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Oct. 18th, 2007 10:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fairyd123Man being back at work sucks! Although it was quite entertaining to see the note of total desperation that started to sneak into the e-mails I was sent towards the end "she's back tomorrow I promise. She'll be back I'm sure of it...please come back....please!"
Its good to be loved. But geez I was only away for 10 days and people really didn't cope very well without me.
Went and saw Hairspray, Spamalot and Wicked over the past couple of days.
Hairspray was amazing. How the hell had I managed to let this musical pass me by for so many years? Its absolutely wonderful. The songs are incredibly uplifting and insanely infectious - I've had "I can Hear the Bells, You Can't Stop the Beat and Good Morning Baltimore" stuck in my head ever since I saw it. The preview wasn't sold out far from it which isn't surprising given that seats in the stalls AND the circle are £60 each. I got slightly lucky in that the guy at the end of my row was videoing the whole performance for an electronic press kit and so they hadn't sat anyone else near him which meant I got loads of room. Although I did have the misfortune of having a couple of rough old slappers behind me who arrived 20 minutes late (maybe they thought it started at 8?) and were incredibly annoying throughout talking to each other all the time. In the second Act they appeared with an open bottle of wine and I could smell the pair of them from where I was seating I swear the alcohol was just leeching out of their skin. Why pay £60 to talk to your friend and get shitfaced?
Despite the expense of the seats it is definitely worth going to see if you can. The show has the best singing and dancing I have seen in the West End in years. Everyone in the main cast is phenomenal. Leanne Jones in her West End debut is exceptional as Tracy Turnblatt - this role should make her a massive star. She sings like an angel and she can move like you wouldn't believe. Michael Ball is being paid a small fortune for not much work as he barely sings but he does give a very nice performance as Edna. I've always found him unbearably cheesy in everything else he's ever been in but he really gives a lovely nuanced performance - he's totally convincing as Tracy's mother. My favourite was an actress called Johnnie Fihorri who played Motormouth Mabelle - one hell of a gospel voice and one of the most entertaining resume's I've ever seen in a theatre programme - she was the voice of the Muses in the Disney Hercules animated movie, she was the voice of La La and Po in the Teletubbies, has done tons of theatre and concerts and is a featured medium on Most Haunted!
As for Ben who plays Link Larkin - well he looks fantastic, dances like Elvis reincarnated and perhaps unsurprisingly given his performances on Any Dream Will Do and the judges constant comments about his vocals, is probably the weakest singer in the cast bar Mel Smith. Leanne just slaughters him in their duets - you can tell that he's struggling just to be heard never mind hold his own. Still there is absolutely no doubt that he gives it his all.
Speaking of Mel Smith I can't see him being in it for very long. During his big number with Michael Ball I was actually worried that he was going to pass out! There's Michael Ball dragged up in a wig, massive dress and padding and the guy's barely breaking a sweat while Mel Smith was perspiring heavily. He looked sickly. I won't be at all surprised if he leaves in less than 3 months.
Having initially decided that I wasn't going to get any autographs because it was raining I eventually caved and ended up getting most of the principal cast including Ben, Michael, Leanne and Mel Smith. I actually think Mel Smith would have cheerfully breezed right by without signing a thing but some crazy lady with a stick (isn't there always a crazy old lady with a stick at the stage door?) actually got in his way at which point he quickly recovered and made a point of signing for everyone.
Wicked was fantastic. The matinee was half empty but it is an absolutely massive theatre so there's no way it could be sold out every performance. Kerry Ellis is just extraordinary as Elpheba. Her voice is amazing. I know she's miked to the hilt but you could tell what an incredibly powerful singer she is. I didn't think Diane Pilkington was a patch on Kristin Chenoweth on the cast recording but she's quite cute as Glinda. When I first saw it on Broadway I wasn't that keen on it (and I still think it ends very weakly) but now that I've listened to the soundtrack so many times I'm just in love with the music. I didn't bother with any autographs afterwards as its always a bit hit and miss as to whether the cast comes out after matinees and I know that Kerry doesn't come out after the matinee because she'd have to re-apply the green make up (my friend is a huge fan of hers and has met her at the stage door a number of times) - besides my friend and I spoke to her for a little while after her appearance at Pride - we'd left because we were simply to wet to stand there any more and she was on her way back to the theatre and we had a bit of a chat. She's very lovely if horrifyingly thin.
