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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2018 23:12:13 GMT
How come there are random seats in front stalls
In fact all over stalls
For £20
This week
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5,495 posts
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Post by Baemax on Jul 22, 2018 8:18:06 GMT
Dynamic pricing, pars. It's well known on this board that the Old Vic is one of the major players in the dynamic pricing game.
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Post by dan on Jul 22, 2018 9:48:53 GMT
I’m surprised by the mixed reception here, but everything can’t be for everyone. I saw this yesterday and absolutely loved it. The film struck me in a very raw emotional way, and the climax of this show got me in a similar way. Perhaps the impact of that moment (story 4) depends on personal experiences / work / life etc as well as how engaged in the show you are. I had tears streaming with the power of that moment. I wasn’t sure how they’d do the monster, and initially I wasn’t sure about it, but ultimately it worked really well for me. The stories were great, the school scenes are quite caricatured but I think some of that is the point... everything outside of the “fear” and “truth” is either mundane or caricature, in a good way (for me). I liked the staging, the music (which did feel quite Imogen Heap), the cast... but I did go in expecting to like it because of my love for the film, so completely unbiased. If it isn’t selling well, it’s a real shame. The matinee yesterday wasn’t sold out, but relatively full, and an immediate standing ovation. I really would recommend. It’s a real shame if the production or story doesn’t engage you, because I think you’d then miss the resonance and power of the climax.
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Post by Lemansky on Jul 23, 2018 10:04:32 GMT
We saw this on Saturday and I'm glad I saw it, but didn't love it. There was far too much faffing around with chairs & I think they could have just calmed down a little bit more. The ending was very well done though and lots of audience members around us were crying. However, it's the emptiest I've ever seen the Old Vic, especially on a Saturday evening - the Lilian Baylis Circle was completely closed and both stalls and dress circle had spaces free + only about 4 people in the dress circle slips.
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Post by bob2010 on Jul 23, 2018 10:28:05 GMT
They have tickets for the listening posts in the Upper Circe at £8.50 for future weeks. It's probably worth a shot for those that want to get in on the cheap as likelihood you'll be moved to Dress Circle.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jul 23, 2018 13:54:22 GMT
The seats really are not going, are they? Looking at dates this week, they seemed to have closed the Lilian Baylis Circle and vast numbers of seats are available. For tonight, all seats in stalls and dress circle are either £16 or £20, so even with some bargains for later this week, I suspect major discounts for tickets bought on the day.
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Post by showgirl on Jul 23, 2018 18:16:33 GMT
I think the Old Vic continues to get the pricing wrong: they should start lower (not just a few £10 PWC tickets) and increase prices gradually in line with reviews, word-of-mouth and bookings - airline style pricing, but if justified. Doing the opposite, ie offering some cheaper seats for previews but then switching straight to the normal high prices, only to have to discount these drastically, destroys confidence as well as their business model. It smacks of desperation and risks scaring people off.
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Post by foxa on Jul 24, 2018 7:40:58 GMT
I agree with Showgirl. Also they may assume people know about their dynamic pricing, but a lot of people might look once weeks in advance, grasp their chests saying '£50 pounds!' and then never look again. I think they must have been hoping that this would have a 'Curious Incident' type success - but 'Curious Incident' didn't start in a big space - it was in the (then) Cottesloe when I saw it and it wasn't initially a super hot ticket, but the word of mouth grew. Despite 'A Monster Calls' having been a film before, so having some name recognition from that, and Patrick Ness is a well known children's author, I don't think this project ever had that sort of wide appeal. That they were attempting to charge Harry Potter/Hamilton type prices (albeit in a limited section) at all seemed crazy to me. A lot of people like to book their tickets in advance and if prices are only lowered a week or a few days before a performance it's already too late - especially for people who don't live in London.
With a space the size of the Old Vic unless you have a name (a Glenda, a Ralph, an Andrew) it's usually going to be a struggle to fill.
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Post by ellie1981 on Jul 24, 2018 16:58:25 GMT
I have a half day at work tomorrow to meet my mum before I take her to Hamilton in the evening. Was wondering if we would be sweltering in the heat all day in shops and cafes so managed to get tickets to this for the matinee.
