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March 29, 2024, 02:12:38 PM

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Alan Partridge: Stratagem

Started by Magnum Valentino, April 23, 2022, 12:12:20 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Martin Van Buren Stan

Quote from: amputeeporn on May 03, 2022, 12:27:23 PMOnce again, so glad that Coogan's worked through his issues with Alan.

I believe the Alan Partridge revival moved him...

The Ombudsman

Booked tickets to see it early next month. Looking forward to it, be the first time I've seen Alan live.


Utter Shit

Quote from: peteprodge on May 01, 2022, 04:28:03 PMIt was a lot better than I expected. My gripe at the end though...

Spoiler alert
In storyline, Emma Sidi's plucked-from-the-crowd character was given an obvious shunting out of the venue. Fine with that, but... there's a curtain bow at the end, with Alan and the dancers. Emma's character is also there, bowing. Which is strange, because the woman helped out by Strategem in the first part doesn't return and she faced a similar fate, Alan really didn't want her back on stage. Ah well.
[close]

Spoiler alert
It would have been very difficult to get them both on stage at the same time as they were played by the same person! In fairness I wouldn't have clocked it, only I looked up the cast list this morning because I recognised the protegé character from something (Pls Like and Stath Lets Flats, it turns out).
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Saw the show at Brighton last night, I thought it was fantastic and very funny, if a little aimless - they've made a massive effort to make it feel like a proper stage show rather than a 'realistic' motivational speaking seminar, but in doing so it felt like the concept got lost a little bit.

That sounds like a major criticism, and for those who pick at the internal logic of the Partridge world maybe it would be, but for me it was still brilliant. So much great stuff, and Steve Coogan seemed to be having a great time. Seeing
Spoiler alert
Martin Brennan
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turn up on the big screen was such a buzz.

BeardFaceMan

Has it been confirmed that this is being filmed for some sort of DVD/streaming release? Anyone seen any cameras at any of the shows?

Utter Shit

The Brighton show had two big screens either side of the stage for close-ups, presumably that footage would be recorded as well as live. There's bound to be a big market for it, so it seems extremely unlikely that it won't be made commercially available in some form.

popcorn

#36
Quote from: Utter Shit on May 09, 2022, 09:13:20 AMSaw the show at Brighton last night, I thought it was fantastic and very funny, if a little aimless - they've made a massive effort to make it feel like a proper stage show rather than a 'realistic' motivational speaking seminar, but in doing so it felt like the concept got lost a little bit.

I was also at the Brighton show. I felt the same way - I wanted more of the actual seminar-like stuff and less musical sequences. I thought the musical parts (particularly the intro) were all rather naff, and obviously they're meant to be naff, I just thought they weren't... clever, if you know what I mean. Verged too far into genuine Butlins-style bollocks. But then I never really enjoyed all that sort of thing in Knowing Me Knowing You either.

I also felt the ending was very abrupt, and Alan's breakdown was sudden - was it just me or was the second half much shorter than the first? I wasn't too keen on the "speaking to Alan from the future" stuff either, it just got too strange - I like these concepts when they're just Alan imagining them to himself, but seeing it actually brought to life was too much. Take me back to the Travel Tavern! Seeing Coogan interact with pre-recorded videos was nerve-wracking too, it felt stitled, especially with Lynn.

So some mixed feelings from me... I didn't think it was a knockout success. But it was consistently funny, and it was a joy to see Partridge in the flesh. Thought the supporting cast was good too. Loved the "where is Alan hiding" sequence.

popcorn

I think I missed a major gag -

Spoiler alert
I was looking at the wrong thing and missed something on the screen that made everyone laugh. I suspect it's this, mentioned in the Guardian review: "His trendy upstage graphics, which ape the famous iPod silhouette ads, are also hijacked by a precious visual gag that will live luridly long in the memory."
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What did I miss?

Utter Shit

I guess the thing with Partridge is that he's almost unique in spanning such a long period and such a wide range of different formats, and is different things to different people.

I'm the same as you, for me the prime Partridge is stripped back (Mid Morning Matters, Oasthouse for example) and a basic TED Talk-style motivational seminar would be perfect for that. But to others Partridge is the broader, light-ent madness of KMKY, or the narrative of IAP, or the sketch-style weirdness of the documentaries, and maybe that more basic presentation that we'd love would have left them cold.

It's a real balancing act, and is a symptom of the character's genius I guess - Coogan and the various writers have sustained it through such a variety of styles that it inevitably draws a wide range of fans who all want slightly different things.

The second half was definitely shorter, but in my experience that's fairly standard for any comedy show or indeed any theatre show (he said, silently acknowledging that his experience of theatre extends no further than the Lion King, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Book of Mormon). And the second half did feel a bit all over the place, flying through a load of ideas before hitting an abrupt ending.