As for Spamalot - well I saw the production with the original cast of Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce and Sara Ramirez on Broadway (and I hope she is earning a fortune for Grey's Anatomy because it's a horrible unflattering part and they are completely wasting her talent) and suffice to say the current London cast isn't a patch on them. Peter Davidson displays great comic timing as Arthur and he acts the part very well but he can't sing - his vocals are pitifully weak. The guy from Coronation Street actually does a really nice job as Lancelot but the guy playing Sir Robin was pretty weak. I wasn't all that taken with Hannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake either. She has an outstanding voice but she really overplayed it - obviously it's a silly part and isn't meant to be sang in a natural way but I don't remember Sara Ramirez gurning her way through every single line like Hannah does.
I'm also really baffled that they've kept the song "You Won't Succeed on Broadway if you Don't Have Any Jews" in the play (all they've done is change "on Broadway" to "in showbiz". On Broadway a large percentage of the acting community and indeed the audience is Jewish (whenever I've been to a play on Broadway I'm always surrounded by old school new York Jews - they're great they're so blunt about things its wonderful to listen to them!) so the song works. Hell when I saw it sang by Hyde Pierce on Broadway the audience reaction nearly took the roof of the place - he got a thunderous standing ovation they loved it. But that simply doesn't translate to the West End. Really really bizarre choice.
I would have waited for Peter afterwards (and I felt rather bad that noone else was except for a teen with aspergers who had come with his family and who wanted Peter to sign a picture he'd drawn of him) but it turned on that I'd gone on the night of the first anniversary of the play opening in the West End (they had a huge cake which they wheeled out on stage) and so apparently he wasn't going to be out for 40 minutes and its far too cold at night now to hang around for too long.
Speaking of theatre I saw today that Billie Piper is being suggested as a possible Ophelia for David Tennant's version of Hamlet.
No. Just No.
Look I like Billie and I think she's a fine tv actress but god was she awful in that play Treats. After the first scene my friend and I just turned to each other jaws on the floor speechless at how bloody dreadful the whole enterprise was - only Kris Marshall emerged with any dignity and his character was the bloody girlfriend beater! There is no way Billie could handle the role of Ophelia and I would hope that she is wise enough to know that it wouldn't be a good idea to professionally embarrass herself by appearing on stage with truly outstanding actors like David Tennant and Patrick Stewart.
Its good to be loved. But geez I was only away for 10 days and people really didn't cope very well without me.
Went and saw Hairspray, Spamalot and Wicked over the past couple of days.
Hairspray was amazing. How the hell had I managed to let this musical pass me by for so many years? Its absolutely wonderful. The songs are incredibly uplifting and insanely infectious - I've had "I can Hear the Bells, You Can't Stop the Beat and Good Morning Baltimore" stuck in my head ever since I saw it. The preview wasn't sold out far from it which isn't surprising given that seats in the stalls AND the circle are £60 each. I got slightly lucky in that the guy at the end of my row was videoing the whole performance for an electronic press kit and so they hadn't sat anyone else near him which meant I got loads of room. Although I did have the misfortune of having a couple of rough old slappers behind me who arrived 20 minutes late (maybe they thought it started at 8?) and were incredibly annoying throughout talking to each other all the time. In the second Act they appeared with an open bottle of wine and I could smell the pair of them from where I was seating I swear the alcohol was just leeching out of their skin. Why pay £60 to talk to your friend and get shitfaced?
