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Post by Phantom of London on Aug 2, 2021 23:16:01 GMT
Carousel is a glorious musical, albeit dealing with a difficult subject and a easy musical to get right, I can say this as the Arcola Theatre did a production that got straight across the board 5 star reviews from the critics, they did this on very little budget, being a fringe venue. However they were faithful to the source material.
I will be seeing this, this week - so making no judgement, just to say judging by people’s comments, The Open Air Theatre seems to have got too confident because of the glorious Jesus Christ Superstar.
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Post by princeton on Aug 2, 2021 23:22:49 GMT
I thought I knew Carousel reasonably well, but who on earth is Mr Baskin? I'm guessing it's actually Mr Bascombe - the mill owner. |
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Post by princeton on Aug 2, 2021 23:31:10 GMT
Sounds like Saturday's ending might have gone the way of Evita's balloon dress!
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Post by ceebee on Aug 2, 2021 23:39:35 GMT
There is so much more to be explored thematically in the second half and perhaps if they'd cut Drew McOnie's self indulgent choreography by half they could have explored more symbolic ways of telling the story. The poles were a complete anchor on the second half - a distraction from the core action because of the time taken to plant them. Then, after a short lifetime of McOnie's fusion effort (looked like a bad improv session from my drama school days) the poles were removed. IT DOESN'T WORK.
What worked for JCS due to the angular arm sawing, flat hand movements etc to symbolise excess, fanaticism, obsession and idols, falls totally flat when you've eased your audience into accepting the gritty northernness of this new Carousel (though I heard Welsh, Tees, Coventry (obvs), Scots dialects, so God knows where it's meant to be set). Suddenly turning a group of working class folk into stylised dancers feels beyond far fetched. That said, I liked the way the story translated, it just didn't need such elaborate choreo.
What echoed for me was the differentiation: "I didn't beat her, I just hit her." The way the mental scars of domestic abuse were conveyed was very clever, allowing the characters to share their angst, anger, frustration, hurt. And, of course, the sad fact that the cycle appears to repeat until the chain is broken, the carousel stops spinning, or the human carousel of relationships throws you off the ride.
As a male who experienced domestic abuse from an ex-wife, this resonated with me. However,the whole show didn't go deep enough in the second half, choosing superficial over-stylised dance instead of character exploration. As a result, the audience probably doesn't care much by the end - for the story, outcome or characters.
What could improve it? More music - far too many flat spots for dialogue. Some of Tom Deering's orchestrations are fantastic (I hope they release the music) - they could do more. I usually like Tom Scutt's set design, but having the main exit and entry point at such a low height is going to result in more heads getting whacked. Pretty much every exit left me wondering how many times people have bashed themselves. Also, the exit ramp downstage right to Gangway 4 has a bit of a step down. I think the actors deserve to be able to enter and exit without fear of injury or a fall.
Highlights? The music, Joanna Riding, Declan Bennett. Lowlights? Choreography, messy second half, irregular cadence and no arc between beginning and end - this left a sense of audience indifference hanging in the drizzly night time air.
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Post by Being Alive on Aug 2, 2021 23:45:39 GMT
Yes, sounds like the thing that was causing the laughter on Saturday has gone (and good). The more I think about this production the more problems I have with it - glad ceebee also picked up on McOnie's truly awful choreography too. What worked for JCS doesn't work for Carousel |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2021 1:19:44 GMT
i'm not a purist at all, but some shows just don't work when people try to update them in some form.
Tim Sheader always tries to do something different with his shows, but not always successfully. I wonder how this will land with critics.
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Post by ceebee on Aug 3, 2021 8:07:35 GMT
i'm not a purist at all, but some shows just don't work when people try to update them in some form. Tim Sheader always tries to do something different with his shows, but not always successfully. I wonder how this will land with critics. I think I'd they trim the choreography and use the space better in the second half, they'd carry the story better. I'd have introduced the carousel poles in Act 1 and used them to show how mentally trapped Billy is - this could take the edge off him just appearing to be a wife beating thug. This way, the imagery of his daughter trapped by the same poles in Act 2 would make more sense, and the cycle of repetition would give the audience something to invest in the story and characters. Plus, perhaps if one pole was left at the top of the ramp, Louise could symbolically throw it / drop it over the back of the set as she walks off to the reprise of "You'll never walk alone". The end is meant to offer hope, but this ending offers confusion and a little despair. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 3, 2021 8:12:29 GMT
Drew Mc ‘one trick p’ Onie?
All of that endless modern interpretive daaaance is a right turn off for me.
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Post by FairyGodmother on Aug 3, 2021 8:26:09 GMT
I thought I knew Carousel reasonably well, but who on earth is Mr Baskin? I'm guessing it's actually Mr Bascombe - the mill owner. Thank you. I couldn't place him (and couldn't think who'd be forgiving who) so googled the name and only got results about Tiger King! |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Aug 3, 2021 8:36:33 GMT
Drew Mc ‘one trick p’ Onie? All of that endless modern interpretive daaaance is a right turn off for me. I was interested in his Merlin at Northern Ballet but not after this |
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Post by Seriously on Aug 3, 2021 10:05:23 GMT
Drew Mc ‘one trick p’ Onie? ! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2021 11:17:06 GMT
It seems that gone are the days when a trip to the Open Air was an annual summer treat to take a picnic basket and sit in the park beforehand and then onto the theatre to see a bit of frothy nonsense with a glass of champers wrapped in a blanket as the sun sets. Now it seems you need a tumbler of strong alcohol and a couple of Vallium to see you through a production. Or just an open mind. |
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Post by sleepflower on Aug 3, 2021 18:05:01 GMT
The 'grass bank' seats, are they actual chairs or do we sit on the floor?
