A Chorus Line - Curve / Sadler's Wells / U.K.Tour 2024

[doornumberthree]

Aug 2, 2024 6:32:27 GMT Mr Snow said:

Yesterday's matinee and although I enjoyed it I wouldn't rave. Long bits dragged and I couldn't work up any concerns for most of the cast.
Although much of the material was familiar I can't recall if I've ever seen it before or maybe the film; either way it's left little impression on me and I conclude its not a piece I'll rush to see again.
Mrs Snow says don't listen to the old grump, she really enjoyed it.

One thing, the "Director" using the off stage mic. Contrasted to strongly with the onstage voice. He's addressing a rehearsal space not Liverpool St Station! I found it very unbalanced and jaring and it detracted every time the switch occurred.

I saw the evening show last night and completely agree with the unbalanced/jarring nature of the off stage mic and contrast with how he was on stage - I understand what they were trying to do and to humanise him more when he then was on stage and interacting with them but it just didn’t work.

I am still not sure what I thought of this, I thought the women were all brilliant - we had Katrina Dix on as Larry who I thought did a brilliant job with a small role, the highlight for me though was Imogen Rose Hart as Maggie not only was her voice magnificent but she was completely magnetic to watch throughout, incredible dancer and fantastic actress too.

I was a little disappointed with some of the choreography, and in my opinion the cameras were a hindrance more than a way to add to the production.

[Dr Tom]

I've got to say, this is 10 times better when viewed from the front of the Stalls than the rear. The third row is a perfect view. I could tell that people in the first two rows were straining to see a bit. I missed some of the feet, but nothing crucial.

Lots of stagey people in yesterday and hanging about afterwards. As usual, I struggle with names, but I did have a close encounter with the lovely Jason Yang-Westland in the gents (who seems to spend his life in theatre audiences when he's not in a show - I'm impressed by his dedicatiom).

The sound quality is much better at the front. There are no restrictions in the view. You barely notice the screens or mirrors, which really dominate the view at the back. And everything is so much more emotional. The monologue that didn't work for me the other day came across much better this time (but that was also helped by not having a group of women near me who found the word "faggot" hilarious). A much better audience all around who you felt wanted to be there.

One minor annoyance is why people can't wait until the end of songs before applauding (in some cases, it wasn't just a few seconds before the end of the songs, but right in the middle). I also note that the gender swap of Richie means that they don't end up with four men and four women at the end. The final number is spectacular and I can give this five stars without reservation when viewed from the front.

[marob]

Dr Tom It was press night apparently, so you really were lucky to get front stalls.

[Dr Tom]

Aug 3, 2024 8:58:10 GMT marob said:

Dr Tom It was press night apparently, so you really were lucky to get front stalls.

Thanks, that explains it. I wasn't sure, as sometimes they just seem to stagger the press attendance now. And yes, no complaints about the seat, I do tend to have good luck (and/or timing) with TodayTix. I just have to hope for the same with follow-up visits.

[capybara]

Telling 17 individual stories from a 1970s Broadway chorus line, there is no real plot narrative or leading performer - and that's fine. There is so much talent in the company that individuals get their moment to shine.

Carly Mercedes Dyer, for instance, gives a spine-tingling moment with ‘The Music and the Mirror', throwing herself around Sadler's Wells' vast stage. She is no stranger to this style of storytelling, having impressed in last summer's Assassins revival in Chichester.

That moment immediately follows another standout juncture of the piece, with Chloe Saunders completely owning the stage with her rendition of ‘Dance: Ten; Looks: Three'. And that is the thing about this production; there are so many wonderful moments and none more so than the company's stunning finale.

However, the show's highs render its lows all the more frustrating. There are some scenes that really drag, momentum building before being snatched away. Foster's decision to use live video projections of the cast proves an irritating distraction, for example. It's a glib comparison to draw upon but the recent Sunset Boulevard revival has set the bar high on that score, leaving Foster's nominal use here looking inferior and inconsistent.

Another continuously jarring choice was for Zach (played by Adam Cooper) to sound so loud and intimidating when talking to the company off-stage. The character's godlike authority seemed somewhat undermined by his more mild-mannered appearances on-stage. Meanwhile, the montage scenes and the way they bend the score to their will is always likely to feel a tad sluggish.

But when the company combined to dance as one, Ellen Kane's choreography was utterly electrifying. The opener ‘I Hope I Get It' set the bar high but, as will come as no surprise, it is the finale where the company finally comes together to perform ‘One' that is worth the ticket price alone. It is a thrilling performance, staged so brilliantly with Grace Smart's set design merging into Howard Hudson's lighting to produce something truly spectacular. The result will live long in the audience's memory, for sure.

