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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2018 16:22:37 GMT
If anyone's interested in what Hytner has to say about the seats, in his own words: "Prominent critics should be all be in A 6-19, B 6-18 or in A or B 56-69. Under no circs use AA or B.B. tickets for important critics.” Use this information as you will.  I will be in B58 Gallery 1 - puts me firmly in my place. I've just booked C29 and 30 in Gallery 2...I know my place Hytner don't ya worry. Side note, first time I've booked online for The Bridge, very nice easy process. So well done Nick it's up there with the loos. |
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Post by martin1965 on Jan 21, 2018 18:42:53 GMT
Hilarious stuff. Sounds like they are doing it cut and with no interval, JC is one of those Shakey plays that benefits from this approach. However im not booking for this as i just cant see everything. Interesting cast tho.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 22, 2018 22:25:50 GMT
Thought this was excellent, especially the main leads. Also great to see imaginative use of the flexible staging. Was impressed on the amount of action in, through, around and over the groundlings that all seemed to go really smoothly.
Band beforehand give a stunning rendition of Seven Nation Army!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2018 8:50:12 GMT
I know there's a lot of chatter about Whishaw, and rightly so- love his little Paddington self. But I personally can't wait to see Davis Morrissey- I've something of a talent-crush and let's face it (one hell of a) general crush on him since 'Blackpool' with David Tennant waaaaay back.
Anyway, as you all were.
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Post by nialld on Jan 23, 2018 18:34:39 GMT
I know there's a lot of chatter about Whishaw, and rightly so- love his little Paddington self. But I personally can't wait to see Davis Morrissey- I've something of a talent-crush and let's face it (one hell of a) general crush on him since 'Blackpool' with David Tennant waaaaay back. Anyway, as you all were. Both are great but Michelle Fairley was the real standout for me! |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2018 11:06:02 GMT
Ooooh, production photos out. Little Benny Whishaw in a scarf. David Calder having a nice sit down. David Morrissey about to play 'Operation' (Buzzzzzzz). Michelle Fairley in a mac in amongst the great unwashed. And lots more besides.  Friends, Romans . . . I know I KNOW . . . |
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Post by MrBunbury on Jan 24, 2018 11:16:42 GMT
I know there's a lot of chatter about Whishaw, and rightly so- love his little Paddington self. But I personally can't wait to see Davis Morrissey- I've something of a talent-crush and let's face it (one hell of a) general crush on him since 'Blackpool' with David Tennant waaaaay back. Anyway, as you all were. Both are great but Michelle Fairley was the real standout for me! I was there in the pit last night. Although I was more emotionally engaged by the production with Harriet Walter at the Donmar, it is a solid engaging show, especially for the young couples who were cheering next to me at the end. I agree that Michelle Fairley was the standout. Being part of the mob in the pit really gives a different flavour to the show, although being vehemently pushed around by the stage hands was a bit traumatic at some points (a friend of mine fell twice on the girl next to him and now he has said he will never comes to the theatre with me again...). The highlight for me anyway was being pushed aside by Ben Whishaw while he was getting ready for the Battle of Philippi: I am already building a shrine for the jumper that was touched by his hands :-) |
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Post by Stephen on Jan 24, 2018 15:42:22 GMT
Can somebody tell me about gunshots please?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2018 16:27:32 GMT
Can somebody tell me about gunshots please? Ummm. Well. I mean, I'm no Oscar Pistorius but here goes. You put a bullet in a gun and you aim it (generally towards the help if they haven't done their job correctly) and pull the trigger and it makes a loud "BANG!" noise. That's a gunshot. Unless you have a silencer in which case it makes a bit of a "doosh" sound. Often some people can get maimed or even killed. But you know, stuff happens sometimes. |
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Post by londonmzfitz on Jan 24, 2018 17:15:13 GMT
Review of Monday night. There’s some good stuff in this. The band are wonderful, excellent music choices and gets the crowd engaged and enthused; that’s the point were I wished I’d gone for the pit area (instead of my lovely Row C seat 39 which was comfy as all heck) . However, 2 hours on, of constant standing and being directed by the floor staff around the stage(s) - people leaving the pit and trying to find seats (distracting). In truth, the constant movement of the pit I found very distracting; although the pit people were well behaved in terms of chatter and moving around, I found I was watching for individuals trying to get to the front of the stage(s), trying to get near the actors, etc. If you are in a theatre the natural instinct is to be watching for movement … The “pit” sellers, banner holders and leaflet spreaders added interest, I thought, not so much as a distraction. David Morrisey was a powerful presence, eyes on him when he was running in the pit/on stage. Michelle Fairley was very good indeed. Less so Ben Whishaw – felt he needed a bit more gravitas in order to be the individual people would follow/listen to.
(ooo, just googled gravitas (dignity, seriousness, solemnity of manner) which Wiki describes as one of the Roman virtues. Get me, eh!?!
