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Post by londonpostie on Dec 6, 2021 19:48:10 GMT
I see he's papering on day 4 of previews in the Dorfman. Perhaps the NTs troubles are helpful to local theatres, though - the Orange Tree has just extended its Rattigan.
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Post by Dave B on Dec 6, 2021 23:32:56 GMT
I see he's papering on day 4 of previews in the Dorfman. Perhaps the NTs troubles are helpful to local theatres, though - the Orange Tree has just extended its Rattigan. All three plays in the NT are papering this week.
Yikes.
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Post by rosencrantz on Dec 7, 2021 1:06:05 GMT
I see he's papering on day 4 of previews in the Dorfman. Perhaps the NTs troubles are helpful to local theatres, though - the Orange Tree has just extended its Rattigan. All three plays in the NT are papering this week.
Yikes.
How can one get these papering tickets? |
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Post by Jan on Dec 7, 2021 7:28:42 GMT
I see he's papering on day 4 of previews in the Dorfman. Perhaps the NTs troubles are helpful to local theatres, though - the Orange Tree has just extended its Rattigan. But I also see that OT are still socially distanced with their seating and so capacity is much reduced, quite odd, no-one else are still doing that are they ? I'm seeing the Rattigan soon but I'd rather have a full house for a comedy. |
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Post by Jan on Dec 7, 2021 7:34:26 GMT
I can think of occasions where all of the previous NT directors intervened during rehearsals to try to avert a disaster. Also situations like Nicholas Hytner stopping employing Katie Mitchell after she failed to follow his guidance to stage things that people in the circle could actually see and hear. But I’ve never heard of any similar situation with Norris - maybe he’s too nice and/or reluctant to offend. Made me laugh. I couldn’t see or hear her stuff from the front stalls. It's in Hytner's book I think. I remember on here someone said they were in the Lyttelton circle for whatever it was, Three Sisters I think, and there was an entire long (of course) scene where they were all sat at a table and only their legs were visible throughout. Top price restricted view seats., Good old Katie. I'm all for her really but wantonly ignoring the audience like that is poor. Not sure why I didn't see that - probably because it had a 4hr run time or similar. |
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Post by Dave B on Dec 7, 2021 8:43:57 GMT
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Post by londonpostie on Dec 7, 2021 9:03:17 GMT
I see he's papering on day 4 of previews in the Dorfman. Perhaps the NTs troubles are helpful to local theatres, though - the Orange Tree has just extended its Rattigan. But I also see that OT are still socially distanced with their seating and so capacity is much reduced, quite odd, no-one else are still doing that are they ? I'm seeing the Rattigan soon but I'd rather have a full house for a comedy.
Also, a large number of tickets in the OT went off-sale giving the impression his musical had sold better than it had. I don't know the situation now.
In the Dorfman, it's the beginning of an 8-week run. Press night is this Thursday.
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Post by Dave B on Dec 8, 2021 17:33:51 GMT
I'm glad I went in with low expectations which in turn meant that I thought it entertaining enough. Credit due in no small part to the cast trying their best. Some funny lines, some terrible lines and more than once I don't think the play realises that the audience are laughing at it and not with it. A decent crowd for the 1.30 today but there was a large group booking for some corporate having a jolly and widely papered.
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Post by justinj on Dec 8, 2021 21:51:13 GMT
I’m on most of the papering sites but haven’t been offered any of these yet. |
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Post by stevemar on Dec 14, 2021 22:24:08 GMT
After seeing the reviews, but having booked on the strength of Nancy Carroll (who remembers her heart breaking performance in After the Dance on the same stage?), I actually thought this wasn’t a zero/one star disaster.
It felt like it had been written by a student trying to show-horn every character and current issue in the country at large, trying to tick the boxes and get as many mentions of the “f” word in as possible. But the set, OTT acting and actually the fact it was reasonably diverting, meant it wasn’t a complete write-off. I’d even go as far as to say three stars - maybe a little generous, but worth a go if you get a cheap seat.
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Post by bordeaux on Dec 16, 2021 10:54:08 GMT
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Post by duncan on Dec 16, 2021 11:02:12 GMT
First time "enjoyable" and "Mark Lawson" have ever been in the same sentence, the guy has been stealing a living for decades.
