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Post by Dave B on Apr 28, 2021 19:54:28 GMT
BAD NIGHTS AND ODD DAYS
THREE SHORT PLAYS BY
CARYL CHURCHILL
ABORTIVE, SEAGULLS, THREE MORE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
Directed by James Haddrell
Featuring Paul McGann
Celebrating 50 years since Caryl Churchill’s short play Abortive was broadcast on BBC Radio 3, we are delighted to transfer the play to the stage alongside rare revivals of one-act plays Seagulls (1978) and Three More Sleepless Nights(1980).
Best known for major works from the iconic Top Girls to the more recent A Number and Drunk Enough To Say I Love You, Churchill’s work spans the personal and the political, the local and global. For this intimate collection,Abortive is about a married couple reeling in the aftermath of a shocking event; Three More Sleepless Nights is about the arguments that we all know so well, where we speak too much or don’t speak at all; and in Seagulls, by far the most personal to Churchill, a telekinetic’s loss of power offers a powerful allegory about losing the ability to write.
Uniting all three plays is the razor-sharp, unforgettable writing that has made Caryl Churchill one of this country’s most important playwrights.
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On sale now
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1,863 posts
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Post by NeilVHughes on Apr 28, 2021 20:05:57 GMT
Was just about to book but no single seats.
Not a Theatre I have been to before and unlikely to now.
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Post by Jan on Apr 29, 2021 6:45:03 GMT
Was just about to book but no single seats. Not a Theatre I have been to before and unlikely to now. No singles ? Disgraceful. I have been to that theatre on and off for the last 40 years, I've *never* been there when it was more than 50% full and often much much less than that. I wonder what makes them think that in the current circumstances they will sell out this show so don't need every audience member they can get ? Is Paul McGann that much of a draw ? Because Caryl Churchill isn't. Some theatres are taking an opposite approach and prioritising singles - I think the Orange Tree has about 30% of tickets for singles (I forget the exact number). This seems a better idea - the people prepared to "risk" going to the theatre first will be the real enthusiasts, and those people are also the ones most likely to go on their own. |
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Post by talkingheads on Apr 29, 2021 7:40:11 GMT
I understand they need to sell as many tickets as possible, but no single seats at all is an absolute disgrace.
As for McGann, I'd say he's a pretty big draw (but then I'm speaking as a huge Doctor Who fan)
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Post by Jan on Apr 29, 2021 11:45:54 GMT
They have quite a few groups of 3, I wonder in practice how many people go to the theatre in groups of 3 in normal times never mind when they all have to be in the same bubble ?
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5,062 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 29, 2021 12:54:49 GMT
I live near to the Greenwich Theatre, I do go there, but would go there more if their programming was more appealing.
As Jan points out above, the venue doesn’t sell out and a lot of shows have very disappointing sales.
I do get in these tough times they need to maximise their revenue, but why do they need to use the same seating plan for every performance, can’t they have single friendly performances with more single seats up for sales a couple of times a week? Because there are no single seats available I can’t see this. What will likely happen will be there will be a lot of unsold seats and I will be able to ring up and get them to split a pair of seats.
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Post by Jan on Apr 29, 2021 15:40:24 GMT
I live near to the Greenwich Theatre, I do go there, but would go there more if their programming was more appealing. As Jan points out above, the venue doesn’t sell out and a lot of shows have very disappointing sales. One time I was there they had curtained off the back of the auditorium so only the front rows were in action - an admission of defeat. I am not really sure what the problem is, they've tried all sorts of programming and nothing has really worked. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 29, 2021 18:56:58 GMT
I agree.
It is bewildering as there is a lot money in the area, with Greenwich/Blackheath one of the most affluent parts of London, this with other areas nearby that aren’t poor., like Lewisham which has come into money in the last 10 years.
They’ve had great plays there in the past, see some of the posters on the stairs going up to the auditorium and it gets me salivating and wishing I saw those.
