People, Places and Things - NT / Tour / Trafalgar Revival

I had high expectations for this play having heard so many great things about it when it first opened some years ago. Unfortunately I couldn’t find anything to admire about it at all.

I though Denise Gough was excellent in Angels in America at the NT, but in this play it felt to me like she spent a lot of the play treading a very thin line between a good performance and over the top show
boating. I found the staggering around routine at the beginning quite embarrassing and got so weary of all the shouting.

I didn’t understand the point of having some of the audience on the stage at all. It was just distracting after the initial reveal.


I get why the music and sound effects had to be loud to achieve the right impact, but they were SO loud that I ended up having to cover my ears (we were sitting a few rows from the stage in the stalls).

The group therapy sessions felt unbearably protracted and left me cold and a lot of the interaction between Denise Gough’s character and the other patient who later joined the staff of the clinic did not ring true at all.
It was really only the scene with the parents towards the end that made me feel something other than wishing the play would finish asap.

Very disappointing and for me, quite a torturous evening ( but not in the way the writer/director may have intended).

Had front row stage seats for this yesterday.

After reading a few negative reviews on here recently I was a little wary going in.

I really didn't like the shouting/slurring during the first check-in sequence and was thinking oh no I'm not going to enjoy this character.

But once that initial part was over I absolutely loved the play and Goughs performance.

I'm sure I would have enjoyed it sat anywhere, but sat onstage, right on top of the action was fantastic.

Side note...

I've not been for many years, but when I was a member of the Donmar in the late 90s - mid 2000s, my partner and I used to sit in the same 2 seats for every performance (a26 and a27 if I remember rightly), and the front row stage seats yesterday reminded very much of that. The intimacy it brings being that close to the actors is fantastic.

I went to see Lady Dealer a few weeks ago and sat in the front row for that, so have had the pleasure of being front and centre for two fabulous performances recently.

Has anyone done front row stalls for this? How is the view? I see it is (slightly) reduced in TT 24h sale and wonder is it a good option given stage seats are all gone...

I didn't do front stalls, but TKTS reduces seats to £40 on the day and I got front row of the circle through that (if you don't mind booking on the day)

I was four seats in from one end of the front row of dress circle, and safety ledge was not a problem at all. I would certainly book the same seats again.

We sat front row of circle - in the middle. At first, we were concerned that if we sat back and didn't lean forward that we would miss some aspects, especially as Mrs. NCBears is only 5 foot tall - but, it was a perfect view and we didn't need to lean forward.

I'm 5ft 7in and view was good for me, if that helps.

Front row stalls (A6) last night, the stage is quite high so you are looking up if you're short (my taller friends were fine) but it's a brilliant view, especially during Denise Gough and Sinead Cusack's final scene together. I thought Gough might topple off the stage at a couple of moments she came so close to the edge! Hadn't seen the show before and thought it was stunning, very glad to have caught it. Between the play and the bottlenecks getting in and out at interval, with ushers barking at you to hurry up, it was one of the most tense nights I've had at the theatre in a long time...

Spotted Josh O'Connor, Alison Oliver and Archie Madekwe a few rows back too!

Does anyone know where you're meant to go if you have onstage seating? Don't think we've had anything on ticket information

Thank you so much! Really looking forward to seeing this afternoon. I've seen some people take pictures from onstage seating, do they actively allow people to do this?

I sat in the onstage seating. I assume you don't mean during the show, but it seemed to be okay to take photos before it started (though there's a net curtain across the stage so you can't see much) or at the start/end of the interval when you can see through to the main auditorium (but you have to leave the stage during most of the interval).