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Post by mrbarnaby on Dec 15, 2022 23:58:13 GMT
Expect more cancellations for this…
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Post by theoracle on Dec 16, 2022 0:17:12 GMT
Expect more cancellations for this… I’m supposed to be going tomorrow. Do you know if it is sickness or something else?
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5,299 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Dec 16, 2022 8:03:28 GMT
Expect more cancellations for this… I’m supposed to be going tomorrow. Do you know if it is sickness or something else? They may need to be rapidly rehearsing a new cast member in to it
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Post by Jan on Dec 16, 2022 14:33:18 GMT
People on here do realise that the Donmar needs to make money, offering cheap seats to everyone wouldn't exactly be financially viable. We had a similar discussion about @sohoplace - at least they have realised that it’s better to have seats filled at lower prices than empty at absurdly high prices. My ticket for AYLI there was £35 when they’d originally tried to sell it for £80 and I’d have stayed away. The Donmar need to learn that lesson given their productions are far from must-sees these days. Anyway, my main point is how come the Donmar are giving cheap seats to 30-year-olds ? How is that fair ? Why not 40 ? They should make some attempt to means test it (students, unwaged etc).
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Post by alessia on Dec 16, 2022 14:44:41 GMT
People on here do realise that the Donmar needs to make money, offering cheap seats to everyone wouldn't exactly be financially viable. We had a similar discussion about @sohoplace - at least they have realised that it’s better to have seats filled at lower prices than empty at absurdly high prices. My ticket for AYLI there was £35 when they’d originally tried to sell it for £80 and I’d have stayed away. The Donmar need to learn that lesson given their productions are far from must-sees these days. Anyway, my main point is how come the Donmar are giving cheap seats to 30-year-olds ? How is that fair ? Why not 40 ? They should make some attempt to means test it (students, unwaged etc). Are there any offers for AYLI that I missed? I look now and again but seats are really expensive. Completely agree on Donmar, would be much fairer to offer cheaper tickets to students and unwaged rather than doing it by age...
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3,478 posts
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Post by showgirl on Dec 16, 2022 14:56:29 GMT
Or really stick their necks about the parapet & offer some seats as "Pay What You Think It's Worth"?
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Post by cavocado on Dec 16, 2022 15:21:18 GMT
Or really stick their necks about the parapet & offer some seats as "Pay What You Think It's Worth"? Or lucky dip tickets like the Young Vic, Bush and others.
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6,347 posts
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Post by Jon on Dec 16, 2022 15:36:21 GMT
Or really stick their necks about the parapet & offer some seats as "Pay What You Think It's Worth"? That could be easily be abused.
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Post by Jan on Dec 16, 2022 16:52:51 GMT
We had a similar discussion about @sohoplace - at least they have realised that it’s better to have seats filled at lower prices than empty at absurdly high prices. My ticket for AYLI there was £35 when they’d originally tried to sell it for £80 and I’d have stayed away. The Donmar need to learn that lesson given their productions are far from must-sees these days. Anyway, my main point is how come the Donmar are giving cheap seats to 30-year-olds ? How is that fair ? Why not 40 ? They should make some attempt to means test it (students, unwaged etc). Are there any offers for AYLI that I missed? I look now and again but seats are really expensive. Completely agree on Donmar, would be much fairer to offer cheaper tickets to students and unwaged rather than doing it by age... On AYLI, look on TodayTix for December dates, they have moved the £20 and £35 seats to much better locations. They haven’t so far for January but I imagine they’ll have to.
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Post by theoracle on Dec 16, 2022 17:14:17 GMT
Production photos released. Heading to this tonight assuming it's not been cancelled. With the Under 30s question I think the average wage of someone under 30 is generally considerably lower than someone aged over 30. That being said I'm under 30 and shelled out £60 for this... Row C in the side blocks of the circle for a 2.5hr play is just not worth it in my opinion. Sat there for Teenage Dick and was relieved to be able to get out after the relatively short run time.
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Post by alessia on Dec 16, 2022 17:40:17 GMT
I think I only paid about £20 so my view will be rubbish, but still looking forward to this (hopefully if not cancelled) tomorrow!
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Post by alessia on Dec 16, 2022 17:40:39 GMT
Are there any offers for AYLI that I missed? I look now and again but seats are really expensive. Completely agree on Donmar, would be much fairer to offer cheaper tickets to students and unwaged rather than doing it by age... On AYLI, look on TodayTix for December dates, they have moved the £20 and £35 seats to much better locations. They haven’t so far for January but I imagine they’ll have to. Thank you!
