MT Fest

[Deleted]

Jan 16, 2020 12:44:06 GMT Dawnstar said:

Jan 16, 2020 12:32:59 GMT @tbfl said:

I've booked for Soapdish. I'm hoping its the long awaited Stiles and Drewe version.

This article specifies that it is by Stiles & Drewe www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/mtfest-2020-line-up_50714.html

Thank you. i hadnt seen that article. Glad i got my seat already.

[Someone in a tree]

I'm interested in the Katie Hopkins one. It got good reviews previously, didn't it?

[Mark]

No information on the nightcaps or other events yet from what I can tell?

[QueerTheatre]

Works of Art is gonna be really special, trust me.

[marob]

I don't remember it too well, but I wonder if the Katie Hopkins one has been rewritten at all? It's not quite two years old but is already kinda dated. It was from before she got even nastier and was let go from her various "commentator" jobs. It seems like people have moved their outrage onto Sarah Vine now and you don't hear about Hopkins so much. Another thing needing reworking would be that it featured Theresa May as prime minister.

[Deleted]

so is Eurobeat - Pride of Europe, just a rewrite of the musical Eurobeat - Almost Eurovision, that toured that UK and came in the West End very briefly?? Its by the same writer.

[TallPaul]

Jan 16, 2020 15:15:06 GMT marob said:

I don't remember it too well, but I wonder if the Katie Hopkins one has been rewritten at all? It's not quite two years old but is already kinda dated. It was from before she got even nastier and was let go from her various "commentator" jobs. It seems like people have moved their outrage onto Sarah Vine now and you don't hear about Hopkins so much. Another thing needing reworking would be that it featured Theresa May as prime minister.

From Chris Bush on Twitter: "Just fyi, this is a 50 minute scaled back, workshop production." (@chrisbushwrites)

[alece10]

I'd have loved to have seen Soapdish and was a big fan of Eurobeat when it was in the west end. Think I went 3 nights running and several separate visits.
However logistically the venue is just too hard for me to get to so I will look forward to reading reviews of anyone who goes.

[dontdreamit]

Jan 16, 2020 16:36:55 GMT alece10 said:

I'd have loved to have seen Soapdish and was a big fan of Eurobeat when it was in the west end. Think I went 3 nights running and several separate visits.
However logistically the venue is just too hard for me to get to so I will look forward to reading reviews of anyone who goes.

I went at Christmas to see Cat In The Hat with the kids. It was easier than I thought - I got off at Sloane Square and took a bus over the river and it was a few mins walk from there. Took 1.15 one way and just over an hour the other, so it won’t be much less for you!

Mobility wise it was ok though, especially changing at Mile End as the district line is on the other side of the platform.

[FrontroverPaul]

I'm struggling to find synopses or running times of these musicals, am I looking for something that isn't there yet ?

[lightinthedarkness]

None of these look to be selling well at all - whereas last year getting tickets was hugely difficult!
Is it the change in venue to somewhere much more difficult to get to?


The first 'Jet Set Go' which is tonight is only about half full

[FrontroverPaul]

I think that for some people like me (living almost 40 miles from London in Kent), it's unappealing to travel specially in order to see a show lasting for under an hour. Moreover The Other Palace is minutes from Victoria but Turbine is a mile away, plus the performance times mostly don't work to combine with also seeing a West End show.

Four of the six appealed to me but so far I haven't booked any for these reasons, whereas I did see The Throwaways, another new British musical, workshopped at The Other Palace On Friday afternoon because it was over two hours (and rather good too!)

[l0islane]

Yes I really enjoyed this last year but the Turbine theatre is just too much of a faff to get to (I'm in Kent too). I would have gone to several of them if it was still at The Other Palace. Also what happened to the 'Night Caps' and 'Tea for Two' events? Have I missed them somewhere? It's also rather odd that if you go to the Turbine Theatre website and click 'more info' about MT Fest it just takes you to a submission page, you have to select 'Book' to see the individual events and then there's no actual info about the different musicals. I feel like you had to already know about this festival from last year and seek out information about it in order to go!

[Deleted]

I was wondering the same thing as there were offers out for Soapdish. Maybe some of the start times are not good for most people, i can only get there for 7 because its local to me. I'd have thought Louise Dearman would be more of a draw.

[Mark]

For me it’s the workshop style hour long presentation that puts me off. In theory most of these have already had full length productions or been in development for a long time.

[sophie92]

Feb 3, 2020 13:41:16 GMT l0islane said:

Yes I really enjoyed this last year but the Turbine theatre is just too much of a faff to get to (I'm in Kent too). I would have gone to several of them if it was still at The Other Palace. Also what happened to the 'Night Caps' and 'Tea for Two' events? Have I missed them somewhere? It's also rather odd that if you go to the Turbine Theatre website and click 'more info' about MT Fest it just takes you to a submission page, you have to select 'Book' to see the individual events and then there's no actual info about the different musicals. I feel like you had to already know about this festival from last year and seek out information about it in order to go!

