638 posts
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Post by andrew on Sept 5, 2022 13:04:19 GMT
I signed up for priority booking twice and I didn’t receive anything :/. If someone has the link and wouldn’t mind PMing it to me I’d be really grateful.
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Post by A.Ham on Sept 5, 2022 13:13:16 GMT
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314 posts
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Post by jm25 on Sept 5, 2022 13:30:53 GMT
Thanks for the link - I didn’t receive anything either! All booked now.
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Post by mattnyc on Sept 5, 2022 13:50:44 GMT
Logged on right when tickets went on sale and was surprised It said there were 6 people ahead of me. I expected something like 500.
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1,864 posts
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Post by Dave B on Sept 5, 2022 14:00:25 GMT
Might have been a few different pre-sales, I got one via YV at short time after 2. 93 people ahead, snapped up two cheap(ish) seats. And good to be able to book direct with Theatre Tokens too.
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725 posts
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Post by theatremiss on Sept 6, 2022 16:13:34 GMT
Managed to book an couple of seats for the evening. Same day I’m seeing Tammy Faye, that’ll be a schlep
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1,864 posts
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Post by Dave B on Nov 18, 2022 23:39:58 GMT
Liked this transfer a lot this evening, thought Quinto was particularly good. Felt the pacing had improved quite a bit since YV (tho I did see the second preview there I think it was). Three Doctors - McCoy, Baker and Picardo - in the front row which confused me a bit. At the interval I realised they were also sat with Julian Glover and Harry Lloyd and Michael Ironside! A quick google would seem to suggest a large chunk of the guests at this weekends Comic Con had themselves a nice evening out
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2022 10:01:31 GMT
I find Quinto to be a consistently strong stage actor and look forward to seeing this on a trip over in February. I really enjoyed him in the States in Angels in America and The Glass Menagerie. I missed him as George in a recent LA production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, but heard good things.
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752 posts
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Post by Latecomer on Nov 19, 2022 21:00:00 GMT
Enjoyed this today from B27 in the Royal Circle. Excellent view from there and really enjoyed both leads…and the constant movement of the play…never a dull moment. Plunged right in and it was a bit like the start of a Shakespeare play where you panic that you won’t follow the language as it was so quick fire….but soon calmed down! Loved seeing Zachary Quinto as was a big Heroes fan for series 1….! Word perfect from all the cast, in fine shape
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423 posts
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Post by dlevi on Nov 20, 2022 10:49:15 GMT
Saw this on Friday night and it was terrific. I had loved it at the Young Vic but they've expanded the ensemble and Zachary Quinto adds the appropriate amount of sneer in his performance as Gore Vidal. The design has been re-configured to stunning effect and the capacity audience ate it up. It looks to be a good old-fashioned West End hit.
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Post by oedipus on Nov 20, 2022 10:52:37 GMT
Saw this from the stalls downstairs; and it's pretty great. (It helps that the playwright has the actual interviews/debates to draw on, but the enveloping scenes have flair as well.) It was strange for me, as an American, to see such an "American" play in the West End, but there's some method to the madness: it's not *just* about the polarization (and reconfiguring) of left vs. right in America in the turbulent 60s, but about the phenomenon of televised commentary, first touted as a panacea for our failing public discourse, and now recognized as a pandora's box. (The transparent allusion to Trump wasn't needed but certainly landed.)
It's a larger, heartier production that I might have anticipated: a big cast, lots of projections, but--even though there's a balloon warning for latex-allergists in the lobby--no dropping balloons. (Was that supposed to happen during the convention?). The two lead actors are terrific; the supporting roles are fine (though occasionally a *little* broad, particularly the newspapermen and Mayor Daly); and the pace is quicksilver. I'd be surprised if this doesn't eventually transfer to New York City: the timing (for better or worse) would be perfect/horrific for the 2024 race.....
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1,864 posts
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Post by Dave B on Nov 20, 2022 11:42:16 GMT
no dropping balloons. (Was that supposed to happen during the convention?). There were dropping balloons on Friday night - yes during the convention. A good few kicked out into the audience.
