Reader Reviews
Beautiful and Damned (Lyric Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Seen this show twice and whilst it was always going to be 'damned' it emerges with far more credibity than expected and makes for a far more enjoyable evening than the critics would lead you to believe possible! and a very strong ensemble and commitment from the cast - and no I'm in may connected to this show, I just went along prepared to entertained and surprised! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.6.181.61) | 09 Aug 04 |
| Seen this show twice and whilst it was always going to be 'damned' it emerges with far more credibity than expected and makes for a far more enjoyable evening th - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.6.181.61) | 09 Aug 04 |
| Interesting and entertaining, but with something major gone wrong somewhere. But good to see as someone who enjoys theatre. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.67.76) | 03 Aug 04 |
| From Mrs San Pietro, Vancouver BC, Canada We liked this. Beautiful costumes and set and a very good performance from Helen Anker, a terrific dancer. A brave new musical. Liked it. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.137.34.25) | 03 Aug 04 |
| Loved it! Don't miss it. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.169) | 08 Jul 04 |
| For a story that is set in the jazz age, the jazz was sadly lacking. The songs were cheesy and with truely embarrassing lyrics. I would cringe when the lights dimmed and another character stepped into the spotlight for a pointless solo. The dance numbers tried to make up for poor material with over-the-top choreography, but were just in pure bad taste at some points (the cocaine chopping scene!?!). Helen Ankar is an upcoming talent, wonderful dancing and a charismatic persona. After sitting through the first act, my partner and I gritted out teeth (it was raining outside) and sat through the second, where things did improve marginally. Having said this, I must have seen this show on tourist night, since the entire American tour group who seemed to constitute the rest of the audience seemed to love it. I came away wondering what F.Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda herself, unconventional and rebelious individuals of their time, would have made of this trite and dismal rendition of their lives. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.43.92.149) | 08 Jul 04 |
| I saw this last night, wondering how it would be after seeing the fairly dismal previews in Guildford last year. However, the rewriting has made all the difference and even with the tube strike, there was a very good house. The performances were vibrant, particularly from Helen Anker, the set, lighting, costumes and dancing were great. The music was pleasant and tuneful, if not memorable, and the audience cheered at the end. A thoroughly good evening. It is such a pity this show is closing. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.48.17.154) | 30 Jun 04 |
| I was one of the 'sheep', initially put off seeing the show by the dreadful review in the Express. However, when I heard that the critic in question had given a fantastic review for a new show he hadn't even seen! (Barbara Cook's Broadway) I decided to go and see 'Beautiful and Damned' and make up my own mind. I am so glad I did! I think the show is wonderful, the actors are superb and the music is fantastic! I have read that people think the songs are not memorable but, having now seen the show again, I have at least four of the beautiful melodies buzzing around my head! I think we are so used to seeing remakes, where we know the songs, it's very refreshing to have a new score. I heartily agree with John Sullivan's fantastic review of "Beautiful and Damned" (he is the creator of "Only Fools and Horses"). The audience I saw on both occasions LOVED the show! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.165) | 22 Jun 04 |
| I brought a group of theatre afficienados from the States for a behind-the-scenes theatre tour, during which they saw 9 West End shows of their choice. Everyone in the group who chose to see "Beautiful and the Damned," without exception, loved it. They were all affected by the very sad story of a woman who was horribly, mentally abused by her father and husband. We could find fault with the sets and perhaps some of the voices (though some were excellent), but it is a rarity to see a strong story and strong performances in a musical. It is certainly not a feel-good musical, but it's a musical we will remember far longer than others with finger snapping music and a fluffy book. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (68.174.149.235) | 18 Jun 04 |
| BEAUTIFUL & KAK!! What a bloody awful show! Instantly forgettable songs, wooden acting, poor sound quality, people actually pay £45 to see this rubbish? £20 was bad enough on a special offer! For goodness sake, close this show and let the embarrassed cast move on to better things. All 3 of us left during the interval. Definitely one to avoid! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.67.66) | 16 Jun 04 |
