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Post by bordeaux on Feb 14, 2024 15:23:42 GMT
This is as fabulous as everyone says it is. Very funny, real, full of believable characters and situations, moving too and with the politics under the surface rather than dominating. More important than a transfer, it should tour - it would be great to see how it was received in areas around where it is set.
Enjoyed the 6.30 start - out by 9.00 and back in Bristol by 11.03 rather than the usual 1.30 a.m. I'd like to see that as a regular option.
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Post by adamkinsey on Feb 14, 2024 20:34:06 GMT
Producer David Pugh - Pride & Prejudice (Sort Of) among others - just posted this on X:
"Went to the @nationaltheatre tonight to see ‘Till the stars come down’. Paid £65 and couldn’t hear. As it happened it was a signed performance but unfortunately I don’t understand sign language so I went home."
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6,319 posts
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Post by Jon on Feb 14, 2024 20:43:06 GMT
Producer David Pugh - Pride & Prejudice (Sort Of) among others - just posted this on X: "Went to the @nationaltheatre tonight to see ‘Till the stars come down’. Paid £65 and couldn’t hear. As it happened it was a signed performance but unfortunately I don’t understand sign language so I went home." Wonder where he was sitting, I went and sat in the cheap seats and heard every word. The cynical side of me wonders if he wants a freebie from the National.
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Post by adamkinsey on Feb 14, 2024 21:01:47 GMT
Producer David Pugh - Pride & Prejudice (Sort Of) among others - just posted this on X: "Went to the @nationaltheatre tonight to see ‘Till the stars come down’. Paid £65 and couldn’t hear. As it happened it was a signed performance but unfortunately I don’t understand sign language so I went home." Wonder where he was sitting, I went and sat in the cheap seats and heard every word. The cynical side of me wonders if he wants a freebie from the National. I noticed someone posted on this thread last week and said they missed some of the dialogue, so I was interested to see someone else (albeit on X) saying even worse.
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Post by artea on Feb 14, 2024 23:53:43 GMT
On the sound: £65 tickets today front row circle, sound did come and go, probably according to which direction character was facing and maybe the pitch of the voice. Some lines were inaudible but not so many. You can't really can't leave before the end - it's just too gripping - you hear enough.
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Post by n1david on Feb 19, 2024 21:19:58 GMT
Gutted. At this evening’s performance, thought that the interval was running longer than usual, back into the auditorium and told second half cancelled due to cast illness. Have managed to book for Weds matinee in the hope that the cast member recovers, otherwise out of luck on this one…
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131 posts
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Post by blobble84 on Feb 19, 2024 22:01:44 GMT
Gutted. At this evening’s performance, thought that the interval was running longer than usual, back into the auditorium and told second half cancelled due to cast illness. Have managed to book for Weds matinee in the hope that the cast member recovers, otherwise out of luck on this one… I’ve just done the same! Out of interest - will you see act 1 again? I’m just going to come in for act 2.
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Post by n1david on Feb 19, 2024 22:12:03 GMT
Discussed this with my fellow attendee and I do plan to see Act 1 again, but I don't think they will. When the major plot development was revealed towards the end of Act 1 I thought, that's interesting, could I have spotted this background if I'd been watching more closely? So I think I will go back and watch Act 1 again with an eye to seeing whether I could spot later plot developments in the initial acting.
Out of interest, did you notice anyone in the cast underperforming in Act 1? I really couldn't see anyone who was under par, I thought everyone was firing on all cylinders.
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131 posts
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Post by blobble84 on Feb 19, 2024 22:15:16 GMT
Everyone seemed fine to me!
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Post by dlevi on Feb 20, 2024 7:35:59 GMT
I was there as well last night and thought it was pretty terrific. (Although it did take a while for me to get used to the thickness of the accents.) I didn't notice anyone under performing so it was a shock when after the extended interval they told us to go home. What I resented was that the probably could have told us 10 or 15 minutes earlier. To extend the interval , get us all back in the theatre have us settle down and then say: "Sorry" was disrespectful of our time and our effort to get there. What are we supposed to do? Go back and sit through act one again? I'm taking this badly because on Saturday the performance of King Lear at the Almeida was cancelled "due to illness - not COVID" That's two shows in a four day period. I understand that the economics of the subsidized sector are difficult. However, it's a new world and they just have to factor in understudies to their budgets. I am a die hard theatregoer but to have my time and effort disrespected ( as the prices go up and up and up) is forcing me to hesitate in buying tickets in the first place.
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Post by n1david on Feb 20, 2024 10:05:31 GMT
I would certainly have appreciated it if they had stopped the "Thanks for coming to see..." email this morning before the Box Office has got in touch about refunds!
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885 posts
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Post by lonlad on Feb 20, 2024 10:16:58 GMT
Well, to paraphrase a David Hare play title, stuff happens. LEAR missed two performances so a crucial cast member could recover fully from an injury sustained on press night (and so they could re-block some sections to accommodate that performer when they returned on Saturday night). The theatre is a fragile place and COVID has only amplified that but it's far from the only culprit.
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Post by Jon on Feb 20, 2024 14:04:33 GMT
Honestly, performers aren't robots and do get sick.
It is frustrating to have performances cancelled but it's not something theatres do lightly.
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Post by n1david on Feb 20, 2024 16:22:22 GMT
Cancelled again tonight. With the rest of the run completely sold out, there are going to be some disappointed punters out there..
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Post by aspieandy on Feb 20, 2024 16:26:58 GMT
A decent amount of guaranteed money down the crapper, as well.