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1,201 posts
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Post by theatrefan77 on Dec 16, 2022 19:26:35 GMT
Waiting for this to start. Patricia Hodge out. Jane Lambert plays Fanny today
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1,465 posts
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Post by foxa on Dec 16, 2022 22:57:00 GMT
Waiting for this to start. Patricia Hodge out. Jane Lambert plays Fanny today Oh! Looking forward to hearing what you think (I booked for this and convinced a friend to do so as well, so feeling a little nervous as we both paid more than we usually would.)
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Post by dlevi on Dec 16, 2022 22:57:10 GMT
Saw this tonight and they're clearly just finding their feet with the sudden change of cast. No formal announcement of Patricia Hodge being out except for a monitor at the top of the stairs which was on the second screen after the initial cast listing. If the opportunity arises I'll go back in January once they're more comfortable .
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1,201 posts
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Post by theatrefan77 on Dec 17, 2022 1:51:33 GMT
Waiting for this to start. Patricia Hodge out. Jane Lambert plays Fanny today Oh! Looking forward to hearing what you think (I booked for this and convinced a friend to do so as well, so feeling a little nervous as we both paid more than we usually would.) I thought it was good and it will probably get better after a few more performances. Jane Lambert was underrehearsed and it showed. She was nervous to start with but got better after a shaky beginning. Overall she did a decent job considering the circumstances. It's a great play and generally well acted. Topics like fascism and immigration are current and i can see why the play has been revived. I won't mind seeing it again.
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Post by vernongersh on Dec 17, 2022 2:03:10 GMT
Donmar posted on their site that Ms. Hodge will be out until December 23rd. I have tickets for after Christmas and do hope she is in the show. I'd imagine this means press night won't happen until after Christmas
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1,465 posts
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Post by foxa on Dec 17, 2022 12:01:07 GMT
Thank you, dlevi and theatrefan77 . Really interested to see this and as am not booked until 7th Jan, I hope it has settled by then (though you never can tell.)
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Post by theoracle on Dec 17, 2022 16:56:27 GMT
Well I enjoyed this but it ends quite abruptly… I was expecting Jane Lambert to be with a script for this but was pleased to see she was able to go off script for this. I am curious to see Patricia Hodge play Fanny though as I think the comedy will land better but Jane still does a fine job. The children I thought were very good too and I think Lillian Hellman’s text holds up incredibly well. Quickly going back to the under 30s debate, I don’t think I saw many at the Donmar last night which is a pity as it would be great to see a more diverse audience for this. Nevertheless, this show makes use of the Donmar space very well and am glad I got to see this.
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Post by londonpostie on Dec 17, 2022 18:22:51 GMT
With her, Lillian Hellman brings fond memories of way back in the day seeing Elizabeth Taylor in Little Foxes. Where did the time go …
So the issue with this quality of work is whether a new production will do the writer justice. And, at least for me, there is a concern at the Donmar of wet wokery or some other limp political meddling: relieved to say, none of my meters twitched, not even the acute one that sweeps for unearned sentimentality.
Huge kudos to both understudies, and to the wonderfully professional children. The adults weren’t shabby, either. Unfussy staging also very helpful*. Thoroughly absorbing afternoon. Already booked a return in January.
Donmar where have you been!?
4 1/2
* the audience sweepstake (for the minute when the ceiling would be activated) had to be refunded
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Post by alessia on Dec 17, 2022 19:02:58 GMT
I thought it was good but not great- some of the dialogue a bit clunky for me especially in the first half. Three people nearby left at the interval.
Strange non reaction to the daughters' arrival, nobody except the brother embraces or gets close to her despite endless proclamation of how she has been missed. Also, odd that the new arrivals have nowhere to sit down after the initial introduction (which I felt, goes on for too long) and at some point they sit on their suitcases.
Enjoyed the second half more.
The understudies were both good, especially Jane Lambert who got a special applause by the other actors at the end. Frankly, I would not have known she was not the main actress for the role.
Sat on the circle row C and it is just ok, for the price (£20) You do get a lot of scenes where the actor is facing the other way.
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Post by londonpostie on Dec 17, 2022 19:11:43 GMT
Well, if you saw a minor kerfuffle a few minutes into the start, that was moi changing rows (to circle A) to make space for a late-arriving trio.
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Post by alessia on Dec 17, 2022 21:25:32 GMT
Well, if you saw a minor kerfuffle a few minutes into the start, that was moi changing rows (to circle A) to make space for a late-arriving trio. Ah yes I did! I was surprised those three were allowed in, as the play was already at least 10 mins in?
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Post by n1david on Dec 18, 2022 0:12:25 GMT
I enjoyed this tonight, more than I expected to. Kept thinking how Patricia Hodge would have played the matriarch but actually if I hadn't known that I was watching an understudy I wouldn't have thought twice about it. I think it's an interesting play, I did think if it had been presented today as a new play I might have thought that it was a bit too on the nose, knowing that it had been written in 1941 gave it a very interesting context.