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Post by starlight92 on Nov 24, 2022 0:06:01 GMT
Saw this tonight and absolutely loved it, even though my knowledge of US politics is very limited (I'd heard of Gore Vidal, but not William F. Buckley Jr.). The cast were excellent, especially the two leads - Zachary Quinto was hilarious at times. Very clever use of projections too. Only thing I'd say was that it felt a little long, even though I was enjoying it, if that makes any sense!
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Nov 24, 2022 9:07:17 GMT
it was a bit like the start of a Shakespeare play where you panic that you won’t follow the language as it was so quick fire….but soon calmed down! hahaha this was exactly how I felt. I was a little lost at the beginning, but then it all started making sense.
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1,249 posts
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Post by joem on Nov 24, 2022 22:46:58 GMT
Yes this is a very good play and production, which fits well within what I guess we can now call James Graham's canon? I did wonder how he would handle the American side of things as, in a way, he is a quintessentially British playwright but I needn't have worried; he'd done his research well and got into the culture and mores and tensions of what was a very difficult year in the history of recent US politics. Were the debates really as influential at the time as Graham would have us believe? Hard to tell, but they are certainly a powerful motif and unifying focus on which to pin the contrary currents of the time. As is his wont Graham reports more than comments but I have no problem with that. Understanding opposing viewpoints makes for far better theatre than propangandising rants.
Harewood and Quinto are excellent, easy to see where the Frost/Nixon comparisions lie, sill haven't made up my mind about what the Harewood casting does but he is a fine actor and puts in a pretty towering performance, never moreso than when he exposes the vulnerability and the self-doubt of such an ascerbic and opinionated character. I would have preferred Quinto to borrow from Harewood and be a shade more nuanced at times but it was certainly a compelling performance as well.
Very well worth seeing this though I admit I missed the original.
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409 posts
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Post by maggiem on Nov 30, 2022 13:58:17 GMT
Saw this tonight and absolutely loved it, even though my knowledge of US politics is very limited (I'd heard of Gore Vidal, but not William F. Buckley Jr.). The cast were excellent, especially the two leads - Zachary Quinto was hilarious at times. Very clever use of projections too. Only thing I'd say was that it felt a little long, even though I was enjoying it, if that makes any sense! If you can watch it, Simon Shama's series the History of Now, on Sunday evening 9pm, there should be some footage of the 1965 Cambridge Union debate between Buckley and the writer James Baldwin.
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3,349 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 3, 2022 20:29:54 GMT
Excellent play, which I went to this afternoon without knowing too much about it in advance. I got Row F Stalls though Rush, which is a perfect distance from the stage, but the rake is not great, so I had to look around a tall man and a woman with her hair up. Still, thankfully this is staged well so I could see everything important.
For some reason, I thought this was a two hander, perhaps because the advertising focused so much on the leads, but it's actually quite a large cast, covering many different roles. A very interesting period of US political history to learn more about as well and very cleverly written. I did feel it took a bit of time to get going, but after that things flew by and this didn't seem too long. Recommended, especially with Rush pricing.
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4,804 posts
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Post by Mark on Dec 14, 2022 10:38:39 GMT
Really surprised to see this struggling so much in its West End transfer. Both the Upper circle and balcony being closed off. A real shame. What this does mean though are some good deals - they are selling quite a few tickets at £17.50 and £25 in the Dress Circle.
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Post by ShoreditchTom on Dec 14, 2022 13:40:29 GMT
Possibly struggling due to their stupidly expensive pricing and charging more than huge musicals on TodayTix Rush. The Rush tickets are now giving better seats than at the start (where they were not great grand circle tickets for £30 each) although I suspect that is because they've sold hardly any tickets and closed areas off as you say rather than any realisation their pricing is off.
They aren't being especially generous in the SOLT New Year Sale either.
I'm not sure who thought a play about a fairly obscure US centric topic with lead actors most UK people won't have heard of demanded premium pricing. Those most interested in the subject matter would likely have seen it at the Young Vic. This should be £20 on TodayTix Rush with good seats and trying their best to get some new / young people in which would have built word of mouth. For most people it's going to be a risky "not sure if I'll like it" purchase. The reviews suggest they will, hence buzz would have been built. Not seen much buzz on socials about this because no-one is taking the risk.
