My Fair Lady - London Coliseum / UK & Ireland Tour

[Being Alive]

Possible she's had covid and it's wiped her out...

[Deleted]

Has anyone heard anything about the tour cast? It doesn't seem to be selling strongly so fat so assume they'll want to get some names in

[theoracle]

It’s been a week since I saw this and I do agree that it does sound quieter than expected - a similar issue to Wicked? It’s a pity that we don’t get a soaring crescendo anywhere and I also think it’s a pity not to have the full overture - especially when we saw Alex Parker create a show solely dedicated to overtures last year. I think the set also seems oddly small for the coliseum stage even though there is clear potential for it to really fill the auditorium. It’s not noticeable after a while but when we first see Higgins’ study, an eyebrow is raised.

That being said, the costumes are going to win Zuber another Olivier next year - absolutely exquisite designs which really pop out at you. Of course Amara Okereke was brilliant as expected and it was great to see her soar in this role. I don’t know if the racial casting really added anything to the show but I never questioned whether Eliza could be black or whether this would be right for Amara who is clearly a star. Henry Haddon-Paton is also fantastic as Higgins and we’re treated to some tender and comedic moments from the duo. I also didn’t get to see Vanessa Redgrave but I did get to see Tom Liggins as Freddie who I thought was excellent. Another recent grad it seems who oozes with charisma and possesses a real spirited voice.

I was surprised to see so many pockets of empty seats across the stalls especially when London was supposed to be extra busy with the jubilee weekend. After waiting a few years for the show to finally land in London though, I overall left the Coliseum feeling very moved and very glad I got to see the show, despite some flaws. It’s a 9/10 from me.

[stitcher]

Jun 9, 2022 22:57:57 GMT theoracle said:

It’s been a week since I saw this and I do agree that it does sound quieter than expected - a similar issue to Wicked? It’s a pity that we don’t get a soaring crescendo anywhere and I also think it’s a pity not to have the full overture - especially when we saw Alex Parker create a show solely dedicated to overtures last year. I think the set also seems oddly small for the coliseum stage even though there is clear potential for it to really fill the auditorium. It’s not noticeable after a while but when we first see Higgins’ study, an eyebrow is raised.

That being said, the costumes are going to win Zuber another Olivier next year - absolutely exquisite designs which really pop out at you. Of course Amara Okereke was brilliant as expected and it was great to see her soar in this role. I don’t know if the racial casting really added anything to the show but I never questioned whether Eliza could be black or whether this would be right for Amara who is clearly a star. Henry Haddon-Paton is also fantastic as Higgins and we’re treated to some tender and comedic moments from the duo. I also didn’t get to see Vanessa Redgrave but I did get to see Tom Liggins as Freddie who I thought was excellent. Another recent grad it seems who oozes with charisma and possesses a real spirited voice.

I was surprised to see so many pockets of empty seats across the stalls especially when London was supposed to be extra busy with the jubilee weekend. After waiting a few years for the show to finally land in London though, I overall left the Coliseum feeling very moved and very glad I got to see the show, despite some flaws. It’s a 9/10 from me.

One thing I've noticed about the Coliseum in the past is that the sound in the stalls always seems quite dead, but is much better in the levels above. Does it sound quiet in all seats?

[mattnyc]

I didn’t have any sound issues from the Dress Circle

[inthenose]

Not a patch on the outstanding Cameron Mackintosh production from 2001.

Harry Hadden-Paton was quite good. But looking back, was he better than Jonathan Pryce, Alex Jennings or Anthony Andrews? I am really not sure.

I think my issues with the casting are largely because Amara Okereke and Hadden-Paton did so little for me in making me care about their relationship. She was good enough. Often leaning towards overacting as a cockney - but not annoyingly so. Her voice was nothing special - as I found in Les Mis - but more than good enough for this.

It was all just "fine". Mostly.

Stephen K. Amos was okay. Struggled with the steps (mouthing each count - anyone else notice this?) - but miles better than I'd heard from friends.

Freddie, played by Sharif Afifi, was sadly out of his depth. His singing was passable, barely, but croaky - everything else was just wrong.

Have to agree with previous commenters, the set does look terribly small in the context of the theatre/stage. On the plus side, it looks full of people; it is cast in appropriate numbers in terms of the size of the company, with an ensemble who are solid throughout.

Nothing screams "great" about this. If I hadn't seen a much superior version, I might be more ready to rave.

The biggest let down wasn't the mediocre cast, it was the averageness of the whole experience. I wanted to properly enjoy the huge orchestra, I wanted to be swarmed by beautiful sets and give in to the beauty of the evening.

The sound mixing is extremely quiet. Bring your ear horns.

