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Post by lynette on Mar 15, 2024 18:20:43 GMT
I had a couple of wakes during the night thinking - Connie Francis (raped in her hotel room). My bag on the table which could have been taken in a matter of seconds with my car keys, my credit cards and work credit cards. I could have been in the bath. When I've stayed before there have been students staying - in checking out yesterday there was a coach load of primary school children leaving. What if!! After I'd spoken to reception I went up in the lift with a youngish guy who could see I was in a fury - I said "I've just had a man walk in my room" - he said "the same thing happened to me yesterday, twice in fact, while I was in just a towel". Now, I've no idea if what he said is correct, maybe he thought it'd calm me down or something. I'd booked through Hotels.com as I get a discount with 10 bookings (makes sense when I book for colleagues and myself), and I've told them. I'm thinking I'll tell my brother-in-law - he is Met Police based within Wembley Park. I needed a day to cool off - I don't take pleasure in giving a bad review but Jesus, how much more vulnerable could I be with my pants around my ankles? I needed a bit more of a reaction from Reception than the "sorry sorry have a full english". I think your review on their website and other hotel booking sites will do the trick.
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Post by lynette on Mar 15, 2024 18:16:03 GMT
At the NT ( Octopus) a seat was vacant in front of us , end of a row. A woman came in interval and loitered, obviously was going for the seat. I put my coat over the back of it. Turns out I did the right thing because the seat was taken after interval by its owner who was late. ( coat/bag/person spreading services for hire)
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Post by lynette on Mar 14, 2024 16:05:42 GMT
Dinner! ?! I didn’t get dinner. Quite nice cold buffet and wine! How did you both get selected for the panel in the first place? Do you apply or do you have to ”know people”? It was a while ago but I simply answered the ad which was in the theatres on a leaflet. I sent in my application which was a letter and a list of the productions I had seen the previous year. I think they wanted to see how enthusiastic people are. That was my first application which failed then the next year I applied again , same way and was accepted after an interview. Nobody I met on the panel ‘knew anyone’, all of us ordinary punters plus the people chosen by SOLT who were industry people, a journalist, a casting agent if I recall correctly.
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Post by lynette on Mar 14, 2024 13:36:36 GMT
Rude is rude. If they can’t even acknowledge receipt then call them and ask. Not pushy, sensible. We don’t want the NT staging your masterpiece at the same time as the RSC do we? Good luck with all these submissions. By golly we need new voices.
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Post by lynette on Mar 14, 2024 13:33:44 GMT
Two things I expect from a Hotel no matter what the budget. Clean. Safe. I moved out of London 2 years ago but travel into my London Bridge office twice a week. Occasionally, once a month at least, I stay at a hotel, "do" a show and have two days back to back. Stayed at a Wembley hotel on Tuesday night that I'd stayed at 5 times previously (October 2022 - March 2023) - I stopped staying there as last room I got was a bit ropey and the exterior fabric of the building was, well, awful (they'd removed the cladding on the outside of the building and I kept thinking, they'll sort it out and 18 months on it's exactly the same). Maybe it was time for a revisit, I thought, it's only for a couple of hours sleep, I thought. Didn't go to a show after all, being really tired after a 6am start. Booked in at 7pm with the firm intention if the room was rubbish I'd ask for another. No, room was OK but hot - took my shirt off, went for a wee in bra and jeans. And heard the room door open, mens voices, and the door shut again. Oh boy did I let rip at reception (face to face) who'd put the next arriving guests into my room. I got a "sorry" and a "very sorry" in the face to face, and a call to my room later offering me free breakfast. Free breakfast offered again next morning when I saw another "manager". But I doubt I'll ever walk into a hotel room again and not put a shed load of furniture in front of the door the minute I get in. *No I didn't have the free b*st*rd breakfast! Probably lifelong trauma being mid-wee and strange men walking in... OMG TBH I think free stay forever with entire family would be inadequate compensation. And a report to the London tourist people, the hotel industry and maybe the police. If this is recorded event then police will have something to go on if anything bad happens. Not funny, not to be dismissed. The person entering your room had key/card and could have entered again at any time. Who knows if he gave it back? I watch a lot of tec/murder stuff and what looks simple often isn’t . Yes, goes the other way but why chance that?
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Post by lynette on Mar 14, 2024 13:27:26 GMT
Dinner! ?! I didn’t get dinner.
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Post by lynette on Mar 13, 2024 20:43:35 GMT
Honestly this sounds like Satre’s definition of hell.
