241 posts
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Post by justafan on Aug 29, 2019 15:52:13 GMT
Oh my god, these are my personal hell. Yes ‘Rough Dawn’ off of Chester, we know it’s your favourite, we know you’ve seen 53 times, we know that you love Alfie Boe, (mostly from your droopy boobs and slurring)....we know ok? We worked it out. Surely more enjoyment is to be had from the actual thing, than from making sure people know that you are ‘the best’ at liking it? It isn’t ‘just’ yours. Have some self respect woman...and put that tattoo away. Pretty sure Alfie isn’t interested in your ‘o’. Just relieved that if she visits again she won’t be anywhere near me from my lofty perch in the upper circle slips ... and I prefer JOJ or Adam Bayou anyway 🤭 |
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Post by danb on Aug 29, 2019 16:58:06 GMT
Yes ‘Rough Dawn’ off of Chester, we know it’s your favourite, we know you’ve seen 53 times, we know that you love Alfie Boe, (mostly from your droopy boobs and slurring)....we know ok? We worked it out. Surely more enjoyment is to be had from the actual thing, than from making sure people know that you are ‘the best’ at liking it? It isn’t ‘just’ yours. Have some self respect woman...and put that tattoo away. Pretty sure Alfie isn’t interested in your ‘o’. Just relieved that if she visits again she won’t be anywhere near me from my lofty perch in the upper circle slips ... and I prefer JOJ or Adam Bayou anyway 🤭 She wouldn’t be seen dead in the upper circle slips; she doesn’t even know that there’s an upstairs let alone two levels. She sits down, ( no further back than row D) and Ken gets the drinks in. There was a huge row and many tears when she found out there was no centre aisle at the front of the Gielgud - “he’ll never see me squashed up with all them others. My life is ruined, ruined I tell you! You’re a builder Ken. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!” |
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Post by ptwest on Aug 29, 2019 21:58:45 GMT
Tonight was fantastic, what a cast. John Owen Jones is sensational but there wasn’t a weak link tonight. Very impressed with Carrie Hope Fletcher and Bradley Jaden in particular.
I can report that the programme has not been updated to reflect Simon Bowman leaving the cast. And also if you are sitting in the middle of the front row, bring protective clothing, although if someone with a knowledge of genetics wants to clone themselves a Michael Ball / John Own Jones pairing, my spit covered clothing can be purchased on eBay :-)
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Post by groupbooker on Aug 29, 2019 23:25:36 GMT
Do we have a run time please?
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653 posts
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Post by ptwest on Aug 30, 2019 5:50:01 GMT
If I remember correctly we were out for about for between 10:20 and 10:25 so roughly 2 hrs 50.
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653 posts
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Post by ptwest on Aug 31, 2019 7:10:14 GMT
I've had more time to reflect now on this, and I stand by what I said about the cast, absolutely superbly sung. I'm not sure that Michael Ball is the perfect fit as Javert but he can sing the part and really came into his own for the suicide scene. This was the first time I have seen Carrie Hope Fletcher in anything since she was a child and only really know her by her social media presence, but it was good to see she has the talent to be on the stage, not just a "personality". John Owen Jones was faultless. The one aspect I cant quite get my head around is the way Matt Lucas plays Thenardier; the ad libs and asides made him a comedy character but at the expense of menace. Judging by the reaction of the people behind, every utterance he made was the funniest thing ever, but for me it was a little jarring - in my opinion comic menace works, straight up comedy doesn't fit with the show. The scene where Valjean arrives at the inn almost descended into parody when JOJ was singing earnestly on one side of the stage with the two Thenardiers making quips all the way through on the other. Matt Lucas and Katie Secombe both played the parts very well in this way, but I would have preferred it toned down.
Ultimately, this concert is one for those who already know the show. With the edits and obvious lack of staging if you didn't know what was going on it would have been bewildering, but hearing that magnificent score sung so well was a real treat.
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Post by danb on Aug 31, 2019 23:16:46 GMT
Yes, all of what ptwest said. Carrie sings it beautifully, fair broke my heart. Ball miscast but by no means bad. Boe was quite the revelation to me. What a powerful noise he makes. Enjoyed the limited staging; could just sit back and enjoy the sound. My only negative was how one note Enjolras was. He started at passionate shouting and stayed there til he was dead. Made me a bit concerned about was his Fiyero must’ve been like!
Got a bit of a shock when the Grand Circle ended up being the Upper Circle with a ruddy great rail in the way. Granted they were only £35 but it didn’t say restricted view on the tickets. It didn’t matter one bit and I wouldn’t have paid more, but its a bit cheeky. Am also in two minds about DMT decorating every theatre the same, only in different colours. Is it detracting from all of these beautiful buildings or giving them a fleet identity?
