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Post by helen on Jun 10, 2006 3:27:36 GMT 9.5
You love Ruthie??? *dies of happiness* Wasn't she just heartbreaking in the Woman In White? Yes I want to see the new Evita too...I love Philip Quast who's playing Peron and the show is just amazing. Can't wait!! xxx She was unbelieveable. It was the bit just at the end that really got me where Laura and Walter left together leaving Marion alone. So sad. Have you read the book. It's really good, but different from the musical. I think they had to change the ending in the musical to make it more shocking to a modern audience. You love Philip Quast? I love Philip Quast! Have you seen the Les Mis 10th anniversary concert? He's just the most amazing Javert. I'd have loved to see him play that role. I really want to see him in Evita. Who are your other favourite performers? I love Claire Moore, Kerry Ellis, John Owen Jones and Michael McCarthy.
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Post by QueenOfTheDance on Jun 11, 2006 9:18:27 GMT 9.5
Yes I have seen the 10th anniversary concert, tis fabulous!! I really need to see the show properly, damn it!! Ohhhh that bit at the end was heartbreaking...when she sings that final 'I close my eyes and still see him there...'- Oh god, I wept!! She really has such emotional honesty. Haven't read the book but must at some point. Have you seen 'Putting It Together'? You can get the dvd on Ebay, I really recommend it, Ruthie is fabulous and it has my other fave- John Barrowman- on it too ;D Other faves apart from those two....Daniel Evans, Neil Patrick Harris, Mig Ayesa, Mykal Rand, Debbie Kurup, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Lea Salonga, Raul Esparza, Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Renee Scott... Haven't seen all of them live though Weirdly enough, i've only actually seen Phillip Quast in straight plays- The Merchant Of Venice and The Seagull. Such a classy actor. Can't wait to see his Peron. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Post by helen on Jun 12, 2006 7:22:49 GMT 9.5
I've not seen Putting It Together. I've been looking for it for a while. Have you seen Hey Mr Producer? It's a concert of songs which Cameron McKintosh has been involved in. Ruthie's in it, as is Quast, Lea Salonga and many others. There's a great Les Mis medley at the end. Did you ever see the episode of Midsommer Murders that Quast was in? It was a Christmas special which was first shown Xmas 2004 and repeated Xmas 2005. Did you watch that programme that was shown a few months ago called The Sound of Musicals that Ruthie and John Barrowman were in? The programme wasn't great, but Ruthie and John were.
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Post by himiko on Jun 13, 2006 0:22:53 GMT 9.5
I watched a couple of episodes of that. Some of the singers were quite good (Even though I would have been infinitely happier if they could have got Nightwish to do their "Phantom of the Opera" cover on an episode...). My brother watched it, too. Mostly because it had "Captain Jack" in it.
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Post by QueenOfTheDance on Jun 13, 2006 4:01:07 GMT 9.5
Me love John....LOVE HIM....possibly more than is healthy Your bro has great taste, Himiko I'm seeing him in concert at the Royal Festival Hall in December *so so excited can hardly breathe* Thought The Sound Of The Musicals was pretty damn bad too, I agree. I couldn't understand why they didn't have proper musical performers with Ruthie and John.... But it was worth watching for them and especially for her 'Send In The Clowns' and his 'Sunset Boulevard'....woaaaahhhh... Yes I have Hey Mr Producer!! How good is it? Lea's 'On My Own' makes me sob. And I love Ruthie in 'Gotta get a Gimmick'...she's so fabulous. Do you like Michael Ball? xxxxxxxxx
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Post by helen on Jun 13, 2006 7:00:56 GMT 9.5
Michael Ball...not entirely sure about him, he's brilliant at some things, not so great at others. I went to one of his concerts with my mum, I wasn't particularly impressed, and the tickets were so expensive. Hey Mr Producer's fantastic. Ruthie is phenomenal. I've got a bit of a confession to make. I'm not sure I like Lea singing On My Own. There's just something about the way she sings it that I'm not keen on. She's amazing as Kim in the Miss Saigon CD, however. If you like Lea, it's worth checking out. Also, on Youtube, you can see Lea's audition for Miss Saigon. Just put Miss Saigon into the search box and it'll come up.
Yeah, on Sound of Musicals they should have got proper musical theatre people to sing. I've been involved in a few discussions about it on different forums. I'd have chucked it after episode 1 had Ruthie not been in it.