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Post by Mark on Aug 3, 2021 18:12:32 GMT
The 'grass bank' seats, are they actual chairs or do we sit on the floor? On the floor. I took a blanket when I was there. |
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Post by digne on Aug 3, 2021 18:14:36 GMT
The 'grass bank' seats, are they actual chairs or do we sit on the floor? You sit on the grass, so bring a blanket (or two if it gets cold). |
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Post by alicechallice on Aug 3, 2021 22:04:41 GMT
I liked the poles.
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Post by alicechallice on Aug 3, 2021 23:07:41 GMT
I hear Warsaw is particularly nice at this time of year. I was actually talking about an aspect of the show but even reading my own comment did bring back memories of a lovely man I once knew. Much nicer than Billy Bigelow. |
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 4, 2021 6:18:28 GMT
Were there any more changes last night?
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Post by amp09 on Aug 4, 2021 11:21:25 GMT
Has anyone tried for discounted tickets at the Box Office on the day of a performance for this? Was hoping to turn up tonight in the hope of a day seat as they don’t seem to be dropping prices despite plenty of unsold seats online.
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Post by alicechallice on Aug 4, 2021 15:01:22 GMT
Were there any more changes last night? I don't think so from what's been described previously. |
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 4, 2021 15:07:07 GMT
Has anyone tried for discounted tickets at the Box Office on the day of a performance for this? Was hoping to turn up tonight in the hope of a day seat as they don’t seem to be dropping prices despite plenty of unsold seats online. No, but please do try (if you can spare the time) and see what response you get. Based on the weather reports, tonight looks like the best day to attend. I've never seen much evidence of the Open Air Theatre discounting before, regardless of how well sales are going. If it does come to it, I saw lots of evidence of people booking the cheap seats and "self-upgrading" the night I was there, especially during the interval. You could always pick up a seat in the lowest price band at the Box Office and see. But (and I speak as someone who normally likes to sit up close), I don't think you miss much from this one if you have to sit further back. |
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Post by ceebee on Aug 4, 2021 15:35:28 GMT
Has anyone tried for discounted tickets at the Box Office on the day of a performance for this? Was hoping to turn up tonight in the hope of a day seat as they don’t seem to be dropping prices despite plenty of unsold seats online. No, but please do try (if you can spare the time) and see what response you get. Based on the weather reports, tonight looks like the best day to attend. I've never seen much evidence of the Open Air Theatre discounting before, regardless of how well sales are going. If it does come to it, I saw lots of evidence of people booking the cheap seats and "self-upgrading" the night I was there, especially during the interval. You could always pick up a seat in the lowest price band at the Box Office and see. But (and I speak as someone who normally likes to sit up close), I don't think you miss much from this one if you have to sit further back. I think further back is better due to the raised drum of the revolve. I'd hate to be front 3 rows for this. |
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Post by amp09 on Aug 4, 2021 17:39:08 GMT
Has anyone tried for discounted tickets at the Box Office on the day of a performance for this? Was hoping to turn up tonight in the hope of a day seat as they don’t seem to be dropping prices despite plenty of unsold seats online. No, but please do try (if you can spare the time) and see what response you get. Based on the weather reports, tonight looks like the best day to attend. I've never seen much evidence of the Open Air Theatre discounting before, regardless of how well sales are going. If it does come to it, I saw lots of evidence of people booking the cheap seats and "self-upgrading" the night I was there, especially during the interval. You could always pick up a seat in the lowest price band at the Box Office and see. But (and I speak as someone who normally likes to sit up close), I don't think you miss much from this one if you have to sit further back. Decided not to chance it as there’s only a select number of the £23 seats left and didn’t want to turn up and have to pay £63! Off to get splashed for £30 at Singin In The Rain instead. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Aug 4, 2021 18:41:28 GMT
I think further back is better due to the raised drum of the revolve. I'd hate to be front 3 rows for this. Damn. I have row B booked for Mischief Movie Night In at the end of the month, which was fine last year, but I suppose they'll have to perform on the Carousel set this year. I suppose I'll have to resign myself to not seeing much (unless covid rates are still so high that I can't go, in which case I won't see anything). |
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Post by dontdreamit on Aug 4, 2021 19:04:19 GMT
I think further back is better due to the raised drum of the revolve. I'd hate to be front 3 rows for this. Damn. I have row B booked for Mischief Movie Night In at the end of the month, which was fine last year, but I suppose they'll have to perform on the Carousel set this year. I suppose I'll have to resign myself to not seeing much (unless covid rates are still so high that I can't go, in which case I won't see anything). I was in D1 on Monday - I don’t think row B will too much of a problem. |
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