Despite the show's flaws, the cast is pretty much faultless. Jocosta Almgill leads ‘What I Did For Love' so beautifully as Diana, while Manuel Pacific delivers an emotional masterclass with his character Paul's monologue. The stories do not always blend together with ease but it is worth remembering these are 17 real-life testimonies from creator Michael Bennett's late-night recording sessions with dancers. The authenticity of the piece shines through.

Three stars.

[SilverFox]

Aug 3, 2024 18:06:44 GMT capybara said:

Jocosta Almgill leads ‘What I Did For Love' so beautifully as Diana

On the final night of the London run at TRDL, it was Diane Langton singing this. With an audience of die-hard ACL fans, the reaction throughout was electric, to say the least. But I will always remember Diane standing on-stage to an audience raising the roof, with tears streaming down her face. There were no encores, but she would have been completely unable to deliver one. And talking of "One" the reaction was subsequently significantly dialled up for the finale ......

Some things you never forget. 

Happily.

[crabtree]

Hi and has anyone on here been in the show - is the timing/quick change between 'sign the standard contract' and the 'One' intro a real killer. I guess it depends on the wing space and amount of dressers available but it's always thrilled me to see the segue from the characters getting the parts, and the first gold dancers on. Pure theatre. I'd love to be backstage then to witness the organised chaos.

[normasturban]

Saw this last week and found What I Did For Love very underwhelming when it should be a huge moment.

And as for the dance number to stall time before One…

[craigbowker]

Quite an enjoyable show. Agree with the momentum being really strange at times. Also feel like the camera work was tacked on to chase a trend but a proper camera team wasn't used. That kind of thing can't be done by someone not specialised in it.

STILL would recommend for anyone who get a ticket for say £30 or less.

[HereForTheatre]

By trend do you mean because of/since Sunset? Because the original production of this was staged at Curve, using the same lice camera work, 2 years before SB. Obviously live camera footage had already been a thing before thugh.

[craigbowker]

Aug 21, 2024 10:33:20 GMT HereForTheatre said:

By trend do you mean because of/since Sunset? Because the original production of this was staged at Curve, using the same lice camera work, 2 years before SB. Obviously live camera footage had already been a thing before thugh.

I do mean that, yeah. 

And interesting to hear that, I didn't know the history. But as an audience member the execution still FELT like it was chasing a trend since it was somewhat poorly executed, even if that is not actually the case like you said. 

[pineapple4you]

I have to agree that Nikolai Foster seems to use camera's without any motivation or reason. I also felt the cameras were unnecessary here as I did for his Evita at Christmas. The cameras in his productions don't seem really say anything about the text apart from look "closer" at this thing.

[shownut]

Was there tonight and found it a 2 star production of a 5 star show.

I liked the Paul and few of the performances but little about this production worked for me.

The absence of the genius of the show's creator Michael Bennett made it pretty difficult to watch. Bennett's production didn't need cameras, pyrotechnics, moving lighting rigs and dry ice. The original set was minimal as was the lighting. Why? It didn't need it. The strength of show was a perfect book with a top notch score delivered by a cast that kept to the heart of the story.

The choreography was ok but direction much misguided. Placing Zach onstage next to the actors during key critical scenes robs them of their vulnerability and turns expertly written scenes into soap opera level dialogue.

I could go on and on but in short, I couldn't get out of the theatre soon enough. Thankfully, it was better than the abominable film, but not by much.

Maybe this CHORUS LINE works for a newer generation but it seemed built for those who can't concentrate on a single idea/concept for more than a couple of minutes. No heart (expect for a portion of the Paul scene), no soul and actually, quite tacky.

At least it was over within 2 hours and there was plenty of time to walk out on the deck and enjoy the stars before heading to the midnight buffet.

Oh wait.....

Well, that was what it felt like to me.

[shownut]

Aug 8, 2024 16:45:08 GMT crabtree said:

Hi and has anyone on here been in the show - is the timing/quick change between 'sign the standard contract' and the 'One' intro a real killer. I guess it depends on the wing space and amount of dressers available but it's always thrilled me to see the segue from the characters getting the parts, and the first gold dancers on. Pure theatre. I'd love to be backstage then to witness the organised chaos.

