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Post by chris3535 on Apr 7, 2021 7:56:50 GMT
Thanks all
I have booked through the official site...first week in August. Fingers crossed it actually goes ahead!
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Apr 7, 2021 13:19:34 GMT
If you're desperate to see this show, the Monkey is your guy (well, monkey, not guy) - theatremonkey.com. I'm sure this has been mentioned extensively in this thread, but the show doesn't discount. My feelings on the show aside, I don't think even the staunchest fans would argue it offers value for top price or "premium" seats. I don't know how this'll fit into the current Covid theatre world, but my advice would be to really try and find value. I wonder if Kids Go Free will run in August this year ? It would be a great way to get families back into theatre in a year when they are likely to be far fewer overseas visitors than usual. We saw Lion King a couple of times using that promotion, with decent seats. |
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Post by fiyero on Jul 23, 2021 16:44:42 GMT
From the Cinderella thread: In ALW’s Interview onstage at the Gillian yesterday, he mentioned that another MAJOR musical will not be opening on time any longer, which again is terribly upsetting for the whole industry. Only time will tell which show that is. I have a feeling the press release is imminent. Seems to be Lion King. Has anyone heard anything? I have a fairly early show booked and want to know as early as possible if I need to book my plan B |
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Post by Rozzi Rainbow on Jul 25, 2021 16:24:54 GMT
I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned already, but the Circle of Life recording from the first rehearsal posted to YouTube yesterday is amazing. You can really see how much it means to all of them to be back, and it takes them a couple of attempts to even get started due to the emotion. I'll attempt to post a link, but if this isn't allowed, it's called "Circle of Life first 2021 rehearsal performance | The Lion King in the West End".
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Post by fiyerorocher on Jul 29, 2021 22:32:56 GMT
Not my normal stomping ground, but it was fantastic to see this show open tonight. The audience really seemed to love it, and definitely got behind the cast!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2021 17:39:23 GMT
Not my normal stomping ground, but it was fantastic to see this show open tonight. The audience really seemed to love it, and definitely got behind the cast! Same here. The house was packed and the audience were in great spirits. The first (and last) time I went I was so appalled at the audience behaviour I couldn’t get into it whatsoever. This time, whilst there was still chatting, phones blazing and singing, it was on a lower par ahd I could mostly block it out. The show is really a spectacle and I finally saw what many of my non-regular theatre going friends kept raving about. |
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Post by fiyerorocher on Jul 30, 2021 19:15:41 GMT
Not my normal stomping ground, but it was fantastic to see this show open tonight. The audience really seemed to love it, and definitely got behind the cast! Same here. The house was packed and the audience were in great spirits. The first (and last) time I went I was so appalled at the audience behaviour I couldn’t get into it whatsoever. This time, whilst there was still chatting, phones blazing and singing, it was on a lower par ahd I could mostly block it out. The show is really a spectacle and I finally saw what many of my non-regular theatre going friends kept raving about. Yes, I was expecting the singing and chatting to be way worse, especially considering the number of kids around, but they were all relatively well behaved. And thankfully the young girl sat next to me who kept attempting a high pitched whistle with her fingers in her mouth wasn't very good at it :' ) Didn't notice any phones from where I was sat, but I've heard there were some out. The guy who ran across the stage in the interval was a bit much though  |
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Post by Mark on Aug 3, 2021 10:24:18 GMT
I haven't seen this for over 14 years so thought I'd take a look at the new Disney dayseats. Well, I bagged a front row seat for tonight! Im hopeful I will enjoy it more than last time where I was the back row of the upper circle.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2021 11:12:25 GMT
I haven't seen this for over 14 years so thought I'd take a look at the new Disney dayseats. Well, I bagged a front row seat for tonight! Im hopeful I will enjoy it more than last time where I was the back row of the upper circle. This is good to know, thanks! I’m hoping they add Mary Poppins to this after it reopens, or at least have info on the lottery soon. |
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Post by Mark on Aug 3, 2021 11:20:48 GMT
I haven't seen this for over 14 years so thought I'd take a look at the new Disney dayseats. Well, I bagged a front row seat for tonight! Im hopeful I will enjoy it more than last time where I was the back row of the upper circle. This is good to know, thanks! I’m hoping they add Mary Poppins to this after it reopens, or at least have info on the lottery soon. I believe they will, along with Frozen. Was surprised to still see tickets left after 11am, all were single stalls seats. |
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 3, 2021 22:34:38 GMT
So, that was the worst show audience for anything I've seen for at least the last two years.
