215 posts
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Post by Peter on Feb 12, 2021 19:08:45 GMT
The opening night of Les Miserables at the Barbican - original staging and performances when they were still minty fresh!
My Fair Lady at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on the 6th Sept 1958. Partly to see the original London cast in all their glory, and partly because I know that was the performance my grandparents attended (as I have their programme and tickets!) and it would be lovely to see them again.
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490 posts
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Post by bimse on Feb 12, 2021 19:24:10 GMT
Can I go back to the original run of Guys and Dolls at the National Theatre, I was there with my late brother , such happy times , similarly the original production of Les Miserables, I really didn’t want to go , but what a revelation , and I’ve been back time and time again . Hoping to go in Leeds in August .
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Post by westendboy on Feb 12, 2021 19:25:13 GMT
And I'd use the other trip to visit the rehearsal room and convince Craig Revel Horwood not to get involved in Son of a Preacher Man. Heard from a friend who saw it that this wasn't a good show. They hated so much that I think they didn't watch Act 2. |
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Post by danb on Feb 12, 2021 19:27:01 GMT
I think perhaps the first time we saw ‘Rent’ on Broadway having talked about it and dreamt about it for six months...I’d just like to have that day again.
And the first time we saw ‘Tommy’ from the front row of the upper circle of the Shaftesbury having listened to it for a few weeks to ‘get into it’. Nothing could have prepared us for the visual and aural feast that greeted us; the closest thing to ‘total theatre’ I had ever experienced. We went at least once a month until it closed. If I could experience that night again it would be 💯!
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1,210 posts
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Post by musicalmarge on Feb 13, 2021 0:09:00 GMT
First preview of Sunset Boulevard at the Adelphi. Those stage mechanics!... One of the best sets I’ve ever seen! Oh those 1980’s early 90’s show!!! Ahhhhhhh |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Feb 13, 2021 0:25:44 GMT
I saw Sunset during the first week and can't remember any issues. Perhaps I was lucky.
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364 posts
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Post by tysilio2 on Feb 13, 2021 13:01:21 GMT
I think I'd go for the opening preview of Rent on Broadway, the performance the day after Jonathon Larson's tragic death. Descriptions from the cast of the atmosphere particularly for Act 2 make it sound quite something.
Can't think of anything else to be honest.
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Post by danb on Feb 13, 2021 13:07:49 GMT
I saw Sunset during the first week and can't remember any issues. Perhaps I was lucky. I suspect it’s a reference to the sound of the house being flown in and out every two minutes. |
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3,427 posts
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Post by ceebee on Feb 13, 2021 13:36:00 GMT
RSC's "The Beggar's Opera" and "Martin Guerre" (original London cast / revised version) for me.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Feb 13, 2021 13:55:29 GMT
RSC's "The Beggar's Opera" and "Martin Guerre" (original London cast / revised version) for me. I saw the OLC do the original version in week 1 of the run. |
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3,427 posts
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Post by ceebee on Feb 13, 2021 14:01:13 GMT
Loved that show so much - at the time, to me, it felt like perfection (despite its flaws). And I'm not kidding myself in thinking that front row day tickets were a tenner if I'm not mistaken? Later on in the run do you remember Glyn Kerslake and Hal Fowler sharing the title role and flitting between MG and Les Mis at the Palace? MG will always be B&S's best work, in my opinion.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Feb 13, 2021 15:21:29 GMT
Loved that show so much - at the time, to me, it felt like perfection (despite its flaws). And I'm not kidding myself in thinking that front row day tickets were a tenner if I'm not mistaken? Later on in the run do you remember Glyn Kerslake and Hal Fowler sharing the title role and flitting between MG and Les Mis at the Palace? MG will always be B&S's best work, in my opinion. The burning of Artigat was a moment that stays in the mind. And I will always regret the loss of the trio for the three village elders in revised versions. Of course, the original cast contained a very young forum favourite- James Corden |
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258 posts
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Post by notmymuse on Feb 13, 2021 16:02:39 GMT