I feel like I'm criticising a huge amount for a show that I really, really enjoyed, it's just that without spoiling specific moments, the praise of the show is basically "it's Partridge being Partridge, obviously it was brilliant" whereas the criticism is more nuanced. If you like modern Partridge you'll love it, regardless of any minor issues you might have.

@popcorn, there was a joke I missed towards the end that everyone was falling about laughing at - it wasn't something he said, and I can only assume from the context that it was something to do with the dancing silhouette on the big screen - do you know what it was? It got just about the biggest laugh of the night from the audience and I somehow completely missed it!

EDIT: Ha, just saw your post - not just me then. From the size of the laugh I think me and you might be the only two people in the venue who didn't see it.

DJ Bob Hoskins

Quote from: popcorn on May 09, 2022, 11:11:36 AMI think I missed a major gag -

Spoiler alert
I was looking at the wrong thing and missed something on the screen that made everyone laugh. I suspect it's this, mentioned in the Guardian review: "His trendy upstage graphics, which ape the famous iPod silhouette ads, are also hijacked by a precious visual gag that will live luridly long in the memory."
[close]

What did I miss?

Spoiler alert
I barely caught it myself as it was a split-second thing, but it appeared that Alan was naked in the final shot and you could see his winky flapping about in silhouette. I sincerely hope I didn't imagine that, anyway.
[close]

iamcoop

Quote from: popcorn on May 09, 2022, 10:54:33 AMI wanted more of the actual seminar-like stuff and less musical sequences. I thought the musical parts (particularly the intro) were all rather naff, and obviously they're meant to be naff, I just thought they weren't... clever, if you know what I mean. Verged too far into genuine Butlins-style bollocks. But then I never really enjoyed all that sort of thing in Knowing Me Knowing You either.

I also felt the ending was very abrupt, and Alan's breakdown was sudden - was it just me or was the second half much shorter than the first? I wasn't too keen on the "speaking to Alan from the future" stuff either, it just got too strange - I like these concepts when they're just Alan imagining them to himself, but seeing it actually brought to life was too much. Take me back to the Travel Tavern! Seeing Coogan interact with pre-recorded videos was nerve-wracking too, it felt stitled, especially with Lynn.

My thoughts entirely, although I think you enjoyed it more than I did. I actually came away from this feeling pretty disappointed.

The crowd on the night I was there were pretty lacklustre - that doesn't help a show like this at all and the arena was only about 2/3rds full (although to be fair to Coogan the next night was sold out and apparently the show we were at had been booked after the first Newcastle date sold out).

I thought the first half was a lot funnier than the second, although
Spoiler alert
Alan as the chair
[close]
was fucking amazing.

I wish he'd got stuck into the whole
Spoiler alert
audience diversity
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aspect a bit more. That kind of subject feels so painfully Alan.

I just cringed a bit at the song and dance numbers. It's the classic 'trying to expand a small thing into a huge stage show' problem that's affected a lot of things. The highlights were the pared-back 'Alan just being Alan' bits.

Still it was great to see Coogan do Partridge live, but as entertaining as it was I'm afraid this ranks pretty low in the list of Partridge stuff for me.

Angst in my Pants

In case anyone missed it, Alan appeared in character during the BAFTA awards broadcast yesterday, from backstage at Stratagem. Very funny.

The Lurker

Quote from: DJ Bob Hoskins on May 09, 2022, 11:38:47 AM
Spoiler alert
I barely caught it myself as it was a split-second thing, but it appeared that Alan was naked in the final shot and you could see his winky flapping about in silhouette. I sincerely hope I didn't imagine that, anyway.
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Yes, that was it

Captain Z

No shock that the two CaBbers in the audience were too busy focusing intently on the minutiae of Alan's stage presence while the rest of the audience laughed at a knob gag on a big screen.

Twonty Gostelow

Quote from: Angst in my Pants on May 09, 2022, 04:24:54 PMIn case anyone missed it, Alan appeared in character during the BAFTA awards broadcast yesterday, from backstage at Stratagem. Very funny.


There's a minor callback in there to his first BAFTA appearance that predated the TV version of KMKY, where it feels like much of the audience weren't completely aware of the joke. (Also features one of Alan's best outfits.)


Utter Shit

Quote from: Captain Z on May 09, 2022, 06:09:11 PMNo shock that the two CaBbers in the audience were too busy focusing intently on the minutiae of Alan's stage presence while the rest of the audience laughed at a knob gag on a big screen.

Ahahahaha

thugler

Quote from: Captain Z on May 09, 2022, 06:09:11 PMNo shock that the two CaBbers in the audience were too busy focusing intently on the minutiae of Alan's stage presence while the rest of the audience laughed at a knob gag on a big screen.

Three, must admit I missed this too

DJ Bob Hoskins

I guess I should be proud that I can see the wood for the trees, as it were.

