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Post by zahidf on Apr 14, 2022 6:05:55 GMT
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406 posts
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Post by MrBunbury on Apr 14, 2022 8:34:00 GMT
Very exciting announcement. I like also all the other pieces planned for this year. |
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1,828 posts
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Post by Dave B on Jun 21, 2022 12:51:16 GMT
Cast and other details out today
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2022 12:57:52 GMT
Danielle is an amazing Elsa, so pleased she has got a lead role in her own right
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2022 13:04:16 GMT
I'm guessing by the age of the cast and as they are using that iconic Nelson Mandela image that the show will be set up to an including his trail and imprisonment in the early 1960's. Certainly an interesting project and there is no way you could capture his life in just one show to be fair. I hope it does his legacy justice - the songs have the Africian rhythms to draw on so if they are up to screatch it could be a very good show.
Growing up in the 1980's the first I heard of Nelson was when the Special AKA did a song about him and I heard on a radio report it was banned in South Africa and it said who he was.
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1,828 posts
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Post by Dave B on Jun 28, 2022 11:19:07 GMT
Friends booking open, they have the now usual front row seats for £12.50. Prices otherwise range from £10 - £65.
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Post by mrnutz on Jul 12, 2022 11:12:32 GMT
Public booking is open now
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4,778 posts
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Post by Mark on Jul 12, 2022 23:50:08 GMT
Managed to get three front row £12.50 tix for 7th Jan Mat (since I know I'll have it booked off work for Come From Away closing night).
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1,561 posts
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Post by showtoones on Oct 13, 2022 13:32:23 GMT
Does the Young Vic hire understudies? I want to see Danielle and Michael in the show...
thanks!
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Post by nwtheatre on Nov 8, 2022 12:33:15 GMT
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728 posts
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Post by sophie92 on Nov 28, 2022 14:27:25 GMT
Just had a text to say tomorrow night’s first preview is cancelled.
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Nov 28, 2022 16:52:04 GMT
Just had a text to say tomorrow night’s first preview is cancelled. EEEEEEEEEEEEK. I'm in for Wednesday.  |
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Nov 30, 2022 15:54:20 GMT
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282 posts
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Post by kyvai on Nov 30, 2022 22:19:25 GMT
Wow very spoilery but they do warn you of that! Good for people who do need information in that much depth to facilitate their visit.
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Dec 1, 2022 0:23:17 GMT
Wow very spoilery but they do warn you of that! Good for people who do need information in that much depth to facilitate their visit. I'm surprised I restrained myself from reading the spoilers! I was in tonight for first preview; turns out last night was also cancelled. There were a few lighting and sound issues (follow spots not on certain characters - but first preview, I'm not terribly fussed) I did struggle to hear singing wise felt the mixing was off with the orchestra/band and some mics were not amplified enough (I'm far from being a sound engineer though!) Performances: Nelson Mandela (Michael Luwoye) and Winnie Mandela (Danielle Fiamanya) absolutely incredible. Other stand outs; Stewart Clarke and Earl Carpenter too - supported by a strong ensemble. It was really cool to have a lot of cast members from South Africa brought into this project. You can tell with the Mandela daughters as lead producers that a lot of passion / integrity has gone into telling their father and mother's story...THEIR story. Saying this; the book felt a bit all over the shop. A moment in the first scene caught me offguard and I struggled to watch; felt very teary. Then it went away. The Warden character - conflicted. I'm unsure what musical this is trying to be; there were some things which just shouldn't have been included - less is more. Still processing. The real excitement for me came from the choreography and a capella singing with said choreo. Did it blow me away? No. But I'm glad I saw the show and will be researching a lot about what went on. |
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1,828 posts
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Post by Dave B on Dec 1, 2022 15:18:45 GMT
Yup, going tomorrow night. £12 front row tickets are almost always tempting at YV.
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Dec 1, 2022 16:03:34 GMT
I'm in two minds about booking for this... anyone else going? I need more reviews to push me one way or the other! I'm intrigued to find what everyone thinks! |
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Post by max on Dec 1, 2022 19:39:52 GMT
I've missed the prices I'd be prepared to afford for this - unless the 'High Seat - Unreserved' is any good. Seems to be very central. Any views on what those seats will offer? Otherwise, they're doing Live Broadcast streams 19th to 23rd January. Single viewer £15, multiple viewers of same device £20. Here's the link: www.youngvic.org/whats-on/mandela-broadcast#close |
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Post by mattnyc on Dec 3, 2022 2:56:56 GMT
Saw tonight’s show. I thought the performances, across the board, were outstanding. I found it mostly successful and am willing to forgive some issues with the book that don’t come off as fully cooked (yet). I thought the music was mostly all successful so hopefully it has a good run and gets people interested to educate themselves more on Mandela.
