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Post by robertb213 on Dec 2, 2021 14:58:35 GMT
I’m making the trip for the Saturday matinee. Anyone else going? It’s my first time at the Curve so any advice about getting there from the train station and any recommendations for cheap places to eat would be greatly welcomed. Thanks in advance. Curve is an easy 10 minute walk from the station (if that, although I do have long legs). I rarely eat while I'm out but I'd suggest walking along Granby Street once you exit the station, plenty of eateries along there. Then head right off there and you'll find Curve 😁 |
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Post by david on Dec 2, 2021 15:52:19 GMT
I’m making the trip for the Saturday matinee. Anyone else going? It’s my first time at the Curve so any advice about getting there from the train station and any recommendations for cheap places to eat would be greatly welcomed. Thanks in advance. Curve is an easy 10 minute walk from the station (if that, although I do have long legs). I rarely eat while I'm out but I'd suggest walking along Granby Street once you exit the station, plenty of eateries along there. Then head right off there and you'll find Curve 😁 Great. Thanks for the info robertb213. |
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Post by TallPaul on Dec 2, 2021 17:12:17 GMT
Nothing too heavy, our david. We don't want you getting stitch mid-finale! 😁 |
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Post by david on Dec 2, 2021 17:58:41 GMT
Nothing too heavy, our david . We don't want you getting stitch mid-finale! 😁 - Just a sandwich and coffee I think just to play safe. I’m more worried about my trousers splitting mid routine! |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 4, 2021 10:49:29 GMT
Excited to see the show this afternoon. Will report back of course.' Meanwhile   Attachments:close.url (67 B)
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 4, 2021 14:59:11 GMT
Very much enjoyed the first preview last night. An excellent view from the front row, although the "line" is very close to you.
This seemed like a very different staging to how I've seen the show before, but I don't know this as well as many forum members will do. They used the depth of the stage to full advantage.
Some well, acted well, danced well, only minor slip I spotted was a hat falling off at the wrong time. A nicely diverse cast without too many big names. Carly Mercedes Dyer was excellent, but that will surprise no one.
Lots of tears in the cast as they really got the emotion of the auditions across. I liked Ainsley Hall Ricketts as Paul a lot as well.
Good to see the Curve pushing the audience to all respect the mask requirements (and most people complying with this). Pretty full too. There were two conspicuously empty seats on the front row, but I expect those were people who had booked but couldn't make it.
Running time was about two hours straight through, including the post-show request for donations. A full and fast standing ovation, as you'd expect. Then, it is exit by rows, so allow an extra 10 minutes if you're at the front. This does mean you can hear the small band (who are situated on stage, but mostly rotated from view) play out.
I'll let people who know the show better than me fill in the details of the changes. They'd certainly done a lot of rework of the final number and, if anything, have made it into a real production piece, with bows saved until afterwards. A fantastic production!
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 4, 2021 18:38:27 GMT
Just back from this and I very much enjoyed it indeed.
I am not familiar with the show at all save for some of the songs and I know of the finale obviously. I have to say I might have liked an interval to be honest, it can get a bit wordy and also the nature of the show is there are some bits of song and bits of choreography that are used over and over and I just feel like an interval might have made it slightly more pacey but it's not a major thing really.
The cast were great overall and for me the stand outs were Ainsley Ricketts as Paul and Carly Mercedes Dyer as Cassie. Paul has this really long monologue really about his past and it's a tragic but uplifting story in the end and he acted it out so well and kept the attention of the entire audience for the whole time, plus he comes on for a solo dance bit before the finale and he's an incredible dancer and that little section is visually very stunning and even has an illusion in there. Carly as Cassie was STUNNING during her solo song and dance piece, stunning, the only thing I'd say was that for me, acting wise she was a little too shouty and rushed seeming in the scenes with Max, but everything else amazing.
I was worried going in that it would feel dated but it didn't at all? This could have been set now If there wasn't clues in the the fashion and references, the piece felt and looked fresh and experimental and arty in places with the music even sounding fresh compared to what I've heard of the songs before. The set used the entire stage and looked huge, the lighting was stunning, and there was a lot of it, lights flying in out up down you name it, and there was some really artistic choices with the lighting that added so much to it, especially when they utilized shadows. I assume the narrative there is that Max wants a record of it all.
Now having not seen this before I don't know but I assume that what they did with the camera was unique to this production? Basically the assistant director character had a had held camera that he would film the proceedings on from on stage and it would be projected on to the back wall, so sometimes during each of the characters little segments he'd be filming them tell their stories and you'd see video projected on to the back wall and sometimes they would speak directly to the camera. Similarly sometimes he would film from within a dance sequence or ensemble scenes. It was very interesting and added to it feeling modern and experimental. It's not a normal part of the show right?
Some sound issues mind, sometimes the balance wasnt right and the mics not loud enough which is a problem when it's wordy and the lyrics in songs are important because it's telling the characters story, some dialogue and voices just weren't clear, but i'm sure they will fix that. It was the 2nd preview.
