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Post by alison on Aug 15, 2019 10:32:00 GMT
I've just caved and booked a grass bank spot for this afternoon since the weather seems to be ok, figured I might as well do the Open Air Lloyd Webber double (seeing Superstar tonight).
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Post by frosty on Aug 15, 2019 10:46:04 GMT
I'm seeing this tomorrow night, have been looked forward to it for ages, however the BBC Weather site says there is a 96% chance of heavy rain at 8pm. I think I am going to be very disappointed :-(
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Post by andrew on Aug 15, 2019 11:36:03 GMT
I've booked in unpredictable mid-September. I like the Open Air best when the sun sets and it gets dark. I held off until enough people said nice enough things on here to get over the apparently controversial staging, and at 24 pages I think we've hit it.
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Post by harry on Aug 15, 2019 11:58:15 GMT
I thought this was great. Thoroughly entertaining and extremely clear. I wonder if the lack of much in the way of set meant I focussed more on the lyrics but whatever the reason I felt that both the original historical story and the modern allusions came across with total clarity. Perhaps the fact that it started life as a concept album means everything you need is in the songs themselves by design. That's not to say the production isn't exciting, even thrilling at points, but I guess I'm saying any worries I had about something so different to the norm were very quickly allayed.
I'd say it's not the strongest vocal rendition of the show you'll ever hear (I mean when you think about what Ricardo Afonso is doing in JCS at the moment, there's no singing here to come close to that, although I actually enjoyed pretty much everything else about this show even more than that one) but I also feel the voices fit the characters and portrayals.
As the person I went with said, watching this production it's extraordinary to think this is a 40-year old show and not something contemporary.
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Post by alison on Aug 15, 2019 14:25:32 GMT
Well, this is a bit good, isn’t it. I’ll take Samantha Pauly’s “slightly shrill but actually acted like someone who’s trying to stir up the political system” approach over many a “perfectly sung but a bit bland” performance I’ve seen over the years.
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Post by theatre241 on Aug 15, 2019 22:39:05 GMT
I’m going down to London in September for a day and I kinda want to see a new show, is this worth seeing for a matinee?
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Post by richey on Aug 15, 2019 22:40:23 GMT
I’m going down to London in September for a day and I kinda want to see a new show, is this worth seeing for a matinee? I don't think this would work so well in daylight. Some of the lighting effects really add to the show |
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Post by mrmushnik on Aug 15, 2019 23:00:51 GMT
Saw it tonight. An absolute dog's breakfast of a show. Jamie Lloyd's ego is stamped all over this mess. I don't mind radical new interpretations but this was just an onslaught of decisions to provoke controversy.
Definitely a case of 'the King's New Clothes'
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 16, 2019 6:57:41 GMT
100% chance of heavy rain for the entire performance tonight according to the forecast.
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Post by frosty on Aug 16, 2019 7:23:01 GMT
100% chance of heavy rain for the entire performance tonight according to the forecast. Pah! |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 16, 2019 7:40:23 GMT
100% chance of heavy rain for the entire performance tonight according to the forecast. Pah! I know. My friend is already talking about bailing out and doing something else. |
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Post by NeilVHughes on Aug 16, 2019 8:19:28 GMT
Look on the bright side if it goes ahead you will not only see a great show but have an anecdote about how you survived a typhoon of biblical proportions when discussing the show.
We always remember more of the shows that are out of the ordinary and the one upmanship is always a bonus when discussing with other people who were unfortunate to see it in the dry.
I still warmly remember Deep Purple at Knebworth milenia ago as it poured down all day.
The only caveat is be prepared and wear more than the shorts and T-Shirt initially planned.
From one who is hoping to see a whole days play at Lords.
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Post by ABr on Aug 16, 2019 8:24:28 GMT
I'm really eager to see this! Has anyone got tickets last minuet in person, if so how did they get on location/price wise?
Never seen anything here, so any advise on where to sit/where to avoid would be greatly appreciated.
What do they do if it is rained off?
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Post by justafan on Aug 16, 2019 8:32:44 GMT
Saw this last night and thought it was the most passionate interpretation of Evita that I’ve seen. Thought the staging and choreography were outstanding and complemented the simple set. If hope I have opportunity to see it again.
