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Post by stevej678 on Apr 8, 2021 8:12:01 GMT
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Post by danb on Apr 8, 2021 8:26:42 GMT
Oh fantastic! Leah Hill was always electrifying to watch in ‘Hamilton’. If she can imbue her choreo with a fraction of that energy this should be 🔥🔥🔥🔥
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1,210 posts
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Post by musicalmarge on Apr 9, 2021 4:37:00 GMT
That is an AMAZING design.
Take note ALW
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Apr 9, 2021 8:07:28 GMT
This looks amazing! 💚
And the producer is 20 years old!!!
Incredible.
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19,676 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 28, 2021 16:52:28 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2021 19:55:11 GMT
Tickets have quietly gone on sale for this, I only realised upon checking the website on the off chance. I’m expecting great things from my first experience of a professional production of this show. “Home” is simply fantastic.
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3,307 posts
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Post by david on Jul 31, 2021 20:02:04 GMT
Tickets have quietly gone on sale for this, I only realised upon checking the website on the off chance. I’m expecting great things from my first experience of a professional production of this show. “Home” is simply fantastic. I signed up for the Priority booking thing, but completely forgot to use it! Anyway, I've booked for the opening night which should be a great night. Hope Mill is an absolutely fantastic theatre and the team there are really nice folk. Looking forward to get back there in November. |
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375 posts
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Post by Theatre Fan on Oct 4, 2021 9:35:53 GMT
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2,417 posts
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Post by robertb213 on Nov 12, 2021 12:09:34 GMT
Sounding fabulous 😁
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3,307 posts
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Post by david on Nov 24, 2021 19:07:45 GMT
I’m at tonight’s first show.
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19,676 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 24, 2021 19:13:12 GMT
I’m at tonight’s first show. Looking forward to your report! |
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3,307 posts
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Post by david on Nov 24, 2021 23:48:35 GMT
Well, that was definitely worth making the trip to Hope Mill tonight. With a run time of around 2.5hrs with an interval (we started a bit late with both Acts) this one definitely hit the mark for me by the end.
This show is done entirely at floor level. Walking into the auditorium to take my seat, I’ll admit I was wondering about sets and I was a bit taken aback to see a really minimal staging used here in both acts. There are just a few props used to set some scenes such as a model house for the start to signify Kansas. For the majority of the show there really is just a big empty stage for the cast. The lighting design actually is useful here as it helps to set locations and worked really well. For example green lighting is used for the Wizard, red lighting for the witch. On the walls of the auditorium there has been painted characters from the Wizard of Oz.
The lack of any substantial sets was cleared up early on as to why this approach was taken. There is a-lot of dancing within the show. With a mix of street and hip hop styles, for a first night was really slick and worked really well with the score.
Director Matthew Xia and his team really have assembled a great cast of 14 here. What shines through is their vocal talent which was worth every penny of my ticket money in my opinion in delivering the score. Like the choreography, for a first night, I couldn’t fault their performances. Jonathan Andre as the lion though was for me the standout. Plenty of comedy moments from him.
The music is provided by a terrific band of 8. You’ve got keyboards, drums, trombone, flugelhorn, reeds, bass and guitar. Thankfully the sound mixing was spot on tonight so didn’t overpower
So should you ease on down the road for this one? I’d say yes.
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2,417 posts
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Post by robertb213 on Nov 24, 2021 23:59:02 GMT
Very positive news... it's been on my list for years so I'll definitely be making the trip!
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3,307 posts
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Post by david on Nov 25, 2021 0:02:24 GMT
Very positive news... it's been on my list for years so I'll definitely be making the trip! , I was sat front row with plenty of space between me and the edge of the stage. |
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19,676 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 25, 2021 7:25:26 GMT
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5,142 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Nov 25, 2021 9:31:11 GMT
There is a-lot of dancing within the show. With a mix of street and hip hop styles, for a first night was really slick and worked really well with the score. Just think of the panic backstage when word got around that dance dynamo david was in da house. 😁 I have a very vague recollection that Sinitta was in a production of this at the world-famous Crucible Theatre, alongside Derek Griffiths from Play School. I'm sure there used to be a cast photo in one of the display cases. |
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3,307 posts
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Post by david on Nov 25, 2021 9:38:25 GMT
There is a-lot of dancing within the show. With a mix of street and hip hop styles, for a first night was really slick and worked really well with the score. Just think of the panic backstage when word got around that dance dynamo david was in da house. 😁 I have a very vague recollection that Sinitta was in a production of this at the world-famous Crucible Theatre, alongside Derek Griffiths from Play School. I'm sure there used to be a cast photo in one of the display cases. , I’ll admit I did get up at the end for the encore for a dance. It would of been rude not to! |
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19,676 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 25, 2021 9:42:08 GMT
What sort of reception did it get from the audience david? (I mean the show, not your moonwalk) |
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3,307 posts
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Post by david on Nov 25, 2021 9:47:08 GMT
What sort of reception did it get from the audience david ? (I mean the show, not your moonwalk) , a great reception with everyone giving a a standing ovation at the end. A really great atmosphere last night. Nobody I overheard had a bad word to say about the show. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2021 20:00:08 GMT
This lived up to expectations for me. The cast are phenomenal with some of the purest vocals and best dance abilities I’ve seen. Tarik Frimpong delivered Leah Hill’s choreography spectacularly, along with the whole cast, but his scarecrow deserves special recognition.
The stage was mostly bare with very few set pieces, but this doesn’t need a lot of frills due to the way the cast change the space just through the choreography. My only complaint was that it was difficult to hear the vocals over the orchestration at points.
There was a handful of empty seats which surprised me for the first Saturday of the run, but hopefully word of mouth will get round. I really hope this sees a future life at some point.
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19,676 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 30, 2021 18:03:47 GMT
The Stage ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Telegraph ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Independent ⭐️⭐️⭐️
WoS ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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19,676 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 1, 2021 19:57:57 GMT
Selectable seating rather than “sections” these days I note. Whsts the deal with the cheapies at the sides of the stage? unlimited legroom by the looks of it but is it horrific high stools or something?  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2021 20:35:16 GMT
Good legroom (ish) although the cast pretty much use all of the stage, including the areas directly in front of you. I sat on the stage seating and had a couple of moments where dancers literally whizzed past my ears as they jumped on stage, and I even had to awkwardly fold up my legs when some actors stood in front. The seats are old wooden and metal chairs with a cushion, so better than a stool but still uncomfortable after a stint.
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Dec 2, 2021 19:19:16 GMT
Hope Mill is not the easiest place to find without a smart phone / google map for guidance so glad I allowed plenty of time to walk from the Travelodge. No signposting at all even when very close. My list of roads to take, which usually gets me where I want to go, hit several stumbling blocks because a lot of roads in Manchester don't have the usual street signs. Anyway I'm here now, front row, should be a good'un.
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19,676 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 5, 2021 11:47:23 GMT
Hope Mill is not the easiest place to find without a smart phone / google map for guidance so glad I allowed plenty of time to walk from the Travelodge. No signposting at all even when very close. My list of roads to take, which usually gets me where I want to go, hit several stumbling blocks because a lot of roads in Manchester don't have the usual street signs. Anyway I'm here now, front row, should be a good'un. How was the show FrontroverPaul? |
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