QueenOfTheDance, have you seen The Producers movie? I'm sure John Barrowman is in it. It might not be him, but it certainly looks and sounds like him.
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Post by QueenOfTheDance on Jun 15, 2006 21:14:05 GMT 9.5
Yes, it is him! Singing 'Springtime For Hitler'... Did you like the movie? I was pleasantly surprised, I must say. Thought it would be a bit broad for me, but I found it really funny and it had a lot of heart. Don't particularly want to see the stage show though. I have the cd with Ruthie on for Miss Saigon...so no Lea I had to choose between them and Ruthie wins every time I'm going to youtube straight after this to see lovely Lea though Michael Ball: Was interested as to what you thought. My brother who is obsessed with musical theatre (my other brother calls him 'the gayest straight men in the world'!!) and especially Michael Ball. I'm rather fond of him but never seen him live. Have you seen his dvd of 'alone together' at the donmar? That's quite amazing. I think if he didn't pander to the blue rinse brigade so much, I'd like him a lot more! But as it goes, i have a huge soft spot for him. Did you hear that Sweeney Todd is in talks to be made into a movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp? *is in 7th heaven* I love Sweeney, it's fabulous. xxxx
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Post by helen on Jun 16, 2006 6:46:52 GMT 9.5
I heard about the Sweeny Todd movie. I've never seen it, I was going to see the tour a while ago, but never got round to it. I know a bit about the story, and I think that Tim Burton is the perfect director for it. What do you think?
When I saw Michael Ball in concert, his groupies who were there are a bunch of scary women! I've not seen his DVD at the Donmar, but I'll check it out if I can find it going cheap somewhere. There's something about the guy that I don't like. He's got an amazing voice, he's just a bit cheesy for my tastes.
I didn't have to choose between Lea and Ruthie for Miss Saigon, as one of the disks that Ruthie was on got scratched, so I replaced it with the Lea one, thinking it was the same. It wasn't, but I think I prefer the Lea one now. I've been on youtube to try to see that clip a few times. I can get a picture, but no sound. Did you see the clip of Ruthie and Lea singing I Still Believe?
I loved The Producers movie. It was funnier than I thought it was going to be. I didn't think I would like it at all as it's not usually the kind of show I'd generally choose. It took me ages to work out that it was John Barrowman singing Springtime for Hitler. I recognised him immediately, but I couldn't remember his name. I'd quite like to see it on stage, but it's not high on my list of shows to see. Once I've seen Wicked and Evita I might have a think about it.
Have you ever seen The Lion King on stage? It's never one that I've been keen on seeing. I've heard loads of people saying it's fantastic, but others say it's not great.
I've just found out that there's a pair of Ruthie's shoes being sold on ebay. Random, but true.
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Post by QueenOfTheDance on Jun 16, 2006 10:07:34 GMT 9.5
Yes Michael Ball is cheese, it has to be said. But I think he is a truly talented guy...I've seen him really feel some songs and they've even made me cry. Especially on his donmar dvd. It's a shame he sells his soul when it comes to his big tours. He's just out to please the older ladies...! I saw the tour of Sweeney Todd...was the one with Jason Donovan the one you were talking about? He ws surprisingly good as Sweeney. It's such a powerful show, it definitely needs someone like Burton directing. Check out the dvd of the concert version starring Patti Lupone and George Hearn. I personally can't stand Patti, but the Tobias is Neil Patrick Harris who is AWESOME. I saw him in 'Tick Tick Boom' and I can truly say he was the most amazing performance I have ever seen on a stage. Apparently Sondheim said he was the 'definitive Tobias' too Been on you tube to see if they had clips of him for you in it but alas...no... Lea's audition is so cute!! She looks so young. But wow, what a voice.... Yeah I watched I Still Believe and Now That I've Seen Her...(nearly crying at both I might add!!) I wish I'd seen Ruthie as Ellen. The Ellen I saw was not so good I'm with you....I don't want to see Lion King. To be honest, I'm sure it's very clever and stunning etc. but how could it top the film??! Feel like that about Billy Elliot too. In fact I'm a bit angry about Billy Elliot. It's one of my favourite movies and I thought the whole point was that Billy was a RAW talent and the real heart of the film was in his complete unsuspecting of his talent and his almost casual but sincere and hearttouching approach to dancing. Now they've got blooming perfect little stage schooly type ballet boys. Not what it's about at all. I know I'm in a minority though!! I'm very cynical about some musical theatre. I think there are way too many shows that are purely out for making money...I mean look at the West End at the moment, we're littered with things like 'We Will Rock You', 'Mamma Mia', 'Dancing In The Street' etc etc and so on. There's no heart and soul in those shows. They make me sad really, it's all just money making ploys...whereas the real, true heart of musical theatre comes and goes quietly. Oh god sorry I'm ranting!!
