Treason - TRDL / Tour

[capybara]

I found the TRDL concert a little underwhelming but there’s definitely something there to be refined into a decent show.

I was looking at the cast list the other day and noticed there’s no sign of the narrator this time? That may be a plus, she felt a little removed from the concert version to have any real impact.

I also hope the dialogue is either sung through or spoken in non-rhymes, as the desire for each spoken sentence to rhyme was a little irritating.

Looking forward to seeing this at the Ally Pally.

[anita]

I was thinking of seeing this at Orchard Dartford but looks like it won't be at the new Orchard West venue.

[picklemonster08]

Tbh I absolutely hates the concerts last year, thought the songs were forgettable, and everything else was too referential, the rapping narration was cringey and made no sense, people didn’t know when to clap as the songs lacked a clear ending, the ensemble costumes were bad &juliet knock offs, the king being pretty much ripped from Hamilton, plus les Denis awful vocals haha big pass don’t think this show deserved the reviews it got I think it only got them because a certain performer was in it

[BurlyBeaR]

[BurlyBeaR]

[BurlyBeaR]

[BurlyBeaR]

[BurlyBeaR]

[zsazsa]

I saw this on Friday in Edinburgh. This was a case of the cast being far better than the material they were asked to deliver. A ballad heavy show with little character development. The songs are unmemorable and the Act One finale fails to build to a climax. The whole thing felt like a watered down Hamilton.

[Courfeyrac]

Saw this yesterday in Edinburgh, and while the cast was great, the show itself left a lot to be desired. Neither the score nor the book felt coherent, if there were jokes in there they didn't land with the audience, and I feel that it still needs work to make it a success. The pacing didn't feel right - some scenes felt very long and then the actual gunpowder plot part was glossed over.

I think there are some good songs in there, and the cast was good, but the material isn't there yet. I wanted to like it more than I did.

Oct 29, 2023 10:58:28 GMT zsazsa said:

The whole thing felt like a watered down Hamilton.

This sums up my feelings. I wasn't familiar with the show at all before seeing it, but the style of the narration felt very Burr-esque. I feel like using the review quote likening it to Hamilton did the show a massive disservice as well.

[kz]

I was at the matinee yesterday. The cast are immensely talented and it was incredibly well sung with some great choreography but I struggled with the story telling throughout. I wasn't sure exactly what was happening at points and, despite the first Act having lots of big songs which seemed to have the intention of setting up each character, there were times when I wasn't sure who each person was. The gunpowder section was over so quickly in relation to the build up and Guy Fawkes' involvement seemed to come from nowhere. I wondered if it would have been more successful to tell a more focused part of the story. That said, Les Mis covers a much larger timeframe successfully, so it can clearly be done with the right material. It might have been helpful to go in with more prior knowledge of the story (I realised that my knowledge of political happenings of the time was woefully lacking!) and it did encourage me to read about it afterwards, so there definitely is something interesting in the source material.

There were some strong songs (particularly sung by the female lead- either solo or in duets) but there didn't seem to be a coherent style. Sometimes it was very folk-based (there were actually some really lovely folk moments when the whole cast were singing), but this was mixed with lots of huge ballads and some (I think) R&B. The King's songs felt jarring, rather than delivering the lighter moments I think they were designed for.

There is something there but not in its current form. The cast did a brilliant job with the material they had and, while I didn't particularly enjoy the show itself, I really enjoyed their performances and voices.

[bigredapple]

Seeing a lot of stuff about the palladium being a nightmare venue sound wise etc from last nights bat boy. Is this standard for the palladium? Was thinking of booking treason there but not bothered if the sound is an expected issue

[capybara]

This really didn’t work for me. It should be good but it’s just not, unfortunately.

Too laboured, pacing all wrong, too many forgettable songs. Not enough tension or character development.

I saw it in concert last year with a stronger cast and thought it was OK, with room for improvement. Well, a year on and it has managed to go backwards somehow.

My biggest issue with it is that it is completely joyless.

Despite my reservations, Nicole Raquel Dennis was impressive and ‘The Inevitable’ sounded as good as Lucie Jones or Carrie Hope Fletcher.