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Apr 30, 2021 21:27:43 GMT
I understand they need to sell as many tickets as possible, but no single seats at all is an absolute disgrace. As for McGann, I'd say he's a pretty big draw (but then I'm speaking as a huge Doctor Who fan) It’s not fair. Not everyone is coupled up with someone - maybe they just want to see a show on their own. The venue is spacious too - I don’t understand why they can’t facilitate this. More needs to be done in my opinion. |
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Apr 30, 2021 21:29:13 GMT
I agree. It is bewildering as there is a lot money in the area, with Greenwich/Blackheath one of the most affluent parts of London, this with other areas nearby that aren’t poor., like Lewisham which has come into money in the last 10 years. They’ve had great plays there in the past, see some of the posters on the stairs going up to the auditorium and it gets me salivating and wishing I saw those. I studied and lived there - it is very strange. There was the theatre next to Greenwich Station which just vanished. It’s frustrating as Greenwich Theatre has potential but the programming is strange. The last production I saw was Brooklyn and a fight broke out in the auditorium in the interval.... Classy people. |
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Post by fiyero on Apr 30, 2021 21:33:41 GMT
I understand they need to sell as many tickets as possible, but no single seats at all is an absolute disgrace. As for McGann, I'd say he's a pretty big draw (but then I'm speaking as a huge Doctor Who fan) It’s not fair. Not everyone is coupled up with someone - maybe they just want to see a show on their own. The venue is spacious too - I don’t understand why they can’t facilitate this. More needs to be done in my opinion. They do say to contact them for different sized bubbles on the booking page. Maybe booking single seats is the new equivalent of leaving single seats, we can't do it but the box office can! |
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Post by Phantom of London on May 1, 2021 1:49:36 GMT
I agree. It is bewildering as there is a lot money in the area, with Greenwich/Blackheath one of the most affluent parts of London, this with other areas nearby that aren’t poor., like Lewisham which has come into money in the last 10 years. They’ve had great plays there in the past, see some of the posters on the stairs going up to the auditorium and it gets me salivating and wishing I saw those. I studied and lived there - it is very strange. There was the theatre next to Greenwich Station which just vanished. It’s frustrating as Greenwich Theatre has potential but the programming is strange. The last production I saw was Brooklyn and a fight broke out in the auditorium in the interval.... Classy people. People finding in the interval for Brooklyn, I knew it was bad, but it wasn’t that bad. BTW - I did see Brooklyn. |
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5,062 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on May 1, 2021 1:51:37 GMT
I agree. It is bewildering as there is a lot money in the area, with Greenwich/Blackheath one of the most affluent parts of London, this with other areas nearby that aren’t poor., like Lewisham which has come into money in the last 10 years. They’ve had great plays there in the past, see some of the posters on the stairs going up to the auditorium and it gets me salivating and wishing I saw those. I studied and lived there - it is very strange. There was the theatre next to Greenwich Station which just vanished. It’s frustrating as Greenwich Theatre has potential but the programming is strange. The last production I saw was Brooklyn and a fight broke out in the auditorium in the interval.... Classy people. People finding in the interval for Brooklyn, I knew it was bad, but it wasn’t that bad. BTW - I did see Brooklyn. There was pre-Covid plans to build a new theatre in Greenwich, not sure of the status now, but 2 theatres in Greenwich. |
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on May 1, 2021 11:38:58 GMT
I studied and lived there - it is very strange. There was the theatre next to Greenwich Station which just vanished. It’s frustrating as Greenwich Theatre has potential but the programming is strange. The last production I saw was Brooklyn and a fight broke out in the auditorium in the interval.... Classy people. People finding in the interval for Brooklyn, I knew it was bad, but it wasn’t that bad. BTW - I did see Brooklyn. There was pre-Covid plans to build a new theatre in Greenwich, not sure of the status now, but 2 theatres in Greenwich. It was so strange!!! My friend and I were just talking and then it came out of nowhere. No front of house staff intervened it was bizarre. It was good seeing Brooklyn in context but SUCH A STRANGE SHOW. I know Punchdrunk will have one in Woolwich I think - not that far away. |
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5,062 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on May 1, 2021 12:00:43 GMT
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Post by Jan on May 1, 2021 12:09:38 GMT
I agree. It is bewildering as there is a lot money in the area, with Greenwich/Blackheath one of the most affluent parts of London Same applies to Kingston here in the west and the Rose theatre there has similar problems. |
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Post by Phantom of London on May 1, 2021 19:54:30 GMT
I agree and Kingston and surrounding area also isn’t poor, think the same happens as well for the Richmond Theatre, again in a very affluent area.
