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Post by Cherubic on Mar 4, 2008 8:31:14 GMT
Sorry Andrew Hayden Smith as Romeo?
Really?
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Post by lowculture.co.uk on Mar 4, 2008 8:36:54 GMT
Sorry Andrew Hayden Smith as Romeo? Really? Aww, don't be too mean about Andrew, he's lovely - even if he can't act for toffee.
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Post by coxy1979 on Mar 6, 2008 0:49:50 GMT
Bad hair on that poster
Anyway - I saw Summer Strallen tonight. She was ace, and wig remained stable for the duration.
It's a really well-staged show, and Mother Superior is amazing, but I'm still not a fan of the Sound Of Music. All the good songs are in the first half and there isn't really a rousing finale.
But you know - free tickets on a Wednesday night - musn't grumble
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Post by Sparkle on Mar 6, 2008 17:32:57 GMT
Last night I walked out of Ring Round The Moon (with Belinda Lang) at the first interval.
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Post by QuincyMD on Mar 8, 2008 11:44:47 GMT
I wanted to walk out of "Legal Fiction" at the interval but there were too many people between me and the end of the row and then my hotel burnt down.
Not the best of evenings!
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Post by Sparkle on Mar 8, 2008 12:09:36 GMT
I wanted to walk out of "Legal Fiction" at the interval but there were too many people between me and the end of the row and then my hotel burnt down. Not the best of evenings! That's not good. Why did your hotel burn down? Also, I am going to see Legal Fictions this week so now I am worried.
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Post by David Hunter on Mar 8, 2008 13:10:15 GMT
I see Ruthie Henshall is opening in a new musical soon by the same teams as Les Mis and and Miss Saigon, called 'Marguerite' hereIt's good to hear of something new opening in the West End, musical wise. Of late we seem to have either recastings of old shows or musicals made up from 80s movies.
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Post by Sparkle on Mar 8, 2008 13:36:30 GMT
I see Ruthie Henshall is opening in a new musical soon by the same teams as Les Mis and and Miss Saigon, called 'Marguerite' hereIt's good to hear of something new opening in the West End, musical wise. Of late we seem to have either recastings of old shows or musicals made up from 80s movies. Yep, have my tickets and am fairly excited. Martin Guerre was a bit of a disappointment but nowhere near as bad as some people made it out to be.
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Post by mcqueen on Mar 8, 2008 23:09:14 GMT
I went to see Alfie Allen and Simon Callow in Equus at the Grand Opera House in Belfast. I can report lovely legs and arse, so so torso and pretty alright dinkle. Alfie was ok but I just kept trying to imagine Harry Potter saying and doing those things- it must have been odd.
I thought the play was one of the strangest things I had ever seen- well staged but completey ridiculous when he actually had to ride the "horse". Cant see what all the fuss was about even with the nudity.
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Post by Rad on Mar 9, 2008 10:34:18 GMT
I am going to see that next month, your review has made me nervous...
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Post by QuincyMD on Mar 10, 2008 11:14:06 GMT
I wanted to walk out of "Legal Fiction" at the interval but there were too many people between me and the end of the row and then my hotel burnt down. Not the best of evenings! That's not good. Why did your hotel burn down? Also, I am going to see Legal Fictions this week so now I am worried. The roof caught fire, you can see it on YouTube by searching for Custom House fire and find news stories by googling London hotel fire. Wasn't ME ....Legal Fictions is 2 one act plays and the second is so criminally poor with a twist I spotted after 5 minutes that I did wonder if there was something I was missing. There are worse choices out there though, "Blood Brothers" springs to mind.
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Post by mcqueen on Mar 10, 2008 14:07:11 GMT
I saw the touring production of Blood Brothers last year and i have to say, as everyone else does- the final song is just so amazing that you forget how completely bland the preceeding 2 hours are.
I cried and joined in heartily with the ovation- it was one of the Nolans (of course) in the mum part.
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Post by frapperia on Mar 10, 2008 17:43:40 GMT
I am going to see that next month, your review has made me nervous... Ruth, if you're talking about Equus - I saw it with Radcliffe, Agutter and Griffiths in so can't comment on the present production, but it was the best thing I've ever seen at the theatre. It was incredibly intense and thought-provoking, I couldn't look away or even breathe at certain points in the production. The nudity isn't gratuitous - it is absolutely necessary as part of the scene it occurs in - and the scene he sheds clothes in is so crazed and intense that you stop thinking about it pretty soon after it happens. Everyone fails to mention that the girl also strips, so it's not just him! I love Simon Callow but am not interested in Alfie Allen, and I think Daniel Radcliffe did such a good job when I saw him that I'm not sure I want to ruin it by seeing it again for a while.
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Post by Sparkle on Mar 13, 2008 23:46:44 GMT
EVERYONE must go and see Alan Dale in Spamalot. He is AMAZING. I have seen the show many times now and I think tonight's was my favourite performance EVAH.
