The Secret Life of Bees - Almeida 2023

[tmesis]

I found this all a bit well, bland really. The music was perfectly pleasant but never really achieved any melodic, or harmonic distinction and all the songs, musically did what you expected them to do. The story also aimed for a powerful punch but didn’t deliver - towards the end the music could have ramped up the emotional temperature here but it was all pretty pedestrian. And, as others have said, there was way too much of it, particularly as it wasn’t furthering the plot or heightening the tension.

I started looking at my watch towards the end of Act 1 and then constantly in Act 2.

Lovely set design and lighting and an excellent cast.

75% standing ovation at the end so maybe it’s just me.

[Being Alive]

Oh this was actually very bad to me.

Great cast (Rachel, Danielle, Ava etc I'd pay to watch sing anything) but gosh, what a diabolically written musical this is.

Wild to me that Lynn Nottage and Duncan Sheik produced something so turgid, uninteresting and unengaging.

We had a cover for Lily, seemed to be her debut by the applause from the cast at the end - she was fine.

2 stars. What a snore.

[capybara]

Was at last Wednesday’s matinee performance. I did enjoy it but without feeling the need to ever see it again.

The plot can feel a little slow moving at times but you kind of end up just going with it. The jeopardy never felt especially high, despite the nature of the issues being discussed.

Probably one of the best vocal companies I’ve seen though and some of the score really hit.

Three stars.

[jm25]

This wasn’t entirely my cup of tea. For a production that relies so heavily on its music, the songs weren’t quite strong enough in my view - but glad to see others have enjoyed it.

It was very hot up in the circle this evening so I must admit I came close to nodding off at one or two moments!

[matty]

I was so excited about then when I booked, but I saw tonight and really disliked it. I mean, the songs were good, but at times, especially towards the beginning, i felt like i was watching The Wiz or something.

I also disliked some of the casting. I couldn't believe Abiona Omonua as Rosaleen (shes not a bad actress), she just felt too young - I swear Rosaleen is meant to be a middle-aged woman? And the direction for Lilly felt like she was giving Cassie from Skins vibes.

I did have some positives...I thought the lighting was fantastic and really liked the simple staging, for me, it was just a shame that that couldn't make up foe the rest of it.

[mattnyc]

Just getting in from tonight's performance and I had really been looking forward to this, having missed it in New York. And I liked it quite a bit. I can't put my finger on exactly why I didn't enjoy it more, say to bump it from 3 stars to 4, but I think it felt a bit unfinished - like a musical in it's earlier stages that still needs to refine itself. I found some of the music absolutely beautiful and would love a cast recording and really, the cast was all top notch, not a weak one in the bunch. I don't know what the future is for this musical but I hope they continue to work on it a little more if they move forward with productions in the UK or USA.

[theatrefan77]

I enjoyed this a lot. Loved the set and thought some of the performances were quite wonderful. I found some of the music quite beautiful and the story have some really moving moments.

[jr]

I booked this months ago out of curiosity. I didn't know the novel or the film, and I was thinking it might be some overly sentimental rubbish when I read the plot. Well, I was wrong. Though it is not perfect I found it very moving and entertaining. The songs are fantastic; I have read some comments here saying they weren't memorable, but at least four or five numbers are really good (the love duet, the argument between the two sisters, the end of both acts). The lighting is beautiful and the acting mostly good. On the minus side, it feels a bit bland at times, Rosaleen's character half disappears on the second half, and I did not like Eleanor Worthington-Cox's acting, but to be fair I am not sure if it was the direction or the actor, or both.

I think it has not been given a full Broadway production, maybe with some work it could be a really good musical.

[theatremiss]

I saw it this afternoon and really liked it. It wasn’t amazing but made for an enjoyable afternoon. I would like to have a cast recording as there are some nice numbers in this show

[david]

I was also at today’s matinee. This really was a mixed bag for me. The big positives for me were the score - really lovely songs to listen to and the closing numbers of each Act were particular standouts for me and the cast vocals which I can only describe as stunning. I’d certainly purchase an OCR from this show from my visit today. From the technical side, the set and lighting design also get a big thumbs up from me.

The biggest issue I had with this viewing was with the book from Lynn Nottage which for me stopped it from taking this show to the next level and definitely needs further work. It felt really slow pacing wise and I just wanted a bit more tension and drama. With the subject matter of Civil Rights and the plot strand about Lily not really explored in any great depth for me, the potential was there for a more engaging story, but never materialised.

[showgirl]

The varied opionions so far tempered my expectations; I went hoping only that it wasn't a complete dud or that I left at the interval. In the event I found it well worth seeing and though it was indeed long and slow, once I'd accepted the pace and engaged with the narrative, it held my attention and by the end, felt quite epic.

I saw yesterday's matinee, which was officially sold out but as there were a few helpful gaps in the right places, those in the RV seats in my row and the one in front and behind were all able to shift around to improve their view, which was a bonus and a first for me at the Almeida. The performance started a good 30 mins late as an understudy was rehearsing and there was an annoucement before it did start, but the substitution made no discernible difference and at the end there was an immediate standing ovation in the stalls from almost everyone I could see.

[n1david]

Tonight's performance cancelled due to cast ill-health; rest of run sold out so refunded.
This happened to me with Spring Awakening too; I don't have much luck with musicals at the Almeida!

