A Little Life - Richmond/Harold Pinter/Savoy/ Cinema

You'll be absolutely fine.  The stage isn't particularly high at the Pinter.  I was sat in Row A in the stalls a few weeks back and had no issues at all.  I also booked Row A at the Savoy in July. 

Email received regarding Sunday's performance: -

Saw the production last night and gotta agree to those here who mentioned that the events depicted are so repetitively harrowing that it make you numb and non-responsive at some point.. i guess it’s a part of survival instinct when you psyche shies away from the whole thing trying to save your sanity. I have no idea how the company does do that, especially James Norton, what a brave move for an actor to accept such a challenge..
Some mild spoilers might follow.
I never read the book so I tried to build up some more of Malcom's and JB’s lives in my mind because I thought at some point these characters became a bit abandoned when the focus shifted entirely to Jude-Will relationship, which I found very moving indeed. I also don’t know whether any of this based on true events, but there are times of disbelief because it’s such an unthinkable trauma, the most brutal abuse at such young age that went on for years and years, THAT amount of trauma for one person, with a horrible impact on both mental and physical health and then when things are starting to get better (a thin chance, I was in tears overwhelmed with a feeling of joy for Jude who finally got to experience the loving kindness he deserved) and then there’s another hammer blow which is so unfair snd unnecessary.. I mean why as an author would you hate your characters so much? This made me very angry, maybe that was intentional.. I would deffo cut the last 10 minutes If I was in charge…
As already stated, you cannot really ‘enjoy’ a show like this, but I’ll never regret I went even though it might be the most distressing thing I saw in theatre ever. And I’m afraid it will stay with me for a while…

Yes I do understand that, and I love myself a sad ending when it actually fits. There’s something beautiful in that as well, when, take The Crucible, you are given a glimpse of hope and then it’s brutally taken from you, but you sit there thinking: yes, it works. I would not want any other ending, would not trade it for anything, because it’s in character and giving them a happy ending would be denying their true nature. And this is a good example of an author loving a character, being devoted to them even when they are sending them to a death sentence.
But the tragedy of losing hope here throws there entire thing into the litter for me. I was digging this before - a play about love, painful as it, how it can save us, how being intimate, giving in to someone, trust completely would feel so rewarding, so freeing that even a person with such a horrible past can begin to live again, which seemed impossible before. But now with that being thrown at Jude in the last 10 mins what does it add? Which idea it promotes now? It just makes no sense to me.. maybe someone could comment how it felt while reading a book..

Publication of the playtext (NHBA) postponed from April 27th to May 11th

I thought this was excellent. James Norton will probably get lots of awards in the next season. How he has the stamina to do this 8 times a week is beyond me. Truly remarkable.

The onstage seating is great. Beware of row CC though as there's backstage coming through at times. The day I went you could hear backstage people chatting and even having a fit of giggles during one of the quiet moments in the play which was very annoying

For me, it doesn't work.

I loved the book, didn't think it would work well as a play and I feel like I've been proven correct. My main feeling is that whilst I was at times uncomfortable, and felt a great deal of the anguish that characters on stage felt, I was rarely actually affected by what I saw on stage. In drilling this down into a 3 hour something play, all of the love and friendship and hope has been removed. What you're left with is pain, torture and abuse, which is very skilfully laid out, but I sat there quite numb for many hours. Without any of the good, the story of this man who just cannot ever escape the demons of the abuse he suffered as a chid fails to feel anywhere near as tragic as it does when it's slowly laid out on the page. You needed to spend time with the four friends as actual friends, you needed to spend time seeing Willem care passionately for Jude and slowly fall in love with him. Instead they fall out by the tenth minute, and when Jude and Willem decide to be together the focus is on the difficult sexual side of the relationship that then ensues. The rare moment where they dance to music and kiss was beautiful, and for me it's only in these moments where Jude's unending trauma and the love Jude's friends and family show him clash, that the tragedy of the story really lives.

The part of it that I thought did work on this level was the relationship between Jude and Harold, which seemed to have a little bit more time. The scene where Harold adopts Jude was exceptional. Zubin Varla also gives a great monologue at the end, although why bewilderingly he had to step out unlit into the audience (where I'm guessing anyone in the circles was unable to see him) to give it, I cannot say. And to be fair there were many great performances, many great technical moments. The direction of some terrifying scenes is very competent.

That all said, I don't think Ivo Van Hove was the right person to adapt this. I think if you wanted to give this story a go you'd need to split it into 2 parts, 4 acts, let it play out over 5 hours, bring back into it fun and friendship, maybe let the audience laugh a bit more often. I'd also personally cut out Dr Traylor which stretches credulity on stage.

I've written more than I meant to. I liked a lot of things in this, I just don't think it achieves anything by it ruthlessly keeping in every single moment of torture from the book at the exclusion of everything else.

Agree. And it would be more truthful to the relationship dynamics in the book.

I'd love to know if they ever thought of this approach. Angels in America and The Inheritance have shown there is an audience (albeit it somewhat on the limited side) for longer works, even if in two parts.

Saw this tonight. The acting was fantastic, but watching 3:40 worth of misery is not something I want to ever repeat. I think Norton deserves awards for his performance. The abuse was just so repetitive it got really old for me. I think they could trim an hour off this and you wouldn't lose anything. This needs more light moments to stop it from being such a depressing show - I am not saying I need a happy ending but just scene after scene of abuse gets really old and tiresome. I get it. He was horribly abused.

Also, for anyone who has read the book I have a question about his doctor friend. How are they friends? He seemed older - were they at school together? If they explained their relationship, I missed it.

Thank you!

I saw the matinee today and now feel like I want to curl up in a ball and just cry for the rest of the night.