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1,828 posts
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Post by Dave B on Dec 3, 2022 9:58:25 GMT
I'll start with my usual whenever I pop my head into the musicals section. They aren't really my thing, my partner tends to enjoy them a lot more. We do like the YV and this was the last show we were members to get priority booking. So front row, slap in the middle last night (£12.50).
Most of the musicals I've seen have been big West End houses and from back in the cheap seats, so a distant view. I saw more tonsils last night than I can ever recall seeing! It was a whole different experience being so close up especially in the small moments where sound is still being worked out and a mic wasn't turned on in time and there was a second of un-amplified singing, and when there is a whole section of the cast stood about half a metre in front and being able to pick out the different voices so clearly. On the down side, this uses the entire stage - and the wings so some of the impact of the spectacle was 100% lost from being so close. A trade off.
We both enjoyed it, the cast throughout were great. Michael Luwoye, Danielle Fiamayna as Nelson and Winnie were both pretty great. Earl Carpenter as the PM was a lot of fun but his South African accent went very Kiwi/Aussie at one point (I assumed he must actually be Kiwi!), lots of great support in the ensemble, notably Prudence Jezile who steals more than one scene. Really great to see that a large number of the cast are South African.
The story is amazing, as you can imagine. It's probably better to think of this as the story of the Mandela family rather than Nelson Mandela as they lean a bit more towards that.
Defiantly a few small issues still being worked out in preview, timing on mics being turned on and off, small lighting issues but no hint of it in any of the performances other than a sense of relief and happiness at the end, as the final number was ending I could see various cast nodding or reassuring each other that it had gone well. Nothing that in anyway affected our experience at all
A pretty warm reaction - helped or maybe hindered by someone in the third or fourth row who was vocally um I'll say supportive throughout, who whooped and hollered and cheered on the cast "you did it my friend" "we love it" "yes, yes, yes" at the end of almost every number. Some people on their feet but by no means through the house.
Music and lyrics, well I don't think there was anything memorable - by the time we had reached our train at Waterloo I asked herself if there was anything she thought memorable in them and neither of us had anything. Nothing wrong with any of it and it was full on entertaining throughout. Almost the opposite of the dancing and choreography which was just brilliant and there are two or three full ensemble bits which are just great (notably in the second half) and really quite something from the front row, very memorable.
We both spent almost the entire train ride home on Wikipedia reading about the real events of the trial and the warden (100% some artistic license used to further the story) and of Mandela's compatriots that we see a lot of and of course the man himself. So by that count a pretty big success.
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Post by mattnyc on Dec 3, 2022 10:44:23 GMT
On the topic of the music - while I agree that there wasn’t anything particularly memorable (hummable) upon leaving the show, instead of thinking that I remember thinking I’d very much be happy getting a cast recording and hearing the score again.
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Post by nwtheatre on Dec 4, 2022 17:48:27 GMT
Cynthia Erivo was in watching this yesterday! With Lena Waithe!
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Post by mattnyc on Dec 5, 2022 20:56:56 GMT
I have one £48 ticket (Row N, Center) for the show for this Wednesday night that I can’t use. I tried to post on the notice board but don’t think it’s going through? Anyways if anyone’s interested please let me know.
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Post by shownut on Dec 7, 2022 23:23:42 GMT
Just got home from MANDELA and it pains me to say that this is one of the worst musicals I have seen in quite some time.
The book and lyrics are riddled with more cliches and phony sentimentality than a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie and the score is a series of melodies in search of a pulse that never arrives. There are two very good central performances but otherwise there is little to praise here.
There is hardly a single of iota of imagination with this dud of a production. The staging is pedestrian and choreography so repetitive that is starts to become unintentionally comical. Even the set is dull.
What a disappointing evening.
I should add that most of crowd went bananas at the end whch is odd since most folks within my view were sitting on their hands through much of the show (except when they took out their phones from boredom).
Two stars from me (but only because of a few noteworthy performances).
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2,848 posts
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Post by couldileaveyou on Dec 10, 2022 16:56:24 GMT
– The Guardian, The Times, TimeOut **
– The Stage, The Telegraph, WhatsOnStage ***
– Evening Standard ****
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