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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2017 21:50:53 GMT
Think I might've just rumbled some casting for the already announced The Seagull at Lyric Hammersmith.
Or am I reading too deeply into it?
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Post by Jan on Mar 10, 2017 8:55:05 GMT
Think I might've just rumbled some casting for the already announced The Seagull at Lyric Hammersmith. Or am I reading too deeply into it? Where is The Bear playing ? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2017 9:00:36 GMT
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Post by Jan on Mar 10, 2017 12:31:56 GMT
Oh yes, thanks, I remember that now, the description of the cast as "gender-fierce" put me right off that one. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2017 10:23:06 GMT
Has nobody else been to this? It's opened, got a number of four star reviews, is a lucid, moving piece of theatre and yet no comments at all. The house was barely half full in the stalls as well so something is amiss. Since its refurbishment they've been doing brilliant outreach and community work but the main stage programme seems piecemeal and the buzz of Secret Theatre has dissipated.
All of this is is a crying shame as this is well worth anyone's time, with a (four) seasonal journey through the year culminating in a chilling wintry final act. Compared to Albion, which I saw in the evening, the acting laurels go to the older performers rater than being generationally shared but Holmes has crafted a production that deserves better publicity and houses.
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Post by Jan on Oct 15, 2017 10:48:18 GMT
Has nobody else been to this? It's opened, got a number of four star reviews, is a lucid, moving piece of theatre and yet no comments at all. The house was barely half full in the stalls as well so something is amiss. Since its refurbishment they've been doing brilliant outreach and community work but the main stage programme seems piecemeal and the buzz of Secret Theatre has dissipated. All of this is is a crying shame as this is well worth anyone's time, with a (four) seasonal journey through the year culminating in a chilling wintry final act. Compared to Albion, which I saw in the evening, the acting laurels go to the older performers rater than being generationally shared but Holmes has crafted a production that deserves better publicity and houses. I am going to this soon. Immediately prior to the refurbishment the place was generally full but since the reopening auidience numbers are well down - shows how risky it is to close for an extended period during which audiences and fashion can easily move on. I expect the Riverside Studios, reopening next year, will experience similar problems - possibly fatally in their case. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2017 11:07:22 GMT
Do you know that as a fact about audience numbers? Or is it just anecdotal, based on the production and performance you have happened to attend? I saw last year's Lyric Classic Play in this annual slot as part of a healthy audience.
Last night, I attended a wonderful concert and Q&A as part of an audience of fewer than twenty and recognised many composers, ex-professors, etc. amongst that audience. I may have been the only non-professional present. How do we let people know what they are missing?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2017 11:21:26 GMT
Has nobody else been to this? It's opened, got a number of four star reviews, is a lucid, moving piece of theatre and yet no comments at all. The house was barely half full in the stalls as well so something is amiss. Since its refurbishment they've been doing brilliant outreach and community work but the main stage programme seems piecemeal and the buzz of Secret Theatre has dissipated. All of this is is a crying shame as this is well worth anyone's time, with a (four) seasonal journey through the year culminating in a chilling wintry final act. Compared to Albion, which I saw in the evening, the acting laurels go to the older performers rater than being generationally shared but Holmes has crafted a production that deserves better publicity and houses. I was supposed to go during the first week But quite honestly It was a weds And I was having my afternoon nap And then couldn’t be bothered Sometimes daytime sleeping is fatal for energy levels later on in the evening I also don’t like going to Lyric I don’t like the location or the venue I used to see everything there But their programming is so sparse and weird now I can’t be bothered Also it did get 3 stars from ES 3 stars Time Out 3 stars from Times 2 stars from Telegraph The combination of venue And far from glowing reviews Won’t have helped What’s ironic is If this same version was playing At RC or NT With Stephens name attached It would probably be sold out It just shows how important the venue can be |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2017 11:26:20 GMT
I wanted to add
I don’t even think of the Lyric
As a proper theatre venue anymore
This is due to their own fault as they haven’t had any focus in terms of programming
And the fact they show a panto
And their biggest success
Was Bugsy Malone
Which they revived
It hardly cries theatrical excellence
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2017 11:31:02 GMT
It also got a five star and four (or more?) four star ones, so easily enough for adverts to be noticed. The summer runs of Bugsy Malone sold out really well and the same with the pantomime. The difficulty is that they are currently finding mutually exclusive audiences that won't book for most things, that's more like a regional venue that has a limited geographical reach.
