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Post by inthenose on May 8, 2022 22:28:38 GMT
I saw the West Yorkshire Playhouse production many, many years ago. One of the few productions I've walked out of (leaving two companions behind) long before the interval. I wasn't in the right mood for it, but in fairness I loathed everything about the musical when I listened to it later. The snapping point came when a man did a five minute song about how much he likes cabbages and I could feel my blood pressure rising with each passing second. I'm sure it's not the worst show ever written but it has a special place in my heart as one of my absolute least favourites. that was a different version - i’m assuming this will be the broadway score by Marsha Norman, not the Gary Lyons and Tim Sutton version. the only professional production i know of was the RSC version which played 2 seasons at stratford & a brief london run. Ah, that makes sense now! |
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Post by theatreian on May 9, 2022 8:15:09 GMT
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Post by Peter on May 9, 2022 8:32:05 GMT
More to the point - Hadley Fraser and Emma Williams!! This has moved up my list of things to book for... I vaguely recall that the changes made in the RSC production were deemed not to be successful by the authors and haven't appeared anywhere else since, so am expecting the Broadway / licensed version of the score
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Post by theoracle on May 9, 2022 8:51:38 GMT
It’s Lanbert Jackson productions - there’ll probably be another narrator whizzing through the story for us so don’t worry about what book they’ll use. It’s a promising cast but I don’t know if this is something I’ll be willing to pay too whack for.
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Post by Being Alive on May 9, 2022 9:22:37 GMT
What a strange lineup - apart from Emma and Hadley, none of these people feel like they fit together in the same show...
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2022 12:25:11 GMT
I saw the West Yorkshire Playhouse production many, many years ago. One of the few productions I've walked out of (leaving two companions behind) long before the interval. I wasn't in the right mood for it, but in fairness I loathed everything about the musical when I listened to it later. The snapping point came when a man did a five minute song about how much he likes cabbages and I could feel my blood pressure rising with each passing second. I'm sure it's not the worst show ever written but it has a special place in my heart as one of my absolute least favourites. that was a different version - i’m assuming this will be the broadway score by Marsha Norman, not the Gary Lyons and Tim Sutton version. the only professional production i know of was the RSC version which played 2 seasons at stratford & a brief london run. There was a production at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh over Christmas 2010 with Graham Bickley and Caspar Phillipson. The cast are listed on this page: edinburghguide.com/reviews/kids-activities/the-secret-garden-review-7065 |
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Post by HereForTheatre on May 10, 2022 12:58:45 GMT
I'm fed up of these concerts, just put the bloody full show on. Concerts might have been great when we were struggling yo put on shows because of covid but we are back into the swing now so I just find all these concert announcements annoying now.
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Post by oxfordsimon on May 10, 2022 13:05:12 GMT
They are a good way of hearing shows that are not likely to get full productions
But with pieces like Chess and Kinky Boots, it is hard to see any creative reasons for revisiting them at this time
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Post by FrontroverPaul on May 12, 2022 9:12:33 GMT
Pre-sale now on. Good seats via Ticketmaster priced £70.75 - £95.50, around £60 further back. Can see almost any fully staged West End musical for much less than that. Slightly cheaper through LW Theatres.
After feeling short-changed by the Camelot concert I'm going to pass on this one for now. Just wish they'd stayed at Cadogan Hall for these concert shows.
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Post by notmymuse on May 12, 2022 12:48:16 GMT
Agreed, after Camelot I'm going to give it a miss. Books matter in musicals and I want to hear the dialogue, even if the actor has a script to hand.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 11, 2022 16:31:21 GMT
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Post by Dawnstar on Aug 11, 2022 19:48:25 GMT
Baffled that the promo trailer cites The Pirate Queen for Hadley Fraser's previous show. Wasn't it on in 2007? And it flopped. And it wasn't even in this country! Surely they could have cited something he's done more recently & in the UK.
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Post by robertb213 on Aug 24, 2022 15:01:23 GMT
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 24, 2022 19:20:45 GMT
Would be amazed if Mark managed to lose his Irish accent for this. Can’t see him exactly delivering on the acting front.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Aug 29, 2022 1:39:35 GMT
Can’t see him exactly delivering on the acting front. You'd be right. His acting wasn't good, but it must be said that he can sing well and held his own against Hadley Fraser in Lilys Eyes. Overall I thought it was a wonderful night in the Palladium. Apparently that was the first time the full original Broadway version was sung in the UK. Has no-one done the show in the 21 years since the London run?? Emma Williams really should be a bigger name than she is and her voice was glorious against the 16 piece orchestra. Another night, another concert that Hadley Fraser delivers a great performance. Is he a tenor, baritone or baritenor (if such a thing exists) He range is so wide it's hard to tell. Alex Thomas-Smith has a gorgeous tone to his voice and loved what he did on Dickon's two big numbers. Darcy Jacobs showed that she is a talent to look out for as Mary and Isaac Lancel-Watkinson had a perfectly clear voice as Colin. Bless him, that voice is going to break pretty soon. The only person I wasn't a huge fan of, was Maiya Quansah-Breed as Martha. I got the impression that her voice wasn't suited to this style of music. I didn't like what she tried to do with Fine White Horse and Hold On didn't have the impact it could have. When she first came on i was worried the top part of her dress was falling off, but it seemed more stable after the first scene, thankfully. It's such a wonderful, evocative score, I hope we get a full production sometime soon. The cuts made for the original London production are even more confusing after seeing this version. |
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Post by sprampster on Aug 29, 2022 8:26:45 GMT
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 29, 2022 12:59:19 GMT
I wouldn’t have thought Emma Williams has the pure soprano sound that that role requires… but she did?
