Week forward/back 04/09/2012

[ClapYo'Hands]

So, what is everyone off to see this week? I'm off to see amateur productions of Calendar Girls and Assassins!

And what did everyone see last week? I saw Carousel at the Barbican last Thursday afternoon which was just phenomenal. Probably the best singing you're ever likely to hear in a musical and an orchestra playing the original orchestrations which is only equalled by last year's South Pacific orchestra. Some phenomenal acting too and a wonderful set design by Anthony Ward. Was also upgraded from Upper Circle to Stalls.

I then saw Singin' In The Rain for the third time in the evening. Simply the best new show in London. Broadway and Tony Awards, please.

[zyx987]

Have just completed my two week vacation, which took in 17 shows over 10 days (12 in London and 5 in Stratford-Upon-Avon).

Last week was my first ever visit to Stratford and I managed to squeeze in 5 shows over 3 days at the RSC. The Tempest, King John, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors and Twelfth Night. Have to admit I enjoyed them all, even an out there King John (the dirty dancing stuff was a bit wtf). Will definitely be making the effort to get to Stratford more often.

This week is just the NT Live screening and then Our Country's Good at the Octagon in Bolton.

[SoonerOrLater]

Last week only a Youth Dance piece at work.

This week London Road and Curious Incident at the NT.

[rosscoe(au)]

Last week, Matilda... This week was Ghost last night and SweeneyTodd on Wednesday night, might see if I can catch Top Hat on Thursday afternoon!

[ClapYo'Hands]

I urge you to see Singin' In The Rain over Top Hat. Having seen both, I can tell you that I think the former is much better. They also do £25 day seats!

[bob8rich]

Sorry, Clap but couldn't disagree more lol. I thought Top Hat was far superior to Singing In the Rain. I enjoyed SITR and it's a terrific production - but the piece itself is a bit ordinary and the score VERY ordinary compared to the fantastic Berlin score for Top Hat. And I thought that the gimmicky finale for SITR, though great fun and quite spectacular choreographically, rather sums up the fact that the show relies on spectacle to make up for the lack of substance. Top Hat, however, I loved every single second of. REALLY funny, joyous to look at and to listen to throughout - and it's worth seeing for Ricardo Afonso's performance alone.

But......back to the thread's question: Last week saw The Great Gatsby Musical at the King's Head on Satureday night. Great performances and an enjoyable adaptation of my all-time favourite novel.

On Sunday I saw Spamalot - simply brilliant. I loved it the 3 times I saw it on tour but this cast is the best ever. Bonnie Langford is sheer class as The Lady Of The Lake (and her vocal chops are still pretty amazing); Jon Robyns is a superb Galahad and Kit Orton (Lancelot, French Taunter, Knight Whos Says "Ni", etc) steals the show (he's one of my closest friends - but he genuinely DOES steal the show!).

Next Sunday I'll be at the Cafe Koha for the cabaret launch of the new theatre company Twenty Somethings, where another of my closest friends, Joe Sterling, will be performing. The show will feature songs by such amazing songwriters as Pasek & Paul, Kooman & Dimond, Jonathan Reid Gealt and Joe Sterling. And the cast will include Lucy May Barker (Sweeney Todd, Spring Awakening), Jeremy Legat (Curtains, Wicked) and the amazing Shaun McCourt (Joseph).

Then next Tuesday (and Wed & Thurs), I'll be watching the play The Road To Port Of Barry (By Christopher J. Orton and me) in Cardiff (Swansea & Newport). A hectic week!

[ClapYo'Hands]

I might add that Singin' In The Rain got much better reviews but as you can see, this one definitely divides opinion!

[bob8rich]

I agree SITR deserved its great reviews - it IS a fantastic PRODUCTION. I just find the score so bloody boring lol

[ClapYo'Hands]

I'm the opposite. With the exception of a couple of numbers, I find Top Hat's score to be full of bottom-drawer material. Not to mention the cumbersome set is put to shame by Singin' In The Rain's fantastic one.

[bob8rich]

There is not a single song in the Irving Berlin songbook that could ever be considered "bottom drawer",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, As Jerome Kern so perfectly said, "Irving Berlin has no place in American music - he IS American music."

And you can't come out of the theatre humming the set lol

[ClapYo'Hands]

Nor can you come out humming that Berlin crap

In all seriousness, I hugely admire Berlin as a composer, but I don't think Top Hat is his best score nor do I think he's the greatest of American composers. What I do think is that Top Hat vs. Singin' In The Rain is an argument where no conclusion shall ever be reached xD

[bob8rich]

Of course - as always it comes down to personal taste & opinion and there is no "right" or "wrong" opinion on the relative merits of the two shows. I am intrigued, however, as to which of the Freed/Brown songs you honestly think are genuinely above average songs.