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Post by edi on Dec 16, 2021 13:56:09 GMT
Thank you for sharing it. I do wonder sometimes whether the actors are aware of the volume of complimentary tickets when a play/musical is not selling well and whether it puts them off. (I am asking it generally, not referring to this specific play) |
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Post by teamyali on Dec 16, 2021 13:57:37 GMT
Well…worse comes to worst! Manor is going to close early - 23 December www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/manor(Also, sometimes I cannot help but think that Miss Rona made it happen for Ben Daniels to make the very best decision to drop Manor for The Normal Heart…he was the original Ted during the first rehearsals, then they were shut down on March 2020 due to the outbreak.) |
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Post by youngoffender on Dec 16, 2021 14:48:58 GMT
I think they will be lucky to get beyond this weekend, judging by the tumbleweeds across London. Even for the few ticket-holders who did not apply for credit notes after the reviews, how many of them are now going to risk turning up? You might if you'd paid £250 for Cabaret, but not for this.
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Post by stevemar on Dec 16, 2021 16:13:45 GMT
The article was very interesting - thanks. The actors are the ones who have to go out there every night, and it must be so difficult for them.. even though they are doing their job.
Probably best to close Manor early - when was it meant to run until?
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Post by n1david on Dec 16, 2021 16:31:22 GMT
Probably best to close Manor early - when was it meant to run until? Scheduled run was to January 1, so not too many performances cancelled. |
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Post by bordeaux on Dec 16, 2021 17:23:49 GMT
First time "enjoyable" and "Mark Lawson" have ever been in the same sentence, the guy has been stealing a living for decades. I couldn't disagree more. I think he is an excellent writer and I've been reading him with pleasure since the 1980s. And watching him on TV. When he used to do the Late Review, I thought the only problem was that he as the host often had more interesting things to say about the play/novel/exhibition/TV programme than the guests. |
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Post by stevemar on Dec 16, 2021 18:11:43 GMT
Probably best to close Manor early - when was it meant to run until? Scheduled run was to January 1, so not too many performances cancelled. Thanks n1 david. So not too bad, and I guess/hope the cast and crew get paid up to the 1 January (suppose it depends on their contracts and whether there is a “goodwill” payment which the National has decided to make to them if not). |
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Post by mkb on Dec 18, 2021 11:19:31 GMT
I steer clear of all discussion and reviews before seeing a work, but somehow I had managed to gather that Manor was universally loathed, so I had low expectations. I am trying hard not to be a contrarian, and maybe the production has been modified during the run -- it is now just 2:25 and the racial pejoratives reported by the Guardian have been excised -- but I rather liked this. The fantastic set is a work of art in itself. The deeply skewed perspective at once signals that we are in a surreal gothic version of reality. The story is Mike Bartlett's Albion but as reimagined in a dystopian nightmarish England by Tim Burton and Salvador Dalí. The themes and characters are writ large as though part of a sweeping Greek tragedy with character names to match. And, moreover, I was engaged and entertained, which I had not expected. The acting is good, and there is some comedy, which I was laughing with, not at. The messaging is not subtle, but neither is it in many a "serious" play that the critics salivate over. Mostly, I understood what Buffini was trying to do with the dialogue handed to the characters, but there were just a handful of lines where the effect tipped over from satire to risibility -- especially some given to the pathetic man-child Perry. A script doctor could fix this. At one point, Perry is exhorted to say what he really thinks about the non-white woman who fired him, to articulate what he's really thinking, and the play loses the moment to a cheap joke instead. This, however, was the exception, and these jars were few. (And such jarring is par for the course, with most plays.) Sorry to go out on a limb, but worthy of four stars I felt. Act 1: 19:33-20:24 Act 2: 20:46-21:56 The front row is very much in the splash zone. I got wet. |
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Post by teamyali on Dec 19, 2021 9:52:10 GMT
One of the cast, Shaniqua Okwok (who plays Dora), posted on IG stories that Saturday’s performance (18 Dec) is now their last. Sadly some of the members of the cast and crew didn’t want to continue anymore.
