160 replies to this topic

[Sam4God]

I'm seeing it on Thursday - saw it in Leeds in July and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing how it's changed since, and especially how it's going to work in a slightly bigger differently-shaped theatre!

[les mis lover]

Sam4God, on 30 September 2012 - 02:19 PM, said:

I'm seeing it on Thursday - saw it in Leeds in July and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing how it's changed since, and especially how it's going to work in a slightly bigger differently-shaped theatre!

I would love to see that too. I particularly loved the setting in Leeds though.
Good luck to all involved in the show. They must all be nervous, a new show arriving in the West End.
Lets hope everyone gives them great support and helps make it a huge success.

[DeNada]

Saw this tonight - I overheard the set designer saying there was still a major piece missing that would be in the show later in the week so can't fully judge the physical production, and please take all comments with a pinch of salt as it's first preview etc.

The cast is super energetic, the production (set, costumes etc) are fun, but this is basically a Disney Channel original movie on stage.  There are things I didn't like about the staging and book, but I don't think they really matter that much as it feels churlish to criticise the show for not being something else particularly when it's only first preview.  Other small issues can be chalked up to first preview.

I'm not the target audience for this (despite my embarrassing love of the first and third High School Musical films...) but I'm really not sure who is.

If there's plenty of discussion about the show in the run up to first night I'll post more about my issues with it, but I know EVERYONE reads these forums and I don't think it's fair on a show like this that isn't really terrible to dissect it straight after the first performance.

[zyx123]

DeNada, on 01 October 2012 - 11:53 PM, said:

If there's plenty of discussion about the show in the run up to first night I'll post more about my issues with it, but I know EVERYONE reads these forums and I don't think it's fair on a show like this that isn't really terrible to dissect it straight after the first performance.

But it has already done a month worth of performances, and has been reviewed by the national press.

[holler]

zyx123, on 02 October 2012 - 12:14 AM, said:

But it has already done a month worth of performances, and has been reviewed by the national press.

Agreed - I was there last night and you could tell that it wasn't brand new, in a good way. I was most impressed by the set, design and overall running of the show. It was slick (aside from the odd cast member almost careering into a bit of moving set/falling over etc, but expected for a first night and this was only minimal) and well rehearsed. It definitely didn't feel like the first night of a brand new show... in terms of the production.

The plot is easy to follow, but has slightly more depth than the likes of Grease - and certainly more likeable, believable and realistic characters. It was easier to get invested in this show rather than Grease, which I think is the best thing to compare it to. OK, we haven't grown up with a film version of Loserville and don't already know all the songs, but its primary target audience - fans of Busted, McFly, Son of Dork, surely? - will know some of them, and the rest are so catchy that you feel like you already knew them by the time you left.

There was a great atmosphere last night, I'm sure lots of friends of the show/cast, but the audience seemed very supportive, which was nice to be a part of. Lots of cheers and a standing ovation at the end.

Positives:
-music (catchy, lively, uplifting)
-set (original use of comic book theme integrated into the whole show, cast coming on with set/props makes it feel dynamic and keeps the show moving)
-it's an original, new story... OK it won't win any Oscars, but it doesn't claim to be anything it's not. It's not a film or book adaptation, and for that I applaud it
-Aaron Sidwell... as the lead Michael Dork, he is sensitive, likeable, and carries the vocals better than anyone else in the cast
-overall energy of the show... as I said, it's uplifting, lively and finishing by 9.50pm, it's relatively short and snappy, so the show moves along nicely and doesn't drag on more than it needs to.

Negatives:
I don't want to say too much, as above it's only its first West End performance and it would seem a little unfair... but my biggest disappointment was the quality of the vocals last night. The drums were a little too loud, which drowned out the ensemble at times, and it was difficult to decipher the lyrics during Slacker and some of the faster songs. I'm not sure if some of the cast couldn't hear themselves properly but the overall quality was way, way below what I'd expect for a West End show and certainly what you'd expect if you're paying £50+ for a ticket - the first song of Act 2 in particular was a little painful. It wasn't just the odd bum note, but entire phrases completely off key, which was really disappointing. It's not up to the standard, in this respect, of 99% of the shows out there. Other than that, I think it is more than capable of holding its own. If the vocals had been up there with the quality of Ghost, WWRY etc, this show really would have blown me away.

I wonder if anyone who's seen it previously can comment on the vocals...?

[holler]

Laughingmonsta, on 29 September 2012 - 03:05 PM, said:

One thing to state is that it's not a jukebox musical - there are only two songs from the original Album Loserville from Son of Dork the rest of the soundtrack have been written to fit the show and sound like the original album!

Slacker
Sick
Holly, I'm the One
Ticket Outta Loserville
Little Things

They are all from the Son of Dork album Slightly adapted, but 5 rather than 2 that I already knew But agree, there are about 60% new songs in there so definitely not jukebox.

[Ian]

DeNada, on 01 October 2012 - 11:53 PM, said:

The cast is super energetic, the production (set, costumes etc) are fun, but this is basically a Disney Channel original movie on stage.
I'm not the target audience for this (despite my embarrassing love of the first and third High School Musical films...) but I'm really not sure who is.

Super [abridged] summary.

[DanielWhit]

I saw it tonight from the stalls and thoroughly enjoyed it (though the Northern line's rumblings were an unfortunate addition). Overall, it has a very likable plot, a ridiculously catchy score and a cast who look as if they are all on some form of hyperactivity drug (in a good way).

It took a while for the production style to grow on me, all the boards being held as props etc - wonder how many times throughout the next few weeks will the wrong sign appear for a specific actor..

The biggest problem is the book, which seems to bounce merrily between a decent script and a pantomine-which-needs-a-bit-of-a-plot-to-get-to-the-next-song, however on the most part that didn't grate as it wasn't too long before another song turned up. Luckily, altering a few lines is much easier than writing an entirely new song so I hope they'll be able to iron some things out in the next few days.

So far as the lyrics go, I had no trouble understanding most of them - which is saying something as it's common for me to hardly catch any lyrics on a first outing to a musical. Certainly were no problems with the kit being too loud, in fact the only time I thought "I can't hear what they are singing" was during the big cast stuff in Ticket Outta Loserville.

I hope it finds an audience quickly, they've done a superb job in plastering London with posters. It is shamelessly unique in the current musical scene and certainly deserves to do well.

[cat123]

Does anyone have any comments on Charlotte Harwood? She's a very large part of the reason I want to see this!

[Colourarc]

I have to say Daniel has given a good description of the show although I only noticed the tubes in one very quiet bit of the show.
I went with my husband and kids, we all loved it & want to go again.

I really hope it finds it's audience, I think it deserves a good run. It's nice to see something fresh in the West End