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Post by vickyg on Jun 3, 2020 8:31:15 GMT
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is not a very good show, mainly due to the spectacularly unmemorable songs I have only seen Jamie once, but used to listen obsessively to most of the cast recording, so I do like the songs. Where it really lets itself down is the end of the first half, I was expecting so much more and I went into the interview thinking the show was cheap. The second half rescued it for me, but first half is definitely weak. They have also never had a Jamie with a voice that anywhere near stands up to the West End. Josie Walker was the most talented cast member by some distance. |
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Post by ABr on Jun 3, 2020 8:57:17 GMT
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is not a very good show, mainly due to the spectacularly unmemorable songs I have only seen Jamie once, but used to listen obsessively to most of the cast recording, so I do like the songs. Where it really lets itself down is the end of the first half, I was expecting so much more and I went into the interview thinking the show was cheap. The second half rescued it for me, but first half is definitely weak. I completely agree with you on this one! I saw the show during its Sheffield run, and we said that the close of Act 1 was one of the weakest parts of the show, just didn't have the impact that it should have! So when it was transferring I was hoping that that some changes would be made to improve it, but sadly not! |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jun 3, 2020 9:47:34 GMT
Chess reminds that I'm adding the Grade Linnet ENO productions to my room 101
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Post by theatregeek on Jun 3, 2020 10:46:02 GMT
Hamilton was such a snooze-fest after the first half hour and Everybody's Talking About Jamie managed to get hyped up somehow but so disappointing.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Jun 3, 2020 11:00:46 GMT
I have only seen Jamie once, but used to listen obsessively to most of the cast recording, so I do like the songs. Where it really lets itself down is the end of the first half, I was expecting so much more and I went into the interview thinking the show was cheap. The second half rescued it for me, but first half is definitely weak. I completely agree with you on this one! I saw the show during its Sheffield run, and we said that the close of Act 1 was one of the weakest parts of the show, just didn't have the impact that it should have! So when it was transferring I was hoping that that some changes would be made to improve it, but sadly not! How would they manage to get the actor into full glam drag for a big reveal though in that short time? That's why it's only a projection/video, because the logistics don't work out. Though i suppose you could then say well then it should be written in a way that he's off stage for 10 minutes or something then. |
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Post by ABr on Jun 3, 2020 11:23:16 GMT
I completely agree with you on this one! I saw the show during its Sheffield run, and we said that the close of Act 1 was one of the weakest parts of the show, just didn't have the impact that it should have! So when it was transferring I was hoping that that some changes would be made to improve it, but sadly not! How would they manage to get the actor into full glam drag for a big reveal though in that short time? That's why it's only a projection/video, because the logistics don't work out. Though i suppose you could then say well then it should be written in a way that he's off stage for 10 minutes or something then. I was thinking more then anything that the song is poor, it conveys the right meaning for the moment, but musically its not the best. The projection wasn't there at Sheffield, so the addition to that for the London run was very welcome. Its just such a big moment for Jamie and for the story they are telling, and for me I think it slightly misses the mark. To be honest in the right hands, drag make up can be done quickly, but then it is a lot of effort for a finale moment, then the interval, so there has got to be some compromises! |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2020 13:49:43 GMT
Rodgers and Hammerstein are a total bore.
Carrie Hope-Fletcher is vastly overrated. Yes she can sing but some acting skills would help. Her Fantine in the staged concert is completely blank and lifeless.
Patti LuPone has become a caricature of herself.
No one cares if the 3rd cover midwife is on that day.
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Post by the_f_g_p on Jun 3, 2020 16:28:49 GMT
I've been reading this thread for a few days now and I had to laugh heartily a few times. Thanks a lot for this!!!
But why doesn't anyone think of the most annoying and untalented singer on the musical stages: Kristin Chenoweth?!?
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Post by distantcousin on Jun 3, 2020 17:03:58 GMT
I thought Rosalind Russell was great as Mama Rose. I don’t care that she didn’t sing all of it. I think it was better for it 😱. Barbra Streisand should never have been cast in Hello Dolly and she was terrible in it.😖 Kinky Boots should never have been made into a musical. 🤫 Michael Crawford had a lucky break in POTO, and his performance wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny today.😷 Book Of Mormon would not make it past the workshop stage today. And even if it did, no producer would touch it. 👹 Sarah Harding wasnt as bad as people said in Ghost. 👻 Over to you...
good taste. I agree with all of these!
