Tick.. Tick.. BOOM in London, quick review

[JakeB]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 12:46pm

Saw the show on Saturday afternoon and I was disappointed. I love the Amercan cast recording, and the London production boasted Christian Campbell - who was excellent, but you can't help but wonder if he thought 'what the hell am I doing in this production?'.

It just seemed like a really weak staging. I was very surprised that this was directed by Scott Schwarz, as he directed the original production - you just expect big things for the tiny Menier Chocolate Factory to bring over the original director. Can't believe there was a credit for Musical Staging - WHAT musical staging exactly? A friend tells me that the staging for Sunday cleverly parodies Sunday in the Park with George (which I don't know at all, so it was lost on me) but there was just nothing inventive about the show at all.

I was pleased to have seen it - with a good director, venue and set designer (I think the design is the most important thing with small sized shows, how you use the space, and the set was just a tad on the amateurish side) this is clearly an excellent show, but I don't think the London production is worthy of some of the excellent reviews it has receieved. I just sat through the whole thing imagining it done differently, and I enjoyed my own vision of it much more!

Two pet hates that were also in it -

1) Awful sound design. Standing one metre away from me Christian Campbell's voice still came from a speaker, not his mouth. Get the band off the stage and let the performers project naturally, the venue is tiny.

2) Actors miming playing musical instruments on stage - Hugh Jackman was an offender - and also, the keyboard he was playing was a battered, tiny little my-first-keyboard - Larson was a composer, not a child.

Anyone else seen it?

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 12:49pm

Thanks for the review!! I'm really jealous...I'll be in London soon but not sure if it will still be there!

How long is the show set to run??

[RentLondon]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 12:55pm

I was there on Opening Night. Its the same exact show to what was on Broadway and on tour except the set is smaller and cheaper, mainly do to the way the stage is set out. You can't complain about the band on stage as in shows like Rent and the latest Fiddler on broadway have bands on stage.

[JakeB]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 12:55pm

September 3rd.

www.menierchocolatefactory.com

[JakeB]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 12:56pm

RentLondon - perhaps it's just my perception of Larson musicals then. I thought Rent was another misguided production; stunning source material, but in desperate need of a director to treat it with care. I can't stand shows with bands on stage.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 7/25/05 at 1:00pm

Rentlondon, just to clarify, TTB was never on Broadway. It played at the Jane St. theatre, a small theatre in the Village. It's the same theatre where Hedwig played in NYC.