|
|
Post by winonaforever on Sept 2, 2019 14:47:59 GMT
What is the approx finishing time for evening performances please? I'm going tonight, so I got an email today. It said running time approx 2hrs 40mins with a 20 minute interval. |
|
19,670 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 2, 2019 14:59:31 GMT
I asked. Apparently they sometimes release them if they are not required, but there is no pattern. It just isn't on. They used to keep G 1 to 4, so we had a chance of G23. Then they went 1, 2, 22, 23. After that, I stopped worrying and stopped going. Totally agree. Do understand them keeping one side for house guests - but now the other has gone too so nobody tall stands a chance, it kinda makes you not want to go full stop. Exactly. I didn’t go to something at TOP for this reason, might have been Heathers, so they are actively losing custom. If you booked another seat then complained to FOH about the legroom on the night do you think they would move you to a house seat? This happened to me at Her Majesty’s where I literally could not sit down in the stalls because there wasn’t enough legroom, and they put me in a box. |
|
8,103 posts
|
Post by alece10 on Sept 2, 2019 15:11:35 GMT
It really is a stinker of a theatre for seat comfort. Great rake but as you cant put your feet under the seat in front of you it's so uncomfortable.
I've booked an aisle seat for this show so I can hopefully stick my bad leg out into the aisle.
I worked on a show there a few years ago so spent hours and hours sitting in various seats during rehearsals and tech and I can say with confidence they are all awful.
|
|
3,306 posts
|
Post by david on Sept 2, 2019 15:16:23 GMT
|
|
1,083 posts
|
Post by andrew on Sept 2, 2019 15:22:36 GMT
That's the most annoying thing. As I've said on here before, I've been underneath the seating. The auditorium space is just a very huge concrete cube. The seating is on wooden flooring within the cube. To rip it all out and re-build would cost very little comparatively. If they didn't want to rip out, then just losing a row and putting the seats back to create space would also work. Bit of an aside, but what do they do with that space under the seats? |
|
|
|
Post by FrontroverPaul on Sept 2, 2019 15:34:53 GMT
I'm 6 feet tall exactly and have so far always booked a seat in the front row between A9 and A16 at the Other Palace. Not the most legroom but perfectly adequate for me.
I had no idea it was so bad elsewhere. Thanks for the tip offs.
|
|
5,142 posts
|
Post by TallPaul on Sept 2, 2019 15:35:28 GMT
There must, by now, be quite a queue of people who want to put you in a box, BurlyBeaR, with @theatremonkey clutching Turn-O-Matic ticket number 1. 🙂 |
|
882 posts
|
Post by longinthetooth on Sept 2, 2019 15:35:59 GMT
Joining in the discussion about seating, I too have decided to give Falsettos a miss (any anything else at TOP) because of the comments about the space, or lack of, although I would love to have seen it.
I am not particularly tall, but suffer from arthritis in the knee, so being able to stretch my leg is important. I also have bad balance, so am put off by descriptions of the steep steps (which would also do my knee no good). A shame, but there we are.
|
|
8,103 posts
|
Post by alece10 on Sept 2, 2019 15:57:05 GMT
Joining in the discussion about seating, I too have decided to give Falsettos a miss (any anything else at TOP) because of the comments about the space, or lack of, although I would love to have seen it. I am not particularly tall, but suffer from arthritis in the knee, so being able to stretch my leg is important. I also have bad balance, so am put off by descriptions of the steep steps (which would also do my knee no good). A shame, but there we are. Dont be put off. I have the same issue with arthritis in my knee and I phoned the box office. They were really helpful and gave me an aisle seat. They also made a remark on the booking so the FOH staff are aware in case of any emergency. If you sit towards the back you will not have to climb all the stairs and the view is great wherever you are. It's just the blasted legroom that's the issue. |
|
|
|
Post by xanady on Sept 2, 2019 17:52:36 GMT
We were M5,6 and 7 and no problems with legroom unlike the Ambassadors which was ridiculous in the Circle and I had to change to Row F from C which has a gangway in front of it....I’m 6 ft 4...mind you,row L at TOP had a lot of empty spaces so we didn’t have anyones’ heads directly in front of our knees so maybe this changes things?...show finished at ten past ten to answer another poster...if you can cope with the design problems with steps/seating etc then I would very highly recommend this...
|
|
|
|
Post by intoanewlife on Sept 2, 2019 21:01:50 GMT
You guys are REALLY not selling this to me  |
|
677 posts
|
Post by westendcub on Sept 2, 2019 21:39:02 GMT
Wow that musical was stunning (and couldn’t have been the most perfect show to go see due to its story strands & most importantly its message).
Absolutely wonderful performances from all but I must say I supported Daniel Boys since the ‘Joseph’ Show & it was a joy to see him as the lead (it’s very much an ensemble show but he shone) it really felt like he was born to play the role (and his performance broke me 😭).
What I found so powerful is that in Act 1 you start off feeling at arms length from these characters but become involved in their dynamic & fabric & then bam there is an emotional father & son towards the end of act 1 & you care deeply for all its characters.
Act 2 is a marvel, there’s a slight change in tone (very clever that two new characters get thrown into the mix) when we go from the ball game to its curveball & reflection of the time the story takes place.
What is so powerful here that it explores many themes, characters are rounded (they are not always nice in their ways or actions) & you care for them even though they are flawed but most importantly this has something to say & an important message about what a “family” is & what “family” means.
Lovely mix of ages & genders too attending this which is great for a LGBTQI+ story at its core....big standing ovation (deserved) & many tears (including mine).
