Opening Night - Gielgud

I remember seeing her in something meh at the Watermill, and it being the most exciting thing about it.

Well, I was there last night but I’ve not posted until now as unsure quite what to make of it.

There were things I did enjoy, but on the whole it really wasn’t anywhere near as good as I’d hoped. Sheridan worked really hard right through the show - she’s a great actor and I enjoyed the numbers she sang too. I also really liked Nicola Hughes. A few of the songs were really good - the group number with Myrtle, Manny, Maurice and Dorothy in Act I and the ‘going into battle’ (going on stage) number in Act II stood out. But a lot of the songs were dirgey and unmemorable.

The hoovering guy annoyed me at the start - that’s two minutes that could be instantly cut without losing anything, to my mind anyhow. I agree with others who’ve commented on the red curtain blocking views - where the folds made it thicker than one sheet it was harder to see what was happening, even though I was front row of the dress. We get we’re watching ‘backstage’ but no need to have such an obvious divide for whole numbers.

I think unfortunately whilst the plot doesn’t seem that complicated, the sound balance and the accents meant I didn’t catch everything that was said / sung and so it became confused / confusing quite quickly. Vocals weren’t clear enough to hear all the words as the music was a fraction too loud. The videoing added to it in parts but detracted in others - was a nice touch seeing myself arriving through the theatre lobby, but the section in the street outside seemed more designed to garner publicity than anything to compare to the amazing job Tom Francis and the Sunset team did on The Strand. They set a high bar I know! The camera on the audience section was less effective, especially as one man did a ‘hello Mum’ wave followed by a couple of others, which definitely jarred! Ditto some of the unintentionally ironic lines in the script. I had to stifle a chortle when Maurice (Benjamin Walker) turned to the audience towards the end of Act I and said ‘well this is terrible isn’t it…’

I’ve seen Van Hove’s All About Eve and absolutely loved A Little Life last year so to an extent knew what to expect, but it just didn’t click in this production for me, despite some individually good performances.

The lady next to me made me laugh - on seeing I’d bought a programme in the interval she asked if it explained what on earth was going on (sadly it doesn’t, and also at this stage didn’t have a song list either so it’s been hard to remember specifics for this post). I guess perhaps once everything is finalised post-previews it may be added.

I fear that the Sheridan factor will have done a lot to sell tickets, particularly following the very successful run in Shirley Valentine last year, and people will be expecting something much more mainstream. I applaud her for pushing herself, professionally and physically (she’s flying around and falling down here, there and everywhere) but wonder if this will be too much of a stretch for her core audience.

And random star spots - Tony Robinson, and Charlie Brooks during the interval, plus Rufus Wainwright heading into the stage door post-show.

Can anyone who has seen this show already tell me what part Shira Haas is playing in the proceedings? Is it a small part? So far I don't think anyone has mentioned her and she was one of the reasons I booked to see it.
I was intrigued when I saw Benjamin Walker had been cast in this. I saw him in a fringe show that unwisely moved to Broadway and then closed very quickly some years ago. He played the lead and pretty much gave a one note performance (which mainly consisted of shouting). I wonder if he was part of the development of this show? If not, why add the cost of bringing him over to the UK? I was so looking forward to seeing this, but VH's shows can be very variable,so the risk was always there. I'm hoping the curtain might be tied back by the time I see it at least. That said, even if they cut down the hoovering, I'm hoping to get a glimpse of it.

It’s mostly fine in the Grand Circle, better than most shows!

From the sound of it, it may not be a bad thing to be further away so the cast can’t see the look of horror on your face…

God this was appalling!

Glad to hear they're implementing changes! Do you know what they've changed so far?

Oh, that IS a good sign. Let's hope they can get another 25 at least off of that run time.

Not sure if the ubiquitous curtain has been pared back but it was there for the first five minutes of act one last night and then for ten minutes or so ahead of the opening night in act two.

