421 posts
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Post by carmella1 on Jun 1, 2021 6:12:07 GMT
Especially his BHH. I say sarcastically. Worst rendition ever.
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19,659 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 1, 2021 6:28:10 GMT
I think Jason Manford is fancying himself as the new Alfie Boe. I saw him on some quiz thingy he was presenting last week and it looked like he’d walked straight out of a beauty salon. The hair was swept back and coiffed, the teeth were sparkling... I had to look twice!
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jun 1, 2021 7:43:10 GMT
Danb I didn't mind the other set of lyrics (Now That I've Seen Her) if they were trying to change the feeling. But the melody is gorgeous and I'm so sad it's gone.
Summer Holiday is a really good, light musical and some people are only snobby about it because Cliff Richard was in the film.
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Post by danb on Jun 1, 2021 9:06:30 GMT
I remember really enjoying ‘Summer Holiday’ in Blackpool many moons ago. This could be a real winner with some good production values and a committed cast.
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5,139 posts
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Post by Being Alive on Jun 1, 2021 11:37:53 GMT
I loved Hamilton Fun Home was better than Hamilton Aladdin deserved an Olivier nod for best musical #sorrynotsorry Can we stop pretending Australian Theatre is any good Lucy Durack is the worst actress ever Michael Mayer is one of the best directors ever I refused to watch Kinky Boots when it won the Tony Mary Poppins was actually a good musical Wicked is sh*t I have so many thoughts on all of this 😂😂 Mainly, Aladdin is one showstopper (Friend Like Me) padded out to 2hr 30! |
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Post by stagebyte on Jun 1, 2021 21:39:24 GMT
Martin Guerre is underrated.
LND glorious glorious music to the extent where I can forgive the plot.
Miss CHF - belter of a voice but only two facial expressions.
All kids RP accents in Matilda should be replaced with regional accents. It sounds soooooo forced.
Can we retire Joseph and Mamma Mia now??
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Post by FairyGodmother on Jun 1, 2021 23:15:54 GMT
Interesting... I think Matildas sound London, not RP. I think they have London Ls going on — "A littuw bit naughty" "nothing wiw change".
It's impressive (and slightly scary) how similar they get them all to sound.
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Post by stagebyte on Jun 2, 2021 0:31:24 GMT
Interesting... I think Matildas sound London, not RP. I think they have London Ls going on — "A littuw bit naughty" "nothing wiw change". It's impressive (and slightly scary) how similar they get them all to sound. Whatever it is, it’s over pronounced and a ‘little bit annoying’ |
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1,210 posts
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Post by musicalmarge on Jun 3, 2021 8:21:37 GMT
I’ve seen better amateurs than Sheridan Smith and Amanda Holden.
Hamilton is generally not a great show. It was the hype and subject matter in America that made it a hit (and his previous shows).
Love Never Dies Australia (characters aside) is a gorgeous show.
Carrie, Dogfight Big Fish and Eugenius are better than most West End shows.
It’s a travesty that we haven’t had a Frank Wildhorn show on the West End, Scaet Pimpernel on Broadway was sensational.
Hello Dolly is a weird show with dated material.
Grease is misogynistic. Why should Sandy conform?
Les Mis and My Fair Lady are painfully long. No one wants a first act more than 1 hour 15.
Waitress is dull with 3 decent songs.
Six is too short and needs 3 extra songs now it’s more of a success.
Kinky Boots is a average show with 3 songs and doesn’t end properly.
Harry Potter the play could have been done in one part.
Wicked in the UK with the English accents adds class to the story and makes glinda a toff and it doesn’t work. “Darrrncing through life?” It’s PAINFUL. Terrible decision. It totally ruins the show in comparison to Broadway.
