College Productions

[FrontroverPaul]

Apr 30, 2024 11:33:40 GMT lilgirlbigcity said:

Very excitingly Goldsmiths are performing Starmites (the worst musical ever nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards) this week - looking forward to the London premiere!

Wish this had been posted earlier as I would definitely have tried to see Starmites but I already have one or two shows every day this week.

It seems to be free to attend but of the remaining performances only Thursday 2nd at 2pm isn't fully booked.

(there are full versions on You Tube)

[lilgirlbigcity]

Apr 30, 2024 13:54:33 GMT FrontroverPaul said:

Apr 30, 2024 11:33:40 GMT lilgirlbigcity said:

Very excitingly Goldsmiths are performing Starmites (the worst musical ever nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards) this week - looking forward to the London premiere!

Wish this had been posted earlier as I would definitely have tried to see Starmites but I already have one or two shows every day this week.

It seems to be free to attend but of the remaining performances only Thursday 2nd at 2pm isn't fully booked.

(there are full versions on You Tube)

I work at Goldsmiths and somehow still only found out about it yesterday!

[Dr Tom]

Starmites - Goldsmiths

Let me start by saying, this is the best production of Starmites I've ever seen! It is also, unsurprisingly, the only production of Starmites I've ever seen.

I actually spotted this as it was advertised on a site that we cannot mention, although being asked to pay an admin fee for tickets that are free when booked directly is rather odd. As others have mentioned, very few dates were open for wider booking. For people wanting to attend on other dates, I suspect there's a very good chance of spaces being available on the day (after all, the problem with free tickets is people book them, but then don't feel they've lost anything if they don't turn up).

For anyone who is going, the (nice small) theatre is on the closed Goldsmiths campus, so your first challenge is to find your way through a locked gate. The entrance is right next to Trinity Laban, which I'm sure causes some confusion. Once you get inside, you're looked after by a very pleasant and friendly group of people. Excellent free programme too.

As for the show itself, it is performed with enthusiasm. I think it's a sensible choice to put on a little known show, as it's impossible to compare it with other productions. It works well with a young cast too. The plot isn't complex, but I think I missed something in the first half involving lookalikes (played the same actors), so it didn't make complete sense. I'd need a second viewing.

There's always going to be a difference in performance experience with students in a university setting compared to that in a selective theatre school, as well as the challenge of casting roles that would traditionally be played by a male actor. It was nice to spot some people in the cast who I recognised from being in the audience at other shows I've attended. The lead roles were cast as sensibly as possible, and there are some students who the right agent could do a lot for.

Ultimately, I feel there are reasons why this is a rarely performed show. The source material is a bit limited for a 2024 audience and for a wider revival today, I feel this would really need to be performed as a send-up of the genre, but well done to everyone involved for bringing everything together for the London premiere.

[lilgirlbigcity]

May 3, 2024 12:05:10 GMT Dr Tom said:

Starmites - Goldsmiths

Let me start by saying, this is the best production of Starmites I've ever seen! It is also, unsurprisingly, the only production of Starmites I've ever seen.

I actually spotted this as it was advertised on a site that we cannot mention, although being asked to pay an admin fee for tickets that are free when booked directly is rather odd. As others have mentioned, very few dates were open for wider booking. For people wanting to attend on other dates, I suspect there's a very good chance of spaces being available on the day (after all, the problem with free tickets is people book them, but then don't feel they've lost anything if they don't turn up).

For anyone who is going, the (nice small) theatre is on the closed Goldsmiths campus, so your first challenge is to find your way through a locked gate. The entrance is right next to Trinity Laban, which I'm sure causes some confusion. Once you get inside, you're looked after by a very pleasant and friendly group of people. Excellent free programme too.

As for the show itself, it is performed with enthusiasm. I think it's a sensible choice to put on a little known show, as it's impossible to compare it with other productions. It works well with a young cast too. The plot isn't complex, but I think I missed something in the first half involving lookalikes (played the same actors), so it didn't make complete sense. I'd need a second viewing.

There's always going to be a difference in performance experience with students in a university setting compared to that in a selective theatre school, as well as the challenge of casting roles that would traditionally be played by a male actor. It was nice to spot some people in the cast who I recognised from being in the audience at other shows I've attended. The lead roles were cast as sensibly as possible, and there are some students who the right agent could do a lot for.

