1,866 posts
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Post by Marwood on Feb 6, 2019 21:53:55 GMT
I’ve had loads of emails offering tickets for this over the last few days but all the remotely decent tickets are ridiculously overpriced, and to tell the truth, this cast doesn’t deserve such pricing: at the end of the day Clive Owen is the James Bond that never was, or Chancer for those of us who want to make it proper old school. I’m going to pass on this unless I see some serious papering going on.
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850 posts
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Post by bordeaux on Feb 6, 2019 21:57:53 GMT
I went for one at £19.50 on the side, have to lean forward, two levels up. Quite a lot has gone already at these silly prices. I'll be up for four shows mid-week in mid-July. I've got Iguana, will probably go for Midsummer Night's Dream at the Bridge as I enjoyed the Hytner Julius Caesar so much, am intrigued by Rosmersholm, could conceive of going to see Andrew Scott in Present Laughter, but want to keep options open...am longing to hear what Michael Longhurst will be putting on at the Donmar and I believe there has been nothing announced after Three Sisters at the Almeida. Or should I be getting a good seat for the Jack Thorne play at the Royal Court? . The Almeida has announced The hunt for June-July. Ah yes, thanks for the reminder. I am prejudiced against theatrical versions of films (though I'm making an exception for the Ivan van Hove Damned in June and do wish I'd seen Network), so I'll probably give that a miss - unless the casting is exceptional. I loved the film.
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Post by missthelma on Jun 22, 2019 10:07:13 GMT
I’ve had loads of emails offering tickets for this over the last few days but all the remotely decent tickets are ridiculously overpriced, and to tell the truth, this cast doesn’t deserve such pricing: at the end of the day Clive Owen is the James Bond that never was, or Chancer for those of us who want to make it proper old school. I’m going to pass on this unless I see some serious papering going on. So the above comment was February, I've just received what must be about the twentieth so called offer for this play, it feels like a lot more than that and yet they are all not really worth bothering with. £10 off a premium seat, or 'no booking fee' is not really going to make me drop to the floor in grateful thanks for the unheard of generosity of the the theatre Gods. I have no idea how this is selling but if it is poorly, then could somebody not do something? A couple of rows in the stalls for £50 maybe?
There seem to be a lot of high profile shows charging stupid money for tickets and then closing parts of theatre or offering heavy discounts (even handing out freebies on the street according to one thread) as seats remain unsold. I am increasingly worried about the future of theatre as this seems unsustainable.
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Post by juicy_but_terribly_drab on Jun 22, 2019 10:59:29 GMT
I’ve had loads of emails offering tickets for this over the last few days but all the remotely decent tickets are ridiculously overpriced, and to tell the truth, this cast doesn’t deserve such pricing: at the end of the day Clive Owen is the James Bond that never was, or Chancer for those of us who want to make it proper old school. I’m going to pass on this unless I see some serious papering going on. So the above comment was February, I've just received what must be about the twentieth so called offer for this play, it feels like a lot more than that and yet they are all not really worth bothering with. £10 off a premium seat, or 'no booking fee' is not really going to make me drop to the floor in grateful thanks for the unheard of generosity of the the theatre Gods. I have no idea how this is selling but if it is poorly, then could somebody not do something? A couple of rows in the stalls for £50 maybe?
There seem to be a lot of high profile shows charging stupid money for tickets and then closing parts of theatre or offering heavy discounts (even handing out freebies on the street according to one thread) as seats remain unsold. I am increasingly worried about the future of theatre as this seems unsustainable. Seriously! I want to see this because I like the Tenessee Williams plays I've seen but whenever I've checked everything is so overpriced (£52 for the entire Grand Circle on a Saturday matinee? Laughable) and pretty much the same amount of tickets have been sold every time I've checked so it certainly mustn't be selling very well. I think they must have sorely misjudged how big the actors are because they're not big enough names to sell out the show on their backs alone.
