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Post by j0shwaterfield on Aug 22, 2023 14:53:52 GMT
First time seeing this show or even hearing this score this afternoon and loving it so far! Did notice the pre recorded song though could tell from up here in the balcony.
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Post by londonmzfitz on Aug 22, 2023 15:02:30 GMT
I'd pedantically take issue with calling the London production a flop. I was at the first preview, I was at the last matinee (furious still I missed the last performance) and many (many) performances between the previews in February 2010 to August 2011.
Just saying.
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Post by anthony on Aug 22, 2023 16:01:23 GMT
God that was beautiful. The ending is still bad (I don’t mind Christine dying or the way it happens, it’s the way it’s done on stage that I hate).
Looking forward to going back this evening!
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Post by BVM on Aug 22, 2023 16:05:16 GMT
I'd pedantically take issue with calling the London production a flop. I was at the first preview, I was at the last matinee (furious still I missed the last performance) and many (many) performances between the previews in February 2010 to August 2011. Just saying. Completely agree. Ran for 18 months. Was similarly there at the start and the end. Though it was certainly up there with Sunset Boulevard and Cinderella for backstage drama. Was quite the ride! Adored the Adelphi version though and found it way superior to the Aussie/Hamburg one! That set was stunning. |
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Post by londonmzfitz on Aug 22, 2023 16:18:16 GMT
I'd pedantically take issue with calling the London production a flop. I was at the first preview, I was at the last matinee (furious still I missed the last performance) and many (many) performances between the previews in February 2010 to August 2011. Just saying. Completely agree. Ran for 18 months. Was similarly there at the start and the end. Though it was certainly up there with Sunset Boulevard and Cinderella for backstage drama. Was quite the ride! Adored the Adelphi version though and found it way superior to the Aussie/Hamburg one! That set was stunning. OMG me too! I thought I must be missing something when everyone raved about the Australian version (saw it at a special screening I think the Really Useful put on). I thought ALW was spectacularly unfair to the London direction/cast & crew when he said he preferred that version to the UK version - there were so many changes to the London production I practically had whiplash. Putting the main song right at the beginning still doesn't work for me - people are just getting into their seats and settling in and getting into the vibe .... Anyhow. Back to the Drury Lane show .. I wasn't going to add my comments until tomorrow after the last show as I didn't want to put my thoughts (the pre-recording, other issues) but ... Christine's first dress looked like something Scarlett O'Hara would knock up from curtains, and what the heck with the dangly things hanging off her chesticles? Just me? |
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Post by mattnyc on Aug 22, 2023 16:52:40 GMT
Had a great time this afternoon - it was wonderful to finally see this show done live. I was so happy it was a semi-staged show instead of music stands lined up.
Musically, it really might just be ALW’s best or right up there and hearing it with that orchestra was a real treat.
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Post by anthony on Aug 22, 2023 17:00:07 GMT
So Norm lost his place mid way through Til I Hear You Sing and he just walked around the stage saying “sing, sing”, I guess trying to find his place again… lasted about 20 seconds. Norm’s diction is horrendous. Beauty Underneath is 100% pre-recorded. His mic came back on mid-gasp. Sally Dexter’s French accent is life. Longest 20 seconds of his life and mine… I was anxious FOR him! 😂 It did feel like it was forever! It was so random, though because he was literally singing "till I hear you..." then silence. |
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Post by Steve on Aug 22, 2023 17:34:28 GMT
I saw the matinee and LOVED it. For me, the singing MVP was Celinde Schoenmaker, the acting MVP was the kid, Cian Eagle-Service (who will be winning Olivier Awards when we are all over the hill), and the overall MVP is Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose score for this must rank as one of the most romantic ever written. Some spoilers follow. . . I remember seeing this in 2010 with my mum, and Sierra Boggess sang "Love Never Dies," and I absolutely lost it, unstoppable tears running all over the place, I felt a bit embarrassed, and I looked over to check my Mum hadn't noticed, and she was in worse floods than I was lol. Anyway, Karimloo and Boggess had a VERY special chemistry, honed over a long time, so I knew there was no way one week's rehearsals for a concert was ever going to match that. Even so, I was in tears for Schoenmaker's rendition of the title song, and I felt that Norm Lewis ran with the dramatic emotionalism of that moment, and was very good in the final scenes, especially opposite the aforementioned child acting prodigy lol. The way I think of this show is that it is like that Monty Python joke about the funniest joke ever written, in which everyone who hears the joke dies laughing. For me, "Love Never Dies" is one of the most romantic songs with one of the most romantic melodies ever written, so if the show set-up works, the audience (nearly) dies crying. I felt Schoenmaker was exceptional in her rendition, advancing forcefully forwards in both body and voice when her character realised just how much love was inside her. One thing I didn't feel hit the mark was "Dear Old Friend." Because the book is lacking in setting up Meg Giry's character (she's basically the Phantom from the original show, all over again, filled with jealousy, rage and feelings of inner "ugliness", from which key plot developments emerge), the