Having seen Superstar in the afternoon it was great to see ALW/Sir Tim brought into the 21st century
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Post by frosty on Aug 16, 2019 8:38:56 GMT
Look on the bright side if it goes ahead you will not only see a great show but have an anecdote about how you survived a typhoon of biblical proportions when discussing the show. We always remember more of the shows that are out of the ordinary and the one upmanship is always a bonus when discussing with other people who were unfortunate to see it in the dry. I still warmly remember Deep Purple at Knebworth milenia ago as it poured down all day. The only caveat is be prepared and wear more than the shorts and T-Shirt initially planned. From one who is hoping to see a whole days play at Lords. Very true - I wouldn't mind sitting in the rain and watching it, wearing the appropriate clothing of course, I even bought some emergency ponchos just in case. But they are likely to abandon the show because of the rain (quite rightly) for the safety of the performers. They can't be kick ball changing all over the shop like Bambi on ice!! And if you're already there when they cancel it, it's too late to do something else. So I think I am going to take the pragmatic view that the show won't go ahead, and dayseat something else instead. From what I understand, if the show is abandoned, they will let you rebook for a different day. Shame, I was really looking forward to it. |
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Post by richey on Aug 16, 2019 9:01:33 GMT
Having survived it in a rainstorm, I agree it is actually a talking point and did make the experience even more memorable.
Seeing the amount of water they were pushing off the steps, it's easy to see why they would cancel. Even a ten minute shower produced loads of water and given some of the choreography it would be madness to try and carry on (there is a great photo on Instagram if you know where to look of the crew mopping down the set)
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2019 9:11:46 GMT
Look on the bright side if it goes ahead you will not only see a great show but have an anecdote about how you survived a typhoon of biblical proportions when discussing the show. We always remember more of the shows that are out of the ordinary and the one upmanship is always a bonus when discussing with other people who were unfortunate to see it in the dry. I still warmly remember Deep Purple at Knebworth milenia ago as it poured down all day. The only caveat is be prepared and wear more than the shorts and T-Shirt initially planned. From one who is hoping to see a whole days play at Lords. Very true - I wouldn't mind sitting in the rain and watching it, wearing the appropriate clothing of course, I even bought some emergency ponchos just in case. But they are likely to abandon the show because of the rain (quite rightly) for the safety of the performers. They can't be kick ball changing all over the shop like Bambi on ice!! And if you're already there when they cancel it, it's too late to do something else. So I think I am going to take the pragmatic view that the show won't go ahead, and dayseat something else instead. From what I understand, if the show is abandoned, they will let you rebook for a different day. Shame, I was really looking forward to it. You get a credit note that lasts 10 years! I think it’s super super rare for them to quit a performance. I saw JCS there last year and it poured down. They stopped the show, mopped the stage and continued! |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 16, 2019 9:36:33 GMT
Very true - I wouldn't mind sitting in the rain and watching it, wearing the appropriate clothing of course, I even bought some emergency ponchos just in case. But they are likely to abandon the show because of the rain (quite rightly) for the safety of the performers. They can't be kick ball changing all over the shop like Bambi on ice!! And if you're already there when they cancel it, it's too late to do something else. So I think I am going to take the pragmatic view that the show won't go ahead, and dayseat something else instead. From what I understand, if the show is abandoned, they will let you rebook for a different day. Shame, I was really looking forward to it. You get a credit note that lasts 10 years! I think it’s super super rare for them to quit a performance. I saw JCS there last year and it poured down. They stopped the show, mopped the stage and continued! Was that rain sustained throughout though? You can’t mop the stage if it’s still bucketing down. |
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Post by harry on Aug 16, 2019 9:54:20 GMT
Very true - I wouldn't mind sitting in the rain and watching it, wearing the appropriate clothing of course, I even bought some emergency ponchos just in case. But they are likely to abandon the show because of the rain (quite rightly) for the safety of the performers. They can't be kick ball changing all over the shop like Bambi on ice!! And if you're already there when they cancel it, it's too late to do something else. So I think I am going to take the pragmatic view that the show won't go ahead, and dayseat something else instead. From what I understand, if the show is abandoned, they will let you rebook for a different day. Shame, I was really looking forward to it. You get a credit note that lasts 10 years! I think it’s super super rare for them to quit a performance. I saw JCS there last year and it poured down. They stopped the show, mopped the stage and continued! I think it's very case-by-case. On Wednesday they stopped the show about 2 mins before the first big dance number - subsequently seeing what is required of the dancers it looks like it would have been pretty dangerous in slippy conditions so that made sense. When it was still raining 10mins later the Stage Manager came on again to say they had checked with Met Office satellites and were sure it would abate very soon (which it did). And they danced on in the dry. However when it rained again towards the end of Act 1 and over the last 20 mins of Act 2 all of which were a bit less intense choreography-wise they just played on through it. I guess if it's not actually dangerous to carry on, it makes as much sense for them to play on as not (the audience will only be sitting in the rain either way). Calling off completely must be a total last resort as it must cost them thousands to do so. I have to say with a mac on and a plastic bag keeping the water off my legs, I was enjoying it enough to forget it was raining. Having said all of that, I imagine if it's mid-downpour at 7:45pm and the Met Office suggest it's going to go on longer than they can ask the audience to hang around, it's probably going to be cancelled... |
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Post by Lemansky on Aug 16, 2019 10:47:42 GMT
We were there on the last matinee of Seven Brides where it rained from the interval onward (luckily missing the fantastic barn dance scene). They did carry on but were very cautious and we were very glad they did as apparently the had to cancel the evening show which was the last performance of the run.
