A Monster Calls - The Old Vic / UK Tour

Not surprised by the reviews because of the subject matter, saw it Monday and found it slow especially before the interval.

Personally would have reduced some of the rope and chair work, removed the interval and made it 90min straight through.

The interval and the slow pace diluted the ending for me.


In defence the music was excellent and found myself watching the musicians as the chairs and ropes were being moved around.

I await the comp tickets emails with baited breath...

How come there are random seats in front stalls

In fact all over stalls

For £20

This week

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.