I think the Night Caps and Tea for Two were quietly dropped, who knows why. Possibly because the Christmas concert series didn’t sell particularly well?

On the Turbine website, if you use the menu on the left hand side and select MT Fest 2020 there, it takes you to a page where you can get more info on the shows

[Someone in a tree]

Assassination of Katie Hopkins

good cast but unfortunately an hour was enough for me. The score did nothing for me. Its an interesting argument but one I've heard many times before.

Soap Dish


It's very stiles and drewe you know that cosy camp feel? But it's rather good and I'd pay for a full fat production of it.

Louise Dearman was brilliant. Huge cast and the book writer had flew out from the states I wouldn't be surprised if we get a full production very soon. Fingers crossed.



*The theatre also had a really nice buzz to it. Not a bad evening out 😊

[Deleted]

Soapdish has been in development for years, so really looking forward to seeing some of it tonight. Love me some Stiles and Drewe.

[Deleted]

i think Stiles and Drewe are a fantastic writing team, but what i heard tonight was so disappointing. I know it was written a while ago but it just sounded so dated. There was really only 1 or 2 songs that stood out for me and even they were not fantastic Stiles and Drewe.

Highlight of the evening was seeing Julia McKenzie there. With Richard Dempsey on stage, it was a mini ITW, OLC reunion.

[Someone in a tree]

@tbfl I've always found S&D to be dated but to have a certain charm to them.

Perhaps Soapdish is the wrong choice for them? They are too safe and not acidic enough

[Deleted]

Feb 8, 2020 7:23:23 GMT Someone in a tree said:

@tbfl I've always found S&D to be dated but to have a certain charm to them.

Perhaps Soapdish is the wrong choice for them? They are too safe and not acidic enough

I agree about their charm, and they write great melodies, but both were missing yesterday. Maybe i was expecting too much.

[Dr Tom]

My first trip to the Turbine Theatre today and saw Soapdish, introduced by one of S&D and (I think) the book writer.

The venue didn’t grab me, nicely done front area, the auditorium is a converted tunnel with lots of train sounds. Also hadn’t realised these are concert style, rather than staged productions. It is rather like a club for those “in the know”.

I quite liked this. We got about an hour of act one, with narration. Some songs that would stage really well with dancing. Some flat jokes. Generally good leads. And a few of the leads from the recent Freaky Friday productions at Arts Ed made up the ensemble here.

Don’t think I’d rush back to many of these. The venue isn’t the easiest to get to and I’m largely booked up for shows next week anyway. But if I got a good deal (like today), I’d be tempted.

[Mark]

I thoroughly enjoyed the two shows last night.

Soapdish - yes it’s very Stiles & Drewe, which is a good thing in my eyes. I thought the music was very good, and the solo number performed by Louise Dearman was gorgeous (if I could wash my hands of soap). Special mention to Laura Pitt Pullford who got a lot of laughs for her part. I’ve never seen the film so hoping a full production comes about soon. We got an abridged first act lasting around 45 minutes.
Both George Stiles and Anthony Drewe were there last night, as was Bill Kenwright and also the films original director and screenplay writer from what I gather.

Assassination of Katie Hopkins. It’s kinda like London Road meets King Charles III in concept, a futuristic verbatim musical of a “what might happen”. The music I thought actually worked pretty well, and it’s an interesting concept and I’d definitely return if there was a fully staged production. It did dip at times and I noticed a particular dip in the last 15 minutes or so.

[djp]

Anyone see Eurobeat?

I had a ticket as the casting appealed ,but couldn't face a trip to the powerstation site via train, tube and boat in tree felling, nose freezing, wave churning weather. If they want an audience hows about putting it on somewhere accessible, not in mid Winter - like somewhere ten minutes walk from Victoria in an underused studio?

[geweena]

Feb 15, 2020 21:20:42 GMT djp said:

Anyone see Eurobeat?

I had a ticket as the casting appealed ,but couldn't face a trip to the powerstation site via train, tube and boat in tree felling, nose freezing, wave churning weather. If they want an audience hows about putting it on somewhere accessible, not in mid Winter - like somewhere ten minutes walk from Victoria in an underused studio?

Totally agree about location. Last year I went to almost all of the shows and a couple of the nightcaps as the location was perfect and they were scheduled so you could actually make a whole evening - 2 x shows then nightcap.
Dropping the extra parts of MTfest and the location at the turbine meant I just couldn’t justify a 2 hour return trip plus Vic to Turbine for a 45min-1 hour show. A shame as I really enjoyed what I saw last year and the concept of the festival is an excellent one.