[stevej678]

May 20, 2023 10:44:24 GMT n1david said:

Tonight's performance cancelled due to cast ill-health; rest of run sold out so refunded.
This happened to me with Spring Awakening too; I don't have much luck with musicals at the Almeida!

Matinee cancelled too. I'm on the train down from Liverpool and the email came through just after we'd left Milton Keynes! Got Rush tickets for Once on this Island now instead for this afternoon!

[frankubelik]

Ouch, sorry for you! Saw last night and enjoyed it very very much. No obvious signs of anyone struggling. Had read the book too so knew what to expect (with a few changes and a major character plotline alteration); perhaps cutting the interval and a couple of "samey" songs would tighten, but overall good!

[stevej678]

May 20, 2023 13:50:02 GMT frankubelik said:

Ouch, sorry for you! Saw last night and enjoyed it very very much. No obvious signs of anyone struggling. Had read the book too so knew what to expect (with a few changes and a major character plotline alteration); perhaps cutting the interval and a couple of "samey" songs would tighten, but overall good!

You definitely got lucky seeing it last night! From social media, it seems that it was cancelled on Thursday evening as well as both shows today. Gutted not to get to see it but enjoyed Once on this Island this afternoon in its place. Hopefully those unwell in the cast of The Secret Life of the Bees recover to enjoy its sold-out final week.

[mkb]

I managed to pick up a couple of returns late on Friday night for tonight (Monday). Reading here about cancelled shows on Thursday and Saturday, it seems I was pretty lucky to get to see this show. If there were any understudies, the fact was not made known.

This was a pleasant enough way to while away an evening, but I could not get on board with the rapturous applause and ovation from nearly everyone present. The reasons have pretty much been covered thoroughly by earlier posters.

If there's blame, it rests not with the fine cast. It is mainly the script, which has the narrative pacing all wrong (especially in Act 2) and leaves characters under-developed. As is often the case in dramas involving racial tensions, the playwright draws heavily on extreme stereotypes. But partly, it's the direction. More skilled hands could have ironed out the flaws in the material.

A key problem is that I did not warm to Lily and her relentless melancholic disposition. The book has her repeatedly ignoring sage advice for self-centred reasons, and being annoyingly weak until suddenly she isn't.

Finally, there is no resolution. The material simply peters out.

And what is the significance of the bees of the title? They are entirely incidental, apart from a half-formed, love them and they love you message, whatever that was meant to mean.

The music is good but the lyrics need a lot of work. For example, when given a notebook as a present, Lily sings, "It's not too big and it's not too small". Really?

The set design proves you can do small and simple yet still evoke the feel of the American Deep South. (Are you watching Rebecca Frecknall?) The lighting design helped tremendously here, but the frequent use of back lighting was blinding for us in the front row.

The sound design was poor. Many vocals were drowned out by the music, and the quality of the reproduction of the musical instruments lacked fidelity. It was the sort of sound you hear in nightclubs with cheap speakers.

Three stars.

Act 1: 19:37-20:45
Act 2: 21:07-22:10

[stevej678]

Cancelled again tonight.

[nash16]

May 23, 2023 15:55:16 GMT stevej678 said:

Cancelled again tonight.

Yikes.

Saw a great cover on when I went, but now it seems the leads and their covers are down too.

[theatrelover123]

My feeling is that there is a stronger tighter 90 mins musical in there, especially if they lose a lot of unnecessary songs (which may make the ones that stay sound less samey) and scenes that don’t move the action forward.

[Mark]

Hoping this can go on for the matinee today, otherwise that’s some seriously bad luck for me with the Almeida and musicals (have had cancelled performances of Spring Awakening and Tammy Faye before).

[Rory]

May 24, 2023 8:30:21 GMT Mark said:

Hoping this can go on for the matinee today, otherwise that’s some seriously bad luck for me with the Almeida and musicals (have had cancelled performances of Spring Awakening and Tammy Faye before).

Fingers crossed for you Mark. That would be an unbelievable hat-trick of bad luck otherwise!

[stevej678]

It sadly looks like both today's performances may have also been cancelled. Both performances have changed from showing as "Sold out" to "Tickets not on sale" on the Almeida website. The same change has appeared for all previous cancellations. Nothing announced by the theatre as of yet though.

[Mark]

Sadly, yes... Cancelled.
I'll make sure to inform everyone the date I book for their winter musical as a precaution to not go!

Any ideas of a future life planned for this one? It seems to have had fairly positive, if not "must see" word of mouth. 

[tal]

I'm supposed to go on Friday, but now I'm getting scared that they might cancel all remaining performances. I really wanted to see this!

[stevej678]

May 24, 2023 11:14:34 GMT tal said:

I'm supposed to go on Friday, but now I'm getting scared that they might cancel all remaining performances. I really wanted to see this!

They were giving out free programmes on Saturday after the cancellation and they do have an understudy Lily and understudy Neil and Zachary listed in there. Presumably they are multiple cast members/understudies down. Hopefully only cancelling on the day is cause for optimism that the remaining performances have at least some chance of going ahead. Such a shame if the cast don't get a proper closing night together!

May 24, 2023 10:45:41 GMT Mark said:

Sadly, yes... Cancelled.
I'll make sure to inform everyone the date I book for their winter musical as a precaution to not go!

I should maybe join you in that regard! Spring Awakening cancelled, The Secret Life of Bees cancelled. I was so happy to secure a returned ticket for this coming Saturday but now my second attempt at seeing the show is looking in doubt too!