Reader Reviews
Kismet (London Coliseum, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | "Faith Prince looks too much like the TV evangelist and serial nip-and-tuck client Tammy Faye Bakker to be taken seriously, and Michael Ball in a scruffy nightshirt and scruffier beard pleased only his clucking clutch of die-hard female fans who are so out of touch with reality, they probably think he's marital material. He's also chubbed up so effectively he won't need the padding when he takes on Divine's role in Hairspray. Can't comment on the second half, didn't stop for it. - " Thought these were supposed to be theatre reviews! If it were for the performances I would give it at least five stars. The standard of singing was great. Michael Ball impressed me greatly and was surely the best thing about the production.However everything else was not up to scratch so I give it three stars. - BenJames | 18 Jul 07 |
| This show would embarrass the end of a pier. Puse shiny flats and black drapes don't make adequate sets for a broadway fantasy. The book is beyond creaking and the sound image provided by the technicians was grossly over amplified. Added to this is the fact that opera singers, with few exceptions, can't sing broadway and these mostly confirmed the rule. Michael Ball had obviously decided not to worry about what was going on around him by the time I saw the show and just provided a 'star' turn, even then was more of a fat friend never a loving father. Alfie Boe has a tolerable voice but moves like a milkman, Sarah Tynan was sweet but lets draw a veil over Faith Prince (pity there wasn't one available on the night!). The first walk outs happened within 30 minutes of curtain up and the (half full to start with) auditorium looked decimated after the interval. Oh Dear! PS: Sorry about double post -pressed the wrong button first time! Three stars no way - I'll get the right button if it kills me!!!!! - KM | 10 Jul 07 |
| This show would embarrass the end of a pier. Puse shiny flats and black drapes don't make adequate sets for a broadway fantasy. The book is beyond creaking and the sound image provided by the technicians was grossly over amplified. Added to this is the fact that opera singers, with few exceptions, can't sing broadway and these mostly confirmed the rule. Michael Ball had obviously decided not to worry about what was going on around him by the time I saw the show and just provided a 'star' turn, even then was more of a fat friend never a loving father. Alfie Boe has a tolerable voice but moves like a milkman, Sarah Tynan was sweet but lets draw a veil over Faith Prince (pity there wasn't one available on the night!). The first walk outs happened within 30 minutes of curtain up and the (half full to start with) auditorium looked decimated after the interval. Oh Dear! PS: Sorry about double post -pressed the wrong button first time! - KM | 10 Jul 07 |
| This show would embarrass the end of a pier. Puse shine flats and black drapes don't make adequate sets for a broadway fantasy. The book is beyond creaking and the sound image provided by the technicians was grossly over amplified. Added to this is the fact that opera singers, with few exceptions, can't sing broadway and these were not among those exceptions to the rule. Michael Ball had obviously decided not to worry about what was going on around him by the time I saw the show and just provided a 'star' turn. The first walk outs happened within 30 minutes of curtain up and the (half full) auditorium looked decimated after the interval. Oh Dear! - KM | 10 Jul 07 |
| Kismet is a show with an identity crisis: is it a musical or a comic opera? Bizarrely this ENO production seems to think it's a pantomime, complete with cheap-looking sets and some dreadfully over-the-top performances. Why this hokum is on at such a beautiful theatre is a mystery, particularly as the story, set in old Baghdad, is bordering on the offensive. And yet it partially succeeds thanks to some wonderful singing (Sarah Tynan is outstanding) and a sometimes beautiful score which borrows heavily from Borodin. Michael Ball will probably not look back on this as a career highlight, but he manages to wring every last ounce of comedy and charm from the leading role. Weirdly enjoyable and not the train wreck it was made out to be by some of the snootier critics, but also not deserving of the standing ovation it received from some of the audience. - David baxter | 08 Jul 07 |
| Anyone arriving at the Coliseum with expectations buffed by On the Town or The Mikado is in for a rude awakening. This is regional pantomime, but overcast. Sarah Tynan and Alfie Boe make a fist of their lyrical roles, and "Stranger in Paradise" transcends the ordinary, but Faith Prince looks too much like the TV evangelist and serial nip-and-tuck client Tammy Faye Bakker to be taken seriously, and Michael Ball in a scruffy nightshirt and scruffier beard pleased only his clucking clutch of die-hard female fans who are so out of touch with reality, they probably think he's marital material. He's also chubbed up so effectively he won't need the padding when he takes on Divine's role in Hairspray. Can't comment on the second half, didn't stop for it. - JohnnyFox | 07 Jul 07 |
| I took my Mum on Wednesday - she'd seen the original London production back in 1955 and thought that Kismet was a fairly serious show. This 2007 certainly isn't serious - it is however great fun! Having seen no other version of this myself - I really enjoyed it - it is just harmless fun! My mum, having seen a more serious version in the past, also really enjoyed it. I think the reviews are harsh - there are strong performances throughout the main cast. If you want to watch something that you don't have to think about and can just smile about this is the show. - BLH | 06 Jul 07 |