As Dr Tom said, this is a real production piece, I had thoughts this would literally be them on stage for nearly 2 hours telling their stories on a empty black stage and that's it....absolutely not. It's a spectacle even before you get to the final spectacle and I didn't expect that going in.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 4, 2021 18:47:19 GMT
I’m excited.
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Post by robertb213 on Dec 4, 2021 18:58:35 GMT
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Post by Being Alive on Dec 4, 2021 19:01:29 GMT
Was also there this afternoon (ended up missing the opening number as public transport had it in for me today).
I was not as wowed as everyone else I'm afraid.
I thought the cast on the whole were 'fine' but no better. I love Carly Mercedes Dyer and she's a sensational talent but she didn't blow the roof off with Music and the Mirror as I felt she should have done. Not that I thought that was her fault mind...
My main issue is Ellen Kane's choreography which I thought by and large pretty poor. I thought the same of West Side Story a few years back and wonder if I just don't get on with her style but it just seemed all over the shop to me.
None of the numbers were 'wow' enough for me. The problem with having a show with routines as quite as iconic as ACL is that if you're going to reinvent them, you need to be fresh and it needs to be as exciting.
Music and the Mirror is a showstopper but missed the mark by a long way for me in this.
Didn't enjoy the staging of 'One' either - the split of the men first and then the women joining them doesn't work for me as it's supposed to be those that got in first, followed by those who didn't...
Also had some issues with quite how busy the stage felt with lights dropping in and out etc - I think they went too OTT with the set when it could be a lot more stripped back.
Still, audience loved it and everyone stood up at the end.
3 stars from me - maybe they'll all settle in to it (I know it's previews) but it did feel quite under rehearsed to me...
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Post by david on Dec 4, 2021 20:08:33 GMT
First time at the Curve theatre this afternoon and what a really nice place it is. It was so easy to find from the train station without the need to use Google Maps thanks to a lot of signposting in the city centre. Sitting front row had both its positives and negatives. Great view from my seat being up close to the stage but certainly when the light rigging was turned up it got a bit blinding at times for me. Also being front row meant that we where one if the last rows to leave so I could enjoy that wonderful 8 piece orchestra during the play out music.
As my first Chorus Line there was plenty to enjoy. A great cast with Carly Mercedes Dyer and Ainsley Hall Ricketts being the standouts for me. AHR’s monologue was just a powerful piece in the show that was heart breaking to watch. The choreography as a whole was great to watch though sound issues at times meant that some of the lines were missed though this didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the show.
The stage is massive though thankfully it is well utilised in this production with the light rigging and a big video screen at the back of the stage. One issue I have with the use of the video screen is what it brought to the production show. Being front row for me I didn’t get full use out of the screen when cast members had their backs to the audience as they spoke / sung to the on stage hand held camera as at times for me the screen was obscured by the cast.
As a non interval production I thought it worked well and I’m not too sure where you would stick an interval in this show. Overall a worthwhile trip to Leicester.
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Post by scarpia on Dec 5, 2021 11:23:08 GMT
First time at the Curve theatre this afternoon and what a really nice place it is. It was so easy to find from the train station without the need to use Google Maps thanks to a lot of signposting in the city centre. Sitting front row had both its positives and negatives. Great view from my seat being up close to the stage but certainly when the light rigging was turned up it got a bit blinding at times for me. Also being front row meant that we where one if the last rows to leave so I could enjoy that wonderful 8 piece orchestra during the play out music. As my first Chorus Line there was plenty to enjoy. A great cast with Carly Mercedes Dyer and Ainsley Hall Ricketts being the standouts for me. AHR’s monologue was just a powerful piece in the show that was heart breaking to watch. The choreography as a whole was great to watch though sound issues at times meant that some of the lines were missed though this didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the show. The stage is massive though thankfully it is well utilised in this production with the light rigging and a big video screen at the back of the stage. One issue I have with the use of the video screen is what it brought to the production show. Being front row for me I didn’t get full use out of the screen when cast members had their backs to the audience as they spoke / sung to the on stage hand held camera as at times for me the screen was obscured by the cast. As a non interval production I thought it worked well and I’m not too sure where you would stick an interval in this show. Overall a worthwhile trip to Leicester. You must have been just a few seats away from me because I was at the same performance and also in the front row! I agree that this wouldn't work with an interval in it; the show's structure isn't built to include one. It was also (finally) my first time at the Curve in person having enjoyed their lockdown Sunset and Color Purple, and it's a lovely venue. I'm still making my mind up about the production. I did enjoy it and the cast were terrific. But it lacked any 'WOW' moments and it did make me scratch my head as to how this could have become the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. And I wondered if the reason for not quite getting it is because this isn't Michael Bennett's choreography or direction. It did get a standing O, though, but I've no idea whether or not that's the norm at the Curve. That said, it does seem in many respects indebted to the original production as there were clearly things borrowed from it. I thought the video projection thing was unnecessary. The way it was done also seemed an obvious borrow from the Ivo van Hove West Side Story that had a very brief Broadway outing before the pandemic hit, which no doubt the creatives will have been following since the programme goes on a lot about West Side Story. (Speaking of the programme, I was rather disappointed with the content - the only decent thing in it was Riedel's piece adapted from Razzle Dazzle, which I'd already read. Otherwise, the article on Bennett was just a Wikipedia-style chronological list of facts and the one on rehearsals just kept going on about how exciting it was to be in the rehearsals with no insight as to what the concept of this production was). |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 5, 2021 11:54:00 GMT
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.
