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Post by cat6 on Apr 16, 2016 15:03:27 GMT
Wow, didn't see this one coming: a musical about the Small Faces. It's running through May 21 at the Vaults in London. Being a big fan of Sixties music, of course I bought tix!
Telegraph says: "...all the raucous vitality - and hits - you'd hope for."
I hope I end up saying: "It's All Too Beautiful" :-)
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Post by cat6 on May 20, 2016 22:53:02 GMT
I'm back (back in NYC from the UK)! I am sorry to see no one has added to this thread. "All or Nothing" was high-energy with an adorable, talented cast. Perhaps its appeal was too narrow for it to get attention on this board: Sixties music -> Small Faces.
My thread about Sunny Afternoon (Sixties music -> The Kinds) only received half a handful of replied 2 years ago. And now the show is a West End success with several awards to its name.
I'm very glad I went. The small theatre (The Vaults) was the perfect setting with the sounds and vibrations from the trains in and out of Waterloo Station adding to the atmosphere rather than detracting from it.
The show will tour around to other small theatres, return to London, and perhaps even come to New York where an awful lot of Sixties music fans live.
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Post by showgirl on May 21, 2016 4:15:26 GMT
Glad to read anything about this at long last, cat6, as I was eagerly awaiting reports but could find nothing online or in the press, despite checking all the usual blogs, etc. I was particularly puzzled as when I looked at the venue's own website, many performances were sold out, so were all the patrons sworn to secrecy or what?
I shall hope to catch the show on tour but the producers hadn't listed any tour details when I looked for those, despite my local arts centre advertising some dates months ago. Has anyone any idea why for once there seems to be almost a news blackout and no thirst for publicity?
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Post by freckles on May 21, 2016 7:47:48 GMT
I'm back (back in NYC from the UK)! I am sorry to see no one has added to this thread. "All or Nothing" was high-energy with an adorable, talented cast. Perhaps its appeal was too narrow for it to get attention on this board: Sixties music -> Small Faces. My thread about Sunny Afternoon (Sixties music -> The Kinds) only received half a handful of replied 2 years ago. And now the show is a West End success with several awards to its name. I'm very glad I went. The small theatre (The Vaults) was the perfect setting with the sounds and vibrations from the trains in and out of Waterloo Station adding to the atmosphere rather than detracting from it. The show will tour around to other small theatres, return to London, and perhaps even come to New York where an awful lot of Sixties music fans live. Thanks for the review, I'm sure there is another thread about this show somewhere. It didn't have a big response either, but existed. |
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Post by bellboard27 on May 21, 2016 7:56:10 GMT
All or Nothing, the MOD Musical is returning to the Vaults from 27 July to 27 August.
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Post by cat6 on May 21, 2016 16:44:54 GMT
Glad to read anything about this at long last, cat6, as I was eagerly awaiting reports but could find nothing online or in the press, despite checking all the usual blogs, etc. I was particularly puzzled as when I looked at the venue's own website, many performances were sold out, so were all the patrons sworn to secrecy or what? I shall hope to catch the show on tour but the producers hadn't listed any tour details when I looked for those, despite my local arts centre advertising some dates months ago. Has anyone any idea why for once there seems to be almost a news blackout and no thirst for publicity? Hi showgirl, I only found out about All or Nothing last minute from a friend as I was packing for my London trip (I'm a NYer). There is a review in the Telegraph. I hope I'm allowed to cut and paste! www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/a-small-faces-musical-with-all-the-raucous-vitality--and-hits--y/also a blog review: www.westendwilma.com/review-all-or-nothing/Many of the shows are sold out probably b/c it's a small theatre and many people come back several times -- they even dress up! I was in line at the ladies' loo and thought the actresses were in front of me, but they were, rather, audience members in platinum wigs and mod dresses. At the Vaults the run ended May 21. Today! But the producer said it would be back in town. You might find out more if you ring up themodfather in Camden Town. It's a mod boutique, and the owner is involved in the show. After seeing the show, my H and i met several of the people involved in creating the production. They're all very sweet. Hope you get to see it! |
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Post by cat6 on May 21, 2016 16:45:50 GMT
All or Nothing, the MOD Musical is returning to the Vaults from 27 July to 27 August. Oh, just saw your post! Wonderful news :-) |
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Post by showgirl on May 22, 2016 3:27:26 GMT
Thank you very much for the info, cat6 and bellboard27. I shall check the show website, and that of my local venue again, but I may well have to brave the Vaults instead.
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Post by waybeyondblue on May 22, 2016 10:14:23 GMT
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Post by cat6 on May 22, 2016 12:41:55 GMT
Thank you very much for the info, cat6 and bellboard27. I shall check the show website, and that of my local venue again, but I may well have to brave the Vaults instead. Enjoy! The Vaults were the perfect setting! |
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Post by cat6 on May 27, 2016 15:25:21 GMT
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Post by freckles on Jul 28, 2016 8:26:08 GMT
Went to the opening night of the show's return to The Vaults last night and had a great time.
The show is very similar to Sunny Afternoon, but with an extended range of 60s songs both performed and used as incidental music. This is necessary, given The Small Faces' limited catalogue of hits, but adds a lot of period flavour.
