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Post by mrbarnaby on Dec 10, 2022 9:46:31 GMT
On the Almeida website, they states it's an injury that caused Lydia Wilson to withdraw rather than health reasons. What rotten luck. She must be devastated, roles like this don’t come round all that often.
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Post by MrBunbury on Dec 14, 2022 16:45:51 GMT
Arriving late to comment (I was in Rome for work which sounds like a good reason to absent :-)), but the casting of Patsy Ferran goes so against my idea of Blanche that it is very exciting to imagine what she will do. I feel sorry for Lydia Wilson because being cast for a major production of Streetcar in London does not happen very often. Hopefully she will recover soon and be in another wonderful production elsewhere.
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Post by c4ndyc4ne on Dec 14, 2022 21:17:29 GMT
Arriving late to comment (I was in Rome for work which sounds like a good reason to absent :-)), but the casting of Patsy Ferran goes so against my idea of Blanche that it is very exciting to imagine what she will do. I feel sorry for Lydia Wilson because being cast for a major production of Streetcar in London does not happen very often. Hopefully she will recover soon and be in another wonderful production elsewhere. 100 per cent agree! I can imagine LW still being top tier theatrical currency - excited to see what she does next! As you say, Ferran is so against type that it's intriguing to see what she comes up with. Definitely feels like it's an exciting challenge for her as a performer. Expecting something similar to Blanchett's performance in Blue Jasmine.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Dec 16, 2022 14:36:00 GMT
There are some available seats for several performances before the end of the year. Also, I didn't realize this was in the roundish
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Post by stevemar on Dec 16, 2022 21:00:16 GMT
There are some available seats for several performances before the end of the year. Also, I didn't realize this was in the roundish Thanks so much - as always board members are just the best at sharing information on tickets! Just booked.
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Post by Dave B on Dec 17, 2022 11:59:05 GMT
Almedia have just tweeted that the first preview is tonight nd they have released tickets for across the run
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Post by couldileaveyou on Dec 17, 2022 12:07:21 GMT
Is anyone going tonight?
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Post by theoracle on Dec 17, 2022 13:31:30 GMT
Just got myself 2 tix for the new year. I knew more tickets would become available closer to the run. For those going, can you advise on what the view is like in the stalls on the other side of the stage? Or if this set up has been done before, can other board members say if the view is alright? Thanks
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Post by stevemar on Dec 17, 2022 13:49:11 GMT
The last play I saw at the Almeida “in the round” was Shipwreck in 2019. The view was fine and it was staged in a way which accommodated the seats at the side (I don’t recall if it was “fully” in the round).
The rear stage seats are £5 cheaper, so that would indicate perhaps more of the backs of heads, but proximity is a good thing and I’m sure it will be fine. Obviously no one has yet seen this staging, so let’s see.
As a matter of interest, which plays at the Almeida have been staged in the round? Albion was traverse with a long stage jutting out into the stalls.
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Post by frauleinsallybowles on Dec 17, 2022 14:31:02 GMT
Happy I managed to get a ticket to a performance of this next year. Regarding the seating, do remember that Rebecca Frecknall directed the production of Cabaret in the round, and I thought she did a fabulous job of having the actors plays to all sides.
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Post by nottobe on Dec 17, 2022 16:50:33 GMT
Managed to get one of the restricted view seats on the opposite side of the stage. I have had the £10 restricted tickets many times and only had a bad view for Ink. I am curious why it is only a pair of restricted view seats on the opposite bank but for a tenner it is hopefully great value.
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Post by stevemar on Dec 17, 2022 18:28:10 GMT
[quote author=" kit66" source=[/quote]I think ROPE and the marvellous BOY was performed in the round[/quote] Oh yes, BOY was very unusual staging - basically a luggage conveyor belt going through the audience. Found a video here almeida.co.uk/boy-timelapseThere was also Game at the Almeida where the cast were inside a box - like observing the Big Brother House, with headphones. Very voyeuristic. Getting back to topic, I suspect Streetcar will be a rather simpler concept!
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Post by QueerTheatre on Dec 20, 2022 14:05:12 GMT
Does anyone know the runtime? Im going to the matinee on the 30th, and meant to be off to Ian McKellen's Mother Goose after
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Post by couldileaveyou on Dec 20, 2022 14:17:03 GMT
Does anyone know the runtime? Im going to the matinee on the 30th, and meant to be off to Ian McKellen's Mother Goose after I saw someone on twitter say almost 3 hours, which sounds about right for Streetcar
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Post by ShoreditchTom on Dec 20, 2022 14:37:04 GMT
Looks like they've just added circle standing for £10 each on all dates...