I loved the film but haven’t read the book.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Aug 6, 2018 12:19:27 GMT
I found the mother, son and grandmother scenes really touching but I was unsure of the rest. Every time the tree appeared I sighed. Also like this ‘review’ I found the writing to be uneven / not very strong.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2018 14:18:39 GMT
I agree with Showgirl. Also they may assume people know about their dynamic pricing, but a lot of people might look once weeks in advance, grasp their chests saying '£50 pounds!' and then never look again. I think they must have been hoping that this would have a 'Curious Incident' type success - but 'Curious Incident' didn't start in a big space - it was in the (then) Cottesloe when I saw it and it wasn't initially a super hot ticket, but the word of mouth grew. Despite 'A Monster Calls' having been a film before, so having some name recognition from that, and Patrick Ness is a well known children's author, I don't think this project ever had that sort of wide appeal. That they were attempting to charge Harry Potter/Hamilton type prices (albeit in a limited section) at all seemed crazy to me. A lot of people like to book their tickets in advance and if prices are only lowered a week or a few days before a performance it's already too late - especially for people who don't live in London. With a space the size of the Old Vic unless you have a name (a Glenda, a Ralph, an Andrew) it's usually going to be a struggle to fill. This is precisely what I do and why I never go to the Old Vic (except it's more like £90) - and theoretically I do know about the dynamic pricing!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2018 14:27:08 GMT
I know how much you all love a cheap ticket so TodayTix are running a promotion of £15 tickets for this for 24 hours only.
Support the Old Vic before it closes down!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2018 21:58:56 GMT
I know how much you all love a cheap ticket so TodayTix are running a promotion of £15 tickets for this for 24 hours only. Support the Old Vic before it closes down! I just booked for the Wednesday matinee for this. I looked earlier and there were seats in all the tiers, but now just the back of the stalls.
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Post by Being Alive on Aug 7, 2018 8:48:50 GMT
Booked in on the TodayTix offer for the matinee on Saturday 18th. £15 for row J stalls is a steal and I'd wanted to see it anyway as everyone has raved about it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2018 12:30:28 GMT
I’m glad I saw this although like many I could have done with a bit less chairography and Imogen Heap electronica.
It lacks the emotional heft of Curious (to which it owes a gigantica debt) but there was a lot of sobbing from the audience. I hadn’t actually realised the detail of the subject matter (knew it was about grief) and took my husband, whose mum died of cancer when he was nine. He wished he had been a bit more prepared....
I thought it tackled a universal life experience in a creative, sensitive, visually distinctive way. The ‘monster’ reminded me of the sort of people who used to rub tiger balm on people at raves though, so I struggled to connect with him.
I’m surprised they’re having to discount, given it’s the summer holidays this would be a great theatre trips for teenagers. I don’t think I saw it advertised as part of kid’s theatre month, which feels like a miss from the Old Vic marketing department.
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Post by Phantom of London on Aug 11, 2018 21:36:55 GMT
A play that confronts cancer, monsters, bullying and yes yew trees that make a great metaphor.
Well people choose to disappear in the interval and make a bolt for it because a play or musical is terrible, you will be excused if you did it for this play as you could see where the plot is going, Alas I stayed for the second half and wow, this is theatre at its most powerful, because it was such a heart wrenching piece, I loved every minute of it - even though I may need one or two Kleenex.
Great provoaking performances by Matthew Tennyson as the boy and Marianne Oldham as the mum.
Saw Translations this afternoon that had a great set design because of it complexity, this also had a great set design because of its simplicity,, sometimes less is more as your imagination fills in the grey areas.
2 five star plays in one day, does life get any better.
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Post by londontheatrefan on Aug 14, 2018 12:52:46 GMT
I saw this last night, so beautiful and for me just as emotional as the book. Ahead of seeing the play I wasn't quite sure how the ropes would work out for the tree, but I felt they worked really well. I'm afraid I may have caused a leak in the Old Vic though with the amount of crying I was doing by the end!
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Post by orchidman on Aug 18, 2018 0:23:58 GMT
Effective show, hadn't read the book or seen the film, worth seeing.
I am surprised that Arsenal are still letting Steve Bould star in this now the football season has started up.