Ultimately, I feel there are reasons why this is a rarely performed show. The source material is a bit limited for a 2024 audience and for a wider revival today, I feel this would really need to be performed as a send-up of the genre, but well done to everyone involved for bringing everything together for the London premiere.

I think today is the last day (am literally in the theatre waiting for it to start). Very helpful to have a staff pass to get through that entrance! I also saw it on the site that must not be named and then sought out the free tickets instead. Might feedback to the department about the complete lack of advertising, although given the size of the theatre I wonder if that is on purpose?

[FrontroverPaul]

Bristol Institute of Performing Arts has a production of Mrs.Beeton Says at their Olympus Theatre on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 June. (Mountview did this last June).

[max]

May 18, 2024 0:44:39 GMT FrontroverPaul said:

Bristol Institute of Performing Arts has a production of Mrs.Beeton Says at their Olympus Theatre on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 June. (Mountview did this last June).

Nice - returning to Bristol, where it started in a closed-workshop exploration at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and was then fully produced by BOVTS as a final year show at the Redgrave Theatre.  I enjoyed last year's Mountview production a lot. Like Jessica Swale's play 'Blue Stockings' this could be one that has a perpetual life in Drama schools - such a good market to write for (or find yourself adopted by) - where else do you get a cast that size other than the NT/RSC?  Both those titles have women's stories at their centre, great roles for women, but some strong men's roles too.

[max]

JUNKYARD - at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts

I enjoyed this a lot on Friday 17th. It's double cast - I saw the Plaster Cast in their first outing; all cast are ensemble when not in performances where they have a featured role; a few have a single role across both casts. It's scrappy and informal in structure, as written by Jack Thorne; some songs are momentary jabs, others develop further but even those don't drive to big uplift or an applause button. So the material's in keeping with the characters - surprising, scattergun, unpredictable youth in mid 1970s Bristol; building their own adventure playground out of junk - the idea being that they'll fully value it if they made it.

Grace Elizabeth Williams captured the foul mouthed, wise-beyond-her-years Fiz perfectly - Fiz is one of those people who seem born out of time, so while she's our guide across the piece she doesn't change much; Fiz is brilliantly clear sighted already. Talc is the character whose arc really marks change - the abuse of neglect at home has him taking to a cupboard to make himself even less bother. Oliver Magor very movingly (and often amusingly) portrayed this furtive boy with a held in personality, due to his homelife, neurodiversity, or both. The quality of the performance shows when Talc finds his voice, but Magor still holds that development within a tight constraint, because a tiny step is a giant leap for Talc. ['Memphis' this isn't - if you know the character I'm referring to]. Both got the accents just right too.

Some of these kids came to my school from Sunnyside Children's Home near Bristol (no longer in existence), I remember the legendary day they'd smashed the place up. This is an ensemble piece with many other performances to enjoy - so (despite mentioning two) congrats are due to all. The performances do credit to the writing, and the real children Jack Thorne wrote from his dad's experience of similar youth enterprises.

[topaz]

Mountview has Big Fish coming up in June and Sheik & Sater's Alice By Heart in July.

[jek]

Good to see from max post that Junkyard is getting an outing. I saw it with Erin Doherty as Fiz at the Rose in Kington in 2017 (the only time I've ever been to that venue) and thought it was really good. Nicely appropriate for a young cast too.

[max]

May 20, 2024 11:08:36 GMT jek said:

Good to see from max post that Junkyard is getting an outing. I saw it with Erin Doherty as Fiz at the Rose in Kington in 2017 (the only time I've ever been to that venue) and thought it was really good. Nicely appropriate for a young cast too.

Closer to actual age works in its favour; and (as at Mountview) most schools have one or two students who can believably play the older characters. I was surprised Headlong didn't exploit that original production further. At Mountview some of the audience were quite shocked by the extreme language - not angered by it, but very surprised.
Other interval comments were 'it's not what I thought it would be' - a good thing!; but maybe its appeal and playability is limited.

[Dr Tom]

Spring Awakening - Trinity Laban

A good production of a show that I know many consider a classic, although I've never connected with it all that well.

A very simple set, largely just a raised block and a trampoline, with the cast wearing modern clothes. The sound quality is excellent and everything is performed well, although some people have a more natural career ahead of them than others.

