General Chat

Hi theatre goers! Went to see Grease at Southampton a few weeks back - it was the last night and it was great. Made all the better by the fact that you knew just about every word to every song!! Really good fun show with some breathtaking hand jive going on!! Strange thing though - nobody got out of their seats to dance! (me included I must add!!) Went to see Saturday Night Fever last week at the Apollo in London and have to say I was a tad disappointed - for the cast more than anything. Only the downstairs was open as not enough seats sold and quite a lot of downstairs seats had 'no bums on em'. Did enjoy the show but when its tour reaches Southampton I probably won't go again. Lucy x

Chrissie Smiff....where are you? Its now past the end of September and I'm dying to know if you enjoyed Miss Saigon? Please come and tell....... Lucy x

Hi Lucy Sorry I haven't commented before but I didn't want to sound like a killjoy:)) Hubby didn't like it at all and I only liked some of it. We both felt that what was supposed to come over as love between the American and the Vietnamese girl, came over more as just a sexual thing. It was apparently a new production and I think that they could have cut it by half an hour. There were times when I was studying the scenery. I did think the helicopter scene was fantastic though and I enjoyed the 'dancing'. We also thought that there were only a couple of good songs in it and the rest was just singing words to the same tune. It wasn't terribly well cast either. I would have liked to see the London version that everyone talks about though. Sorry. Chrissie x

Oh dear, thats a real shame - sorry you didn't enjoy it as much as I did. perhaps as you say, the London version may have been cast better. Lucy x

I'm glad I've seen it though Lucy - I hate to miss anything :))

LOL !!!

Oh Chriisy what a shame you didn't like it, I loved Miss Saigon, enough to see it 3 times, can only assume that the London version was better cast. Can't remember if I asked before, but have either of you seen Blood Brothers? Cried and cried at that I did, even the 2nd time I saw it and knew what was about to happen. Lots of men in the audience cried openly as well, very moving and superbly acted. Lynda

Yes Lynda - we've seen it, it was excellent. We took hubbys son and my daughter as teenagers and they loved it too. They were even more thrilled because we got chatting to one of the stars afterwards. I can't remember her name, will have to ask hubby. He's in bed though, where I'm just off:))

have to admit that when I saw Miss Saigon (years ago in London) I didn't like it at all. too 'operatic' if you know what I mean. couldn't understand a word they were singing! was really worried after that about going to see Les Mis, but it is fab fab fab - seen it twice in London and funnily enough was watching the 10th anniversary concert DVD today. cried buckets at Fantine's 'the dream i dreamed' as usual. the concert was on my wedding day - 8 October 1995. they said then that they would be back in another 10 years - wonder if they will be - its this Saturday! Maz. XX

Isn't it great how our taste differ so much? A week after I saw Miss saigon I saw Les Mis, and didn't really like it, hubby loved it, I think I saw it too soon after Miss Saigon, and still had that in my head. Keep saying I must see Les Mis again, I'm sure I would like it if I saw it again, I did like the music. As for Miss Saigon being operatic, didn;t notice that, but I do like opera, so maybe thats why I like it so much. Didn't know it was your anniversary on Saturday Maz, we will have a toast for the happy years you had x x lynda x x x

Lynda - think we had better toast the happy years AHEAD lol!! will need a larf by then I can tell you ....

There will be loads of happy years ahead, honest there will x

Hi Lynda and all I haven’t been to see this play but after reading the following glowing write up on it, I really would like to. I thought someone might be interested. Heroes - Wyndham’s Space will not permit me to indulge in the sheer joys that this brilliant Tom Stoppard translation of Gerald Sibleyras’ beautiful play about three first world war survivors, in 1959, living out their days in a veteran’s home. I can only assure you that in a sensitive staging by Thea Sharrock in Robert Jones’ wonderful walled garden setting, we were treated to the sheer magic of three mesmerising performances by John Hurt, Richard Griffiths and Ken Stott, the memory of which will remain with me for the rest of my life. 35 years ago two giants of the theatre moved me in the same way as this production – in 1970 those two great knights, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, wove a spell on us as they played out David Hare’s wonderful play Home. As with that, Heroes was , and will remain, 100 minutes of magical theatre filled with sadness and joy, with laughter and tears and in a London that suffers from so much theatrical dross let us give thanks for a play which I suspect will be in Cameron Mackintosh’s repossessed theatre for years to come. If you only go to theatre once this season I beg of you to pay homage to Heroes. Chrissie x

Hiya Chrissie it sounds a realy good play doesn't it, and did you see it's now playing at Wyndham's theatre Charing Cross Road, we could nip put from the meet and see it :) Will out that on my must see list i think. Thanks for letting me know. Lynda

Hi Lynda I feel compelled to do a write up on the play that we went to see last night as hubby is raving about it being the best thing he has seen for a long time. I enjoyed it because there were some very funny lines in it but I find it difficult to go as overboard about it as hubby has, because of the sad subject matter. In fact, I think I should do two separate write ups, in case we saw different plays LOL:) Secretly, I think Hubby enjoyed it so much because he could picture some of his favourite actresses taking the parts and is probably fancying directing it. It is called ‘The Memory of Water’ by Shelagh Stephenson It’s a bitter-sweet comedy full of emotional resonance and heartfelt humour. It was voted UK ‘Play of the year’ in 2001 and won the Olivier award for best new comedy in 2000. That’s the official blurb. It is set in the bedroom of a mother who has just passed away and the principal characters are the three daughters, who have gathered to arrange the funeral. Over the period of the play, we begin to see four very different opinions as to the life they led when young and how it has affected their lives. The opinions are of the three daughters and their mother, who also appears in the play as a ghost. I don’t feel that I should explain more, as this would spoil it for anyone going to see it, except to say that there were a couple of very funny scenes, which gave two of the girls a chance to shine, which they grabbed with both hands . I found the set a disappointment as it was a very good bedroom set, spoiled by half of it being ‘wallpapered’ in an outdoor scene with a very large, distracting, mural and a tiny piece of brick wall separating the décor. I feel that this was unnecessary. I also thought it odd that some of the main characters were wearing very obviously, summer outfits, whilst talking about the thick snow outside!! However, apart from those two distractions, it was very well cast and directed. Chrissie xx p.s. We are off to see another one tonight – so watch this space LOL:)

Going to see some new plays, anyone else seen any of them ? Smaller East is East The Rivals Beauty and the Beast Lynda

I have seen a film called East is East - black comedy about an asian family where the kids want to be more western and the father is driven to distraction. was v good, but dunno if the play you will see is the same thing??

Hiya Maz Yep thats the one, any good? Lynda

yeah I thought it was good - I suppose it always depends though on who is in it?!

It hasn't got who's in it Maz, but some of the plays I see with unknowns in them are better than the ones with big names in Lynda