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Post by raiseitup on Mar 2, 2020 11:31:51 GMT
Cast recording has already been recorded, needs to be mixed. Schwartz says it will be out 'soon'
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Mar 2, 2020 13:26:51 GMT
Has anyone had luck with Rush Seats for POE on Today Tix? I imagine these go fairly quickly. Are there any available at the Box Office each day? My son got central row C dress circle for last Thursday evening at about 10.15 am. I've never used the Rush app myself but he said he was initially offered seats much further back and rejected several before he purchased onein row C. Saved £50 on the theatre price. |
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Post by hitmewithurbethshot on Mar 3, 2020 19:30:43 GMT
Saw this last week and really enjoyed it, prepare yourself for a jumble of thoughts ahead:
I understand the use of ensemble members as the set and effects is polarising but I found it very innovative. It made things like the basket being brought to Tuya look more like outside forces were involved rather than pure chance. I agree that people rolling in a line on the floor looks goofy though.
The new songs were a bit hit and miss. I liked Tzipporah and Nefertari’s songs, and the one the Hebrews sang the first time Moses told them they were free. The rest were a bit forgettable.
There is very simple staging which is used to great effect. For me the best were the Yocheved reveal in All I Ever Wanted and the death of the firstborns, plus the closing of the Red Sea which other people have mentioned.
The dancing, oh MY the dancing. This must be the bendiest ensemble in the west end!
Now a bit of nitpicking:
The Plagues is my favourite song and sequence of the film and what I was most looking forward to seeing this. I understand it’s difficult to show frogs and such onstage, but I would have liked to see at least a distinction between each plague rather than a mishmash since unless you’re very familiar with the story you wouldn’t even know what plague you were seeing.
Miriam is supposedly a prophet which was only explicitly said at the end. I spent most of the show just thinking she was a bit mental.
It’s a shame that while everyone else got more character development Aaron was cut down to the bare bones and then some.
I’m conflicted about the ending (spoilers for those who specifically haven’t seen this production). Placing the blame on chasing after the fleeing Hebrews solely on Nefertari and Hotep makes Ramses a lot less culpable for his actions (the musical doesn’t really address how many Hebrews suffered in slavery in the time between Seti I’s death and Moses returning, plus how many Egyptians died because of the plagues) so he’s more just a good guy who got steered in the wrong direction. I don’t think after all that you can really have an ending where Moses and Ramses part on good terms. Also, why does a high priest have command over the army?
Cutting Playing With the Big Boys was a huge missed opportunity to show some stage magic, and I didn’t appreciate being blue balled by Hotep singing snippets of it here and there.
Last but not least:
An all round very strong cast. Mercedesz Csampai in her small but impactful role as Yocheved was a particular standout.
In my humble opinion even though the show has its flaws seeing the choreography and the movie songs being performed are well worth the ticket price alone.
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Post by vabbian on Mar 3, 2020 22:43:40 GMT
2.5 - 3 stars. I guess it's an impossible feat to live up to the film. Day ticket tonight £25 stalls W23 Happy to see Debbie Kurup in the cast! Audience didn't seem to respond well to the new songs. Barely clapped for those. The new songs seemed quite anti climactic(?) I think the leads just don't have the X factor. No shirtless Moses - a shame. One of the gays in the ensemble has a very obvious trendy haircut, whilst everyone else had more appropriate hair, was out of place. Very very bare set. Was not a fan of those square blocks being used for EVERYTHING. Hello ![]()  |
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Post by chels on Mar 7, 2020 13:16:30 GMT
Hello all, long time lurker of the site here. I saw this with my girlfriend about two weeks ago, we paid about 50 quid for both of us and sat in the Dress Circle. I enjoyed the animated film and have fond memories of it but didn’t know what to expect but when I saw the ensemble rolling around on the floor pretending to be a river, I went “Oh it’s that kind of show,” I liked the staging, I thought the bit where the Hebrews cross the Red Sea was clever and the cast was great. Also with all the projections, I thought they’d clearly saved a bit on costumes given the ensemble weren’t wearing much and at one point the Queen of Egypt came out in a very sparkly low cut dress  I feel like it definitely had story/pacing issues, it seemed like every five minutes we were going into a new song or a reprise and some bits seemed rushed like Moses and Tzipporah’s romance rapidly going from not liking each other to sort of dancing together to oh we’re in love now to getting married all in the span of Act One. My girlfriend is Jewish herself and she thought that they really were trying to take religion out of it which struck us both as kind of bizarre given it’s based on a story that’s from religious texts. What with the re-centering the narrative on Moses and Rameses being bros and the oh it’s not Rameses fault actually arc. I don’t remember Moses actually mentioning God at all in favour of blabbing on about Destiny etc. On a side note, a friend of mine saw the original production in the US in...2017 I think? I was chatting to her about it and it doesn’t seem like they’ve changed much and tbh I think it needs a bit of a rewrite. My girlfriend has been gifted tickets for her birthday so we’re going again and it’ll be interesting to see what’s changed since previews. On the whole I’d probably give it a 3/5. |
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Post by jay78uk on Mar 7, 2020 16:59:25 GMT
Went to see the Prince of Eygpt on Thursday night on a whim. We fancied some escapism and were surprised, while having a post work pint that there were rush tickets on tix for that very evening. We sat middle of row G in the circle for £25 each and had a fantastic if somewhat distant view. Gosh, the Dominion is huge! The show wasn't my cup of tea, but given I'm a big Sondheim fan and like fully scored musicals I didn't expect it to float my boat!