This isn't great but I didn't hate it. The five people to my left, who weren't all part of the same group, departed at the interval, one visibly furious at what we had just witnessed. I overheard ushers talking about how "lots of people have taken their coats with them".

I think it got better in parts of act two though. Perhaps that was because Shira Haas' character has more to do after her two scenes in act one. I certainly found my interest piqued more by her character and her interactions with Sheridan than anything else. Shira has a great voice. And if the show as a whole isn't going to take the roof off the Gielgud, Nicola Hughes gives it a damn good try.

Amy Lennox and Jos Slovick are woefully underused, as are the ensemble who just have to sit around a table for most of the night. There are some interesting and enjoyable numbers in a score that's otherwise often bland, with meandering dirges that add little.

There's going to be a lot of Sheridan fans who don't get the mainstream show they're probably expecting with this. The lack of a standing ovation must be noticeable to a leading lady who's received them night after night in past shows. There's some very unfortunate dialogue about how "half the audience loved it, half of them hated it" or something like that. Also shining the lights out into the audience at one point in act two only served to highlight the number of interval departures to the cast.

Overall, this needs a lot of work but I enjoyed the moments with Sheridan and Shira together on stage. That just about salvaged something from the evening for me.

I'm in tonight - if I'm hating it by the interval am I best to leave or is it likely to find any redemption in Act Two?

I have come to the conclusion that I didn't hate it but there was a lot I didn't like.
Firstly the positives. Great cast and some fine voices. Sheridan gives a fantastic performance which is both physical and emotional especially as the subject matter is very close to home. I liked the use of screens and cameras to an extent. I know its been used a lot in the past but it is very new to me and I have only seen it once before with Sunset Boulevard so its still a novelty (but there is a downside which I will mention later).
The whole cast worked their socks off with the material they had to deal with.

On the negative side the whole thing is a bit of a mess and far too long. I kind of knew what was going on but there were times when I had no idea. The opening and closing numbers I really liked but most of the rest of music was very dreary and not very tuneful. The closing number felt as if it was a last minute addition so that the audience didn't leave feeling depressed and so it just feels a bit odd.
Agree there was too much use of the curtain especially in act 2.
As for the cameras and screens. As I mentioned I quite liked them as it was new to me but I think it was over used and I couldn't decide whether I should be watching the whole thing on the screen or focusing on the actors themselves. Less filmed on the screen would have enabled me to concentrate of the actual actors on the stage. Although the film quality was good it seemed to change colours. Sheridan wears a purple dress which when its on the screen is a completely different colour. Also there is one point when the camera is looking down from the ceiling (no spoiler so I will be vague) but it wasn't live and was out of sync with the actor. I also don't think the wildly talked about outside the theatre scene was a waste and (if it was live) didn't add anything as you don't actually see much of the outside as the camera is very up close. Might as well just pre-record it.
Sounds as if a few minutes have been cut but it was still about 2 hours 45 mins and felt much longer. Not sure what they can do now before it opens without cutting whole chunks which I doubt they will do.
After the interval there were at least 10 empty seats where I was sitting in the dress circle and the 6 people (not together) next to me all left.
Applause at the end was polite but there was no standing ovation which the cast must be able to see and pick up on and I feel so sorry for them, especially Sheridan who is used to standing ovations every night for her previous work. My worry is that if the reviews and sales are not good then we won't see Sheridan on the stage for a long time as she will take it to heart which she absolutely shouldn't do as she gives an amazing performance.
I think Sheridan fans will be disappointed as I am sure they will be expecting something more "main stream" and this really isn't.
Currently there are only programmes for sale. I asked about other merch as I wanted to get a fridge magnet but I was told there was currently nothing as they were waiting for the other items to be "signed off". Or are they holding back in case they don't need to make anything?
As for my score I am going to give it a 3 as I feel the cast worked their socks off and they were excellent so its 2 stars for them and 1 for the show itself.