| Well, I have seen it twice now, technical problems have been ironed out, Helen Ankers smile still lights up the stage, Praed sings in tune and I thoroughly enjoyed it AGAIN. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.252.192.10) | 07 Jun 04 |
| Dire, boring, dull, lifeless, embarrasing, utter crap. Don't waste your time and money on this one. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.40.3.65) | 23 May 04 |
| Wonderful. Wonderful. Wonderful. I've seen this twice now. Once in the previews and also last night. I think the people that don't like this show are going expecting to see a chronicle of Scott's life as a literary genius whereas what you get is a glorious spectacle showing Zelda and Scott's incredible love story. Not only do you get the dancing and non-stop partying, cocaine fuelled highs of the 20's, but this show is brave enough to show both Scott and Zelda's steep decline during the depression. His battle with alcohol and hers with schizophrenia. Despite the latter (and without spoiling the ending) I still walked out of the Lyric feeling thoroughly entertained (and a little bit wet after the great fountain scene!). I put one of the first reviews of this show on this site giving it four stars and saying that it would get my five stars once a few of the technical glitches had been sorted. Well done B&D for putting on a great show. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (217.43.150.55) | 21 May 04 |
| I think the guys playing the leads need to start wrapping fish or something...acting is certainly not their forte. As for the music - i found myself vomitting into my rucksack the moment the characters started singing. Truly awful. BUT - the lighting was pretty and the dancing reasonably good. They just needed a different show. Crap...basically. But go for a laugh. It'll make you feel better about yourself - USER: Whatsonstage.com (131.111.252.29) | 18 May 04 |
| The show has potential, it needs to be clever with the songs, dances need to restrained...book needs to be sharper. It must have something to create such strong reviews, I suggest those most scathing should try and write a musical themselves. Musicals that are critically acclaimed often don't do that well anyway........ - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.133.171.208) | 14 May 04 |
| I suppose this show is doomed given the sort of reception it received from the critics, but it appealed to me anyway. Go and see it and judge for yourselves. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (82.34.179.52) | 14 May 04 |
| I have it on very good authority that the people involved with this show are using message poaberds for 'damage limitiation'. Does that make sense with the reviews posted below? - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.34.14) | 14 May 04 |
| ? - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.34.14) | 14 May 04 |
| I just don't understand the comments like the one below (mainly because they don't give a reason). This was a thoroughly entertaining night out with great high moments (the fountain scene and the following orgy!) along with some incredibly moving moments (Scott's funeral with the four main women in his life singing 'Being a Woman'). Helen Anker plays and dances a superb Zelda and there are some great kitsch moments such as the Egyptian set (which the negative reviewers have taken as a serious scene, get real!) It's only my opinion, but many are taking this far too seriously. See it, sit back and let some great entertainment wash over you. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.200.166.1) | 13 May 04 |
| awful awful awful awful awful - USER: Whatsonstage.com (217.34.10.193) | 13 May 04 |
| I took my wife and her parents to see this show and I can honestly say that it's the best evening out with the in-laws I've ever spent. My mother-in-law is a seasoned musical devotee and an acerbic critic in her own right (as I know to my cost). Fortunately (for me at least), she absolutely loved the show from beginning to end. She was captivated by the music, thrilled by the dance routines and totally awestruck by the costumes and set design. Thanks to Beautiful and Damned I can look forward to at least 12 months residing peacefully in the good books of my in-laws. H. davies - USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.200.166.6) | 13 May 04 |
| I am astounded at the lamentable lack of insight on the part of the reviewers. This show should become a priceless timeless heirloom for the British stage. L.Russell Brown - USER: Whatsonstage.com (68.53.62.171) | 12 May 04 |
| I have never seen such a run of user reviews here before in such a hurry. And whereas the negative ones are quite articulate, the positive ones are more like advertising-speak. Do we detect the hand of the ad agency here??? - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.255.64.8) | 12 May 04 |
