Theatre Thread

[Onyx2]

I don't even know what the premise of Hamilton is but I find your enthusiasm heart-warming. 

[Gus Mears]

On 21/01/2018 at 9:03 PM, AdamTH17 said:

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.

Glad you're enjoying it!

@HarmonicGeneratorgenuinely smiled at your childlike joy over Hamilton. Delighted that it lived up to expectations. 

[AdamTH17]

Hamlet was...alright?

Wish I had gone in with more of an understanding/knowledge of the content because there was a fair amount of time spent wondering who the fuck was who, who was still alive and the differentiation between some of the characters, which came off quite samey to me.

Despite this lack of knowledge, I could tell the whole thing was put together really well. The production was consistently good and the guy who was playing the lead of Hamlet was really excellent. His scenes were by far the highlight and he managed to keep the crowd engaged throughout, a task considering the 3 1/2 length of the show. 

This time next week I'll be back from Hamilton!

[AdamTH17]

Got home a couple of hours back from London, vaguely miserable about how it's going to be another six months minimum before I'm back there. 

Hamilton was phenomenal. Genuinely incredible, and without a doubt the best thing I've been able to see on stage. I'll post the rest of my thoughts in spoilers just in case there are people reading who'd rather go in blind but yeah, wonderful show.

I thought there were two main standouts from the whole thing. Hamilton, Burr, and Washington.

The actor playing Hamilton was far beyond any expectations I would normally have for somebody with his level of experience. You compare his credentials to literally every other performer and it's staggering considering how talented he is. It's an incredibly satisfying journey watching him take complete ownership as the starring role, every scene he appeared in was consequently boosted merely by his presence and command. The developmental strides he managed to make from helpless, lowly bastard orphan to arrogant, power-driven leader is done so organically and naturally. His singing is far superior to Lin Manuel's Broadway version as well being another key aspect about him. A completely stand outperformance, which is incredibly impressive given the quality of the cast surrounding him.

Burr was marvelous as well. His lisp was something I'd heard about possibly being a bit of a hindrance but it really stopped being noticeable after the first couple of songs. He worked really well as a narrator with excellent timings, but I much preferred him during the moments when he was focusing solely on being able to sing. Room Where It Happens is my absolute favorite from the whole album and he managed to smash it, garnering the biggest reaction of the night as a result. Being able to see him stand completely alone and motionless after delivering that performance whilst being showered in applause isn't something I'll forget soon. I thought everything he did from an acting standpoint from that moment up until the end was a perfect execution of demonstrating Burr's jealousy, longing, envy and eventual bitterness and disdain for Hamilton's success at his perceived expense. He worked nicely in his harmonies as well, his stuff during Washington on your Side and Dear Theodosia alongside Jefferson/Hamilton was lovely. A few really nice touches as well that you wouldn't have been able to gather just by listening to the album. Stuff like him spectating the Cabinet Battles with a blank expression from the side, as well as his coldness to Lafayette/Mulligan/Laurens during their interactions was really cool.

Washington was the biggest surprise to me! From the second he made his entry during Right Hand Man, he commanded the stage in an instant with that voice! He brought such a great deal of gravitas to the role, with the combination of towering authority and the demand for respect, it's a surprise to me to see so few people raving about his performance. 

Angelica's performance of Satisfied was so well done, as was the general choreography during that entire sequence as a matter of fact. She sounded so similar to the Broadway version! Being able to switch from big solo performances to rap sequences such as in Schyuler Sisters really isn't easy, but she pulled it off really well. Hercules and Laurens were both excellently portrayed, the actor playing Laurens made a really easy transition to Phillip mostly due to his really boyish face and voice. The choreography, lighting and work from the ensemble were all amazing. Never missing a beat, all contributing the magnificent experience. James Madison's performance was really reminiscent of pro wrestling, as though he was being Jefferson's heel manager through the second half.

The only two characters I wasn't feeling that much were the roles of Eliza and Lafayette/Jefferson. In terms of Eliza, I felt a lot of her acting was really hammy and over exaggerated, as was the majority of her vocal performances. That Would Be Enough was probably the only time I really enjoyed her voice, as I felt for a lot of the other numbers she was overcompensating in terms of bravado. This was especially evident during Burn, a song which could have been sung in a really simple, yet poetic and effective way, yet was sang more in the fashion of a ballad, which just felt out of place. The guy doing Lafaytette/Jefferson was an understudy, and yeah, he just wasn't great. His accent during the first half was genuinely all over the place and he really lacked the confidence and swagger of such an enigmatic character like Jefferson. Of course, neither of these performances were going to stop me from having such a fantastic time watching the show. 

