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Post by Dawnstar on Jun 30, 2021 11:57:18 GMT
And there were some understudies on as well including Jack Michael Stacey as Max I thought he'd taken over as lead Max from the show re-opening. |
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Post by David J on Jun 30, 2021 13:14:00 GMT
And there were some understudies on as well including Jack Michael Stacey as Max I thought he'd taken over as lead Max from the show re-opening. The website still says he is an understudy |
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Post by Dave B on Jun 30, 2021 14:32:03 GMT
The the insert with the programme on Thursday last week |
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Post by David J on Aug 26, 2021 19:29:39 GMT
Saw this again.
Had a great time again especially with a packed auditorium roaring with laughter.
I did however feel it was lacking compared to what I wrote further up this page.
It's not the fact that I've seen the show recently. I expected that. It's just that yesterday's cast wasn't as strong as last time. Maybe it was because I last saw it not long after the show re-opened and they were going the extra mile performing to a reduced audience. But yesterday it did feel like they were going through the motions speeding through at times.
The strongest were the ones I saw last time. Jack Michael Stacey (now principal Max), David Kirkbride, Ellie Morris and Ciara Morris. It's clear they're the seasoned pros in this show. Liked Ross Green as Chris, especially his breakdown during the ledger moment.
It only exposed the lesser performances. Elan James as Jonathan and Oliver Clayton as Trevor could do with speaking up. Sally Chang made her debut just two nights ago as the first actress to play Dennis (or Denise). She did fine, but I could tell she needs to settle into the role and let the jokes land.
Overall though I had a good time.
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Post by Dawnstar on Aug 26, 2021 19:43:09 GMT
Sally Chang made her debut just two nights ago as the first actress to play Dennis (or Denise). She did fine, but I could tell she needs to settle into the role and let the jokes land. How exactly have they worked this? Is Perkins played as a female character or as a trouser role? Have any lines been changed? |
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Post by David J on Aug 26, 2021 22:12:29 GMT
Sally Chang made her debut just two nights ago as the first actress to play Dennis (or Denise). She did fine, but I could tell she needs to settle into the role and let the jokes land. How exactly have they worked this? Is Perkins played as a female character or as a trouser role? Have any lines been changed? She's playing a female actress (Denise) playing a male role. No lines have been changed |
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Post by critchyboy on Aug 27, 2021 1:59:08 GMT
Me and my kids had a great evening at the show on Thursday! Fabulous fun and they loved every minute of it!!!
Admit I was feeling nervous about being back in a full theatre, but mask wearing throughout the Dress Circle - where we were sat - seemed to be near 100%.
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Post by Dawnstar on Aug 27, 2021 12:06:44 GMT
How exactly have they worked this? Is Perkins played as a female character or as a trouser role? Have any lines been changed? She's playing a female actress (Denise) playing a male role. No lines have been changed Thanks for your reply. Pre-covid I would have jumped on a train as soon as I heard about this very interesting understudy situation but sadly that's not possible nowadays. |
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Post by pianowithsam on Sept 4, 2021 19:55:21 GMT
Was thoroughly looking forward to seeing this today in Eastbourne with the family - I'd already seen it during the 2018 UK Tour in Brighton with my friends - but left the theatre today feeling incredibly dissapointed.
I'd consider myself a Mischief fan. I watched all of the Mischief Movie Night In livestreams (par a couple), have seen ACAABR twice, seen the recorded versions of PPGW & ACCGW numerous times and TPTGW once before as I said. Today's performance in Eastbourne really did not do it for me though whatsoever.
I'd never been to the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne but don't think I'll be returning anytime soon. Was sat centre stalls and the sound was not good. Struggled to pick up what was being said for the entirety of the show, to the point that I didn't actually know what was going on. I couldn't explain to you the plot.
I understand that having Trevor in a visible lighting box is a unique requirement, but you wouldn't have seen any part of him (apart from the top half of some Duran Duran posters) unless you were sat at the very front of the stalls or toward the right. I'm not entirely sure how it works in other theatres but we certainly felt more connected to Trevor at the Brighton production a few years back.
For me personally, the theatre just didn't really work as a great venue for the show either. It was big and with a lot of room. I've seen pictures of The Duchess and it looks much more quaint, similar to The Criterion. Given the context of the show, with it meant to be a 'badly performed am-dram show', it just didn't quite feel right...
We did have four empty seats in front of us for good viewing, which was nice, until about 15 minutes into Act 1 when the latecomers arrived. You certainly can't help if you're tall, but you can help if you're handing out sweets to the children and talking to them for the entirety of the show. It was like a primary school tuck shop. The children did not sit still from beginning to end, especially during Act 2. The guardian (who I can only assume was the Dad), also decided to wear a cap during the second act. He didn't sit still either.