Ferris

I'd kill for a Castrol GTX bomber jacket.


JamesTC

I would be interested to hear if the city specific openings in any other city ended like Liverpool with...

Spoiler alert
We built this city on slavery!
[close]

I really hope this gets filmed and released but jokes at the expense of a certain ferry company and a certain betting shop may put a stop to that. Plus the rights for 80s power ballads.

It was very dense with some new classic Partridge.

Some moments that spring to mind:
Spoiler alert
Winding back through time with exclamations of "the towers are falling", "get that wall down" and "I'VE GOT AIDS". I think I'm going to be laughing at "I'VE GOT AIDS" for weeks.

A young Alan building a women's prison out of meccano. For some reason, this offhand admission really sticks in my mind.

The chair transformer.

Seldom eating a Cocker Spaniel.

[close]

I guess I'm the third CaBer who missed the silhouette joke because I was too busy looking at Partridge!

Spoiler alert
So I can confirm that the people in the front row in the 'audience interaction' bit weren't ringers because I was one of them. I was 'Mr. Capital FM' or something - to be honest I was in so much shock that Partridge was pointing a camera at me from less than 2 feet away that I barely heard the joke about me liking adverts or something - can anyone from the Liverpool gig remember it?

I also wonder if there is a Mr. Capital FM at every gig!
[close]

JamesTC

Quote from: zip o lightning on May 11, 2022, 11:55:37 PMI guess I'm the third CaBer who missed the silhouette joke because I was too busy looking at Partridge!

Spoiler alert
So I can confirm that the people in the front row in the 'audience interaction' bit weren't ringers because I was one of them. I was 'Mr. Capital FM' or something - to be honest I was in so much shock that Partridge was pointing a camera at me from less than 2 feet away that I barely heard the joke about me liking adverts or something - can anyone from the Liverpool gig remember it?

I also wonder if there is a Mr. Capital FM at every gig!
[close]
Spoiler alert
You've pretty much recited the gag he delivered at your expense. The radio station for people who like classical music but only if they have heard it on an advert.

The silhouette joke was right after he ushered the cockney lady off-stage, if memory serves me. Alan retorted that it was cold that day.
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I was sat much higher up. You may have heard a very loud "aha" early on which received a derisory "yes, that is my catchphrase" from Alan. I was sat in the row below this bloke.

The Lurker

Quote from: JamesTC on May 11, 2022, 11:08:17 PMI would be interested to hear if the city specific openings in any other city ended like Liverpool with...

Spoiler alert
We built this city on slavery!
[close]

I really hope this gets filmed and released but jokes at the expense of a certain ferry company and a certain betting shop may put a stop to that. Plus the rights for 80s power ballads.

It was very dense with some new classic Partridge.

Some moments that spring to mind:
Spoiler alert
Winding back through time with exclamations of "the towers are falling", "get that wall down" and "I'VE GOT AIDS". I think I'm going to be laughing at "I'VE GOT AIDS" for weeks.

A young Alan building a women's prison out of meccano. For some reason, this offhand admission really sticks in my mind.

The chair transformer.

Seldom eating a Cocker Spaniel.

[close]

From memory, Newcastle...

Spoiler alert
was built on Jimmy Nail, the Tyne Bridge and Greggs pasties

Sadly, no mention of dearly departed Michael in his home city
[close]

But as for the
Spoiler alert
I've got AIDS line
[close]
, I started smiling to myself at work the next day when I remembered it. Thankfully no one was around to see me grinning like a mad man.

popcorn

Quote from: zip o lightning on May 11, 2022, 11:55:37 PM
Spoiler alert
I also wonder if there is a Mr. Capital FM at every gig!
[close]

There was at Brighton!

jimboslice

I've got tickets to the Leeds gig. It says 6:30pm. Can anyone tell me from there experience what time it'll actually start and finish? There's a band I'd like to see that evening too.

JamesTC

Quote from: jimboslice on May 12, 2022, 06:51:21 PMI've got tickets to the Leeds gig. It says 6:30pm. Can anyone tell me from there experience what time it'll actually start and finish? There's a band I'd like to see that evening too.

Start at 8pm and finish around 10:15pm, from memory. Might be different at yours but I think the doors did open at 6.30pm in Liverpool too.

DenzilHolles

Not sure if it's allowed to post here ( feel free to delete if so) but I've two spares in front stalls for Manchester tonight if anyone needs any tickets. They were 70 but open to offers as it's so last minute.

Petey Pate

Pretty funny but the real world implications of this 'interview' makes my head hurt a bit. Will Mr Bean be meeting Rowan Atkinson anytime soon?


https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/may/14/alan-partridge-interviews-steve-coogan

JamesTC

In a similarly strange crossover, I'm just watching Saxondale and it appears he owns I'm Alan Partridge Series 1 and 2 on DVD.