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Post by distantcousin on Jun 3, 2020 17:05:54 GMT
Hamilton and Book of Mormon both massively overrated. Rent Remixed was actually ok 100%!!!!!!! |
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Post by distantcousin on Jun 3, 2020 17:11:27 GMT
Bernadette Peters has the acting range of a three-speed blender, and the blender might be a better singer. I LOVE her, but never seen her live in anything, but that's still funny! |
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Post by distantcousin on Jun 3, 2020 17:12:39 GMT
Hardly new ones from me, but, since you did ask. Glenn in Sunset. No amount of acting can compensate for such a mediocre singing voice. Hamilton whilst no doubt clever and fresh is insanely overrated. She Used To Be Mine aside, the scores of Waitress, Come from Away and Dear Evan Hansen are a total yawn fest. Rent Remixed was not that bad and DVO marching on in the very last second of Act 1 was iconic.
YESSS! Especially your last choice - that end of Act I cliffhanger was BRILLIANT!
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Post by lynette on Jun 3, 2020 18:36:41 GMT
Hamilton’s first ten minutes is one of the best first ten minutes of a show. Then it becomes a traditional American musical. None the worse for that but it is that.
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Post by daisy24601 on Jun 3, 2020 19:01:06 GMT
I like the Les Miserables movie.
Dr Dillamond is alright.
Original cast is not necessarily best.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 3, 2020 19:02:36 GMT
I like the Les Miserables movie. Dr Dillamond is alright.
Original cast is not necessarily best. I’ve always said he’s not that bad. baaaaaaaaaaad. 🐑 🤭 |
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Post by sf on Jun 3, 2020 19:10:14 GMT
Bernadette Peters has the acting range of a three-speed blender, and the blender might be a better singer. I LOVE her, but never seen her live in anything, but that's still funny! The Goodbye Girl was the first show I saw on Broadway. I can understand why it might not have been a very happy experience for her - the bookwriter and lyricist hated each other, the show changed directors during the out-of-town tryout run, and her co-star, Martin Short, who had never done a musical on Broadway before, walked away with the (otherwise dismal) reviews. But still, there are ways of dealing with difficult or disappointing experiences gracefully. The night I saw the show, Ms. Peters made it abundantly clear that she did not want to be there. She sleepwalked through the performance, she didn't make eye-contact with anybody else, she mumbled her lines, and her singing voice was fried. It's still probably the single most unprofessional, contemptuous display I have ever seen from a professional actor, and it was 27 years ago. The woman has absolutely no respect for her audiences. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2020 19:38:18 GMT
I LOVE her, but never seen her live in anything, but that's still funny! The Goodbye Girl was the first show I saw on Broadway. I can understand why it might not have been a very happy experience for her - the bookwriter and lyricist hated each other, the show changed directors during the out-of-town tryout run, and her co-star, Martin Short, who had never done a musical on Broadway before, walked away with the (otherwise dismal) reviews. But still, there are ways of dealing with difficult or disappointing experiences gracefully. The night I saw the show, Ms. Peters made it abundantly clear that she did not want to be there. She sleepwalked through the performance, she didn't make eye-contact with anybody else, she mumbled her lines, and her singing voice was fried. It's still probably the single most unprofessional, contemptuous display I have ever seen from a professional actor, and it was 27 years ago. The woman has absolutely no respect for her audiences. The Show itself didnt help, im sure. It's a snoozefest abd dont think anyone can make that material work. I saw the London production and can barely remember a thing about it, apart from the leads, and Ann Crumb and Gary Wilmott are no Bernadette Peters and Martin Short. |
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Post by sb on Jun 3, 2020 22:01:59 GMT
I really don’t get the Rachel Tucker hype ... I just don’t understand it.
