Profile for simon_wilkie

I agree with the original poster - YF is possibly better than The Producers. I visited NYC last week and saw Wicked, Hairspray and YF and YF surpased the other two shows by miles. I've posted more detailed comments in the Megan thread, but the cast were phenomenal, the sets were breath-taking and music and book were superb. Yes the show is Mel Brooks through and through, but what he did when The Producers opened in 2001 was inject fun back into theatre. He returned musical comedies back to wh...

Saw the show last Friday and was blown away. I'm from the UK and have been dying to see the show since it was first announced, and it really didn't disappoint. I'm a huge fan of The Producers yet I'd argue that Mel has surpassed himself with YF. Roger and Christopher were superb as Frederick and Igor. Roger is def the heart and soul of the show and is phenomenal. If he was ill on Friday, I certainly couldn't tell. As for Chris: I think the role of Igor can make or break the show. He had huge ...

Sir Not Appearing: Good idea, I never thought of that. Potaphar would be cool, but perhaps they appear to near to one another in the show - i.e. One More Angel is right before Potaphar. However, having him double as Pharoah would be amazing. Getting an actor to go from old doddery ancient to hip-swinging Elvis would be a great idea!

Depending on how the director works it - Jacob in Joseph is a very small part. Only one line in the entire show and on stage for hardly any time at all - yet they always list him quite highly in programmes etc and even got Richard Attenbourgh in for the movie production!

On the same note--- I've booked to see the show at the end of July/start of August, not sure about the date, sometime during that week... Will the original cast still be in then? Or if not who is leaving? I hope Roger, Andrea and Christopher esp. are still in it. Thanks. S.

Hi, I'm from across the pond in the UK and will be visiting NYC in July. Having seen Hairspray here in the UK in January I can't wait to see it again, but would love to see Norm as Edna!!! How long is George contracted to stay in the show? I thought he was due to leave on Jan 8th but has he extended his contract? Thanks. Simon.

Of course not, and I would hate it if it did. Politics and sexuality are totally separate. I was highlighting the ridiculous stereotype that had originally been suggested. Just as it is ridiculous to suggest that all conservatives are straight, it is ridiculous to suggest that musical theatre is the realm of gay men.

I am from the UK, so my political ideologies may be different, but from (I am presuming) the only neo-con, G.W. Bush supporting, non-American, Sunset Blvd obsessee on any message board, I can quite safely say that Sunset is definitely NOT gay. I have nothing against homosexuality, in a fact that may differ from my fellow neo-cons, but as I have repeatedly said...and any former Blvd forum members will testify to, I am not gay myself and it infuriates me when musical theatre is associated with ...

Hey, I'm a UK Hairspray and Cheers fan here and have just found out that Norm is playing Edna currently on Broadway, which I am very jealous about! I have two questions- as by the time I next come to NY (July 0, George will be out of the show: 1) Has anyone seen him and if so, is he as fantastic as I can imagine he will be? 2) Are the videos on the official Hairspray site, i.e. Timeless to Me and Welcome to the 60s, videos with George as Edna? I can hardly tell under the make-up...it's the sa...

You forget that most people on here who want shows have very often paid (numerous times) to see their favourite shows. You also don't take into consideration the fact that many shows close and fans like to retain the magic. My favourite shows are The Woman in White, Sunset Blvd and By Jeeves (I am a slight ALW junkie), and it is a sad fact that none of these shows are now open professionally. It seems sad that fans such as myself, who paid to see the show (except Jeeves) and for Sunset esp ha...

What happened to the good old days of a full recording and a highlights CD? ALW used to do them for all of his shows...Phantom, Cats, Sunset... and the Les Mis CSR had a highlights version released. What really annoys me is not releasing different cast recordings. I'd love to have had a London Wicked, Spamalot and Producers CD and I'd also have loved to have listened to an OBC recording for The Woman in White. Saw Michael Ball in London and loved him! Was disappointed that Crawford was ill wh...

Just bought the CSR a couple of weeks ago- it's okay. It is the entire show which is very nice. I hate cast recordings that cut things out Personally I'd get the 10th An. cast. Colm Wilkinson, Alun Armstrong and Jenny Galloway alone are worth the price of the CD. If I was getting any Les Mis CD (don't know if you own one already?) I'd invest in the OLC, my personal favourite cast.

Thanks- looks amazing! I really can't wait for this show, Mel Brooks is a genius! Can't wait for it to open in the UK- unless I can get to NYC first! Simon

I want to see Spamalot- not sure how much in demand tickets for the show is. What time do the booths stay open until. I'm only there for a couple of nights, but if I get chance to see another show I don't have any particular preference and willing to take whatever's left

Hi, A quick question about the two TKTS booths- Do both booths offer the same selection in tickets (i.e. via a centralised system), or does the Seaport booth offer less choice than the Times Square booth? I ask because I am planning to be at Seaport early one morning and considering going to get tickets at 11 where it will be quieter rather than queue at Broadway later in the day. Thanks Simon

Yeah, the 2nd US Tour car chase looked very silly, it was like some silly go-kart contraption. How Lewis Cleale managed to keep a straight face night after night is beyond me. It's a shame because when he turns it around to put it in the garage it looks quite good. As for the UK Tour, I found that quite inventive. I thought for a low-key production it looked quite clever, although I don't really get why it was dark in the middle of the afternoon in LA on that day!!!

WOW! UK Tour- at last! I've heard that the RUG advertised a UK Tour when the London show closed- better late than never I suppose! Is it an official tour, or at least a professional? If, so any idea where I can find more info on it please?? Thanks Simon

Hi, I just want to hear everyone's thoughts on David Cullen, the orchestrator for practically all of ALW's work after the 1970s? I was listening to Whistle and Aspects recently, and realised that it is the orchestrations to many of ALW's shows that make the music so good. This is particularly important in his more dramatic shows- Phantom, Sunset, Aspects (IMO). However, it is very rare for anyone to mention David's brilliance as a composer and orchestrator, and I just wanted to stick up for h...

When speaking of "musical comedy" and the original essence of what musicals are, I for one was talking pre-R&H. Now I do not think that a group of young children running for their lives from Nazis or a ruthless Siam king are comedic musicals. I was thinking of the light-hearted Gilbert and Sullivan operettas or Cole Porter's 1930s toe-tapping helluva good time shows. The whole basis of Mel Brooks' work is crude. If you don't like his film output, why on earth did you go and see the show simpl...

Although this is a long thread that seems pretty divisive, I'll add my bit. I'm not really too up-to-date on what was on Broadway in 2001. I'm British and only visited NYC for the first time last July, but I have seen The Producers numerous times in its three incarnations, and I've got to say that it DID deserve the recognition it got- can't comment on whether it was better than the other shows nominated, but they would have to go some to beat Mel Brooks' masterpiece. Brooks hit pure gold whe...