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Post by helen on Jun 17, 2006 2:50:38 GMT 9.5
I know what you mean, but I saw Mamma Mia and really enjoyed it. I thought it was a really fun show. Not my favourite, but a good way to waste two or three hours. But producers do just want to make money and have no interest in how good the show is. The sad thing is, because shows like We Will Rock You and Lion King are familliar and popular, people will always flock to see them.
Youtube's useless on my computer, I can't get a sound at all from the clips. It was the Sweeny tour with Jason Donovan I was going to see. I wish I'd seen it now. I saw him in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and he was pretty good. The show was a bit bleh, the highlight was when the car flew.
I actually agree with you about Billy Elliott. I'm sure it's a great show and all the rest of it, but the only thing that would make me want to see the show would be if Julie Walters was to play the ballet teacher.
Who did you see as Ellen in Miss Saigon? I saw it twice, the second time was with Kerry Ellis who was amazing. I can't remember who I saw the first time and I don't remember anything about her performance, so she can't have been too great. She was an asian girl who looked a bit like the girl who was playing Kim, so I was a bit confused. I wish I'd seen Ruthie as well, but I was too young when she was in the show. To be honest, I wish I could go back in time and see Ruthie in all the shows she's ever been involved in, especially Oliver and Les Mis.
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Post by QueenOfTheDance on Jun 17, 2006 10:13:36 GMT 9.5
Oh, ok, well if Julie played the teacher, yes I would swallow my pride and go see! She is fabulous. Haha, sorry for my ranting! I know Mama Mia started that trend off, so perhaps not such an evil as the more recent cynical shows...just not my cup of tea. I can't talk anyway, i saw We Will Rock You three times...a guy who was in Rent was in it and I was missing Rent and his acting!! That was Mig Ayesa (he was in Rockstar INXS...did you see that?) Anyway, WWRY made me angry...but such was my devotion to Mig that I watched it!! Have you seen that Kerry Ellis is on myspace? Oohhhhhh I'm seeing Evita tomorrow night for definite!! Have booked now! V excited. I'll come tell you how it is. I thought of you today cos my bro put on Les Mis 10th anniversary...yey! It has made me even more certain that I need to see it in London! Although...Jon Lee from S Club going back into it makes me slightly worried. I know you said he was quite good though, so maybe...but from seeing him on 'Sound Of The Musicals'....well...tell me he was better than that in les Mis? Please?? Yeah I think Jason Donovan is a damn fine actor actually. I was extremley surprised about that but v pleased. Did you know he's doing Festen now in Austalia? Have you heard of/seen Festen? Amazing, powerful play. Never really fancied Chitty either... Did you see Anthony Head has been cast in The Sound Of Music??? Me love Anthony Head. Am very happy about this. Although not sure about the whole reality tv search for Maria... Speaking of Rodgers and Hammerstein, I saw the Chichester Festival Theatre's 'Carousel' a couple nights ago....IT WAS DIRE!!! Fluffy and happy clappy...when Carousel is such a dark, gritty show in reality. I'm not sure who i saw as Ellen...she was the latest tour one? Know what you mean about turning the clock back for Ruthie...and for so many shows (including the plays Miranda was in in London!!) xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Post by helen on Jun 18, 2006 7:32:52 GMT 9.5
Jon Lee was positively a million times better in Les Mis than he was in that TV show. I was actually really shocked at how bad he was on there. Going to see Les Mis will be worth it for the guy playing Jean Valjean. His name is John Owen Jones and he's worth the ticket price alone, he's that good. He's currently in Showboat at the Royal Albert hall, but he's returning to Les Mis the same day as Jon Lee (26 June) I'm gutted I'm not getting to see Showboat.
