Paid Members Gus Mears Posted November 11, 2017 Author Paid Members Share Posted November 11, 2017 Local Gilbert and Sullivan Society were back and did a stonking version of Yeoman of the Guard as a Saturday matinee. The director updated it to being set in WW2 and it worked a treat. The bloke playing Jack Point did the role as a spiv and was absolutely magnificient. Played it in a manner worthy of a major theatrical run. I couldn't believe he was doing local dramatic society stuff, genuinely one of finest individual performances I have seen this year. # £12 per ticket and the best valued three hours of entertainment I have had in an extremely long time. Also, went to see People, Places and Things the other week and would heartily recommend it if you want a night of relatively serious theatre. A painfully accurate look at addiction with a staggering central performance by Lisa Hogg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTH17 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) I've got my first trip down to the West End in 39 days to go and watch Hamilton. I can't wait, I've seen nothing but positive reviews so far. I must have watched the bootleg of the original Broadway cast about 10 times now, and yet I'm more excited than ever. Edited January 3, 2018 by AdamTH17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted January 3, 2018 Awards Moderator Share Posted January 3, 2018 I saw there was a bootleg and absolutely avoided it - it was very tempting but I don't want to be spoiled with what it might look like! We're going on the 23rd, it's been a year since we got tickets, one of my friends went last night, I've had the soundtrack in my head for nearly two years now, I CAN'T WAIT! We're also fitting in Network with Bryan Cranston the night before. Haven't been to the National Theatre before so that should be fun too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Gus Mears Posted January 3, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) I'm in two minds about Hamilton, and it's entirely my own fault for being a miserable bastard. I will probably enjoy it, but Hamilton's life, and indeed the wider history of the new republic, is one of my favourite areas of history and I've read a fuck-ton about it. I just get the nagging feeling that I'll get annoyed with historical inaccuracies and stuff because I'm a bit of a sack with that sort of thing (I remember being inexplicably angry when Dr Who had the most ghetto Richard Nixon ever a few years back for the same reason). Please let me know how you both find it! Sure I will relent and get tickets eventually. Edited January 3, 2018 by Gus Mears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperBacon Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 I can't decide whether to see Glengarry Glen Ross, The Exorcist or Hamilton. I have booked George's Marvellous Medicine for me and the kids though. Genuinely looking forward to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted January 3, 2018 Awards Moderator Share Posted January 3, 2018 18 minutes ago, Gus Mears said: I'm in two minds about Hamilton, and it's entirely my own fault for being a miserable bastard. I will probably enjoy it, but Hamilton's life, and indeed the wider history of the new republic, is one of my favourite areas of history and I've read a fuck-ton about it. I just get the nagging feeling that I'll get annoyed with historical inaccuracies and stuff because I'm a bit of a sack with that sort of thing (I remember being inexplicably angry when Dr Who had the most ghetto Richard Nixon ever a few years back for the same reason). Please let me know how you both find it! Sure I will relent and get tickets eventually. They're quite open about the creative licence they've had to take with some facts and that while the show's rooted in fact, they have to serve the narrative first. So, for example, in the show Hamilton meets all his revolutionary mates at the same time because it works better to introduce them all in one song than give them one each and slow the pace down. The Schuyler sisters' elder brothers aren't mentioned because it works better for the characters to have Angelica as the eldest. Once the Revolution's over certain political figures kind of get amalgamated because there'd just be too many people popping in for a couple of minutes and not getting mentioned again otherwise. And they use Hamilton's endorsement of Jefferson in the 1800 election as the catalyst for the Burr duel rather than the gubernatorial(?) thing in 1804 because the principle of both events - Hamilton rejects Burr's politics, prevents him from getting in power - is the same, but is more powerful when it's a presidential thing. There were rejected songs covering other events in Hamilton's, and the US's, life that just didn't fit so they took them out at various stages in the production process. I'm making it sound like they've changed up everything - but there's loads and loads that's accurate. It's based on Ron Chernow's book (admittedly I haven't read it so I can't say how accurate Chernow is) and they had Chernow involved in the writing, rewriting and rehearsal processes. In the early stages he'd be stopping them mid-song and pointing out an inaccuracy, but got used to the nature of adaptation - you can't include everything, and you have to serve your medium first. If the show had been a book ... well, it was already.  Anyway, speaking as someone who's always found American history fascinating but a bit impenetrable in terms of finding a way in, Hamilton has been an incredible way in. I know a fuck-ton more about American history now than I did before, and that's absolutely as a direct result of Hamilton. An example being, the Marquis de Lafayette is an awesome character in the show - so I read up on what he actually did. The few verses that Hercules Mulligan gets made me go and look him up. The Reynolds Pamphlet, the political rivalry between Jefferson and Hamilton, Washington's stepping down as President, it's all rooted in the show, and for me it doesn't matter if it's not 100% accurate. I listen to the songs - I'll be honest, I end up learning all the words off by heart - and that becomes my base knowledge that is either enhanced or modified by reading the real history. It either makes me go 'okay, so in Hamilton Aaron Burr was doing this, but in real life he was also this and this', or 'okay, so they've changed that in Hamilton, but Alexander and Eliza actually had this many kids in real life' - and both those responses are fine by me.  