Despite the expense of the seats it is definitely worth going to see if you can. The show has the best singing and dancing I have seen in the West End in years. Everyone in the main cast is phenomenal. Leanne Jones in her West End debut is exceptional as Tracy Turnblatt - this role should make her a massive star. She sings like an angel and she can move like you wouldn't believe. Michael Ball is being paid a small fortune for not much work as he barely sings but he does give a very nice performance as Edna. I've always found him unbearably cheesy in everything else he's ever been in but he really gives a lovely nuanced performance - he's totally convincing as Tracy's mother. My favourite was an actress called Johnnie Fihorri who played Motormouth Mabelle - one hell of a gospel voice and one of the most entertaining resume's I've ever seen in a theatre programme - she was the voice of the Muses in the Disney Hercules animated movie, she was the voice of La La and Po in the Teletubbies, has done tons of theatre and concerts and is a featured medium on Most Haunted!
As for Ben who plays Link Larkin - well he looks fantastic, dances like Elvis reincarnated and perhaps unsurprisingly given his performances on Any Dream Will Do and the judges constant comments about his vocals, is probably the weakest singer in the cast bar Mel Smith. Leanne just slaughters him in their duets - you can tell that he's struggling just to be heard never mind hold his own. Still there is absolutely no doubt that he gives it his all.
Speaking of Mel Smith I can't see him being in it for very long. During his big number with Michael Ball I was actually worried that he was going to pass out! There's Michael Ball dragged up in a wig, massive dress and padding and the guy's barely breaking a sweat while Mel Smith was perspiring heavily. He looked sickly. I won't be at all surprised if he leaves in less than 3 months.
Having initially decided that I wasn't going to get any autographs because it was raining I eventually caved and ended up getting most of the principal cast including Ben, Michael, Leanne and Mel Smith. I actually think Mel Smith would have cheerfully breezed right by without signing a thing but some crazy lady with a stick (isn't there always a crazy old lady with a stick at the stage door?) actually got in his way at which point he quickly recovered and made a point of signing for everyone.
Wicked was fantastic. The matinee was half empty but it is an absolutely massive theatre so there's no way it could be sold out every performance. Kerry Ellis is just extraordinary as Elpheba. Her voice is amazing. I know she's miked to the hilt but you could tell what an incredibly powerful singer she is. I didn't think Diane Pilkington was a patch on Kristin Chenoweth on the cast recording but she's quite cute as Glinda. When I first saw it on Broadway I wasn't that keen on it (and I still think it ends very weakly) but now that I've listened to the soundtrack so many times I'm just in love with the music. I didn't bother with any autographs afterwards as its always a bit hit and miss as to whether the cast comes out after matinees and I know that Kerry doesn't come out after the matinee because she'd have to re-apply the green make up (my friend is a huge fan of hers and has met her at the stage door a number of times) - besides my friend and I spoke to her for a little while after her appearance at Pride - we'd left because we were simply to wet to stand there any more and she was on her way back to the theatre and we had a bit of a chat. She's very lovely if horrifyingly thin.
As for Spamalot - well I saw the production with the original cast of Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce and Sara Ramirez on Broadway (and I hope she is earning a fortune for Grey's Anatomy because it's a horrible unflattering part and they are completely wasting her talent) and suffice to say the current London cast isn't a patch on them. Peter Davidson displays great comic timing as Arthur and he acts the part very well but he can't sing - his vocals are pitifully weak. The guy from Coronation Street actually does a really nice job as Lancelot but the guy playing Sir Robin was pretty weak. I wasn't all that taken with Hannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake either. She has an outstanding voice but she really overplayed it - obviously it's a silly part and isn't meant to be sang in a natural way but I don't remember Sara Ramirez gurning her way through every single line like Hannah does.
I'm also really baffled that they've kept the song "You Won't Succeed on Broadway if you Don't Have Any Jews" in the play (all they've done is change "on Broadway" to "in showbiz". On Broadway a large percentage of the acting community and indeed the audience is Jewish (whenever I've been to a play on Broadway I'm always surrounded by old school new York Jews - they're great they're so blunt about things its wonderful to listen to them!) so the song works. Hell when I saw it sang by Hyde Pierce on Broadway the audience reaction nearly took the roof of the place - he got a thunderous standing ovation they loved it. But that simply doesn't translate to the West End. Really really bizarre choice.