Talking throughout is strongly encouraged. The moment the kids stop asking dumb questions, it is expected that you then start a further conversation with them to check they're enjoying themselves. And if a baby at the upper level starts crying and other kids start yelling out, you just leave the to get on with it for most of the second half.
You can also expect little kids to climb on the chairs, for them to not be able to manage large tubs of popcorn so most of it to end up on the floor or over the person next to them. And if you buy them a soft toy over the interval, they're required to keep waving it around, showing it to the actors and blocking the view of the people sat behind.
They actually made an announcement before the show that masks were mandatory and I didn't spot a single person put a mask on, or any attempt at enforcement. I only spotted one other person wearing a mask in the row I was in. They also had the most hidden hand sanitiser out of any theatre I've been to recently and they were out of soap in the gents.
On the plus side, entrance to the theatre was quick and they did check Covid-19 passports on mobile devices (although e-tickets themselves had to be printed, which was completely wasteful).
The show itself is quite a spectacle and I'm impressed how the cast get through it while the audience do what they want (even I could see various phone lights going off and lots of photos being grabbed). The only other time I saw this show was in Sydney about 15 years ago, so it was good to see it here with English accents, even if the Australian audience was much more respectful. I'm sure the Primark jokes weren't in the script back then.
Cast boards are very well hidden if they exist at all, but I was very impressed by Kayi Ushe as Simba, more so than when I saw him at The Show Must Go On. I know he's new to the role. He keeps his body in great shape too. I was equally impressed by Young Simba, who based on the website photos I presume was Ta’rell Fearon-Telfer. This must only be his second or third time performing the role.
The whole cast is full of talented puppeteers and this is a show that runs like clockwise. The sound quality was rather mixed though, particularly the vocals, but that likely wasn't helped by being sat close to the orchestra.
I was a day seat holder. I've tried to get day seats online before and not got through, but this time I was through the virtual queue in about two minutes and got one of the three remaining seats (one single, one pair) at about 10:02am. It looks like more go on sale later. It was a front row aisle seat, which has to be the best view in the place as the stage is low. And you will only end up with one family beside you and one behind you (just think, there are other seats when you could be surrounded on all four sides).
Mark, I know you were also on the front row somewhere, so hope you enjoyed it, but I wasn't quite in the mood to try and work out where you were!
I did enjoy it for the spectacle and the seat was great value at £20, but it may well be another few years before I risk this type of audience again.
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Post by Mark on Aug 3, 2021 22:36:29 GMT
Glad I got to see this from a decent seat finally.
Once I got used to the constant undertone of murmering from the small children (and their parents!) in the audience and some really badly timed audience clapalongs during the end of act one, I did enjoy it.
None of the performers particularly stood out and found it to be very much a painting by numbers of the 20 year old direction and choreography. But there are some great numbers and of course the music is great.
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Post by Mark on Aug 3, 2021 22:46:33 GMT
So, that was the worst show audience for anything I've seen for at least the last two years. Talking throughout is strongly encouraged. The moment the kids stop asking dumb questions, it is expected that you then start a further conversation with them to check they're enjoying themselves. And if a baby at the upper level starts crying and other kids start yelling out, you just leave the to get on with it for most of the second half. You can also expect little kids to climb on the chairs, for them to not be able to manage large tubs of popcorn so most of it to end up on the floor or over the person next to them. And if you buy them a soft toy over the interval, they're required to keep waving it around, showing it to the actors and blocking the view of the people sat behind. Mark, I know you were also on the front row somewhere, so hope you enjoyed it, but I wasn't quite in the mood to try and work out where you were! I was in the central section (A22) just behind the conductor (next to a kid who got popcorn all over the floor and the mum who kept talking). Very frustrating when parents don't (can't?) control their children. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 3, 2021 23:06:45 GMT
This all sounds so grim.
When I last saw this about 10 years ago, it was the worst audience I’ve ever sat in. The row in front were eating boxes of steaming stinking pizza throughout and talking on their phones during the show.
