Nyman flubbed some lines and was having an off night, but still the star of the piece.
Don’t think I’d want to sit that far back again, but can’t really complain for £20.
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Post by greeny11 on Apr 4, 2019 22:24:51 GMT
I was in H34 tonight and the legroom was non existent - I had to sit sideways just to fit in the chair (admittedly, I am just over 6ft, but even the ladies next to me struggled).
I really liked Andy Nyman - I didn't know the piece, so any line flubs to me weren't obvious. His singing was a bit flat in places, but he was very good.
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Post by winonaforever on Apr 5, 2019 6:41:46 GMT
N17 (tonight), no problem with the leg room, extra space to the right, terrible take though so you feel a long way back. Nice private corner seat. Unfortunately, the elderly lady getting into N18 didn’t know about the step and I (and others in the row in front) got soaked with her drink. She took a nasty fall, although she told us she was okay (I could hear her telling her husband something different). The usher didn’t help by laughing when the husband reported it (probably a nervous laugh, but still). I think the lady was alright by the end, but do take care with those seats. It’s dangerous, especially with the dim lighting. Anyway, this was good. Bigger stage than the Menier and it felt like a bigger ensemble. Andy Nyman flubbed some lines and was having an off night, but still the star of the piece. Don’t think I’d want to sit that far back again, but can’t really complain for £20. I didn't realise N17 also had a bit of leg stretching space too, that's good! I still think N18 must be an uncomfortable seat though. And yes, that step down is potentially very dangerous if people don't look where they're walking. The light's very dim as you enter the theatre and the matinee was full of older people many of whom weren't too agile (walking sticks and general slow movement) I can't stand this expression, but it really is "an accident waiting to happen" |
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Post by alece10 on Apr 5, 2019 7:08:32 GMT
Well that's me going to trip for sure as I've got N18 and N19. I can trip over a grain of sand.
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Post by winonaforever on Apr 5, 2019 7:42:43 GMT
Well that's me going to trip for sure as I've got N18 and N19. I can trip over a grain of sand. Forewarned is forearmed!(It's fine as long as you watch where you're going, the hazard is that nobody would EXPECT to have to step down into the row!) |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2019 7:49:35 GMT
Hey @theatremonkey, are you aware that you have stalls N18 and N19 twice on your seating plan, on both sides of the central aisle?
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 5, 2019 18:21:38 GMT
Robert Maskell on as Teyve tonight. Anyone in?
Is that the first show Andy Nyman has missed? He did seem a bit off last night so may be under the weather.
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Post by wickedgrin on Apr 5, 2019 18:33:34 GMT
I think he is attending the press night of Ghost Stories at the Lyric Hammersmith
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Post by TallPaul on Apr 9, 2019 12:31:45 GMT
We already knew, unofficially, that it was going to extend, but tickets now on sale until 28 September, due to 'overwhelming demand'.
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Post by squidward on Apr 11, 2019 3:01:40 GMT
I was brought up listening to the OBC of Fiddler and my family way back were shtetl dwellers from a small village near Odessa. The first musical I ever saw was Fiddler with Topol in the lead back in the sixties, so this show feels like part of my DNA.
Many years later, I saw the version at The Savoy with Henry Goodman as Tevye and Beverley Klein as Golde which I thought was pretty much perfect. I enjoyed the Chichester production too, though not as much as the Savoy version.
After everything I'd heard about the Menier production I couldn't wait to see it, but I found it deeply underwhelming.
Andy Nyman's portrayal of Tevye left me stone cold. His accent seemed to cover a wide global territory including Scotland, the USA, France, Turkey and North London. The entire cast seemed to have accents from various locations across the globe too.
Nyman's singing was shaky (to put it nicely) at times, the Sabbath Prayer being a real humdinger and it really looked to me like he was generally marking the show - maybe he was having an off-night, but if so, it was REALLY off.
Judy Kuhn's Golde was pretty pallid for my taste. Great voice, but not much else going on there.
I have no idea what T.Nunn's thinking was with the dream sequence. A few cast members milling about in what appeared to be circus costumes from a school production, then Fruma Sarah appearing to be minutely elevated via on a pogo stick plus a 6ft lip-syncing male playing Grandma Tzeitel? Nightmarish yes, but not in the way it was intended I think.
At the performance I saw there were at least three bottles went adrift during the Bottle Dance followed by what I thought was an incredibly lame, underpopulated disruption of the wedding ( three actors neatly kicked over some boxes and a ripped pillow). The choreography wasn't as tight as it needed to be and I'm wondering if not enough effort was put into scaling the show up in that department.
I remember the dream sequence in the Posner/Savoy version being genuinely spooky and the end of Act One being very harrowing. There was no dramatic tension in either part of the show for me in Nunn's version.
I thought the set looked great when none of the cast were on it, but the decision to have the actors all clad in a dark palette against the very dark set didn't work for me at all. I know they were going for a darker version of the story, but to literally take all the colour out of the stage and costumes seemed counterproductive.
Overall I was just not moved by this production at all and that is a first for me with this particular show being so close to my heart.
I'm very glad I didn't pay an extortionate price for our tickets. I'm genuinely confused by all the praise that has been heaped on this production. Of course it's all subjective, but for me, this version was workman-like at best and painful to watch in some places. I know the Menier formula is to move some of their shows into the west end so they can then be transferred to Broadway, but I'd be very surprised if this production follows that trajectory.
