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Post by danb on Dec 2, 2021 22:12:41 GMT
They appear to have got everything else right, but this is ‘the’ song. The one people are waiting for and wanting to be perfect, and if thats what it sounds like you might come away disappointed.
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Post by shambles on Dec 2, 2021 22:15:09 GMT
That's my main issue. No doubt the show will deliver on the spectacle and the promise of a good night out and the leads will be serviceable at the least. It's the resources at their disposal, and the money they're touting, it does not seem that effective thought was put into finding the undoubtedly better leads that exist out there, and the kind of opportunity this could be for them.
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Post by Being Alive on Dec 2, 2021 22:46:03 GMT
That song is meant to be the emotional height of the show...shows you just how woefully inadequate they both are in it.
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Dec 2, 2021 22:49:32 GMT
I'm taking my girlfriends to see this a week today. I'm more interested in the production and set design...but that WOS video....
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 2, 2021 23:01:50 GMT
I'm taking my girlfriends to see this a week today. I'm more interested in the production and set design...but that WOS video.... How many are there? 😐 |
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Post by Seriously on Dec 2, 2021 23:12:02 GMT
A lot depends on what type of audience this attracts. If it's the "Hen do" type, then they probably won't care too much and will just enjoy the spectacle.
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Post by robertb213 on Dec 2, 2021 23:54:42 GMT
This show just sinks further and further down in my estimations. I've waited 20 years for this. I'm going to keep waiting.
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Post by danb on Dec 3, 2021 5:05:19 GMT
They’re gonna have to be pretty affluent hens to afford this for a shrieky night of Prosecco pong then off to a show!
I’ve watched the video a few more times and whilst it isn’t as terrible as I first felt, it is just ‘there’. They could just as easily be proficient holiday park entertainers, as leads in a massive west end spectacle. I don’t know if it’s the key, or the arrangement but there’s nothing dangerous about it. Christian should be wiping his tonsils off the front row by the end of it, not wistfully swaying. When I think of all the excellent home grown talent that could have killed this it is just disappointing.
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Post by ryhare on Dec 3, 2021 7:45:08 GMT
I think people are being a little unfair about that WOS video and jumping on that proverbial bandwagon. It’s far from terrible and I think everyone who has seen the show live have reported that the leads can definitely sing, they just aren’t great with the chemistry and maybe the acting has been sacrificed. And let’s not pretend this is the first time acting/chemistry has been sacrificed for a good singer in the West End. Hasn’t Wicked got by on that for a good while?
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 3, 2021 9:19:42 GMT
Compare?
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Post by max on Dec 3, 2021 9:44:09 GMT
I prefer the London one - for odd reasons. Due to the song's non-musical-theatre origins, the gaps between sung lines are too lengthy, and long notes within them also leave actors in both trying to think up some 'acting' to fill (face or hands emoting). Then the director unhelpfully fills with 'You know what...? We could mark the crescendo by you both awkwardly kneeling on the chaise longue'. If Westlife taught us anything, surely it's that you get down from a chair/stool during 'the big bit', not up on it, on your knees. Musical Theatre drama school courses, take note of their wisdom.
Anyway - the Broadway pair are more glossy (though bland), singing-wise and facially; so it feels even more outlandish that they try and 'fill' when their vocals have already done it all, and annoying gaps aren't their fault. The London pair are more 'within it' by being less gloss and fireworks vocally, so there's some value in them further 'selling it' it between the sung lines, and on those looong (yet undramatic) notes.
Is the tempo slightly up in the London one, or is it just because I haven't watched the slow grind to get to the final crescendo?
Direction is still awful - but give the London pair a chance I reckon.
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Post by mrnutz on Dec 3, 2021 9:44:43 GMT
Jesus, that's awful. I've got tickets for Jan. Are they doing refunds?! |
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Post by inthenose on Dec 3, 2021 10:19:50 GMT
That video was pretty terrible. Two dead fish.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 3, 2021 10:33:51 GMT
When is press night?
If it goes badly then I suspect we’ll start to see the understudy/alternates picking up shows until one or both of them gets permanently swapped out. She has to be most at risk surely? There’s nothing going on and her voice sounds reedy/nasal.
Also, picking up an earlier point if this song is the emotional highlight of the show then that’s a red flag for me because I don’t think it’s particularly good!
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Post by SuttonPeron on Dec 3, 2021 10:44:25 GMT
I was debating whether seeing this in my upcoming London trip. After seeing this video, I´ve decided to revisit Anything Goes instead.
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Post by Being Alive on Dec 3, 2021 10:49:05 GMT
He is MUCH worse than she is. She's actually vocally fine for a lot of the show, so if there's anyone at risk of being swapped out it's him I'd say...
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Post by southstreet on Dec 3, 2021 10:59:12 GMT
LOL, I don't think the video was that bad. I mean, not great either but definitely not worth demanding a refund for.
I don't think either of the London leads are on par with their Broadway counterpart vocally or charismatically but the London Satine is definitely a lot stronger than the Christian. He cracked all over the place and went off key a fair few times in act 2 (which has his big belty songs) when I saw it. And even Broadway veterans like Karen Olivo and Aaron Tveit couldn't make that terrible book work but as they at least had a lot more stage presence and charisma (though not really any more chemistry) than the London leading pair, it wasn't quite as noticeable.
