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Post by alece10 on May 21, 2023 10:54:48 GMT
A prop fell on the revolve and Jamie put his shirt on inside out once which was no bad thing as it meant he couldnt button it up and so we got an extended view of his chest. Producers might want to consider keeping this in. I wonder what the reaction would be if I made this comment about a woman. Happy to delete if others are offended by the comment. |
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Post by bobbievanhusen on May 21, 2023 11:14:11 GMT
I wonder what the reaction would be if I made this comment about a woman. Probably not great, but then a man's chest is not considered obscene or sexual in the same way a womans's is. That shouldnt be the case, considering we all have nipples and some men have bigger moobs than boobs, but thats what society thinks until otherwise |
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Post by danb on May 21, 2023 11:51:55 GMT
Ceebee has a valid point. Mens body’s seem to be fair game for anyone to comment on without recourse, be it lascivious perving over Bongo’s boobs or derisive put downs when someone is out of shape. Either way the wokerati don’t pounce on it with anywhere near the fervour that they do when someone describes a female lady in the same terms.
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Post by ceebee on May 21, 2023 12:01:30 GMT
I wonder what the reaction would be if I made this comment about a woman. Happy to delete if others are offended by the comment. I wasn't offended - just pointing out how some things are acceptable whilst others aren't. No offence meant to you. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on May 21, 2023 12:21:43 GMT
I wonder what the reaction would be if I made this comment about a woman. Happy to delete if others are offended by the comment. Not at all offended. |
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Post by jay78uk on May 22, 2023 21:23:36 GMT
Watched from middle of row J in the stalls. Fantastic on every level, gorgeous and imaginative staging, great sizeable band and four fantastic leads and supporting cast who gave it their all. Gave me fresh perspective on the book and the score. I had forgotten the strength of the second act, perhaps Lloyd -Webber at his best.
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Post by jay78uk on May 23, 2023 13:19:51 GMT
A few more reflections- I thoroughly enjoyed Jamie Bogyo as Alex- thought his singing was gorgeous throughout, and his acting absolutely fine. At the end of the day he’s a soldier, so a degree of woodenness is to be expected! Laura Pitt-Pulford was, for me, the stand out of the four leads, convincingly portraying the highly complex character of Rose. I admired the sheer emotion and fear in her last number, Anything But Lonely which she sang as a broken, distraught woman- a brave decision given the temptation to belt it out torch song style. I adored Danielle de Niese’s portrayal of Giulietta, and liked her singing voice, but for me she didn’t quite nail there is more to love nor hand me the wine and the dice. I can’t quite say why- technically they were more than on point but somehow something was missing.
A huge shout out to the young actress playing the young Jenny- what a voice, just lovely. Regarding Michael Ball, I’m afraid he didn’t do it for me. He has a great voice but IMHO is too young to play George and over did the cuddly avuncular uncle act. There was little evidence of a lothario at work, and the chemistry between him and Rose was no more than with her agent, Marcel.
I really admired the video and projection work, particularly given how poorly such technology has been used in some ALW shows, e.g. woman in white. The leaves and the rain in the second act were breath-taking and I loved the reveal of the orchestra. It’s a shame the subtlety and beauty of the set and staging did not extend to the marketing materials for the show, which feel somewhat out of kilter.
I do hope that this show reminds some how talented Lloyd Webber is after his more recent ‘light’ offerings e.g. Cinderella and School of Rock. I hope, after what must have been a very challenging few months with Phantom closing on Broadway, Cinderella being (in my opinion unfairly) mauled and sad news in his family that this new production is fairly reviewed and the sublime score celebrated thirty years on from its first outing.
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Post by magnificentdonkey on May 23, 2023 20:13:45 GMT
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Post by chernjam on May 23, 2023 20:54:38 GMT
Thanks for sharing these, they really look incredible. It's shaping up to be a great revival |
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Post by frauleinsallybowles on May 23, 2023 21:12:04 GMT
Snapped up a cheap stalls seat for Friday's show right after press night! Looking forward based on the comments here!