Something I would absoloutely recommend, brilliant stuff.

 

 

[GlennCullen]

Saw Hello Dolly! last weekend, with Bernadette Peters in the lead role, supported by Victor Garber. Just Brilliant, brilliant, campy fun. Maybe the most fun I've ever had at a musical.

[ReturnOfTheMack]

Watched the new one man show with Miles Jupp 'The Life I Lead' about David Tomlinson.

 

Utterly charming, emotional and just plain brilliant. Well worth a watch if it's near you.

[Loki]

I saw ART last week.  It was funny.  I had an ice-cream in the interval.   

[ThumpSquids]

I saw 'The Nature of Forgetting' by Theatre Re at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, and I can highly recommend it should it appear near you. New tour dates are coming up I believe.

https://www.retheatre.com/theatre_re/theatre_re.html 

[gmoney]

I saw the musical Come From Away recently. Picked up a lot towards the end, but it was a bit of  a slog for the first half. I also couldn't really get away from the feeling that this probably isn't the 9/11 story that needs to be told. It was quite heartwarming in places, but utterly embarrassing in others. 

[SuperBacon]

Thought this might be of interest seeing as there was a fair bit of Shakespeare talk the other day in the Currently Reading thread.

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/apr/22/play-on-12-of-the-best-shakespeare-productions-to-stream

Also, anyone with any tips on theatre streams, pop em in. I've been meaning to watch something, but just haven't been in the mood and am determined to change that.

 

[HarmonicGenerator]

The main one we’ve been watching is the National Theatre stuff they put up every Thursday. There’s still today left to watch Treasure Island, which is good fun - amazing set design and a great performance by Arthur Darvill as Long John Silver.

They've just announced Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein for next week which I recommend, followed by Antony & Cleopatra with Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo for the week after. 

Edited April 23, 2020 by HarmonicGenerator

[SuperBacon]

1 hour ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

The main one we’ve been watching is the National Theatre stuff they put up every Thursday. There’s still today left to watch Treasure Island, which is good fun - amazing set design and a great performance by Arthur Darvill as Long John Silver.

They've just announced Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein for next week which I recommend, followed by Antony & Cleopatra with Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo for the week after. 

Yeah, just seen that Frankenstein announcement, so will definitely try and have a watch of that with the eldest. 

[cobra_gordo]

Went to see The Shark Is Broken on Friday for my birthday on it's last weekend in London. It was the first time since being a teenager I'd been to the theatre to see something that wasn't a musical or a pantomime with the kids and it was fucking incredible. The three cast members all put in a serious shift and you could see it in their faces when taking their bows that they were all pretty drained by it but Ian Shaw's portrayal of his dad was just next level, utterly mesmerising. I genuinely forgot in a couple of places that I wasn't watching Robert Shaw, his mannerisms, voice and look were all so like him. I met him and the guy that played Richard Dreyfuss after the show and they were both way more humble than they should have been.

If it goes on tour with this cast, which I suspect it will, I strongly recommend you go and see it. I really hope I get to see it again.

[Hannibal Scorch]

21 minutes ago, cobra_gordo said:

Went to see The Shark Is Broken on Friday for my birthday on it's last weekend in London. It was the first time since being a teenager I'd been to the theatre to see something that wasn't a musical or a pantomime with the kids and it was fucking incredible. The three cast members all put in a serious shift and you could see it in their faces when taking their bows that they were all pretty drained by it but Ian Shaw's portrayal of his dad was just next level, utterly mesmerising. I genuinely forgot in a couple of places that I wasn't watching Robert Shaw, his mannerisms, voice and look were all so like him. I met him and the guy that played Richard Dreyfuss after the show and they were both way more humble than they should have been.

If it goes on tour with this cast, which I suspect it will, I strongly recommend you go and see it. I really hope I get to see it again.

I’ll second this. Saw it early in the run with my mate who is a huge Jaws fan and we were both blown away. The set design was  superb. So simple yet effective and I had no idea he was Robert Shaw’s Dad until after. Superb performances all around. If you squinted you’d believe it was the real deal they were that good.

[Weezenal]

Also really enjoyed it. Got tickets for my dad to see it for Christmas too and he liked it and he doesn't like anything.

Only way it would have been better is if it was a musical.