MATILDA Previews- Page 4

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 7:52am

Now I am really excited,going tomorrow. Glad to hear the view from the Balcony is good, I was worried. Thanks for the reviews and feedback : )

[gstrus2]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 7:55am

bwayphreak234- aisles were added because the actors run down them quite often.

[kadu335]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 7:55am

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Whizzer! It got me a lot more excited than I already was for this show!

The novel is such a nice memory I have of my childhood... I can't wait to see it. Unfortunately I'll have to wait until November... =(

Updated On: 3/5/13 at 07:55 AM

[ArtMan]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 7:56am

Whizzer, you stated you sat in the balcony and the view was great. I bought tickets and have Row E in balcony center. I'm not planning on changing my ticket or buying another. Just hope the view is good. On another thread, someone mentioned they had a ticket in balcony for Cinderella and couldn't see a thing. I haven't bought that one yet, so their comment has me thinking of not buying balcony and paying more.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 8:28am

I was in Row F of the balcony and really the view is wonderful up there. The Shubert balcony is nothing like the horrid balcony at The Walter Kerr, for example, so don't worry about getting seats up there.

As far as I know the rear mezz of The Broadway wasn't even open during previews of Cinderella (there's no balcony at The Broadway), but it's true that the rear mezz in that theater feels like Timbuktu.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 8:49am

'They left the lyric as Phys Ed here too. I remember when I was little and the first time I heard Henry Higgins say, "In France every Frenchman knows his language A to Zed," and I had to ask my parents why he pronounced Zee incorrectly, ha. I can't say for sure if they americanized much of the book, but Mr Wormwood still describes the faulty cars as "knackered(?)," etc. I loved all the British-isms though- it added to the exotic fantasyland that was Matilda's world.'

I am glad you enjoyed the Anglicism’s and the show overall. if the show is set in England leave the show in Anglo-English, if a show is done in American English leave the show in that vernacular, it would be awful if I saw a American play in the London, West End by someone like Arthur Miller or Tennessee Williams and the producers substituted American-English for Anglo English, to bow down to British audience. So Whizzer I truly understand your sentiment even though the boot is on the other foot.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 10:27am

I'm liking what I am reading

1) How much of the Entran'ce is cut? The entran'ce is brilliant and I hate that it is cut.
2) Which verse of Naughty is cut? I'm guessing the Cinderella one?
3) What other changes are there?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 10:30am

The cut verse in "Naughty" has been there for ages - I think they actually cut that before it transferred from the RSC to London.

Thanks for all the great reports. The original production was so special in the UK, I'm thrilled to hear the magic has made the leap cross the pond.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 10:31am

Which verse?

[Belle9]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 10:36am

Has anything notable been changed from the West End production? I haven't seen it, but of course I've seen clips online. Are the hair, costumes, and set the same from what you've seen? How are the vocals, especially Oona's? Are the accents distracting, or are they believable?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 10:39am

The cut verse in "Naughty" is the 'CInderella in the Cellar' verse...

[mamaleh]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 10:46am

Oona may be a little "too" British in her accent, which often made understandability of lyrics a challenge. But she has fine stage presence, a good voice and the feisty spirit needed for the role.

My seat was fourth row balcony, right side, three seats in, and I had a perfect, panoramic view.

[supersam1026]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 10:47am

If you sit in the center if the balcony you will have no trouble seeing, no matter what row you're in. The trouble comes in the back half of the balcony on the sides. The Shubert is obviously pretty old and the poles in the balcony do get in the way sometimes. I was still able to see everything, but had to often move side to side in order to do so. I sat in G 20, the pole was not directly in front of me, but a few rows down. Ideal seats in the balcony would probably be any row between seat 103-112, just to avoid all poles. Hope this helps!

[dtzumbrunnen]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 10:51am

Whizzer, your review gave me chills. Sad that our tickets aren't until May, but excited to experience this production!

[cannison101]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 10:52am

Sat in the last row of the mezzanine last night - I would personally recommend the balcony over the rear mezz. A lot that happened upstage of center was missed, as the entire top half of the set/stage was cut off from our view.

Fantastic night of theatre, though. Throughly enjoyed it!

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 12:26pm

There hasn't been much mention of the score here. Like "Billy Elliott" I thought the show was fantastic WITHOUT an amazing score. Though I do think "When I Grow Up" is terrific and destined to become a classic.

Question about the sci-fi aspect of the show SPOILER!!!

I can't exactly remember the details (I saw this on a trip to London) but I do remember a plot advancement different than the book and film version which I thought improved upon the source material.

Does it seem to anyone that Matilda's power goes beyond basic telekinesis? That she actually so needed to be away from her parents and need nurturing, that she actually created her own reality. That she conjured Miss Honey (and possibly the entire school) from her amazing mind? There is a coincidence at the heart of the Miss Honey story I remember that sorta indicated this, I can't remember exactly what it was, but it added an additional frisson of delightful wonder to the plot.





Updated On: 3/5/13 at 12:26 PM

[davp]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 12:39pm

Glad to see all the positive comments.

Based on the complexity of the set, does it look like they'll be able to easily take this show on tour?

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 12:47pm

Thanks for the comments on the view from the balcony. Now I am more excited.

[jetts7]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 1:12pm

I am seeing the show on Thursday and sitting in row G (third to last row) in the center of the balcony. Will I be able to see everything from there? I was in the very last row for Memphis and I couldn't see anything! Also, is there merchandise yet?

[Kelly2]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 1:15pm

Maybe my issue is just that I'm not able to get past the idea that we can call a show an "amazing musical" when the score is by all accounts, including mine, just "eh".

Going to give it another shot either way though.

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 1:15pm

I am sitting Orchestra Right Row A tomorrow!

[pdjennings]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 1:49pm

"the score is by all accounts, including mine, just "eh"."

Having only HEARD the show via the cast recording, the very last thing I'd call the score is "eh," so not quite "all accounts."

Going next month and totally can't wait.

[lillebjorn]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 1:57pm

I think it all depends on what you think constitutes a good score. The Billy Elliot score worked in the context of the show, I thought, but doesn't necessarily hold up outside that context. Matilda's score works very well with the show, in my opinion and, when I listened to the soundtrack, heard all sorts of things that made ****up my ears and go, "that's interesting." It certainly isn't a one-note score and seems to have a lot of influences. I even think there's Skiffle in "Telly."
I like it a lot. Some won't. Fair enough, so.

[dave1606]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 1:57pm

A warning to all the balcony goers. While the view up there is actually quite good, the Shubert does have poles that are pretty distracting. My seats were F16 and F18 last night, and while I had an excellent view, I had a pole cutting down the middle of my view. I got used to it, and as per my review I still really enjoyed the show, but I am at little miffed that the box office made no mention of this when I purchased my tickets. I wouldn't call it partial view, but it was definitely somewhat obstructed.

That said, two seats either to the left or the right, and I bet you would be fine.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/5/13 at 1:59pm

Question for people in the balcony; did it look like the bar in front of the first row of the balcony was view-obstructing at all? I've sat in the balcony at the Shubert before, but never first row.