5,138 posts
|
Post by Being Alive on Jun 1, 2016 20:02:01 GMT
how long is the show? need to check if it fits with my timings for train home and if it can be fitted in!
|
|
703 posts
|
Post by theatremiss on Jun 1, 2016 20:37:21 GMT
2hr 30mins. I was out at 5pm & my friend that saw it the other night was out at 10pm
|
|
98 posts
|
Post by stanne on Jun 1, 2016 21:31:52 GMT
you can get £29 tickets for £20 on todaytix, use a code for £10 off and thats only a tenner for a stunning show!! I was in h8 when i booked (shameless promo but to save you trawling for one my code is DLNJU haha) Thank you!!  |
|
5,794 posts
|
Post by mrbarnaby on Jun 2, 2016 21:01:30 GMT
I LOVED this in Southwark.. But the idea of seeing it in this horrible theatre makes me sad.
At least it's getting a longer life though I suppose
|
|
571 posts
|
Post by westendwendy on Jun 3, 2016 6:11:00 GMT
I saw this last night. It was an eventful evening.
First of all some of the music is sensational. Real goosebump type moments. Lady's Maid, We'll Meet Tomorrow etc. It was the first time I had ever seen the show on stage after adoring the Broadway cast album in the late 90's.
That said, parts of the show were stunning and other parts really fell flat. A third of the cast needs to be recast. Some of the actors and singers were excellent and others were simply terrible. One in particular was just too camp I'm sorry and one of the other crew members (will leave it there) was like Benny Hill with flat singing and physicality. I also had issues with some of the tone of the piece, the pacing and the doubling up of characters - did they do that on Broadway? Why didn't they explore the third class passengers more?
There were a few sound issues with dodgy mics and although I loved the lifeboat scenes dare I say it, at times I found it bordering on tasteless - the rag worked for me but the opening of act 2 not. It's a fine line between classy and tacky. Authentic and hamming it up.
Finally at the end of the show there was a fishy and smoke smell in the theatre. We laughed on the way out saying surely they didn't add this to effect. On exiting we saw a theatre type manager in a tux screaming at the Vietnamese restaurant next door saying he will "get the council to shut them down!"
Thomas Southerland the director and Danielle Tarento the producer looked quite shocked. There was more drama when leaving than onstage! Drinks thrown from the guy and everything!
The book isn't perfect and neither were some performances but we still liked it. Just a shame it's in that theatre also, smells aside, it's not the best. 9/10 moments mixed with 2/10. A confused bag and I get the feeling from the faces of the team that they know it and have failed to recreate the magic of the Southwark Playhouse production with this new cast.
|
|
1,013 posts
|
Post by talkstageytome on Jun 3, 2016 10:10:52 GMT
If you look at the size of the theatre and the space backstage, the reason for multi roling becomes apparent. I didn't mind it at all, as the characters were distinctly different and so were the costumes worn. There's only so much that can be done in such a small space and personally I thought that the piece fit very well in the Charing Cross Theatre (which I also think could be a very cute little space if they did it up a little bit).
I personally got the impression that this piece would be received extremely well, and I am expecting reviews to pretty much be identical to those received at the SP. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2016 11:15:20 GMT
Finally at the end of the show there was a fishy and smoke smell in the theatre. We laughed on the way out saying surely they didn't add this to effect. Funny enough, when I was at home once watching "Titanic" on DVD, the same thing happened. I thought "This film is very realistic." Then it dawned on me that my dinner was burning. I had a similar experience watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There was a rather interesting shimmery effect on the screen that I thought was quite entertaining, followed by a stream of smoke from the back of the TV which was less so. |
|
703 posts
|
Post by theatremiss on Jun 3, 2016 11:31:15 GMT
I loved the camp guy, reminded me a little of Anthony Perkins.
|
|
153 posts
|
Post by liverpool54321 on Jun 4, 2016 23:33:27 GMT
Saw the matinee earlier today and really enjoyed it. I've seen several shows at Charing Cross Theatre but this was on a different level.