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Post by learfan on Jun 22, 2019 20:05:57 GMT
It is the commercial west end after all!
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 22, 2019 20:47:48 GMT
Seems like a safe little earner this one; one Brit with name recognition, one American with name recognition, and a safe pair of hands directing a top notch T. Williams script - for a limited 12-week hit-and-run. No returns, no refunds: BOOM!
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Post by vickyg on Jun 24, 2019 14:47:15 GMT
I booked the second I heard Lia Williams had been cast. She is mesmerising on stage and am very much looking forward to this production.
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18,787 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 24, 2019 14:56:30 GMT
The two leads were on graham Norton’s radio show on Saturday.
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Post by vickyg on Jun 25, 2019 11:39:29 GMT
So the above comment was February, I've just received what must be about the twentieth so called offer for this play, it feels like a lot more than that and yet they are all not really worth bothering with. £10 off a premium seat, or 'no booking fee' is not really going to make me drop to the floor in grateful thanks for the unheard of generosity of the the theatre Gods. I have no idea how this is selling but if it is poorly, then could somebody not do something? A couple of rows in the stalls for £50 maybe?
There seem to be a lot of high profile shows charging stupid money for tickets and then closing parts of theatre or offering heavy discounts (even handing out freebies on the street according to one thread) as seats remain unsold. I am increasingly worried about the future of theatre as this seems unsustainable. Seriously! I want to see this because I like the Tenessee Williams plays I've seen but whenever I've checked everything is so overpriced (£52 for the entire Grand Circle on a Saturday matinee? Laughable) and pretty much the same amount of tickets have been sold every time I've checked so it certainly mustn't be selling very well. I think they must have sorely misjudged how big the actors are because they're not big enough names to sell out the show on their backs alone. Yeah, it's an expensive theatre for sure. They're coming off All About Eve where top price seats were completely extortionate. I have booked one of the £25 seats in the Balcony where I always sit at the Noel Coward. It's far from the stage but sightlines are good. I'm not super fussy as I prefer to be able to see more plays than book pricey seats for fewer and I certainly wouldn't be stumping up for seats in other tiers without a really substantial discount!
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Post by juicy_but_terribly_drab on Jun 25, 2019 13:08:16 GMT
Seriously! I want to see this because I like the Tenessee Williams plays I've seen but whenever I've checked everything is so overpriced (£52 for the entire Grand Circle on a Saturday matinee? Laughable) and pretty much the same amount of tickets have been sold every time I've checked so it certainly mustn't be selling very well. I think they must have sorely misjudged how big the actors are because they're not big enough names to sell out the show on their backs alone. Yeah, it's an expensive theatre for sure. They're coming off All About Eve where top price seats were completely extortionate. I have booked one of the £25 seats in the Balcony where I always sit at the Noel Coward. It's far from the stage but sightlines are good. I'm not super fussy as I prefer to be able to see more plays than book pricey seats for fewer and I certainly wouldn't be stumping up for seats in other tiers without a really substantial discount! Normally I would do as you did and just suffer the far away view for the cheap ticket but considering how poorly this seems to be selling I was hoping there'd be some discounts by now but there's nothing too significant.
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Post by missthelma on Jun 28, 2019 17:47:06 GMT
And the latest unbeatable offer for this is.............. a free cocktail when you buy a premium £127 seat.
So that's a pub measure of alcohol, half a ton of ice and some mixer - Totally Free!!
Try not to get trampled in the stampede. Are the folks at DMT completely out of their minds?
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Post by sfsusan on Jun 29, 2019 9:11:34 GMT
I wonder if poor pre-sales explains why the cast (Clive Owen and Anna Gunn) recently appeared at the BFI to 'introduce' a screening of the John Huston film. I thought they would have done better to distance themselves from the film rather than inviting direct comparison from refreshed experience with it. Maybe they hoped people would say, "Now let's see what these people do with it." Or they're working on the theory that any publicity is good publicity.