song has to carry a LOT of water. When Summer Strallen sang about Christine being her "Dear Old Friend" back in 2010, you knew she was bitter as hell, and that was a sarcastic lie. Here, Courtney Stapleton (a terrific singer) is not directed to evince the character's sarcasm emotionally, and you'd buy that she genuinely was delighted to see Christine. If we were supposed to intuit that she was feeling all that jealousy and rage, but just so socially adept as to hide that feeling, that was too subtle for me. Anyway, the kid, Cian Eagle-Service did what he was supposed to: he looked single minded, haunted and dangerously obsessed with music. He was a mini-Phantom in all but his appearance and innocence. I also loved Matthew Seadon-Young's business-like cuckold of a Raoul. When he was at the bar, before the performance, he sang about why Schoenmaker's Christine loved him, in such a poignant way that you could see his growing doubts that it was true. The three circus performers were quite wonderful in conjuring up a feeling of magical weirdness in their excellently choreographed dancing and singing. Norm Lewis's mistep with the book on his first song was that he put it down, thinking he'd remember the lines, and then promptly forgot them, like what happens when you walk through a door and forget what you are doing. Within 20 seconds, he picked up the book again and saved himself. In a concert like this one, it's understandable that you might need the book. His warm tone worked for me, but he did not share the chemistry with Schoenmaker that Karimloo shared with Boggess. Boggess and Karimloo seemed to have magnets between them, attracting and repelling them, and freezing them cold with awe and love. Lewis and Schoenmaker were more busy playing to the audience. Anyhow, this piece is romantic musical genius, I doubt the book will ever be truly fixed, and today was a privilege to hear it. 4 stars from me.  |
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Post by BVM on Aug 22, 2023 17:41:55 GMT
Amazing review Steve thanks! Agree with all. Including opinion that Ramin and Sierra and the original version will never be beaten! It was sublime. But the concert was still sensational. |
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Post by anthony on Aug 22, 2023 19:42:25 GMT
Norm is amazing so far - other than starting slightly early for Beneath a Moonless Sky and having to slow down. Sally Dexter forgot her lyrics during Dear Old Friend.
Someone in the royal circle farted very loudly just after Beauty Underneath and all of the circle was giggling for the remainder of act 1… obviously.
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Post by longinthetooth on Aug 22, 2023 20:26:29 GMT
I was there this afternoon and loved it. Hadn't realised how much I missed this glorious music. That wonderful orchestra!
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Post by anthony on Aug 22, 2023 21:31:42 GMT
So I spoke too soon about Norm. The Lord made a grand entrance just prior to the start of act 2, which led to a lot of applause. I can only assume this made Norm nervous because if there is a Guiness World Record for most amount of flubs in a show, he would win it.
My favourites were “bring the vixen back safe and… no… BRING HER HERE”
And
“Every …. UGH… and every hope rests on you now”. (Not even prayer!)
I understand the lack of rehearsal time. But he’s been cast for months - it is no excuse not to learn lines - especially when some of the lines are from Phantom and not even LND!
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Post by vabbian on Aug 22, 2023 21:39:35 GMT
4.5 stars for me
Sublime music, I cried
ALW appearance the cherry on the cake
-.5 stars cus Norm couldn't project his voice, particularly on those high notes
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Post by Mark on Aug 22, 2023 21:46:29 GMT
Thought it was great. The orchestra was wonderful and everyone was very good. Sure there were a few line flubs but easy to forgive. Celinde’s title song was the definite highlight - stunning.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Aug 22, 2023 22:04:26 GMT
I went to today’s matinee performance. I saw the original Adelphi production (my first brand new Lloyd Webber show), and have loved the show and its score from the moment I first heard it. As others have said, it is his best score, and one of the most achingly romantic pieces ever written for the stage. I don’t have issues with the book. I see it as just like an opera or operetta in that respect.
This concert production was the strongest case for the material that there is ever likely to be. Firstly, the score as played by this orchestra was glorious! I thought that I had died and gone to heaven! I had goosebumps, shivers and tears in my eyes throughout (much more so than when I saw the original production). I could barely speak by the time the interval came around, as I was feeling quite emotional. This continued well into the second act, and I felt the same in the final scene.
I was really impressed with the staging and choreography. It was very slick, and looked as though they had been performing the show for months. This was particularly the case in the two vaudeville numbers ‘Only For Him’ and ‘Bathing Beauty’ (the placement of which I have never liked. It dissipates any dramatic tension that has been created in ‘Devil Take The Hindmost’, and would be much better placed in the first act. However, I didn’t really seem to have that problem in this iteration). I also liked the simple, but effective stagings of the carriage scene in Act One, and how they created the impression of a piano in certain scenes without them actually having one. The lighting was a particularly highlight - I loved the lighting at the end of ‘Til I Hear You Sing’, during the ‘Coney Island Waltz’ sequence and the fog and lighting during ‘Once Upon Another Time’ to name but a few. There were too many to mention then all. This concert could run in the West End for 6 months as it is, and no-one would feel short changed.
The cast (with one exception) were uniformly excellent.
