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Post by oxfordsimon on Jun 30, 2021 23:50:55 GMT
There is so much about Carousel which captures the coastal US setting that it is hard to imagine an easy translation to a UK locale.
The equivalent UK communities didn't have porches on which you can conveniently sit for a scene. The Park Bench scene doesn't sound quite so romantic. Sitting on the step.
And we didn't have a UK equivalent to High School Graduation at that time. A School Leavers Assembly maybe and a Prize giving. But not a public event as rounds out the plot of Carousel.
Yes, with a lot of tinkering you can force the transition. But how much is gained? How much is lost?
I would much rather someone tried to make sense of the dramatic structure of the piece. The Death of Billy should be at the end of Act 1 not well into Act 2.
The whole Starkeeper sequence is tedious at best.
And the idea that domestic violence doesn't hurt if you loved him is just not something that should be celebrated in song.
Carousel has some glorious music and a woeful book. Moving it to a seaside town in England solves none of these problems.
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jul 1, 2021 0:08:56 GMT
There is so much about Carousel which captures the coastal US setting that it is hard to imagine an easy translation to a UK locale. The equivalent UK communities didn't have porches on which you can conveniently sit for a scene. The Park Bench scene doesn't sound quite so romantic. Sitting on the step. If the blossom is coming down it would probably be April-time, and a bit nippy for a long romantic duet, even if you did find a park bench (and the park keeper hadn't locked you in because it was dark)! |
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364 posts
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Post by tysilio2 on Jul 1, 2021 8:57:02 GMT
They're setting it in post-war England. There's a real colliery band /kitchen sink film vibe from the snippets of orchestrations I've dipped into on the podcast. It doesn't feel wrong - could be very exciting! At last a proper musical vibe  |
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5,817 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 1, 2021 16:22:12 GMT
A Real Nice Clam Bake makes zero sense in a 1940s English setting... Barm Cake instead perhaps? Yes I can’t get my head around how they can make this work without drastically changing lyrics - which I’m not sure they can even do |
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Post by Seriously on Jul 1, 2021 17:23:42 GMT
You can get clams in Whitby.
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19,676 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 1, 2021 18:51:56 GMT
You can get clams in Whitby. That would be a cockle wouldn’t it? I’ve never been to an East Yorkshire coast seaside town where clams were on sale. Cockles? yes. Mussels? check. Winkles? go on then… Clams? No. |
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5,142 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 1, 2021 21:01:56 GMT
Although it has an East Cliff and a West Cliff, Whitby is most definitely in North Yorkshire.
Not eating food that has lived in water, I've never had them myself, but you can order clams at the famous Magpie Cafe...subject to availability.
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4,985 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Jul 1, 2021 21:33:32 GMT
“That was a real nice dripping on toast” - Carrie, Nettie, Julie, Enoch and Chorus.
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3,428 posts
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Post by ceebee on Jul 1, 2021 22:03:42 GMT
You'll never whelk alone.
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19,676 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jul 2, 2021 6:37:50 GMT
What’s the use of lobsterin’
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3,334 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Jul 8, 2021 14:56:22 GMT
There's a new production feature here. Looks like this will be fantastic.
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Post by juicy_but_terribly_drab on Jul 8, 2021 15:24:34 GMT
The choreography looked fantastic. I was hoping we might hear more snippets of music than we did in that podcast but I still really love what we've gotten so far. I'm coming round to the idea of the new setting too, since it's set in a nebulous/unknown time and place it makes the references to what would be specific aspects of New England a bit more palatable.
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324 posts
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Post by barrowside on Jul 8, 2021 15:53:06 GMT
A suspect a major triumph is brewing. Their approach is radical and yet everything still makes sense. The meticulous craft, care and respect for the material deserves to pay major dividends. The orchestrations sound magnificent - I hope it gets recorded.
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431 posts
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Post by alison on Jul 8, 2021 16:25:51 GMT
I wasn’t convinced about this but having watched that video I’m feeling really positive. I’m on the grass bank for the first preview and really looking forward to it.
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287 posts
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Post by singingbird on Jul 8, 2021 17:55:38 GMT
I wasn’t convinced about this but having watched that video I’m feeling really positive. I’m on the grass bank for the first preview and really looking forward to it. Likewise!! |
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5,817 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 8, 2021 18:09:17 GMT
It does sound like it could be a very fascinating take on it. It’s made me want to book that’s for sure.
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Post by maskoftragedy on Jul 10, 2021 1:04:44 GMT
Carousel is such a problematic story but the score is in my top three musical theatre scores of all time, I absolutely adore it. This latest production though looks so intriguing. I want to see it very much.
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86 posts
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Post by abitoftap on Jul 16, 2021 16:09:47 GMT
Booking had been restricted by social distancing. They've reopened booking, with no social distancing.
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Jul 26, 2021 22:28:55 GMT
Own accents. Intriguing.
I like how Timothy describes the show etc.
Looking forward to this!
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Jul 26, 2021 22:48:53 GMT
There's a new production feature here. Looks like this will be fantastic. Just watched and wasn't expecting 15 minutes but again; I really respect the creative team The most recent revival of Oklahoma! in New York BLEW MY MIND. I'm here for this. |
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1,997 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Jul 27, 2021 13:09:13 GMT
Did the tickets used to be that expensive during previous seasons?!? So well over half the auditorium is now sold at top price (£65)
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Post by juicy_but_terribly_drab on Jul 27, 2021 14:02:20 GMT
Did the tickets used to be that expensive during previous seasons?!? So well over half the auditorium is now sold at top price (£65) Yeah it was pretty expensive all over if I remember correctly. I got Q86/87 for £25 each if you want to compare prices for the same area now to see if anything's changed. Edit: oh I just realised you said season lol, I thought you meant earlier for this run. But either way the tickets here are always pretty expensive, any time I've gone to the Open Air Theatre I've sat towards the back of the outer stalls because the rest is too expensive (and I sat on the lawn for the JCS concert). |
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1,997 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Jul 27, 2021 14:43:50 GMT
Did the tickets used to be that expensive during previous seasons?!? So well over half the auditorium is now sold at top price (£65) Yeah it was pretty expensive all over if I remember correctly. I got Q86/87 for £25 each if you want to compare prices for the same area now to see if anything's changed.
I went with £45 tickets in the end  |
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Post by theoracle on Jul 27, 2021 16:14:05 GMT
I saw the run time has also gone down from 2hrs 50 to 2hrs 35mins. Do we reckon there’ll be any significant cuts? Also, with the absence of strings, what will this mean for the Carousel waltz?
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296 posts
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Post by fossil on Jul 27, 2021 16:32:22 GMT
Did the tickets used to be that expensive during previous seasons?!? So well over half the auditorium is now sold at top price (£65) Yeah it was pretty expensive all over if I remember correctly. I got Q86/87 for £25 each if you want to compare prices for the same area now to see if anything's changed. For comparison I checked my Into The Woods tickets for 2009. Centre row F tickets, which I presume was top price for a Monday, were £40. According to the Bank of England inflation calculator, £40 in 2009 would cost £54.87 in 2020 (it does not go up to 2021) so it would seem tickets have become a little more expensive over the years. Incidentally, it says that £65 would also equate to 28p or 5 shillings and 7 old pence (5s 7d) in 1599. As a balcony seat in the Globe theatre is reported to have cost 2d (less than 1p) then it was certainly cheaper to go to the theatre in Shakespeare's time. The toilets are better nowadays though. |
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