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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 26, 2017 13:21:20 GMT
Absolutely adored this. What a magical surprise it was.
It’s unlike any version I’ve ever seen- SO moving. I cried 3 times and found it overwhelming. The scene near the end with Scrooge and the old love of his life was perhaps the most moving thing I’ve seen all year. Absolutely beautiful.
Wonderful staging- simple and boldly theatrical. Fabulous (and new?) use of the full Old Vic space. I’ve certainly never seen that configuration there before.
Rhys Ifans is stunning. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the Olivier Award list for this.
Gorgeous music too.
Can I go again please?
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Post by Jon on Nov 26, 2017 16:34:48 GMT
Absolutely adored this. What a magical surprise it was. It’s unlike any version I’ve ever seen- SO moving. I cried 3 times and found it overwhelming. The scene near the end with Scrooge and the old love of his life was perhaps the most moving thing I’ve seen all year. Absolutely beautiful. Wonderful staging- simple and boldly theatrical. Fabulous (and new?) use of the full Old Vic space. I’ve certainly never seen that configuration there before. Rhys Ifans is stunning. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the Olivier Award list for this. Gorgeous music too. Can I go again please? I wouldn't be surprised if it has a future life, maybe a West End run next Christmas or just a return visit to the Old Vic.
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5,278 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Nov 26, 2017 17:03:36 GMT
Absolutely adored this. What a magical surprise it was. It’s unlike any version I’ve ever seen- SO moving. I cried 3 times and found it overwhelming. The scene near the end with Scrooge and the old love of his life was perhaps the most moving thing I’ve seen all year. Absolutely beautiful. Wonderful staging- simple and boldly theatrical. Fabulous (and new?) use of the full Old Vic space. I’ve certainly never seen that configuration there before. Rhys Ifans is stunning. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the Olivier Award list for this. Gorgeous music too. Can I go again please? I wouldn't be surprised if it has a future life, maybe a West End run next Christmas or just a return visit to the Old Vic. I doubt any theatre other than the Old Vic could take that staging.. it’s the only theatre with such a deep horse shoe shaped circle. I think once reviews come out, people will fighting for tickets
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Post by NeilVHughes on Nov 26, 2017 17:21:06 GMT
Cannot remember a play having such a positive reaction during previews both on here and Twitter.
Taken the plunge and booked a ticket for the Thursday before Christmas.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Nov 26, 2017 17:41:40 GMT
Saw it a few days ago and loved it. The first act, in particular, was unbearably moving. Loved loved LOVED the cast, it's a magnificent production, I hope to see it again.
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Post by Theo on Nov 27, 2017 14:29:38 GMT
I had one free evening slot available for last week and very pleased to have booked for this one ! Managed to score one of the single seats left in the front stalls section which had been reduced to £55. And what a glorious production this is. I enjoyed it very much and found it both very moving and at times funny. The design was brilliant yet very simple. The final encore had me in tears. I loved being covered in the snow as opposed to the ladies who were sitting next to me, worrying more about their hairdos and posh clothes.
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Post by crowblack on Nov 27, 2017 15:08:11 GMT
More £5 tickets just released, codeword SCROOGE for tonight and tomorrow - I'd go again if I lived in London!
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2,761 posts
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Post by ceebee on Nov 27, 2017 17:43:29 GMT
I'm seeing this tonight - so excited after all the positive word of mouth on here. I'll report back.
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Post by ceebee on Nov 27, 2017 20:41:51 GMT
Half time. I concur with all that's been said before. Magical, dark, beautiful, heart breaking. Ifans is a revelation - awards beckon.
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2,761 posts
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Post by ceebee on Nov 27, 2017 21:51:50 GMT
Go see. Joyous, brilliant, beautiful, heartwrenching, funny, sad. Book asap. Thats all.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2017 22:00:02 GMT
More £5 tickets just released, codeword SCROOGE for tonight and tomorrow - I'd go again if I lived in London! Judging from the run of positive comments about it one here (my turn next week, and so looking forward to it!) you’d have to be a right meanie to let these £5 tickets go...
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Post by wickedgrin on Nov 27, 2017 23:19:49 GMT
Booked for tomorrow (Tues) evening on the strength of the favourable comments on here. I hope you haven't all led me astray...although I wouldn't mind being led astray by some of you!!!
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1,005 posts
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Post by David J on Nov 27, 2017 23:45:06 GMT
Booked for tomorrow (Tues) evening on the strength of the favourable comments on here. I hope you haven't all led me astray...although I wouldn't mind being led astray by some of you!!! Me too! Meet up at the theatre?
