The Bridges of Madison County (Menier summer musical)

[singularsensation10]

I have Two tickets to Monday’s performance if anybody wants them?

[QueerTheatre]

Jul 20, 2019 12:18:00 GMT singularsensation10 said:

I have Two tickets to Monday’s performance if anybody wants them?

Guess we’re not going together anymore then? 😂😂

[justafan]

Jul 19, 2019 15:50:37 GMT FrontroverPaul said:

Jul 18, 2019 23:13:44 GMT justafan said:

To those there this evening - are we still looking at 3hours run time as I’m on a booked train after Saturday’s matinee out of Euston so fear I may have to leave at interval

Sorry to hear that. I travel long distances by train using advance tickets to see matinees but have learnt always to allow 60-90 minutes between the likely finish time and my booked train back to London. Most musicals are between 2 hr 15 and 2 hr 45 including the interval so Bridges at 2 hr 50ish isn't that super-long really. It's the addition of a 3.30pm start time that's the biggest problem. A matinee not finishing till almost 6.30pm is crazy.

You might still be able to amend your advance ticket to a train an hour or two later but it will come at a cost - £10 + the difference between what you've paid and the new ticket. I would ideally be booking a train departing from Euston about 7.30pm although the London Bridge tube entrance is only a few minutes walk from the theatre and the Northern Line tube journey takes 12-14 minutes. I'd say if a show finished at Menier at 6.20pm you'd probably reach Euston about 6.45pm and would make a 7.00pm departure.

Thank you for the advice 😃 unfortunately I’m reliant on a connection further into my journey so basically if I miss it I won’t get home tonight so changing my train isn’t an option. Box office informs me the run time is 2.45 so that gives a 6.15 finish allowing me an hour to get to Euston for my train. I’ll keep fingers and toes crossed for no stoppages 🙏

[dlevi]

I saw this yesterday and while I wouldn't say it's a disaster, I will say it it wasn't very good. Ms Russell as Francesca is fine throughout but her accent comes and goes. However the show lives and dies on the chemistry and electricity of Francesca and Robert and Mr Baker-Duly is a dead bulb. His acting is stiff and his singing is insecure and dull. Since they don't click as a romantic couple the whole show fails. Jon Bausour's cumbersome and slow moving scenery doesn't help, and all of his costumes seem to be charity shop rejects. Do men in the midwest only wear plaid shirts and ill-fitting trousers? The band played Mr Brown's score well but I kept having to remind myself that this isn't Light in the Piazza , as hard as it may try. The performance ran about 2 hours and 45 minutes but felt a lot longer, especially in the last 15 minutes or so - the show was over way before it was finished.

[frankubelik]

Well it wasn't as awful as I was expecting but then I went in with very low expectations. I quite liked the piece but it could do with some judicious cutting and I found the staging rather clunky (some of the action takes place in areas where you have to swivel around to see/hear - very poor from Mr Nunn). Jenna Russell gives up on even trying to do an accent and Edward Baker Duly just looks creepy - he is REALLY bad. Vocally these two cannot compare to the glorious sounds of the two original Broadway leads as they crack and struggle through the score. The less said about Dale Rapley the better. A missed opportunity really as I am sure there are much better singers and actors out there to give this musical what it deserves.

[apubleed]

For those that are disappointed with the show, just close your eyes and listen carefully to the OBC recording from start to finish. Look at photos from the original production and imagine what it is like to have a couple that seem to have genuine sexual chemistry. Sadly, this production doesn’t come close.

[AddisonMizner]

I am seeing a matinee of this in a couple of weeks. I have a train to catch at just after 7pm from King’s Cross. Do you think that I will get there in time with the running time as it is? Thanks in advance.

[sf]

Jul 21, 2019 11:28:15 GMT AddisonMizner said:

I am seeing a matinee of this in a couple of weeks. I have a train to catch at just after 7pm from King’s Cross. Do you think that I will get there in time with the running time as it is? Thanks in advance.

Yesterday afternoon's matinee finished at 6.15pm. I was at Euston in plenty of time to catch my train at 7.20pm, and I'd have been able to make the earlier one (7pm) without any trouble.

[david]

Jul 21, 2019 11:46:41 GMT sf said:

Jul 21, 2019 11:28:15 GMT AddisonMizner said:

I am seeing a matinee of this in a couple of weeks. I have a train to catch at just after 7pm from King’s Cross. Do you think that I will get there in time with the running time as it is? Thanks in advance.

Yesterday afternoon's matinee finished at 6.15pm. I was at Euston in plenty of time to catch my train at 7.20pm, and I'd have been able to make the earlier one (7pm) without any trouble.