A somewhat straightforward play, which is not a criticism, which tells a story between a group of connected characters and relates how they interact. Reflects on interesting ideas and addresses personal motivations. Well-staged, well-acted. The best thing I've seen at the Donmar since before lockdown, by some way.
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Post by Steve on Dec 21, 2022 23:45:24 GMT
A brilliantly acted bit of anti-fascist wartime propaganda. I found Caitlin Fitzgerald and Mark Waschke immensely affecting, despite the propaganda of it all. Some spoilers follow. . . I only realised I had seen the film of this when it got underway lol. Basically, it's an Oscar film, and I once had an Oscar film binge. The Oscar for this film went to Paul Lukas, who played Kurt, and beat Humphrey Bogart, in Casablanca, to the Best Actor Oscar. That was silly, since Casablanca is basically the same movie with more entertaining plot elements, and Bogart was iconic! Anyway, Paul Lukas gave a great performance as a sensitive wounded German anti-fascist willing to give up a heck of a lot for the fight, but in my opinion, Mark Waschke is even better in this, showing more colours and conflicts in his performance. Similarly, I think Caitlin FitzGerald, as the anti-fascist's American wife, who reunites with her mother (Jane Lambert) and brother (Geoffrey Streatfeild) in this, is significantly better than Bette Davis was in the film. Davis played it like she was crying in every scene, but FitzGerald manages many more affecting notes in her performance than the melodrama of Davis's performance: FitzGerald is joyous to be with her family, outraged to be confronted with John Light's villain, stony in her commitment to a cause and heartbreakingly in love with her impossible husband. Separated from the manipulative essence of the play, I loved this central couple, and shed tears for them. But the across-the-board excellence of the adult actors (including more effortless villainy from John Light) is hamstrung by the manipulations of the plot, which is manifest armtwisting of an American audience to get involved in the war in Europe. This is not a play as sophisticated as "The Children's Hour" (the pain of Bryony Hannah's lying sneaky child villain still haunts me), and can't escape it's evident propagandising roots. Still, for the direction and acting, this gets 3 and a half stars from me.
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Post by Mark on Dec 23, 2022 10:07:32 GMT
Went last night and thought it was very good. Jane Lambert was on in place of Patricia Hodge and was excellent. Strong production with a great cast, this is what the Donmar does best.
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Post by jacklondon on Dec 23, 2022 23:06:55 GMT
Scored a ticket for tonight and thought it a fascinating piece. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Lucy Bromilow was on in place of Kate Duchene for a part that she does not understudy, script in hand. Absolutely superb too which is all the more incredible as she apparently only had a few hours notice.
Jane Lambert on in place of Patricia Hodge and superb too.
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Post by Dave B on Dec 24, 2022 11:02:51 GMT
I enjoyed this, it's so well performed. All of the cast are good with Mark Waschke, Caitlin FitzGerald and John Light as particular highlights. The story plays out pretty simply and I think each beat was anticipated. I also found the lack of physical contact a bit strange as alessia mentions above, it really stood out during the reunion scene. I assume it's deliberate to show the slightly odd and semi-strained relationships within the family.
I could count 20 seats free from mine in the front or circle - mostly in what use to be the upstairs cheap seats. No-one under 30 in the under 30 seats and a ton of papering. I know there will be people waiting for Patricia Hodge to return but for a strong entry from the Donmar recently, it's a shame that their pricing changes have, I think, lost them some of their audience and that their aim to bring in under 30s (talked about in the programme too) isn't working so well so far.
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Post by vernongersh on Dec 27, 2022 23:06:03 GMT
for anyone seeing the show on the 28th - was the full cast in? I really want to see Patrica
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Post by Jan on Dec 28, 2022 17:28:27 GMT
I enjoyed this, it's so well performed. All of the cast are good with Mark Waschke, Caitlin FitzGerald and John Light as particular highlights. The story plays out pretty simply and I think each beat was anticipated. I also found the lack of physical contact a bit strange as alessia mentions above, it really stood out during the reunion scene. I assume it's deliberate to show the slightly odd and semi-strained relationships within the family. I could count 20 seats free from mine in the front or circle - mostly in what use to be the upstairs cheap seats. No-one under 30 in the under 30 seats and a ton of papering. I know there will be people waiting for Patricia Hodge to return but for a strong entry from the Donmar recently, it's a shame that their pricing changes have, I think, lost them some of their audience and that their aim to bring in under 30s (talked about in the programme too) isn't working so well so far. My conclusion is the under-30s are not avoiding this obscure play written in 1941 due to price. They should have offered me a cheap seat instead - their loss.
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