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Post by actorsinger on May 24, 2023 15:07:53 GMT
A child actress, well I guess about 16 in real life plays Jenny for a short period and then an older version continues. The lyrics change in one song which goes something like “ you were 18, like me, when you met my mother” don’t quote me but it was def changed to make the age clear. I'm wondering about the "No one said that Romeo was a monster. Why are you? I'm as old as Juliet. Why, why can't you wait for me? Three years is not a lifetime" bit then. This Romeo and Juliet line has gone. As has her marriage proposal. They speak about her being 18 a lot but the way they’ve aged Alex in act 2 makes him look more like her grandad than her older cousin. |
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Post by magnificentdonkey on May 24, 2023 17:57:05 GMT
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Post by mrbarnaby on May 24, 2023 22:28:17 GMT
It looks like an am dram production!!
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Post by lonlad on May 24, 2023 23:34:07 GMT
It couldn't be less am dram -- the design is unbelievably sophisticated and must have cost an absolute fortune. John Macfarlane comes from the world of opera and ballet and is himself an artist, hence the painterly feel of so much of it. The show still has that gonzo narrative but that is what it is: it's embedded in the material. This production makes as good a case for the piece as we are likely ever to see.
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Post by chernjam on May 25, 2023 0:51:53 GMT
I'm more and more excited with each drip of pictures, clips and reports...
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Post by magnificentdonkey on May 25, 2023 3:24:20 GMT
I'm more and more excited with each drip of pictures, clips and reports... I so wish they could film it and release it to the public! I know it's not very likely, to say the least, but one can wish! It's a shame, really, that hardly any recent production of ALW's shows got a video release after they closed; in my opinion, they all should have, even for the sake of being preserved for posterity. Stephen Ward, The Woman in White revival at the Charing Cross Theatre, the Glenn Close Revival of Sunset Boulevard, of course... Sunset Boulevard in Concert at the RAH with Mazz Murray... West End's Cinderella or Broadway's Bad Cinderella... They all should have gotten a video release after they closed! Please make it happen at least this time with this revival of Aspects of Love, whoever's responsible for such decisions! |
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Post by vickyg on May 25, 2023 7:31:15 GMT
I saw this on Tuesday and left at the interval for the first time. Not for me at all. I can usually get over a ridiculous musical storyline but this one seemed particularly unlikely, the music didn't move me and the acting felt wooden. When people say, indiscriminately, "I hate musicals!", I felt that this was the sort of thing they would be imagining. Even Laura Pitt-Pulford couldn't save it. The style of music felt very 'Woman in White' to me and I love that show, but this one just rubbed me up completely the wrong way from the beginning.
Very interesting that almost everyone here has enjoyed it so much. I'd be interested to know if the people who particularly loved it have a history of loving the show or went in completely cold as I did. Definitely a case of 'different strokes for different folks'!
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Post by alece10 on May 25, 2023 8:09:32 GMT
I saw this on Tuesday and left at the interval for the first time. Not for me at all. I can usually get over a ridiculous musical storyline but this one seemed particularly unlikely, the music didn't move me and the acting felt wooden. When people say, indiscriminately, "I hate musicals!", I felt that this was the sort of thing they would be imagining. Even Laura Pitt-Pulford couldn't save it. The style of music felt very 'Woman in White' to me and I love that show, but this one just rubbed me up completely the wrong way from the beginning. Very interesting that almost everyone here has enjoyed it so much. I'd be interested to know if the people who particularly loved it have a history of loving the show or went in completely cold as I did. Definitely a case of 'different strokes for different folks'! In answer to your question I knew the music and story very well. I did not see the original production but have seen it at the Menier and Southwark Playhouse. Loved the Menier but didn't like Southwark. |
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Post by actorsinger on May 25, 2023 8:46:35 GMT
I saw this on Tuesday and left at the interval for the first time. Not for me at all. I can usually get over a ridiculous musical storyline but this one seemed particularly unlikely, the music didn't move me and the acting felt wooden. When people say, indiscriminately, "I hate musicals!", I felt that this was the sort of thing they would be imagining. Even Laura Pitt-Pulford couldn't save it. The style of music felt very 'Woman in White' to me and I love that show, but this one just rubbed me up completely the wrong way from the beginning. Very interesting that almost everyone here has enjoyed it so much. I'd be interested to know if the people who particularly loved it have a history of loving the show or went in completely cold as I did. Definitely a case of 'different strokes for different folks'! I was there on Tuesday too and also didn’t enjoy the show at all. I love the show and have done since I first saw it back in the 90s. I very much wanted to fall I love with it all over again. I didn’t. I still like the show, but I think this production fails it. I think the design is cheap. The set is basic, the projections are sometimes laughable (a candle being blown out? Really?) the costumes look like they come from Matalan. The direction isn’t detailed enough to get the nuances from the piece. And that’s where it fails. The performances, fabulous as most of them are, can’t save it. I was so disappointed. I didn’t leave in the interval though. Wasn’t even tempted. I sort of hoped it was going to improve. |
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Post by andrew on May 25, 2023 9:46:31 GMT
Chalk me up as another hater. I was bored out of my skull, both by the story and the score. There are a couple of good musical moments in there, but the other 2 hours I found dreary and dull. Didn't relate or really believe in the story, why does Bogyo randomly shoot LPP for example and why does everyone just get over it after 5 minutes? I get that it's supposed to be an exploration of the different forms of love, it just would have been nice if any of those were relatable or interesting. I thought I was losing my mind. Couldn't wait for it to end.
