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Post by lonlad on Jul 1, 2017 23:32:07 GMT
To mention this in even the same breath as THE BOOK OF MORMON defies analysis. WIND IN THE WILLOWS is singularly inept - unnecessary and superfluous to start with and then mangled at every wince-making step of the way. Word of mouth is pretty dire on it, at least anyone I know.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 2, 2017 0:02:08 GMT
Who says it's a decent show? None of the reviews I have read say it's decent. Neither do any of the countless friends I know who've seen it. Maybe I'm missing something?! £45k wouldn't even cover the weekly rent of the Palladium, let alone everything else.' Wonder when they'll announce its closing ? Or maybe they'll let it limp along. It's only on a limited run to cover the Summer season, so they've already announced the closing date! Families, tourists and deals will probably keep it buoyant for the few weeks it is running. ....and despite what some of the newspaper critics and negative forum comments say, it is a decent show and will get good 'word of mouth'. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 2, 2017 0:03:59 GMT
So true. Anyone who says Willows is good has no standards when it comes to quality whatsoever Id rather have a filling at the Dentist without anaesthetic than watch it again. . To mention this in even the same breath as THE BOOK OF MORMON defies analysis. WIND IN THE WILLOWS is singularly inept - unnecessary and superfluous to start with and then mangled at every wince-making step of the way. Word of mouth is pretty dire on it, at least anyone I know. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 2, 2017 8:01:55 GMT
To mention this in even the same breath as THE BOOK OF MORMON defies analysis. WIND IN THE WILLOWS is singularly inept - unnecessary and superfluous to start with and then mangled at every wince-making step of the way. Word of mouth is pretty dire on it, at least anyone I know. And BOM is crude, unfunny, offensive and doesn't have a single decent or memorable song in it. Not to mention sets that look like an infant school project. There, hope that helps  Anyway Julian Fellowes got rolled out on Graham Norton's radio show yesterday to drum up some sales. He's the last guest. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tw2b9 |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 2, 2017 8:27:10 GMT
I think you may be in the minority there. Not to say being in a minority isn't a marvellous place to be. To mention this in even the same breath as THE BOOK OF MORMON defies analysis. WIND IN THE WILLOWS is singularly inept - unnecessary and superfluous to start with and then mangled at every wince-making step of the way. Word of mouth is pretty dire on it, at least anyone I know. And BOM is crude, unfunny, offensive and doesn't have a single decent or memorable song in it. Not to mention sets that look like an infant school project. There, hope that helps Anyway Julian Fellowes got rolled out on Graham Norton's radio show yesterday to drum up some sales. He's the last guest. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tw2b9 |
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Post by stevej678 on Jul 2, 2017 8:36:13 GMT
While this does drag in places and the minor characters generally get the better songs, I found much more to like in this than Annie, Aladdin and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.
I feel suitably chastened and ashamed of myself now that the definitive verdict is in from Mr B. 😃 It would be boring if we all liked the same things!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 2, 2017 8:52:30 GMT
I think you may be in the minority there. Not to say being in a minority isn't a marvellous place to be. Quite possibly! |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 3, 2017 5:45:07 GMT
Well obviously you are wrong. But I'll let it go just this once. While this does drag in places and the minor characters generally get the better songs, I found much more to like in this than Annie, Aladdin and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. I feel suitably chastened and ashamed of myself now that the definitive verdict is in from Mr B. 😃 It would be boring if we all liked the same things! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2017 10:30:45 GMT
Surprised the reviews were this brutal. I thought it was a solid 3 star show.
Rather sad that this was so terribly slated while that abomination at the Coliseum got 5 star raves.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jul 3, 2017 10:45:40 GMT
Surprised the reviews were this brutal. I thought it was a solid 3 star show. Rather sad that this was so terribly slated while that abomination at the Coliseum got 5 star raves. Unfortunately, We live in a world where a Starbucks coffee comes with a high regard |
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Post by Phantom of London on Jul 3, 2017 11:58:11 GMT
I haven't seen willows yet, but once being tentative about seeing this, now since the bad reviews I want to see this, to see what the fuss is about.But do agree about Starbucks, why go there when you can have lovely hand crafted coffee from Caffe Nero.
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Post by d'James on Jul 3, 2017 12:29:40 GMT
I haven't seen willows yet, but once being tentative about seeing this, now since the bad reviews I want to see this, to see what the fuss is about.But do agree about Starbucks, why go there when you can have lovely hand crafted coffee from Caffe Nero. You're brave to go to any of them after last week's Watchdog report. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Jul 3, 2017 14:54:51 GMT
I stay away from the iced drinks anyway, Costas came out worst of the 3.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jul 3, 2017 15:53:51 GMT
Blended with faecal matter yummy. Reminds me of the very pricey and ethically dodgy coffee that Harrods sell ...
