The Go-Between musical - West End

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 11/6/16 at 8:08am

did anyone see this or have any opinions on it ? I meant to catch it and just realized it closed end of October. I haven't seen the movie or read the book either.

..

[hork]

Posted: 11/6/16 at 9:05am

I'm curious about this, too. The book is quite good, but I can't really picture it as a musical. 

[Harriet Craig]

Posted: 11/6/16 at 9:43am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Review-Roundup-THE-GO-BETWEEN-with-Michael-Crawford-20160608

[ggersten]

Posted: 11/6/16 at 1:28pm

Here is what  I wrote last summer about The Go Between:

 This is a very different musical. It is written, sung and staged like a memory poem. It had mixed reviews, but I thought we should take the chance to see Michael Crawford. He was quite good - a consummate actor even if his voice can't soar like it once did decades ago. He still can command a stage. I had not seen the 1970s movie nor the more recent television production, so knew little of the story. The music is not "musical" - there were few "songs" and even those "songs" that were set apart were more in keeping with the score, which is mostly ethereal. There are no soaring ballads - no money notes. A single pianist plays the whole show - and deserves accolades for that endurance. I didn't see a score on the piano and certainly there was no one turning pages - so maybe there was an electronic score for the pianist to read. The solo piano adds to the mood. The set is a ruined hall with grass and weeds - and so stands in not just for the setting of the play, but for the adult Leo's "mind" and "memory." The show kept my interest as there was a mystery from the beginning of the show with the cast of "ghosts" imploring Leo to "remember" - but to remember what? While the couple in front of us left at the interval (giving us a better second act view), I am glad we stayed. But, this is not a show for everyone. It just isn't a typical musical - not even a typical "sung-through" musical. It is not Les Miserables. I've read some comparisons to Passion, but I have to admit I've never listened to Passion. I don't know the name of the boy who played Young Leo for our performance but he was quite good. The young boy playing Marcus was not so good. But, Gemma Sutton gave a beautiful performance as Marian. I think we are glad we say the show, but don't need to see it again, and any recommendation has to be tempered with letting people know what kind of show they are in for. Three Stars for Michael Crawford and Gemma Sutton.

[Skywalker3]

Posted: 11/6/16 at 2:44pm

This sold really really bad. When I saw it, Michael Crawford was out and there where maybe 50 people in the audience. And from what I heard, when Michael was in, there were about 100 people every night or les.

It's a  beautiful story, but just not that interesting. 
He keeps on telling about his horrible past, but in the end i thought, was this it? Just not that thrilling or exciting. 

But Stuart Ward made the show worth wile for me. Saw him in Once. Talented guy! (and good looking)

[doritxuuu]

Posted: 11/6/16 at 4:22pm

I can only confirm what the previous responses included - I quite enjoyed seeing it as it was very different from most musicals that are showing in London. The single piano and the rather scaled-back vocals make it a bit quiet but very lovely at the same time - I almost had the feeling the music came across/sounded more like a soundtrack than musical theatre numbers. The actors did a great job but overall, it just wasn't a loud, extraordinary production which is probably the general expectation for musicals. I was given comp tickets as well - both circles were closed for the mid-week performance I visited and the audience was mostly older people. My impression was that it the show was simply marketed incredibly poorly and never got much visibility that would have attracted more people. It's a shame really because it could have been a refreshing alternative to more "traditional" musical theatre.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 11/6/16 at 4:38pm

It would have worked better as a 90 minute show straight through. First act really dragged.