I got to the Deptford Albany about 25 minutes before the start of the show and there was already a long queue. Thankfully, practically no one wanted to sit near the front, so I was able to get a second row seat with a clear view.

Unfortunately, I'm abroad for work at present, so I won't be able to see Spelling Bee this weekend, but I'm sure it will be equally good for anyone who is able to attend.

[prophet]

Thanks for the headsup about Big Fish. Booked.

Also, excited for Spelling Bee this weekend at the Albany, Deptford.

[prophet]

So I checked out Spelling Bee by the gang from Trinity Laban today.

I wasn't aware how much audience participation was involved. I was late to arrive, so just grabbed the nearest free seat (which happened to be near the front).
I was slightly on edge throughout thinking I was going to be involved.

The plot was a bit too 'family friendly'at times it felt a bit panto. The crowd seemed made up of other students/family/friends...lots of enthusiasm...

I think the cast did well with the material...but rather bland overall.

Tolu Ayanbadejo had the standout voice. Wow.

[Rozzi Rainbow]

My former college Stockton Riverside put on a fab production of We Will Rock You this past week. (I studied accountancy there rather than performing arts but like to follow what shows they do, and as this is one of my favourites I wanted to go and support them.)

I've seen this show over 40 times, and this was right up there with the best of them! And dare I say it, in my opinion better than the version at the Coliseum last year. I was very impressed at them being able to sing almost all of the big notes (a couple weren't attempted). It was great to see it as a scaled back version set-wise, and being performed on the flat floor in touching distance of the front row made me feel as though I was a part of the show.

As it was the schools version of the show it was a bit different to previous versions I'd seen, with Meat being renamed as Oz and the main locations being set in the US rather than Geneva/UK. But the cast were all amazing and their enthusiasm really shone through. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see any of them in the West End at some point soon...

[max]

SPRING AWAKENING musical is at Royal Academy of Music this week.
6th-9th June

[topaz]

Had a brilliant time at Guildford's Hunchback on Monday - the size of the ensemble meant that the choral parts sounded amazing.

[Steve]

Jun 6, 2024 16:40:00 GMT topaz said:

Had a brilliant time at Guildford's Hunchback on Monday - the size of the ensemble meant that the choral parts sounded amazing.

I just saw today's matinee and also loved the choral parts.

Some spoilers follow. . .

The piece as a whole, however, was a little dour and humourless to my taste. You can see why it never gets done.

Further, the underpowered Frollo, Alex Laughton, can and does sing commandingly, but his acted persona felt more like a slightly sociopathic accountant than the diabolical tortured monster that drives the film.

Without that villainous overpowering self-hatred as a driver, and lacking much humour (there was one delightful headless statue that lifts his own wobbly head, in a cameo, who really needed to be a main character), its like a theatrical machine stuck in second gear.

However, I really liked the modern day Notre Dame intro sequence, and I thought Hugh Cotton's needy buoyant Quasimodo was very well acted and tremendously endearing, if you did worry slightly about his full voiced high notes.

And Aaron Jade Morgan's Esmerelda was the complete package, sensitive acting coupled with gorgeous modulation and pitch!

This came nowhere near Italia Conti's recent "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella," for me, also staged at the Yvonne Arnaud, which was easily as good as an excellent professional production in all facets. This, like the cheeky self-descriptions of so many neighbourhoods near Beverly Hills, was more "professional production - adjacent."

3 stars from me.

[foxa]

Spring Awakening - Royal Academy of Music

I highly recommend visiting RAM, such a beautiful theatre and welcoming atmosphere.

I have never seen Spring Awakening before and, boy, what a strange,overheated thing it is. However, it was, as you might expect, beautifully sung and there were some stand out moments - particularly the Totally Fxxxxxx number in the second half.

I am not sure if it is always done like this, but having Ilise onstage throughout (as what my husband called a 'wraith' figure) was confusing, expecially when she later appears as a fully alive character. The actor was good - just wasn't sure about the concept.

A really pleasant way to spend the afternoon - some of the tourists in the long queue for Madame Tussaud's might have had more fun just walking two minutes down the road to see this.

[Dr Tom]

Spring Awakening - Royal Academy of Music

Seen this afternoon, which I think was the first performance. It wasn't full, but this is Thursday afternoon. I had what I think was the prime front row position, bearing in mind you're still some distance from the stage due to the orchestra pit. It is a very trusting place to visit as well, as I managed to get all the way to my seat with no one checking my ticket.

