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Post by Matt on Jan 7, 2023 22:31:42 GMT
The only song I don’t like is teach him a lesson because it sounds SO much like something about that boy, plus it is a bit of a throwaway song. I really like the hook in wherever we’re going but the lyrics suffer from simple writing that’s a bit like “I love you, you love me, there’s no place I’d rather be”.
I think it’s missing a really big female led ballad, like a BIG song, but they kinda gave to to “this one’s for the dreamers”, which is a bit boring. Or even Marty could have a belter ballad.
Other than that I really like most of the others! But I think it should definitely have got a rewrite for broadway and then make the changes for London too, but that’s hard when you’ve already released a cast recording.
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Jan 8, 2023 21:07:04 GMT
The only song I don’t like is teach him a lesson because it sounds SO much like something about that boy, plus it is a bit of a throwaway song. I really like the hook in wherever we’re going but the lyrics suffer from simple writing that’s a bit like “I love you, you love me, there’s no place I’d rather be”. I think it’s missing a really big female led ballad, like a BIG song, but they kinda gave to to “this one’s for the dreamers”, which is a bit boring. Or even Marty could have a belter ballad. Other than that I really like most of the others! But I think it should definitely have got a rewrite for broadway and then make the changes for London too, but that’s hard when you’ve already released a cast recording. I’ve always thought of Teach Him A Lesson as a bit of ‘Something About That Boy Reprise’ (and I really enjoy the malapropisms). I think it also depends on the performer, I love Aidan Cutler’s version on the soundtrack because his voice is great. |
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Post by jakobo on Jan 15, 2023 23:44:20 GMT
Does Roger Bart perform all 8 shows a week?
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Post by lonlad on Jan 27, 2023 0:47:49 GMT
Roger was off both shows today but Gary Trainor was v good as Doc, a few line flubs notwithstanding. I do miss Hugh Coles though - that quirky physicality was so wonderfully achieved and an unbelievable sweetness to the character shone through. His replacement doesn't have that, and in fact a lot of the new cast all seem to be straining to come by perfs that the originals nailed with ease.
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Post by Matt on Jan 27, 2023 10:37:06 GMT
Cory English is taking over as Doc full time from 20th March when Roger Bart leaves.
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Post by musiqualetheater on Jan 27, 2023 12:31:24 GMT
Roger was off both shows today but Gary Trainor was v good as Doc, a few line flubs notwithstanding. I do miss Hugh Coles though - that quirky physicality was so wonderfully achieved and an unbelievable sweetness to the character shone through. His replacement doesn't have that, and in fact a lot of the new cast all seem to be straining to come by perfs that the originals nailed with ease. Conversely I really enjoyed the new George! |
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Jan 27, 2023 12:38:54 GMT
Roger was off both shows today but Gary Trainor was v good as Doc, a few line flubs notwithstanding. I do miss Hugh Coles though - that quirky physicality was so wonderfully achieved and an unbelievable sweetness to the character shone through. His replacement doesn't have that, and in fact a lot of the new cast all seem to be straining to come by perfs that the originals nailed with ease. I like the new cast but I agree that the original cast were almost entirely spot on. I’m personally still unsure about Amber as Lorraine, she’s too 21st-century-glamorous for a 1950’s teenager. |
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Post by ceebee on Jan 27, 2023 16:03:25 GMT
Cory English is taking over as Doc full time from 20th March when Roger Bart leaves. A worthy replacement - love Roger but Cory is also excellent in the role. |
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Post by fansylvanians on Jan 29, 2023 0:04:05 GMT
Roger was off both shows today but Gary Trainor was v good as Doc, a few line flubs notwithstanding. I do miss Hugh Coles though - that quirky physicality was so wonderfully achieved and an unbelievable sweetness to the character shone through. His replacement doesn't have that, and in fact a lot of the new cast all seem to be straining to come by perfs that the originals nailed with ease. I like the new cast but I agree that the original cast were almost entirely spot on. I’m personally still unsure about Amber as Lorraine, she’s too 21st-century-glamorous for a 1950’s teenager. I enjoy Amber’s Lorraine, she plays it differently to Rosanna Hyland but it’s good she’s put her own stamp on the role. Her cover, Emma Lloyd, whose regular role is Linda McFly is phenomenal too. Also, such good news that Cory English is returning to the role of Doc once Roger Bart leaves. |
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Post by lonlad on Jan 29, 2023 3:05:31 GMT
Amber's great, I think -- wonderfully energetic and endearing. Too bad the new dad just plays his role like an assemblage of odd tics and funny walks. Oh well. Hugh will knock 'em dead in NYC
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Post by theatrenerd on Feb 23, 2023 21:59:59 GMT
Thought this was brilliant at the matinee today. A few understudies on with Gary Trainor as Doc, Glen Facey as Marty and Emma Lloyd as Lorraine who were all fantastic. A really fun show, hope it stays for some time!