| Well, 2.5 really. I don't think it is good enough to be revived on this scale (maybe a Lost Musical or a Landor...) but the musical standards are high and if you send it all up (like the cast seem to be doing) its harmless fun. The Michael Ball fan club were in and gave it a standing ovation! - probably a bit of a tonic for the cast after the critical drubbing. - Gareth James | 06 Jul 07 |
| I went last night, expecting to see a turkey after all the bad crits...and it wasn't THAT bad....in fact by the second half, I was enjoying myself. Starting with the good bits...Sarah Tynan and Alfie Boe were terrific and much to my surprise Michael Ball was too. He lit up the stage everytime he appeared. To be honest, I've never really "got" him, but my goodness, the man worked his socks off. "Kismet" is adult panto - no more, no less, and enjoyable on that level. I agree with the comments about the chorus...and the dancing....however, the single worst thing about the performance was the decision to play several scenes in front of the curtain, whilst sets were changed. It looked appalling, and did nothing to move the production up from regional panto standard. It cannot be beyond the wit of man - or designer - to have thought through set changes a little better than that. It also left the cast with little or no room to perform. BUT, in short. Don't despair if you've got tickets....it's not as bad as all that and raised a smile from the three of us! - Tigger | 04 Jul 07 |
| ILS, I totally agree. It's incredible I have paid 83 pounds to see this sh..! Sound was good and the music is beautiful and quite well performed (orchestra and singers)....but sets, choreography, movement, direction...is awful!!! Poor, very poor. Amateur. Worst production of a musical I can remember in years!! - Tino | 02 Jul 07 |
| When I read newspaper crits that hate a show this much, I wonder how many of them hated it before they even went.Opera critics often loathe all musicals, drama critics look down on them too; but the drama critic doesn't review opera, and the opera critic isn't asked for his views on the latest Stoppard. If they are judges of choreography, let them review a new ballet.Well, they wouldn't dare.Don't worry if you have already booked a ticket because you love the show Kismet;you will have a good evening.The singing and playing are tremendous. Yes, every aspect of the production is weaker than it should be, but at the end of the day you have a huge production of this glorious score that moved me to tears!Five stars. - G | 01 Jul 07 |
| When I read newspaper crits that hate a show this much, I wonder how many of them hated it before they even went.Opera critics often loathe all musicals, drama critics look down on them too; but the drama critic doesn't review opera, and the opera critic isn't asked for his views on the latest Stoppard. If they are judges of choreography, let them review a new ballet.Well, they wouldn't dare.Don't worry if you have already booked a ticket because you love the show Kismet;you will have a good evening.The singing and playing are tremendous. Yes, every aspect of the production is weaker than it should be, but at the end of the day you have a huge production of this glorious score that moved me to tears! - G | 01 Jul 07 |
| Saw the matinee (Sat 30th). I didn't think it was as bad as everyone else's comments make out - the two people with me both enjoyed it, as did around 2000 other in the room by the sound of it. The Times described thi show as "blue Stilton" - well, I like Blue Stilton but I couldn't eat it every day. Kismet is just panto on a grand scale. Generally well sung, Tynan & Boe being the standouts. The miking needed to be louder, especially for dialogue - but that "set" was a big mistake. I hve sen far worse in the West End. - Chris Moorcroft | 01 Jul 07 |
| Left after 30 minutes. Unbelievably awful, sound quality appalling also. what a waste of £83. All concerned should be ashamed - LL | 30 Jun 07 |
| I can only say that this is one of the worst productions of a musical I have ever seen in 40 years and the ENO should be ashamed of its self. Although Micheal Ball and Alfie Boe do their best and sing beautifully to make this production work unfortunately the director of this piece appears not to have a clue how to direct a musical. The pace is slow and the chorus are so wooden in their acting it is embarrasing to watch them. As for a lavish production I would suggest the ENO looks up the meaning of the word lavish before using this word in their advertising as I do not consider a lot of purple cloth as lavish. It is a shame as so much could have been done with ths piece if the ENO had put some effort in to it. I did notice a considerable amount of people did not return for the second half as there were many empty seats so be advised do not waste your time or money on this. - ILS | 28 Jun 07 |
| I have already written one review but I was interested to read Job's comments. Based on his remarks - he was there at a preview (Tues.) and I at a dress rehearsal (Mon.) - I am dropping one star from my rating. Like Job, I've loved this show from childhood. Glad to hear that Michael Ball pulled his socks up a bit, for in the rehearsal he was on half-light. I totally agree regarding Faith Prince as Lalume. Inadequate. She was just mouthing it and I thought she was holding back but it looks that though there's no more in the tank. Lalume is a fabulous role, and Faith Prince bottled the last note of "Nineveh" in the dress rehearsal on Monday. So I'm appalled to hear she did it on Tuesday (the preview) as well. So 2 stars, not 3, and I'm saying God knows if this show will be ready to open. Agreed Boe and Tynan are indeed "magical" as the lovers, but the rest....aieee! Go and get a recording of the original with Alfred Drake which I saw as a tiny child in the West End eons ago. Or pick up the film - or go and get recordings of Borodin's "Polovtsian dances from Prince Ibor" and "In the Stppes of Central Asia" plus his string quartet to hear the sources of the beautiful music. I will say that the orchestra is brilliant and the orchestrations coruscating! (er, dazzling...) - Elizlabeth | 28 Jun 07 |
