4,021 posts
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Post by Dawnstar on Mar 11, 2020 21:22:59 GMT
The theatre was incredibly hot which could have led to an "incident" during Act 1 when someone was taken ill. Really hot in March? Gosh, that puts me right off going on Saturday when I'm supposed to be seeing it. I hate hot theatres even in the middle of summer & at this time of year there's no excuse. |
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Post by horton on Mar 11, 2020 22:44:14 GMT
Sadly this is a show cast adrift under the direction of a person who doesn't understand how the conventions of musical comedy make this material "land". It's like asking an opera diva to appear in a soap- it's unlikely to be a good fit.
Having seen the Prince of Wales production, this couldn't help but look cut-price and I felt sorry for the cast who are clearly capable actors but just not attuned to this kind of comedy.
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Post by theatre241 on Mar 11, 2020 23:06:47 GMT
What Merch is there? Did anyone see posters?
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Post by intoanewlife on Mar 11, 2020 23:20:23 GMT
The theatre was incredibly hot which could have led to an "incident" during Act 1 when someone was taken ill. Really hot in March? Gosh, that puts me right off going on Saturday when I'm supposed to be seeing it. I hate hot theatres even in the middle of summer & at this time of year there's no excuse. Don't be put off, I was there tonight and I don't think I caught the Corona virus, but I do think I could possibly have pneumonia...it was absolutely f'n freezing! My companion and I even wore our winter coats in the second act and were still cold. |
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Post by eatbigsea on Mar 12, 2020 7:44:44 GMT
I’ve never seen this before and thought that Fraser, Craig and the other usual MT suspects were fine, but that Rebecca Trehearne was the true standout, amazing. It felt like there was a lot of filler in the first act, most of the men (other than Fraser) could act but not sing particularly well and I didn’t relish any of their songs. Agree that the tennis song was particularly uncomfortable. I also hated Stine’s character (although not as much as Fidler’s). I thought that I was being asked to choose between Harvey Weinstein and Aaron Sorkin and frankly, I reject them both. Team Donna and Bobbi.
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227 posts
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Post by paulbrownsey on Mar 12, 2020 12:09:17 GMT
Being done by the Royal Scottish Conservatoire in Glasgow next week. Their Musical Theatre productions are usually something special.
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Post by intoanewlife on Mar 12, 2020 13:34:20 GMT
First off...it's a really great show! Very clever and witty book and some great lyrics...though I did find the music a little samey.
Unfortunately It seems to me to get this beast really right, it needs a seasoned comedic cast and director and this production doesn't have either.
It still definitely feels very much like a 'work in progress' and I don't know that they will with what they have to work with.
On the plus side, I liked the staging and lighting/projection work a lot and I thought most of the cast were on point vocally apart from Slinger (though his acting was great) and James who were noticeably weaker.
As previously mentioned Rebecca Trehearne is the true stand out. She is absolutely fantastic and Craig is also doing some great work here.
Williams is serviceable but Roberts is unsure, ill equipped and under rehearsed. Her first acting scene is painful...she is about as sexy as bowl of cabbage! Though she was marginally better in Act 2.
The main problem here though is the direction. It somehow manages to feel both over directed and under directed at the same time.
A LOT of really great jokes were completely lost on the audience throughout which is a shame as there were some crackers in there!