Thanks for the info. I’m on a train to Wigan at 7.05pm on a Sunday and was wondering what time the production would finish.

[comdengreenfan]

I really feel it's a disgrace with so many talented musical theatre performers out there that they offer us this shoddy cut price offering. The man is truly appalling - I know he has worked with Trevor Nunn previously but did he actually audition??? I simply do not understand how Jenna Russell continues to work; she has never been more than serviceable to me and this score is beyond her. I expected nothing and that's exactly what I got. A real shame as someone else said for it could have been quite devastating with the right cast.

[xanady]

^Seems the leads are not up to the standards required for this? It is putting me off taking a punt on this....a bridge too far,perhaps?

[theoracle]

Personally I quite enjoyed the performance on Thursday evening. I just felt incredibly stupid I didn't realise the man in front of me was Jason Robert Brown. From the way he was notetaking, I thought he was a critic being naughty coming to a show before press night. Jennas a fine actress and she gives her best effort with the operatic score. Shanay Holmes number was definitely the showstopper of the evening and I think that by the time the show opens officially, it could be a very enjoyable evening. The potentials certainly there and the harsh criticism of Edward Baker-Duly's performance on here seems a little overstated. He's no Steven Pasquale but he does his own thing which certainly made it of value for the ticket I paid in my opinion.

[sf]

Jul 21, 2019 14:32:10 GMT xanady said:

^Seems the leads are not up to the standards required for this? It is putting me off taking a punt on this....a bridge too far,perhaps?

For what it's worth, I had a different response to it. Jenna Russell, no, doesn't sing it the way Kelli O'Hara did on the Broadway recording, but she does sing it well, in terms of what her voice can do (or at least, she did yesterday afternoon) and she's giving a heartbreaking acting performance. Edward Baker-Duly, again, doesn't have as thrilling a voice as Steven Pasquale, and until quite late in the show the material he's given isn't as interesting as the material for Francesca, but there was nothing wrong with the performance I saw yesterday, either in terms of singing or acting. All the big notes in 'It All Fades Away' were present and correct.

The score is stunning, but it's also Marmite - it's very Jason Robert Brown, and his work isn't everyone's cup of tea (that said, there are at least two big takeaway tunes here, both in the second act: 'One Second And A Million Miles', and 'It All Fades Away'). The supporting performances, I thought, were all at least good enough, and a few of them were better than that. I think it's necessary to give the family as much time as the show does; if it was just a two-hander between Francesca and Robert, you'd have less sense of her dilemma. There is one brief fantasy moment in the second act that doesn't work at all, and needs to be cut. The video design and projections are lovely; the set, though, is overcomplicated and a bit wobbly, and there was a sense yesterday afternoon that not everything was working exactly as it should (a porch unit momentarily got stuck on the way offstage, sliding panels wobbled in ways they clearly shouldn't have, you could hear the occasional backstage). The band - ten musicians plus a music director - are superb, and so are Brown's orchestrations

The show itself I found surprisingly effective given that the novel is such an absolute turd. I was fascinated to read an interview with Jason Robert Brown in the programme in which he basically throws Robert James Waller under a bus - not that I disagree with anything he has to say about the book, and I think it's true that public perceptions of the (dreadful) novel affected the show's box office in New York, but it's very unusual to see someone who has worked on an adaptation speak so frankly about their source material.

Overall I liked it very much, and I'm trying to work out if it's feasible for me to see it again later in the run.

[sf]

Jul 21, 2019 15:46:28 GMT theoracle said:

I just felt incredibly stupid I didn't realise the man in front of me was Jason Robert Brown.

I felt incredibly stupid I didn't realise until after I'd turned into a coffee shop that I'd walked about a quarter of a mile down Southwark Street right next to him. If the penny had dropped, I'd have said hello (we have a couple of friends in common).

[alece10]

Some of our newer members certainly go for the jugular with the comments these days and I wonder if it's just done for effect.
I also worry that cast members of shows could quite possibly be reading the comments about them which can be hurtful.
Is the board slowly turning into a load of "vicious queens" out to shock?
I hope not.

[Deleted]

"Slowly turning into"

[apubleed]

The lead male cracked several times at the performance last night...in front of Jason Robert Brown as well. Awkward. Very awkward.

[sf]

Jul 21, 2019 13:48:41 GMT comdengreenfan said:

I simply do not understand how Jenna Russell continues to work

Because she's a superb actress and a very good singer?

Just a guess.