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Post by alece10 on Apr 11, 2019 4:55:14 GMT
I was brought up listening to the OBC of Fiddler and my family way back were shtetl dwellers from a small village near Odessa. The first musical I ever saw was Fiddler with Topol in the lead back in the sixties, so this show feels like part of my DNA. Many years later, I saw the version at The Savoy with Henry Goodman as Tevye and Beverley Klein as Golde which I thought was pretty much perfect. I enjoyed the Chichester production too, though not as much as the Savoy version. After everything I'd heard about the Menier production I couldn't wait to see it, but I found it deeply underwhelming. Andy Nyman's portrayal of Tevye left me stone cold. His accent seemed to cover a wide global territory including Scotland, the USA, France, Turkey and North London. The entire cast seemed to have accents from various locations across the globe too. Nyman's singing was shaky (to put it nicely) at times, the Sabbath Prayer being a real humdinger and it really looked to me like he was generally marking the show - maybe he was having an off-night, but if so, it was REALLY off. Judy Kuhn's Golde was pretty pallid for my taste. Great voice, but not much else going on there. I have no idea what T.Nunn's thinking was with the dream sequence. A few cast members milling about in what appeared to be circus costumes from a school production, then Fruma Sarah appearing to be minutely elevated via on a pogo stick plus a 6ft lip-syncing male playing Grandma Tzeitel? Nightmarish yes, but not in the way it was intended I think. At the performance I saw there were at least three bottles went adrift during the Bottle Dance followed by what I thought was an incredibly lame, underpopulated disruption of the wedding ( three actors neatly kicked over some boxes and a ripped pillow). The choreography wasn't as tight as it needed to be and I'm wondering if not enough effort was put into scaling the show up in that department. I remember the dream sequence in the Posner/Savoy version being genuinely spooky and the end of Act One being very harrowing. There was no dramatic tension in either part of the show for me in Nunn's version. I thought the set looked great when none of the cast were on it, but the decision to have the actors all clad in a dark palette against the very dark set didn't work for me at all. I know they were going for a darker version of the story, but to literally take all the colour out of the stage and costumes seemed counterproductive. Overall I was just not moved by this production at all and that is a first for me with this particular show being so close to my heart. I'm very glad I didn't pay an extortionate price for our tickets. I'm genuinely confused by all the praise that has been heaped on this production. Of course it's all subjective, but for me, this version was workman-like at best and painful to watch in some places. I know the Menier formula is to move some of their shows into the west end so they can then be transferred to Broadway, but I'd be very surprised if this production follows that trajectory. That's an interesting detailed review. You must be excellent at accents to detect do many different ones. I wouldn't have a clue what a Turkish accent sounded like and didn't even know there was such a thing as a North London one. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2019 7:51:04 GMT
Check out You Tube on how to do different accents from around the world including Turkey and North London.Yes,they do exist.
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Post by danieljohnson14 on Apr 11, 2019 10:13:17 GMT
Do we think this production has the potential to extend again? It's selling really well, and it does seem like it has the potential to continue for the time being at least? |
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Post by Dr Tom on Apr 11, 2019 11:15:54 GMT
Do we think this production has the potential to extend again? Yes |
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Post by argon on Apr 14, 2019 10:33:09 GMT
Andy Nyman's portrayal of Tevye left me stone cold. His accent seemed to cover a wide global territory including Scotland, the USA, France, Turkey and North London. The entire cast seemed to have accents from various locations across the globe too. Nyman's singing was shaky (to put it nicely) at times, the Sabbath Prayer being a real humdinger and it really looked to me like he was generally marking the show - maybe he was having an off-night, but if so, it was REALLY off. Completely not convinced by Andy Nyman's Tevye, like above his accent morphed into varies dialects -I would add an Irish twang to the above. The weakest Tevye I have seen to date. The Savoy production was far superior but I was impressed with Stewart Clarke's Perchik. I even preferred the semi-staged Proms production a few years back to this. |
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Post by squidward on Apr 14, 2019 14:00:53 GMT
Andy Nyman's portrayal of Tevye left me stone cold. His accent seemed to cover a wide global territory including Scotland, the USA, France, Turkey and North London. The entire cast seemed to have accents from various locations across the globe too. Nyman's singing was shaky (to put it nicely) at times, the Sabbath Prayer being a real humdinger and it really looked to me like he was generally marking the show - maybe he was having an off-night, but if so, it was REALLY off. Completely not convinced by Andy Nyman's Tevye, like above his accent morphed into varies dialects -I would add an Irish twang to the above. The weakest Tevye I have seen to date. The Savoy production was far superior but I was impressed with Stewart Clarke's Perchik. I even preferred the semi-staged Proms production a few years back to this. Phew! I'm glad it wasn't just me that had misgivings about Andy Nyman's portrayal of Tevye and yes, there was definitely a bit of Irish in the mix there  . i don't understand why the decision was taken to have the entire cast speaking in different accents either (we had English, various regions of the USA, generic Eastern/Middle European and somewhere inbetween all three). Why not settle on one accent and stick with it Mr Nunn? |
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