The staging and design is fine, I'm not seeing whatever some posters are here about it being highly sophisticated, a projection tracked random wall that slides across every so often showing stock imagery of Paris or wherever whilst you can see stage hands running behind it trying to catch up whilst they hold a chair, and 3 different doors they wheel out to their hearts content. The double revolve was an extravagance they barely used, although when it knocked over a piece of set by accident it did at least create a bit of tension in the scene which the rest of the show lacked.
There's clearly a large contingent of people who are seeing something in this piece of work that I cannot see. I'm quite soft on a lot of ALW musicals, but I think I prefer his completely insane stuff (looking at you Evita) to this sort of mellow soft-operatic style, and something with a bit more plot. Maybe it's the sort of thing where if you've seen the show or know the score well then this is a wonderful experience, and the newcomer is just left cold. Maybe I'm just heartless. Love changes everything, this show does nothing.
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Post by lonlad on May 25, 2023 9:50:39 GMT
>> I think I prefer his completely insane stuff (looking at you Evita)
Interesting, since Aspects, like it or not, is uber-insane: best not to examine its plot too closely ..... LOL
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Post by andrew on May 25, 2023 10:00:41 GMT
>> I think I prefer his completely insane stuff (looking at you Evita) Interesting, since Aspects, like it or not, is uber-insane: best not to examine its plot too closely ..... LOL I sort of meant the score but even taking Aspects at the plot level, it's just two men having sex with three women in slightly differing combos right? And sometimes that involves someone on the wrong side of the age of consent? I dunno I just didn't find it thrilling. |
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Post by dippy on May 25, 2023 10:08:32 GMT
I saw this yesterday and I didn't really have any interest in the story, there was no one I cared enough about. I kept hearing little reminders of Sunset Boulevard and it made me wish I was watching that instead.
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Post by jay78uk on May 25, 2023 10:13:38 GMT
So my history with this show is largely about loving the original cast recording. I then read the book (which is rather brief, barely more than a novella) and saw a poor production of it featuring David Essex where I was sat far too far back!
I don’t have much love for the story, but the show’s book is very faithful to the original novel. But what I do adore is the score, which IMHO is one of Lloyd Webber’s finest as its more thematic and sensitive than most. I find the lack of bombast (LCE aside) refreshing and the music far more resonant with the subject matter than most of his other shows.
I can absolutely understand why some would find the story a turn off- if someone finds upper middle class bed hopping, relationships with large age gaps and romance between cousins offensive, this is not the show for them!
Regarding the production values, I found them v. high on many levels- the fairground and circus staging is creative and inspired, the painted back drops and countryside scenes to my eye idyllic. I agree the odd projection did look a bit stock photograph, but overall I liked it, and I thought the costumes great- certainly nothing that looked like it was from Matalan! Not that i have ever stepped foot in a Matalan!
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Post by karloscar on May 25, 2023 12:08:31 GMT
The main problem is that none of the characters are particularly interesting or likeable, and there is no outside voice observing their often indulgent behaviour. It needs a Mme Armfeldt type character to cast a critical eye over the scene and call out their nonsense. Only Giullietta seems like she'd be any fun to be with. And I'd expect a lot more laughs from a relationship if I was going to stick around. It's all so earnest and dull.
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