I understand why this show is beloved on Broadway as a musical & now I’m part of it.
Beautiful show!
|
|
65 posts
|
Post by Marcus on Sept 3, 2019 9:57:52 GMT
I was there last night too.
Initially thought the first number needed more ommph. But it then took off like a juggernaut.
What I find so interesting about this show is every character is presented with all their many complex flaws. To the point you don’t particular like them but then it comes round and you care so deeply about this dysfunctional family.
The boy playing Jason was brilliant and the whole cast were on fire.
Go and see!
|
|
|
|
Post by xanady on Sept 3, 2019 12:53:09 GMT
Yayyyyy,the great reviews start to flow...right up there with the recent WE Company as a truly great ‘ensemble’ musical imo....
|
|
1,210 posts
|
Post by musicalmarge on Sept 4, 2019 21:18:39 GMT
This was AMAZING tonight. Gosh it is soooo good!! I’m booking to see it again. What SENSATIONAL performances. It’s a HIT! 10/10 from me
|
|
2,416 posts
|
Post by robertb213 on Sept 4, 2019 21:31:49 GMT
Thanks for all the great reviews, I'm booked for next week 😀
|
|
904 posts
|
Post by lonlad on Sept 4, 2019 23:00:29 GMT
Saw it tonight -- simply wonderful. Audience slow to laugh, perhaps, but certainly not to ovate. The performances are wonderful, especially Laura Pitt-Pulford who bats Trina out of the park. Brava, bravi!
|
|
364 posts
|
Post by dazzerlump on Sept 4, 2019 23:02:03 GMT
I’m there on Friday and I can’t wait. Was looking forward to it anyway but the glowing reviews on here only make me more excited. Is it press night Thursday?
|
|
4,361 posts
|
Post by shady23 on Sept 5, 2019 7:22:53 GMT
Thursday night.
There's also a matinee on that day.
|
|
31 posts
|
Post by cheri78 on Sept 5, 2019 8:22:09 GMT
Waited too long to see this but the wait was so worthwhile. What performances! A real ensemble show but have to mention Laura Pitt Puford's Act2 "Tina's song" as a masterclass of acting, agree with previous post how she totally nailed it, never heard it sung where every word had meaning. Lovely to see Natasha J Barnes again, wrung every bit from her brief time onstage. And I can't not mention Daniel, he moved me to tears many times. Sad to see leavers after Act1 but I can understand why if it's a 1st hearing, Act1 has fewer ballads and at times quite disjointed music, personally I love it, but the piece really goes for the jugular in Act 2 and I was a bit of an emotional wreck for much of it. Go see, I felt lucky to be there.
|
|
316 posts
|
Post by ABr on Sept 5, 2019 11:54:57 GMT
|
|
1,485 posts
|
Post by Steve on Sept 5, 2019 18:06:49 GMT
Saw the matinee. Absolutely wonderful: a beautifully specific and personal musical acted and sung with endless compassion and humanity by a super-talented ensemble with so much subtlety and so many colours of every emotion. Some spoilers follow. . . Incidentally, I completely agree with every word of that letter about the need to consult extensively with someone in the Jewish community before staging a show like this. In an age of rising anti-semitism, a musical with numbers like "Four Jews Bitching in a Room," "Miracle of Judaism" and "Jason's Bar Mitzvah," needs to be staged with utmost sensitivity so as not to perpetuate stereotypes, not least because the book occasionally, albeit affectionately, indulges in them. For instance, there are references to Jews not being sporty, or Jews being bitchy, which are unhelpful stereotypes. But in my view, however it happened, by consultation or not, this show is magnificently universally human, and depicts it's characters as deep and desperately relatable individuals, all of whom we care for, none of them stereotypes. Daniel Boys, in particular, is utterly remarkable in his moment to moment aliveness, seemingly covering entire spectrums and shades of recognisable emotions within single songs with such flow and adeptness, that his Marvin anchors the show in the kind of deep and true and revelatory humanity that we rarely see on stage, let alone in musicals. And Laura Pitt Pulford and Joel Montague are just as good, with both veering from moments of touching vulnerability to moments of show stopping hearty panache that will have audiences jumping for joy inside, in recognition of the universal human experience. All the ensemble shone brightly: even child actor, Elliot Morris was preternaturally dry and funny, and Natasha J. Barnes, a ball of quirky energy, befitting a thoroughly blossomed graduate of the Understudies-of-Sheridan-Smith school. As far as writer, William Finn is concerned, I somewhat liked his "Little Miss Sunshine" (also seen starring Pitt-Pulford) and Spelling Bee, but due to the detail of experience here, this is infinitely better than both those works, for me anyway. At the end, there were sobs everywhere from the audience, in love with these characters and this show and life itself. 5 stars from me!  PS: 0 stars for the level of communication between the show and letter writers. Hopefully, the letter has achieved it's objectives, and communications will be better in similar situations in future productions. |
|
8,103 posts
|
Post by alece10 on Sept 6, 2019 5:47:30 GMT
4 stars from the Times and Evening Standard so far.
This and what board members have said so far makes me wish I had booked to see this earlier in the run. Not going until the end of September but will be worth the wait.
|
|
2,383 posts
|
Post by theatreian on Sept 6, 2019 17:50:48 GMT
|
|
5,147 posts
|
Post by Being Alive on Sept 6, 2019 20:25:37 GMT
A very unjust two star review in the Stage, that doesn't highlight the performances as well as it should do.
|
|
