The Grinning Man - Bristol Old Vic & Trafalgar Studios

Im booked for 3 Feb. Looking forward to it.

Im not sure if it was a first preview issue or book but some of the scenes could be tighter and more coherent but that aside it’s really quite terrific.

Cast, puppetry, theatrical environment, direction, score and orchestrations all quirky, dark and excellent.

I got a phone call and was moved to seats mid stalls from the AA I had booked

Unfortunately this was very much a case of style over substance for me. Visually it's stunning - the set, costumes, puppetry and overall design are all amazing. Before the show started there was an announcement specifically asking everyone to take a photo of the stage and post it on online - they must be wanting to show it off! (I've put a few photos below - I'm only posting them as we were specifically told to at the show, usually I wouldn't). However I found the actual show wasn't that great. I can't remember any of the music, the story was a bit all over the place and a few of the performances were very weak. I feel like I got my £15 worth, but glad I didn't pay more.







Also, definitely avoid the seats on the ends of row AA - the seats right on the end are behind a wall that has to be peeked over! Luckily there were empty seats in row A that we all moved into.

I couldn't see a running time online anywhere, but we were out by 22:09.

£95 for tickets

It should be illegal really

For this sh*t

It's clear at this point the posts you write are just to get the reaction and nothing more. If your reviews had some substance, there really would be something more worth while to discuss. (Not you showtoones hahaha).

I think people would be more accepting of reviews if they were not written in such a visually irritating way.

You didn't like the show, fair enough, but enough people did in Bristol for it to gain a transfer and hopefully people who see it in London will too as it's different and it's so refreshing to see something out of the norm opening.

The SHADE of it all LOL...my vote is for Daniel Johnson to be the next PM...muah ;-)

I loved The Grinning Man in Bristol and am excited to see it again in London. I was excited for Goats but ultimately disappointed when I saw it. If Pars and I hadn't both enjoyed Ink, I'd be giving some SERIOUS consideration to returning my Grimly Handsome ticket based on his appreciation for it. It's almost getting to Quentin Letts levels - I know if he enjoys a show I'm in trouble but if he hates it I'm probably going to be fine.

Went yesterday. Theatre close to full. Crowd enthusiastic. At the end many stood to applaud and the woman behind me was in tears at the emotion of it all.

But for me it was 3 stars. I liked the staging (and the decoration of the theatre generally). I liked the puppets. I liked some of the singers. I liked the clown in particular. However, I thought the music/songs were often not great and a couple of the singers were poor vocally.

I can see why some would love this. Conversely, I can also see why some, like @parsley , would not get on with it at all. My other half, for example, was more enthusiastic than I was (although we had the same positive and negative comments) - just shows that you add up the same points and come to a different overall feeling about something!

Well. I thought it was just gorgeous.

The puppets were brilliant and no-one can tell me that mini Grinpayne wasn't real. I gasped, yes gasped (ask the woman next to me) when the wolf first appeared. And the whole thing looks like a storybook come to life.

The cast are sensational, Louis Maskell is a delightful hero and he's ably supported by Amanda Wilkin as the sex mad Duchess and Sean Kingsley as Ursus. Sanne Den Besten is lovely and coped magnificently with a rogue contact lens in the second act. But the two standouts for me are Mark Anderson as Dirry-Moir and especially Julian Bleach as Barkilphedro. If he features on the Olivier list next year, it'll be more than deserved.

Go see it and in the words of Dirry-Moir, prepare to sh*t kittens.

The little I saw of this last night I loved. However I gave in at the interval. My stupid mistake was booking seat BB6 which i thought had leg room and was at the end of a row. It was actually half a seat with the proscenium arch set cutting right through the middle of it. So avoid it at any cost. Based on my experience alone I would suggest that the owners of the trafalgar remain true to form with their grab for every last penny they can screw out of us punters. If they only spent time sitting in their own auditorium and expended less energy banging on about 'their new craft beers now available at the bar' they might appreciate that this charming little show and its audience really deserves so much better. Fix the basics ! Be interested to hear from others now about what the second act was like....