I don't think you'll ever find a better sounding production that this. That's the joy of having a decent orchestra and trained singers. There were, unfortunately, some microphone problems and a show stop, but I'm sure that will be sorted for the rest of the run.

I did pay full price for my ticket, so I'm afraid I didn't buy a £5 programme. RAM still refuses to put cast lists online anywhere, so apologies that I couldn't tell you who I saw. There were no weak links. I was really impressed by the lady playing the female authority roles, which is normally quite a lost part. I really liked the guy who played Melchior. He also threw me what I presume were some carnal notes, but I wasn't ready to catch, so they slipped down my side and from there very quickly into the bag of the lady next to me. Hopefully they're useful for her.

The standard of RAM shows is always high, so this make me wonder why you see so few graduates in professional productions. I do think that the lack of promotion doesn't help. This is also a certain sameness to the cast, in that there are a lot of similar looking people, all of whom are technically very strong singers, generally show some acting ability, but don't really get the the chance to demonstrate if they can dance. Watching this, I did feel that there was a Les Mis ensemble hidden away.

As for this version of the show. A more interesting version that the Laban one from a few weeks ago. A classroom setting with lots of school desks used as the props. There were some cuts and they tried their best to censor the usually more explicit scenes, I feel to the detriment of the overall show. But a five star effort from the cast and the orchestra. To be frank, I sometimes find Spring Awakening to be a bit of a slog, but this production held my attention all the way through.

[thistimetomorrow]

I also saw Spring Awakening at RAM yesterday and thought it was wonderful. Beautifully sung and really nicely staged. I agree about having Ilse on stage throughout not quite working, but 'Totally f***ed' was top tier. They seemed to have 1 fewer female cast member than a usual production so some of the lines got redistributed to the other girls I think?

[theatrekiwi]

Another one who was at Spring Awakening yesterday, in the evening.
First time at RAM (or any college production), and knew very little of Spring Awakening.
A lovely theatre. Feel like there would be great sightlines from most seats here!
I really enjoyed this, with great performances throughout. Been trying to find a cast list but see the above comment RAM doesn't publish online. Seems a shame for the cast - I would love to follow what some of them might go on to.
Wasn't too sure what to expect but the ticket was money well spent and already pleased to have booked for Into the Woods in a few weeks.

Edit to add - the 7pm start was great. Not sure if this particular production of Spring Awakening was shorter than others, but Act 2 was done at 9:12pm and I was home before 10! My sort of timing 😅

[foxa]

We wish we'd got a programme, but did find this link with everyone on the musical theatre course pictured - so about half of them in this production. HOWEVER I am not totally confident who played what in Spring Awakening but can make some guesses (I think Beau Woodbridge was Melchior?). www.ram.ac.uk/study/departments/musical-theatre/company

[thistimetomorrow]

Hang on I asked the lady next to me if I could have a look through her program, so shall post a pic later

[thistimetomorrow]

i.postimg.cc/8ChRG65H/IMG-8361.jpg spring awakening cast as promised

[capybara]

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (GSA)

Such a wonderful student production put on by Guildford School of Acting’s talented third-years. I went into this with a lot of intrigue but also high expectations considering the score is a collaboration by heavyweights Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken.

Despite being a pretty big Disney fan, I’m not sure I’d ever seen the 1997 animated feature film. I certainly wasn’t familiar with Victor Hugo’s original novel, although - as a Les Mis aficionado - it was clear to see his fingerprints all over Peter Parnell’s book.

This production has a luscious score and, in the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre’s main space, the staging was able to do the piece justice. Hugh Cotton was a fantastic and charming Quasimodo and Aaron-Jade Morgan sang beautifully as Esmerelda. I did, however, feel her portrayal lacked a little in the charisma needed to make audiences care about her character’s fate.

Alex Laughton made for an engaging Frollo but given the relative darkness of this show, I’d have liked him to have been directed to be more scary than camp. Meanwhile, Oliver White was great as Phoebus, while Shania Montevalde put in a wildly energetic performance as Clopin.

The ensemble numbers worked really well in particular here. There was a lot of talent working very hard, such as Jade May Alkema and Maisy Stones. I’d love to see someone mount a professional production of this on a grand scale but I suspect the lack of feel good vibes of the source material means I’ll be waiting a long time.