55 posts
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Post by westlondon on Nov 12, 2019 22:23:35 GMT
I really hope the company manager or someone is supporting this kid and telling him NEVER to read the comments on forums or fan-sites. Dealing with vocal tiredness is a normal part of playing a big role and he will become used to this over time, but it is as much a mental issue as it is a physical one. I don't see any issue with criticising the performance, tbh. I think with opening night approaching, it's good he's taking some time off if vocal tiredness is the issue here, but that doesn't change the issue with the quality of the performance last night. As a whole, his feedback has been pretty positive - his acting is amazing and he plays the part really, really well. He just struggled. I wasn’t suggesting for a minute that anyone shouldn’t criticise. I just meant that it would be best for him not to read these kind of forums at all. As Sondheim said of reviews: if you believe the good ones, you have to believe the bad. |
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4,786 posts
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Post by Mark on Nov 12, 2019 22:47:13 GMT
Was certainly a surprise when Marcus came onto the stage. No announcements, no programme slips and I didn’t see any sort of cast boards or notices. I thought he did great. Still finding his rhythm and I think a lot of that is finding the timing with a live audience and such - very different to Sam who plays the role much more erratic and panicked, Marcus was calmer - both interpretations work. Very good vocals. Liked Rebecca a lot more tonight and Lauren Ward is brilliant as Cynthia - I think she could pick up an Olivier nom for this. View is good from back of the stalls, though legroom is cramped. However I still stand by that the grand circle slips are a bargain at £7.50/£15 - you can actually see the facial expressions better from here. Was sat next to couldileaveyou , took me a moment to realise we’d sat together at Dreamgirls too! Will probably wait until early next year to see it again now. I’d certainly be swayed to try and see the other two Evans. |
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544 posts
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Post by amp09 on Nov 12, 2019 22:50:36 GMT
If he was to read this forum, I can’t see him being offended by anything people have said previously. I’m sure he’ll agree about his performance last night and already know himself that it wasn’t his best. Plus it’s all been very constructive. Hope he’s well rested and back on form by the time I go to see it next Thursday - I’m terribly excited!
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1,083 posts
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Post by andrew on Nov 12, 2019 22:53:42 GMT
Was certainly a surprise when Marcus came onto the stage. No announcements, no programme slips and I didn’t see any sort of cast boards or notices. I thought he did great. Still finding his rhythm and I think a lot of that is finding the timing with a live audience and such - very different to Sam who plays the role much more erratic and panicked, Marcus was calmer - both interpretations work. Very good vocals. Liked Rebecca a lot more tonight and Lauren Ward is brilliant as Cynthia - I think she could pick up an Olivier nom for this. View is good from back of the stalls, though legroom is cramped. However I still stand by that the grand circle slips are a bargain at £7.50/£15 - you can actually see the facial expressions better from here. Was sat next to couldileaveyou , took me a moment to realise we’d sat together at Dreamgirls too! Will probably wait until early next year to see it again now. I’d certainly be swayed to try and see the other two Evans. Back of the stalls too tonight, unless either of you were an elderly lady I don't think I was next to you. Sad to not see the boy everyone will be reviewing, a la Jac Yarrow. But Marcus was good. A bit too uncontrolled with the vocals sometimes, but it's early days. Thought the show was great. |
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544 posts
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Post by amp09 on Nov 12, 2019 22:53:45 GMT
Was certainly a surprise when Marcus came onto the stage. No announcements, no programme slips and I didn’t see any sort of cast boards or notices. I thought he did great. Still finding his rhythm and I think a lot of that is finding the timing with a live audience and such - very different to Sam who plays the role much more erratic and panicked, Marcus was calmer - both interpretations work. Very good vocals. Liked Rebecca a lot more tonight and Lauren Ward is brilliant as Cynthia - I think she could pick up an Olivier nom for this. View is good from back of the stalls, though legroom is cramped. However I still stand by that the grand circle slips are a bargain at £7.50/£15 - you can actually see the facial expressions better from here. Was sat next to couldileaveyou , took me a moment to realise we’d sat together at Dreamgirls too! Will probably wait until early next year to see it again now. I’d certainly be swayed to try and see the other two Evans. Glad to hear the back of stalls was good. Did it feel distant from the stage? I‘m a front row kind of guy but Row U was all that was available when I booked for next week. |
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4,786 posts
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Post by Mark on Nov 12, 2019 23:00:34 GMT
amp09 felt a lot closer than I thought it was going to. I’m most used to this perspective for this show mind, I was stood at the back all three times I saw it in NYC and back row of the stalls in Toronto too. It’s a good place to see the show from id say. andrew we were sat the low numbers side row U, glad you enjoyed the show!