The cast are strong musicians and vocalists, and the plot just about holds interest, although it's all a bit predicatable (SPOILER: young band takes up with evil management who hampers their dreams, band fall out with each other, never mind -let's have a singalong at the end, etc.)
I thought it a bit over long, and would have benefitted from cutting down a couple of overwrought scenes from Steve Marriott's mum; although as that actress wrote the piece I expect she considers them the most important bits! It also ended rather abruptly and confusingly; basically it stopped when the hits run out and what happpened next is alluded to but not fully explained, as though the audience are expected to know already (I didn't, but my partner was able to enlighten me.)
I liked the conceit of having both a young and an old Steve Marriott, often on stage together. There are lots of 60s references and some very funny cameo characters, mostly played by the same actor. The background is handled with a lighthearted touch that raises smiles and provides relief from the main plot.
It's all quite stylish, although with all the references to how important clothes were to Mods, and to the band, it was a shame that Steve Marriott had the same jumper on for so long. But there are a few props and displays in the bar area that are really interesting.
My first time at The Vaults, an odd venue but worked well for this show - I think it was probably much more atmpospheric than many of the recent tour venues. Unreserved seating. It's very, very hot in the little auditorium - take water, fans and get out in the interval. Not far from Waterloo, but you come out into a rather daunting underpass that I wouldn't have liked had I been on my own.
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Post by anita on Jul 28, 2016 10:27:55 GMT
Would like to see this. Enjoyed the cast's appearance at the Phoenix Artists Club a while back.
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Post by westendcub on Jul 28, 2016 11:18:58 GMT
I'm going on Sat eve and am looking forward to it!
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Post by freckles on Jul 28, 2016 11:42:24 GMT
Would like to see this. Enjoyed the cast's appearance at the Phoenix Artists Club a while back. They can certainly sing & play really well. |
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Post by bellboard27 on Aug 8, 2016 9:16:34 GMT
Went to see this. Freckles summed it up very well.
The comparisons to Sunny Afternoon are inevitable and potentially never ending (so I won't bother!). However, being in the cavernous Vaults brings the performers close to the audience, making it in places much more like a gig. This makes for a great atmosphere. I have been to several productions in the Vaults. For some it really does not seem a good fit. For this show, however, the location seems perfect.
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Post by westendcub on Aug 8, 2016 12:40:33 GMT
I enjoyed this the other week, it's not perfect but was enjoyable and whilst these songs weren't familiar to be they really told its story.
It's not as good as 'Sunny Afternoon' but comparable - I loved the emotional ending to this - really packed a punch and had unexpected tears rolling down my face before it giving it some welly at curtain call!!
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Post by showgirl on Aug 12, 2016 3:45:00 GMT
I'm going tomorrow so would be grateful if anyone could give me an approximate running time, please?
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Post by freckles on Aug 12, 2016 7:18:00 GMT
I'm going tomorrow so would be grateful if anyone could give me an approximate running time, please? 140 mins approx (including interval). |
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Post by showgirl on Aug 12, 2016 18:01:34 GMT
I'm going tomorrow so would be grateful if anyone could give me an approximate running time, please? 140 mins approx (including interval). Thank you, freckles. Hope I can survive the heat and the late night; thinking perhaps I should've booked the matinee but too late now! |
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Post by whygodwhytoday on Aug 12, 2016 19:26:40 GMT
I'm seeing this in a few weeks. Have any of you ever seen 'Mods and Rox'? It's one of my favourite jukebox musicals, it's such a shame it
never transferred or toured.
x
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Post by showgirl on Aug 13, 2016 22:58:20 GMT
I saw and enjoyed the show this evening and can't really add to what others have said, but it's worth repeating that this is a great venue for this particular production and that it doesn't quite match up to Sunny Afternoon - for me both the tone and the pace were too variable for that - but is nevertheless very engaging. I didn't know all the songs but those in the audience who were slightly older than I am obviously did, and joined in enthusiastically for the final singalong; many of them also took no persuading whatsoever to join the cast on stage. Although each of these stories is different, bio-musicals about bands all seem very similar in featuring parental disapproval, artistic differences, duplicitous management, acrimonious splits and descents into drinking and drug-taking, so in a sense if you've seen one, etc...
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Post by iddonjonesfan on Aug 17, 2016 1:35:03 GMT
I'm seeing this in a few weeks. Have any of you ever seen 'Mods and Rox'? It's one of my favourite jukebox musicals, it's such a shame it never transferred or toured. x Mods and Rox at Ipswich was fantastic. Saw the show 22 times in total during the run and I was so pleased when they extended it by a week. I understand that they cancelled a performance so it could be recorded in full as they had big plans for it but it looks like the plans never materialised |
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Post by whygodwhytoday on Aug 17, 2016 11:34:39 GMT
I'm seeing this in a few weeks. Have any of you ever seen 'Mods and Rox'? It's one of my favourite jukebox musicals, it's such a shame it never transferred or toured. x Mods and Rox at Ipswich was fantastic. Saw the show 22 times in total during the run and I was so pleased when they extended it by a week. I understand that they cancelled a performance so it could be recorded in full as they had big plans for it but it looks like the plans never materialised I only managed to catch it twice, but it's a show I'll never forget. It's a shame that recording never surfaced! |
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Post by stevej678 on Oct 10, 2017 9:33:15 GMT
Transferring to the Arts Theatre from 6th February to 11th March 2018.
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