EDIT: was writing my post before you'd mentioned Bugsy and panto.....
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2017 11:33:30 GMT
The Lyric Hammersmith is, in part, a neighbourhood, or regional, theatre so it produces and presents a range of work, of interest to different audience sectors.
EDIT: I wrote this before the Cardinal posted above! |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2017 12:53:51 GMT
I really like the venue and the bar, but the programming alternating between interesting experimental stuff and family musicals / pantos means it tends to drop off my radar. In particular I loved the Secret Theatre season, but the next show they did after the re-opening was the lengthy run of Bugsy Malone. Agree with the above that there's a perfectly good reason for this mixed programming. Maybe they should market the two strands separately with multi-buy or subscription deals for the non-family stuff.
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Post by Jan on Oct 15, 2017 16:40:15 GMT
Do you know that as a fact about audience numbers? Or is it just anecdotal, based on the production and performance you have happened to attend? I saw last year's Lyric Classic Play in this annual slot as part of a healthy audience. Anecdotal but it is my local theatre and I know people who go to most productions (more than me) and I always ask them how many were there. They put that Filter "Midsummer Nights Dream" on both before and after the closure and the audience seemed well down. Personally I can't see a single thing that changed as a result of the refurbishment - it was all behind the scenes - hardly seems worth losing an audience for. It has always been wildly variable in quality - two of the very worst things I've ever seen were there but there have been some very good things too, "Metamorphosis" for example. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2017 16:43:08 GMT
The building, however, was buzzing, with a children’s show, dance classes and so on. That’s what the refurb brought. It would just be a shame if the mainstage now lacked its previous impact.
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Post by Jan on Oct 15, 2017 16:47:49 GMT
The building, however, was buzzing, with a children’s show, dance classes and so on. That’s what the refurb brought. It would just be a shame if the mainstage now lacked its previous impact. Yes, in community terms it is good, also local residents can get free preview tickets for the main house stuff. I've sort of been cutting them a bit of slack recently as I suppose they need to strengthen their finances with stuff like Fantastic Mr Fox, Bugsy Malone and the pantomime. I don't think Holmes is much of a director though to be honest, might need some new blood. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2017 8:46:12 GMT
Not really about the Lyric production but there will be a film of 'The Seagull' released next year apparently starring Annette Bening as Irina, Saoirse Ronan as Nina, Billy Howle as Konstantin and Elizabeth Moss as Masha. Mare Winningham (Polina), Corey Stoll (Boris) and Brian Dennehy (Sorin) star too. Directed by Michael Mayer.
As you were.
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Post by NeilVHughes on Oct 22, 2017 17:07:33 GMT
Not much on here about this production.
Still cannot get over the juxtaposition of the new and the old, it’s like walking through a time portal when entering the Theatre, I know there were planning restrictions about keeping the old Theatre intact but believe this was a missed opportunity to build a medium sized Theatre to give Hampstead a run for it’s money.
An interesting take on The Seagull well worth a visit, with its sparse set, ethereal set changes along with the constant interaction through the fourth wall it perpetually pulled you into the production making you complicit in the inevitable end.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2017 10:56:35 GMT
Still cannot get over the juxtaposition of the new and the old, it’s like walking through a time portal when entering the Theatre, I know there were planning restrictions about keeping the old Theatre intact but believe this was a missed opportunity to build a medium sized Theatre to give Hampstead a run for it’s money. The Lyric Hammersmith is flexible. For example, Shopping and F***ing had raked onstage side seating. And next year they're turning it into a theatre in the round for the transfer of Chris Goode and Company's Jubilee from the Royal Exchange. |
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Post by Jan on Nov 1, 2017 17:05:07 GMT
This is quite good. The adaptation makes it slightly dumbed-down and some of the acting is a bit broad but it is quite a refreshing take on the play. Filled with school parties so plenty of audience reaction, they gasped at the moderately explicit sex scene.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2017 12:14:18 GMT
Chekhov still rules! I also recommend Uncle Vanya which runs until Saturday in-the-round in the Studio of Sheffield Theatres and The Cherry Orchard which ends tomorrow at the Sherman Theatre Cardiff. Simon Stephens, Peter Gill, Gary Owen - and Anton Chekhov!
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