For my part I enjoyed the Morgan Neville doc and would like to see the play but their initial stingy TodayTix pricing / seats meant I didn't bite then, nor did I bite at their pricing in the SOLT New Year Sale and now I'm booked up before New Year seeing better priced competitor productions. I can't be the only one in this situation!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2022 13:50:39 GMT
I didn't realize Zachary Quinto is not very well known in the UK.
While his ample film credits certainly are not a direct predictor for the theatre box office, he does tend to be a bit of a draw on stage in the States.
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671 posts
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Post by alessia on Dec 14, 2022 14:12:27 GMT
Possibly struggling due to their stupidly expensive pricing and charging more than huge musicals on TodayTix Rush. The Rush tickets are now giving better seats than at the start (where they were not great grand circle tickets for £30 each) although I suspect that is because they've sold hardly any tickets and closed areas off as you say rather than any realisation their pricing is off. They aren't being especially generous in the SOLT New Year Sale either. I'm not sure who thought a play about a fairly obscure US centric topic with lead actors most UK people won't have heard of demanded premium pricing. Those most interested in the subject matter would likely have seen it at the Young Vic. This should be £20 on TodayTix Rush with good seats and trying their best to get some new / young people in which would have built word of mouth. For most people it's going to be a risky "not sure if I'll like it" purchase. The reviews suggest they will, hence buzz would have been built. Not seen much buzz on socials about this because no-one is taking the risk. I'm on of those people who didn't see it at the YV, but then regretted it. I waited for offers, as like you say, prices were way over my budget. I went for a Today Tix offer and bought a £30 (still above my top budget) for a decent seat which would have cost me a lot more if I'd bought it when tickets were first released. I agree that the pricing is wrong and likely why this isn't selling very well- maybe also the subject matter and the lack of a name from the latest successful tv show.
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Post by londonpostie on Dec 14, 2022 14:56:08 GMT
Fwiw, if the idea was to piggyback on the Frost/Nixon concept don't you need characters the public are at least vaguely interested in?
For people of my age, Vidal and Buckley are not unfamiliar commentators but, dear God, these are not people I would pay to hear speak in real life! Vidal in particular had some very strange attitudes (I remember an interview with Katie Kay of the BBC when he was a little drunk and was appallingly dismissive and sexist). They both presented as somewhat reasonable - at least in terms of the US political compass - but were very much entitled elitists of another age.
Give me Enoch Powell vs. Harold Wilson or something - except, of course, Kwame has always had one eye on the James Graham-written, New York transfer (with the West End building validity). IMO!
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Post by vickyg on Dec 15, 2022 23:15:41 GMT
Just home from this. What a struggle it was; I nearly fell asleep several times. I hadn't read this thread going into it and went because a friend sees everything James Graham does and I was totally lost both about what was happening and the point of recreating it for us. I have obviously heard of the politicians but had never heard of the political commentators (I'm in my mid 30s) and I can only imagine that zero background knowledge was the killer. But really this was totally wasted on me, I may as well have been watching paint dry.
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Post by alessia on Dec 16, 2022 16:24:32 GMT
Just home from this. What a struggle it was; I nearly fell asleep several times. I hadn't read this thread going into it and went because a friend sees everything James Graham does and I was totally lost both about what was happening and the point of recreating it for us. I have obviously heard of the politicians but had never heard of the political commentators (I'm in my mid 30s) and I can only imagine that zero background knowledge was the killer. But really this was totally wasted on me, I may as well have been watching paint dry. oh no! I am worried this will be me as well lol. I'm older than you but similarly have no idea about the context of this, I definitely ought to read up a bit beforehand.
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Post by intoanewlife on Dec 16, 2022 16:49:44 GMT
Just home from this. What a struggle it was; I nearly fell asleep several times. I hadn't read this thread going into it and went because a friend sees everything James Graham does and I was totally lost both about what was happening and the point of recreating it for us. I have obviously heard of the politicians but had never heard of the political commentators (I'm in my mid 30s) and I can only imagine that zero background knowledge was the killer. But really this was totally wasted on me, I may as well have been watching paint dry. oh no! I am worried this will be me as well lol. I'm older than you but similarly have no idea about the context of this, I definitely ought to read up a bit beforehand. Watch the Netflix doc it's based on, it's great x
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