I came away cold, not because it was bad - it was fine - but because it was so incredibly average.

[A.Ham]

Any word on Vanessa? She must have been out for over a fortnight now?

[SuttonPeron]

I went to see this earlier this week, with very high expectations. I loved Amara and Harry, they really brought threedimensionality to the characters and had the right amount of chemistry. (Second cover) Annie Wensack was sensational as Miss Higgins, and so was Maureen Beattie as Mrs Pearce. I didn´t find anything special in Stephen K Amos and Sharif Afifi, but they were decent enough. The ensemble was a huge standout.

However, as so many others have pointed out, there are some serious sound issues that need to be fixed. I was sat in front Upper Circle and all I could hear was the trumpets, trombones and percussion, which made many parts of the score lose their magic. Like I said before, if you cannot use the venue´s natural accoustics you need to find a way to amplify the whole pit, not just one section. I could only hear the harp once or twice in the whole first act. It got much better when I moved to front left stalls for Act 2, and could clearly hear the string section... because I was close to them. Everyone, regardless of where they´re sat, should be able to hear all of the 35 musicians. Especially when the strings are key in this original orchestration.

It´s an 8 from me. The production values of this show are huge, but they could have gone the extra mile to make sure all of them shined as bright as possible.

[juicy_but_terribly_drab]

Jun 10, 2022 10:23:57 GMT SuttonPeron said:

I went to see this earlier this week, with very high expectations. I loved Amara and Harry, they really brought threedimensionality to the characters and had the right amount of chemistry. (Second cover) Annie Wensack was sensational as Miss Higgins, and so was Maureen Beattie as Mrs Pearce. I didn´t find anything special in Stephen K Amos and Sharif Afifi, but they were decent enough. The ensemble was a huge standout.

However, as so many others have pointed out, there are some serious sound issues that need to be fixed. I was sat in front Upper Circle and all I could hear was the trumpets, trombones and percussion, which made many parts of the score lose their magic. Like I said before, if you cannot use the venue´s natural accoustics you need to find a way to amplify the whole pit, not just one section. I could only hear the harp once or twice in the whole first act. It got much better when I moved to front left stalls for Act 2, and could clearly hear the string section... because I was close to them. Everyone, regardless of where they´re sat, should be able to hear all of the 35 musicians. Especially when the strings are key in this original orchestration.

It´s an 8 from me. The production values of this show are huge, but they could have gone the extra mile to make sure all of them shined as bright as possible.

Pretty much identical to my thoughts when I saw it yesterday, except I managed to get front a left stalls rush ticket so the orchestra sounded great to me from the start. My only issue with sound was the voices not being amplified enough so occasionally when the orchestra swelled the vocals got muddy and hard to hear. I also thought maybe the voice amplification improved as it went but maybe that was just my ears adjusting.

[beebeecee]

Hi, new to the board! I saw this last night and sat in the upper circle row B, just off the left-hand aisle as you look to the stage—admittedly through TodayTix's rush. I concur with everything else that has been said: Amara and Harry were stand outs (she seemed a little uncomfortable, perhaps, with some of the higher notes in 'I Could Have Danced All Night', but sounded great!), and as a production the show is incredible. I consider myself to have pretty good hearing, being fairly young and all, but there were entire patches of dialogue I missed, and 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly' sounded muddied to the point where I couldn't actually hear what Amara was singing. I've been encouraged to email in by someone who works there (not in the technical departments), and will be doing so — apparently they have had several complaints already. I don't want to 'complain', per-se, but I just feel as if people paying £80+ for those upper circle seats who may not think to complain should have someone raise it on their behalf. It's disappointing this is obviously a known issue and yet nothing seems to have been done to correct it.

The sound really dampened the whole experience, as the show itself is a mighty spectacle and, frankly, deserves much better than these technical issues. If they brought the prices down — house was less than half-full on a Friday night — I'd definitely go back and sit in the stalls where the sound is hopefully far better.

[marob]

I saw this tonight after getting a rush ticket from Todaytix in the Dress Circle. Stalls looked well-sold but the Dress Circle was barely half full, which was quite surprising for a Saturday night. FWIW from where I was sitting I thought the sound was spot on.

Never seen MFL before, so it was nice to see those familiar songs in their proper context, but as stated above while this is pretty good it’s not great. I think it’s notable that there was no standing ovation at the end.

[mattnyc]

Any news on Vanessa?

[mattnyc]

Anyone know about Redgrave?

[mrbarnaby]

VANESSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAA

She’s probably left the show on the quiet.