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Post by Cherubic on Mar 14, 2008 0:03:08 GMT
So that's what you sent me a text that clearly wasn't meant for me about.
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Post by Sparkle on Mar 14, 2008 0:05:33 GMT
No, I did mean to send it to you!
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Post by Muinimula on Mar 14, 2008 11:32:43 GMT
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Post by SBaholic on Mar 14, 2008 12:31:07 GMT
I'm off to see Equus next month in Sheffield - don't know anything about it except that it's very good, and so other than obsession, nudity, horses and Alfie Allen (what a terrible name) I want to be kept surprised.
In other theatre news, Alan Partridge is back! Oh yes! The "Steve Coogan is Alan Partridge and other less successful characters" tour goes on sale on Monday. He's touring all over the country, tickets are going to be around £30 I think.
AHA!
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Post by Rad on Mar 14, 2008 12:34:01 GMT
SB - so am I! I presume we are going to different showings though? I'm going to the Saturday matinee...
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Post by David on Mar 14, 2008 15:05:12 GMT
Will it work as a musical? This is very exciting, nevertheless. They'd better not bugger it up.
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Post by David Hunter on Mar 14, 2008 23:12:21 GMT
They've been working on a 'Tales of the City' musical for a good few years. I think I first heard Armistead talk about it back in 2000 when it was still being workshopped. I'd prefer they'd film the 4th instalment instead.
I see on the news that 'Lord of the Rings' is to close. I can't imagine anyone is that upset. Has anyone actually seen it?
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Post by Sparkle on Mar 15, 2008 15:58:09 GMT
I fear for the future of musical theatre. This year, in the provinces, we have:
A MCGANN BROTHER starring in Fiddler on the Roof. (It's Joe; Stephen is already on my hitlist for a) Footloose and b) 42nd Street.)
TOMMY STEELE, who according to IMDB is now 72, as DOCTOR DOLITTLE.
DAVID ESSEX starring in a new musical which loosely links together all the songs from his first album.
GARY WILMOT, who according to IMDB is 53, as Arthur Kipps in Half a Sixpence. I was under the impression that Kipps is supposed to be about 18.
As for the Anita Dobson/Darren Day Hello Dolly!...I don't even want to think about it.
I love me my musicals, but it doesn't seem like the people who are producing them do. Am I just getting old and cranky, or do these seem like really odd revival/casting decisions?
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Post by SBaholic on Mar 15, 2008 16:52:10 GMT
SB - so am I! I presume we are going to different showings though? I'm going to the Saturday matinee... Ooh, almost, I'm off to the Saturday evening performance so we can go out and have a meal before it. Any excuse for a pudding! I haven't been to the Crucible since we went to see the Caretaker about 18 months ago, so I am very excited because it's such a wonderful venue (even though we'll be in the Lyceum this time).
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Post by pauliepoos on Mar 15, 2008 16:59:41 GMT
I love me my musicals, but it doesn't seem like the people who are producing them do. Am I just getting old and cranky, or do these seem like really odd revival/casting decisions? I'm sure someone, somewhere is outraged that some soap actress has taken over the role of Maria Von Trapp. I don't know that much about the McGann brothers, but the others are all established stage actors, even if some of their profiles are higher for other things. People can be very sniffy about people from tv, soaps especially, appearing in theatre, even if their background has mainly stage based. And it's not as if they are such huge stars that fame will win out over reputation and credibility. People seem surprised that Sam Mitchell or Lindsey Corkhill or Bianca Jackson or Raquel Wolstenhulme can sing, but only because they don't know what work the actor's done before the soap.
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Post by Sparkle on Mar 15, 2008 17:08:17 GMT
I love me my musicals, but it doesn't seem like the people who are producing them do. Am I just getting old and cranky, or do these seem like really odd revival/casting decisions? I'm sure someone, somewhere is outraged that some soap actress has taken over the role of Maria Von Trapp. I don't know that much about the McGann brothers, but the others are all established stage actors, even if some of their profiles are higher for other things. People can be very sniffy about people from tv, soaps especially, appearing in theatre, even if their background has mainly stage based. And it's not as if they are such huge stars that fame will win out over reputation and credibility. Yeah, take the point (though I was more surprised at an Olivier Award-winning actress going into Hollyoaks), but the McGann thing was more the choice of show and role - why hash together a new tour when Henry Goodman's just finished a fairly definitive stage performance in the West End? I'm not being very articulate about it, but there is just something about the production of lots of the shows around at the moment that makes me uneasy. "LOOK! IT'S HIM OFF THE TELLY! DOING SINGING AND THAT! YOU KNOW SOME OF THE SONGS FROM THIS!" Edit - just want to clarify, am not disputing the talent or ability of any of the above mentioned actors (except maybe Stephen McGann, who has appalled me in two separate shows) - it's about the shows and the parts they're playing.
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