FAME, they bowed forever.....
Wed, 17 May 2000, 07:48 pmWalter Plinge4 posts in thread
FAME, they bowed forever.....
Wed, 17 May 2000, 07:48 pmthey didn't really deserve, IT
the audience weren't clapping that loud,
baby won't remember their names,
don't bother, don't bother, don't bother.......
Da Na Na, NA NA NA NA NANAAAA....
(In case you didn't work it out thats supposed to be sung to the song Fame)
Also in case you didn't guess I saw Fame last night at Burswood. In all honesty I know that everyone there paid their $60 bucks to hear that one song and I enjoyed that bit of the show, despite the fact that it was part of their unrequested encore and they had added a techno beat!!! (in some cases thou not broken should not be fixed!)
To be even more honest my high expectations and minimal recall of what the show was actually about (bar that one song) may have added to my dissapointment ...but I don't think so.
Overall the show was enjoyable in a light entertainment sort of way but it was by no means really good, nowhere near the standards of Chicago and in terms of acting ability the cast of Assasins impressed me more.
Firstly the set was good, clever use of space and scene changes were handled nicely, lighting was also good (though not spectacular). But considering their imagined budget it was really nothing very imaginitive.
One of the things that bugged me most was the costuming. The show is supposed to be set in 1984, now I know this was a daggy year but if you don't want to change the date you HAVE to wear the gear! It looked to me that the costume designer couldn't bear to dress her "young hip cool" cast in the daggy fashions of the era so she modified the fashions so they looked more like 90's grunge than 80's punk. Cast were complete with naval piercings and fudged hair, no rah rah skirts or saftey pins here!
Another point of irritation was the acting! Some of the accents (New Yorkers) were really really, did I say Really BAD. Think really over the top and even more fake than George's Mum on Seinfeild!! Some of the acting was equally fake. I realise that comic parts/lines can be hard to make "real" but honestly this was some of the most 1 dimensional acting I'd seen in a long time. AND (yes there's more) some of the singing was not even that good, one particular girl totally lost her accent when she sung and suddenly gained perfect pronounciation (almost english sounding)!!! Also some of the chorus member's mouths were moving at different rates to what appeared to be comming out???
Finally they came out about 4 times to bow....not because the crowd were going wild, but because they just did, there wasn't even a gap between bows where they waited to see how the audience reacted they just knew we want to see them again and again and again, in slightly different orders!!!! How CONCIETED!!!!! Most people near me were clapping at the rate of about 1 clap per 2 mins! (except for a few who gave them a standing ovation and recieved Hi's waves and kisses from the cast...friends I wonder?) Though do sit through it as a) they don't turn the lights on so you could hurt yourself on the stairs and B) they sing FAME after that.
Now if you've already booked don't despair there were some good people/scenes/songs, but if you havent I'd save your $'s!
the audience weren't clapping that loud,
baby won't remember their names,
don't bother, don't bother, don't bother.......
Da Na Na, NA NA NA NA NANAAAA....
(In case you didn't work it out thats supposed to be sung to the song Fame)
Also in case you didn't guess I saw Fame last night at Burswood. In all honesty I know that everyone there paid their $60 bucks to hear that one song and I enjoyed that bit of the show, despite the fact that it was part of their unrequested encore and they had added a techno beat!!! (in some cases thou not broken should not be fixed!)
To be even more honest my high expectations and minimal recall of what the show was actually about (bar that one song) may have added to my dissapointment ...but I don't think so.
Overall the show was enjoyable in a light entertainment sort of way but it was by no means really good, nowhere near the standards of Chicago and in terms of acting ability the cast of Assasins impressed me more.
Firstly the set was good, clever use of space and scene changes were handled nicely, lighting was also good (though not spectacular). But considering their imagined budget it was really nothing very imaginitive.
One of the things that bugged me most was the costuming. The show is supposed to be set in 1984, now I know this was a daggy year but if you don't want to change the date you HAVE to wear the gear! It looked to me that the costume designer couldn't bear to dress her "young hip cool" cast in the daggy fashions of the era so she modified the fashions so they looked more like 90's grunge than 80's punk. Cast were complete with naval piercings and fudged hair, no rah rah skirts or saftey pins here!
Another point of irritation was the acting! Some of the accents (New Yorkers) were really really, did I say Really BAD. Think really over the top and even more fake than George's Mum on Seinfeild!! Some of the acting was equally fake. I realise that comic parts/lines can be hard to make "real" but honestly this was some of the most 1 dimensional acting I'd seen in a long time. AND (yes there's more) some of the singing was not even that good, one particular girl totally lost her accent when she sung and suddenly gained perfect pronounciation (almost english sounding)!!! Also some of the chorus member's mouths were moving at different rates to what appeared to be comming out???