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Post by danb on Jun 3, 2021 8:34:21 GMT
I’ve seen better amateurs than Sheridan Smith and Amanda Holden. Hamilton is generally not a great show. It was the hype and subject matter in America that made it a hit (and his previous shows). Love Never Dies Australia (characters aside) is a gorgeous show. Carrie, Dogfight Big Fish and Eugenius are better than most West End shows. It’s a travesty that we haven’t had a Frank Wildhorn show on the West End, Scaet Pimpernel on Broadway was sensational. Hello Dolly is a weird show with dated material. Grease is misogynistic. Why should Sandy conform? Les Mis and My Fair Lady are painfully long. No one wants a first act more than 1 hour 15. Waitress is dull with 3 decent songs. Six is too short and needs 3 extra songs now it’s more of a success. Kinky Boots is a average show with 3 songs and doesn’t end properly. Harry Potter the play could have been done in one part. Wicked in the UK with the English accents adds class to the story and makes glinda a toff and it doesn’t work. “Darrrncing through life?” It’s PAINFUL. Terrible decision. It totally ruins the show in comparison to Broadway. I would argue that shows that seem painfully dated or misogynistic now are still good museum pieces that show a ‘journey’ of where we were to where we want to get to. Cancelling them is the same as ripping down statues or burning books. ...and act one of ‘Hamilton’ is pretty much flawless. It is the rest that drags. |
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352 posts
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Post by Raven on Jun 3, 2021 8:40:11 GMT
I’ve seen better amateurs than Sheridan Smith and Amanda Holden. Hamilton is generally not a great show. It was the hype and subject matter in America that made it a hit (and his previous shows). Love Never Dies Australia (characters aside) is a gorgeous show. Carrie, Dogfight Big Fish and Eugenius are better than most West End shows. It’s a travesty that we haven’t had a Frank Wildhorn show on the West End, Scaet Pimpernel on Broadway was sensational. Hello Dolly is a weird show with dated material. Grease is misogynistic. Why should Sandy conform? Les Mis and My Fair Lady are painfully long. No one wants a first act more than 1 hour 15. Waitress is dull with 3 decent songs. Six is too short and needs 3 extra songs now it’s more of a success. Kinky Boots is a average show with 3 songs and doesn’t end properly. Harry Potter the play could have been done in one part. Wicked in the UK with the English accents adds class to the story and makes glinda a toff and it doesn’t work. “Darrrncing through life?” It’s PAINFUL. Terrible decision. It totally ruins the show in comparison to Broadway. I would argue that shows that seem painfully dated or misogynistic now are still good museum pieces that show a ‘journey’ of where we were to where we want to get to. Cancelling them is the same as ripping down statues or burning books. ...and act one of ‘Hamilton’ is pretty much flawless. It is the rest that drags.
Totally agree with you about Love Never Dies and Frank Wildhorn!
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4,020 posts
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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 3, 2021 8:54:51 GMT
Grease is misogynistic. Why should Sandy conform? Les Mis and My Fair Lady are painfully long. No one wants a first act more than 1 hour 15. Wicked in the UK with the English accents adds class to the story and makes glinda a toff and it doesn’t work. “Darrrncing through life?” It’s PAINFUL. Terrible decision. It totally ruins the show in comparison to Broadway. I don't consider it misogynistic but I've never liked Sandy changing her style at the end because I think her normal style, with full skirts & pastel colours, is so much prettier than black lycra.
Tell Wagner that! The first act of Gotterdammerung is about 2 hours & there are 2 more acts afterwards!
