London Palladium
8 Argyll Street
London
London
W1F 7TF
Directions
(2mins) Exit 8 from the tube goes out onto Argyll Street (opposite the large Topshop). The theatre is 100 metres down the road.
Booking From: | Tuesday, 5th February 2013 |
Booking Until: | Saturday, 31st August 2013 |
Matinees: | Wednesday and Saturday 3pm |
Evenings: | Monday to Saturday 7.45pm |
Running Time: | 2 hours (no interval) |
Show Status: | production_closed |
I think this would have been a hit in the 70s but the whole confessional thing has been done to death with reality TV. So what you get is a (now) unimaginative plot line, uncreative set design and production, limited musical content and repetitive choreography. We don't want a window into the industry, we want a show! Don't go if you're after a spectacle. If you've had your fill of flashing productions and want a sleepy, introspective, minimalist evening, maybe.
But get discount tickets even if you do. £10 max!
Very disappointed, Saturday 31st July. Not a tap shoe in sight. When 'Zach' said "I can't hear you taps" I wanted to shout out "neither can we" I understand from a friend who seen the show in March that the dances were performed in tap shoes - what changed. I feel really cheated. At £64 a ticket I would hope to be rating this show much higher than OK
I am another one of those who cannot understand the negative reviews - they are obviously people who dont know the first thing about the theatre!!!
Although I am not an actress - I am inclined to hide backstage and wear black - I enjoyed the show!
True, it's not a West End production in the sense that its not sparkly with lots of set and props, but it is true to life (as many others here have written) and has several pieces of dark humpur and sexual humour laid throughout the script.
Seems to me if people werent so busy falling asleep and paid attention to what was going on around them they would benefit more.
By the way, I paid £25 and got a Stalls seat, cant fault the view (the rake of the auditorium makes for easy viewing of the whole stage) and still love the Palladium. :)
My experience was very similar to a lot of others people’s here.
I went to this show not really knowing what to expect (yes, I know that’s a mistake now), but I was expecting (from the posters and the venue) something glitzy.
We were delighted to be upgraded to 5th row Stalls (a bit far to one side), but now I’ve learned why – they just want to fill empty seats.
The musical starts and it’s promising (although the repetitive nature of the opening act starts to grate)…
Then John Partridge disappears for pretty much the entire play? You can’t see the main star! What’s the point of that? Does he go home?
And then you slowly realize that this musical is just literally going down the line of 16 actors as they relate/sing their uninteresting life stories. I was so bored, and I kept counting down on my fingers how many people were left to go. It might have been better if any of the actors were remotely famous.
I think it’s such a mistake to have this on at the Palladium. And I can't get that bloody 'One' song out of my head.
(I think it’s a bit unfair that this show has an average of 3 stars – some of the negative reviewers here actually accidentally gave it 5!)
This show is all about real life . The story is about an audition were everybody is desparate for a job . It is so true true to life in the very competitivness world of show business and how hard it is to become part of a chorus line in a top stage production it's all about disappointment and success .
The choreographer ( John Partridge ) Zak, is a hard task-master . He only wants the very best for his singers and dancers , for his next show ! He gets it !
All of the cast were magnificent , dancing and singing at it very best . If you want to see a musical that's true to life this is for you ! It was , a very uplifting two hous . I've see the film the stage production is far better ! I'll be back to see it again before it closes .
Just seen Chorus Line. Worst show we have seen. If there had been an interval we would have walked out. (Perhaps this is why they do not have one!) There were a lot of empty seats as it was. How it is being shown at the London Palladium I do not know. Very boring!
I am struggling to offer it the lone star.. this was sooooooo BAD!
Saw it last week on Thursday. It coincided with my wife's birthday and I haven't stopped apologising to her ever since...
The show was all about a troupe of dancers parading about the stage and recounting their life's agonies... left us feeling like their therapists.
Visual content was poor, tempo was slow with little change in story line or characters, and dancing/ singing was abysmally bad.
It had a strange anodyne, mind numbing and energy sapping quality to it which left us feeling like dazed zombies.
For most part, we tried closing our eyes, dissociating and imagining the wonderful things we could have done instead. From noises of stifled yawns and snores around us it was confirmed that we were not alone. To make things 'better' there was no interval break to allow escape...
This production is dazzling & a perfect reproduction of the original which I saw on Broadway years ago.
The dancing is outstanding & I still get an excited thrill @ the curtain calls--"One Singular Sensation"--the BEST curtain call EVER.
For the record: the London actor playing Zach is better than the Broadway original and this also pertains to the actress playing Cassie who out-dances Donna McKechnie from the original.
I'm an American ol' timer visiting London.
Went to see this last night with my wife, for our anniversary. Oh dear.
Undoubtedly the worst show we have seen in 30 years of theatre-going ! The idea of examining the life struggles of wannabee singers/dancers is an interesting one ,and, having 2 daughters who are trained in musical theatre, one I should have been able to identify with.
However, it was impossible to feel any empathy with the shockingly one-dimensional characters on show here, who were either silly, obnoxious, or just plain boring.
The central solo monologue was particularly excruciating !
I feel sorry for the obviously talented cast having to wade through this rubbish, night after night.
Don't go !!
I saw this show last time, in London, at the end of its season. I loved it then and I loved it again when I saw it on the 10th June this year, with my daughter, who also enjoyed it. I also bought the film on DVD which is brilliant. I cannot understand the negative reviews of this show. I thought the dancers were terrific with such strong singing voices also. If you go to see this show don't expect all the glitz and glamour of a musical, but go to see a group of people auditioning for a show, telling their individual story in song and dance of why they need and want a job. It was very cleverly done with bringing in the rest of the cast. The show is what the title says, it is an audition for a 'Chorus Line'. The closing 10 minutes is what they have all been aiming for! The dancing is brilliant, the songs are beautiful and if you are offended about the 'tits and ass', just listen to her story and you will understand what she is saying! I am 67 and was not offended (a bit surprised first time round maybe) I hope the show has a long run, just enjoy.