Back from London. Here are my theatrical observations. (Long)

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:02pm

3 weeks in London, 20.5 shows.

The complete list:
We Will Rock You, Sunset Boulevard, Twelfth Night, The Woman in Black, Piaf, Carousel, La Cage aux Folles, Complicit, Well, Edward Scissorhands, Zorro (x2), Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, The Mousetrap, A Midsummer Night's Dream, War Horse (act 1), Oliver, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, A View from the Bridge, Hotel Paradiso (London International Mime-fest) and a Mozart concert.

One major thing I noticed: theater, well, the arts in general, are of a lot more importance to the UK than the US. Just touring the grounds of the National Theater complex makes you realize this. The fact that the show with the new largest advance ticket sale in London theater history, OLIVER, was cast via TV reality show, makes you realize this.

OLIVER, naturally, was a tremendous let down. A cold, mechanical production of a sweet, inconsequential show. Didn't see the woman cast as Nancy through the tele, but her alternate, Tamzin Caroll, was very, very good. In fact, the entire cast was good, especially the kid who played Dodger. The star, of course, is Rowan Atkinson, and if you're a fan of his, he certainly doesn't disappoint. And he was incredibly nice after the show at the stage door (how could I not wait?).

My favorite musical of all was ZORRO, with Matt Rawle in the title role and Emma Williams as Luisa. The score is by the Gipsy Kings, and their hit song Bamboleo is the Act I closer. It's very well-written, well-acted, well-danced, well-produced. And Rawle and Williams have sizzling chemistry. The score is probably one of the catchiest I've heard in a while.

LA CAGE was fabulous, a tiny, heartfelt and heartbreaking production that really mines for the darker hues of the material. Douglas Hodge as Albin (since replaced by Graham Norton) gave the best male performance I saw, chewing the scenery, going for broke, having the time of his life and creating a character that you love and for whom you feel terrible regarding the situation.

With Hodge as the best performer I saw, female this time, was Elena Rodger as Edith Piaf in PIAF. She loses herself in the role, sounds exactly like Piaf and proves that she's one of the most versatile performers around. I saw her last in BOEING-BOEING as the Italian and she was just as good.

I didn't care much for WOMAN IN BLACK (boring) or MOUSETRAP (the theater was empty and the cast slept their way through it). WE WILL ROCK YOU was fun, but a horrendous musical, like most jukebox shows. The ensemble phoned their way through that, too.

I can confirm Riedel's latest story that Richard Dreyfuss in the Old Vic's production of COMPLICIT doesn't remember his lines. In fact, at the performance I saw, he and his co-stars, Elizabeth McGovern and David Suchet, spent the entire performance stumbling and stuttering. The set looked like "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" though Kevin Spacey's in-the-round staging was interesting. The play, by Joe Sutton, just didn't work.

ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE was shockingly strong at the first preview, despite a middle section that needed to be sped up. Imelda Staunton was heartbreaking as Kath. Also very strong for an early preview was Arthur Miller's A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, with Ken Stott, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Hayley Atwell. Loved it.

Didn't like CAROUSEL, though the set, an amalgamation of large pieces and IMAX-like projections, was very cool. Of the 2 Shakespeare plays, I liked TWELFTH NIGHT, featuring Derek Jacobi in a hilarious turn as Malvolio, better than the RSC's incomprehensible, though nicely designed MIDSUMMER.

SUNSET BLVD. worked a lot better than the original production with the actors accompanying themselves on the instruments and Kathryn Evans as Norma was marvelous. Another show where actors (almost) accompanied themselves was Stoppard and Previn's EVERY GOOD BOY... at the National, with Toby Jones and the Southbank Sinfonia. A stunning production of an odd little play.

I walked out of WAR HORSE, which is apparently the best show of the past few years. I stood through it for 5 pounds, well, the first act, and I felt that it was like watching paint dry. I just didn't get it. I didn't get the hype over EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, either. Nicely designed but did nothing for me.

I found that WELL worked better in London than in New York, and the woman playing Lisa Kron was stronger than Kron herself. However, the woman playing the mother was nowhere near as memorable as Jayne Houdyshell.

So that's that, really. Thanks for reading and I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. Some photos are still to come.

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:06pm

maybe this was me, but I found it interesting/funny that at the theatre there, they serve ice-cream in those small little cups.. I just found it different lol

but about Piaf, anyone who can sound like Edith has some SERIOUS talent!!!!