I've never seen Carousel, but I do love the song You'll Never Walk Alone. Is the Chichester Festival production of Carousel the one Lydia Griffiths is in? I saw her as Cosette at the time Jon Lee was Marius and I thought she was excellent.
I heard about Anthony Head. Wonderful piece of casting. The Mother Abbess will be played by Lesley Garrett, which I'm slightly worried about. I don't like her very much. This talent search for Maria, well, I've got quite a cynical view towards it. I think Andrew Lloyed Webber already has Maria cast and she will be seen to go through the audition process, but will already have the part. I think this because it's a public vote being used to determine the winner, and I don't believe that anyone would be stupid enough to put something like that to a public vote, as people vote for who they think is "hot" or who they feel sorry for.
Enjoy Evita and Philip Quast's performance for me. I want a full review please.
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Post by himiko on Jun 20, 2006 6:10:08 GMT 9.5
Everything seems to be done by reality TV these days. I guarantee, the next election won't be done by party elections and ballots, but by people auditioning for the roles of PM, Dep. PM, Home Secretary, etc. What a horrible thought.
And yet, Tony Blair would probably be voted out...
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Post by QueenOfTheDance on Jun 20, 2006 10:10:54 GMT 9.5
Yes it is the Carousel with Lydia Griffiths...she had a beautiful voice but I just disagreed completely with the way they all played the characters, obviously the way they were directed, so I couldn't judge her fairly really. Not a good production at all. My bro saw Show Boat, he raved I saw Evita!!! But I saw the alternate Eva...now I wouldn't have thought this would bother me...until she opened her mouth... I could not believe this was a west end leading lady- she was off-key, out of time with the music....and worst of all....she could not act to save her life!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt so sorry for Philip Quast and Matt Rawle...they were basically dragging her around the stage. Now, again, i don't feel I can judge the production as fairly as I could if I had seen a proper actress playing Eva, as the whole show rests on Eva's shoulders, but other than that large obstacle, I did enjoy it. There were some really interesting touches, loads of lyric changes. But best of all were Che and Peron...man, they were amazing. Philip is on top form, babe, you'll love him! These men just have that spark. When they walk on stage you NEED to watch them. Philip was very moving in 'She's A Diamond' and especially in his tiny reprise of 'You Must Love Me'...very contained emotion, but very affecting. Just the perfect peron. Matt Rawle as Che is really interesting. Kind of cheeky but threatening at the same time and really sexually predatory in the Waltz, which was fabulous (on his part only) Sorry if any of this sounds harsh but I really have never seen anything like her!!!! There was a great nightmareish sequence at the end when she dies which I loved. Yeah, i really want to see Elena Roger now though. Going to have to go back. I hope you're right about the Sound Of Music thing being a fix...god knows what'll happen, as you say, we'll probably get another Michelle Mcmanus Only good thing about is that John Barrowman is one of the judges *dies of joy* xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Post by helen on Jun 21, 2006 7:02:50 GMT 9.5
I was talking to someone on another forum who went to the auditions (she didn't get through) and apparantly they were putting girls through who had a similar look about them. I hope they don't get someone too young, since Antony Head's playing the Captian, and he must be in his 50s now. Have you seen the My Fair Lady tour yet? It's good, but the guy playing Higgins is far too old for it to be believable. John Barrowman will be great on the panel, I was kind of hoping Ruthie would join him, but we can't have everything! Do you know when it's going to be shown on TV? It must be soon, as it opens in early November. Will you go to see it? I might, if I get time and a good discount on tickets.
I was on the whatsonstage boards the other day, and they were saying that it was the alternate (Abby someone?) who did Saturday and she does seem truely awful. Was it her first time on or something? According to people on whatsonstage (so don't take this as gospel) after it opens properly, the alternate will do Monday and Thursdays and Elena Roger will do the rest. I'll be going at Xmas time (so keep your fingers crossed Philip is still in the show) if I don't go this Saturday afternoon. I'll try to see Elena Roger, but if Philip was on as Peron, anyone could play Eva and I'd still be happy. How long does the show last?
I've had a bad experience with an alternate too. It was the Christine alternate and she really wasn't very good. Hopefully I won't get a repeat performance of that on Friday night!
I'm very jealous of your brother getting to see Showboat!
Shame about Lydia Griffiths in Carousel. She is a great singer and actress, the show obviously doesn't do her (or any of the actors involved) justice.
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