Finally they came out about 4 times to bow....not because the crowd were going wild, but because they just did, there wasn't even a gap between bows where they waited to see how the audience reacted they just knew we want to see them again and again and again, in slightly different orders!!!! How CONCIETED!!!!! Most people near me were clapping at the rate of about 1 clap per 2 mins! (except for a few who gave them a standing ovation and recieved Hi's waves and kisses from the cast...friends I wonder?) Though do sit through it as a) they don't turn the lights on so you could hurt yourself on the stairs and B) they sing FAME after that.
Now if you've already booked don't despair there were some good people/scenes/songs, but if you havent I'd save your $'s!
Walter PlingeWed, 17 May 2000, 07:48 pm
they didn't really deserve, IT
the audience weren't clapping that loud,
baby won't remember their names,
don't bother, don't bother, don't bother.......
Da Na Na, NA NA NA NA NANAAAA....
(In case you didn't work it out thats supposed to be sung to the song Fame)
Also in case you didn't guess I saw Fame last night at Burswood. In all honesty I know that everyone there paid their $60 bucks to hear that one song and I enjoyed that bit of the show, despite the fact that it was part of their unrequested encore and they had added a techno beat!!! (in some cases thou not broken should not be fixed!)
To be even more honest my high expectations and minimal recall of what the show was actually about (bar that one song) may have added to my dissapointment ...but I don't think so.
Overall the show was enjoyable in a light entertainment sort of way but it was by no means really good, nowhere near the standards of Chicago and in terms of acting ability the cast of Assasins impressed me more.
Firstly the set was good, clever use of space and scene changes were handled nicely, lighting was also good (though not spectacular). But considering their imagined budget it was really nothing very imaginitive.
One of the things that bugged me most was the costuming. The show is supposed to be set in 1984, now I know this was a daggy year but if you don't want to change the date you HAVE to wear the gear! It looked to me that the costume designer couldn't bear to dress her "young hip cool" cast in the daggy fashions of the era so she modified the fashions so they looked more like 90's grunge than 80's punk. Cast were complete with naval piercings and fudged hair, no rah rah skirts or saftey pins here!
Another point of irritation was the acting! Some of the accents (New Yorkers) were really really, did I say Really BAD. Think really over the top and even more fake than George's Mum on Seinfeild!! Some of the acting was equally fake. I realise that comic parts/lines can be hard to make "real" but honestly this was some of the most 1 dimensional acting I'd seen in a long time. AND (yes there's more) some of the singing was not even that good, one particular girl totally lost her accent when she sung and suddenly gained perfect pronounciation (almost english sounding)!!! Also some of the chorus member's mouths were moving at different rates to what appeared to be comming out???
Finally they came out about 4 times to bow....not because the crowd were going wild, but because they just did, there wasn't even a gap between bows where they waited to see how the audience reacted they just knew we want to see them again and again and again, in slightly different orders!!!! How CONCIETED!!!!! Most people near me were clapping at the rate of about 1 clap per 2 mins! (except for a few who gave them a standing ovation and recieved Hi's waves and kisses from the cast...friends I wonder?) Though do sit through it as a) they don't turn the lights on so you could hurt yourself on the stairs and B) they sing FAME after that.
Now if you've already booked don't despair there were some good people/scenes/songs, but if you havent I'd save your $'s!
the audience weren't clapping that loud,
baby won't remember their names,
don't bother, don't bother, don't bother.......
Da Na Na, NA NA NA NA NANAAAA....
(In case you didn't work it out thats supposed to be sung to the song Fame)
Also in case you didn't guess I saw Fame last night at Burswood. In all honesty I know that everyone there paid their $60 bucks to hear that one song and I enjoyed that bit of the show, despite the fact that it was part of their unrequested encore and they had added a techno beat!!! (in some cases thou not broken should not be fixed!)
To be even more honest my high expectations and minimal recall of what the show was actually about (bar that one song) may have added to my dissapointment ...but I don't think so.
Overall the show was enjoyable in a light entertainment sort of way but it was by no means really good, nowhere near the standards of Chicago and in terms of acting ability the cast of Assasins impressed me more.
Firstly the set was good, clever use of space and scene changes were handled nicely, lighting was also good (though not spectacular). But considering their imagined budget it was really nothing very imaginitive.