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Post by Boob on Aug 18, 2018 10:45:09 GMT
I thought this was absolutely dreadful. I'm usually a fan of Sally Cookson's work, but here I found it all style over substance. She's much better when there's a story to tell, but instead is forced to do movement theatre for movement theatre's sake. Felt it was trying to be cool and contemporary, but ended up being empty and emotionless.
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Post by Being Alive on Aug 19, 2018 11:09:42 GMT
I knew the book and film well (both had devastated me). So I held off on the play, but gave in and got a ticket.
It’s brilliant. I can’t write a lot about it. I just thought it was pretty perfect. And I couldn’t actually get out of my chair at the end I was so affected by it. Really beautiful job by Sally Cookson.
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Post by paplazaroo on Aug 23, 2018 9:50:02 GMT
This was weird for me in the sense I loved the story and was a blubbering mess by the end but really disliked the production. I thought the dialogue was clumsy, the set and costume were like ikea and Gap, the movement imprecise and all a bit devised theatre 101, the ropes were cool but it annoyed me how they just had extra ropes to make props from - would be stronger if they were all connected to the tree.
All of this was overcome by the emotional heft of the story and I guess combined with personal experience it had a big impact on me. Basically if you’ve ever watched someone you love die in hospital this will be like an emotional mugging.
They should have some sort of room full of sofas for people to pull themselves together in after the play.
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Post by rockinrobin on Aug 26, 2018 0:04:27 GMT
Saw the final show tonight.
Obviously, for those who have been there and know what it's like, it is a painful and intense experience. I cried buckets. But then - theatre is one of the greatest therapies. This show didn't make me feel sad - it made me feel RELIEVED, it made me... exhale. That's theatre at its best, simple yet powerful, helping you fight or befriend your demons, let go of your emotions and come to terms with yourself.
And Matthew Tennyson is going to be very, very famous one day.
And Stuart Goodwin gives fantastic hugs.
(Of course, I loved the music and the ropes - it was mesmerising - but that hug!)
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Post by stevemar on Sept 2, 2018 17:55:15 GMT
Thank you to those of you who posted links to Today Tix. I wouldn’t have registered this play at all, as the Old Vic’s prices have generally labelled it “avoid” for me. Having seen Jane Eyre and Peter Pan at the National, I was familiar with some of Sally Cookson’s work, but this was on a different level. Outstanding movement, music, projections. Despite some limited dialogue, the second half really hit home, as well as the end of act one despair of the grandmother. Hugely emotional, a big surprise. We were all in tears, and much of the cast was also at the last performance. I was surprised to see that I had seen Matthew Tennyson before (at the Donmar years ago). He was wonderful in this role, and I don’t think I have seen an actor crying so much and so in the moment even (or especially) at the curtain call.
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Post by harry on Sept 3, 2018 16:49:29 GMT
the Old Vic’s prices have generally labelled it “avoid” for me What is it about Old Vic prices that, more than any other London theatre, makes people recoil? I ask because it's actually one of the few theatres with a massive range of prices to start with, plenty of well-priced restricted view seats at the £21, £16 and £12 mark, and it makes huge "dynamic price" discounts nearer the time too. Is it perception or what am I missing? Weirdly I think it's the dynamism of the pricing that I find most offputting. Yes you can grab a last minute bargain but it also is two fingers up to those who like to book early, when in fact they are the people who the theatres need most - regular or intrepid bookers who don't just wait for the 5 star reviews. Plus for popular stuff it seems the sky is the limit for what they will charge - I've seen £150 tickets in really unexceptional areas of the auditorium for a run of the mill play which just happens to have a famous person in it. Yes there's obviously a supply and demand element with all theatres and tickets, but surely because you can charge over the odds doesn't mean you should. By having a pricing structure and sticking to it (or moving stuff very slightly) shows much more confidence in the work you are putting on than just changing the prices wildly up and down to maximise bums on seats for each individual performance.