On the plus side, I thought the staging good and the effects... effective, especially the bits when a slave suffers an unfortunate incident and the death of the king. The projections of the pharaohs and inside the pyramid were great too, the backdrops less so. I also enjoyed the dancing and choreography- hugely energetic and fun.
On the down side, the show's script and characterisation is wafer thin and very 'hollywood'. Some of the staging was very cheesy- glitter in sand etc. Other than the hit song, the score to my ears was derivative... pastiche hebrew songs, some forgettable ballads- and unfortunately for most songs the lyrics weren't that clear- particularly in the first act. Thought the chap playing moses a lovely singer and I did enjoy his song 'footprints on the sand', not that there was much too it, but the orchestrations were easy on the ear.
The show does a reasonable job narrating the story, and would be a great show to take kids to- and I suspect many will be taken given many primary schools teach the story of moses. Be fascinating to see how long the show runs for- the circle was a quarter empty and I suspect most of the people in the seats around me had discounted tickets or had snagged freebies.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 7, 2020 22:22:35 GMT
3 stars is incredibly generous.
It’s one of the worst directed amateurish messes I’ve ever seen. Absolutely shocking. Dreadful design, an insipid leading man and horrible songs.
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Post by SageStageMgr on Mar 8, 2020 14:30:12 GMT
Ooh the temptation to mess with his head and sigh loudly at bits that are obviously good or that he enjoys enough not to make notes about... I did just this with ALW two seats down from me at "Stephen Ward". Except none of it was obviously good, of course. |
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Post by tonyloco on Mar 8, 2020 14:52:01 GMT
3 stars is incredibly generous. It’s one of the worst directed amateurish messes I’ve ever seen. Absolutely shocking. Dreadful design, an insipid leading man and horrible songs. Oh, shall I take that to mean you didn't think much of the show, mrbarnaby?  |
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Post by jay78uk on Mar 8, 2020 16:02:08 GMT
3 stars is incredibly generous. It’s one of the worst directed amateurish messes I’ve ever seen. Absolutely shocking. Dreadful design, an insipid leading man and horrible songs. Oh, shall I take that to mean you didn't think much of the show, mrbarnaby? I got to agree that the direction was pretty amateurish... feel a bit harsh on the leading man though- he didn't have much to work with but was suitably winsome and a fine singer. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 8, 2020 17:24:42 GMT
He was absolutely useless. Liam Tamne sang him off the stage. He has zero stage presence or charisma.
Anyway not that it really mattered, everything about this show was bad.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Mar 8, 2020 17:35:09 GMT
Well i favoured him over Liam Tamne, personally.
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Post by theatre241 on Mar 8, 2020 18:15:45 GMT
How far back is the circle at the Dominion because ive booked Row E of the circle, will this be a good view?