I have the opposite view on Wicked. Since first seeing it in the West End I haven't liked hearing it with American accents. I can no longer listen to the cast recording because of that. (I also dislike hearing Les Mis or Phantom with American accents.) |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2021 11:56:09 GMT
...and act one of ‘Hamilton’ is pretty much flawless. It is the rest that drags. I disagree a bit with that - Act 1 should end after Yorktown. It ends up becoming an almost anti-climactic moment because a couple of songs come after it. I appreciate that they are there and not where they sit more naturally in Act 2 because of the character doubling, but Act 1 of Hamilton has always felt about 10 minutes too long to me. |
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Post by danb on Jun 3, 2021 12:13:54 GMT
...and act one of ‘Hamilton’ is pretty much flawless. It is the rest that drags. I disagree a bit with that - Act 1 should end after Yorktown. It ends up becoming an almost anti-climactic moment because a couple of songs come after it. I appreciate that they are there and not where they sit more naturally in Act 2 because of the character doubling, but Act 1 of Hamilton has always felt about 10 minutes too long to me. I used to think DYHTPS was the end of act 1 of Les Mis (maybe you had to turn the tape over then?) so was really surprised when it carried on the first time I saw it. ‘Yorktown’ does seem like the perfect act closer. I’d gladly lose George III and the Thenardiers. |
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Post by stagebyte on Jun 3, 2021 13:45:40 GMT
I disagree a bit with that - Act 1 should end after Yorktown. It ends up becoming an almost anti-climactic moment because a couple of songs come after it. I appreciate that they are there and not where they sit more naturally in Act 2 because of the character doubling, but Act 1 of Hamilton has always felt about 10 minutes too long to me. I used to think DYHTPS was the end of act 1 of Les Mis (maybe you had to turn the tape over then?) so was really surprised when it carried on the first time I saw it. ‘Yorktown’ does seem like the perfect act closer. I’d gladly lose George III and the Thenardiers. Totally thought the same about DYHTPS agree Yorktown perfect ending to Act 1 Bin George - he’s just not funny ... |
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Post by westendboy on Jun 4, 2021 19:32:08 GMT
Wicked in the UK with the English accents adds class to the story and makes glinda a toff and it doesn’t work. “Darrrncing through life?” It’s PAINFUL. Terrible decision. It totally ruins the show in comparison to Broadway. I personally prefer Glinda having a British accent, it's closer to how she sounded in 'The Wizard of Oz'. As for the others, I don't mind if they're either British or American, but I can see why people have their preferences. |
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1,210 posts
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Post by musicalmarge on Jun 4, 2021 19:55:45 GMT
Wicked in the UK with the English accents adds class to the story and makes glinda a toff and it doesn’t work. “Darrrncing through life?” It’s PAINFUL. Terrible decision. It totally ruins the show in comparison to Broadway. I personally prefer Glinda having a British accent, it's closer to how she sounded in 'The Wizard of Oz'. As for the others, I don't mind if they're either British or American, but I can see why people have their preferences. But Wicked was written for an American accent, “DANcing through life”, “The WizaRrrd and I”, “Popularrrrrr” etc. With Glinda as a clueless cheerleader type American student it works with the setting and character. The trite staccato English clipped vowels and short consonants (water v waaadddter) changes the sound of the song, length of notes, vocal placing as well as adding class into the whole story. Is glinda upper class? From a wealthy family? Having a generic American Wicked sounds much better, is funnier, connected to the dream of Oz (that is Dorothy’s in Kansas not Cambridge) and most Elpheba’s slide into it when singing the songs anyway - Kerry Ellis and Louise Deadman both did. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2021 0:20:23 GMT
THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A NEW SONG FOR ELLEN IN ‘MISS SAIGON’! ‘Her or Me’ was one of the stand out moments so quite why they felt the need to scrap it and replace it with the inferior ‘Maybe’ is beyond me. This. 1000 times. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2021 0:25:04 GMT
People who say, 'oh i was waiting for that news to drop, so i can talk about it now' never knew in the first place.