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Post by Steve on Aug 29, 2022 16:36:15 GMT
Emma Williams did indeed produce the pure soprano sound that the role required. It was quite beautiful, especially in conjunction with Hadley Fraser's tenor, singing the heartbreaking duet "How could I ever Know" toward the end of the piece. I thought I wasn't going to be able to see this as I was seeing "Cruise" at the Apollo Shaftesbury at 4pm, but when I checked, I found out that "Cruise" actually ended at 5:40pm and if I walked up Rupert Street and Great Marlborough Street, I could be at the Palladium in ten minutes, so I took advantage of one the Todaytix offers and didn't regret it. I was in my seat with 3 minutes to spare lol. While the piece is operatic and old-fashioned, and I shouldn't imagine a mass audience today would embrace it today, and while it is not as brilliant a piece about mortality and remembrance as "Cruise" is, it has a final three quarters of an hour that masterfully matches the metaphor of a garden growing to the process of humans growing from and out of the grieving process, and the songs that go with that part of the book ("Wick," "Come Spirit, Come Charm," "A Bit of Earth," "Hold on," "Letter Song," "Mary's Maze," and exceptionally, "How could I Ever Know") were really effective and moving, and this cast of this concert production did them absolute justice. Some spoilers follow. . . So "The Secret Garden" is all about the grieving process, and the first half, for me, was hamstrung by songs that aren't sufficiently emotional or impactful and don't reflect the import of the deaths of the loved ones of the characters. I could see why it was the book, rather than the music, which won a Tony. The songs are operatic in the sense that they have the kind of formal soprano-tenor-baritone-mezzo combinations that you often hear in opera (one song is simply called "Quartet" and showcases all of these singing types lol), and that formality of composition felt too rigid and subtle for me as it never exploded into the Puccini-style dramatic emotionalism that I much prefer in my sad songs lol. I concede that's all me, as I noticed that after the performance of the first half highlight, "Lily's Eyes" wherein Hadley Fraser and Mark Feehily traded formal sadnesses, tenor to baritone, a bunch of people, who know the piece better than I do, leapt to their feet ovating, whereas I felt I had heard two excellent singers butter up a slightly stale song. That said, the piece really came to life for me in the second half, when the characters start to rebuild from their respective tragedies, and the songs are about moving on from grief. I felt Alex Thomas-Smith really shone in "Wick," as Dickon, effortlessly breathing life back into Darcy Jacobs's Mary, as he danced with her around the stage, and the duet between Hadley Fraser and Emma Williams, in Lily's and Archie's final duet, "How Could I Ever Know" was absoutely exceptional, bringing forth a few tears from me despite being all cried out from "Cruise" lol. Oh, and for what it's worth, I really liked Maiya Quansah-Breed's "Hold on," which was an essential part of the closing section, all of which I liked, and which perked me up mightily. If only the whole musical was as free and emotional and tender as that last third, and not so prim and buttoned up and formal, I could see it being revived. As it was, it felt like a very niche musical was pampered by some magnificent voices for a night. 3 and a half stars from me.  |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 29, 2022 22:22:21 GMT
Listen to Cheyenne Jackson and Ramin Karimloo sing Lily’s Eyes on YouTube , and see if you still think that song sounds stale…
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Aug 30, 2022 0:26:34 GMT
Thanks for this . Actually I directed a production in 2009 at the Kenneth More Theatre and we used the full original Broadway score :-) I was looking up when the show originally played on Broadway and it was on the Wikipedia page for The Secret Garden that it made the claim about it being a first time the original version had played the UK. It did seem an odd claim, given how long the show has been around So "The Secret Garden" is all about the grieving process, and the first half, for me, was hamstrung by songs that aren't sufficiently emotional or impactful and don't reflect the import of the deaths of the loved ones of the characters. I could see why it was the book, rather than the music, which won a Tony. A Girl In The Valley, Winters On The Wing, A Bit of Earth, Lily's Eyes are all emotional and impactful songs in the first half. I do agree that it is a slightly old fashioned score compared to some stuff today, but it's definitely not a niche musical. The story is a classic book read by millions and there was a new film of it in 2020 with Colin Firth and Julie Walters. I could see why it was the book, rather than the music, which won a Tony. Given that they used a narrator and didn't do any of the book scenes, how could you see that? The 1991 Tony Awards was an interesting year. It was the year of Miss Saigon and that was expected to sweep the boards, however it was The Will Rogers Follies that won the most awards. Daisy Eagan who played Mary was put forward in the 'Featured Actress' award, which she won. I would say she should have been in the 'Leading Actress' category,but they knew she couldn't win against Lea Salonga. I also wonder if the Miss Saigon controversy didn't help them win more. |