One of the things that bugged me most was the costuming. The show is supposed to be set in 1984, now I know this was a daggy year but if you don't want to change the date you HAVE to wear the gear! It looked to me that the costume designer couldn't bear to dress her "young hip cool" cast in the daggy fashions of the era so she modified the fashions so they looked more like 90's grunge than 80's punk. Cast were complete with naval piercings and fudged hair, no rah rah skirts or saftey pins here!
Another point of irritation was the acting! Some of the accents (New Yorkers) were really really, did I say Really BAD. Think really over the top and even more fake than George's Mum on Seinfeild!! Some of the acting was equally fake. I realise that comic parts/lines can be hard to make "real" but honestly this was some of the most 1 dimensional acting I'd seen in a long time. AND (yes there's more) some of the singing was not even that good, one particular girl totally lost her accent when she sung and suddenly gained perfect pronounciation (almost english sounding)!!! Also some of the chorus member's mouths were moving at different rates to what appeared to be comming out???
Finally they came out about 4 times to bow....not because the crowd were going wild, but because they just did, there wasn't even a gap between bows where they waited to see how the audience reacted they just knew we want to see them again and again and again, in slightly different orders!!!! How CONCIETED!!!!! Most people near me were clapping at the rate of about 1 clap per 2 mins! (except for a few who gave them a standing ovation and recieved Hi's waves and kisses from the cast...friends I wonder?) Though do sit through it as a) they don't turn the lights on so you could hurt yourself on the stairs and B) they sing FAME after that.
Now if you've already booked don't despair there were some good people/scenes/songs, but if you havent I'd save your $'s!
Walter PlingeFri, 19 May 2000, 10:21 am
RE: FAME, they bowed forever.....
It really gripes me to say this, especially considering the production in question is deamed "professional!", but I agree with a lot of what Mary Kate said! Yes, the accents were appauling, so much so they made me wince and cringe until at least intermission. Yes, the extended bows did seem a little self indugent. And Yes, the costumes did seem to be a mish mash of the past two decades. Added to my eyebrow raising, was the fact that the night I went to the show (the 2nd night no less!) there was 5, count them, 5 understudies playing the lead roles! Including the part that Thelma Houston was billed to play (one of the show's few drawcards)
But when all is said and done, I did actually enjoy the show. It was a lively, energetic show, that the actors did the best they could with. Fame should have stayed on the screen (big and TV!), it's lost a little in the transition to the stage. I agree that the $60 price tag was a little too much to swallow, so do as I did, try looking into the recent $29 tickets issued for Mother's Day! I got 8th row, centre of row seats!!! And Hey, they do sing FAME! that is worth it if for no other reason!
L.
But when all is said and done, I did actually enjoy the show. It was a lively, energetic show, that the actors did the best they could with. Fame should have stayed on the screen (big and TV!), it's lost a little in the transition to the stage. I agree that the $60 price tag was a little too much to swallow, so do as I did, try looking into the recent $29 tickets issued for Mother's Day! I got 8th row, centre of row seats!!! And Hey, they do sing FAME! that is worth it if for no other reason!
L.
Walter PlingeFri, 19 May 2000, 02:42 pm
RE: FAME, they bowed forever.....
Students can get $29 tickets on Sundays. I am going to see Fame this Sunday, so I am trying to ignore all the bad reports I have heard. At least if I am expecting something really bad, I will not be dissapointed if it is only just bad.
Walter PlingeTue, 30 May 2000, 11:36 am
RE: FAME, they bowed forever.....
Although I haven't seen FAME, I felt the same after I had seen LES MISERABLES at the Entertainment Centre (that should have tipped me off for a start) last year, and BUDDY at Burswood (another clue) a few years ago.
Funny, isn't it, that people won't go and see amateur productions because they think they will be 'bad'.
And yet, people (even those that are not frequent theatre patrons) will flock to these big-budget supposedly 'professional' shows.
Why is that? Publicity? Ticket prices? The mistaken belief that just because that cast and crew are actually getting PAID they will be better than those who work their butts off for a show coz they simply love doing it??
And don't think for one minute that 'professionals' always have more training and experience than 'amateurs'.
And people complained when our ticket prices went up to $14...
Funny, isn't it, that people won't go and see amateur productions because they think they will be 'bad'.
And yet, people (even those that are not frequent theatre patrons) will flock to these big-budget supposedly 'professional' shows.
Why is that? Publicity? Ticket prices? The mistaken belief that just because that cast and crew are actually getting PAID they will be better than those who work their butts off for a show coz they simply love doing it??
And don't think for one minute that 'professionals' always have more training and experience than 'amateurs'.
And people complained when our ticket prices went up to $14...