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 8, 2020 18:24:32 GMT
Well i favoured him over Liam Tamne, personally. So did I! |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Mar 8, 2020 18:35:27 GMT
Well i favoured him over Liam Tamne, personally. So did I! I felt more depth from Luke Brady. I'm not saying that Liam Tamne gave a poor performance but i felt his portrayal was a bit broad where as i felt that Luke played his role with more nuance and intimacy. So fair enough Liam might have a stronger singing voice overall but if i was saying who i thought gave the best performance out the two i'd certainly say Luke. On a general note to all, i feel like we should think a bit more about how we express our opinions, especially if it's about a person and their performance or ability. I think there are ways to express you didn't personally enjoy what they did without being as harsh or using the words that have appeared in this thread recently. It feels a bit over the line. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2020 18:47:32 GMT
He was absolutely useless. Liam Tamne sang him off the stage. He has zero stage presence or charisma. Anyway not that it really mattered, everything about this show was bad. That's actually how I've felt about Liam in every role ive seen him in. His casting is partly putting me off rushing to see it |
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Post by jay78uk on Mar 8, 2020 20:30:45 GMT
I felt more depth from Luke Brady. I'm not saying that Liam Tamne gave a poor performance but i felt his portrayal was a bit broad where as i felt that Luke played his role with more nuance and intimacy. So fair enough Liam might have a stronger singing voice overall but if i was saying who i thought gave the best performance out the two i'd certainly say Luke. On a general note to all, i feel like we should think a bit more about how we express our opinions, especially if it's about a person and their performance or ability. I think there are ways to express you didn't personally enjoy what they did without being as harsh or using the words that have appeared in this thread recently. It feels a bit over the line. Absolutely agree, it is unacceptable to describe hard working professionals as 'absolutely useless' or having 'zero presence or charisma'. Let's all be kind and respectful. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2020 20:34:38 GMT
I disagree on the latter, charisma and presence are often key components of a performance and are valid things to comment on. If someone feels they dont have it then it's fair to comment as such.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 8, 2020 20:38:23 GMT
I felt more depth from Luke Brady. I'm not saying that Liam Tamne gave a poor performance but i felt his portrayal was a bit broad where as i felt that Luke played his role with more nuance and intimacy. So fair enough Liam might have a stronger singing voice overall but if i was saying who i thought gave the best performance out the two i'd certainly say Luke. On a general note to all, i feel like we should think a bit more about how we express our opinions, especially if it's about a person and their performance or ability. I think there are ways to express you didn't personally enjoy what they did without being as harsh or using the words that have appeared in this thread recently. It feels a bit over the line. Absolutely agree, it is unacceptable to describe hard working professionals as 'absolutely useless' or having 'zero presence or charisma'. Let's all be kind and respectful. I paid my money (sadly).. I have a right to comment. I’m sure he’s a lovely person but I don’t care to see him on stage again. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 8, 2020 20:40:06 GMT
He was absolutely useless. Liam Tamne sang him off the stage. He has zero stage presence or charisma. Anyway not that it really mattered, everything about this show was bad. That's actually how I've felt about Liam in every role ive seen him in. His casting is partly putting me off rushing to see it This was the first time I’d seen Liam Tamne on stage and I must say his voice really impressed me. He had nothing to work with script wise but he was very commanding every time he sang. I hope he gets a better role next time |
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Post by ceebee on Mar 8, 2020 23:44:22 GMT
Oh, Liam Tamne? I thought you were all talking about Gary Wilmot!
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Post by couldileaveyou on Mar 9, 2020 19:13:55 GMT
Btw, TodayTix Rush is now offering very good front stalls seats that can be found daily on the app well past noon.
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Post by ceebee on Mar 10, 2020 0:29:45 GMT
Saw this tonight. I thought it was good; definite 3.5 stars in my view. A couple of tweaks to the second half pace would push it up to a four. The sound design is just fantastic - the Dominion has not sounded so good for quite some time!
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 15, 2020 16:01:51 GMT
I have booked to see this a few weeks time, but knowing it's almost certain to be cancelled, I grabbed a rush ticket for last night a few hours before the show. Ended up with the front row, a few seats from the end, which was a perfect place to sit, with lots of action right in front.
I've never seen the film, so had no idea this was based on a Bible story. Thankfully, it made it easy to follow. And I was pleasantly surprised to find I knew the main song from the X Factor.
There's a lot of rolling around in this!
The sound was mixed where I was sat, as several of the leads had an echo to their vocals.
There were covers on for all the three lead roles. It wasn't obvious, unless like me you made an effort to check the cast screen. They did well, although I've no one to compare them with.
We had Adam Filipe as Moses, Sam Oladeinde as Ramses and Tanisha Spring as Tzipporah. Also Casey Al-Shaqsy covered Nefertari.
The first two have been on since Wednesday. For Tanisha, it was her debut.
A very talented cast and a standing ovation. Funny to see Adam joking on his Instagram that he has his cover run coming up in three weeks. Impressed to read that Sam is also a qualified solicitor. Anyway, they all had perfect chemistry together.
As for the show itself, it is quite heavy going. Very Les Mis in style. I'm not normally into Bible stuff, but I did enjoy it and would certainly go again to my originally booked show (wider conditions permitting). It wasn't the spectacle you might expect from the advertising, but it is a large cast, performing with gusto and my expectations were already managed from the reviews here. The young guy next to me (who must like the film) was loving in, even joining in with the dances from his seat.
The theatre was pretty full as well, despite everything that's going on, which is good to see.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2020 20:40:51 GMT
i bought 2 top price tickets for this when they went on sale last year. i was meant to go again for a friends birthday on Friday. As terrible as this situation is, I'm glad to be getting a full refund. Having already seen it, it was definitely not worth what i paid. Especially when the same tickets were on sale for £40 this week...
Gutted to be missing City of Angels though.
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