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Post by lookingatthestars on Jul 4, 2019 0:29:28 GMT
I was in London today so I asked at the box office if they will be doing day seats, because I think I want to day seat this. The (really nice) guy at the box office said day seats are £20 during previews and £25 during the run. They haven't decided where they will be yet.
The foyer was full of techy things, so I guess today was the get in/tech rehearsal, but Julian Glover was there chatting away to the box office staff, seemed such a nice guy. I think there was another cast remember there also.
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Post by Fleance on Jul 4, 2019 1:25:15 GMT
I saw a production of The Night of the Iguana at the National in 1992. Strange evening. Alfred Molina (Reverend Shannon) was out sick. The cast included three of my favorite actresses: Eileen Atkins, Frances Barber, and Alison Fiske.
There was a bomb scare. They brought the lights up and made us sit in the Lyttleton for 45 minutes. We were not allowed to leave, for any reason. Then the lights went down, and the play continued. I don't remember how I felt about the production.
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885 posts
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Post by lonlad on Jul 4, 2019 10:31:57 GMT
That 1992 production in the Lyttelton had an extended scene between Atkins and Molina that was amongst the most beautiful I have ever witnessed: seared on the memory. Let's see if Williams (Lia, not Tennessee) and Owen can rival its impact here.
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4,955 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 4, 2019 10:37:53 GMT
I'm sure I'm not alone, @theatremonkey, in being curious about this telephone of yours. Please tell me it's a novelty one that looks like a banana? 🙂
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Jul 4, 2019 11:01:45 GMT
Theatre Monkey on the news of the upgrade
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Post by Fleance on Jul 4, 2019 13:15:29 GMT
That 1992 production in the Lyttelton had an extended scene between Atkins and Molina that was amongst the most beautiful I have ever witnessed: seared on the memory. Let's see if Williams (Lia, not Tennessee) and Owen can rival its impact here. Unfortunately Mr. Molina's absence and the show's interruption evidently deprived me of that experience. I'm looking forward to the new production.
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213 posts
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Post by frankubelik on Jul 4, 2019 17:51:57 GMT
I recall the National's version with the miscast Molina; Dame Eileen can do no wrong though and did not. I left at the interval of the last revival with Woody Harrelson, Jenny Seagrove and the usually wonderful Clare Higgins (who played an uncompromising Alexandra in Sweet Bird of Youth which has stayed with me for years). I am giving this one a miss.
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885 posts
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Post by lonlad on Jul 8, 2019 16:54:51 GMT
Anything with Jenny Seagrove is a guarantor of quality (HAH!) This one should be good - surprised no reports yet from the first preview? Damian Lewis and Kim Cattrall were rumoured to be doing it in NY, and then Alessandro Nivola and someone equally good - neither of which ever happened. Cattrall would be a great Maxine.
What's happened to Ms Higgins? She seems to have bowed out altogether ever since OTHER DESERT CITIES here and A DELICATE BALANCE on Broadway.
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Post by wannabedirector on Jul 10, 2019 22:45:36 GMT
Saw this tonight, it’s a long one, it finished at quarter to eleven ish. I got a rush ticket from TodayTix, was in the third last row of the stalls and for £20 the view and the seat were good. As much as I really did want to enjoy this, it just felt a bit inconsequential. I wasn’t really moved by it, and frankly it just didn’t do that much for me. I have a mixed relationship with Tennessee Williams, I remember first reading A Streetcar Named Desire at school and being captivated by it, but I’ve also directed one of his works, which led me to realise that his work is undeniably without flaws. I just felt like this wasn’t near his best works, like Streetcar or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. There’s some good performances in it, Lia Williams is great again, but it’s not a performance up there with her Klytemnestra in Oresteia or her Miss Jean Brodie. Anna Gunn does well too, although I wasn’t too convinced by Clive Owen. It dragged a fair bit, and I hope they tighten it up as the previews continue because it definitely feels too long. Maybe my expeditions of this going in were too high, but this didn’t really live up to it.