Never seen or heard Titanic before so was unsure what to expect - apart from ship sinking. For first 10 minutes with lengthy opening number I thought I had walked into a Gilbert & Sullivan revival but things quickly change and although the score bounces around quite a bit, I liked the different styles used for each story line. No idea how big music ensemble was but they sounded great - felt like a full orchestra at times hidden away.
Only criticism was the sound level early on which was way too loud and meant it was very distorted. May have been worse because we were in the balcony and therefore getting effect as sound bounces off ceiling. Fortunately seemed to be fixed after about 15 minutes.
Staging worked well in the space. Couldn't fault any of the singers in the performance I saw. For those thinking of booking and unsure where to sit, I would suggest the balcony towards the front. Cheaper than stalls and as long as you don't mind looking over the side gives a great view - plus avoids having to be looking up all the time at the action on the upper deck.
|
|
1,936 posts
|
Post by wickedgrin on Jun 4, 2016 23:39:45 GMT
I also saw this at the matinee on Saturday!
I thought it was fabulous! Very well sung throughout, very well staged with great lighting. The company of 20 worked their socks off constantly changing costumes and classes of passengers. I thought they were all good but a special shout out to Niall Sheehy who was in fine voice for 3 different characters and joined the cast late I understand. A really terrific performance with some very quick costume changes.
I did not see this production at the Southwark Playhouse so cannot compare but I thought this production and cast really very good.
I would echo what others have said and sit further back. I was in row E - too close! SO much action above and high. Better to get a proper perspective futher back I think and usually I like being close.
Not a bundle of laughs though! Very emotional in parts. Very well received from a 75% house. Runs 2.5 hours.
4.5 stars for me.
|
|
1,481 posts
|
Post by steve10086 on Jun 4, 2016 23:41:07 GMT
Never seen or heard Titanic before so was unsure what to expect - apart from ship sinking. Spoiler alert!!  |
|
5,138 posts
|
Post by Being Alive on Jun 5, 2016 13:01:31 GMT
Was also at the matinee yesterday and had no idea what to expect of the musical - only had heard Barretts Song which i loved.
I agree the venue is horrible but this show makes it less so. It fills the stage (possibly overfills) but it adds to the sense of doom ahead. Fantastic performances by wonderful cast who work very hard with a fantastic book and score.
Will be trying to go again (I was in row H and thought it was the PERFECT seat).
4.5 stars
|
|
362 posts
|
Post by JJShaw on Jun 5, 2016 15:03:28 GMT
Agree row H! couldn't ask for a better seat in my opinion!
It was my first time going to this theatre and i found it rather charming, no pealing paint and the bar and foyer areas looked rather nice, but that might just be me.
I was amazed to see how far back the seating extended, for such a small auditorium!
|
|
571 posts
|
Post by westendwendy on Jun 6, 2016 12:44:40 GMT
The Charring Cross theatre under a stinky dark arch opposite a sweaty nightclub inside a drunken after party place is not sweet!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2016 22:40:23 GMT
You say 'sweaty nightclub' and 'drunken after party place' like thats a bad thing.... Some of my best nights/mornings our have been spent in those places! |
|
571 posts
|
Post by westendwendy on Jun 6, 2016 22:45:53 GMT
You say 'sweaty nightclub' and 'drunken after party place' like thats a bad thing.... Some of my best nights/mornings our have been spent in those places! You can tell you haven't travelled much then! London's nightlife is very dirty, sticky floors, crazy opening/closing times, expensive and generally lacks style and often health and safety! Each to their own.... Now back to the sinking ship and the camp actors. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2016 1:24:19 GMT
you totally missed the point of my post..... bless.
|
|
8,094 posts
|
Post by alece10 on Jun 7, 2016 7:39:17 GMT
You say 'sweaty nightclub' and 'drunken after party place' like thats a bad thing.... Some of my best nights/mornings our have been spent in those places! Agree with you. I have some great memories of my younger days in London and Saturday nights at Heaven. Mind you I talking about the late 70s/earlys 80s. On another note. Is it the same cast as they had in Southwark? If so I remember a camp guy in the cast who I thought was hilarious. |
|
1,819 posts
|
Post by stevej678 on Jun 7, 2016 8:22:40 GMT
|
|
2,452 posts
|
Post by theatremadness on Jun 7, 2016 10:50:01 GMT
Interesting! I saw this last night and would not give it 5 stars. Maybe 3/3.5.