| BEAUTIFUL AND DAMNED hmmm... Schmaltzy! in a nutshell: looks 10, dance 3 (it even had a Chorus Line "give me a mirror to dance to" number;most painfully done!) • Set not bad (but can those projections)- deco screens. • Clothes: nice 20's bugle beads, etc. • Choreography horrid (the cutting cocaine scene tried to be a Strohmanesque dance thing,: click click click on the bar, but, sorry no worky). • Male dancers need to work on those love handles (meowww) especially when dancing semi naked in the champagne glass fountain (was that bought second hand from a Pocono honeymoon hotel?) while splashing us in the fourth row. • Songs: generally unmemorable ("Little miz Alabamy" pu-lease!). Is it possible to write a love ballad using the name Zelda? It ain't that sweet a sound. • Book: cliché-r-us - I was surprised that Kit Harvey wrote this; I think (at least in Kit and the Widow) that he is generally a witty fellow. After being tempted to walk out at interval, We gritted our teeth through the second half. After the interval the first line of the song we hear as all of the cast peer in to the auditorium is, 'Where is everybody gone, there's no-body here..' an unfortunate line which may prove to be all too prophetic (empty seat were appearing all around me). There was an Amazingly tasteless King Tut Hollywood Movie number with lyrics like "I am the Queen of Sheba, not some amoeba..." (Sondheim, try to beat THAT one!!). The Nanny was certainly trying out for Mary Poppins (articulation is the key) and the Russian Ballerina - I quickly scanned the programme to confirm that she was really a he in drag (surprisingly not). We were surprised when (did a new writer join the team?) the last three songs suddenly started to be interesting and moving- perhaps getting Zelda . But what happened to the previous 2 1/2 hours? - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.153.120.177) | 11 May 04 |
| If we know the story, why tell it? So asks the main WOS review - rather confusingly. Shakespeare still seems pretty popular, after all. But here is a story that few will know in detail, and one which is a compelling tale set in a compelling time about two very compelling people. The Beautiful & Damned I saw was a wonderful piece, which I thought did a great job at avoiding cliche and overly-sticky sentiment. The chorus was excellent, the two leads even better. The book and lyrics were intelligent and focussed, and the music - whilst not driving the show, it's true - was sensitive and well-constructed. The design and choreography were decadently wonderful, and the whole thing had a cohesion and believability that many shows set in the same period have conspicuously lacked. Working in the business myself I see a lot of new shows and hear a lot of new music - and often find myself left cold (if not made angry) by some of the mediocrity that abounds - but I was genuinely moved by this piece, and genuinely impressed by the company. Go see! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.78.28.156) | 11 May 04 |
| I hate critics that sepnd all their working lives watching plays and are unable to accept a production for what it is. This is a wonderful story, sad & well told ( if it hasn't been spoiled for you by reading a review already)OK, the songs aren't that strong so you wont remember them for days afterwards but they work in the context of this musical.It manages to convey the ebullience of the time and the trageties of the lives caught up in it. I am sure that you will enjoy it. Go see for yourself - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.162.122.71) | 11 May 04 |
| My!! we have a prolific bunch of critics for this one! Lets face it luvvies,you can't please all the people all the time.....And we all know that critics are failed artists!! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.244.182.146) | 11 May 04 |
| I thought 'Beautiful and Damned' was an excellent new musical. Very refreshing. I would strongly recommend it. The casting was superb, with the dashing Michael Praed, as F Scott Fitzgerald, delivering a wonderful musical performance, together with his leading lady Helen Anker. A very focused and entertaining production which I hope has a long run in the West End. (Miss B G Loxley) - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.255.0.5) | 11 May 04 |
| Waste of time - USER: Whatsonstage.com (193.195.117.106) | 11 May 04 |
| CRAP!TERRIBLE! & VERY MUCH DAMNED! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (193.195.117.106) | 11 May 04 |
| First: the good side. Helen Ankers is head and shoulders above any musical performance this year. When she is on stage the play moves on, the characters become believable and you care. Lots. But everything else is poor. Michael Praed can't hold a note and his dancing plods. The music is ordinary and the lyrics flat. And often out of step with the plot line (more than one melancholy moment is accompanied by a high-tempo "finale"-style number - why?). Lighting and sound are so-so at best. The swing crew provide good support. But in the end a big miss, with Helen Ankers the honourable exception (hence the 2* rating rather than 1*) - USER: Whatsonstage.com (193.128.173.20) | 11 May 04 |
