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Post by Rory on Oct 30, 2017 1:38:08 GMT
This is very sad news, if true.
Sad for all those involved in this production specifically, but also for Marianne Elliott and Chris Harper. I hope that the setbacks faced by their inaugural show don't discourage them from producing something like Sophocles' Oedipus to Antigone (directed by Yael Farber), but I fear it might at least give pause for thought. At least Company should do well for a limited season.
As for Wyndham's, as from tomorrow's date (30th Oct) there are only 11 weeks before Sara Pascoe does a stint for one week starting 15th Jan (they may be sorry they've scheduled that now before Long Day's Journey into Night) so by the time they announce a closing date for Heisenberg and booking dates for any new show, it would be a short run only. Albion will not have time to transfer and wouldn't for such a short season.
McKellen's King Lear could maybe have a 7 or 8 week run or Kenwright could swiftly bring in The Best Man (tour finished on Saturday) but if anything goes in, it'll be a tight turnaround.
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Post by stefy69 on Oct 30, 2017 7:52:02 GMT
Oh that will be so sad news, very sorry for all involved in what I thought was an engrossing piece.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2017 8:42:54 GMT
Sad news if it is true. It's a good piece of drama with some cracking acting and it's a shame it hasn't found an audience/got the recognition it deserves. I'd sit through it 10 times over some of the plays being lauded as the second coming of drama right now (some of them I could of course FIT 10 viewings into one  ) |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2017 8:53:07 GMT
Yeah it's an expensive one to put up, though cheap to actually run. So if it runs a while it's a nice cheap one, but if it closes early that's a bit risk/potential loss.
Gah, really disappointed for them. It's a nice little play by Stephens- better than some of his other offerings as well- and in theory should have been a nice little opener for Elliott Harper.
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Post by bordeaux on Oct 30, 2017 9:52:02 GMT
Sad, yes, but I can't help feeling there was hubris on display here too. Putting a Simon Stephens two-hander in a West End theatre with Kenneth Cranham and Anne-Marie Duff, lasting 90 minutes at normal West End prices was never going to work. Well, maybe it would have with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Watson, say. But looking at the availability for later in November, you can't help but feel they would have struggled to fill the Donmar for two months.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2017 10:14:22 GMT
Very disappointed.
As I said above, this is a good play that deserves to do well. Is there room for such plays in the West End? Yes, of course there is and although it is a cliché to resort to such statement, if Thriller can last as long as it has and this has been forced to close early what does that say about 'Theatreland' in 2017?
Within ten years we risk the possibility that the West End will be full of musicals and 'family friendly' 'plays' like Harry bloody Potter...
I hope to be proved wrong.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2017 11:13:10 GMT
... if Thriller can last as long as it has and this has been forced to close early what does that say about 'Theatreland' in 2017? That the songs of Michael Jackson are widely popular to a large cross-section of society who are prepared to pay to see them staged - while slightly off-beat plays without Hollywood actors that get middling reviews are unlikely to run as long. It's just market forces. The Ferryman has just extended. Curious Incident ran for several years. New plays are doing all right - and they can live alongside musicals and extravaganzas just like they always have. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2017 12:23:52 GMT
Oh well. The Duffster will be back again. Thankfully.
Although what will happen to all that tumbleweed when this play closes?
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Post by n1david on Oct 30, 2017 13:08:54 GMT
Seems so unfair they may take an early bath if certain other plays manage to continue, naming no names. Was pondering, if the worst happens, whether the NT could get "Beginning" in to fill the gap. Set is about the right size, ends 14th so dates would tie in... wishful thinking but it would be nice if quality replaced quality at least. Interesting idea but can you imagine the headlines? "Rufus replaces flop with another flop". If Heisenberg is closing early, then it will be tainted and I couldn't see it going anywhere else (or revived any time soon in the UK) |
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Post by Rory on Oct 30, 2017 13:26:31 GMT
Seems so unfair they may take an early bath if certain other plays manage to continue, naming no names. Was pondering, if the worst happens, whether the NT could get "Beginning" in to fill the gap. Set is about the right size, ends 14th so dates would tie in... wishful thinking but it would be nice if quality replaced quality at least. Interesting idea but can you imagine the headlines? "Rufus replaces flop with another flop". If Heisenberg is closing early, then it will be tainted and I couldn't see it going anywhere else (or revived any time soon in the UK) I think he means putting "Beginning" into the Wyndham's to replace "Heisenberg", not vice versa. |
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Post by n1david on Oct 30, 2017 13:41:34 GMT
Interesting idea but can you imagine the headlines? "Rufus replaces flop with another flop". If Heisenberg is closing early, then it will be tainted and I couldn't see it going anywhere else (or revived any time soon in the UK) I think he means putting "Beginning" into the Wyndham's to replace "Heisenberg", not vice versa. Oh gosh yes, what was I thinking? Apologies Monkey. Yes, that's an interesting idea given that Beginning has sold out its entire run now. |
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Post by popcultureboy on Oct 31, 2017 9:36:04 GMT
We're all being a bit premature in saying it's definitely coming off, aren't we? There hasn't been any official announcement yet. They may just do massive discount sales and limp through to the end of the run. The issue would be timing. If they close November 11th, allowing for get outs and get ins, they only have 6 full playing weeks there (7 if they go right up to the Saturday before Sara Pascoe's week). They would need to announce both the closing of Heisenberg and the announcement of whatever they're replacing it with simultaneously and the incoming show would have SUCH a small window of on sale time that unless it's a gold plated juggernaut, it will struggle to fill seats for all the weeks it's playing.
