The Band’s Visit - Donmar

Mine's for this Saturday evening & a swap is a thoughtful suggestion but I can only do Wed/Thurs/Sat, so no go, alas.

Any more word on the rumoured West End transfer to the Ambassadors? Wessex Grove have first option for Donmar transfers and they are on a roll at the minute with a whole raft of shows.

Last minute decision to take in the matinee today and feel a bit bad for going against the grain but I thought it was… fine?

I did enjoy it and thought there were some very good performances. I loved the gentle themes of human connection that underpinned everything. I think I just thought it lacked anything to really make a lasting impression on me. It was also very short and just felt like it could have been more ambitious, I guess.

Still, very enjoyable.

Continuing my run of seeing understudies / alternates, I had Emma Kingston on and she was very good.

Let us know what you made of it, as an 82-times viewer of the Broadway production!

Finally got to see this tonight and wow, just WOW!

I loved this on Broadway, but this production just takes the material to a whole new level with its stellar casting and intimate venue.

A few niggles first...

Everything is a little too 'clean' and sterile looking and there were a few times the (absolutely phenomenal) band drowned out the performer. Apart from that though, it was perfection.

I enjoyed the whole cast, they were all fantastic.

Miri was mesmerizing and her voice was pure bliss.

Alon's Tewfiq however completely stole the show for me, he was absolutely magnificent. From the moment the lights come up he owns the production. I literally spent an hour and 40 minutes on the verge of ugly crying waiting for him to finally lose his stoic well worn facade. The fact he so closely resembles the old man from Pixar's Up didn't help either!

A very easy 5/5 from me and while it is probably the only musical I have ever seen where I enjoy every single song, it feels almost criminal to listen to them away from their world and the characters they were created for.

I feel very privileged to have seen this magnificent production and I hope it sees a further life after this run so many more people can get to experience it!

It was absolutely beautiful. I loved it on Broadway but I adored it here and in this venue. I think it’s the best thing I’ve seen here in ‘the last 5 years’ . I don’t think the show should transfer to a larger theatre or risk losing the intimacy. Absolutely incredible. I am shaking.

Likelihood of a transfer?

Wouldn't it be lovely to have this at the Ambassadors for a ten week season between Liz Kingsman and Wagatha?

Please tell me this is going to happen, because I so wanted to see this, but the logistics of me getting there from Scotland require more planning than I was capable of this autumn...

Sorry for the delayed response! Last week was an amazing but hectic week being in London for the first time, and the past few days I’ve been settling back in at home in NYC.

I was miraculously able to attend every performance of The Band’s Visit while I was in town, in total seeing this version 11 times and all versions 93 times. A few of the 11 Donmar ones were even last minute front row openings (including my first one), which were absolutely surreal, given the already intimate nature of the venue in general.

This interpretation of the show was perfectly small and intimate for the Donmar. The set was very minimalistic compared to the North American version’s already rather bare one (one lone chair would represent a living room at the Donmar, for example). The performances were spot on - fresh new takes that were still faithful to the characters. Harel was an especially endearing Papi, and in general, the show added a couple extra small scenes/moments as transitions that gave the characters a bit more room to be fleshed out, which was super interesting. Alon’s Tewfiq was fascinating - none of the 11 performances I saw were the same, and he found new ways to perform scenes I’d seen dozens of times before. Fascinating and layered performance. I was able to see Emma’s version of Dina twice, which was gentle and sweet. Miri, though, is a powerhouse, and felt like Dina personified. It felt as if Yazbek’s Eastern-touched melodies were made for her voice, and she added extra flourishes to Omar Sharif during the final performance that sent chills up my spine. Breathtaking, and by far my favorite Dina vocally.

As a whole, seeing this production felt like seeing a friend one hasn’t seen in a while who looks and sounds different, but not in a bad way, and still has that same heart. Really touching and gentle version that I hope will have a future for more people to experience.

Oh man I'd love to see this again but I'm seeing something else at the same time. Do these screenings ever get second showings?