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Post by mrbarnaby on Jul 23, 2017 8:39:10 GMT
Take out the songs and this show is a total car wreck. The story is woeful and the characters totally unengaging.
They aren't calling it a musical because if they did, it would look like an even bigger mess.
For me the only positives were the songs and vocal performances, particularly Henderson. I hope they do a cast recording
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4,162 posts
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Post by kathryn on Jul 24, 2017 12:24:33 GMT
Just impulse-booked a press Night £5 ticket in the dress. Use promo code PRESS5.
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1,064 posts
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Post by bellboard27 on Jul 24, 2017 14:20:37 GMT
Just impulse-booked a press Night £5 ticket in the dress. Use promo code PRESS5. Thanks! |
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5,716 posts
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Post by lynette on Jul 24, 2017 17:55:34 GMT
Phantom, we await your views.
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Post by paddy72 on Jul 25, 2017 22:02:42 GMT
Just come out of a preview of this astonishing production at The Old Vic. I've not experienced a show having so much power over an audience for yonks. It reduced whole rows of people to tears so breathtaking and heart rendering is it and so beautifully crafted. Some people will call it a jukebox musical, others a play with music but it really, really isn't either. Bob Dylan's songs have been rearranged and transformed in to something totally new. They speak volumes. This is a totally new sort of show and I genuinely came away thinking that Musical theatre had just been reinvented. However with a cast and band of around 30 on stage it will be interesting to see who will have the guts to transfer it to the west end. I suspect like Groundhog Day it will head straight to broadway. If you like your theatre to take you out of the everyday and away to some place special then this is for you. Wonderful magical stuff that hasn't been seen in London, at least, for a very long time. I give it 10 stars out of 5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2017 22:15:34 GMT
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Post by Michael on Jul 26, 2017 4:12:04 GMT
Threads merged.
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4,162 posts
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Post by kathryn on Jul 26, 2017 17:19:54 GMT
Damn, turns out my sleep-deprived fingers selected the Lillian Bayliss when I thought they'd picked the dress. So not quite the bargain I thought it was. Oh well. Having a quick tea and soup before heading in.
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4,162 posts
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Post by kathryn on Jul 26, 2017 22:31:10 GMT
Mixed feelings about this one. It may be just me being jetlaged and over-caffeinated, but, good as the musical performances are, I'm not sure that they hang together with the drama successfully.
It's not that I didn't enjoy it - what's not to like about wonderful renditions of terrific songs? - but I'm just not sure why they were there. Especially as the actors were stepping out of character to sing them.
I am sure I will be in the minority and that it will get rapturous reviews. There were people moved to tears by it near me, and an enthusiastic standing ovation from most of the audience.
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Post by dave72 on Jul 27, 2017 2:24:54 GMT
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Post by popcultureboy on Jul 27, 2017 7:17:19 GMT
The WOS review feels the same. For what it's worth, I felt the same too. Beautifully arranged and gloriously sung, it didn't save the evening from being dull as dishwater. I didn't care one iota about any of it and left at the interval. |
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Post by MrBunbury on Jul 27, 2017 9:27:09 GMT
I actually really liked it. A 'strange beast', as it has been defined here before, but definitely up my street.
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1,064 posts
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Post by bellboard27 on Jul 27, 2017 9:39:34 GMT
I am definitely on the very positive side for this one. I thoroughly enjoyed it - both the music and the drama. And £5 seats for press night were a bonus! It has clearly split the critics. A glowing 5 star review from Billington down to 2 stars from WOS.
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5,716 posts
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Post by lynette on Jul 27, 2017 9:43:44 GMT
Well this is a puzzler. The audience when I was there rose as one...well almost..at the end but the reviews are mixed. Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph is lukewarm. He doesn't think much of Bob Dylan so this doesn't help. He notices the references to American classic theatre...what a clever chap...but doesn't really approach the themes of this play. And he doesn't mention the stand out performances noted in our thread. Sometimes you just miss that Charles Spencer don't you? ( no need to respond..)