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544 posts
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Post by amp09 on Nov 12, 2019 23:06:14 GMT
amp09 felt a lot closer than I thought it was going to. I’m most used to this perspective for this show mind, I was stood at the back all three times I saw it in NYC and back row of the stalls in Toronto too. It’s a good place to see the show from id say. andrew we were sat the low numbers side row U, glad you enjoyed the show! Thanks, that’s put my mind at ease. I was panicking I’d hate the show based solely on being at the back of the stalls as I always sit front of stalls. |
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Post by lonlad on Nov 13, 2019 0:46:50 GMT
First press perf is Friday -- think Sam will be ready then?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2019 1:56:30 GMT
Obviously the OBCR is studio produced, but i'm wondering if Ben Platt's performance was as it is on the recording. His Evan sounds very confident and there is absolutely no sign of his anxiety or lack of social skills there, where as Sam Tutty performed that side of Evan during the songs. Ben Platt sounds like he's standing centre stage and belting it out. Was his performance toned down for the recording? Anyone see him on Broadway?
Also, during the show, as i was watching the Murphy's sing 'Requiem' it made me think that Lauren Ward, Rupert Young and Lucy Anderson would all be perfect as the Goodman's in Next To Normal.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2019 5:41:28 GMT
Obviously the OBCR is studio produced, but i'm wondering if Ben Platt's performance was as it is on the recording. His Evan sounds very confident and there is absolutely no sign of his anxiety or lack of social skills there, where as Sam Tutty performed that side of Evan during the songs. Ben Platt sounds like he's standing centre stage and belting it out. Was his performance toned down for the recording? Anyone see him on Broadway? Also, during the show, as i was watching the Murphy's sing 'Requiem' it made me think that Lauren Ward, Rupert Young and Lucy Anderson would all be perfect as the Goodman's in Next To Normal. Ben certainly acted Evan’s nervousness on Broadway, particularly though his dialogue. From what I can remember he used his physicality, posture and facial expressions to also portray that through his numbers. It was something I recall commenting on at the time, how well he portrayed it. Comparing him to Sam I still much preferred Ben’s performance, though that could just be because he was my first Evan! |
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Post by danb on Nov 13, 2019 7:55:54 GMT
Actually just feeling cross about it all today. It is someones job to look after the cast and make sure the audience get the best possible experience. This did not happen on Monday night.
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Post by xanady on Nov 13, 2019 8:06:34 GMT
^An actor friend of mine reports that stalls Row U is very limited in terms of legroom although the row directly in front has masses of legroom apparently.He has also seen the show from Grand Circle standing and says that as the theatre isn’t that huge,the view is still fine.
The on-stage screens are pretty generic in terms of randomly bringing up Insta,Twitter etc to frame the action in terms of the influence of social media in this day and age.
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5,812 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 13, 2019 9:07:24 GMT
It appears Sam has called out of tonight’s show so maybe last night’s vocal performance was down to feeling under the weather? Bless him! I’d give him Wednesdays off too, and keep him in a bubble. Weeks of rehearsal in safe controlled areas is no equal of actual performance in a big room of dirty coughs and winter bugs. They have enough covers to keep everyone well, so they should get them rehearsed and use them asap. They have a brand to build. They have already fully rehearsed and teched in all understudies! |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 13, 2019 9:08:32 GMT
Have they lowered the stage, I've seen a photo taken from the dress circle and it looks a lot lower than what it was for Half a Sixpence? It looked pretty high to me when I saw it the other day. But it is also raked which helps. It’s unlikely to be as deep as Half a sixpence because that had revolves in it which always bumps it up. |
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5,812 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 13, 2019 9:10:35 GMT
.. and I have to say I absolutely loved the show here. Sam is excellent , in great voice and deeply moving. Great support all round actually, though I found the woman playing his mother much weaker than the original on Broadway.