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Post by lynette on Mar 13, 2024 20:39:57 GMT
What screen did he have to look through? The Haymarket has perspex screens dotted about the front of the Upper Circle for safety reasons. You can see one of them on the left of this image (from a reviewer on SeatPlan.com): So this is the screen they mean. I was puzzled, thought it was something to do with the show 😂 I suppose we are all chucking peanuts and ourselves over the balcony now are we, hence our protection required. I can’t see that far to the stage these days. So have to miss this one
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Post by lynette on Mar 13, 2024 19:29:23 GMT
Big fan of the Bridge, doesn't seem to be any bad seats there and best theatre toilets in London! Really? The toilets seems to cause much confusion when I was there. I love the Milton Keynes Theatre. It tends to be the modern ones that are best designed for today's needs, although some refurbished theatre have done a great job. I quite like The Other Palace. I'm sure there are more that will come to me. The Bridge is beautifully located with lots of places to eat before or after, picnic even and great views. A real coup by Hytner and his Co. The toilets are good, but downstairs from the foyer ( with a few, very few on street level) On one occasion I was not allowed downstairs until a few minutes before show started even when I flashed my ticket on my phone. They need to fully embrace the punters just a bit more and….and…serve better snacks. Not just the madeleines.
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Post by lynette on Mar 12, 2024 20:33:41 GMT
Can someone explain how the voting works please? As some of the shows closed before nominations announced have those who vote already seen them and does that mean they have to see every single musical and play in advance of nominations? If that makes sense. Not sure I understand the question but back in the day when I was on the panel we saw everything in the category we were supposed to. So I saw all the plays before the nominations. On one occasion though when meeting another panel member at a performance we were chatting and what we had seen and she admitted she didn’t see everything. Just her? No idea but I suspect some panel members do not see all the productions before the nominations.
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Post by lynette on Mar 12, 2024 20:28:26 GMT
There were tix available for the Dorian whatsername play and I would have liked to see it. But clicking on every date and performance the tix were too expensive. So I didn’t book. Sitting behind a screen which was a cheaper option isn’t my idea of going to the theatre. So yes the tix prices have affected my choices. I’m not looking at West End now when we used to go regularly.
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Post by lynette on Mar 8, 2024 17:32:20 GMT
Is it the Trafalgar where you end to be roped together in case you slip? Dunno how to improve that , maybe reconfigure to an ‘in the round’ job?
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Post by lynette on Mar 7, 2024 18:11:10 GMT
Developing skills a good thing. RSC doing a developing directors thing. Without these initiatives the theatre will die out. Plenty of actors of course……
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Post by lynette on Mar 7, 2024 17:53:54 GMT
I think it is probably safe to leave bags of shopping at the cloakroom to collect afterwards. Crinkly bags to step over along the rows not a good idea. Odd you couldn’t take in a sandwich. For the interval. When with the gkids I take a bag of sweets, chocs, biscuits, drinks and fruit ( usually all gone by the time show starts 😂) but I’m discreet and have them in my large handbag or pockets of coat haven’t been told not to yet. . Just me and it is a bottle of water and jelly babies, maybe a bit of choc for interval and possibly a packet of polos. 🤪
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Post by lynette on Mar 6, 2024 13:39:51 GMT
I was at Nicholas Hytner’s talk on Sunday where he gave us a sneak preview into this and he spoke of his praise for Byrne. In particular, he said he hopes this new chapter in the Court’s life will help the theatre move away from its recent antisemitic controversies and present engaging work that will restore its place as a leading theatre. Very excited for Giant but looking forward to being back in the Royal Court in general - the season looks fantastic A kind of ‘please Nick, rescue us ‘ production then.
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Post by lynette on Mar 6, 2024 13:38:27 GMT
I hope for more than that. If they need that much for the revolve they will be using it all the time..sigh.
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Post by lynette on Mar 6, 2024 13:35:10 GMT
That's a tough one. Endless possibilities Musicals: The rumored in-the-works version of John Patrick Shanley’s “Moonstruck” Tom Stoppard’s “Every Good Boy Deserved a Favour A new musical based on Luigi Pirandello’s “tonight We Improvise” Revivals: Arthur Miller’s “After the Fall” Eugene Ionesco’s “Rhinocerus” Nikolai Erdmann’s “The Suicide” Wajdi Mouawad’s “Scorched/Incendies” Comedies about Theatre: “Moonlight and Magnolias” “It’s Only a Play” Terrence McNally “The Play’s the Thing” Ferenc Molnar Rarities: “The Notebook of Trigorin” Tennessee Williams’ version of Chekhov’s “The Seagull” “The Cabal of Hypocrites” aka “Moliere” Mikhail Bulgakov Classic greek: Iphigenia In Aulis Trojan Women Electra Jacobethan//Moliere/French Man of Mode - George Etherege School for Wives - Moliere Corneille’s “Illussion Comique” Jean Racine’s “Andromache” Film Adaptation: Ingmar Bergman’s “Faithless” based on Liv Ullmann’s film “The Lives of Others” based on Florian Henckel von Donnermarck film and Albert Ostermeier’s play “A Pure Formality” based on the Giuseppe Tornatore film Literary Adaptation: “Wings of the Dove” Henry James “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy “Heart of a Dog” Mikhail Bulgakov Keep me posted for when you are going to start. I’ll book the lot. 😁
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Post by lynette on Mar 4, 2024 14:45:31 GMT
Won’t it be very political this year? Even more than last? Ukraine getting lots of votes and countries that have not come out with call for immediate ceasefire getting very few. Israel of course, if they end up in the final, not getting any. It is so predictable and no longer the lovely festival of silly pop and youngsters that it started out as. There is always the Cyprus thing but it was never so hateful as stuff is now.