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Post by Phantom of London on Jul 3, 2017 18:29:53 GMT
Blended with faecal matter yummy. Reminds me of the very pricey and ethically dodgy coffee that Harrods sell ... Crappuciono!!! |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 3, 2017 20:26:30 GMT
Warning- this show comes with traces of faecal matter
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Post by SageStageMgr on Jul 3, 2017 20:44:53 GMT
Warning- this show comes with traces of faecal matter Bowely and Scat go on a great adventure to help their friend Turd! |
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Post by Seriously on Jul 3, 2017 21:22:09 GMT
Poop-poop!
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Post by adrianics on Jul 3, 2017 22:16:54 GMT
Saw this tonight. Kind of hard to put my finger on it... It was definitely missing a spark. Nothing wrong or bad about it, per se, but it's not going to set the world alight or become a classic. It's aimed at children and is pretty good at providing for them, with some fun songs and memorable performances.
I liked Rufus Hound as Toad just fine, he's clearly giving it everything he has and has put the work in, he's improved immeasurably since I saw him in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He hit his notes, gave it some good energy and got a lot of laughs. I think the issue is that he'll only ever be better than you expect a non-singer, non-actor to be... He's not really West End standard and often gets drowned in the Palladium and upstaged by his fellow cast, no matter how much effort he gives it. Gary Wilmot and Simon Lipkin are good value like they always are. Neil McDermott is a fabulous villain and ran away with every scene he was in.
There's some clunkers in the script (who was that woman who helped Toad escape prison, why did she care so much, where did she go afterwards and why didn't they attempt to make her look like an animal??) but also some really good running jokes; the hedgehog family were very funny, the courtroom scene made me bellow with laughter and Lipkin's ad-libs were a treat. I'll also never not laugh at a dummy being thrown to simulate a person falling.
The songs are... Fine, I guess. I'd struggle to name any of them now but I enjoyed them at the time. I liked 'I'm Mr Toad' especially, although Hound struggled to choke the rapping out.
Overall... Yeah, it's okay. Plenty to like, but not love, about it and it's a fun night out. It's hardly the disaster some people in this thread are making it out to be and it's nowhere near as bad as, say, Aladdin. I'd say it's good for families, the youngsters around us were loving it and impeccably behaved!
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Post by showbizkid on Jul 4, 2017 8:59:49 GMT
The woman who helps toad escape is Jenna Boyd who is fabulous in everything she does. Problem is the part is disjointed (come from nowwhere) as she also plays the hedgehog and was meant to play barge woman until they gave it to Denice. Different actors playing different roles not uniformed throughout the show can be a tricky one.
The problem with this show is that A) how are you meant to care about toad if he is so bad B) it is just not funny enough C) the book is bad D) the music is just ok....
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2017 9:10:58 GMT
(who was that woman who helped Toad escape prison, why did she care so much, where did she go afterwards and why didn't they attempt to make her look like an animal??) I've not seen the show, but in the book, she was the gaoler's daughter, she felt sorry for Toad, she stayed behind because presumably she didn't want to run away herself, she just wanted to help Toad escape, and she was human. |
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Post by SageStageMgr on Jul 4, 2017 9:16:41 GMT
^^^ This is absolutely not established - I thought she was the washer woman and she had a crush on him. Genuinely.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2017 9:18:46 GMT
Who knows, maybe that's what they've decided to go for in the show!  Although it strikes me as more likely that they simply didn't consider some people just don't know the book and will need a little more clarity in the story-telling than they've apparently achieved. |
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Post by adrianics on Jul 4, 2017 10:06:40 GMT
Thanks Baemax. Yeah in the show absolutely none of that is made clear (even though there's some truly painful exposition in other scenes, so they're clearly not above that) and it was pretty confusing to me. My conclusion was much the same as asmdsmandm's!
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Post by SageStageMgr on Jul 4, 2017 10:08:17 GMT
Thanks Baemax. Yeah in the show absolutely none of that is made clear (even though there's some truly painful exposition in other scenes, so they're clearly not above that) and it was pretty confusing to me. My conclusion was much the same as asmdsmandm's! See my earlier review for my bit on exposition! |
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Although it strikes me as more likely that they simply didn't consider some people just don't know the book and will need a little more clarity in the story-telling than they've apparently achieved.