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A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYTimes

Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

Adma: I guess only time will tell...I did hear that Joan Collins and Linda Evans have been resurected (resuscitated?) and will be appearing on stage as part of the Mirvish season this year. Here's to big hair!!
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

adma:

To answer - our tickets to the TSO and Leila Josefowicz were free! ( courtesy of my neighbours ). I have no idea what LOTR tickets cost in comparison.

This year - and next - I've subscribed front centre balcony at about $40/ticket. Last year I subscribed front centre mezzanine, which was about $110/ticket.

tsoundcheck tickets, for "young people", are a tremendous bargain, and popular.

For Josefowicz we were on the main floor, row N ( not under the sound-deadening "overhang" of the mezzanine ) and the sound was excellent. I may subscribe there in 2007/08. Several people have told me this is the best place to be.

Re: reviews:

Most theatrical productions, no matter how awful, can dredge up a few selective quotes from reviews, taken out of context, and make their shows sound like the second coming.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

It almost seems now as though there is a bit of a reaction against the negative reviews, as if maybe they were a bit too harsh and a bit too willing/wanting for the show to fail. The Times in London liked it (or is it that low-brow Westend aesthetic) and more and more people are coming out and saying it really isn't that bad. Sounds like the show is finding its following, and no doubt it will improve further with time.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

^Of course, those people all bought those tickets before the show opened. Naturally they want to convince themselves that they spent their money on something worthwhile. People give everything a standing ovation now for the same reason: theatre going has become so rare for most people they must convince themselves they've been to something rilly rilly special.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

maxy505 left at the second intermission. I walked out during a dreary dance thing last year by an outfit called Ballet Expressivo. I think more people should leave if they don't like something. I listened to a woman complaining about one of the recent 'Ring' productions to a friend on her cell phone during intermission and I couldn't understand why she didn't just leave if it was so awful.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

^Of course, those people all bought those tickets before the show opened. Naturally they want to convince themselves that they spent their money on something worthwhile. People give everything a standing ovation now for the same reason: theatre going has become so rare for most people they must convince themselves they've been to something rilly rilly special.
Click to expand...
I bought my ticket post-reviews.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

maxy505 left at the second intermission. I walked out during a dreary dance thing last year by an outfit called Ballet Expressivo. I think more people should leave if they don't like something. I listened to a woman complaining about one of the recent 'Ring' productions to a friend on her cell phone during intermission and I couldn't understand why she didn't just leave if it was so awful.
Click to expand...

Because they want their money's worth.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

ap: I find that standing ovations are pretty rare in this town actually - we're not so easy to please normally. I see about 20 live shows a year, and they don't happen often. I also see over 3 dozen flicks at the filmfest every September, and have been doing that since 1992, and I may have only been part of a half dozen standing o's in all that time. I find us to be a tough crowd (and rightly so).

42
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

ap: I find that standing ovations are pretty rare in this town actually - we're not so easy to please normally. I see about 20 live shows a year, and they don't happen often. I also see over 3 dozen flicks at the filmfest every September, and have been doing that since 1992, and I may have only been part of a half dozen standing o's in all that time. I find us to be a tough crowd (and rightly so).
Click to expand...

I agree. Standing ovations are not that common.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

Certainly not at the film festival, that's a discerning crowd.

But go to any mega musical, where suburban non-theatre goers go, in any town, and they all leap to their feet, no matter how shlocky it is. I mean, Phantom got standing o's for god's sack!
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

There's something rather terrifying about out-of-control enthusiasm.

905-ers are let out of their pens on Friday night and head downtown, ravenous for cultural stimulation. When there are more cultural centres in 905 Land they'll probably stay put.

Part of the reason I changed my opera night from Saturday was to avoid them.

That said ... I just bought a Saturday night ticket for the COC's June 17th celebratory concert! A nice orchestra seat. By the time I checked into availability for the glitzy inaugural gala all that was left was top balcony.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

As if everyone living over some arbitrary boundary is by definition ignorant. Come on. May I remind you that many of them come from places far more urban than Toronto.

We're letting a phone company dictate how we see ourselves as a city.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

You should see them in restaurants - asking for spring rolls in french bistros. Saturday night is the worst night to be out and about. Thursday is the best when it's only city folk about.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

Of course living across the state line in 905 Land doesn't make people stoopid, it just restricts their "going out" options - unless they head downtown. The sooner they get a richer mix of cultural infrastructure just outside their front doors the better.

They hunger for the same things we downtowners hunger for or else they wouldn't be thronging our theatres and watering holes when they're let out for the weekend.
 
Re: A Revitalized Toronto Pins Its Hopes on the Hobbits: NYT

Using my special deeming powers, I deem the 905 to begin west of Bathurst, and north of Lawrencebecause I never need to go beyond either. In my mind it's like a late midieval map: "Here lie dragons".
 
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