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Post by zahidf on Oct 27, 2021 7:00:31 GMT
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Post by Jan on Oct 27, 2021 8:34:31 GMT
Ha ha. Everyone to blame except themselves. This “ever changing environment” of restrictions is the one that’s been in force unchanged since July ? With cases now falling the restrictions are unlikely to change any time soon. Given the self-isolation rules though staging a production with 24 in the cast at this point does seem a bit foolish. |
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Post by lynette on Oct 27, 2021 14:26:45 GMT
I think it isn’t the kind of thing most people would book for the perhaps one and only pre Xmas treat. And it will be on the telly. And what with two previous manifestations, ie play 1 and play 2, do we really want play 3? To my mind, after Anne Boleyn, who’s interested? Better a trip to Six with the kids and Grandma - short, funny, loud, feels like an outing. Can learn the songs….
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Post by Jan on Oct 27, 2021 17:47:42 GMT
There is a good list of plays up the thread which may make it to WE after having been postponed. I bet Oedipus would sell out the entire run immediately despite “current uncertainties” which are a pure smokescreen. Most of the others would too. You need star power, then there’s suddenly no problem (as at the Almeida currently).
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Post by Jon on Oct 27, 2021 18:55:04 GMT
There is a good list of plays up the thread which may make it to WE after having been postponed. I bet Oedipus would sell out the entire run immediately despite “current uncertainties” which are a pure smokescreen. Most of the others would too. You need star power, then there’s suddenly no problem (as at the Almeida currently). Oedipus was announced but never confirmed a theatre or dates so it could be pushed back without bother. Both Mark Strong and Helen Mirren have film commitments at the moment so probably it's about finding a suitable date in 2022 or even 2023. |
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Post by jek on Oct 28, 2021 7:01:17 GMT
Nicholas Hytner has just been on the Radio 4 Today programme in reference to the Mirror and the Light announcement saying that they at the Bridge have put a lot of money into staging the Book of Dust - large cast and high production values - over Christmas. He said that as people are being slow to book, out of concern as to what the winter will bring, they are therefore aware of the big financial risk they are taking. Anyway it was at around about 7.40 am if anyone wants to catch up with the interview on BBC Sounds.
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Post by zahidf on Oct 28, 2021 7:32:35 GMT
Its probably more that people are reluctant to book for a show which was niche anyway due to the length of gap between the parts 2 and 3. It would have struggled anyway without Covid, but may have gone into Stratford first to get more of a buzz
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Post by Rory on Oct 28, 2021 9:14:10 GMT
As mentioned in the other thread, and as some predicted, 2:22 A Ghost Story takes over the Gielgud from 4th December until 12th Feb. No Mondays and two Sunday performances.
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Post by Mark on Oct 28, 2021 10:03:38 GMT
Very difficult show commercially though - being "part 3" of a trilogy which played years ago. They'd be wise to stick 2:22 A Ghost Story into the Gielgud for a few more months before Mockingbird starts. Well I seem to have a good sense of what sells 🤣 |
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Post by rosscoe on Nov 14, 2021 5:26:47 GMT
I absolutely loved it , a thrilling production that ended a great trilogy of plays.
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Post by cavocado on Nov 24, 2021 11:03:47 GMT
I enjoyed this. I thought Miles/Mantel did a decent job and the cast were excellent. Nothing challenging or spectacular about it, but a good evening's entertainment, intelligently done and with lots of humour. Someone sitting behind me was complaining loudly in the interval with a long list of Mantel's historical inaccuracies, but that's not really the point - it's fictionalised, she's created a great character, and it was a good piece of theatre.
I think the timing/location was unfortunate. It would have worked well in Stratford, and it's a shame they couldn't have shelved it for a couple of years and done the whole trilogy. But it still works as a standalone, and was well worth the £20 for a rush ticket.
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Post by Jon on Nov 24, 2021 22:02:15 GMT
I did roll my eyes during ALW's interview on Front Row when Samira Ahmed suggested that The Mirror and the Light's cancellation of the extension was due to lack of tourists. I'm not sure if tourists would have saved the show.
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Post by Jan on Nov 25, 2021 7:15:20 GMT
I did roll my eyes during ALW's interview on Front Row when Samira Ahmed suggested that The Mirror and the Light's cancellation of the extension was due to lack of tourists. I'm not sure if tourists would have saved the show. I was talking to a producer not connected with the show who had seen it - he said he thought the main problem was that despite all the elements being in place it was lacking something in the adaptation and so it simply wasn't compelling theatre. |
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Post by cavocado on Nov 25, 2021 10:07:33 GMT
I did roll my eyes during ALW's interview on Front Row when Samira Ahmed suggested that The Mirror and the Light's cancellation of the extension was due to lack of tourists. I'm not sure if tourists would have saved the show. I was talking to a producer not connected with the show who had seen it - he said he thought the main problem was that despite all the elements being in place it was lacking something in the adaptation and so it simply wasn't compelling theatre. Yes, it was a decent piece of work, but not spectacular. I'm glad I saw it and I enjoyed it, but it's not something I'll remember for years. From what I remember of the pre-publicity it seemed to be promoted as the must-see final part of the Cromwell story. That's fine for attracting people who saw the first two plays (as long as they can still remember them) or have read the books, but perhaps also makes it unappealing for others without that knowledge of the story so far. Which is a shame, because I think it does work as a standalone play, but I'm not sure how you get people to see it as such. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Nov 25, 2021 11:25:14 GMT
One of the challenges of any retelling of the Tudor period is that we all know what happens. There is no jeopardy. There are no surprises.
You have to do something radical to make it feel fresh and worth travelling to see.
Reframing it from Cromwell's perspective is not compelling enough to do that.
The first two plays had a sense of event theatre to them. But this really didn't.
They should have waited. Reopened the Swan with the full trilogy (and get Poulton back to write the script). Then it would have stood a chance.
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