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Post by mrnutz on Dec 20, 2022 16:05:27 GMT
We have some votes (including a 1 star!) but no comments. Please share your thoughts, folks!
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Post by alessia on Dec 20, 2022 16:25:14 GMT
Yes, v intrigued by the 1 star vote! That bad?
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Post by G on Dec 21, 2022 0:01:32 GMT
Does anyone know the runtime? Im going to the matinee on the 30th, and meant to be off to Ian McKellen's Mother Goose after It was 1.40h + interval + 1h (as advertised at the entrance yesterday (Monday) night, and sounds about right although I didn’t time it) Rebecca Frecknall came on right before the start to briefly relay about Patsy Ferran having joined the company at the very last minute. Patsy Ferran was holding a notebook throughout the play (to jog her memory for her lines most likely, but very rarely looked at it during the first half; more frequently in the second) and called out ‘line’ once - this did not detract from the experience at all, it all very seamless. She did such a great job! Wouldn’t it be a risky choice to join at such a late stage and risk being remembered for doing a so-so job due to little time to prepare - well, risk masterfully averted, she was excellent as were all other actors. First time I have seen a production of Streetcar and knew little to nothing about it - found it very moving and affecting.
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Post by foxa on Dec 21, 2022 0:18:45 GMT
Just got home from seeing it tonight and am still getting my thoughts together. I think this will be a very different production in January. Before the play began,the director, Rebecca Frecknall, introduced herself to the audience, explained that this was essentially their 3rd preview, with Ferran, who she described as 'the bravest person I know,' taking over on very short notice.
Although she does extraordinarily well, the lack of rehearsal for Patsy Ferran is obvious - she carries a book with her and although she only referred to it a couple of times, you were aware of it, which made it harder to lose yourself in the play and also, at times, made me anxious as if it could all fall apart at anytime. I loved Frecknall's Summmer & Smoke,which also starred Ferran and also had a minimalistic set. However, the minimalism worked better with that play - I couldn't help but miss the curtains, the significant empty chair, the bed, etc which are so important to Streetcar. It also, given the lack of rehearsal, gave extra problems for Ferran who was constantly having props handed to her and dressing/undressing onstage. Overall, I didn't love the design - another rain curtain (it was the chilliest seeming Streetcar I've ever seen which made all the talk of the heat seem a bit ridiculous and the poor actors were needlessly damp a lot), incredibly ugly costumes for Stella. I would be surprised if they don't look again at the staging of the ending - it was unfocused and very disappointing.
Yet there were sections that worked very well. I liked Dwayne Walcott's Mitch, played more attractively than usual and particularly his scene at the end of Act 1 with Ferran was strong. Ferran is an intelligent actor who is always watchable. Paul Mescal is fine - in a way this role works against his obvious strengths as an actor, but he found some moments. It's such a great play and there are talented people involved, so it's not going to be a waste of anyone's time.
Very attentive audience, a few standing at the end.
So I gave it 3 stars - though they really, really need to fix the ending.
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Post by catcat100 on Dec 21, 2022 0:25:50 GMT
Saw this tonight and enjoyed it quite a lot. Its not a play I've seen before so went in blind.
Its not quite there yet, Patsy Ferran has done a great job in getting where she is now, booklet in hand (which kind off merges into her character) that she only uses on a couple of occasions but some of the longer speeches lack emotion and need more rehearsing. But she has definitely built a vunerable character there to work on. No complaints with the rest of the cast and the additional time they've had certainly shows.
Pretty certain that with a few more days this will come together nicely.
Its a very bare in the round stage with few props, atmosphere driven by lighting, atmospheric music, small amount of singing, some slightly too loud at times drums, and one other thing which i'll let you experience for yourself.
I feel this version, although stylised in places, it does get to grips with the meaty subject matter of the play and I don't think it pulls any punches.
3.5 stars for now (rounded to 3 in the poll) but should go up with more previews, I've just booked another show later in the run so will regrade if necessary.
I am quite confused with the 1 star already given. Usually I can see why someone would give a low or high score even if I didn't agree with them but do think there's enough here for better score but perhaps there's something that I have missed, maybe in not seeing another version of this often performed play to compare it too.
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Post by stevemar on Dec 21, 2022 2:33:16 GMT
Thanks G, foxa and catcat100 for your reviews. I’m really looking forward to this. As I picked up a seat at the “back” of the stage, is this actually staged in the round, rather than when the Olivier went “in the round” and it was far more of the back of heads than normal. Good on Patsy Ferran coming in at such short notice. Got to admit I’m looking forward to Paul Mescal even though I always think of Blanche being the main character, with Stella/Stanley and then Mitch.