I feel very sorry for everyone. With even The Ocean announcing some dates cancellation due to COVID, now all the NT productions have cancelled and will resume after Christmas.
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Post by Dave B on Dec 19, 2021 10:24:36 GMT
One of the cast, Shaniqua Okwok (who plays Dora), posted on IG stories that Saturday’s performance (18 Dec) is now their last. Sadly some of the members of the cast and crew didn’t want to continue anymore. I feel very sorry for everyone. With even The Ocean announcing some dates cancellation due to COVID, now all the NT productions have cancelled and will resume after Christmas.
Do you have a link to the Ocean info? We are due today and have not see anything yet - thanks!!
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Dec 19, 2021 10:38:07 GMT
One of the cast, Shaniqua Okwok (who plays Dora), posted on IG stories that Saturday’s performance (18 Dec) is now their last. Sadly some of the members of the cast and crew didn’t want to continue anymore. I feel very sorry for everyone. With even The Ocean announcing some dates cancellation due to COVID, now all the NT productions have cancelled and will resume after Christmas. Normally I support actors over this type of thing (eg all the Cinderella stuff) but my god, what a bratty thing to do. The videos she made rolling her eyes at her colleagues for daring to sing/have fun together/do vocal warmups - so childish, especially to film people seemingly without their knowledge. I doubt Manor being pulled is as simple as “the cast don’t wanna”; presumably the NT made the decision based on multiple factors in terms of sales and Covid. It’s expensive to keep a huge venue like the NT open for just one show and if ticket sales are low it probably makes financial sense to just shut the building. |
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Post by teamyali on Dec 19, 2021 11:01:24 GMT
One of the cast, Shaniqua Okwok (who plays Dora), posted on IG stories that Saturday’s performance (18 Dec) is now their last. Sadly some of the members of the cast and crew didn’t want to continue anymore. I feel very sorry for everyone. With even The Ocean announcing some dates cancellation due to COVID, now all the NT productions have cancelled and will resume after Christmas.
Do you have a link to the Ocean info? We are due today and have not see anything yet - thanks!!
Oh, apologies, I was reading from the Ocean thread here which was dated last week. I really hope nothing gets cancelled further, but we may have to prepare for the worst. |
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Post by Mr Crummles on Dec 19, 2021 11:14:11 GMT
I steer clear of all discussion and reviews before seeing a work, but somehow I had managed to gather that Manor was universally loathed, so I had low expectations. I am trying hard not to be a contrarian, and maybe the production has been modified during the run -- it is now just 2:25 and the racial pejoratives reported by the Guardian have been excised -- but I rather liked this. The fantastic set is a work of art in itself. The deeply skewed perspective at once signals that we are in a surreal gothic version of reality. The story is Mike Bartlett's Albion but as reimagined in a dystopian nightmarish England by Tim Burton and Salvador Dalí. The themes and characters are writ large as though part of a sweeping Greek tragedy with character names to match. And, moreover, I was engaged and entertained, which I had not expected. The acting is good, and there is some comedy, which I was laughing with, not at. The messaging is not subtle, but neither is it in many a "serious" play that the critics salivate over. Mostly, I understood what Buffini was trying to do with the dialogue handed to the characters, but there were just a handful of lines where the effect tipped over from satire to risibility -- especially some given to the pathetic man-child Perry. A script doctor could fix this. At one point, Perry is exhorted to say what he really thinks about the non-white woman who fired him, to articulate what he's really thinking, and the play loses the moment to a cheap joke instead. This, however, was the exception, and these jars were few. (And such jarring is par for the course, with most plays.) Sorry to go out on a limb, but worthy of four stars I felt. Act 1: 19:33-20:24 Act 2: 20:46-21:56 The front row is very much in the splash zone. I got wet. I wouldn't give Manor a four star, but it was better than I expected. Maybe nothing like low expectations! Despite its flaws, there were things that I liked (such as the cast and the interesting set, evoking German Expressionism and reflecting a distorted reality). It kept my attention till the end. Despite its absurd premise and contrived dialogues, it did somehow manage to maintain a psychological enough coherence to make me accept what was going on in front of me. I have seen a few other shows of more or less of the same artistic calibre and they did not receive such harsh criticism. Two or three stars from me… |
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