To add to the list (sorry!), I wasn't too fond the cast. When Chris Bean (understudy) walked out and started with his lines, I had a feeling that this was going to be different. To me, it didn't feel believeable at all really, with some performances being very overplayed, some rushed and some just making the gags fall flat (in my opinon). I thought Sean Carey was one of the strongest and Gabriel Paul's Trevor wasn't bad (when we could see him). I think we also had an understudy on for Sandra, but that's only me guessing from looking at the cast according to the website.
I think I'm going to need to change my name to Debbie Downer or Negative Nancy after this review, but hey-ho. Maybe I've seen too much of the original Mischief team these past few months watching the livestreams that anybody else performing 'their roles' just feels wrong? I don't know. The rest of my family didn't really enjoy it either, unfortunately. If it ever comes back to London with the original cast, I'll be straight there. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be back to see it again. Shame.
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Post by marob on Sept 4, 2021 20:11:50 GMT
I know exactly what you mean. I saw it years ago back when the original cast were in it, and again last week, and it just wasn’t the same.
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Post by pianowithsam on Sept 4, 2021 20:15:55 GMT
I know exactly what you mean. I saw it years ago back when the original cast were in it, and again last week, and it just wasn’t the same. I'm glad it wasn't just me. I was really afraid that my 'review' would come across as snobby. I've never seen the original Mischief team perform in TPTGW or ACAABR, but I do remember laughing a lot when I saw the tour with friends in 2018. I might have laughed once or twice today. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Sept 4, 2021 20:31:43 GMT
I'd never been to the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne but don't think I'll be returning anytime soon. Was sat centre stalls and the sound was not good. Struggled to pick up what was being said for the entirety of the show, to the point that I didn't actually know what was going on. I couldn't explain to you the plot. When I read this I thought that I didn't recall the theatre in Eastbourne being that big. However looking it up I see there are 2 theatres in Eastbourne & the one I once saw a show at is the smaller one while TPTGW was at the larger one. It sounds like it would have been better in the smaller one. Are they still not miking the cast? When I saw the second UK tour back in 2017 at my local theatre (capacity 650) I had a chat to Chris Leask afterwards (temporaily playing Robert) & he said they had to really scale back their performances having been in a massive theatre Southampton the previous week where they were all shouting their lungs out. I would have thought that by now they would have started to mike the cast in the larger venues, given PPGW & MMN have moved from being originally non-miked to be miked over the last few years & TCAABR was miked on tour. I thought Sean Carey was one of the strongest and Gabriel Paul's Trevor wasn't bad (when we could see him). I think we also had an understudy on for Sandra, but that's only me guessing from looking at the cast according to the website. Given the amount of Mischief Sean has done I'd expect him to be good! Though as all the rest of the lead cast have also previously appeared either in TPTGW or other MIschief shows I'd also expect them to be good. The understudies maybe not so much, as they're all newcomers to Mischief. April Hughes is blonde while the understudy Sandra looks from photos to be brunette so if you can remember the hair colour once Sandra lost her wig then that might tell you! I think I'm going to need to change my name to Debbie Downer or Negative Nancy after this review, but hey-ho. Maybe I've seen too much of the original Mischief team these past few months watching the livestreams that anybody else performing 'their roles' just feels wrong? I don't know. The rest of my family didn't really enjoy it either, unfortunately. If it ever comes back to London with the original cast, I'll be straight there. Otherwise, I don't think I'll be back to see it again. Shame. Quite possibly. While I have enjoyed seeing other casts (or at least some people in some of the casts) over the last few years, for me the original cast has never been beaten as an ensemble. Something that was confirmed when I saw the original cast when they did their pre-Broadway practice week at the Duchess as by that point I'd seen several other casts for comparison.
I'd also be less enthusiastic that you about the 2018 tour cast (later the 2019 WE cast) as while I thought some of the cast were strong there were a couple I was less keen on & one actor, who I will not identify, who I thought was completely wrong for their role.
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Post by marob on Sept 4, 2021 20:38:28 GMT
Well, FWIW the one I saw was the West End cast and I did laugh a little bit more than you, but it felt like a tired old show just going through the motions. I was wondering if I was comparing them to how they “should” be played since the original cast’s performances live on in the TV series, but I only saw Peter Pan Goes Wrong with the touring cast and I thought that was great.