And BurlyBear, as someone who never liked the film much and hates Come What May, I don't think the show has any particularly strong emotional songs. Even Your Song, which I usually love, doesn't really move me in it. LOL
Genuinely, it's a great entertaining night out. A spectacle rather than a love story of any depth. The choreo and ensemble numbers are amazing, the sets are fab, there are some really cool mashups of fun songs but the characters were already fairly shallow and two-dimensional in the movie (IMO) and are even more so in the show. So if you want anything deep, definitely don't go but for a fun night out, I think it does well.
My problem is that all the leads (including supporting ones) I've seen on Broadway were all a lot stronger than the cast here, so it left me a bit flat, whereas most people I know that haven't seen it on Broadway had a great time, despite the very obvious flaws, especially on the book front. Did I mention the book is DIRE? LOL
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Post by danb on Dec 3, 2021 11:18:00 GMT
I think people are being a little unfair about that WOS video and jumping on that proverbial bandwagon. It’s far from terrible and I think everyone who has seen the show live have reported that the leads can definitely sing, they just aren’t great with the chemistry and maybe the acting has been sacrificed. And let’s not pretend this is the first time acting/chemistry has been sacrificed for a good singer in the West End. Hasn’t Wicked got by on that for a good while? What? ‘Wicked’ that opened in the UK with its broadway lead and a solid cast of West End talent setting its’ stall out from the beginning. We’d have got Chenoweth too if she hadn’t got greedy. It is still running and about to welcome one of the best UK talents we have. Call me when MR hits 15 years. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2021 11:23:19 GMT
The book really is dire. I lasted until the interval last night only because I wasn't at the end of a row. Complete waste of time and money.
The auditorium is spectacular but not £35 million spectacular! And with that amount of money you would think they would have found a creative way to create space for more ladies' toilets and the Grand Circle bar, both of which are unbearably cramped and insufficient. And wasting space with a merchandise stand that doesn't sell programmes is idiotic.
The set is mostly wonderful, no doubt about that at all. Some of it is unnecessary and looks cheap (Eiffel Tower for one), but mostly it is opulent and at times jaw-dropping. But it's all style over substance as this show has none of the latter.
Sadly both leads are woefully miscast. I thought Liisi LaFontaine was a great Deena in Dreamgirls but she seemed a very unsure Satine. Her entrance was very wobbly (she seemed audibly nervous about being on the swing - understandable in itself but given she is the sole focus at that point you would think she'd have been properly trained to do it without concern!) and I thought she was underpowered through her whole first number. She got better through Act 1, but vocally she hasn't wholly nailed it. Acting-wise she was solid but never spectacular.
That said, she is 10 times better than the Christian, whose acting and singing performances left a lot to be desired. Sadly some of the notes were painful and I couldn't see in the slightest how Satine would have instantly fallen for this character. The couple had no chemistry whatsoever. Their love story was not believable and it says a lot when the Elephant Love Medley got more laughs than cheers from the audience (though it was actually the highlight of Act 1, which also says a lot).
I'm not sure if I saw a typical performance or everyone was just tired, but I'm surprised at all the ensemble praise as I thought they were quite messy and it wasn't anywhere near as sharp as other reviewers saw. The opening number was a complete mess.
I'm not sure great performances would even have been enough to save it though. The book is abysmal and the songs are shoehorned in with an even bigger crowbar than &Juliet. I found all the jokes banal and unfunny and frankly was bored stiff for much of it.
It's a shame as I really did want to like this, but when its only redeemable quality is the set you know you are in trouble. The hen party crowd will love it, and I can see how you might like this if you like &Juliet (though that show is much cleverer and does the modern song incorporation much better than this does, which says a lot given I didn't like it either), but not for me.
2 stars for the theatre itself, that's as far as I can go.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2021 11:26:41 GMT
I should add that the one positive yesterday was that mask wearing was generally good - about 80% in the Grand Circle I would say.
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Post by jgblunners on Dec 3, 2021 11:47:59 GMT
Wow the difference between the West End and Broadway promo clips is staggering! In addition to the lack of chemistry and less powerful voices, the West End couple seem to be struggling to get their harmonies tuned properly. Quite concerning!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2021 12:26:54 GMT
I have to defend Liisi a little bit – she sounds a lot better in the show, and is actually a convincing Satine. Her vocals are strong (though nowhere near as strong as Karen Olivo’s) and drown out Jamie’s voice during the harmonies…
A friend saw the show a couple of days ago and confirmed that Jamie cracked a few times (which also happened when I saw it). Not sure how he’s going to cope with the run vocally
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Post by anthony40 on Dec 3, 2021 12:38:06 GMT
I walked past the theatre last night. It's looking pretty spectacular!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2021 12:52:53 GMT
It looks like Jamie's biggest musical role before this was Rapunzel's Prince (and Florinda!)in ITW whilst at RADA.
To go into a role like Christian, which is a big sing and requires serious vocal stamina to do 8 shows a week, is a big leap. Yes he has toured with his accapella group, but i bet it was nothing like the scale of Christian in Moulin Rouge.
I hope his standby is well rehearsed already.
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Post by mkb on Dec 3, 2021 13:44:41 GMT
I wish I hadn't seen the video posted above from the original Broadway show. It's very much: "Look at what you cudda won!". I would have loved to have seen that version. It gave me goosebumps watching. I never had any visceral reaction to the West End performance. If they want to save this show, they need to get new leads and a new director fast.
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