Prom 21 - 2.08.14: Kiss Me, Kate

[Quarky]

Perhaps that's just as well. I've noticed that if a thread contains Youtube videos that Flash gets activated, and on my laptop hat causes it to heat up.
I have, however, disabled Flash in my browsers, and I enable it if I really want to/have to.

The problem with modern technology! Always greater speed/ functionality, but hosts of attendant problems. Life was simple in the 90's when the Internet was initiated.

[Dave2002]

We open in Venice - compare with Valses Poeticos No 3, by Enrique Granados.

[Stanley Stewart]

An enticing clip from "Kiss me Kate" on last night's Proms Extra (BBC 2), the production enhanced by the platform staging. Quite nonplussed by the crass decision to postpone the transmission until December!

[Flosshilde]

Possibly because it's 'light' (being a musical) & in December we can only cope with 'light' music (Christmas & so on)?

[french frank]

Possibly because it's 'light' (being a musical) & in December we can only cope with 'light' music (Christmas & so on)?

Waddya mean 'Possibly'? What better to watch over the Christmas holidays?

[Stanley Stewart]

A repeat transmission for those who may have been on holiday during the first screening in August! "A double blessing is a double grace" (Laertes)

[bluestateprommer]

It may be that, in some ways, listeners at home got better sound. In the hall, the opening sounded more like listening to a 1950s American film than a real orchestra, as in our part of the hall we probably heard more from the loudspeakers used than the live sound. There were also some other technical problems. For a while one singer's voice sounded as though the loudspeaker coils had come adrift - thought it was probably either a microphone or a mixer problem, with the levels set incorrectly. The sound quality did settle down, though there was a point rather later on where a couple of male voices sounded as though they were speaking from under water.

Having now experienced it, I doubt that there was any way this show could have been done without any amplification in the RAH.

Did I enjoy it? Yes, hugely. It was a very well put together production, and I really don't see how it can work having put all the effort into producing it and only running one performance. At the very least I'd have thought it could fill a theatre for several weeks, particularly if there are tourists to fill them.

In the hall we did have the benefit of watching the action, or at least some of it, as some of us only had restricted view seats. A side show nearly broke out with some members of the audience complaining about not being able to see, but perhaps we should pass over that. Listeners at home probably had the advantage, at times, of better quality sound, but would have missed a lot in terms of the visual aspects of the performance.

I see what you mean, because I was just fine with the sound on iPlayer, although I did catch the moment towards the end of the first half when the one actor's microphone went awry. Fortunately, the dialogue did still come through in the unintentional mini-haze.

This Prom definitely goes into the listening category of 'good, clean fun', where I can readily imagine a happy house enjoying the musical party. Even though there have been comments (and I think even in the print reviews) of reportedly stiff delivery of some of the dialogue, I didn't get that impression. Of course, part of the subtle in-joke here is that you have a British supporting cast (e.g. Ian Talbot), backing the 3 American and 1 Brit lead roles, delivering Shakespeare's lines with an American accent. John Wilson and his band delivered the music with the right spirit, to my ear (which isn't that attuned to musicals in general, but I can adjust my listening expectations accordingly).

For the record, I retro-added the full cast list of this Prom to the Forum calendar entry.