I confess I'm rather surprised that a couple of people want to see Lord of the Rings. Presumably for the fairly spectacular production rather than the not very good piece itself. You're partially right there. For me it's both the production value and certain musical numbers. I loved LOTR. I never liked the book or films much, but it worked for me, and I loved the music too. I rarely see things more than once but went 4 times. It would be one of the things I'd like to go back in time and see again. As for the other, that's a hard call. Seeing Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady on Broadway on the opening night is definitely a possibility, although I would have loved to have seen Rebecca Caine in Phantom. |
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Post by westendboy on Feb 13, 2021 19:05:27 GMT
I loved LOTR. I never liked the book or films much, but it worked for me, and I loved the music too. I rarely see things more than once but went 4 times. It would be one of the things I'd like to go back in time and see again. As a fan of the films and books, I've always been intrigued by this show. I remember first hearing about it from a TV advert I saw when it was still running, but never went to see it and forgot about it for a while. It's only when I got into the films and books that I got curious. I'm surprised you've seen it 4 times! |
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Post by Dawnstar on Feb 13, 2021 19:09:54 GMT
I loved LOTR. I never liked the book or films much, but it worked for me, and I loved the music too. I rarely see things more than once but went 4 times. It would be one of the things I'd like to go back in time and see again. Maybe I wasn't keen on the stage version because I love the books. So much had to be left out or changed to make a show of under 3 hours. The films I thought were quite good in terms of design but some of the plot changes really annoyed me and, unlike the stage version, didn't have the time constraint excuse. |
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Post by ceebee on Feb 13, 2021 19:16:03 GMT
I loved LOTR - I also saw it several times, despite having never read the books and only seen the first film. Something about it translated so well on stage for me, and it was truly epic in scale and score.
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Post by sophie92 on Feb 13, 2021 20:54:25 GMT
Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady, like pretty much everyone else, and Rent’s Off-Broadway premiere.
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Post by BoOverall on Feb 13, 2021 21:05:21 GMT
I’d see the opening night of West Side Story....or even a first preview. Still one of my favourite musicals.
And probably the final night of Aspects of Love at the Prince of Wales again - one of my favourite ALW scores, having seen that production many times in the run. Of all the changes, reworking “There is more to love” into a duet during that run was a highlight, but the set, the lighting........at the time it all just worked for me.
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840 posts
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Post by Steffi on Feb 14, 2021 10:31:12 GMT
I loved LOTR. I never liked the book or films much, but it worked for me, and I loved the music too. I rarely see things more than once but went 4 times. It would be one of the things I'd like to go back in time and see again. Maybe I wasn't keen on the stage version because I love the books. So much had to be left out or changed to make a show of under 3 hours. The films I thought were quite good in terms of design but some of the plot changes really annoyed me and, unlike the stage version, didn't have the time constraint excuse. I totally agree the stage version had some serious plot problems. I’d only seen the films when I first watched the musical but I think without any prior knowledge I would have been a bit lost. So in that respect it was a flawed show for sure. For me it was the spectacle, the music and the cast. Plus the moment I entered the auditorium I felt like I was in a different world. The pre show was such fun, too. The Hobbits were always quite keen to trade apples for sweets. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2021 10:57:49 GMT
And probably the final night of Aspects of Love at the Prince of Wales again - one of my favourite ALW scores, having seen that production many times in the run. Of all the changes, reworking “There is more to love” into a duet during that run was a highlight, but the set, the lighting........at the time it all just worked for me. I agree with this one. I was quite young and only saw the London production once but thought it was sumptuous. Music stunning and that lavish extraordinary set which kept folding and moving and creating scenes in a seamless manner. So impressive yet always framing the action rather than distracting from it. To my mind an even more impressive creation that what Bjornson did for Phantom. Evoked Paris, Venice, Pau and the Pyrenees in a beautiful flowing way. Aspects historically is not really seen as a mega musical, but the original production absolutely was! It is a piece for which 'mega' is not essential however and can also be stunning with a very simple set and staging. For that reason we'll never see anything like Maria Bjornson's set ever again sadly. Which is a shame. God I wish there was a video from ALW's archives that they could tidy up and release on DVD. Never gonna happen but I can dream.... |
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318 posts
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Feb 15, 2021 13:33:52 GMT
Which Witch.
Les Mis at the Barbican.
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