Two stars.

[theatre2023]

As expected tickets now dropped to 15 gbp on the rent a crowd services after their initial crazy pricing

[petrichor]

Half time in a woefully undersold Alexandra Palace.

I have to say - I like it! There are some good songs from the concert missing, but I am more invested in the characters, the pacing is better in terms of the evolution of the plot and the performances are great.

Does it still need some work? Absolutely, but I think so many of the reviews have been harsher than the show deserves.

[robertb213]

Caught the matinee yesterday, some good music in there and Nicole Raquel Dennis and Sam Ferriday are great, but otherwise it feel like a very lethargic slog and a chore to get through. I didn't feel it told the story well and the pace dragged a lot.

[mrbarnaby]

Must be bad if even All that Dazzles didn’t like it.

[theatrefan572]

I saw this last night and thought it was great! Having seen the concert I do think some baffling decisions have been made regarding which songs have been cut. ‘The day Elizabeth died’ and ‘Notes’ were both excellent in the concert but they’re completely gone. There are too many ballads in Act 1. When Thomas Percy started his third in a row, I could understand the issues people have with pacing.

I do think, however, they've got the look of the show right. The increased role for Guy Fawkes was very welcome (his last speech is superb) and the reduction in narrative rap was also the right decision to make.

The cast, I think, were sublime. Special shout outs to Martha Percy and Robert Catesby.

Overall, I fear this is the last we will see of this show but it definitely doesn’t deserve to disappear. It still needs work but there’s something really good here that I still think can be fixed. I’ve really enjoyed watching the development of this and seeing it in its different stages. Hoping for more soon.

[musicalqueen]

May 6, 2022 11:12:15 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

I mean Treason has been very much reviewed as a bad version of Hamilton. One of my writers reviewed it for my blog and gave it 2 stars, they quickly unfollowed us on all social platforms as a result 😂 x

[capybara]

Looks like tomorrow night’s show at the Palladium has been quietly cancelled. Wednesday’s performance still seems woefully undersold.

I’m guessing they thought by selling out two dates at a huge venue with heavily discounted tickets, it might cover the (assumed) losses of the tour?

It appears this whole project has been wildly mismanaged and will surely be the final nail in the coffin for a flagging production. Why did they put it into Ally Pally, a 900 seat venue so far out of town and inaccessible for most? Why is it going to the Palladium off the back of dire reviews?

Personally I thought it was quite a bad show, as I posted at the time, but I feel desperately sorry for the performers involved who have been so let down by some terrible decision making.

[Being Alive]

The Palladium thing was quite last minute because (correct me if I'm wrong) they were due to visit Dartford but the theatre is closed because of the concrete thing that became a problem for Northampton amongst others?

Wildly misjudged, but they probably got the Palladium slightly cheaper than it would normally be as it was relatively last minute and it would give the Palladium some income for that evening rather than being dark and having £0 (it's how it works for me in my venue hiring although it's on a smaller scale than the Palladium obvs!)

[erik24601]

It does feel that given how well the TRDL concert went, they've got a little too big for their boots and misjudged quite how popular this is... not least given the bad reviews from the touring dates. Should have put all their efforts (and marketing spend) into the Ally Pally dates instead if that's the venue they chose to go with.

[fluxcapacitor]

Nov 20, 2023 16:32:24 GMT erik24601 said:

It does feel that given how well the TRDL concert went, they've got a little too big for their boots and misjudged quite how popular this is... not least given the bad reviews from the touring dates. Should have put all their efforts (and marketing spend) into the Ally Pally dates instead if that's the venue they chose to go with.

I also think they rushed it. It wasn’t ready. Just because something works quite well as an album of songs and sells well in a concert setting with star names doesn’t mean you can just quickly throw it on its feet and make it work as a full musical. There’s a reason most musicals take years to develop - and that’s with teams of seasoned creatives who understand musical theatre. I do feel the young writers behind this have been mismanaged and would have benefitted from an experienced producer taking time to really develop this with them rather than throw it together in a year. It could have evolved into something rather good.