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Post by notmymuse on Aug 30, 2022 7:26:25 GMT
I wouldn’t have thought Emma Williams has the pure soprano sound that that role requires… but she did? Shame I couldn't see this, I love Emma Williams. She's def a trained classical soprano, I'm sure she was even in a filmed opera years ago. Fingers crossed she lands a role in the West End again soon |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2022 8:45:52 GMT
I wouldn’t have thought Emma Williams has the pure soprano sound that that role requires… but she did? Really? Surprised to read this as that's pretty much what Emma Williams is known for |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 30, 2022 9:13:02 GMT
I wouldn’t have thought Emma Williams has the pure soprano sound that that role requires… but she did? Really? Surprised to read this as that's pretty much what Emma Williams is known for Hmmm not in my opinion. I do think she’s wonderful though and hope an audio surfaces of her singing this |
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Post by Steve on Aug 30, 2022 15:30:43 GMT
Listen to Cheyenne Jackson and Ramin Karimloo sing Lily’s Eyes on YouTube , and see if you still think that song sounds stale… I listened, and it still does. It was just as well performed by Hadley Fraser and Mark Feehily, hence all the people around me jumping to their feet.
That's my loss, of course, as I'd always rather be the one jumping up in ecstasy than the one sitting there going "is that all there is?" lol.
For me, it's just such a bombastic way to remember someone you love: "Those eyes, those eyes, those lily hazel eyes," getting louder and louder in the repetition as if love is loud. This is a problem for me also in "Aspects of Love" lol.
Love is like it is in "Cruise," all tiny details and mannerisms and loveable flaws.
Heck, Gary Barlow did a much better job in making me feel real grief in "Scarborough" in "The Girls, with those heartbreaking tiny details of what's lost, for example:"
"The duvet we bought in the new year's sales,
It's patterned and bright and the size of whales.
Who holds the tops while
I'm folding the tails if you don't."
Barlow approaches love with a creeping tender respect, like it's sacred and precious, not something to be grabbed and owned, like this song snatches at Lily's eyes. And Barlow lifts us up to connect with that love, in his gentle melody. By contrast, "Lily's Eyes" struck me as well-constructed but bombastic and overwrought, old-fashioned opera.
So "The Secret Garden" is all about the grieving process, and the first half, for me, was hamstrung by songs that aren't sufficiently emotional or impactful and don't reflect the import of the deaths of the loved ones of the characters. I could see why it was the book, rather than the music, which won a Tony. A Girl In The Valley, Winters On The Wing, A Bit of Earth, Lily's Eyes are all emotional and impactful songs in the first half. I do agree that it is a slightly old fashioned score compared to some stuff today, but it's definitely not a niche musical. The story is a classic book read by millions and there was a new film of it in 2020 with Colin Firth and Julie Walters. I could see why it was the book, rather than the music, which won a Tony. Given that they used a narrator and didn't do any of the book scenes, how could you see that? The 1991 Tony Awards was an interesting year. It was the year of Miss Saigon and that was expected to sweep the boards, however it was The Will Rogers Follies that won the most awards. Daisy Eagan who played Mary was put forward in the 'Featured Actress' award, which she won. I would say she should have been in the 'Leading Actress' category,but they knew she couldn't win against Lea Salonga. I also wonder if the Miss Saigon controversy didn't help them win more.
"The Secret Garden" is indeed a classic novel, but that doesn't mean that if you give it this pompous, indelicate, unnuanced treatment, in the first half, that it won't become niche as a musical, at least to today's taste for emotionalism. The first half feels too "stiff upper lip" for today.
But that's just my opinion. What about some facts?
By comparison, "Chess" had three recent concert dates, all sold out, despite the fact it was at the Coliseum five minutes ago. Meanwhile, "the Secret Garden" gets one date and is discounting heavily (which is what drew me in, someone who is not a natural fan of the material), despite not being on in town for much longer. If even we major theatre afficionados, who see many things out of our taste range, can still not sell out one date, I'd conclude the evidence suggests this is a niche musical.
My comment about the Tony was supposed to emphasise that I can see why the MUSIC did not win it, rather than to commend the book.
All that said, I did enjoy my evening, I promise lol.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Oct 21, 2022 5:46:02 GMT
Lucy Simon Haa died
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