[ClapYo'Hands]

I honestly cannot name any bad songs. Not to mention that I consider "Fit as a Fiddle, "All I Do", "Make 'Em Laugh", "Moses Supposes", "Good Morning" and "Singin' In The Rain" to be some of the finest songs and showstoppers ever written for a musical. I even say this as a composer and performer. And the ballet is more perfection in 11 minutes than most shows are in 2 and a half hours.

[bob8rich]

It really is an amazing world of varying tastes! All those songs quite literally send me to sleep lol Sadly, I've always regarded Freed and Brown as pretty much second division songwriters from the Golden Age of American songwriting and always thought the best thing about the movie was Comden and Green's screenplay rather than the rather hackneyed score.

And Make Em Laugh was basically a blatant piece of plagiarism from Cole Porter's Be A Clown (written 4 years earlier).

Also, the songs in Singing In the Rain were not actually written specifially for the musical - they were earlier Freed & Brown songs from various shows pulled together to form the score of the movie. e.g. Singing In The Rain was written for The Hollywood Revue of 1929 and Good Morning was written for the movie of Babes In Arms - probably the reason why I have such an antipathy towards Freed and Brown - for being part of the sacriligeous butchering of Rodgers & Hart's finest score for the movie adaptation of the stage show, replacing the R & H masterpieces with a load of schlock lol

[246015]

Didn't realise there was a "Babes in Arms" film and can't find it anywhere. Is it out of print?

[bob8rich]

The movie was made in 1939 as a star vehiucle for Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031066/

- and they cut virtually the entire Rodgers & Hart score!

[Mark_E]

I saw Without You on Saturday afternoon, thought it was brilliant. Keeping with the Rent theme, in seeing it at Greenwich Theatre on Saturday evening. I've been skepticle of seeing a production since I saw it in the final month of performances in New York, but this production looks very promising and has a good cast so I'm really hoping for it to be amazing!

[ClapYo'Hands]

You say things like "they're just songs from other movies" and "it was just a plagiarism of another song" as if Singin' In The Rain is the only example. That is just what was done then, I'm afraid (and something that Cole Porter himself even did). Not to mention that "Make 'Em Laugh" is far better than "Be A Clown" (side note: The original London production of Singin' In The Rain used Be A Clown instead of Make 'Em Laugh).

And how anybody can legitimately claim that "Moses Supposes" sends them to sleep is completely beyond me!

[jaqs]

Last week soho cinders which was fabulous, sad I cant fit in another visit. (and the paralympics all day sat which was amazing).

This week loads, NT live curious incident of the dog, Baggage at the arts, Hedda Gabler, Waiting room (lost theatre) and Taboo.

I didnt enjoy Singing in the rain at all, and havnt got around to top hat yet.

[bob8rich]

"You say things like "they're just songs from other movies" "
Actually that is NOT what I said lol

"and "it was just a plagiarism of another song" as if Singin' In The Rain is the only example."

And I certainly did not say SITR is the only example. And even if others did it, that does not alter the fact that Make Em Laugh was plagiarised.

And, yes Moses Supposes is possibly one of THE most boring songs I have ever heard lol

But, we seem to have sidetracked from the original thtread here, so perhaps should just agree to differ and let others say what they'e seen & qwill be seeing............

[songanddanceman2]

Well my new play EXAM opened last night here in Manchester so thats the only thing i will see all week

[bob8rich]

Congrats again, SADM! How did opening night go?

[rosscoe(au)]

Saw Sweeney today ( Wed ) and was the most thrilling , exciting night of theatre I have seen in years. A close to musical theatre heaven, scratch that as close to theatre heaven one can get... An amazing production...

[Phantom of London]

I am glad that Sweeney Todd was everything Ghost wasn't and will give you a enduring great memory of London theatre to take with you on your trip into Scandinavia and hopefully will leave you gasping for more theatre when you come back to London very soon.

[rosscoe(au)]

Went to grab a ticket to Top Hat for the matinee today and sadly the show was dark for the week. So when I arrive back on the 15th, planning on seeing Sweeney again, Singing in the rain and Top Hat..

[Phantom of London]

Really, I am shocked to here the theatre was dark, I didn't kno that, retrospectively the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is just around the corner and I know its not everyones cup of tea, but I know Shrek does a Thursday matinee. So there could of been an alternative.

Sorry I didn't know the show was dark, or I would of advised.