Overall I felt after the power of the beginning and the constant movement of the pit, the “where is the next performer coming from/going to” I lost focus on the play and started noticing other stuff …
Bit meh for me and 2*
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Post by Stephen on Jan 24, 2018 23:12:53 GMT
Thank you so much @ryan
I know things now, many valuable things, that I hadn't known before.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2018 7:34:50 GMT
Thank you so much @ryan I know things now, many valuable things, that I hadn't known before. You're most welcome. Always a pleasure, never a chore. |
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Post by Jan on Jan 25, 2018 7:51:45 GMT
Thank you so much @ryan I know things now, many valuable things, that I hadn't known before. A minor clarification: a silencer only makes a "doosh" sound in films, in real life it doesn't. Could be useful to know depending on what you have planned. |
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Post by bellboard27 on Jan 25, 2018 8:53:19 GMT
Yes, how many great new plays are there out there that don't already find a berth and that can fill an 800-seat theatre for over two months? My main problem with it is the location. I love the location. Good transport 5 mins away (train, tube, boat), very nice area. Before or after have a nice walk by the river. Good facilities in the area. For me the location is far better than many other London theatres |
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Post by londonmzfitz on Jan 25, 2018 10:07:46 GMT
Location wise it's a hop skip and jump from my office, so the start time of 7.45 is a pain as I'm shoving papers around my desk for over 2 hours (ie, googling theatre stuff on the net). In fact, one of my best buddies was also there on Monday night and we met and had an early dinner at Cafe Rouge in Hays Galleria (get their discount codes). Rather lovely, in fact.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2018 10:24:13 GMT
People harping on about the location don't half make me laugh. It's Tower Bridge, not the moon. We're talking a brisk half hour walk from the National or a leisurely ten minute stroll from London Bridge station. It's also extremely close to a couple of pretty major tourist attractions, and if over two million people annually can get to the Tower of London, then 325,000* people can get to this theatre.
*extremely rough estimate based on capacity of 800, 52 weeks in the year, 8 shows a week, and rounded down a little
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2018 10:31:08 GMT
People harping on about the location don't half make me laugh. It's Tower Bridge, not the moon. We're talking a brisk half hour walk from the National or a leisurely ten minute stroll from London Bridge station. It's also extremely close to a couple of pretty major tourist attractions, and if over two million people annually can get to the Tower of London, then 325,000* people can get to this theatre. *extremely rough estimate based on capacity of 800, 52 weeks in the year, 8 shows a week, and rounded down a little Right? the first time I did it in a (not particularly fast-walking/stopping to grab a sandwich) 30 minutes from the NT. It's a 5/10 minute walk to the nearest tube stations...and yeah it's kinda right by one of the biggest tourist attractions in London. Also it's nowhere near Piccadilly circus....which frankly is a winner in my book. |
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Post by kathryn on Jan 25, 2018 10:46:09 GMT
You walk there from Liverpool St in under 20 minutes! I don't even have to get the tube. It's easier than getting in to Leicester Square.
Of course, if you're coming in from the West of London it's going to be a pain, but them's the breaks.
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Post by zahidf on Jan 25, 2018 10:46:45 GMT
Yeah, its a 10 minute walk from London Bridge station. Its hardly the middle of nowhere!
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Post by floorshow on Jan 25, 2018 12:26:56 GMT
First time at the Bridge for us last night, theatre was nice enough in that modern/soulless kind of way. Got the impression there were a lot more people in the foyer bar than would fit in the actual theatre, the area at the bottom of the stairs had a much nicer ambience.
Play itself was a bit of a mixed bag. Great musical prelude and mob stuff (even though the singer couldn't carry tune in a bucket) but once we're left with Cassius and Brutus the blocking from our seats (A1&2) was really frustrating with significant periods of seeing only Cassius' back as she completely obscured Brutus.
The action did finally drift back into the middle and the balance was a lot better for the rest of the play. There is a lot of bustle and energy and the whole thing flies past fairly quickly. I thought the staging worked better as the scale got larger, the civil war is all very well done and David Morrissey looked like he was having a whale of a time.
Not life-changing but enjoyable.
And it really, really, couldn't be easier to get to or find.
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Post by londonmzfitz on Jan 25, 2018 16:18:12 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2018 16:30:05 GMT
Looking at booking for this and wondering what the best seated options are - sounds like the higher levels might actually be better to avoid being blocked by individual actors and annoyed by the pit dwellers? Which I think means £25 back row of gallery 3 or waiting for offers.
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Post by londonmzfitz on Jan 25, 2018 16:55:25 GMT
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Post by Ade on Jan 26, 2018 22:15:06 GMT
Saw this tonight. Well it’s a bit good ain’t it. I wasn’t in the pit and I was kind of glad not to be. I felt that it gave me a better view away from the distraction of being herded around. Loved the staging - really showed off what an exciting venue this is. And as others have said Michelle Fairley is the highlight. Didn’t mind Ben Whishaw but there were a couple of points when I could just see Paddington walking around the stage.
Oh and I was in Gallery C67. Anyone around there prepare yourself for a banging door all the way through. It was somewhere underneath and behind us so I’m assuming there’s a door actors and crew were using to get on and off the stage floor.
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Post by pochard on Jan 27, 2018 13:41:37 GMT
We were in the Mob for this last night - made it through with my creaky joints but 2 hours was just enough. £15 is a bargain for these tickets I think, though maybe we were lucky to find ourselves at the side of the stage where a lot of (Ben) happened. I liked him but I think he may grow more into the role - agree with the Padders comment, was expecting a hard stare now and then. Really liked Michelle Fairley, and always like David Morrissey. At one point I felt someone clamping down quite hard on my shoulder, which made me jump - turned round to find DM preparing to go onto stage. Did feel slightly uneasy during the war scenes with being shoved around in the dark so that bit worked. On the whole, pretty impressed.
However, what's with the organisation? They better work on this for the run - the compulsory cloakroom was chaos (they definitely need it, you can't be encumbered in the mob) - then we'd forgotten where we told to go but couldn't find any ushers to ask so just joined the queue with the least people with bags in it. The foyer was a melee with queues for toilets and cloakroom and auditorium all merging into one. Perhaps they were getting us into character.
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