[saulssweetie]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:09pm

Did you at least find the Fortune Theater to be scary? That place is actually scarier than the Woman in Black. And if you want to see real terror, walk into the Ladies Bathroom. I still have nightmares.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:11pm

The atmosphere of WOMAN IN BLACK was scarier than the show.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:11pm

No Night Music Yankee?

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:12pm

Thank you so much for your insight. How did you like Alexandra Silber in Carousel?

[logan0215]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:18pm

I would love for PIAF to transfer with Rogers. She seems to be such a treasure and after falling in love with Edith's story in "La Vie En Rose" this would be a great show to catch.

I wholeheartedly agree about the feel of the London theater community. After I saw Billy Elliot there last May I had a long trip back to my hotel near Heathrow and the Underground was filled with people just out of the theater. They were people from London who were talking about theater, knew the actors names and knew what was on the boards and on its way.

It was outstanding.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:25pm

Couldn't get a ticket to NIGHT MUSIC. Also couldn't get a ticket to HAMLET.

The singing in CAROUSEL was lovely. Silber is a young Audra; the Billy was very strong, but I don't recall his name. Leslie Garrett, I don't know who she is, but she's above the title, was absent; the understudy sufficed.

The real reason to see it was for the young woman, recently out of school, who played Carrie. Really glorious performance.

The dialects were abysmal. The townspeople of CAROUSEL, which takes place in New England, sounded like they were somewhere in Texas or...Oklahoma.

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:28pm

"The arts in general, are of a lot more importance to the UK than the US....The fact that the show with the new largest advance ticket sale in London theater history, OLIVER, was cast via TV reality show, makes you realize this."

Could you please explain how that made you realize this? I mean, Grease, NBC, Max & Laura Etc. Etc. I don't disagree with the premise but that "evidence" makes no sense.

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:30pm

"The dialects were abysmal. The townspeople of CAROUSEL, which takes place in New England, sounded like they were somewhere in Texas or...Oklahoma."

And I'm sure we butcher their dialects too lol but when I saw The Glass Menagerie, it was quite painful because here was Jessica Lange, she had the dialect perfect because it was natural and the guy who played Tom, obviously British, was not so good lol he mixed his natural accent with a Southern American accent that did not turn out so pretty

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:32pm

What I left out was that it's not just OLIVER. SOUND OF MUSIC and JOSEPH were also cast via the same process (I think there were more?) and both were massive hits, as well.

GREASE and LEGALLY BLONDE didn't even come close to the heights that the London shows did, apparently.

[logan0215]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:46pm

And asking an average American I'm sure that 5 to 1 they'll know "Grease" before they'd know "Oliver!"

The American reality show was an extremely recognizable commodity and it still barely created the buzz that the UK's reality shows did.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:47pm

No pictures? Bummer!

[Acaila]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 7:49pm

We had a Grease one running at the same time as the Joseph one though it was never anywhere near as popular.
Nice to get an outside perspective on UK theatre :)
Updated On: 1/25/09 at 07:49 PM

[homeimp]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 9:25pm

I just returned to day from London and saw many of the same shows as you. I don't know what you mean by saying Oliver was cold and mechanical. It simply couldn't have been done any better. What was cold? What was mechanical? Mr. Atkinson was wonderful. I did see Jodie who was chosen on the TV show (a practice I abhor), and she was very good. Certainly as warm and maternal as any previous Nancy, and well sung. The musical numbers were done to a T. It was certainly the most lavish Oliver I have seen. The chase scenes were stunningly depicted with Oliver appearing to run thorough street after street with the scenery shifting to accommodate his progress. I also cannot imagine leaving any play after one act, as you confess you did at War Horse. Well, you did have standing room, but even so... I would have stayed for another hour just to watch those horses do their thing onstage, which, in fact, I did. I saw Graham Norton and Steven Pacey in La Cage. Both were wonderful. The Best Of Times, based on this staging, joins my list of the greatest musical numbers, even though I cannot understand why Jerry Herman didn't provide a second verse. Even a French translation of the first verse would have done nicely. I loved Sunset Blvd and the leading lady's performance, especially the fact that she played Norma far less over the top that both Gloria Swanson and Glenn Close. I liked both Twelfth Night and Midsummer Night's Dream, but have seen both plays done at least as well at Canada's Stratford Festival.

[winston89]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 9:58pm

When it comes to reality shows being done as a way to cast people in shows, I was always under the impression that it worked better in England for a couple of reasons.