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Post by ceebee on Sept 1, 2019 11:21:04 GMT
Just relieved that if she visits again she won’t be anywhere near me from my lofty perch in the upper circle slips ... and I prefer JOJ or Adam Bayou anyway 🤭 She wouldn’t be seen dead in the upper circle slips; she doesn’t even know that there’s an upstairs let alone two levels. She sits down, ( no further back than row D) and Ken gets the drinks in. There was a huge row and many tears when she found out there was no centre aisle at the front of the Gielgud - “he’ll never see me squashed up with all them others. My life is ruined, ruined I tell you! You’re a builder Ken. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!” Ken and Dawn? This sounds contrived. I've never met a builder called Ken. Met plenty of Dawn's with haggy tats though. |
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Post by shady23 on Sept 1, 2019 13:40:23 GMT
Apparently stage door has been absolutely hideous.
People there for hours with camping chairs (!), crowds often six deep, fans swarming at the stars when they leave. It is causing a lot of concern!
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Post by miz on Sept 1, 2019 14:32:42 GMT
I have a ticket for September 9, a JOJ night, but will not be able to make it. It's a cheap seat. Am I allowed to post it on the ticket thread?
Otherwise, I will try my luck with the box office.
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19,736 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 1, 2019 14:52:03 GMT
I have a ticket for September 9, a JOJ night, but will not be able to make it. It's a cheap seat. Am I allowed to post it on the ticket thread? Otherwise, I will try my luck with the box office. yes you can use the Noticeboard as you have made more than 25 posts. Go here to create a thread and a moderator will publish it after it’s been reviewed. www.theatreboard.co.uk/board/28/submit-notices |
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Post by danb on Sept 1, 2019 14:59:40 GMT
She wouldn’t be seen dead in the upper circle slips; she doesn’t even know that there’s an upstairs let alone two levels. She sits down, ( no further back than row D) and Ken gets the drinks in. There was a huge row and many tears when she found out there was no centre aisle at the front of the Gielgud - “he’ll never see me squashed up with all them others. My life is ruined, ruined I tell you! You’re a builder Ken. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!” Ken and Dawn? This sounds contrived. I've never met a builder called Ken. Met plenty of Dawn's with haggy tats though. How can I put this nicely? Kens a bit ‘older’ than Dawn and would do anything for his princess. I saw a fair few Kens last night, and saw one accost the poor usher on our door before the bows had even finished. “Which way to the stage door pal?”. I can imagine it was horrific given the noise those women made throughout...doing that awful who can clap first before the song has even finished thing. And while you’ve got me on a rant...APPLE WATCHES!!!!! Put a sweatband over it! Wear a longer top that covers it! Have your b@stard arm cut off! Anything to stop it from lighting up the whole row every ten minutes. I thought ‘Heathers’ was bad but this was next level awful ‘Take That concert at their height’ type inappropriate audience noise. I am a miserable grumpy middle aged bloke who doesn’t really get it. I hope the cast have a secret exit for when they can’t be arsed. They’ve just done that for 3 hours, 6 on a matinee day. Let. Them. Go. |
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Post by n1david on Sept 1, 2019 15:20:21 GMT
And while you’ve got me on a rant...APPLE WATCHES!!!!! Put a sweatband over it! Wear a longer top that covers it! Have your b@stard arm cut off! Anything to stop it from lighting up the whole row every ten minutes. There’s a very helpful setting called -usefully- Theatre Mode which stops this behaviour. Sadly not even Apple can force people to use it. Android watches are a problem too -when I told off my brother-in-law for not turning his off at the cinema he swore blind there was no way to do it.... and his is lit up ALL THE TIME, not just when he moves his wrist. |
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Post by miz on Sept 1, 2019 15:25:31 GMT
Thank you, BBR.
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Post by fiyero on Sept 1, 2019 19:43:18 GMT
And while you’ve got me on a rant...APPLE WATCHES!!!!! Put a sweatband over it! Wear a longer top that covers it! Have your b@stard arm cut off! Anything to stop it from lighting up the whole row every ten minutes. Mine isn't Apple but it comes off my wrist and into my pocket at the theatre or cinema (not sure its Smart enough to have a theatre mode but I'll look). The little lights all over the place are so annoying. At Avenue Q the guy in front was checking his Instagram or something during the show! can't go without it!!! |
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Post by miz on Sept 4, 2019 13:25:10 GMT
This afternoon, I had a standing seat ticket but managed to swap it with a row H center seat for £45. You only pay the difference in prices at the box office. Very pleased. But I paid £127 for a similar seat for tomorrow night. Both JOJ shows, needless to say.
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Post by kathryn on Sept 4, 2019 17:45:09 GMT
Saw it this afternoon and really enjoyed it! JOJ terrific, and while Ball does feel slightly miscast at first I think his Javert’s Suicide may be the best-acted I’ve seen, in terms of character motivation.
Overall it just sounded wonderful.
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Post by kimbahorel on Sept 4, 2019 18:13:28 GMT
A lady at the interval for the matinee today turned around to a group of people behind her to share that she was annoyed that it was advertised as Alfie Boe and he wasn't there. I laughed.