I think I may be in love with Celinde Schoenmaker! This is not the first time I have seen her on stage (that was in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA), but here she just completely knocked me sideways! Her Christine was just gorgeous! It is certainly the best I have ever heard the role sung, and some of the best singing I have ever heard on the musical theatre stage period. Every note was perfect from the bottom of her voice to the top. Not only that, but she coloured the sound to reflect the text and dramatic moment - sometimes strong and forceful (as in her first meeting with the Phantom), sometimes vulnerable (as in the final denouement), and in others just a beautiful enveloping of sound (‘Love Never Dies’). Hers is a rare voice in musical theatre these days. Every time she opened her mouth I could have burst into tears. I was shaking in my seat throughout her ‘Love Never Dies’, and could have given her a mid-show standing ovation. She had such poise and elegance. She needs to release an album of musical theatre songs as soon as possible. I can’t wait to see what she does next, and will be watching her career with interest. What she could do with Francesca in THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY!
Matthew Seadon-Young was a strong Raoul, with a slightly different take on the role than I have seen previously. He didn’t lean so much into the self-pitying drunk, and was more formal and business-like, as someone has said above. It was again very nicely sung.
Cian Eagle-Service was a lovely Gustave, and gave such a stirring performance for someone so young.
Courtney Stapleton and Sally Dexter were good in their roles of Meg and Madame Giry respectively.
I’m sorry to say that I was bitterly disappointed with Norm Lewis as the Phantom. Yes, there was that line flub during ‘Til I Hear You Sing’, but there were other such moments throughout as well (such as missing some entries when Christine and the Phantom were meant to be singing together). I could have forgiven these (it was a concert presentation with little rehearsal after all) if the rest of his performance was up to scratch, but I just thought that the score was beyond him. His voice was uneven throughout, and strained in parts, particularly in the higher register. He appeared even weaker alongside Celinde, because she was just on fire. He just became a little uncomfortable to watch at points for me. This was not entirely his fault. He is a baritone in what is essentially a tenor role. Had this been something like Sweeney Todd or Porgy, I’m sure he would have knocked it out of the park. However, in this role, I would have much preferred someone like John Owen-Jones. That being said, I can totally see why they cast Norm, and I am glad I have seen him live, as it is an all too rare occurrence on these shores. It was special for that reason alone.
Overall, this felt like a real event, highlighting the score for the absolute marvel that it is. Here’s hoping that it leads to a full production some time in the not-so-distant future (preferably with Celinde as Christine).
4.5 stars (would have been an easy 5 if not for Norm).
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Post by distantcousin on Aug 22, 2023 22:06:19 GMT
Did anyone who was there last night think that The Beauty Underneath sounded pre-recorded with Norm lip-synching? I thought this during the song and then heard two separate groups of people during the interval saying the same thing. They were all sitting in the same area as me, so possibly just a sound issue… I managed to see the show after all, and yes felt exactly the same that he was probably miming that number. He was perilously close to the top of his range on several other occasions. Its a higher range role than "TPOTO" itself |
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Post by steve10086 on Aug 22, 2023 22:17:20 GMT
10/10 for this concert production, certainly one of the best of these events there has been.
But the source material is still duff. Such a waste of some gorgeous music on such banal lyrics and such a ridiculous plot. I can never keep a straight face when they are recounting their night of passion (“and I licked you, and I flicked you, and I sucked you, and I f…” etc) that has been conjured out of thin air to enable them to have a son.
Didn’t think Norm Lewis was right for this at all either.
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Post by mattnyc on Aug 22, 2023 22:17:47 GMT
After the matinee, I saw Andrew Richardson and almost went weak in the knees talking to him. I was wondering if any G&D cast would be there this afternoon so it was nice to see him.
It’s always nice to see him.
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Post by alece10 on Aug 22, 2023 22:30:13 GMT
I'll give my view tomorrow as toast and marmite and my bed is number 1 priority.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 22, 2023 22:33:59 GMT
It can’t be that hard for a new book writer to completely rewrite the shocking script, can it?!
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Post by mattnyc on Aug 22, 2023 22:49:19 GMT
It can’t be that hard for a new book writer to completely rewrite the shocking script, can it?! I was thinking the exact same thing today. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 22, 2023 22:59:01 GMT
It can’t be that hard for a new book writer to completely rewrite the shocking script, can it?! I was thinking the exact same thing today. I actually think I could write a better book for it. That’s how bad it is. |
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Post by mattnyc on Aug 22, 2023 23:04:55 GMT
ChatGPT - write a better book for “Love Never Dies”…
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 22, 2023 23:10:27 GMT
ChatGPT - write a better book for “Love Never Dies”… Show saved! |
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Post by demelza on Aug 22, 2023 23:28:47 GMT
I had a really lovely time at this tonight! I saw it three times in London before it closed (but post-reworking, my first viewing was Sierra's final performance). It's been one of my favourite ALW scores and it was magical to hear it with such a lush orchestra today. I feel much the same as many of you on here — tonight really was Celinde's night. She was transcendent as Christine. I was lucky enough to see her run in POTO so it was special to see her in the sequel.
ALW certainly seems keen on bringing this back based on what he said tonight... I wonder if scheduling the upcoming international tour to have a stop in London would be a viable option
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