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Post by pianowithsam on Sept 4, 2021 23:37:38 GMT
When I read this I thought that I didn't recall the theatre in Eastbourne being that big. However looking it up I see there are 2 theatres in Eastbourne & the one I once saw a show at is the smaller one while TPTGW was at the larger one. It sounds like it would have been better in the smaller one. Are they still not miking the cast? When I saw the second UK tour back in 2017 at my local theatre (capacity 650) I had a chat to Chris Leask afterwards (temporaily playing Robert) & he said they had to really scale back their performances having been in a massive theatre Southampton the previous week where they were all shouting their lungs out. I would have thought that by now they would have started to mike the cast in the larger venues, given PPGW & MMN have moved from being originally non-miked to be miked over the last few years & TCAABR was miked on tour. There are in fact 3 theatres in Eastbourne. The Congress, where TPTGW was at today, holds 1680 people. Only the stalls and 'raised staills' were open though. I agree that it may have been better off in one of the smaller theatres. Having a look at pictures, I reckon that the Devonshire Theatre (capacity 873, with two circles) might have been a nicer fit to be honest. There's a particular image of the interior seating that reminds me of The Criterion. I think the cast may have been miked (?), but I am struggling to remember. I don't remember seeing any obvious mics and the issues with the sound made it hard to tell. Apparently, this Eastbourne theatre has had a large refurbishment lately. People have been complaining on TripAdvisor about the sound though, which is now an issue and never was before... :/ Given the amount of Mischief Sean has done I'd expect him to be good! Though as all the rest of the lead cast have also previously appeared either in TPTGW or other MIschief shows I'd also expect them to be good. The understudies maybe not so much, as they're all newcomers to Mischief. April Hughes is blonde while the understudy Sandra looks from photos to be brunette so if you can remember the hair colour once Sandra lost her wig then that might tell you! Yes, Sean was good and definitely felt the strongest of the group to me. I think it was a combination of everything that just made it not a good experience. Maybe in a different setting it would have been a little better? I'm not sure. The Chris Bean speech at the start feels, to me, like it should be an important part, with it being the set-up and first introduction. It failed to do that I thought and maybe that hindered my enjoyment as it really did start flat. The understudy Sandra was definitely not blonde. I saw her walk out of the theatre afterwards. I think it must have been Aisha Numah. Quite possibly. While I have enjoyed seeing other casts (or at least some people in some of the casts) over the last few years, for me the original cast has never been beaten as an ensemble. Something that was confirmed when I saw the original cast when they did their pre-Broadway practice week at the Duchess as by that point I'd seen several other casts for comparison.
I'd also be less enthusiastic that you about the 2018 tour cast (later the 2019 WE cast) as while I thought some of the cast were strong there were a couple I was less keen on & one actor, who I will not identify, who I thought was completely wrong for their role. As I've said, I haven't seen the original cast performing in this, but I can imagine that it works considerably better. I'm hoping there will be an opportunity to see them do so (though, unlikely I'm guessing). I don't know if I'm "enthusiastic" about that particular tousing cast as such, I just remember finding the show hysterical at the time. It must be said that I knew next to nothing about Mischief though at that point. I went to see the show only having seen the Royal Variety performance clip of the play and that was all. We had just one understudy (I think!) on when we saw the 2018 tour for Trevor. Can't remember who it was though. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Sept 5, 2021 11:19:08 GMT
As I've said, I haven't seen the original cast performing in this, but I can imagine that it works considerably better. I'm hoping there will be an opportunity to see them do so (though, unlikely I'm guessing). I don't know if I'm "enthusiastic" about that particular tousing cast as such, I just remember finding the show hysterical at the time. It must be said that I knew next to nothing about Mischief though at that point. I went to see the show only having seen the Royal Variety performance clip of the play and that was all. We had just one understudy (I think!) on when we saw the 2018 tour for Trevor. Can't remember who it was though. It doesn't seem very likely that the original cast will ever do it again. The 1st cover Trevor in the 2018 tour cast was David Kristopher-Brown. I saw him in the role & thought he was pretty good in it. |
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Post by David J on Nov 19, 2021 11:35:27 GMT
Well, I've just seen this show again. This time the uk tour in Brighton.
I join pianowithsam in saying the cast is the least of the three I've seen this year. They're good, they get the job done and the audience was laughing along. But not as hard as in the Duchess Theatre. And I feel its because the cast needs to tighten up the delivery of the comedy
And I'm not an expert on how comedy is delivered but it's fascinating how watching different casts can give you a perspective.
