Doctor Faustus

Booked a £15 for this. Going with my friend who isn't much of a theatregoer. She's going for Kit Harington's bum and I'm going to hear Jenna Russell sing Bat Out of Hell, so we'll both get at least something out of it.

Also flicking through my theatre book, turns out I saw Harington on a school trip to War Horse yonks ago - always nice to see someone before they become big.

It's not per ticket. They charge £3.50 per booking, as a general rule. If there are additional per ticket charges, they will be related to the producers of that particular show, which won't be anything to do with ATG, though they'll still get the blame for it, since we all love to shoot the messenger. Also, ATG doesn't offer print at home yet. So are you sure you're talking about them and not another ticket agent?

... even though it's incorrect? I'm confused now ...

Yes it needs to be funded by THEM. They're selling a product and we're buying it. I can't believe how numb we've become to bring completely and utterly ripped off in this country. And I totally agree with your point about arena shows. 

There was a theatre a year or two back who had some kerfuffle with people complaining about booking fees, so they went into quite some detail as to why they had to charge different fees and why they had to call them what they did. I wish I could remember which theatre so I could find an article rather than relying on my shoddy memory, but it was basically that the ticket cost either completely or mostly goes to the production company, whereas the booking fees go to the venue. So although people were complaining they'd have been less annoyed if the ticket prices had simply risen a little to cover the price hike rather than introducing a new booking fee, if the theatre had done that, they still wouldn't have been any better off, as they needed booking fees to cover staff and building costs that the production company wouldn't be dealing with.

Some booking fees are massive rip-offs, sure, but generally they exist for a reason. Other businesses are set up that extra fees for venue and staffing (such as a restaurant) are included in the basic price and that doesn't lead to any financial confusion down the line, but for better or for worse theatre has been set up over the years in such a way that the booking fee does need to be listed separately from the ticket price.

Tempted to see this now.

I was there as well, andrew, and I agree with you. Who would have thought dreary old Doctor Faustus could be such fun? Not being a fan of Marlowe's dramatically inert original, I welcomed Colin Teevan's script interventions and, frankly, preferred them. Faustus selling his soul for celebrity is hardly a new or profound take on this material but Jamie Lloyd has thrown everything (including a kitchen sink) into it and I thought it was pretty damn dazzling.

I have not much enjoyed some of Lloyd's recent work - the Pinter on steroids Homecoming, the overblown and hence unfunny Urinetown - but here he has a project perfectly suited to his gifts. He's not a thinker he's a showman - like Lucifer himself - and this is a great show.

I thought Harington was shouty and uneasy at the beginning (the Marlowe bits) but once the concept took hold he came into his own and I thought he was tremendous thereafter - a perfect fit in virtually every way. He earned his applause. I also loved Jenna Russell (of course) and her interval cabaret and Tom Edden, whose extravagant second act monologue was quite astonishing and Forbes Masson, whose camp Lucifer was a darkly entertaining presence throughout. But the whole cast was wonderful.

I can see why Marlowe afficionados wouldn't care for this but for me it turned a dutiful evening of "classic theatre" into a great night out.

And then, to emerge into St. Martin's Lane to find a mob of smartphone wielding fans swarming around Harington's waiting limo, screaming for his attention, was icing on the cake. Was this too part of the show? It was the perfect coda. Life and art conjoined.

Trust me, Regietheater in Germany can be way way worse. Especially since it so often involves bare stages that are meant to be arty but only scream "we had no money for a set" and very staid cerebral "performances" completely drained of any emotion. It's in the strange stiff German that kids are being taught at drama schools that has no bearing on normal German and ruins movies as well.

I hate German Regietheater with a passion and have avoided seeing dramas here for years - one of the reasons why I keep coming back to London all the time. So initially I was dismayed when I read all the negative reviews (here and the official ones) about this Faustus. I love the story, especially Goethe's version which I'd LOVE to see staged somewhere (outside of Germany) and I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan so seeing Harington as Faustus was the icing on the cake for me.

And yet, when I saw it last week, I was thoroughly entertained by the frenetic action on stage and I thought Lloyd's concept worked very well here. I was far less impressed by The Maids, though I think that's the play's problem rather than the staging. But overall - nah, nothing like Regietheater and I'm with Mallardo on this.

I apologise for the tedious question, but as I'm trying to book trains... Can anyone let me know what time they were out of the theatre for an evening performance? I normally book latest train back from London but the website does says it is a 2hour 15min performance?

It was over at 9.40pm including the curtain call.

What a load of tosh this is! Saw it this evening and while I enjoyed it, it was in a car crash TV kind of way. If I'm being blunt it probably shouldn't have made it to the stage, but pleased I saw it none the less.

It actually had nearly a full standing ovation in the stalls, but I can't help but think that was primarily for Kit Harrington's (rather perfect) bottom.