3/5
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316 posts
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Post by ABr on Mar 12, 2020 14:55:14 GMT
"...she is about as sexy as bowl of cabbage!" Well that's complement if I ever heard one :') |
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Post by intoanewlife on Mar 12, 2020 15:10:05 GMT
"...she is about as sexy as bowl of cabbage!" Well that's complement if I ever heard one :') LOL I fairness the scene is staged on a bed and she and James are both spending most of their time trying to keep their balance and not fall off. It's one of many bad directorial decisions on display. If they want it that way they could just have a firmer prop bed so they aren't bobbing around so much and could actually play the scene properly! |
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Post by dippy on Mar 13, 2020 0:37:41 GMT
Really hot in March? Gosh, that puts me right off going on Saturday when I'm supposed to be seeing it. Don't be put off, I was there tonight and I don't think I caught the Corona virus, but I do think I could possibly have pneumonia...it was absolutely f'n freezing! My companion and I even wore our winter coats in the second act and were still cold. Absolutely freezing tonight too, don't think you'll have to worry, along with it being pretty cold outside I've still not fully warmed up yet. |
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Mar 13, 2020 0:44:37 GMT
Really hot in March? Gosh, that puts me right off going on Saturday when I'm supposed to be seeing it. I hate hot theatres even in the middle of summer & at this time of year there's no excuse. Don't be put off, I was there tonight and I don't think I caught the Corona virus, but I do think I could possibly have pneumonia...it was absolutely f'n freezing! My companion and I even wore our winter coats in the second act and were still cold. Tonight the temperature was about right for the first 20 minutes and then it was as if someone had opened all the doors or turned the aircon to maximum - FREEZING ! First time I've ever felt the need to put on my coat on during a show I waited until the interval, one person in my sightline put on an outdoor coat before then. That's in the third row of the stalls. Enjoyed the show as a musical, especially seeing the gorgeous Nicola Roberts, but like others I felt it fell short in the laughs department |
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736 posts
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Post by dippy on Mar 13, 2020 0:55:23 GMT
First time I've ever felt the need to put on my coat on during a show I waited until the interval, one person in my sightline put on an outdoor coat before then. That's in the third row of the stalls. I waited till the interval too, I was in the front row and I didn't want to go rummaging around in my bag to get my puffer jacket out, so waited. Wished I had left it on before it started as I had read about it being cold the other day so was aware that could be a problem but like you say it felt fine. |
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Mar 13, 2020 1:02:28 GMT
First time I've ever felt the need to put on my coat on during a show I waited until the interval, one person in my sightline put on an outdoor coat before then. That's in the third row of the stalls. I waited till the interval too, I was in the front row and I didn't want to go rummaging around in my bag to get my puffer jacket out, so waited. Wished I had left it on before it started as I had read about it being cold the other day so was aware that could be a problem but like you say it felt fine. Front row is definitely the place to be. Legroom in row 3 was very poor and I paid £65 for my ticket when they first went on sale. I'm rebooked in the front row for just £20. |
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Post by londonmzfitz on Mar 13, 2020 13:11:15 GMT
I waited till the interval too, I was in the front row and I didn't want to go rummaging around in my bag to get my puffer jacket out, so waited. Wished I had left it on before it started as I had read about it being cold the other day so was aware that could be a problem but like you say it felt fine. Front row is definitely the place to be. Legroom in row 3 was very poor and I paid £65 for my ticket when they first went on sale. I'm rebooked in the front row for just £20. Me too, an average 5ft 5in and my knees were almost touching the seat in front. And I was boiling! I very much enjoyed this on Saturday night. I'd seen it at the Donmar so although I can understand posts I've seen about it being confusing I pretty knew what to expect, who was who, etc. Loved the humour (the man 2 seats away got the jokes a few seconds after me and guffawed when he caught on). Maybe the timing was a bit off on a few, needed just a second or two for people's brains to catch on, but that could just be me. Loved the costumes - unlike Pretty Woman where the seams look clumsy - these costumes looked sleek and sexy. Loved Theo James who was a bit of a revelation for this old bird ... sigh...  Class stuff from Hadley and Rosalie and Rebecca. It was only the 3rd show so I didn't have a problem with Nicole. I've got You're Nothing Without Me in my head since and I'm loving it! 4* from me. |
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Post by distantcousin on Mar 13, 2020 23:11:26 GMT
I wasn't a fan I'm afraid. Completely new to the piece. Started off promising with striking production design and direction but I got bored of it after half an hour, and as things got increasingly convoluted, it lost me.