| Did everyone else see a different show!! I thought this was fabulous and all those bad reviewers have just taken this a wee bit too seriously. It's wonderfully cheesy and pacy. After snoring through most of Cyrano de Boregerac at the Nash I was just about ready to give up on theatre and then this little gem pops up. Was entertained the whole way through, loads of fab costumes and incredibly energetic performances from everybody. I loved it. I'm going to go again. Blimmin die-hard luvvies just can't see the irony in it - don't listen to them, go see it! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.69.84.193) | 11 May 04 |
| This needs to go further, it's like the book and dance numbers are held back, good performances from the leads - USER: Whatsonstage.com (217.44.172.104) | 11 May 04 |
| I loved it to bits,Helen Anker is fab and still humming somes of the wonderful tunes. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.116.213) | 11 May 04 |
| Hopeless, hapless, hated it! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.255.64.8) | 11 May 04 |
| Certainly not a show to get excited about. None of the musical numbers are memorable but they do give Helen Anker as Zelda a chance to show what an up and coming star she is. Lovely voice, excellent dancing and a beautiful smile. The tap number on a table top is particularly good – but the feet are more entertaining that the music. Michael Praed once again gives a very good West End performance as Scott and performs his musical numbers well. But this is a story about the roaring twenties and the jazz age but where was all that jazz. The first act was reasonable but left you hoping for something wonderful in act 2 but hopes are not high after the opening number. The show, instead of coming to life, plods along with most scenes showing Scott drinking himself into his grave or Zelda causing problems in the asylum. No this certainly isn’t a new musical to recommend to your friends and scores as gigh as '2' only because of Ankers and Praed's performances. DJR - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.255.32.5) | 10 May 04 |
| The story line was great. Michael Praed and Helen Anker were fantastic, but the music was totally unmemorable. Kind of felt that if you were going to do a show on someone who was, in effect, the founder of the Jazz Age, the music should have been jazzy and full of razzamataz - most of the songs were slow and kind of melded into one another. However having said that, it was an entertaining night out and there was never any question of walking out at half time. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.173.78.186) | 10 May 04 |
| a bit of a sprawler, but i and everyone else in the busy house enjoyed it. nice music, lyrics not great, great characters, fab band, fab dancing, Michael Praed marvellous, Helen Anker very moving. A great night's entertainment. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.49.106.203) | 06 May 04 |
| I saw it on the 28th and it was fabulous. This is a well constructed and incredibly moving show. They had a few technical glitches with the sound in the first half but I guess that’s what previews are for. The songs were just wonderful and the costumes outrageous! I also saw the Guildford show in June last year, but this is totally different. Michael Praed personifies Scott Fitzgerald and what an incredible voice! Helen Anker has really made Zelda her own. She played the part with real conviction and now that the narrators (from the Guildford production last year) are gone, the achingly beautiful storyline shines through. I defy anybody not to be moved by this. This will get my 5/5 once the tech problems are sorted. Don’t miss it. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (194.200.166.1) | 30 Apr 04 |
| Considering the time frame and the general 'newness' of the show, a very well put together story/musical. Well acted, this is entertainment at it's best. The material is sure to please,the music, will lift you. The really big question is, if this takes off as expected here in london, just how big will it be on Broadway?? The audience,voted with their standing ovation, at the end of a very entertaining first night.....Lot's more to come,watch this space. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.58.2.46) | 29 Apr 04 |
| The actors and ensemble performed valiently in what is, unfortunately, a second rate musical. The story (alcoholic/drug-abusing writer dies at 40 whilst wife languishes in a mental asylum) does not lend itself to this sort of production. The audience was forced to view practically the entire musical through a smoke haze (maybe to hide the fact that we could see what was going on backstage, including actors waiting in the wings to make their entrance). Whilst the first act had a couple of lively ensemble numbers, the second act took place predominantly in the asylum or at a funeral. There were no 'wow' effects except for characters dancing on wobbly tables or a trolley on wheels. I'm sure the whole audience was holding its breath, waiting for somebody to fall off. Very uncomfortable. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (82.34.113.43) | 29 Apr 04 |