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Post by stevemar on Sept 3, 2018 22:23:15 GMT
the Old Vic’s prices have generally labelled it “avoid” for me What is it about Old Vic prices that, more than any other London theatre, makes people recoil? I ask because it's actually one of the few theatres with a massive range of prices to start with, plenty of well-priced restricted view seats at the £21, £16 and £12 mark, and it makes huge "dynamic price" discounts nearer the time too. Is it perception or what am I missing? For me, Theatremonkey, it is the lack of transparency about the pricing. I could buy a lower priced ticket (at the regular price) but then I think, that they might put the prices down for all the higher priced ones, so why should I book early. I should add that I generally go to subsidised theatre, but am happy to splash out for something in demand at “West End”prices if I wish or £40/50 regularly. However, the Old Vic isn’t consistently delivering quality in a way which is “worth a punt” unlike theatres which encourage loyalty and early booking such as the Young Vic, Donmar, NT and Almeida, where I think there are better seats and lower prices. Obviously subsidised. I think the dynamic pricing is quite recent at the Old Vic, and has been quite extreme? I don’t know if anyone has done an analysis, but I guess PWC or the Old Vic think it works (unless this is for an experimental period) to have some money spinners mixed with other shows which struggle and have to discount very heavily. They used to have more regular pricing, but I guess now use the West End model. Oddly, the best prices and seats at regular prices were when they performed “in the round” for Electra and The Crucible, which had great seats closer to the action. If a Monster Calls had been on at the National, I believe it would have sold better. The early reports here refer to it being far from sold out. When I bought my half (ish) price ticket 3 weeks before the show, on checking the OLd Vic site, I’d say 70% of seats were still showing as available. They managed to fill the theatre on the last night (except the highest Circle) but at what price per seat? So, none of this encourages loyalty in booking early. But maybe they think this works, and most non-regular theatre goers (unlike the majority who post here) book based on reviews, or last minute.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2018 22:24:27 GMT
What is it about Old Vic prices that, more than any other London theatre, makes people recoil? I ask because it's actually one of the few theatres with a massive range of prices to start with, plenty of well-priced restricted view seats at the £21, £16 and £12 mark, and it makes huge "dynamic price" discounts nearer the time too. Is it perception or what am I missing? For me, Theatremonkey, it is the lack of transparency about the pricing. I could buy a lower priced ticket (at the regular price) but then I think, that they might put the prices down for all the higher priced ones, so why should I book early. I should add that I generally go to subsidised theatre, but am happy to splash out for something in demand at “West End”prices if I wish or £40/50 regularly. However, the Old Vic isn’t consistently delivering quality in a way which is “worth a punt” unlike theatres which encourage loyalty and early booking such as the Young Vic, Donmar, NT and Almeida, where I think there are better seats and lower prices. Obviously subsidised. I think the dynamic pricing is quite recent at the Old Vic, and has been quite extreme? I don’t know if anyone has done an analysis, but I guess PWC or the Old Vic think it works (unless this is for an experimental period) to have some money spinners mixed with other shows which struggle and have to discount very heavily. They used to have more regular pricing, but I guess now use the West End model. Oddly, the best prices and seats at regular prices were when they performed “in the round” for Electra and The Crucible, which had great seats closer to the action. If a Monster Calls had been on at the National, I believe it would have sold better. The early reports here refer to it being far from sold out. When I bought my half (ish) price ticket 3 weeks before the show, on checking the OLd Vic site, I’d say 70% of seats were still showing as available. They managed to fill the theatre (except the highest Circle) but at what price per seat? So, none of this encourages loyalty in booking early. But maybe they think this works, and most non-regular theatre goers (unlike the majority who post here) book based on reviews, or last minute. The whole run was papered
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Post by jamb0r on Sept 4, 2018 10:38:38 GMT
I remember for one of the earlier performances of Groundhog Day (before it started selling out) I had booked a cheap restricted view ticket in advance, but on the day I checked and there were much better seats that had been dynamically reduced to the same price as I paid for the restricted view seat. I called the box office and they gladly swapped my seat to a better one for no extra charge.
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Post by Dr Tom on Oct 9, 2018 23:05:17 GMT
I was told earlier by someone who was part of the show that this is due to return, which is good as I missed it first time around. I wasn’t completely clear if this is returning to the Old Vic or transferring. Anyway make of that what you will.
(the same source also said that Sylvia is returning although I think we knew that already)
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Post by jampot on Jun 7, 2019 19:56:37 GMT
Out on tour....
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3,019 posts
Member is Online
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Post by Rory on Nov 26, 2019 20:37:20 GMT
Edit: Was UK tour cast announcement.
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