We also were at the 1 performance of JCS in it's last run where it was cancelled due to the rain. They did make sure it wasn't going to stop before cancelling the show. Sadly we weren't able to get back to see it before it closed but we did see it (and loved it) at the Barbican a couple of weeks ago.
I have also been at a Joe Stilgoe one off show there in the pouring rain. They don't cancel the one off performances and you just have to sit through it. I did feel for Joe and his band that night! I do always come prepared with raincoat, bin bags etc just in case.
Incidentally I've used our weather exchange from JCS to get tickets for Evita at the beginning of Sept and we've got our fingers crossed that we actually get to see the show. I'm very much looking forward to it after reading all these reviews.
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Post by rockinrobin on Aug 16, 2019 13:25:37 GMT
I won't say it's the show of the year for me but I enjoyed it last night. It's not for purists, that's for sure. It's Evita stripped bare and that, I think, makes the story more dramatic. This Eva Peron is not a good mother of the nation, not a heroine with a tragic fate, she's not "Santa Evita" - she's a young woman with too much ambition and not that much to offer. The real Eva was (in today's terms) more a popculture star than the first lady and I think this production depicts it pretty well. It's not a story about the myth of Eva Peron. It's a story of a woman who became Eva Peron. So yes, Eva in this production is... not that likeable (to say the least) but the final scenes, when she realizes she is dying, the end, finito, the fairytale is over - they're pretty moving. After all, leaving this world aged only 33 is something nobody wants. It's scary, sad and unfair. No spoilers but there is one moment when you can tell how mad she is because of what is going to happen.
The only thing I hated was a lady next to me, constantly trying to film/take photos. Urrrgghhh. Why.
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Post by richey on Aug 16, 2019 13:33:58 GMT
No spoilers but there is one moment when you can tell how mad she is because of what is going to happen. Think I know exactly which moment you mean and that really was an emotional moment for me. |
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Post by greenswan on Aug 16, 2019 15:54:15 GMT
So the grassbanks are actually an ok option, if a bit uncomfortable for the entire show as it gets cold/damp pretty quickly. If you want a seat at the top near the steps queuing before the doors open seems to be necessary. As mentioned by someone up-thread, I would strongly recommend going in the evening to enjoy the effects.
I am actually pretty aligned to a lot of the pretty positive comments here - the effects at the start are great (but at a certain point it feels like they're just trying to get value for money by using them at every opportunity and the effect lessens).
Most impressive was the guy playing Che - really enjoyed the singing and the way he played off Evita. Peron appeared to be shy and passive, which was strange in the context of the role. Evita was expressive but shrill. This probably wasn't helped by sitting so close to the speakers. Loved the dancing - so energetic.
I haven't seen Evita before so I can't compare but thought the score was beautiful and I did appreciate that the production was trying to create a distinct atmosphere.
Regarding the rain - this happened with JCS - stage manager had to come and made quite a funny comment on not being able to safely crucify in the rain. Luckily they ended up mopping and resuming.
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Post by londonmzfitz on Aug 16, 2019 16:20:16 GMT
We were there on the last matinee of Seven Brides where it rained from the interval onward (luckily missing the fantastic barn dance scene). They did carry on but were very cautious and we were very glad they did as apparently the had to cancel the evening show which was the last performance of the run. Yup, I was there for the final show of 7 Brides, which I'd seen earlier in the run and loved. We were in the bar for about 20 minutes after curtains should have gone up before we were told it wasn't going to go ahead. I used my credit against JCS the next year. |
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Post by alison on Aug 16, 2019 16:53:23 GMT
If anyone's being put off attending a matinee because of all the comments about seeing it in the dark, please don't. Yes, I'm sure the lighting and pyrotechnic effects are even better in the evening, but I don't feel like I missed out by seeing the show in the daytime. For some of us, it's just not an option for whatever reason - I couldn't justify the combination of having a worse ticket for JCS if I opted for the matinee and having to get the train home an hour later so not getting home until after 1am.
Good luck to anyone going tonight, this rain is horrid!
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