Sorry, that ended up being a longer response than I intended! I think my point was you can enjoy the show for its historical content, but like any adaptation, you'll have a better time if you don't hold it up to historical scrutiny and just revel in the fucking brilliant lyricism of how the story's portrayed. It's a work of art - I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Gus Mears Posted January 3, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) Afraid I'm out of up-votes for the day, but that deserves one. Well, you've sold me, and apart from the Jefferson endorsement being the catalyst for the duel with Burr, it ain't that bad. Slightly off topic, but I would recommend reading Chernow's biography. It's very, very good and rich to an extent you can only get with historical figures who have enormous quantities of preserved letters and writings. It is clear after about 300 pages that Hamilton is a colossus of the age, though I would say it veers dangerously close to hagiography at points. It also has a slight tendency to paint things in black and white (Jefferson vs. Hamilton, Burr vs. Hamilton, Madison vs. Hamilton) which does lose nuance (ironically, this binary conception of things is a Hamiltonian trait through and through). However, this does engender it to being great fodder on which to base a musical. I only have one thing lined up theatre-wise at the moment; Crimes Under the Sun, which is by a company called New Old Friends. It's a fast-paced pastiche of Agatha Christie crime dramas and if it's anything like the one they did last February (Crime Under Christmas) I believe, then it will be a real hoot. Edited January 3, 2018 by Gus Mears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Nexus Posted January 3, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted January 3, 2018 I've got tickets to see Hamilton on Friday and I genuinely cannot wait. I am so looking forward to it.  I also have tickets for Macbeth with Christopher Eccleston later on in the year, which I am also looking forward to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Nexus Posted January 6, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted January 6, 2018 Saw Hamilton. I'll spoiler my thoughts. I'm gonna talk about my views of the cast and the staging, so if you want to go in to see it blind, probably don't click?  I had been looking forward to this for nearly two years from when I discovered the soundtrack. From the moment the opening bars of 'Alexander Hamilton', a smile spread across my face and it didn't disappear until the end. I also felt super emotional during 'My Shot', but then when we got to the latter stages of the musical, I was openly weeping and barely pulled myself together to actually leave the theatre (that may tell you more about my mental state than anything, lol).  The actor who played Hamilton has no West End experience, was a recent RADA graduate and absolutely smashed it. He was so, so good. The way in which he went from being 'meek and mild' as a young man, to him growing in confidence throughout the first act, to being the cocky shit in the Cabinet Battles and then the heart wrenching emotion of his downfall, he was absolutely superb. I also really enjoyed Burr - a lot of people sympathise with Burr from the soundtrack from my experience, but I think that the actor who played Burr did an excellent job of showing his jealousy and change from wanting to do the best thing to doing what was best for him. My partner said she disliked his version of 'Wait for it,' but I really, really enjoyed it. The supporting cast of Lafayette, Laurens and Mulligan were great - Lafayette's actor was even better when the second act came along - his Jefferson had me laughing along with the rest of the audience. George Washington felt like he had gravitas - I'm not a massive fan of Washington's songs in the Broadway soundtrack, but really enjoyed them in the theatre.  My favourite song is 'Satisfied' so I was a little apprehensive to hear how Angelica was performed - I didn't need to worry because she was awesome. Eliza was a bit disappointing during 'Helpless', but I do think she improved during the second act and 'Burn' went better than I expected it to based on her Act One performance. Peggy was good but she was a great Maria Reynolds - they laid the 'Scarlet Lady' motif quite thick but it was really good. The ensemble was of course great, and King George was superb as a petulant, yet hilarious King with his mannerisms.  The staging was obviously top drawer, but there were a lot of visual effects and lighting that I didn't know about so was surprised and happy about. Choreography was fantastic and the theatre itself is beautiful.  It genuinely was one of the best things I've ever seen, and I am still sat here with a smile on my face, slightly emosh about what I saw and how much I enjoyed it. I'm going again in February so that'll be super.  As an aside - the ticketless system was super - we were efficiently ushered in. We got in at 6.15 but they didn't open the doors to the auditorium until 7 so there was a bit of a wait, but it was good natured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted January 6, 2018 Awards Moderator Share Posted January 6, 2018 I haven’t seen it once yet and I’m already sad that we’re not going twice!  On another theatreish note, I saw that Mark Rylance is playing Iago in Othello at the Globe this summer. I’m up for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members gmoney Posted January 6, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted January 6, 2018 He's a bit old for that isn't he? Or are they ageing everyone up? I'm seeing Glengarry Glen Ross next week. Very much looking forward to seeing Don Warrington, though not Kris Marshall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted January 6, 2018 Awards Moderator Share Posted January 6, 2018 The guy playing Othello is one of the actors from Moonlight so I guess not - maybe they just have an interpretation of an older Iago. Which could be interesting - ageing up doesn’t always work for Shakespeare (see James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave’s Much Ado... actually don’t) but Rylance and Shakespeare is usually magic so I’m well on board (saying that, he did direct the aforementioned Much Ado!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTH17 Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Managed to get some discounted tickets through work to go and see Hamlet at the Lowry on the 30th. First time I'll be seeing anything from Shakespeare so really going in blind. Reviews seem favourable enough so looking forward to it. Also purchased the Hamilton biography based on @Gus Mears recommendation and it's brilliant. Only a few pages in but already does a brilliant job of illustrating how complex an individual he is and the enormous role he played. Massive, but incredibly interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted January 21, 2018 Awards Moderator Share Posted January 21, 2018 Two days until we see it. I’m beyond excited - and there’s Network tomorrow night first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted January 23, 2018 Awards Moderator Share Posted January 23, 2018 Just back from Hamilton. Still riding on a high and am completely unable to be objective but it was THE GREATEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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