Standing At The Sky’s Edge - Crucible/NT/Gillian Lynne

Always worth trying later. Got centre circle row A at 11.24

Always worth repeat try.

I’ve rejected 4 times and then found a brilliant seat. They seem to allocate randomly so I will continue even if same one I don’t want comes up twice

Got an excellent TodayTix rush seat for this yesterday (central row K, certainly worth trying around 12:30-1pm!).

Saw the NT run and thought the set looked stunning in the Gillian Lynne (the lighting!!). The perfect fit for it and I really felt like an observer of what was happening.

Brilliant cast all round. Compared to when I saw the previous run, I felt the Poppy/Nikki relationship and storyline was more believable (even though how it wraps up has its issues). A shame the run is ending so soon.

Previous 4* on the poll updated to 5*.

Saw this for the second time on Sunday, and was blown away by how much I LOVED it, and just voted 5 stars in the poll.

At the National, in previews, I had some reservations so I rated this 4 stars, but on second viewing, I disagree with all my reservations lol.

Some spoilers follow. . .

My reservations were as follows:-

(1) The same plot (3 generations in one location, 3 timelines cut together nonlinearly, each generation impacting the next) was harder hitting in "Anatomy of a Suicide" at the Royal Court;

(2) Only one story, the middle one, is thoroughly told;

(3) It's a jukebox musical in which most of the songs don't move the plot forward;

(4) The modern story doesn't earn its "Richard Curtis" resolution.

Now, I find I disagree with myself on all counts:-

(i) The structures of "Anatomy of a Suicide" and "Standing at the Sky's Edge" may be similar but each work aims at something completely different, and both are brilliant. Whereas the former shows how each generation can traumatise the next, the latter shows how life is a beautiful interconnected tapestry, in which everyone has immense value in the wider context;

(ii) While the second timeline is the only timeline that is told in sufficient detail that it would be a satisfying story in and of itself, that is irrelevant because all three timelines fit together like a jigsaw to tell an even more satisfying overarching story about people and a place;

(iii) Because the music tells a story about people and a place, not merely the main characters, it enhances the universality of the themes that the music isn't only about those specific central characters. The way the show has local residents who aren't main characters sing parts of songs gets that across most poignantly;

(iv) At the Gillian Lynne, I found the new casting made the Richard Curtis romcom elements work for me. Originally, I was like, no, poor Alex Young's Poppy should NOT open her door to Maimuna Menon's hard-nosed Nikki. But at the Gillian Lynne, for me, Laura Pit-Pulford makes Poppy MUCH more high strung and over-sensitive, wincing, wringing her hands, huffing, puffing, signalling to us that it's ok to laugh at Poppy as well as to empathise with her, so that when Lauryn Redding's brazen, dry, unflappable Nikki shows up, we immediately recognise what we are watching as a romcom of opposites, where the personality traits of each character will cure the other's deficiencies. The comedy of the connection of these two opposites now had me rooting for them to get together lol!

Anyway, with my reservations dismissed, I could better appreciate so much: the magnificent rocking out of the entire ensemble in "Standing at the Sky's Edge," twisting and shouting like reeds in the wind; the stunning naturalistic underplaying of Harry's angst by Joel Harper-Jackson, who sang "For Your Lover Give Some Time" with such paralysed numbness that I was completely emotionally overcome; the talented and charismatic Samuel Jordan's pivotal characterisation of Jim-meh (his "Midnight Train" was a total triumph), and the immense, tender and loving chemistry that Jim-meh shared with Joy, whether played by the brilliant Faith Omole or the brilliant Elizabeth Ayodele; and Rachael Wooding's deeply empathetic work as the matriarch of the whole piece.

Just magnificent the way the action of so many characters all comes together so symbiotically with Richard Hawley's tender truthful plaintive songs!

Yes, this is a profound and touching piece that I was very lucky to see twice. 5 stars from me.

PS: I failed to get a Rush ticket (they were all basketed and held by others faster than me lol), but succeeded in getting £39 seats in Stalls Row D, dynamically reduced on the official website a little later.

I concur re: the Nikki/Poppy dynamic; I can completely understand why people still don't like their ending, but I'm much more on board with it in this iteration!

As a queer woman, it's so refreshing to see a story between two women that isn't a coming out story, and I've come to appreciate it all the more for it's messiness.

I originally booked to see the show at the National Theatre because of Alex Young and becoming a big fan of hers after seeing Anyone Can Whistle, and I was initially disappointed when she wasn't transferring with the show to the Gillian Lynne, but Laura Pitt-Pulford along with Lauryn Redding have made me fall even more in love with the show.

I absolutely love what they've both brought to the show, Poppy's neuroses and awkwardness and Nikki's humour. This show really does require great actors and singers, and they both bring this in spades. I'm not sure how I've never seen LPP in anything before, but I'm already excited for the next thing that she's does, whatever that ends up being!

Was also at this afternoon's performance. And yes, After The Rain more or less reduced me to a puddle. Rachael Wooding's performance has got better each time I've seen the show. Glad I was able to get back to see it again before it closed.

We were at Friday night’s performance. My second time, teen daughter’s 3rd! I am pleasantly surprised just how much she has loved it, and last night’s show just added to that. I also can’t believe this is finishing, and I really hope we see it again in some guise…I’m especially pleased as our first time was the weekend when so many people were sick, there were 7 swings on…so I hadn’t seen Laura PP or Rachael Wooding…I was so glad I got to see them last night!

A very emotional and special last performance at STATSE!

From row C it looked like Laura Pitt-Pulford was getting choked up from the start. Enormous extended claps and cheers for Open Up Your Door, the title song and After the Rain. Rachael Wooding did very very well to keep it together for the rest of the show after this, as did Mel Lowe in Don't Get Hung Up In Your Soul and her final monologue, and LPP, Sam Jordan and Elizabeth Ayodele in their last lines.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what the cast are doing next, and what's next for the show.

Chris Bush confirmed on Twitter the other day that the TV series is still in development, although it's a way off yet.
Very interested to see what they do with it!

Does anyone know if they filmed it for NTLive? Missed the west end run but saw it twice at the NT. What a stunning musical.

My understanding is that it was filmed at the National for the archives, I'm not sure about a wider release.