The Homecoming - Young Vic

really hope not

Jamie Lloyd at least has an artistic vision for his productions. Dunster's work is just straight up pathetic - no vision and no sense of rhythm, dramatic insight and god awful at casting. 

I've previously said Matthew Dunster is the Laurence Connor of plays. He's hired because he's competent and a safe pair of hands.

Absolutely a good producer Jan and if you promise he won't direct a show on any of the three stages, I'll join you in your campaign!

Part of me is excited for this and another thinks nothing will surpass the brilliant 2012 RSC production. Neither the Jamie Lloyd or last year's touring production did. One of the best revivals I saw in the previous decade.

There was no gimmicks or artistic flair to it. It was a straight production but the direction from David Farr and performances from the cast like Nicholas Woodeson's Max and Jonathan Slinger's Lenny, delivered a tense and shocking production. I saw the ending coming and yet still left stunned by it.

Jamie Lloyd as a director, as people have discussed above, is style over substance. Maybe with the right people like James McAvoy can elevate his productions. Too much production values in his Homecoming and he directed the men to be over the top. Don't I recall he had the Teddy character bite on his hand out of shaking fear or something at one moment. Tried too hard to show how macho and misogynistic the men are when it's there in the play already before they're subverted by Ruth.

And I fear Matthew Dunster is going to do the same with this "bold, spare refocusing of Harold Pinter’s powerful masterpiece". Re-inventing the wheel as it were.

Whether an Artistic Director is a Director in the play/musical sense or the Director in the business sense being head of the Artistic output is always a fine balancing line. I wonder if ADs of producing houses have to commit to direct a certain number of players per year or part of their salary is dependent on this. If they are a programmer then do they have a budget to bring in directors or maybe have a resident director on the theatre staff even do it as a joint role.

I assume it varies because when David Lan was AD at the Young Vic he seemed to go years without directing or writing anything himself. Also interesting is how much time they are allowed to spend working for other organisations, for example Rupert Goold has directed a couple of things away from the Almeida recently in fairly quick succession. 

Saw an excellent version with Ian Holm, Lia Williams and I think Ian Hart at the Comedy now Harold Pinter Theatre must be 20 odd years ago now. I had wanted to see Ian Holm on stage but Lia stole the show and was superb.

That production was terrific - it originated at the Gate Theatre Dublin where I saw it. What became of its director Robin Lefevre? He was great. Has he retired?

For those interested, public booking opened at noon for this and Nachtland.

Painless and quite a bit of £12 front row still around

I saw it! thought it was excellent

Have they released all tickets? Both this and Nachtland seem to be sold out for top floors and lucky dip. Find this a bit weird.

I would guess they held a lot back. I went for the £12 front row, slightly worried about the traverse as Rory notes and would likely have tried a lucky dip instead if available. YV usually pretty good at taking staging into account so hopefully all good for mine.

I agree the Robin Lefevre/Ian Holm/Lia Williams production from the Gate at the Comedy (now Pinter) theatre in 2001 was superb. Even better was the National Theatre 1997 production directed by Roger Michell. David Bradley was the father, Keith Allen and Lindsay Duncan were the couple and two of the siblings were played by Eddie Marsan and Michael Sheen. Probably my favourite Pinter production ever.