I did the show in 1985 and yes, it was manic getting into the finale suits but generally the cut dancers went on first which allowed the final 8 enough time (just) to get into gear....and on the final kickline, the curtain came down while the music was still playing and there were no bows.

That was on purpose. 

[crabtree]

I got the thinking behind the monologues/camerawork as a theatrical device, but if we are being ridiculously picky and assuming this production is still set in the 70's with it's references there'd be no sign of such video cameras in the rehearsal process.

[shownut]

Aug 22, 2024 22:35:03 GMT crabtree said:

I got the thinking behind the monologues/camerawork as a theatrical device, but if we are being ridiculously picky and assuming this production is still set in the 70's with it's references there'd be no sign of such video cameras in the rehearsal process.

Correct. 

The screwed around with pretty much everything else with this production so why they badly attempted to keep it stuck in the 70's beats me.

[BurlyBeaR]

Several of us made these very points back in 2021 during the Curve run. Some very odd directorial choices for sure. Sounds like they haven’t reconsidered anything, except possibly the wigs may have improved (they couldn’t have got any worse!)

Dec 5, 2021 11:54:00 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Has Dance Ten, Looks Three survived unscathed?

The costumes in the pics a few pages back suggest it’s still set in the 70’s so the video camera thing seems an odd choice. Why would they be using a hand held video camera for audition purposes then, or even now for that matter? People are getting cut on stage, it’s not like Zak is going to review the footage to make a decision. 

Curve reviews start on page 5 of this thread if anyone wants to see what people thought back then. 

[woobl]

Aug 8, 2024 16:45:08 GMT crabtree said:

Hi and has anyone on here been in the show - is the timing/quick change between 'sign the standard contract' and the 'One' intro a real killer. I guess it depends on the wing space and amount of dressers available but it's always thrilled me to see the segue from the characters getting the parts, and the first gold dancers on. Pure theatre. I'd love to be backstage then to witness the organised chaos.

Having worked on various productions of the original, I can confirm this is indeed a killer. However, the original choreography and direction was quite clever in the way in people went off stage and got the change done. One of great moments of musical theatre.

[greenandbrownandblue]

Waiting to see this tonight on tour.

The ushers are telling people that they're welcome to come in and out as it's 1hr55 without an interval.

Am I wrong to think that encouraging this is poor form?

[unseaworthy]

Sept 6, 2024 17:59:47 GMT greenandbrownandblue said:

Waiting to see this tonight on tour.

The ushers are telling people that they're welcome to come in and out as it's 1hr55 without an interval.

Am I wrong to think that encouraging this is poor form?

I am of the opinion that nearly two hours without an interval is poor form

[greenandbrownandblue]

Sept 6, 2024 19:42:56 GMT unseaworthy said:

Sept 6, 2024 17:59:47 GMT greenandbrownandblue said:

Waiting to see this tonight on tour.

The ushers are telling people that they're welcome to come in and out as it's 1hr55 without an interval.

Am I wrong to think that encouraging this is poor form?

I am of the opinion that nearly two hours without an interval is poor form

Fair enough - though it's still shorter than many movies these days.

[Being Alive]

I on the other hand am not - Follies at the NT running at 2hrs 15 mins with no interval was the most perfect experience

(There is also nowhere in A Chorus Line to put an interval...)

[greenandbrownandblue]

Sept 6, 2024 20:53:07 GMT Being Alive said:

I on the other hand am not - Follies at the NT running at 2hrs 15 mins with no interval was the most perfect experience

(There is also nowhere in A Chorus Line to put an interval...)

I agree both re Follies but also Chorus Line - it's so tightly written that there is no place for an interval.

I thought this was a good production, though not quite on par with the Palladium production a decade or so ago. This had too much spectacle early on with (albeit impressive) lighting and dry ice, which undermined the ending slightly. And the video screen was completely unnecessary (I liked when it filmed the dancing feet at one point, but otherwise it was a useless distraction). Cast wise very strong - especially Jocasta Almgill as Diana.

One is thrillingly staged - it's one of the greatest numbers in musical theatre and this firework filled staging was a joy. It would've been even better with fewer flying light bars earlier on.

[crabtree]

I think I agree that the, admittadly, very impressive lighting during the auditions took away from the magic of One. Would one be ever so bold to have literal rehearsal lights until the end. we'd lose something definitely but what a thrilling ending we'd gain.

[macksennett]

Anyone know what the regional programme for this show is like? I've booked to see A Chorus Line soon and am trying to cut back on buying theatre programmes but might have to give in for this one!