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Post by G on Dec 21, 2022 9:47:53 GMT
Thanks G, foxa and catcat100 for your reviews. I’m really looking forward to this. As I picked up a seat at the “back” of the stage, is this actually staged in the round, rather than when the Olivier went “in the round” and it was far more of the back of heads than normal. Good on Patsy Ferran coming in at such short notice. Got to admit I’m looking forward to Paul Mescal even though I always think of Blanche being the main character, with Stella/Stanley and then Mitch. Yes I would say this is staged in the round, would not be concerned about looking mostly at the back of heads. I was at the back of the circle and remember seeing a good mix of fronts, sides (?), and backs.
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Post by stevemar on Dec 21, 2022 10:13:40 GMT
Thanks G for the reply.
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Post by digne on Dec 21, 2022 11:56:11 GMT
For those wondering about running time, it ended at exactly 22:30 last night.
It must have been twenty years since I read the play, and I don't think I've seen it since, but I thought it was intriguing how it focused on Blanche's anxiety and compulsive behaviors. Even the book she carries feels more like an extension of those compulsions - unlike earlier mentioned it didn't take me out of the play at all. Instead I actually started to wonder whether it really was the text or just a prop, because Blanche clutches and refers to it so compulsively. I'd be intrigued to see how that develops later through the run.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Dec 22, 2022 13:46:50 GMT
Apparently Rebecca Frecknall herself is on as Eunice today
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Post by stevemar on Dec 22, 2022 13:56:21 GMT
A handful of seats available (mostly singles) for tonight (Thurs 22) and Friday 23 night
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Post by Fleance on Dec 22, 2022 16:04:00 GMT
I'm hoping for a decent Streetcar...it's probably my all-time favourite play. Do you expect every production of Streetcar to be exactly like the first, or do you accept that different directors will reinterpret the play in different ways? The premiere production of Streetcar (1947-1949) was directed by Elia Kazan. The first national tour was directed by Harold Clurman. Clurman felt that Kazan's approach was to emphasize the triumph of Stanley; Clurman's approach was to emphasize the tragedy of Blanche, which is how the play is now generally seen. Uta Hagen, who played Blanche on Broadway during Jessica Tandy's vacation, and on tour, offered this memory, in her book Respect for Acting. (Btw, Kim Hunter, the original Stella, who worked with Tandy, Hagen, and Vivian Leigh, told me that she felt that Uta Hagen was the best Blanche.) “An extraordinary experience occurred when I was playing Blanche. While the four principals of the New York company took a summer vacation, they were replaced by the four of us who were to go on tour as the National company. Jessica Tandy took off six deserved weeks of rest, and the other three took only two weeks. This meant that I would work first with the National company – Anthony Quinn, Mary Welch, and Russell Hardie – and then, two weeks later, with Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. I got in a few rehearsals with the New York company, excerpt for Marlon! For a number of reasons, he didn’t appear backstage until thirty minutes before we were to go onstage for an SRO performance. We had never seen each other’s performance. Miss Tandy’s and my interpretation of Blanche were as different as Mr. Quinn’s and Mr. Brando’s Stanley. There was a hasty conference backstage: Should we risk playing together without a single rehearsal and without any knowledge of each other’s interpretation? Tony, who was standing by in full makeup, said he hoped Marlon would play because he didn’t want to hear the groans of disappointment from the audience if they were told Marlon wasn’t playing. Finally, I said ‘Let’s try to rehearse the first five minutes of the play and see what happens.’ It was such an adventure that we were both game. Nothing went wrong, and a lot went right. What made it work? Both of us were totally familiar with place, objects, and circumstances. Neither of us was willful or selfish. Neither of us violated the intentions of our characters. The rest of the four weeks continued to be adventurous. And so was returning to Anthony Quinn.” --Uta Hagen, Respect for Acting, 1973
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Post by jacob on Dec 22, 2022 16:58:20 GMT
here tonight, looking forward to it .. these costumes from the new press shots though look a bit … modern 😟 is that the direction with this?
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Post by Dave B on Dec 22, 2022 18:19:09 GMT
Just got here - no shows having luck at the moment. Janet Etuk is off and Rebecca Frecknall is playing Eustice tonight!
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Post by jek on Dec 22, 2022 18:29:55 GMT
My daughter went to today's matinee on an under 30 ticket and really enjoyed it. She said that Patsy Ferran was pretty much off book and that Rebecca Frecknall was off book as well (although, of course, it is a very small part). She particularly enjoyed the sound design.
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