The first is that as it was mentioned earlier in the thread, the English, hell even the people in London love theatre more then even those who live in New York or the rest of the US do. They know who is playing what role etc.

Also, while there are reality shows in England, I feel that they aren't as big a cultural thing as they are in America. Hell, Fox just started a channel called Fox Reality. All reality shows all the time. A channel, that I think wouldn't work in a place like England. To most people in America the two theatre related reality shows were just that. Two more reality shows to watch. Americans like to watch and see who the judges would pick to win, or to log on to whatever website they need to and vote. I feel that Grease: Your The One That I Want was just yet another reality show for people to watch and vote without caring about the outcome. Legally Blonde: The Search For Elle Woods was your run of the mill MTV reality car crash that was nothing more then entertaining bubble gum. what I mean by that was that it was fun and sweet and nothing more. However, it did appeal to its target audience.

In short, I feel that because there is a connection to theatre in England that Americans don't have, I feel that the people in England treated the theatre related reality shows difrerently. They love the theatre in a different way Americans do and they were watching them and voting in. Not, because they were yet another reality show to watch. But, they cared about the winner and the outcome and each were watching wanting their contestant of choice to win. Whereas, in America they just needed a show to fill the constant void of not watching enough of themselves.

[homeimp]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 10:24pm

This is all very interesting, and for all I know may be true of the British people, but it doesn't change my opinion. I just don't see the fairness in rewarding someone with a plum role on the basis of a public vote. Any idea what the British acting community thinks of this? Fortunately after Joseph, Grease, Oliver and Sound of Music, I don't think there are many other shows that could be cast in this way.

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 1/25/09 at 10:35pm

"I don't think there are many other shows that could be cast in this way."

are there are PLENTY of shows that COULD be cast this way.. SHOULD they? thats the question, but just as an example, they could go the American way and do the Legally Blonde thing... but just sayin' t there are shows that COULD be cast like this

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 1/26/09 at 4:31am

Glad to hear you liked Zorro - a vastly underrated little show in my opinion! What did you think of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (I'm still undecided about trying for a ticket next time I'm in the big smoke...)?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/26/09 at 6:18am

I very much adored EVERY GOOD BOY. It's a stunning, fast-paced production. The lighting, alone, is worth the price of admission.

And it's only 70 minutes. (Which is both a plus and minus. Got me to the pub earlier, but the show was so good I wished it was longer.)


I'm not questioning the production values of OLIVER. The sets, lighting, costumes were spectacular; the depth of the stage was unbelievable; seeing so many people on stage was also unbelievable. I just found it to be a cold, "we're doing this for the money" production.

[kec]

Posted: 1/26/09 at 7:17am

"My favorite musical of all was ZORRO, with Matt Rawle in the title role and Emma Williams as Luisa. The score is by the Gipsy Kings, and their hit song Bamboleo is the Act I closer. It's very well-written, well-acted, well-danced, well-produced. And Rawle and Williams have sizzling chemistry. The score is probably one of the catchiest I've heard in a while."

Glad to hear you enjoyed this so much. I saw it just before it opened in July and loved it so much I went back twice more. LOVE the music and everything about it.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 1/26/09 at 8:16am

I only got to skim your reviews for now (class in a bit), but sounds like you had a great time! I'm hoping to go to London sometime in the future.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/26/09 at 8:22am

What an amazing experience. I've done theater binges in London and Stratford Ontario (both with Reginald Tresilian), but never 21 shows in 21 days!

I only wish you had seen Graham Norton in La Cage. I am THIS close to scheduling a London trip just to see him. How crazy is that? It's not like he's Ralph Richardson or anything...)

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/26/09 at 8:42am

Yeah, it was a helluva trip. And I was even able to get to all the museums I wanted to see and do the research (for a project I'm working on) that was the immediate cause of the trip.

I would have liked to see Graham, but the timing didn't work out. I heard from a friend who saw his second or third performance that he couldn't sing. Glad I saw Doug Hodge.
Updated On: 1/26/09 at 08:42 AM

[Mark_E]

Posted: 1/26/09 at 9:02am

Interesting to see UK theatre from an Americans point of view..

Another reason I think reality shows work better in the UK for theatre is that the UK is alot smaller. I live right at the north of England and i'm only 3 hours on the train from London, so more people will go for just the day/weekend compared to America where it can take days and days to drive across the place.