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Post by Scswp on Feb 24, 2023 13:19:38 GMT
Thought this was brilliant at the matinee today. A few understudies on with Gary Trainor as Doc, Glen Facey as Marty and Emma Lloyd as Lorraine who were all fantastic. A really fun show, hope it stays for some time! Interesting that so many understudies were on at the Thursday matinee; I was at the Wednesday evening performance and all of the principals were on. I know there’s an alternate listed for the role of Marty, so I assume Ben misses a couple of shows every week (though the performer you listed as Marty is not the alternate). I’m not surprised this role has an alternate, though I wonder if Roger Bart still does all eight of the performances each week. The role of Doc is nowhere near as large in terms of stage time as that of Marty and so shouldn’t require an alternate (in my view), but Bart has been in it for a long time now, so maybe he has reduced his weekly schedule before transferring to Broadway. I enjoyed the show, though I think it’s probably fair to say that it’s a bit ‘style over substance’. The design of the production and the special effects are amazing, but the music, choreography, script and plot overall are not that great (at least, to me!) I’m not quite sure it has much of a ‘heart’, if that makes sense. In fact, even the ‘quieter’ and more reflective moments like Doc’s ‘One For the Dreamers’ didn’t have much of an impact for me (and I’m a sucker for the ‘tender moments’). The audience seemed to love it, but whilst I enjoyed it overall, I just felt it was a case of the design elevating quite mediocre material. |
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Feb 24, 2023 16:34:01 GMT
Thought this was brilliant at the matinee today. A few understudies on with Gary Trainor as Doc, Glen Facey as Marty and Emma Lloyd as Lorraine who were all fantastic. A really fun show, hope it stays for some time! Interesting that so many understudies were on at the Thursday matinee; I was at the Wednesday evening performance and all of the principals were on. I know there’s an alternate listed for the role of Marty, so I assume Ben misses a couple of shows every week (though the performer you listed as Marty is not the alternate). I’m not surprised this role has an alternate, though I wonder if Roger Bart still does all eight of the performances each week. The role of Doc is nowhere near as large in terms of stage time as that of Marty and so shouldn’t require an alternate (in my view), but Bart has been in it for a long time now, so maybe he has reduced his weekly schedule before transferring to Broadway. I enjoyed the show, though I think it’s probably fair to say that it’s a bit ‘style over substance’. The design of the production and the special effects are amazing, but the music, choreography, script and plot overall are not that great (at least, to me!) I’m not quite sure it has much of a ‘heart’, if that makes sense. In fact, even the ‘quieter’ and more reflective moments like Doc’s ‘One For the Dreamers’ didn’t have much of an impact for me (and I’m a sucker for the ‘tender moments’). The audience seemed to love it, but whilst I enjoyed it overall, I just felt it was a case of the design elevating quite mediocre material. I agree about the quieter moments - although I think it’s because of Roger Bart’s Roger-Bart-isms, you’re not that emotionally connected to him as Doc (he’s more playing himself tbh). I’d love to see the understudy or replacement and see if it works better. I was there opening preview and that song was a lot more heartfelt, but from then it’s become less so as he’s played more and more manic and silly. |
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Post by fansylvanians on Feb 26, 2023 1:58:31 GMT
Thought this was brilliant at the matinee today. A few understudies on with Gary Trainor as Doc, Glen Facey as Marty and Emma Lloyd as Lorraine who were all fantastic. A really fun show, hope it stays for some time! Interesting that so many understudies were on at the Thursday matinee; I was at the Wednesday evening performance and all of the principals were on. I know there’s an alternate listed for the role of Marty, so I assume Ben misses a couple of shows every week (though the performer you listed as Marty is not the alternate). I’m not surprised this role has an alternate, though I wonder if Roger Bart still does all eight of the performances each week. The role of Doc is nowhere near as large in terms of stage time as that of Marty and so shouldn’t require an alternate (in my view), but Bart has been in it for a long time now, so maybe he has reduced his weekly schedule before transferring to Broadway. I enjoyed the show, though I think it’s probably fair to say that it’s a bit ‘style over substance’. The design of the production and the special effects are amazing, but the music, choreography, script and plot overall are not that great (at least, to me!) I’m not quite sure it has much of a ‘heart’, if that makes sense. In fact, even the ‘quieter’ and more reflective moments like Doc’s ‘One For the Dreamers’ didn’t have much of an impact for me (and I’m a sucker for the ‘tender moments’). The audience seemed to love it, but whilst I enjoyed it overall, I just felt it was a case of the design elevating quite mediocre material. Glen Facey is first cover Dave McFly and second cover Marty. |
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Post by fansylvanians on Feb 26, 2023 2:01:20 GMT