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Post by ceebee on Nov 27, 2017 23:45:13 GMT
£5 is an absolute steal with the promo code offer - I paid £30 for my ticket tonight and plan to book again, because (a) once isn't enough and (b) this show is worth every single penny of a full price ticket. A Christmas Carol has been an unexpected highlight of the year for me.
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Post by callum on Nov 28, 2017 0:03:44 GMT
Saw it Saturday night and thought it was fabulous. A tip-top production. Really, just go. Heartfelt, moving, beautiful and really brings Dickens' message to life so brilliantly. I would recommend to everybody with a pulse. I also paid £5 and sat in M40. I didn't know from the seating plan whether this single seat was totally on its own, or how it would work with the set. It turns out there are two seats next to where the actors enter/exit the stage, with the seat closest to these stairs (and next to me) being occupied by an usher/box office staff. Don't know if this just during previews or will be throughout the run. Can't imagine why Joe Public couldn't sit there. I was sat extremely close to the stage and at first thought Tiny Tim must have only been about four-years-old, but then I realised that he was an older child, perhaps with some sort of dwarfism. I have a relative that is 2 and a half years old, and I would say he was not much taller than her. I tried checking online but not much information, can someone confirm this for me? Obviously there are other Tims too. I thought he was a cracking young actor that gave a brilliant performance - he even moved my heart of stone to shed a tear at the end!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2017 9:17:26 GMT
Okay, fine, you've all convinced me, I hope you're all very pleased with yourselves. And I can't go tonight, so I'm paying more money than I would really like to, so no pressure!
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Nov 28, 2017 9:50:52 GMT
Looking very pricey post previews! The aisle seat on the stage stalls I paid £21 for is now £57, and the single side seat next to the usher Calum mentioned is £90! So I'd grab anything cheap while you can. TodayTix has stage stalls seats for £30 for some dates. Also worth looking at the Get Into London Theatre offer.
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Post by wickedgrin on Nov 28, 2017 9:57:17 GMT
I paid £21 for my seat on the Old Vic Website - only booked last night for tonight (dynamic pricing downwards) - the seat is £67.50 after the Press Night tomorrow! They are wanting £90 - £125 for the best seats!!! Faints!
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Post by harrie on Nov 28, 2017 10:25:02 GMT
Saw it Saturday night and thought it was fabulous. A tip-top production. Really, just go. Heartfelt, moving, beautiful and really brings Dickens' message to life so brilliantly. I would recommend to everybody with a pulse. I also paid £5 and sat in M40. I didn't know from the seating plan whether this single seat was totally on its own, or how it would work with the set. It turns out there are two seats next to where the actors enter/exit the stage, with the seat closest to these stairs (and next to me) being occupied by an usher/box office staff. Don't know if this just during previews or will be throughout the run. Can't imagine why Joe Public couldn't sit there. I was sat extremely close to the stage and at first thought Tiny Tim must have only been about four-years-old, but then I realised that he was an older child, perhaps with some sort of dwarfism. I have a relative that is 2 and a half years old, and I would say he was not much taller than her. I tried checking online but not much information, can someone confirm this for me? Obviously there are other Tims too. I thought he was a cracking young actor that gave a brilliant performance - he even moved my heart of stone to shed a tear at the end! The Tiny Tim I saw on Saturday liked my tweet, and having looked at his profile it would appear that he has cerebral palsy, so they seem to have deliberately cast young actors who have some kind of disability/illness
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Post by ceebee on Nov 28, 2017 11:29:46 GMT
Tiny Tim last night was played by Grace Fincham and she was simply marvellous. Like others have mentioned before, there are some moments where you get choked up and the tears flow. The raw simplicity of staging and emotion combined with the beautiful carols and music really carry the story so well. I can't help feeling Charles Dickens would be very happy with this production. Funnily enough on the train going home, a boy sat opposite me said to his mum "look, he's been to the Old Vic". Lo and behold it was Toby Eden, who was the stand-by Tiny Tim for the performance last night and will perform on press night. He and his mum were absolutely charming company and it was lovely to spend 30 minutes chatting with them.
I'm going again on Saturday - yes, it really was that good. And I'm very happy to have paid full price for a show that is worth every single penny. God bless them, every one!
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Post by stevemar on Nov 28, 2017 11:45:55 GMT
More £5 tickets just released, codeword SCROOGE for tonight and tomorrow - I'd go again if I lived in London! Thanks Crowblack - I booked last night, and am really looking forward to it. The regular (post preview) prices are pretty steep. Hopefully the configuration of the staging will be as good as when they transformed the Old Vic for the Crucible etc a few years ago.
