Opening Night - Gielgud

I'm also wondering if I need a plan B. This followed by Mean Girls in the evening was going to be a weird enough day already!

Spoilers follow. . .

A middle-aged actress, Myrtle, is worried about being typecast as old, and wants her part in a new play, "The Second Woman," to be rewritten to focus on her uniqueness rather than aging.

Outside the theatre, a 17 year old fan tells her how much she loves her, but is run over by a car.

Now, Myrtle has a guilt-ridden breakdown where she starts seeing the 17 year old everywhere, who taunts her about her age.

There is zero narrative thrust as everyone around her worries about what will happen to the play if Myrtle can't perform.

The dead girl sits around giggling and tormenting Myrtle.

Myrtle deals with the dead girl and performs opening night. Everyone else is pleased that they got through one night, but god knows what happens next. . .

It's basically the story of this musical, in which Sheridan Smith has to go to places that must hurt, and noone knows what will happen after opening night. 😬

The principal idea is that creativity eats a hole in everyone involved, and everyone involved could die a creative death at any time, but creatives love the buzz so much that they will always return to the flame to be burned again.

Again, its the meta-story of what is happening right now to all the creatives on this show.

Honestly, this is all so bonkers. Cassavetes is not adaptable for a West End show unless you have the creative madness depicted in this show.

For the above reasons, I think attending the Opening Night of this will be a legendary theatrical meta-moment to dine out on forever lol!

This. Slightly off topic but I've seen a real pattern emerging over the last few years of artistic directors, new musical opportunities and others turning down strong new musicals and writers for not being "innovative" enough or for being "too traditional". There's absolutely a place to develop new and innovative work, but there's also a reason why traditional musical theatre form remains so successful. Innovation shouldn't come at the expense of that, but too often I feel theatre-makers think it's clever to throw everything out and purposefully ignore key musical theatre norms which have been tailored over years of successful shows.

Give me a strong piece with traditional inspiration, form and narrative any day over an incoherent "innovative" piece that just doesn't understand what works and why.

As does Shira Haas, I was incredibly impressed by her West End debut. She has a great voice too. She's also quite lucky in that, unlike the rest of the cast, she doesn't have to sit through the entire show on stage every evening. 

She was the star in that!

I'm so tempted to book to see it, just so I can say I've seen it. I have no desire to otherwise.

Car crash or triumph. Two nights on from seeing it I still can’t decide. Everything everyone has said already in this trail is true. My still formulating memory is one of embarrassment for all the actors up there on stage having to keep going. I saw a lot of style but not so much clarity or substance. At times I felt like I was in a tv show audience watching a recording and that it would all make sense when watched later on telly at home.

My final thought is that in the programme three whole pages are given over to some 19 plus co producers. All are vibrant, active and intelligent industry alumni bringing not just backing (finance) and marketing pro but proven talents to shape a show. I’m not sure this is a case of too many cooks but the absence of one single, out spoken, strong minded producer. All too often directors are mistakenly credited with being the one who shapes a show. If you ever question the role of a great theatre producer then their absence here shows not just what they can do but how they can turn something promising - even a vanity project which is what I think I saw - into a viable work of theatrical art and success. Great theatre memories are made of this not of muddle and trouble.

Sorry one more point, there was a real good audience buzz tonight, didn’t feel at all people were walking out! Very full stalls & standing ovation for Sheridan!

I don’t know Ivo but I’d recommend he get himself a producer. If these co producers are instead backers they’re throwing away their talents as producers of so many other great productions listed in their programme biogs. All of them also don’t look like they’ve got so much personal private income to be putting in. Maybe it’s their own angels and investors money they’re playing with here.

TodayTix gave us C11,C12 in the dresscricle on rush. Great view.


My friend hated it. I thought it was too self-indulgent and overlong yet somehow I was drawn to it / enjoyed it.

I found the score to be uneven and it reminded why i cant listen to a Wainwright album all the way through.

SS i still dont get the hype. Ruby Hughes on the other hand was very good.

Refreshing and very welcome to see a new musical on Shaftesbury Av that doesnt fit into the Nunn, Stroman and Jerry Zaks mould.


I would listen to a cast recording and could be tempted to see it again in a few months time.