[latefortheoverture]

Jul 21, 2019 6:42:28 GMT dlevi said:

I saw this yesterday and while I wouldn't say it's a disaster, I will say it it wasn't very good. Ms Russell as Francesca is fine throughout but her accent comes and goes. However the show lives and dies on the chemistry and electricity of Francesca and Robert and Mr Baker-Duly is a dead bulb. His acting is stiff and his singing is insecure and dull. Since they don't click as a romantic couple the whole show fails. Jon Bausour's cumbersome and slow moving scenery doesn't help, and all of his costumes seem to be charity shop rejects. Do men in the midwest only wear plaid shirts and ill-fitting trousers? The band played Mr Brown's score well but I kept having to remind myself that this isn't Light in the Piazza , as hard as it may try. The performance ran about 2 hours and 45 minutes but felt a lot longer, especially in the last 15 minutes or so - the show was over way before it was finished.

Agree with everything here.

Jenna is fine. But this show works on chemistry, theres nothing there between Baker-Duly, sadly. I think this is why I felt like I was watching the same song over and over. He isn't the strongest singer, and he isn't that 'head turning'. With the chemistry very spare it proves for a long evening, of an unattainable love story IMO. 

Sets were too long winded! 

And that last 15 minutes felt like a lifetime! I thought it would end after the 'when i'm gone' song but sadly, no.

[latefortheoverture]

Jul 18, 2019 23:07:19 GMT theatrelover123 said:

 It’s a lovely show but particularly in the first half I kept thinking that there is a great 90-100 minute tight show in here. All the other stuff around the two leads seems a little tacked on/padded/unnecesssary. 

^^^^
There is some great storytelling songs, and would work a lot better as a straight through 90ish minute show possibly. Some songs in act 2 felt as if they were chucked in to make the show unnecessarily long!

[latefortheoverture]

Jul 21, 2019 17:37:12 GMT apubleed said:

The lead male cracked several times at the performance last night...in front of Jason Robert Brown as well. Awkward. Very awkward. 

The night I went, in the million minutes miles song he hit a terribly bum note. I'm no vocal expert but my godness it was laughable, and I'm not exaggerating. Added a new element of AmDram to the performance.

[latefortheoverture]

Listening to the OBCR only highlights this productions issues!

Jenna is good, but not on the level of Kelli O'Hara sadly. This score isn't comfortable for her, she's good, but can't easily hit those high and soaring notes. Kelli sounds amazing. I love the final song; 'Always Better'

And again proves why Edward Baker-Duly should be replaced by someone who can act or sing. The music, and duets sound lovely on the recording. But EBD nasal and flat voice kind of took the shine away from the songs.

The only thing *better* in the this production, rather than the OBCR is 'Another Life'. Shanay Holmes absolutely kills this song, and makes it sound divine in person. A true story told within a song. Worth a look as the recording is equally as stunning.

[ceebee]

I've got a ticket for this Thurs evening. I wish I didn't now.

[apubleed]

Jul 22, 2019 0:02:33 GMT latefortheoverture said:

Listening to the OBCR only highlights this productions issues!

Jenna is good, but not on the level of Kelli O'Hara sadly. This score isn't comfortable for her, she's good, but can't easily hit those high and soaring notes. Kelli sounds amazing. I love the final song; 'Always Better'

And again proves why Edward Baker-Duly should be replaced by someone who can act or sing. The music, and duets sound lovely on the recording. But EBD nasal and flat voice kind of took the shine away from the songs.

The only thing *better* in the this production, rather than the OBCR is 'Another Life'. Shanay Holmes absolutely kills this song, and makes it sound divine in person. A true story told within a song. Worth a look as the recording is equally as stunning.

I agree but in context even her performance was tainted by the much much older male lead. To me it just seemed creepy that she was singing about him. This problem didn’t exist in the original production because Steven P was young and hot.

[andrew]

Jul 21, 2019 16:34:19 GMT alece10 said:

Some of our newer members certainly go for the jugular with the comments these days and I wonder if it's just done for effect.
I also worry that cast members of shows could quite possibly be reading the comments about them which can be hurtful.
Is the board slowly turning into a load of "vicious queens" out to shock?
I hope not.

I agree with most of what you say, some of these comments are ridiculous, and it is a trend - although there have always been one or two members who tend to say harsher things than others. It's not the job of enthusiasts commenting on an internet discussion board to worry too much about the feelings of professionals putting their work out for display and comment, but it's certainly a nicer discussion if people say sensible things.

I did a bit of video work once for a popular blog which received mixed feedback, but you can bet every one of the negative comments on youtube or wherever shone out like beacons and stung really hard. After an hour or so I stopped looking at them, and spent the rest of the day thoroughly depressed. Never again. Some of the stuff that people write on this forum would have been way worse to read. So I sincerely hope that cast and creatives are not flicking through here or searching twitter for their name. For their own mental wellbeing.