Lauren Ward was particularly strong.
Excellent sound too- you can really hear every lyric so clearly.
This will be a smash here.
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Nov 13, 2019 9:43:31 GMT
I don't think anyone should feel guilty when posting something here because an actor might read it. If you didn't like something, even a specific performance, it is just your opinion, as this topic clearly illustrates (from loving the show to not liking the show at all everything is posted here).
I always find it funny though when someone claims a performance being the worst they have ever seen on stage. Can't have seen much then or nothing outside the West End...I have seen a lot of dreadful performances and heard a lot of terrible singing in my life but not really in the West End...you may personally dislike something but is it really the worst?
I don't doubt Sam was not on form (as he was sick afterwards) and you could cleary tell, but this is a bit melodramatic. He will surely learn from this and in future see the signs and call out sick when he doesn't feel well.
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Post by Steve on Nov 13, 2019 11:45:00 GMT
Saw this last night, with Marcus Harman as Evan Hansen. Not being in the target demographic, I appreciated this as a ballooning-lie-about-to-explode-thriller more than as a how-do-I-adapt-to-the-world-teen-drama, which is why I merely enjoyed the first half, while I absolutely loved the second half, as the tensions spiked! Some spoilers follow. . . I'm stunned to read (above) that Sam Tutty is "much more erratic and panicked" in the role than Marcus Harman, because what I was watching last night was an actor embodying the most extreme anxiety I've seen depicted on stage. Harman is in constant and convincing paroxysyms of anxiety for almost the entire run time, evidenced through head jerks, stuttering, bodily contortions, an inability to stand still, arm and hand spasms, and a high-pitched voice that starts high and only gets higher. In physical resemblance and performance style, Harman is the spit of Crispin Glover as George McFly, in "Back to the Future." I wonder if the description of Tutty as "much more erratic and panicked" refers less to the general anxiety of the character, and more to his responses to the twists and turns of the plot, because it is arguable that Harman is so anxious, about simply being alive, in every moment of the show, that it is impossible for him to further contort himself into greater displays of anxiety to react to the actual plot. Potentially confirming and explaining why Harman's uber-anxious character might be characterised as "calmer" than Tutty, my experience of Harman's performance is that he does become increasingly calm as he integrates into his surrogate Murphy family: the panic of being found out is more than counterbalanced by the balm of being accepted and "loved." This new relative calmness in Harman peaked in the second half, when he duetted with his newly surrogate father, Rupert Young's warmly paternal Mr Murphy, in "To Break in a Glove." This was the most emotional moment in the show for me, where Harman's Hansen suddenly stops jittering and stands upright and still, a boy once abandoned by his real father now filled up inside by finding a new one, an abused puppy wagging his tail as if petted for the first time. Lauren Ward's Mrs. Murphy provided most of the other emotional high points of this show for me. I don't know how she plans to go there every night for the entire run, but her grief is desperately deep, raw and overwhelming. Lucy Anderson's "Requiem" was also extremely heartfelt and touching. But overall, my experience of the show was of the ballooning lie, a gradually growing tension that only gripped me tightly in the second half, and then much more tightly still because Harman had so skillfully evinced a person who had everything to lose if and when that balloon exploded. So if at first I merely liked the show, by the end I loved it. 4 stars.  |
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Post by boak on Nov 13, 2019 12:53:04 GMT
Tix available for opening night!
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Post by xanady on Nov 13, 2019 16:52:37 GMT
^A wonderfully lucid,heartfelt and insightful review by Steve.Have said it before but it is worth repeating...some of the ‘journalism’ on this forum is as good or better than the professional media.
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Post by ribbon5 on Nov 13, 2019 23:00:01 GMT
Marcus was absolutely outstanding on his Debut. I’ve seen Broadway and both London Evans in the space of a month. We are extremely lucky to have 2 fantastic Evans both equally talented.
