The Years - Almeida / Harold Pinter

I was in last night (along with at least a couple of celebs) and thought this was absolutely fantastic. No show stop, but a fair bit of commotion in the stalls during that scene.

Outstanding performances from all five actors and a story that absorbed and affected me way more than I expected.

5/5

Well an easy sell out normally equals a very easy West End transfer.

I expect this in zone 1 soon.

It’s very unlikely this is a commercial piece of theatre or that the cast are all available for an ongoing run

Sell out in small venue doesn’t equal main venue transfer

As we have seen before

I think this would be a tough sell in the West End, despite the fact that I loved it. Firstly, could they re-assemble this great cast, which is I think a large part of its success. Secondly, it feels like a piece that doesn't connect with everyone (we've seen that in this thread) and I wonder if a commercial audience might be less open to it.

But my main reason for responding is to point out that the Almeida Theatre is in Zone 1, when we had a zonal system for buses in London, the bus stop that was the boundary between Zone 1 and Zone 2 was the next one northbound on Upper Street by the Town Hall, and so we'll have none of this talk about "expecting this in zone 1 soon" when it is already there!

I think this must rank amongst my top 5 theatre experiences of all time

Total team work and true ensemble skills

Acting, singing, dancing and instrument playing

The simple staging lets the story shine

The scope is simply breathtaking and awe inspiring

The comments about it appealing to women are nonsense

If you are a human with a brain and emotions and have lived

There is something here for everyone

An amazing snapshot of life in all its glory fragments pieces events and memories

Quite astounding and makes me feel proud of theatre as a form of art

There was another show stop for 5 minutes or so this afternoon as someone was distressed and cried out during Romola Garai's big scene, then it looked like another couple of people left, perhaps they were with her. Poor Romola Garai having to stop in the most difficult, emotional scene in the play, and by now the cast must be wondering if it's going to happen again, despite the theatre being plastered with content warnings.

I thought this was stunning, best thing I've seen this year. Maybe we need a poll BurlyBeaR? Opinions seem quite polarised.

Poll added

Just to rub it in and add a poll when it’s sold out, still hoping for a transfer though.

I'm desperate to see this and I've usually been successful at The Almeida at getting returns by regularly refreshing the page of sold out productions. I've been doing this for a few days and haven't seen any tickets at all come up which is unusual in my experience. Has anyone had any luck getting returns either online or in person?

I thought this was utterly compelling. I had read the book but still found the whole experience almost overwhelming - in the best possible way. On reflection, it was the quieter moments that I found most beautiful - a small hand gesture or a particular phrasing (I found the cleaning of the blood from Romola's legs by the other actors particularly moving). All 5 actors were exceptional.

We too had a long interruption in the abortion scene (at least 10 minutes?) and I was incredibly impressed with Romola Garai's poise both during the break, as she stood to the side of the stage unmoving but separate from the rest of the cast, and when she returned to the scene. She's always been one of my favourite actors - both powerful and vulnerable - but I felt like there was something quite wondrous about seeing someone's skill and commitment in this way. To see her able to stand 'within' the moment during the break, seemingly with no thought to the surrounds (the lights, the people talking), and then picking it back up without losing its poetical rhythm or its impact. While the disruption interrupted the flow of the piece as a whole, I also felt privileged to have this experience and found it moving in a very different way.

I bloody love actors!

Because the cast have other commitments, a transfer is unlikely but I could see a return to the Almeida in 2025;