First act was so long and really, not much happened. I thought the grandeur of seeing this huge ship off on its Maiden Voyage could have been played much more (maybe that's to do with limited space more than anything). So many little snippets of each couple that I felt like I didn't really get to know anyone without the use of exposition in the book. So much exposition. And actors in their multi-roles made it quite hard for someone, such as myself, who actually doesn't know this musical well at all, to keep track of everything and everyone. The class divide of the passengers also struggled to make any impact as a result of the multi-roles. I know it's acting and suspending disbelief but sometimes they would go off as a third class passenger and enter again just seconds later as a first class passenger, which dampened that particular message. The first act was all about getting the ship faster, yet I felt like the pace was really slow. I didn't find the book particularly engaging, other than some very well-delivered one liners from James Gant's character and the radio boy and some touching moments between the older couples. Made harder to listen to by some really bad accents and missed/cut off sound cues, and direction that was, at times, a little muddy.
Luckily, the second act was much shorter and picked up incredibly in pace, as one would expect given the ending of Act 1. The panic and struggle of the passengers and crew was presented to great effect and I found the parts when the crew started turning on each other (and themselves) really very interesting and quite hard to watch at times! More upsides were the incredible orchestra playing this lush score with which, as I've said, I am unfamiliar, and that the ensemble singing was truly some of the most thrilling I've heard in a theatre, I can't commend it enough. The ending was done very well indeed. It was truly touching and thought-provoking and the memoriam was such a classy touch.
So I did enjoy myself, but I wasn't overly enamoured with it and wouldn't go and see it again - but I would recommend it to musical theatre fans.
|
|
13 posts
|
Post by niklas on Jun 7, 2016 21:05:26 GMT
The critics seemed to love it. Haven't had the time to read any of the articles, but just looking at the rating, the production got five stars from The Times, The Stage, Theatre Weekly, Stage Review, Gay Times, Theatremonkey, Reviews Hub, Livetheatre, The Upcoming, The Bardette, Londontheatre1, amongst others ... Seems pretty rare for a musical in London to get such an enthusiastic reception throughout.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2016 21:08:09 GMT
The critics seemed to love it. Haven't had the time to read any of the articles, but just looking at the rating, the production got five stars from The Times, The Stage, Theatre Weekly, Stage Review, Gay Times, Theatremonkey, Reviews Hub, Livetheatre, The Upcoming, The Bardette, Londontheatre1, amongst others ... Seems pretty rare for a musical in London to get such an enthusiastic reception throughout. Bend it bend it |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2016 22:15:54 GMT
Saw this tonight. Really enjoyed it! Great production and the score sounded excellent at all times. Slightly let down by the ending, didn't move me in the way I wanted it to. Took me out of it a bit. Not one bad performance though. 4*
|
|
98 posts
|
Post by stanne on Jun 9, 2016 18:35:43 GMT
The reviews for this really do seem to be pretty much 100% excellent - I am still hovering on the brink of booking.......
Anyone else seen it and want to give an opinion on it?
|
|
2 posts
|
Post by nordickthrust on Jun 9, 2016 20:33:38 GMT
I saw it last night and it is stunning, I loved the music and the cast are terrific. I rarely take any notice of the reviews but i must say that for once they are right it really is worth 5 stars. I had never been to the Charing Cross Theatre before and was very impressed plus the ticket prices aren't expensive when you compare them to other venues, whats not to like?
|
|
