#1
Posted: 5/11/05 at 7:54pm
Hi all ! I really did miss the board, but I had a great time in beautiful London, seeing as many shows as I could ! I do have to say that, after having been to New York, London doesn't impress me as much as it used to, but still it is a great city with many shows for every taste ! So, here are my reviews on what I saw, in the order that I saw them, for all my friends on the board !
MARY POPPINS
I went with a little apprehension, since I was not very crazy about the film on the first place BUT... this is a GREAT show !!! It really won me over with the spectacle and the emotion of it ! The cast was great, although I can't understand all the raves about Laura Michelle Kelly ! She was very good, but not the phenomenal performer I had read everywhere ! But it was a wonderful evening, a great production and it got a very well deserved standing ovation from the ecstatic fully packed audience ! Easily one of the two most favourite shows of my trip !
LES MISERABLES
I went to tkts, to see if I could get a good seat and I got a fourth row center seat !! I wanted to see Les Mis for a third time, firstly because it is one of my favorites and secondly, because if the rumors about it closing next year after the 20th year celebration are true, it will be a long time before I may get a chance to see it again ! I was so overwhelmed once again ! I know many may disagree, but for me Les Mis is one of the best pieces of musical theatre ever written and it was so wonderful to see it again live ! Its move to a smaller venue, made the show more intimate and it works even better. The cast was in top form and the magic of Les Mis touched me once again, as it did the whole audience, judging from the thunderous standing ovation in the end !
THE WOMAN IN WHITE
Ok, how can I say this...well, I didn't hate it and I didn't love it ! The use of projections is nice at the beginning, but it gets tiring after a while and the lack of actual sets except the absolutely necessary makes it look a bit poor. The music was fine, the cast was good, the story is interesting, but something was missing. Maybe it is much better going in without having heard the cast recording, so you are surprised by the twists and the "secrets" of the story. It was full, but it didn't get a standing ovation and I don't think it is a show that will go very well with American audiences ! And Maria Friedman is another good performer, that I don't really understand all the raves about !
WE WILL ROCK YOU
First of all, I have to say that this was one of the greatest audiences I have ever experienced ! The energy of the crowd was unbelievable, maybe because it was mostly teenagers ! But for a show with a silly story, nice visuals and great loud rock music, the audience can make or break the show ! I had a great night out ! I love Queen's music, the show was spectacular, the exchange of energy between the wonderful cast and the audience was phenomenal, what else do I need ! Pure fun and nothing else ! You really don't need me to say about the standing ovation, right ? It was more of a jumping ovation actually :)
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
Ok, most of you know the show now. Spectacular, magical, fun, fun, fun ! A great night out, end of story. Shame that the theater had lots of empty seats and that is bad, considering that it was a Friday evening ! But it was great entertainment that send me in the street with a big smile ! Yes, standing ovation on this one, too. Who said British audiences are reserved, uh ?
BILLY ELLIOT
Ok, remember that i said Mary Poppins was the one of my two most favorites ? This is the other one ! It was FANTASTIC !!! A show that doesn't rely on spectacle but on story and emotion. I was so moved by it ! The boy playing Billy (George McGuire) was phenomenal, as was the whole cast ! I don't think that you can judge it only from the cast recording when it comes out, because the music is not that special. It is a show that has to be seen in order to be fully appreciated. Although I didn't get some jokes, because they were talking with a thick northern British accent, which is where the story is set, I LOVED Billy Elliot ! It got a 70% standing ovation. It really is a magical show, I felt tears in my eyes twice and it's been quite long since that happened to me !
That was it. Nice to be back here ! Feel free to ask anything you want !
Take care
MARY POPPINS
I went with a little apprehension, since I was not very crazy about the film on the first place BUT... this is a GREAT show !!! It really won me over with the spectacle and the emotion of it ! The cast was great, although I can't understand all the raves about Laura Michelle Kelly ! She was very good, but not the phenomenal performer I had read everywhere ! But it was a wonderful evening, a great production and it got a very well deserved standing ovation from the ecstatic fully packed audience ! Easily one of the two most favourite shows of my trip !
LES MISERABLES
I went to tkts, to see if I could get a good seat and I got a fourth row center seat !! I wanted to see Les Mis for a third time, firstly because it is one of my favorites and secondly, because if the rumors about it closing next year after the 20th year celebration are true, it will be a long time before I may get a chance to see it again ! I was so overwhelmed once again ! I know many may disagree, but for me Les Mis is one of the best pieces of musical theatre ever written and it was so wonderful to see it again live ! Its move to a smaller venue, made the show more intimate and it works even better. The cast was in top form and the magic of Les Mis touched me once again, as it did the whole audience, judging from the thunderous standing ovation in the end !
THE WOMAN IN WHITE
Ok, how can I say this...well, I didn't hate it and I didn't love it ! The use of projections is nice at the beginning, but it gets tiring after a while and the lack of actual sets except the absolutely necessary makes it look a bit poor. The music was fine, the cast was good, the story is interesting, but something was missing. Maybe it is much better going in without having heard the cast recording, so you are surprised by the twists and the "secrets" of the story. It was full, but it didn't get a standing ovation and I don't think it is a show that will go very well with American audiences ! And Maria Friedman is another good performer, that I don't really understand all the raves about !
WE WILL ROCK YOU
First of all, I have to say that this was one of the greatest audiences I have ever experienced ! The energy of the crowd was unbelievable, maybe because it was mostly teenagers ! But for a show with a silly story, nice visuals and great loud rock music, the audience can make or break the show ! I had a great night out ! I love Queen's music, the show was spectacular, the exchange of energy between the wonderful cast and the audience was phenomenal, what else do I need ! Pure fun and nothing else ! You really don't need me to say about the standing ovation, right ? It was more of a jumping ovation actually :)
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
Ok, most of you know the show now. Spectacular, magical, fun, fun, fun ! A great night out, end of story. Shame that the theater had lots of empty seats and that is bad, considering that it was a Friday evening ! But it was great entertainment that send me in the street with a big smile ! Yes, standing ovation on this one, too. Who said British audiences are reserved, uh ?
BILLY ELLIOT
Ok, remember that i said Mary Poppins was the one of my two most favorites ? This is the other one ! It was FANTASTIC !!! A show that doesn't rely on spectacle but on story and emotion. I was so moved by it ! The boy playing Billy (George McGuire) was phenomenal, as was the whole cast ! I don't think that you can judge it only from the cast recording when it comes out, because the music is not that special. It is a show that has to be seen in order to be fully appreciated. Although I didn't get some jokes, because they were talking with a thick northern British accent, which is where the story is set, I LOVED Billy Elliot ! It got a 70% standing ovation. It really is a magical show, I felt tears in my eyes twice and it's been quite long since that happened to me !
That was it. Nice to be back here ! Feel free to ask anything you want !
Take care
