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Post by intoanewlife on Nov 13, 2022 22:37:14 GMT
Katie Brayben Katie f**king Brayben She alone elevated this show from the scrappy mess that it is. Give her the Olivier now. Andrew Rannells - fine. Unmemorable. Zubin Varla - fabulous Absolutely loved the supporting company in particular Amy Booth Steel who was camp as Xmas I was in the front row and I don't know if his performance just doesn't travel well, but I expected to be disappointed by Rannells after the posts on here (who I don't like anyways) and I thought he was every bit as good as Katie. His facial expressions were priceless and though he was a bit nasally at times I really liked his voice too. Varla was also incredible. I have not seen Brayben before, but does her voice usually sound like that or was it a Tammy Faye (who was not the best singer) impersonation. While there is no doubt the woman can belt out a song and didn't miss a note, I didn't really like the 'sound' of her voice and didn't really find it to be particularly pleasant to listen to despite how great her performance was. It was all very nasally Dolly Partonesque. |
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Post by showgirl on Nov 14, 2022 4:52:25 GMT
Advice re seating, please, as so far there have been very few specific comments re this. I usually attend alone as it's easier but a friend wanted to see this so when more tix were released, I booked another but naturally couldn't get one anywhere near mine and both were cheap ones anyway. As I've no idea what the view would be like from either for this production, we planned to swap at the interval but is anyone able to advise whether there'd be much to choose between row E at the side and row K towards the back - both stalls? I sat in row E at the very far side (E3), there is a narrow(ish) pillar directly in your eyeline and you miss most of the backdrop video screens and performers who appear higher up. Also the legroom is dreadful (I am really tall but it was definitely minimal even for a normal person), and you can also hear the cast chatting in the wings on the other side of the wall. Really not a great seat, for this production at least. But it was only £15. Thank you robertb213 - E3 is one of the 2 seats I booked so very helpful to read your experience. I thought it would be nice to sit nearer the front for a change as apart from getting a fantastic front row ticket for Spring Awakening earlier this year (seat marked as RV but wasn't), I've only ever sat in the cheap RV seats at the rear and side of the stalls. But maybe the other seat I booked, in the latter area, would be better for this. Though if my friend has a poor view from whichever seat she sits in for the first half, knowing her she'll claim it's fine and won't want to say otherwise or swap. |
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Post by kathryn on Nov 14, 2022 20:36:14 GMT
While there is no doubt the woman can belt out a song and didn't miss a note, I didn't really like the 'sound' of her voice and didn't really find it to be particularly pleasant to listen to despite how great her performance was. It was all very nasally Dolly Partonesque. It’s country-influenced Southern Christian Rock n Gospel. Sung by a woman with big hair and big eyelashes. I think it’s fair to say that the Dolly resemblance is not accidental. |
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Post by ptwest on Nov 14, 2022 21:44:29 GMT
I was there on Saturday night and loved it; a rollercoaster of emotions but so entertaining, and superbly performed. I totally agree with all the praise being healed upon Katie Brayben but felt there wasn’t a weak link in the cast. Nice to get such a vigorous handshake from Zubin Varla as he left the stage at one point too! I really hope this transfers and has a life beyond its current run.
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Post by Dr Tom on Nov 15, 2022 12:53:03 GMT
Made my second visit yesterday and very much enjoyed this again. The second half came across as tighter (although it probably hasn't changed much). No claps at all during the individual bows and I'm not the person to start these, but they did get lots of applause at the very end.
Lucky enough to have caught Danny Collins debut as Steve as well, who did succeed in making me cry (and I could see several others reaching for the tissues). Danny is always excellent and no change here. He was on the whole track, so lots of other roles too.
It was also Michael Kent's debut (presumably in Danny's usual track) and it looked like he was loving every moment. A permanent smile too.
No more tickets booked for this one, so I feel I'll have to watch for a return to go back again. I know this will transfer, but there's something about seeing it in its original home that just can't be replaced.
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Post by luvvie23 on Nov 15, 2022 18:16:40 GMT
Made my second visit yesterday and very much enjoyed this again. The second half came across as tighter (although it probably hasn't changed much). No claps at all during the individual bows and I'm not the person to start these, but they did get lots of applause at the very end. Lucky enough to have caught Danny Collins debut as Steve as well, who did succeed in making me cry (and I could see several others reaching for the tissues). Danny is always excellent and no change here. He was on the whole track, so lots of other roles too. It was also Michael Kent's debut (presin Danny's usual track) and it looked like he was loving every moment. A permanent smile too. No more tickets booked for this one, so I feel I'll have to watch for a return to go back again. I know this will transfer, but there's something about seeing it in its original home that just can't be replaced. I’ve seen the show four times. I enjoyed it last night. But I did miss the 1st cast actor who played Steve. He is so different in all of his roles. But the understudies did a great job. Katie abs Andrew are just incredible. And I’m also obsessed with Amy Booth Steele. |
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Post by intoanewlife on Nov 15, 2022 18:46:19 GMT
I watched this last night and thought it was really good for anyone who wants to look a bit deeper into what happened AFTER the Bakers reign ended.