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Post by David J on Nov 28, 2017 17:56:42 GMT
Booked for tomorrow (Tues) evening on the strength of the favourable comments on here. I hope you haven't all led me astray...although I wouldn't mind being led astray by some of you!!! Me too! Meet up at the theatre? My seat is onstage n60
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Post by wickedgrin on Nov 28, 2017 19:00:10 GMT
I am not far away - on stage L69 Hope to meet you!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2017 19:14:47 GMT
^ Blimey! I can’t decide whether I’m more interested in your reviews of the show or how your meeting went... Hope you both have a great evening! (NB David’s signature!)
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Post by wickedgrin on Nov 28, 2017 23:55:29 GMT
Oh well, this was absolutely wonderful! It even moved this old "bah humbug" Scrooge to tears several times.
A slight peeve to start. As ever with productions in the round or in this case traverse staging you do sometimes feel that you are looking at the back of heads somewhat and in the case here, sat on the stage seats, I did feel that a lot of the direction was "out front" where most of the audience were sat, but that slight quibble aside this is a truly magical and moving production. Unbearably beautiful use of bells and carols throughout and some magical effects both haunting and comic. The staging, lighting and sound is simple, effective and stunning.
Rhys Ifans gives a truly fabulous central performance - every word projected, superb diction, completely faithful to Dickens character (as is the whole production) and his redemption at the end is convincing, comical and truly joyous. His scenes with Tiny Tim (again a wonderful, show stealing performance from the person I saw) are deeply moving. Helpful note, ensure tissues are to hand!
The whole cast are exemplary as is the direction. The giving out of mince pies and satsumas as the audience arrive is a wonderful idea and the whole auditorium is filled with the smell of warm mince pies and orange!!
A wonderful evening, a real Christmas treat and runs just over 2 hours including an interval. It came down at 9.40 tonight after starting a few minutes late at 7.35pm. 5 stars - it gets the wickedgrin recommend! One of the best things I've seen this year. I could easily see it again....but from the "front" this time! But I think the tickets will be as hot as the mince pies!!!
P.S. A pleasure to meet David J who sought me out in the interval. Great to meet a board member for the first time! We had a great chat!
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Post by alexandra on Nov 29, 2017 11:26:56 GMT
I see it's recommended for age 11+. I want to take a 7 year old who's been to the theatre several times, won't be scared by people pretending to be ghosts, and knows how to behave. 11 seems very old, unless there's something really scary in it. Can anyone who's seen it say why this might be the recommendation?
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Post by ceebee on Nov 29, 2017 11:53:32 GMT
7 year old will be fine if they are used to the theatre. Box office advice is that the 11+ is rather like a PG rating at the cinema, due to supernatural inferences. Marley's ghost is the most obvious of these and is powerful rather than scary. There is nothing in this production that is scary - the power comes in the emotional cadence, and therefore some interesting questions might arise regarding life, death, redemption, forgiveness (which in my view is entirely healthy). I would say that an emotionally mature 7 year old will be fine, certainly not scared, but there are some stark and bleak casket scenes. (Apologies if this seems like an unintentional spoiler, but it's in the book!) The unbridled joy and uplift following redemption in the second half answers many of the questions that might get asked.
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Post by MrBunbury on Nov 29, 2017 12:57:32 GMT
Some £10 tickets (discounted) just released for tonight, codeword MERRY
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Post by alexandra on Nov 29, 2017 12:59:30 GMT
7 year old will be fine if they are used to the theatre. Box office advice is that the 11+ is rather like a PG rating at the cinema, due to supernatural inferences. Marley's ghost is the most obvious of these and is powerful rather than scary. There is nothing in this production that is scary - the power comes in the emotional cadence, and therefore some interesting questions might arise regarding life, death, redemption, forgiveness (which in my view is entirely healthy). I would say that an emotionally mature 7 year old will be fine, certainly not scared, but there are some stark and bleak casket scenes. (Apologies if this seems like an unintentional spoiler, but it's in the book!) The unbridled joy and uplift following redemption in the second half answers many of the questions that might get asked. Thanks, very helpful.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2017 23:58:16 GMT
The Guardian - 4* (https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/nov/29/a-christmas-carol-review-rhys-ifans-old-vic-london-jack-thorne) The Telegraph - 3* (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/call-scrooge-version-christmas-carol-needs-less-festive-cheer/)
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