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Post by carraway on Feb 21, 2024 12:47:41 GMT
Loved this. Writing, acting and directing are all spot on. The best production at the Dorfman for years.
5 Stars.
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Post by Being Alive on Feb 21, 2024 13:11:20 GMT
Dorfman (if I'm right) doesn't employ understudies whereas Lyttleton and Olivier do (as the increased capacity allows room in the budgets I imagine)
Unfortunately one of those things but has been the way in the Dorfman for as long as I can remember?
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3,071 posts
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Post by Rory on Feb 21, 2024 18:18:21 GMT
Some tickets now available on the NT site for performances for the remainder of this week.
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Post by bigredapple on Feb 22, 2024 21:09:49 GMT
Caught this tonight
Loved it! It deserves a WT transfer. I think I saw someone mention sohoplace, it would fit well there.
Genuinely funny, I laughed out loud which doesn’t happen often. Really great mix of drama and comedy, and it felt relatable.
Loved the vibe, intimate staging, and the cast are phenomenal!
I sincerely hope this has a second life after the NT
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Post by eatbigsea on Feb 22, 2024 21:15:23 GMT
I really loved this. A bit melodramatic but so well written and acted, and the plot twists really worked (why are adolescents the way that they are?) There was a school group in this evening and I’m not sure they were ready for the material, but they were engrossed and generally well behaved (apart from a few shrieks at the plot twists) and one lad raised his fists in the air in triumph when a particularly significant plot twist landed. It is always nice to see young people falling in love with theatre.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Feb 22, 2024 23:02:25 GMT
Caught this tonight Loved it! It deserves a WT transfer. I think I saw someone mention sohoplace, it would fit well there. Genuinely funny, I laughed out loud which doesn’t happen often. Really great mix of drama and comedy, and it felt relatable. Loved the vibe, intimate staging, and the cast are phenomenal! I sincerely hope this has a second life after the NT Yes it would be perfect there!
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Post by jennssz on Feb 27, 2024 13:24:00 GMT
Hi, I have a ticket available for this for tonight posted on the noticeboard if anyone is after a ticket.
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1,265 posts
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Post by mkb on Feb 27, 2024 15:09:43 GMT
There is a strangely powerful moment when family members, pretending to be celestial bodies, simulate orbits about one another. It shouldn't work; it's quite silly, but, aided by a bare, revolving circular stage (in the round) and effective lighting, it absolutely does.
This moment gets to the heart of Till the Stars Come Down, the magnetic bind between one another that is necessary for order to prevail. Unlike others, I do not see this as a "state of the nation" play, as what we're witnessing is timeless, namely the importance of family ties -- blood -- over other relationships. That it happens to take place in Nottinghamshire at a particular time seems less important. It could be any time, anywhere, just with different historical references.
Beth Steel's dialogue rings true, and the performances are first rate from all involved. The promise Steel showed previously, lastly in The House of Shades, is fully realised here. This is a must-see play that cannot fail to move you. I was in shreds by the end. There were plenty of laugh-out-loud lines along the way though. Like a real rollercoaster, the summits and troughs can be seen a mile off, but that just adds to the anticipation.
Five stars.
Act 1: 19:35-20:45 Act 2: 21:06-21:57
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Post by jampot on Feb 27, 2024 20:20:42 GMT
Is this being filmed for ntlive?
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Post by cavocado on Feb 27, 2024 20:25:34 GMT
Is this being filmed for ntlive? It's being filmed next Wednesday, but could just be for NT@Home.
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4,452 posts
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Post by Being Alive on Feb 27, 2024 21:21:31 GMT
God this is good.
Easily the best play I've seen so far this year. Cracking script, unbelievably relatable and real and a first rate cast.
Really hope it has a second life somewhere - it's great.
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Post by theatrekiwi on Feb 28, 2024 12:03:41 GMT
Another 5* from me after seeing this last night. Best play I've seen in a while, such a great cast.
Booked on a bit of a whim via NT Friday Rush, was looking for something to see this week and the 6:30pm start was very appealing alongside the reviews. Would be interesting if a few more productions did an earlier start one night a week.
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Post by avfan on Feb 29, 2024 12:14:43 GMT
Saw this last night and loved it. Fantastic cast and a really great script with some nice hooks and tension points to keep the audience engaged. Highly recommend if you get the chance.
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Post by Rory on Mar 2, 2024 17:18:02 GMT
Just out of the matinee. I adored this. One of the best new plays I've seen in aeons. They're all superb but Lorraine Ashbourne just chews the whole thing up and spits it out. Her performance is a tour de force. Yeah, it gets a bit soapy by the end but hell, I went along with it hook, line and sinker. This just simply must transfer somewhere!
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3,475 posts
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Post by showgirl on Mar 3, 2024 4:23:00 GMT
I liked, but didn't love this, so after all the rave comments here and reviews, it didn't live up to my expectations & the closest view to mine was eatbigsea's "A bit melodramatic but so well written and acted". Nevertheless I enjoyed it and definitely found it the best of all Beth Steel's plays so far and yes, Lorraine Ashbourne's character and performance were priceless. I hadn't noticed that Sinead Matthews was also appearing but as soon as I heard her squeaky, rasping voice, I recognised it and her; however, hers was the least annoying performance I've ever seen her give. What didn't work for me was that both the situations and scripts reached such a pitch in the second half that they had nowhere to go other than to continue at that level or rise to even greater complications and histrionics so imo, less would have been more.
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