| I went last night (Tuesday) to the first public performance (Monday's having been cancelled). I have loved Kismet all my life and have vivid memories of Albert Marre's 1979 revival at the Shaftesbury. That wasn't perfect by any means, but it shone like a beacon in comparison with last night's fiasco. Let me start by the positives, for they are VERY positive. Alfie Boe and Sarah Tynan are magical as the romantic leads - their roles couldn't have been better cast or performed. As for Michael Ball: he was magnificent. It's great the way he's reinvented himself in middle age as a character lead, with Count Fosco and now this, and on this showing there's no one to beat him in musical theatre. His stage presence. comic sensitivity and that fantastic voice mean that every time he comes on stage the show gains several kilowatts. Both of my stars are for these three performers alone. But that's it. The rest is awful - simply awful. Faith Prince is a leaden Lalume, about as erotic and humorous as Mrs Thatcher, and with no directorial context for her performance to take wing. When I remember the hilarious, outrageous vamping of Joan Diener in this wonderful role, I could weep. And, unforgivably, she has a vocal range of about three notes - so she bottles the end of Not Since Nineveh (why didn't they hire Judy Kaye for that?) and goes down an octave for the high section in Rahadlakum. Who on earth hired her? The choreography (and we all know there were problems there) is embarrassing, and way below adequate west end standard. There is one particular dance in the second half (look out for the girl with long tresses) which is jaw-dropping in its banality. GCSE Grade E at best. The ENO Chorus is in a wretched state at the moment. They look like a bunch of superannuated job-clingers (do they not have to reaudition every year?) and their diction is simply appalling. If I hadn't known that they sing 'amulets, necklaces, stars in her hair...' I'd have thought they were going 'la-huh-huh-hmm-aaa'. They weren't much better in Death in Venice, but in a musical the lyrics matter so much. The set. Ah, the set. Well, if red is your colour, you're in for a treat. But Kismet is a musical comedy (with the emphasis on comedy), but a night of unremitting red can only be depressing. There are a few epilepsy-inducing circles on the wall at one point, but mostly it's a foul, oppressive set that does nothing to evoke the locale or the mood. The complete opposite, in fact. The designer styles himself Ultz, a self-regarding sobriquet if ever I saw one (unlike Job...), but Ughz would be more like it. The direction is the achievement of someone who does not remotely understand what it was that made this show such a success in its day. I must say I was looking forward to seeing Kismet rethought for the 21st Century - it needed doing - but that undertaking should be done with at least a modicum of creative inventiveness. The crowd scenes are a disgrace too - just random bunches of lumbering choristers dumped wherever the mood takes them. I was looking forward to seeing this so much, and I spent (for me) a fortune on two tickets, but this has to go down as one of my most dispiriting evenings at any theatre. Night of My Nights? I wish. - Job | 27 Jun 07 |
| A disappointment. I was there on the infamous 25 June dress rehearsal. The preview had been cancelled - we were told that our premium Dress Circle seats were being "reallocated" as there was now a production desk in the way. They told us, initially, that there were no seats left for us. Shock horror - ENO, what were you thinking? Why bother to take people's details when booking if you are not going to phone affected parties when the preview is cancelled. Only advanced blagging kept us in. They exchanged our Dress Circle Row B tickets at £73.00 for Row L tickets at £14.00. like everyone else, we moved forward to Row D and enjoyed the Dress Rehearsal. Now, making allowances for people marking lines: the tech problems with curtains and obstinate scenery were considerable. Must have been miz for the performers! Michael Ball was camper than a row of tents and did not have sufficient weight or subtlety (er, except in the literal sense) as Hajj. Alfie Boe and Sarah Tynan made a beautiful pair of young lovers. The orchestrations are scintillating. Faith Prince was OK as Lalume, presumably on half-light under rehearsal conditions. Danby as the Wazir was brilliant, the part being less caricaturish than normal. The dancing sequences lacked polish and finish, but I'm not surprised, given the Frutos debacle. Design? Inexplicably dominated by red and therefore looking more Asian than Middle Eastern; but a lovely garden for the young lovers and a nice lily pond with sploshing sound effects raising the odd laugh. Somewhat lacklustre and flat rendition of this legendary work - or was it all hokum. Best moments were the lovers and the almighty quartet "And This is My Beloved." - Elizabeth | 27 Jun 07 |
| Ileft at the interval. I have never seen such trashy rubbish on a west end stage. AMateurs would have been ashamed of it. - Marrgaret C | 26 Jun 07 |
| Ileft at the interval. I have never seen such trashy rubbish on a west end stage. AMateurs would have been ashamed of it. - Marrgaret | 26 Jun 07 |
| I think Javier de frutos made the best decision of his career by pulling out of this cheap, abominable excuse for a show. 'creative differences' - I can't see how anyone would ever 'creatively agree' with this rubbish. The ENO should be ashamed of staging this Baghdad car crash. - Michael B | 26 Jun 07 |