It was most clear with Tom Bulpett, whom I praised back in June when he was understudy Chris in the West End. I think he was amongst seasoned pros and was on point in his delivery. Here he milks the comedy by exaggerating and lingering on the punchlines. Though I did like how egotistical his Chris was and how snobbish he was to the audience in the ledger moment. I hate to imagine what his Chris was like during the rehearsals.
The strongest were April Hughes as Sandra and Gabriel Paul as Trevor. On point. April shows how to play a terrible actor without overdoing it. Leonard Cook was great as Robert, even if he likes to impersonate Henry Lewis. The snide remarks he makes during the show are hilarious.
Liked some of the choices Laura Kirman made as Annie. When she is forced to play Florence she reads the script and comments like she's watching a soap opera. Tom Babbage and Sean Carey too had their moments as Max and Jonathan. But otherwise the three could bring a bit more to the show.
Edward Howells never stood out as Dennis. I feel like no one wants to copy or differentiate themselves from Jonathan Sayer's performance because only Michael Keane in the current London cast has stood out to me and only because he is short and was the subject of some extra jokes in the show.
But to add to pianowithsam's comment that he didn't believe in what was going on, I feel the cast puts TOO much emphasis on the comedy and making the audience laugh, overlooking the story. And sure it's an implausible and ridiculous story. But what I really like about this play is the underlying tragedy behind the comedy as we watch these actors soldier on to their doom in this show. Watching their reactions when things go wrong and so on. Gabriel Paul for one is very good at that and I liked looking over at the box to see what he's doing.
But then I see the extras, playing the backstage crew, coming on stage to fix the set during the pre-show and smiling at the waving at the audience I was thinking shouldn't you be panicking that things not ready just minutes before the show starts. Couldn't take it seriously.
And there were moments like that during the show. Particularly the big set moment at the end, when everyone should be genuinely shaken. Even Leonard Cook looked shell-shocked. But soon afterwards he does this thing where he reacts to the audience laughs saying "come on, this is serious acting I'm doing here" which took me out of the moment.
Maybe I'm comparing this too much to the previous shows I've seen in the last few months, but seriously the West End cast sets a higher standard
I still enjoyed myself. I liked the extra things the cast brings to the show here and there. But yeah, needs tightening up
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Post by craig on Nov 24, 2021 12:23:11 GMT
Saw this last night in Aylesbury which I think is the last stop on the tour.
To go against the consensus, I thought the cast were fantastic and it all felt very tight. It's about 8 years since I saw the original cast in the West End and I do remember being more generally impressed with the show at the time, but I think it's held up much better than most shows do for that period of time.
I would agree that the opening intro with the stage hands was milked and hammed up a bit too much for easy laughs and I would have preferred it played a bit straighter, but the physical comedy during the main play was tight, the comic timing was amazing and the cast did look genuinely bewildered as everything came crashing down around them.
A really fun night out at the theatre.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2022 13:44:37 GMT
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Post by emeraldbaudelaire on Mar 12, 2022 15:11:13 GMT
Anyone have any recommendayion for seats with good legroom and a decent few, my partner is very interested in seeing this on our annual London trip but he's very tall and can't sit in cramped theatre seats.
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Post by Dawnstar on Mar 12, 2022 18:28:18 GMT
I'd say the front row has the most legroom in the stalls (I've never sat in the circle) & also a very good view. The stage is fairly high but I've never found it high enough to be a problem & as your partner is very tall he probably wouldn't find it that high either. As the rows get wider going back the seat at the end of each row has more leg room but they do also have restricted views. If you do go for the end of a row then I'd suggest go for the high numbers end as my personal opinion is that you miss less at that end. See also Theatremonkey, who I see also suggests front row stalls for legroom. www.theatremonkey.com/venues/duchess-theatre |
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Mar 12, 2022 23:55:01 GMT
I was in Circle row C and my friends who are both 6'4 said this was the best legroom they had ever had in any theatre lol. The view there is also very good. You even see Trevor in his little tech box which you would have to look up for in stalls or miss by being under the overhang.
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Post by NeilVHughes on May 6, 2022 12:29:20 GMT
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Post by Dawnstar on May 6, 2022 12:32:58 GMT
*Checks train fares to Newcastle in June* About £130. No, much as I like the original cast, I don't like them that much!
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Post by ptwest on May 6, 2022 13:37:47 GMT
I’ve just booked for Manchester on the strength of this. I’ve seen the original team do Peter Pan and Magic, but not this one. It makes it well worth the return visit.
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Post by adrianics on May 6, 2022 13:44:20 GMT
Ahhh we're seeing it in Birmingham the week before. Amazing news for anyone who can get to Manchester or Newcastle but kind of gutting we're missing out  |
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