Interesting that so many understudies were on at the Thursday matinee; I was at the Wednesday evening performance and all of the principals were on. I know there’s an alternate listed for the role of Marty, so I assume Ben misses a couple of shows every week (though the performer you listed as Marty is not the alternate). I’m not surprised this role has an alternate, though I wonder if Roger Bart still does all eight of the performances each week. The role of Doc is nowhere near as large in terms of stage time as that of Marty and so shouldn’t require an alternate (in my view), but Bart has been in it for a long time now, so maybe he has reduced his weekly schedule before transferring to Broadway. I enjoyed the show, though I think it’s probably fair to say that it’s a bit ‘style over substance’. The design of the production and the special effects are amazing, but the music, choreography, script and plot overall are not that great (at least, to me!) I’m not quite sure it has much of a ‘heart’, if that makes sense. In fact, even the ‘quieter’ and more reflective moments like Doc’s ‘One For the Dreamers’ didn’t have much of an impact for me (and I’m a sucker for the ‘tender moments’). The audience seemed to love it, but whilst I enjoyed it overall, I just felt it was a case of the design elevating quite mediocre material. I agree about the quieter moments - although I think it’s because of Roger Bart’s Roger-Bart-isms, you’re not that emotionally connected to him as Doc (he’s more playing himself tbh). I’d love to see the understudy or replacement and see if it works better. I was there opening preview and that song was a lot more heartfelt, but from then it’s become less so as he’s played more and more manic and silly. Go see Cory English from the 22nd March if you want a more reasoned yet still eccentric and funny performance as Doc, without appearing cartoonish |
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Feb 26, 2023 20:23:48 GMT
I agree about the quieter moments - although I think it’s because of Roger Bart’s Roger-Bart-isms, you’re not that emotionally connected to him as Doc (he’s more playing himself tbh). I’d love to see the understudy or replacement and see if it works better. I was there opening preview and that song was a lot more heartfelt, but from then it’s become less so as he’s played more and more manic and silly. Go see Cory English from the 22nd March if you want a more reasoned yet still eccentric and funny performance as Doc, without appearing cartoonish I’ve been meaning to see the show again so I might use this as an excuse! |
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Post by gmoneyoutlaw on Feb 26, 2023 21:55:50 GMT
I agree about the quieter moments - although I think it’s because of Roger Bart’s Roger-Bart-isms, you’re not that emotionally connected to him as Doc (he’s more playing himself tbh). I’d love to see the understudy or replacement and see if it works better. I was there opening preview and that song was a lot more heartfelt, but from then it’s become less so as he’s played more and more manic and silly. Go see Cory English from the 22nd March if you want a more reasoned yet still eccentric and funny performance as Doc, without appearing cartoonish I’ve now seen BTTF 8 times. Bart is the best Doc Brown. Gary Trainor went on either under rehearsed or just not up for the role. Audience waited 1/2 hour for what was probably a tech rehearsal for Gary and he still made mistakes. I have no confirmation of rehearsal, but we did start 1/2 late and he was not schedule to go on. Bart doesn’t play weekday matinees. Olly didnt play Monday - he told me that before it was on chat. The show is brilliant but Broadway critics may think otherwise. |
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Post by evilmat360 on Feb 26, 2023 23:10:23 GMT
Go see Cory English from the 22nd March if you want a more reasoned yet still eccentric and funny performance as Doc, without appearing cartoonish I’ve now seen BTTF 8 times. Bart is the best Doc Brown. Gary Trainor went on either under rehearsed or just not up for the role. Audience waited 1/2 hour for what was probably a tech rehearsal for Gary and he still made mistakes. I have no confirmation of rehearsal, but we did start 1/2 late and he was not schedule to go on. Bart doesn’t play weekday matinees. Olly didnt play Monday - he told me that before it was on chat. The show is brilliant but Broadway critics may think otherwise. Pretty sure Roger does appear for most weekday Matinees, the 6 weekday matinees i've attended he's been there. While Olly was in the cast, there's been an alternate from near enough opening with Will Haswell appearing for most of the Monday night performances. Which is also the case with Ben Joyce now in the role.
Gary was great this week, with some variations on on some of the comedy and improv that Roger goes for that seemed to go down well with most of the audience.
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Post by luminaire on Mar 1, 2023 20:46:57 GMT
Thinking of seeing this when we are in London, think my partners brother would like it.
I noticed front row stalls are a decent price, is that too close? How much do you miss at back of stage? Is there a better area to sit that is in a similar price range?
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Post by danb on Mar 1, 2023 21:51:35 GMT
Mid-stalls or front upper circle. I like/need an aisle seat and those in the dress circle are too hit and miss.
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Post by Matt on Mar 1, 2023 22:38:05 GMT
Thinking of seeing this when we are in London, think my partners brother would like it. I noticed front row stalls are a decent price, is that too close? How much do you miss at back of stage? Is there a better area to sit that is in a similar price range? First row you’ll miss a lot of the lower action at the back of the stage, and there is quite a bit of that to be fair. 2nd row is better, 3rd is fine. |
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Post by ceebee on Mar 20, 2023 13:22:25 GMT
Roger Bart's last performance tonight as Doc in London before he heads to Broadway - still a few tickets left. Anybody else going?
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Post by ShoreditchTom on Mar 20, 2023 15:49:12 GMT
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Post by danb on Mar 20, 2023 19:29:33 GMT
Great piece on ‘The One Show’ just now about the relaxed performance and some nice talking heads from those who benefitted from it.
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Post by alece10 on Mar 20, 2023 20:04:02 GMT
Great piece on ‘The One Show’ just now about the relaxed performance and some nice talking heads from those who benefitted from it. It was great wasn't it. Well done to the theatre and everyone involved. |
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