[SuttonPeron]

Jun 11, 2022 19:27:14 GMT beebeecee said:

Hi, new to the board! I saw this last night and sat in the upper circle row B, just off the left-hand aisle as you look to the stage—admittedly through TodayTix's rush. I concur with everything else that has been said: Amara and Harry were stand outs (she seemed a little uncomfortable, perhaps, with some of the higher notes in 'I Could Have Danced All Night', but sounded great!), and as a production the show is incredible. I consider myself to have pretty good hearing, being fairly young and all, but there were entire patches of dialogue I missed, and 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly' sounded muddied to the point where I couldn't actually hear what Amara was singing. I've been encouraged to email in by someone who works there (not in the technical departments), and will be doing so — apparently they have had several complaints already. I don't want to 'complain', per-se, but I just feel as if people paying £80+ for those upper circle seats who may not think to complain should have someone raise it on their behalf. It's disappointing this is obviously a known issue and yet nothing seems to have been done to correct it.

The sound really dampened the whole experience, as the show itself is a mighty spectacle and, frankly, deserves much better than these technical issues. If they brought the prices down — house was less than half-full on a Friday night — I'd definitely go back and sit in the stalls where the sound is hopefully far better.

I emailed quite a long detailed explanation of the sound issues I had to the Coliseum costumer service, and briefely mentioned how upset I was with the overture being shortened. I got a reply today, and all they said was "Thank you for taking the time to write following your recent visit to the London Coliseum. I am sorry to hear that you were disappointed by the arrangement of the My Fair Lady overture." It seemed like a copy-paste from another email, since there was no mention of the sound issues. This revival could be 5 stars with a good sound, yet they´re choosing to not correct it.

[mattnyc]

For anyone interested, I contacted the box office and they said Vanessa is still out, however she has not left the production.

[A.Ham]

Jun 17, 2022 16:49:41 GMT mattnyc said:

For anyone interested, I contacted the box office and they said Vanessa is still out, however she has not left the production.

Thanks for the update. That’s an awful long time to be off now isn’t it 😟

[mattnyc]

It is. I think we’re coming up to a month she’s been out.

[Mark]

I saw Vanessas understudy in both Driving Miss Daisy and The Inheritance. If I’d have left it longer than the first week would have been the same case here. Yes she’s very old but has a terrible attendance record.

[lonlad]

She should stop accepting offers she can't honour. It's as simple as that. But maybe pride keeps getting the better of her? You need to know when to call it quits.

[BurlyBeaR]

How does the whole sick pay thing work for actors in professional productions?

[theatremiss]

Well the best laid plans and all that, thwarted by Southern Rail. Train cancelled, second one delayed, no time to get to London for the matinee. Thankfully we’ve rescheduled with the theatre BUT the trains are another matter to get a refund from

[Deleted]

Vanessa Redgrave is one of the great Dames of acting that I've never quite understood how she got where she is. She's not awful by any stretch, but nothing exceptional either and always quite samey to me.

A months worth of absences though, the producers should really address it and level with the public. She either can't handle stage work anymore (perfectly understandable) or she is sadly too ill to perform and needs a long recovery period

[mjh]

It appears that covers for Eliza and Higgins were on this weekend - did anyone see them?

[theatrelover97]

Jun 19, 2022 11:39:50 GMT mjh said:

It appears that covers for Eliza and Higgins were on this weekend - did anyone see them?

I did. I was at the Matinee and both of them were fantastic. Certainly no feeling of second best. Rebekah Lowings is actually the second understudy according to the programme. The first one is Charlotte Kennedy who performed her usual Ensemble roles such as one of the maids as usual. 


No announcement was done before the show only the cast board and signs by the entrance to the Auditorium. 

I actually liked Sharif Afifi as Freddie and his laugh reminded me of Uncle Albert in Mary Poppins up on the Celling. 


I don’t think a lot of the audience noticed Harry and Vanessa were out. Before curtain went up plenty of the audience around me were chatting about seeing Vanessa or Harry having had to walk past the announcement saying their roles were being covered,  Heather Jackson got a massive cheer at the end which felt more like the cheer a star gets than just one for a good performance (For me she was outshone by Maureen Beattie’s Mrs Pearce but the cheers suggested for much of the audience otherwise.)


They was a standing ovation in the stalls and scattered elsewhere. 


The sound wasn’t great through even in the dress circle. Malcolm Sinclair as Pickering was often louder than the others on stage with him and Karparthy was hard to hear. However the sound effect for the Horses racing at Ascot was very well done. 


All ensemble members were performing and the only swings on were to cover for the fact Paul, Rebekah and Heather were covering their leading roles. 


As a whole I felt privileged to see the debut of two understudies in two of Musical theatre most iconic roles.