I would have waited for Peter afterwards (and I felt rather bad that noone else was except for a teen with aspergers who had come with his family and who wanted Peter to sign a picture he'd drawn of him) but it turned on that I'd gone on the night of the first anniversary of the play opening in the West End (they had a huge cake which they wheeled out on stage) and so apparently he wasn't going to be out for 40 minutes and its far too cold at night now to hang around for too long.
Speaking of theatre I saw today that Billie Piper is being suggested as a possible Ophelia for David Tennant's version of Hamlet.
No. Just No.
Look I like Billie and I think she's a fine tv actress but god was she awful in that play Treats. After the first scene my friend and I just turned to each other jaws on the floor speechless at how bloody dreadful the whole enterprise was - only Kris Marshall emerged with any dignity and his character was the bloody girlfriend beater! There is no way Billie could handle the role of Ophelia and I would hope that she is wise enough to know that it wouldn't be a good idea to professionally embarrass herself by appearing on stage with truly outstanding actors like David Tennant and Patrick Stewart.
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Date: 2007-10-18 11:13 pm (UTC)well I saw the production with the original cast of Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce and Sara Ramirez on Broadway
I saw almost the original cast. Hank Azaria had left the show already with Alan Tudyk taking his place and Tim Curry's understudy (John Bolton, who was super, super friendly afterwards outside the stage door, so now I'm a fan for life) played his part and was fantastic.
DHP and Sara Ramirez (another super friendly actor I met after the show for pictures and an autograph) were amazing, as well. It was one of the best shows I've been to.
The show began around 2 p.m. and I got there at 11 a.m. and waited on the cancellation line to see if anybody would give up their tickets. 10 minutes before the show began...I got a seat. Totally worth the wait.
There is no way Billie could handle the role of Ophelia and I would hope that she is wise enough to know that it wouldn't be a good idea to professionally embarrass herself by appearing on stage with truly outstanding actors like David Tennant and Patrick Stewart.
I have to say from what I've heard of her theater acting, that you're absolutely right. Although can you imagine how ticket sales would zoom to sold-out immediately if she and DT were acting together again?
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Date: 2007-10-18 11:31 pm (UTC)Seeing Spamalot on broadway was the most I've ever paid for a theatre ticket - £100 on ebay for a front row seat. I didn't pay anything like that when I saw Hugh Jackman in Boy From Oz or Denzel Washington in Julius Caeser or even Julia Roberts in Three Days of Rain (she was spectacularly awful). Plus Tom Hanks was in the audience that night which was a bonus!
I didn't get to meet Tim or Sara - they didn't come out afterwards but I get everyone else's autograph. Saw David Hyde Pierce again earlier this year in Curtains - its a weak play but his enthusiasm for the role was infectious.
Thankfully the RSC isn't purely motivated by ticket sales. Obviously having David and Patrick in their new season will have massively boosted sales - but both of them have acted for the RSC before. I'm hoping they pick a decent actress for Ophelia - its a very hard part and I've seen it acted dreadfully in the past.
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Date: 2007-10-18 11:44 pm (UTC)I remember the organiser told me that Alan had committed to a pilot when the Spamalot offer came in and he literally prayed every day that it wouldn't get picked up so that he could play Lancelot!
Lol!
I paid a little over $100 for my ticket to Spamalot and that was in the balcony, off to the left a bit. But you know, absolutely worth it (as I said before) and especially for meeting the cast afterwards and having them being so friendly which was such a huge thing for me.
she was spectacularly awful
Really? Wow, I wouldn't have thought that.
Saw David Hyde Pierce again earlier this year in Curtains - its a weak play but his enthusiasm for the role was infectious.
I've been listening to the soundtrack to that. It's not my favorite, but it's growing on me. John Bolton is in that show, too, so I'd love to see it in New York while he's still there.
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Date: 2007-10-19 12:12 pm (UTC)