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Post by theatrekiwi on Nov 15, 2022 23:27:54 GMT
Saw this tonight and it very much lived up to my expectations. No claps at all during the individual bows and I'm not the person to start these, but they did get lots of applause at the very end. Tonight there didn't appear to be any individual bows during the final number, just some dances but more in small groups rather than individual? Either way, there wasn't any clapping during this until the very end. |
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Post by alece10 on Nov 16, 2022 9:19:48 GMT
I think we have all expressed the same opinion about the last number/bows.
As we are the experts on all things musical theatre can't someone tell Mr Gould or the producers to read our forum so that they can make the necessary changes?
We know what we are talking about 😀
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Post by kathryn on Nov 16, 2022 9:38:59 GMT
I’m sure it’ll be fixed for the West End run.
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Post by andypandy on Nov 16, 2022 9:40:08 GMT
I think we have all expressed the same opinion about the last number/bows. As we are the experts on all things musical theatre can't someone tell Mr Gould or the producers to read our forum so that they can make the necessary changes? We know what we are talking about 😀 The whole industry reads this forum - from producers casting directors to agents. It’s free feedback that would cost thousands normally |
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Post by alece10 on Nov 16, 2022 9:54:06 GMT
I think we have all expressed the same opinion about the last number/bows. As we are the experts on all things musical theatre can't someone tell Mr Gould or the producers to read our forum so that they can make the necessary changes? We know what we are talking about 😀 The whole industry reads this forum - from producers casting directors to agents. It’s free feedback that would cost thousands normally Maybe we should charge consultancy fees 🤔 |
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Post by Rory on Nov 16, 2022 10:35:05 GMT
I think we have all expressed the same opinion about the last number/bows. As we are the experts on all things musical theatre can't someone tell Mr Gould or the producers to read our forum so that they can make the necessary changes? We know what we are talking about 😀 The whole industry reads this forum - from producers casting directors to agents. It’s free feedback that would cost thousands normally Do they? |
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Nov 16, 2022 10:55:02 GMT
The whole industry reads this forum - from producers casting directors to agents. It’s free feedback that would cost thousands normally Do they? No. But some (many?) do. Maybe business people do, I don’t know. Creatives are more likely to avoid reading stuff online. They’ve had the feedback about the bows directly. This forum isn’t the only place pointing that out. |
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Post by kathryn on Nov 16, 2022 11:05:36 GMT
Well of course, the cast have surely noticed that the bows don’t quite work as intended on some nights…they don’t need forum comments to spot that!
😁
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 16, 2022 11:34:19 GMT
The bows being shoe horned into the last song are an absolute mess. They need to just do the number and then the bows after.
I’m sure that it must have been a member of the creative team that started the applause during that number, because I’m sure absolutely no one would have realised it was the curtain call until they did.
The number itself I loved personally.
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Post by oedipus on Nov 16, 2022 12:20:42 GMT
TAMMY FAYE was good but not (yet) great. There are definitely catchy tunes -- Elton John can write gospel! -- and some compelling performances (though with some pretty spotty Southern accents). The problem, alas, is that the musical is focused on the wrong character. Tammy Faye was theatrical as a person, but not as a plot-generator: she doesn't actually *do* much except entertain. She's mostly just the casualty of Jim's vices, which are far more interesting to ponder, especially given the cult of TV-personalities in the United States. (As an American, I thought the strength of the evening was its focus on the very idea of an Electric Church, and Americans’ peculiar attraction to popularizing mass media, including talk radio and televangelism. Ultimately, that even goes back to grifters like John R. Brinkley and his Texas radio station in the 1930s, and forward to Trump, which the musical makes abundantly clear.) So the second act is especially challenging: as problems mount in the church, Tammy Faye is a sadder and sadder person, which is pathetic, but not gripping. I wanted to know more about Jim and his infidelities and thefts. As intoanewlife noted, TF is largely confined to watching everybody *else* behaving badly: she’s like a Greek chorus in her own show. I’m not quite sure what the solution is. The promise of Tammy Faye (live!) is a stronger hook for drawing in audiences than Jim; but Jim makes for more involving theater, and I wanted to see more of him and less of Tammy. (Spoiler alert: Even though I thought the second act was weaker in general, I thought the best *sequence* was in the second act, when the Bakkers’ appeals for yet more money finally provokes outrage in their followers. The whiplash between the homey faux-domesticity of the studio and the diabolical stampede of the mob was kinda great.)