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Post by sph on Jun 5, 2021 2:09:20 GMT
I personally prefer Glinda having a British accent, it's closer to how she sounded in 'The Wizard of Oz'. As for the others, I don't mind if they're either British or American, but I can see why people have their preferences. But Wicked was written for an American accent, “DANcing through life”, “The WizaRrrd and I”, “Popularrrrrr” etc. With Glinda as a clueless cheerleader type American student it works with the setting and character. The trite staccato English clipped vowels and short consonants (water v waaadddter) changes the sound of the song, length of notes, vocal placing as well as adding class into the whole story. Is glinda upper class? From a wealthy family? Having a generic American Wicked sounds much better, is funnier, connected to the dream of Oz (that is Dorothy’s in Kansas not Cambridge) and most Elpheba’s slide into it when singing the songs anyway - Kerry Ellis and Louise Deadman both did. Yes! 100%!!! The script is so OBVIOUSLY written for an American accent, right down to the delivery of each line, to the point that it's actually painfully jarring to hear it with British accents. A bit like watching an episode of Friends with British accents, it's just not natural to the characters. The jokes in Wicked land SO MUCH BETTER when done by Americans. That added to the fact that The Wizard of Oz is essentially an American fairytale. (And the Glinda of the original movie most likely had a mid-Atlantic accent, which was common in Hollywood at the time - a sort of "posh American" accent with elements of British.) |
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1,210 posts
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Post by musicalmarge on Jun 5, 2021 9:13:44 GMT
THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A NEW SONG FOR ELLEN IN ‘MISS SAIGON’! ‘Her or Me’ was one of the stand out moments so quite why they felt the need to scrap it and replace it with the inferior ‘Maybe’ is beyond me. This. 1000 times. THIS! 10000000 times. What a stupid decision to cut Her or Me. |
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Post by scarpia on Jun 7, 2021 12:55:20 GMT
I enjoyed my experience of LND (the Australian DVD). Sorry to be so backward! We could spend hours, nay, days picking apart the implausible plot points of many musicals. I find the vitriol directed at this show puzzling. I think a lot of the vitriol was created by overly enthusiastic fans whose complaints came down to "I wanted the story to continue but only if it matched the fan fic I wrote". I don't think it was that, more that - contrary to what ALW thought - lots of people didn't want a sequel to begin with (including Hal Prince, Michael Crawford & Gillian Lynne for starters). It's like trying to write one to Hamlet (not saying that POTO is comparable to Hamlet, but rather that the story is not one that needs a sequel without in some way having its whole point undone). Didn't help that ALW used Ben ****ing Elton to write a horrendously (but predictably) bad plotline that deformed pretty much every character beyond recognition. |
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2,676 posts
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Post by viserys on Jun 7, 2021 13:06:20 GMT
^ this. It was hard enough to swallow that Christine felt attracted to a scary psychopathic murderer in the first place, but the musical found a decent ending by letting her walk away with Raoul and we can put the attraction to the Phantom down to youthful stupidity/curiosity/innocence.
But to have her return to him, to suddenly have a kid turn out of the blue... that's just impossible to swallow.
Some stories just have a perfect ending that needs to be left alone. Others leave you thinking "what might happen later?" or where you just enjoy the characters so much you want to spend more time with them. Take the "Back to the Future" movies, the first one had a decent ending (leaving the utter lack of logic aside) and could have been left at that. But why not explore more time travelling adventures? Same with Indiana Jones or Pirates of the Caribbean or... well, you get the idea. Phantom is NOT one of these stories where anyone wanted to find out what happened later. Just as we wouldn't need some sort of sequel to Miss Saigon where adult Tam goes back to Vietnam to seek his mother's family and gets into an identity crisis when he hears how the Americans including his father carpet-bombed his home country with Napalm.
To add insult to injury, ALW wrote a gorgeous score for Love Never Dies and the Coney Island setting was wonderful too. Both were wasted on this dumb story, while they could have been used for something fresh and original and become a massive hit.
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Post by danb on Jun 7, 2021 16:18:27 GMT
Perhaps it will get re-re-revisited in a few years so he can protest that NO THIS is the best thing he has ever done, no really it is, this one, not the other ones.
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1,470 posts
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Post by mkb on Jun 8, 2021 11:00:36 GMT
Hamilton is generally not a great show. No, it's far worse than that! (I realise I'm probably the only person in the whole world to think so.) |
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