But WOWZERS John Owen Jones is amazing. Only having heard him on CD and I saw him once onstage in a concert of South Pacific I have been looking forward to seeing him. Glad I have another two shows with him hopefully.
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Post by LaLuPone on Sept 4, 2019 18:26:18 GMT
I was also there this afternoon, just stunning!
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Post by miz on Sept 4, 2019 18:47:38 GMT
This afternoon, I was surrounded by young people-sounded like Chinese and Korean tourists- and I could tell they were totally absorbed in the drama. At the final scene, there were sobbing sounds coming from various places, including from my seat. With JOJ's acting so genuinely touching and his singing on top form, this afternoon's audience should consider themselves privileged to have been there.
Strangely, lots of people seem to confuse the excitement of seeing household names in person with being moved by the sheer force of art.
I agree with the previous poster about Michael Ball's suicide. I think he is trying to create his own original Javert and actually succeeding.
This is my 3rd visit to this version and I was again impressed by the entire cast, orchestra, stage design, direction and lighting. I have 12 more tickets to go! I am literally living on instant noodles right now.
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Post by Dr Tom on Sept 5, 2019 6:54:17 GMT
My first visit to the concert performance came last night. Have to say it all sounds very good, much better than the production that closed.
Consistently strong voices all around. The only person who didn't really stand out to me was Michael Ball. He was excellent in his solo numbers, but his voice just wasn't powerful enough during the group numbers (not sure if that was his fault or the sound mixing).
The lack of staging doesn't detract from the performance at all as you can just enjoy the music. Although I did notice a few people nearby who hadn't understood what a concert version was.
A very receptive audience. Matt Lucas was the only person to get entrance applause, which he got on both his main entrances. A partial standing ovation at the interval and an almost full standing ovation after Bring Him Home. Alfie really nails all his notes. And one of the quickest full audience standing ovations I've ever seen at the end, even faster than Hamilton.
I was in the standing area, at the rear Stalls. This area really isn't managed well. Only a small section of the wall is available for standing against. I realised this and claimed a good space early, only for an usher to move everyone standing in the "wrong" area and insist that those of us already there most down to less desirable positions, rather than putting the people who ignored all the signs in the gaps. I moved as far as I could, but there are also candlestick style lights sticking out of the wall in two places, meaning I couldn't move down further without crouching. Someone further down the line didn't realise this and glared at me several times. If you're under 5'4" or so, you could probably fit underneath, but otherwise that takes the wall out of action. The area is crowded and had a group of large men been there, it would have been tricky for us all to fit. In this case, it was mainly women and just about worked.
Most of the people standing seemed to be there to see Carrie and there was a Heathers groupie near me too. I was almost surprised they didn't leave after her part of the show ended, but actually I didn't spot anyone leaving early, or any free seats.
It was as behaved a seated audience as I've ever seen, with just a few people taking snaps on their phones. Somehow the ushers never spot these (or, perhaps, they just can't say anything). The big downside of the standing area is the number of people wanting toilet breaks and having to walk straight past you, particularly towards the end of the long first half. There are some creaky areas to the floor. The lit sound desk is also continually in view.
As far as the view goes, it's pretty good as you see over people seated. Probably better if you're shorter as you only see the bottom half of the stage, so miss a lot of the chorus and anything taking place on the raised "barricade" section. The sound is very well balanced in this area.
Even with a wall to lean against (assuming you don't get a section with a jutting out picture frame or similar), standing is still a bit of an ordeal, so it's a trade-off between price and comfort. Still, there are very uncomfortable seats available with limited legroom that cost a lot more.
The biggest bonus of this production? No gunshots. There are sound effects and one that is quite loud and convincing, particularly as these are coming out of speakers placed all around the theatre. But this version is just so much more bearable. I was surprised they cut the death of Gavroche completely.
An excellent version. I am back before it closes (seated). I can see this version coming back too, or even touring.
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Post by miz on Sept 8, 2019 10:33:02 GMT
Sadly, I have to sell another ticket due to a work commitment. This time, it's for September 16, Grand Circle row D, £32.50, which is a bargain as I booked it months ago. I will be posting it on the ticket thread shortly. Monday, JOJ night, BTW.
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Post by miz on Sept 8, 2019 10:46:46 GMT
It looks as if I can't just add to the existing thread. BurlyBeaR, could you kindly create another thread for September 16, please? Thank you very much!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 8, 2019 13:45:00 GMT
It looks as if I can't just add to the existing thread. BurlyBeaR, could you kindly create another thread for September 16, please? Thank you very much! Just go here to create a new thread please miz and one of the mods will then publish it. www.theatreboard.co.uk/board/28/submit-notices |
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Post by miz on Sept 8, 2019 14:02:51 GMT
Thank you so much, BurlyBeaR!
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