I found the songs unmemorable and didn't care about any of the characters
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1,997 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Mar 13, 2020 23:18:35 GMT
Well, I went to see it on Friday night. Now - a slight disclaimer - I was lucky enough to see the original London production of City of Angels which I absolutely loved. Unfortunately I can't say the same of this production which is hit and miss. First the good : The staging / set and lighting is fabulous - there were a few teething troubles as others have alluded to above, but by and large it worked very very well. The orchestra were also great. The cast that remained from the Domnar production were all excellent. Hadley Fraser was outstanding as Stein. Rebecca Trehearn and Rosalie Craig were also great as Oolie and Gabby (although I still prefer Haydn Gwynne as Oolie - sorry!). Newcomer Theo James did a very creditable job of Stone, despite looking a little too fresh and young (but then I am comparing to Roger Allam who does dishevelled brilliantly). Then there are some remarkably "odd" casting choices. Vanessa Williams and her massive Biog promised a lot, but delivered little, and frankly her age made Stone look like he was molesting his grandmother (if you don't know who she is you won't be able to find her easily from her picture in the programme - some serious vanity photography in use there...). There was absolutely no chemistry on display and little to suggest that Stone would be believably attracted to Alaura. The Tennis song was flat as a pancake and very uncomfortable. Similarly rather than a slick suave but thick Jimmy Power, we had Rob Houchen who seemed like he was visiting from Me and My Girl. He sang nicely but has quite a strong vibrato - he's not a crooner and Jimmy Power is supposed to be a crooner. He also didn't come across as the sex symbol that could carry the movie, and that Alaura would be infatuated with. The whole dynamic just failed for me. Then we move to Nicola Roberts. She sang nicely, but she is not a jazz singer and she couldn't deliver alluring blonde bombshell for Mallory or thick blonde bombshell for Avril. She was also the victim of a really odd directorial decision (unless it was her idea). The line in Stein's novel in this production alludes to Mallory not wearing much more than a sheet (it was changed from the original script). In this show however "not much more" comprises a full set of underwear and a shirt. In the original production Mallory was naked (although her nudity never shown to the audience except for the back) and used a sheet throughout the song to cover her modesty. This sets up the staging for the framing of Stone and sets up the joke - "I don't remember you coming back with those sheets from the laundry..." . Much more importantly, Stone is *not* supposed to be seduced by Mallory, but caught off guard for the incriminating photograph. In this production Stone seemed quite happy to get it on with everyone be it grandma or grand-daughter, thus ruining the narrative and making him look stupid. Stone isn't supposed to be stupid. The archetypes are really important to make this show work and the casting needs to be done carefully. Dropping big names in to sell seats that don't fit the roles does no-one any favours. Then we move to Jonathan Slinger. Maybe he was having a bed night, or was under rehearsed. He seemed to be nervous and seemed to be reading lines from his desk at one point. He was average vocally, and his acting was hit and miss. I wish they could have got Peter Polycarpou. Another issue I couldn't quite pinpoint was with the Angel 4. They are used a lot to carry set changes and scene changes, which means that they are often quite distant from each other whilst trying to deliver what should be their very tight close jazz vocals. They were slightly off on occasions. I'm not sure if it was the bigger stage or if Manuel Pacific (Tenor) just wasn't quite on it sometimes. Their voices didn't quite gel as the vocal group. I imagine they will improve with time however - this was only the second preview. So - generally a good show but I'd go see it after 25th July and hope they don't parachute more famous people in to fill seats. Agree on so many of these points. So much of it didn't gel and just became baffling and threw me off |
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Post by kathryn on Mar 13, 2020 23:39:11 GMT
Enjoyed this tonight. I saw it from the Donmar, but from an extreme side seat so missed most of the projections - they do work superbly from the front.
I am not quite sure that it manages the balance between noir and comedy - certain bits did get some laughs, but it rarely feels like you should be laughing. Maybe it’s the effect of the lighting - which is absolutely gorgeous, and works incredibly well to delineate the characters and the story of the film script from the real people. But it’s really evoking Noir, which is antithetical to a light comedic or farcical tone.
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5,812 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Mar 14, 2020 16:10:46 GMT
I don’t ever remember this musical going for an overtly Comedic or farcical tone?!