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Jul 10, 2019 22:51:00 GMT
I agree with WannabeDirector. Too damn long. Why is Clive Owen playing it like he is Nicolas Cage? So OTT but probably the only thing I have enjoyed him in. I felt Williams was miscast. She didn't seem comfortable and her thoughtful performance style just didn't work here. Just too slow. Anna Gunn is probably the highlight but it just feels like a production past its best.
The real star is Rae Smith's set and costume design. Nice supporting performances too but this isn't special.
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Post by londonpostie on Jul 10, 2019 23:13:15 GMT
I'm not biologically capable of criticising Tennessee Williams - or probably Lia Wiliams - and this presents a problem. I'll keep it short and say Clive Owen could (a) be more of a tart and (b) exude more chemistry. Nothing against him but I've always felt there was more range in a Gatwick drone.
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2,346 posts
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Post by zahidf on Jul 10, 2019 23:14:07 GMT
3 hours 15 mins??? Oof.
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Post by a12la on Jul 10, 2019 23:29:19 GMT
Anna Gunn was definitely the best performance, but I thought everyone did a really great job (but maybe I'm just easy to please). Seconding what Snciole said, the set design was absolutely incredible, as was the sound design (I have no idea how they did all those echos, since the actors weren't mic'd).
Honestly, the worst part of the show wasn't anything to do with the actual play, it was the audience. There were several people texting with full brightness throughout the entire show, a whole group noisily got up and left about 15 minutes from the end, and worst of all, someone sitting in the third or fourth row, with full brightness, was taking pictures of the performance on her phone. Then after the show, Clive Owen came out at the stage door to sign a few autographs, and when he said he really had to leave, people literally chased him down the street trying to get pictures. It was all just incredibly disrespectful.
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Jul 11, 2019 7:56:22 GMT
Also now I've seen it. I love Alfred Molina but how was he cast in that role. Even 20+ years ago I cannot imagine he exuding the sexual charm needed for the role. Frustratingly Owen on paper should have but I hope that will come to him as the run continues.
When did Clive Owen come out? My friend wanted to hang around for the double whammy of Broderick in the Wyndhams and Owen in the Coward but we just got an awkward selfie encounter with Broderick instead.
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1,187 posts
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Post by theatrelover123 on Jul 11, 2019 8:15:58 GMT
Also now I've seen it. I love Alfred Molina but how was he cast in that role. Even 20+ years ago I cannot imagine he exuding the sexual charm needed for the role. Frustratingly Owen on paper should have but I hope that will come to him as the run continues. When did Clive Owen come out? My friend wanted to hang around for the double whammy of Broderick in the Wyndhams and Owen in the Coward but we just got an awkward selfie encounter with Broderick instead. Coming out is a very personal thing and people only do it when they are ready and feel most comfortable. There should be no pressure. Oh.... Out of the theatre.... OK....as you were
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Post by a12la on Jul 11, 2019 8:28:30 GMT
Also now I've seen it. I love Alfred Molina but how was he cast in that role. Even 20+ years ago I cannot imagine he exuding the sexual charm needed for the role. Frustratingly Owen on paper should have but I hope that will come to him as the run continues. When did Clive Owen come out? My friend wanted to hang around for the double whammy of Broderick in the Wyndhams and Owen in the Coward but we just got an awkward selfie encounter with Broderick instead. Around 11:30.
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885 posts
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Post by lonlad on Jul 11, 2019 14:58:55 GMT
Friends of mine were there last night sixth row centre and couldn't hear Lia Williams at all, or so they claimed, and didn't think Gunn and Owen had the slightest bit of chemistry. Oh dear.
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Post by westendgurl on Jul 15, 2019 10:53:27 GMT
Going to see this tonight and I'm not looking forward to the three-hour run time on a school night - my bad for not booking a matinee!
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