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Post by alece10 on Nov 16, 2022 12:58:22 GMT
I don't think "Jim Bakker The Musical" works.
This is a good old gay camp musical and we want to see a larger than life character, eyeliner and all, and that's why it works for me.
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Post by kathryn on Nov 16, 2022 13:48:13 GMT
The problem, alas, is that the musical is focused on the wrong character. Tammy Faye was theatrical as a person, but not as a plot-generator: she doesn't actually *do* much except entertain. She's mostly just the casualty of Jim's vices, which are far more interesting to ponder, especially given the cult of TV-personalities in the United States. (As an American, I thought the strength of the evening was its focus on the very idea of an Electric Church, and Americans’ peculiar attraction to popularizing mass media, including talk radio and televangelism. Ultimately, that even goes back to grifters like John R. Brinkley and his Texas radio station in the 1930s, and forward to Trump, which the musical makes abundantly clear.) Tammy is the musical’s antagonist if you view it not through the lens of plot but of theme. The theme is what does it mean to be Christian? And how can Christianity best connect to a modern audience and spread its message? Should you judge others by a moral code (that you yourself don’t have to live up to)? Is ‘salvation’ an exclusive state that only a few will ever achieve? Is it really Christian to grab political power to impose that moral code on others? Or is being Christian about being kind and loving to people, even when they are flawed? Is it about practising forgiveness? |
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Post by andrew on Nov 16, 2022 14:02:42 GMT
I haven't got anything to say that hasn't been said, but I've voted for 4 stars above. I wanted to love it more than I actually did, Katie Brayben was exceptional, there just wasn't enough quality on the music/lyrics end for me to come out feeling like I'd seen something really special. The slightly oddly structured plot and treatment of the subject matter are secondary considerations for me, I can get on board with that, but despite being funny and well-produced with a terrific cast I just feel a lack of standout quality songs stops this from being a great show. We (and I was helping to create it) did clap when individuals were dancing during the last song, but it was muted and stupid. Don't wait for a West End transfer, sort that out now.
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Post by Jon on Nov 16, 2022 14:12:06 GMT
I don't think "Jim Bakker The Musical" works. This is a good old gay camp musical and we want to see a larger than life character, eyeliner and all, and that's why it works for me. Jim for all intent and purposes isn't really that interesting compared to Tammy and TBH I think the audiences would be a bit bored if they focus on the male players like him and Falwell. What I find interesting about the real Tammy Faye is that she still wanted to preach Christianity even though her own mother wasn't allowed to even sing or play the piano because she was a divorced woman. The men in the show and indeed in real life were hypocrites, preaching and swindling money while having affairs. |
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Post by jaqs on Nov 16, 2022 14:30:20 GMT
Had to return my tickets for Saturday earlier, so will have to wait for the transfer now.
Have enjoyed reading everyone’s comments.
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Post by intoanewlife on Nov 16, 2022 14:44:40 GMT
The whole thing wouldn't have taken off the way it did without Tammy's presence.
She was clearly the driving force behind the movements initial and sustained success as none of the others were breaking through to the general public in the way she did.
So there is no story without her and it is obvious she should be the figurehead for the show.
The problem is it's a much bigger story than just Tammy's and unfortunately that leaves her as a side character once things start to go wrong as she really didn't do anything wrong as such.
I think cutting their 'replacements' should be the first thing to go, as they really just add to Tammy being missing for a large portion of Act 2 and it would simplify and shorten the 2nd Act.
They are not that important to the overall story other than to show how vile they are and I think everyone else covers vile pretty well as it is.
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Post by intoanewlife on Nov 16, 2022 14:48:47 GMT
The bows being shoe horned into the last song are an absolute mess. They need to just do the number and then the bows after. I’m sure that it must have been a member of the creative team that started the applause during that number, because I’m sure absolutely no one would have realised it was the curtain call until they did. The number itself I loved personally. I think doing the bows first and then doing the last song as an encore would work much better as the audience would already be on their feet or at the very least hyped up after the bows and give the chance for the last number to really shine and have everyone leave the theatre on a high. The problem is (to me) that most musicals end with a big number and a very destictive 'end', so people know the show is over. This ends with a rather limp and badly directed dialogue scene. They need to split the scene in 2 and build up Tammy's 'exit' better so people know the show is clearly over. |
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Post by max on Nov 16, 2022 18:12:49 GMT
It was clear to me, quite quickly, that the final dances were in fact the bows - but as we were clapping along vigorously to the beat I didn't bother to try and start the cross-clap applause for each set of characters who danced forward. All they needed to do was ....bow! It's not difficult to fix. If the first set of characters do, then the audience will get it. Then you get that nice mix of clapalong and applause.
Agree that, for a musical, the bright light than blackout on a Tammy dialogue moment is rather underdone. Perhaps they like it that way but it could be more.
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