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1,970 posts
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Post by sf on Mar 14, 2020 16:52:06 GMT
I don’t ever remember this musical going for an overtly Comedic or farcical tone?! It’s not farcical, but there’s more than one kind of comedy. The first paragraph of Frank Rich’s New York Times review of the original Broadway production: “ There's nothing novel about show-stopping songs and performances in Broadway musicals, but how long has it been since a musical was brought to a halt by riotous jokes? If you ask me, one would have to travel back to the 1960's - to ''Bye Bye Birdie,'' ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,'' ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' and ''Little Me'' - to find a musical as flat-out funny as ''City of Angels,'' the new show about old Hollywood that arrived last night at the Virginia Theater.“ |
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Post by kathryn on Mar 14, 2020 17:04:42 GMT
I don’t ever remember this musical going for an overtly Comedic or farcical tone?! There’s a bit that is definitely referencing the Keystone Cops! Ok, technically that would be slapstick rather than farce. |
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Post by distantcousin on Mar 14, 2020 18:13:25 GMT
I don’t ever remember this musical going for an overtly Comedic or farcical tone?! It’s not farcical, but there’s more than one kind of comedy. The first paragraph of Frank Rich’s New York Times review of the original Broadway production: “ There's nothing novel about show-stopping songs and performances in Broadway musicals, but how long has it been since a musical was brought to a halt by riotous jokes? If you ask me, one would have to travel back to the 1960's - to ''Bye Bye Birdie,'' ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,'' ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' and ''Little Me'' - to find a musical as flat-out funny as ''City of Angels,'' the new show about old Hollywood that arrived last night at the Virginia Theater.“ But the audience barely laughed last night. |
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Post by intoanewlife on Mar 14, 2020 18:20:34 GMT
It’s not farcical, but there’s more than one kind of comedy. The first paragraph of Frank Rich’s New York Times review of the original Broadway production: “ There's nothing novel about show-stopping songs and performances in Broadway musicals, but how long has it been since a musical was brought to a halt by riotous jokes? If you ask me, one would have to travel back to the 1960's - to ''Bye Bye Birdie,'' ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,'' ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' and ''Little Me'' - to find a musical as flat-out funny as ''City of Angels,'' the new show about old Hollywood that arrived last night at the Virginia Theater.“ But the audience barely laughed last night. Honestly my mate and I (who had never even heard of it before let alone seen it) laughed all the way through it and thought it was very funny. But it became obvious rather quickly that we were alone in this because no one else in the theatre was getting the jokes. I think maybe because most of the humour is quite sly and not overly exaggerated most of it flew right over the audiences head. |
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Post by sf on Mar 14, 2020 19:52:11 GMT
It’s not farcical, but there’s more than one kind of comedy. The first paragraph of Frank Rich’s New York Times review of the original Broadway production: “ There's nothing novel about show-stopping songs and performances in Broadway musicals, but how long has it been since a musical was brought to a halt by riotous jokes? If you ask me, one would have to travel back to the 1960's - to ''Bye Bye Birdie,'' ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,'' ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' and ''Little Me'' - to find a musical as flat-out funny as ''City of Angels,'' the new show about old Hollywood that arrived last night at the Virginia Theater.“ But the audience barely laughed last night.
Blame the production, not the script.
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1,997 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Mar 14, 2020 21:02:49 GMT
But the audience barely laughed last night. Honestly my mate and I (who had never even heard of it before let alone seen it) laughed all the way through it and thought it was very funny. But it became obvious rather quickly that we were alone in this because no one else in the theatre was getting the jokes. I think maybe because most of the humour is quite sly and not overly exaggerated most of it flew right over the audiences head. I certainly recognised where the humourous lines were, but they just weren't laugh out loud funny to me. Just mildly amusing. |
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Post by Jane Parfitt on Mar 15, 2020 8:51:59 GMT
Two tickets for sale for 7.30pm show on Weds 18th March, end of row A in stalls. Bought from TodayTix sale for £70, will accept £50 for the pair. Obvs money will be refunded if theatre closes before Weds. Also listed on Noticeboard.
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