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Post by max on Aug 3, 2021 23:13:16 GMT
The show itself is quite a spectacle and I'm impressed how the cast get through it while the audience do what they want (even I could see various phone lights going off and lots of photos being grabbed). The only other time I saw this show was in Sydney about 15 years ago, so it was good to see it here with English accents, even if the Australian audience was much more respectful. I'm sure the Primark jokes weren't in the script back then In the 'Joseph' thread some have wondered about a more magic, less comic version, and I thought long ago: if only someone would do 'Joseph' with the beautiful and tasteful aesthetics* of 'The Lion King'. Except I hadn't been to see 'The Lion King' then, only seeing TV excerpts and stills. Eventually I did see it. The show began with what, for most shows, would be Finale-level brilliance and artistic spectacle, as the animals gather at the watering hole. But - having got the amassed cast of characters there, there's nothing for any of them to say/do (why not a big speech from the elder King?). Instead, a curtain with African print design descended to screen them, and in an old fashioned front-of-curtain scene (like pantomime), some rodent 'thing' described it as looking like "an IKEA shower curtain". How to kill the mood, and negate so much of the art! And an incredible insult to African design. Now Primark get a look in?! Maybe I took it too seriously, lol! But I'm not surprised if it's treated by audiences like a play facility at an out-of-town industrial estate, only missing a ball pit for kids to role around in. *I think Morgan Large's design for Joseph looks great btw - not a dig at that. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 3, 2021 23:35:26 GMT
That smacks of some Disney Exec demanding that more ‘jokes’ are put in /cheap laughs.
I bet Julie Taymor would not be happy the show has been so cheapened. It was bad enough when they shoehorned other Disney references it when it first opened.
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Aug 4, 2021 9:48:59 GMT
The first time I saw it in London was a magical evening, mid-stalls aisle seat. The second time was years later, basically same seat, but at a matinee. The audience was full of kids, rowdy school groups and an especially loud disabled group, very scared of the hyenas, very annoying, but you also felt for them (and wondered, why they were brought to a regular West End show). Due to the terrible atnosphere I saw every fault and hole in the production, all magic (besides the opening number) gone. A very miserable experience. Similar thing happened with Aladdin, first time Dress Circle evening - amazing, second time Front Stalls matinee - show felt terribly rushed, whole production felt cheap. Seems it is best to never see a Disney show twice...though trying it again with Mary Poppins.  |
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Post by max on Aug 5, 2021 21:49:11 GMT
The first time I saw it in London was a magical evening, mid-stalls aisle seat. The second time was years later, basically same seat, but at a matinee. The audience was full of kids, rowdy school groups and an especially loud disabled group, very scared of the hyenas, very annoying, but you also felt for them (and wondered, why they were brought to a regular West End show). Due to the terrible atnosphere I saw every fault and hole in the production, all magic (besides the opening number) gone. A very miserable experience. Similar thing happened with Aladdin, first time Dress Circle evening - amazing, second time Front Stalls matinee - show felt terribly rushed, whole production felt cheap. Seems it is best to never see a Disney show twice...though trying it again with Mary Poppins. That's sad to hear - particularly for the disabled group: A positive thing to say for the production is that their Relaxed performances (next on 5th September) seem well done. The website has all kinds of materials for before seeing the show, as some with specific sensory needs require notice of what to expect and when. There are videos too. In 2018 The National Autistic Society awarded Disney’s THE LION KING and the Lyceum Theatre an Autism-Friendly Award. Thumbs up for that. |
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Aug 6, 2021 7:38:24 GMT
This was years ago, so I don't know if autism-friendly performances were already established. Was a very mixed group I seem to recall.
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Post by richey on Aug 6, 2021 18:16:02 GMT
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Post by Raven on Aug 6, 2021 18:31:25 GMT
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Post by richey on Aug 6, 2021 21:00:14 GMT
Cancellation extended to all this weekend's performances.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 6, 2021 22:12:32 GMT
Was bound to happen I’m afraid.
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Post by ceebee on Aug 6, 2021 23:44:36 GMT
Hacova Matata.
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Post by fiyero on Aug 8, 2021 21:06:24 GMT
Just had my 5 days to go email for Friday, booked back in April and the whole week is now off sale 😬
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