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Post by raiseitup on Jul 27, 2017 10:33:55 GMT
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5,716 posts
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Post by lynette on Jul 27, 2017 10:51:02 GMT
Ooooo just read the WOS review, thanks raiseitup for posting the reviews, and I think the reviewer kinda misses the point. This is a piece of theatre and as such works well. The boy coming back from the dead is a terrific scene because the actor has been doing his not quite all there and Lenny bit and you don't really 'see' him and then wow he does this number which is v good and obviously why he was cast! I'm not gonna give you the entire benefit of my literary and theatrical critique ( I give you plenty all the time I know) but she doesn't get how this is part of the play!!!! Layers, dearie, layers. So her 2 * review is really out of kilter and silly. What else do you expect from WOS?
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195 posts
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Post by tal on Aug 1, 2017 16:47:40 GMT
I was so emotionally invested in the show that I forgot to buy a program during the interval. I regret that deeply now, as I really wanted to have the list of the songs that were played. I am assuming here that the program has that list.
Would anybody who bought the program or has access to the list of songs be an incredibly kind soul and share it?
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562 posts
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Post by jadnoop on Aug 1, 2017 16:54:27 GMT
I was so emotionally invested in the show that I forgot to buy a program during the interval. I regret that deeply now, as I really wanted to have the list of the songs that were played. I am assuming here that the program has that list. Would anybody who bought the program or has access to the list of songs be an incredibly kind soul and share it? I downloaded this from somewhere imgur.com/a/49fzdDon't remember where I got it from originally. Might have been someone here... |
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195 posts
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Post by tal on Aug 1, 2017 21:05:52 GMT
I was so emotionally invested in the show that I forgot to buy a program during the interval. I regret that deeply now, as I really wanted to have the list of the songs that were played. I am assuming here that the program has that list. Would anybody who bought the program or has access to the list of songs be an incredibly kind soul and share it? I downloaded this from somewhere imgur.com/a/49fzdDon't remember where I got it from originally. Might have been someone here... Thank you so much! |
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Post by horton on Aug 2, 2017 1:29:36 GMT
That WoS review has the IQ of a bag of sand.
If you don't understand non-naturalism you may be confused. If you wonder how a housebound woman can jiggle around and sing, this is not for you, (and you should stick to painting by numbers).
If you yearn for innovative, beautifully executed theatre blended with music, this is a must-see.
This cast is unbelievably talented and, if you engage, it's almost unbearably moving.
The best thing I've seen in quite a few years!
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Post by gazzaw13 on Aug 2, 2017 9:01:03 GMT
Ignore the reviews and feel the vibe on here and in the room. This is an amazing night at the theatre - moving, brilliantly acted and sung. So many of the professional critics are hung up on genre that they can't get their heads around this: is it a play, is it a musical, if it's a musical is it jukebox? Chill out and just let the whole experience wash over you. I've just booked to see it again.
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751 posts
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Post by horton on Aug 2, 2017 10:22:28 GMT
Were you there last night? It was really interesting watching the audience. There were clearly people who were not comfortable because the show could not be pigeon-holed.
Those who, as you say, "let the whole experience wash over" them responded with my favourite thing: a moment of hush and then a sudden ovation. Like a collective breath that had been held.
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Post by Jonnyboy on Aug 2, 2017 18:35:02 GMT
Thanks for the track listing. Made a Spotify playlist!
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Post by charliec on Aug 3, 2017 10:40:00 GMT
The Old Vic have posted a video of my absolute favorite bit of the show - Sheila Atim singing "Tight Connection to My Heart". About 2 hrs 15 secs in is when I got goosebumps!
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5,716 posts
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Post by lynette on Aug 3, 2017 11:22:59 GMT
When this woman opened her mouth the whole theatre was in shock! She is mesmerising.
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