They seem to have taken the top two levels off sale on the DMT site for the whole run and put all prices into stalls and dress, so I imagine if they did endless discount sales with all the big agents from now, it might give them enough of an audience to limp through to the end. Realistically, I think an early closure would just mean the venue went dark as the logistics of finding a show small enough to recoup and big enough to fill 6-7 weeks is not an easy one.
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Post by nash16 on Oct 31, 2017 10:23:17 GMT
We're all being a bit premature in saying it's definitely coming off, aren't we? There hasn't been any official announcement yet. They may just do massive discount sales and limp through to the end of the run. The issue would be timing. If they close November 11th, allowing for get outs and get ins, they only have 6 full playing weeks there (7 if they go right up to the Saturday before Sara Pascoe's week). They would need to announce both the closing of Heisenberg and the announcement of whatever they're replacing it with simultaneously and the incoming show would have SUCH a small window of on sale time that unless it's a gold plated juggernaut, it will struggle to fill seats for all the weeks it's playing. They seem to have taken the top two levels off sale on the DMT site for the whole run and put all prices into stalls and dress, so I imagine if they did endless discount sales with all the big agents from now, it might give them enough of an audience to limp through to the end. Realistically, I think an early closure would just mean the venue went dark as the logistics of finding a show small enough to recoup and big enough to fill 6-7 weeks is not an easy one. I have to agree that I feel they will struggle to find anything that would sell well with such short notice. It does depend on the deal Mackintosh offers the incoming shows producers though. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2017 10:29:05 GMT
I do hope it doesn't come off early, as if it does then I will have to miss out all together, but I think it's more likely that if they were to shutter early, they would just leave the theatre dark until the next show. A failing show and an empty theatre both lose money, but the former costs a LOT more than the latter.
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Post by Rory on Nov 3, 2017 10:37:17 GMT
Just heard early closure to be announced v soon. Hopefully this rumoured early closing isn't happening after all. It would surely have been announced this week otherwise? |
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Post by Rory on Nov 3, 2017 10:38:17 GMT
I clearly need to work on this quotes thing!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2017 10:45:01 GMT
I see Baz has praised Heisenberg in his weekly Mail Online article. I wonder if they're going to have a bit of a last-ditch attempt to raise its profile before going for the closure.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Nov 3, 2017 11:21:25 GMT
Oh poor Simon.
I have noticed a lot of freebies floating around for this one. A case of good play wrong venue I think.
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Post by Jan on Nov 3, 2017 12:59:51 GMT
A failing show and an empty theatre both lose money, but the former costs a LOT more than the latter. Why is that ? If they close early who do they stop paying ? The front of house staff I suppose. Are there break clauses in the contracts they give to the actors and stage crew when it’s supposed to be a fixed shortish run like this ? Is the playwright paid on a per performance basis ? Just curious why the difference in costs would be so large for a two-hander play. |
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Post by bellboard27 on Nov 3, 2017 15:54:29 GMT
An empty theatre's costs are easily cut - ...the loss of income from ... bar takings are indeed minimal by comparison. Unless of course @ryan is propping up the bar. |
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Post by martin1965 on Nov 3, 2017 17:50:21 GMT
Ive booked for 18 November, getting a bit nervous but surely they have to give a bit of notice?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2017 18:17:26 GMT
An empty theatre's costs are easily cut - ...the loss of income from ... bar takings are indeed minimal by comparison. Unless of course @ryan is propping up the bar.  |
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Post by showgirl on Nov 3, 2017 19:25:50 GMT
Or the bar is propping @ryan up?
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Post by loureviews on Nov 4, 2017 22:33:15 GMT
Just heard early closure to be announced v soon. Simon Stephens tweet about seeing the show last night backing up this news. He sounds gutted. I'm not surprised, but it is sad news. I really liked the play, and it should have found a home and an audience here. |
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Post by bellboard27 on Nov 5, 2017 15:37:29 GMT
It is a week since the news of early closure was posted here. The DM website today is still booking till January. However, there is massive availability for every day I have looked at.
Also, I noticed that they have put all of the front row on sale. So, there are no long technically 'day seats' as they can be bought in advance now at the day seat price of £19.50 till the end of the run. Of course anyone turning up at the theatre on the day ought to be offered a decent bargain.
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