Sam is almost identical to the broadway Evan, Andrew. Pretty much all of the extreme anxiety mannerisms are the same between them and I really don’t think its something that can be directed. I felt Sam slightly switched in and out of awkwardness throughout the show and in moments he suddenly goes back to his extreme awkwardness. In Words Fail Sam cried a river. His voice is so bold it works so well when the rest of the cast are singing as well.
Marcus has the most beautiful voice and can really hit those high notes. I love how he is totally different to Sam and his awkwardness brings a softer and more emotional side to Evan. I also like how his Evan build in confidence slightly when getting to know Zoe, and the Murphys. I can’t wait to see how he develops into the role and really pleased he is getting some extra shows this week.
I am a bit annoyed there is no advertising of his performance. I know they don’t advertise when the alternate performs on broadway but in the UK all alternates are usually advertised and when they have set shows any different should be displayed via slip or cast board (but maybe this will come after opening).
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253 posts
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Post by frankubelik on Nov 14, 2019 8:12:05 GMT
A complete snooze-fest for me and I thought it would never end. We got the understudy (I think it's really poor not to have announced this if nothing else for the poor guy playing the role) and sadly he was bad; cracking on the top notes and shouting when he should have used his (non existent?) falsetto. His tics and physicality simply annoyed me and I felt nothing for him or in fact anyone on that stage. Given that many of the youngsters have had little professional experience, they've cast it cheaply and it woefully shows. It's been over hyped and now it's over here presumably for a while judging by the reaction last night. We had a false evacuation before Act 2 started and part of me was thrilled to be able to escape but depressed at the thought of having to return to see the entire show again!
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Post by popcultureboy on Nov 14, 2019 8:14:20 GMT
We had a false evacuation before Act 2 started and part of me was thrilled to be able to escape but depressed at the thought of having to return to see the entire show again! Why didn't you just not return after the evacuation if you were having such an unenjoyable time? |
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253 posts
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Post by frankubelik on Nov 14, 2019 8:59:38 GMT
Er, because it was a "false alarm" and the theatre was not evacuated.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2019 14:49:31 GMT
A complete snooze-fest for me and I thought it would never end. We got the understudy (I think it's really poor not to have announced this if nothing else for the poor guy playing the role) and sadly he was bad; cracking on the top notes and shouting when he should have used his (non existent?) falsetto. His tics and physicality simply annoyed me and I felt nothing for him or in fact anyone on that stage. Given that many of the youngsters have had little professional experience, they've cast it cheaply and it woefully shows. I agree with all of this, sadly, as I hoped this would live up to the hype. Maybe Ben Platt's performance was what made it so hyped on Broadway, but it must have been something special to elevate such poor material to that extent. I thought the vocals were pretty poor all round, the songs very samey and the characters pretty much all inherently unsympathetic. They didn't succeed in evoking any kind of emotion. I was also surprised at how poorly thought through the set design is, as it must exclude a lot of epileptics from ever being able to see the show (never mind that it also looks cheap). I can't judge the show as a whole as I gave up at the interval and went home because I was so bored. Have to say that the sides of the balcony are a pretty good deal though, especially just off the main block - if you are short like me the rail doesn't impede much and there is a decent amount of space for bags etc. |
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Post by freckles on Nov 14, 2019 15:10:01 GMT
A complete snooze-fest for me and I thought it would never end. We got the understudy (I think it's really poor not to have announced this if nothing else for the poor guy playing the role) and sadly he was bad; cracking on the top notes and shouting when he should have used his (non existent?) falsetto. His tics and physicality simply annoyed me and I felt nothing for him or in fact anyone on that stage. Given that many of the youngsters have had little professional experience, they've cast it cheaply and it woefully shows. It's been over hyped and now it's over here presumably for a while judging by the reaction last night. We had a false evacuation before Act 2 started and part of me was thrilled to be able to escape but depressed at the thought of having to return to see the entire show again! There was an incident at Les Mis Concert this week when an audience member shouted "where's Alfie?" at the bows. In the ensuing twitter discussion, it was suggested there is often booing or heckling when understudies are announced to the auditorium, and many theatres no longer do it to avoid the poor understudy hearing the audience reaction. It's a shame people are so disrespectful. |
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