You think all 3 could sell out a well known play for a week’s run. We are only talking 2500 - 4000 tickets, which isn’t much considering each theatre has a catchment of a 1m.
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Post by Jan on May 2, 2021 15:09:09 GMT
I agree and Kingston and surrounding area also isn’t poor, think the same happens as well for the Richmond Theatre, again in a very affluent area. You think all 3 could sell out a well known play for a week’s run. We are only talking 2500 - 4000 tickets, which isn’t much considering each theatre has a catchment of a 1m. I think Richmond theatre does a lot better than those other two, but of course it is just a receiving house. |
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Post by Phantom of London on May 2, 2021 16:28:46 GMT
That’s true, it is just a receiving house.
I have been to Richmond and it has been practically empty, especially a play. I have only been to Kingston twice though. Saying that I would have thought Kingston would do better. Just had a look on Google Maps and Kingston seems to be helmed in by Richmond Park and Hampton Court, saying that it still has a massive catchment area and I include in that North Surrey.
The Rose Theatre is quite a trek from Kingston Station, wondering if it is easy to park near there?
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Post by Jan on May 2, 2021 19:36:19 GMT
That’s true, it is just a receiving house. I have been to Richmond and it has been practically empty, especially a play. I have only been to Kingston twice though. Saying that I would have thought Kingston would do better. Just had a look on Google Maps and Kingston seems to be helmed in by Richmond Park and Hampton Court, saying that it still has a massive catchment area and I include in that North Surrey. The Rose Theatre is quite a trek from Kingston Station, wondering if it is easy to park near there? I’ve been to Richmond theatre several times when it’s been sold out, when it’s been a “mainstream” touring production appealing to the local audience. I’ve never been to the Rose when it’s been even more that half full, and often much less, even with similar types of production. It is far too big for a start - Peter Hall’s folly. It is not that convenient to get to by public transport, no idea on the parking. |
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Post by Phantom of London on May 3, 2021 2:08:41 GMT
I have walked up an hour before the performance and got a ATG cardholder day ticket and been asked where do I want to sit.
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Post by TallPaul on May 3, 2021 9:29:31 GMT
I appreciate I'm an outsider, but I'm going to give my two penneth regardless.
It's a *bit* of a sweeping generalisation, but if theatregoing is considered a pastime of ABC1s, weren't they, until March 2020, mostly commuting to work some distance from the London boroughs of Greenwich, Kingston and Richmond?
I know when I worked in central London, I only ever went to the theatre in central London.
You can have the best programming in the sector, but if your potential audience is still in central London at curtain up, you'll always be performing to a half empty house.
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Post by NeilVHughes on May 3, 2021 9:47:48 GMT
Good point @tallpaul.
Always easier to catch a bit of food and go to the Theatre after work if you worked in central London.
The change in work practices which as you say will likely impact ABC1s the most could change the landscape as the local/regional Theatres will pick up the weeknight crowd who don’t want the hassle of going into central London and just want to get out of the house for a few hours.
Richmond is one of my favourite Theatres and catch most touring productions there and often double up with the Orange Tree to make a day of it, the Rose is one where I always drive, the car park is just round the corner as the trains are just too much of a pain. The Rose is often fullish when I go but this is most probably due to only going to popular shows and the Rose will always have a soft spot as the The War of the Roses trilogy in one day was one of the best days I have had in any Theatre.
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Post by Phantom of London on May 3, 2021 23:15:54 GMT
Need to fess up, I had to Google ABC1s, so who knew and I thought Tallpaul was talking about an old chain of cinemas.
So if you are saying that because ABC1s will be working from home, this could be very good for local theatre and therefore bad for West End theatre, that in itself isn’t a good thing, especially with no tourist economy. I also think that working from home isn’t healthy in the long term, as people need a kind of social structure to their mundane lives.
I like Richmond theatre too, I have only been to the Orange Tree theatre twice, it is quite small and is like the Donmar Warehouse. But great for doubling up, also good that it is on a fast train to Waterloo. Richmond theatre is the theatre where I get my best bargains from and I am quite sure Neil is aware how to.
I don’t know how you get more people to go and support there local theatre.
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Post by NeilVHughes on May 4, 2021 5:27:05 GMT
I’m pretty sure it isn’t a good thing for the West End if this happens but could be an unexpected consequence if the move to home/hybrid working is the future for office workers.
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