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Post by lynette on Mar 4, 2024 14:42:49 GMT
For the RSC the actors didn’t like the rep system keeping them out of London for longer. That’s what I think happened, not completely sure. So now short runs of one play seem to be the thing. i used to love the rep system there, seeing three plays in a weekend. And at the NT. Makes for a buzz, mix of FOH people and media attention.
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Post by lynette on Mar 3, 2024 14:02:29 GMT
Sounds grim. It was written in modern times of course but Miller set it in the American past because of the McCarthy influenced times. So setting in 50s misses the point he was making about his own times.
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Post by lynette on Mar 2, 2024 21:18:12 GMT
Thanks for explaining. I would have thought it was a bio of Hattie Jaques and Sid James. ( which I would have been up for)
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Post by lynette on Mar 2, 2024 21:13:27 GMT
Sorry, being very thick here, but what exactly is this? Is it Henry IV parts 1 and 2 all one evening? God help us. Or edited or what?
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Post by lynette on Mar 2, 2024 21:10:14 GMT
The RSC programme looks ok for kidlets this year but I should always try to ask. For example the recent Macbeth looked fine on paper was absolutely dire. You want a clear, fairly trad show but then again, something like the way the Bridge did MND would have been perfect. The RSC is doing a couple of garden shows this year so check those out. Can be combined with post show fish and chips from the place on the corner 😁 Keep us posted.
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Post by lynette on Mar 2, 2024 20:52:59 GMT
Some interesting points above. If they had used actual 1930 accents I think this would have been ridiculed. As it is I do not understand why they have revived it. It does not compare to other contemporary work by Rattigan or Coward or the earlier Wilde. It isn’t an ‘An Inspector Calls’ because we have to impose the irony on it, we know the war is about to shake them to the foundations with the men and also possibly the women called to serve, the house possibly requisitioned, staff leaving and the chicken farmer becoming the most important person in the village. With this irony the play is ok. Without it, it is commonplace. The set was poor compared other NT sets I’ve seen and poorly used. They missed a trick at the end by not raising the flat between the hall and the dining room ( or making something happen to open the stage ) and allowing Dora to take the centre. As it was, it was muddled and messy. Lindsay Duncan was of course superb. Sinclair wasted. I think the NT should do better stuff and dig deeper into the canon.
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Post by lynette on Mar 1, 2024 15:00:20 GMT
Leaves a nasty taste in the mouth doesn’t it …
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Post by lynette on Feb 26, 2024 23:55:52 GMT
Make your minds up guys. I’ve just booked cos everyone was saying it is good. Definitive opinion will follow.
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Post by lynette on Feb 26, 2024 23:52:07 GMT
Hello, oldie here from the olden days of the never to be mentioned website on theatre. I was asked to be a moderator cos it was a good way to control my enthusiasm; I’m a play person, just the odd musical and I usually rant about the awful loo provision in theatres and the terrible architecture and facilities of our beloved National theatre. Otherwise I am very calm and considerate and charming. I love to hear all the gossip and insights you all have and I am in awe of the people who see so many productions. I’m looking at you, Neil. Once upon a time I was on the Olivier panel and I would encourage anyone who sees a lot of stuff to apply cos it is free theatre for a year, best seats in the house and you meet a few interesting people.
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Post by lynette on Feb 25, 2024 17:45:13 GMT
Could we bring back the good old tradition of chucking vegetables onto the stage? Or maybe a polite boo ( like opera audiences )
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Post by lynette on Feb 25, 2024 15:15:47 GMT
Why isn’t this showing a performance on 7th March? I want to go to this on the 7th matinee. Shame.
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Post by lynette on Feb 24, 2024 17:09:00 GMT
O dear
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