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Post by robertb213 on Dec 6, 2021 10:20:37 GMT
Exciting! Random question but worth a shout - I'm reviewing this on press night and they've allocated me two tickets, does anyone want to come along for a freebie? Tuesday 7th December, 7.30pm start. I won't know where the seats are until I get there but they'll be top price. There's no interval so you don't have to talk to me much, and I promise I'm not a murderer... 🤣 Let me know if it's any use to anyone, if not I'll contact them and they can reallocate it. Just bumping this as the ticket for tomorrow has become available again, let me know if you're able to make use of it 😀 |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Dec 6, 2021 11:28:35 GMT
Spoiler tags in case this is indeed a spoiler {Spoiler - click to view}
I note this line from the wiki plot synopsis
"Zach calls Paul San Marco, who has been reluctant to share his past, onstage for a private talk, and he emotionally relives his childhood and teenage years, his early career in a drag act, facing his manhood and his homosexuality, and his parents ultimately discovering his lifestyle and disowning him for it"
But unless I'm remembering this part completely wrong his parents didn't disown him in this production at all, in fact Paul said that hi parents were unbothered and his father told he was proud of him for the first time? So has this plot changed for the Curve production or is this a change made elsewhere too? |
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Post by dlevi on Dec 6, 2021 11:58:33 GMT
Spoiler tags in case this is indeed a spoiler {Spoiler - click to view}
I note this line from the wiki plot synopsis
"Zach calls Paul San Marco, who has been reluctant to share his past, onstage for a private talk, and he emotionally relives his childhood and teenage years, his early career in a drag act, facing his manhood and his homosexuality, and his parents ultimately discovering his lifestyle and disowning him for it"
But unless I'm remembering this part completely wrong his parents didn't disown him in this production at all, in fact Paul said that hi parents were unbothered and his father told he was proud of him for the first time? So has this plot changed for the Curve production or is this a change made elsewhere too? It's not a spoiler. The Wiki synopsis is wrong. Paul only feared his parents disowning him. They didn't embrace it, but the overall conclusion is one of acceptance. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 6, 2021 12:17:43 GMT
If in this production his parents say {Spoiler - click to view}
that they’re proud of him then that’s different. In the original his father tells him to look after himself and to make sure he eats. He calls him “son” for the first time and tells the producer to “look after my son”. There’s no mention of being proud. I always took it as meaning this is the last time we’re ever going to see you but we want you to be well. Far from acceptance. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2021 15:45:14 GMT
If in this production his parents say {Spoiler - click to view}
that they’re proud of him then that’s different. In the original his father tells him to look after himself and to make sure he eats. He calls him “son” for the first time and tells the producer to “look after my son”. There’s no mention of being proud. I always took it as meaning this is the last time we’re ever going to see you but we want you to be well. Far from acceptance. {Spoiler - click to view}
That's interesting because I never read that into in. I always thought Paul's father WAS proud of him, simply by saying 'my son', instead of disowning him and pretending he never existed, as many fathers do. The mother also tell him to write whilst he's away, so they definitely want some contact. |
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Post by woobl on Dec 6, 2021 17:04:20 GMT
Apparently they might struggle if they want to move this anywhere in 2023...
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 6, 2021 17:12:27 GMT
Apparently they might struggle if they want to move this anywhere in 2023... How so?…. |
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Post by SuttonPeron on Dec 6, 2021 17:25:26 GMT
I assume they´d struggle at the West End because of the Spanish production transfer with Antonio Banderas planned for late 2022. I could be wrong though.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 6, 2021 17:31:24 GMT
I assume they´d struggle at the West End because of the Spanish production transfer with Antonio Banderas planned for late 2022. I could be wrong though. Is that definite? |
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Post by Being Alive on Dec 6, 2021 17:31:55 GMT
They're bringing the Antonio Banderas production to LONDON?
...did it have the original choreography?!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 6, 2021 17:52:17 GMT
They're bringing the Antonio Banderas production to LONDON? ...did it have the original choreography?! According to the Madrid thread in International, yes. And he was in it! It seems a bit unlikely. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2021 22:20:08 GMT
Isnt he currently playing Bobby in a production of Company in Madrid? Age blind casting i guess...
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