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Post by impossibleprincess73 on Jun 3, 2020 23:49:21 GMT
Bernadette Peters has the acting range of a three-speed blender, and the blender might be a better singer. I LOVE her, but never seen her live in anything, but that's still funny! I saw her in Follies and A Bed and a Chair on Broadway and thought she was stunning in both - but sf's opinion still made me laugh too. The best thing about this thread is that it's making me feel better about not loving Hamilton. It was like The Lion King in that the first 10 mins are the best thing about the show then it's all downhill from there. I have never understood the love for Kerry Ellis or Kristin Chenoweth. I am desperate for Next to Normal to come to London - firstly because I love it, and secondly because I can't wait to see the bloodbath that will ensue when the West End leading ladies start fighting for the role of Diana. Talking of Diana, Marin Mazzie was better in the role than Alice Ripley. |
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Post by tsxmitw on Jun 4, 2020 4:05:43 GMT
As with a poster above, I’m not feeling the hype for Rachel Tucker these days though I appreciate lots of people love her and she’s clearly got an incredible work ethic. Sadly I personally can’t stand her corny American accent which is very amateur theatre to my ears. Her vocals sounds flat and strained to me, particularly in recent years, and I’ve often felt she’s not really in control of those big belting moments. I’ve definitely winced at some real duff notes more times than I haven’t with Rachel. Also a bit too much showboating for me, but there’s lots of performers guilty of that... sorry!
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Post by squidward on Jun 4, 2020 12:09:07 GMT
I LOVE her, but never seen her live in anything, but that's still funny! I saw her in Follies and A Bed and a Chair on Broadway and thought she was stunning in both - but sf's opinion still made me laugh too. The best thing about this thread is that it's making me feel better about not loving Hamilton. It was like The Lion King in that the first 10 mins are the best thing about the show then it's all downhill from there. I have never understood the love for Kerry Ellis or Kristin Chenoweth. I am desperate for Next to Normal to come to London - firstly because I love it, and secondly because I can't wait to see the bloodbath that will ensue when the West End leading ladies start fighting for the role of Diana. Talking of Diana, Marin Mazzie was better in the role than Alice Ripley. |
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Post by squidward on Jun 4, 2020 12:37:09 GMT
Interesting that you say that about Marin Mazzie (RIP).
I saw her play Diana on Broadway and from clips I’ve seen of Alice Ripley, I much prefer MM’s more understated and utterly heartbreaking performance.
I absolutely loved the show and it’s one I’ll never forget ( particularly as some of the subject matter was very close to home for me).
I wonder why the license has so far been withheld for a UK production given it’s been produced in a lot of other countries ? It’s hard to imagine who would be the right casting for Diana over here. My nightmare casting would be Jenna Russell, Hannah Waddingham or any of the Menier Choc Factory repertory company. And God forbid Trevor Nunn getting his hands on it too 😱.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2020 12:52:58 GMT
I wonder why the license has so far been withheld for a UK production given it’s been produced in a lot of other countries ? It’s hard to imagine who would be the right casting for Diana over here. Linzi Hateley |
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Post by squidward on Jun 4, 2020 13:08:39 GMT
Some further thoughts for this thread:
Groundhog Day was a shocker. Goodness knows why the British critics were fawning all over it ( maybe playing it safe because it came from the same team as Matilda)?. The amped-up sleaze factor did a terrible disservice to the film, not helped by Andy Karl’s utterly charmless performance. The score was very poor and the book was worse. The reception it got on Broadway was spot- on.
With so many great musical comedy performers in this country, what was the casting director for Waitress thinking when he/she put Jack McBrayer ( is he that big an audience pull in the UK?) and then some You Tube vlogger in the part of Ogie? It’s an iffy role in the first place, but that casting made it ten times worse.
Cassidy Janson would have knocked the role of Jenna in Waitress out of the park.
The Light in the Piazza was an outstanding piece of theatre at The Lincoln Centre. The production at the RFH was a travesty. It’s hard to think of any aspect of it that did the show justice and the RFH really isn’t the auditorium for staging musicals in the first place.
Are we ever going to see Adam Guettel’s musical ‘Millions’ come to fruition? I heard some songs from the show when Guettel did a solo show at The Hippodrome some years ago and they were wonderful. I wonder if he’s abandoned it at this point?
How many more chances are Stiles & Drew’s going to get before somebody realises that ‘Just So’ was as good as it gets? I mean ‘Soho Cinders’, ‘Wind in the Willows’, Betty Blue Eyes’? I rest my case.
Jason Robert Brown. Parade, yes. Everything else, NO. There should be a ban on any more revivals of The Last Five Years for at least the next five years, although I guess it would be the perfect show for social distancing purposes.
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Post by 141920grm on Jun 4, 2020 14:30:41 GMT
No one cares if the 3rd cover midwife is on that day. that got a hearty laugh out of me, personally i love seeing 3rd covers- fun to see familiar faces do an unfamiliar track just as brilliantly as their normal roles also having multiple covers on probably means a split track/cut show, which means bonus stage manager appreciation time! |
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