Theatre and other live performances

[wendy james]

This forum seemed the most appropriate for a thread to chat shit about plays, musicals, dance, opera, etc.

I’ve been quite fortunate this year and seen a lot already. Some in person and some via local cinemas, either live streaming or an ‘encore’ streaming.

I miss being able to get to the National Theatre in London, as I would take advantage of their £15 Travelex tickets (Denis O'Hare is playing the title role in Tartuffe, for anybody who can get there). It meant I could try a wider range without worrying about the cost.

This week I saw James McAvoy in Cyrano de Bergerac, which was amazing. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who can get to it or watch via NT Live. I noticed the production company does £15 tickets for under 30s and key workers, which is a really good idea even if I don’t qualify myself. I remember the Leeds Playhouse did something similar for under 25s and I saw all sorts of productions.

Coming up I have encore streamings of The Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake and The Royal Opera’s Fidelio, plus an NT Live streaming of The Welkin. I want to see The Dante Project too but need to check dates with P first.

The girls fancied a couple of things they saw advertised locally - Six and The Mousetrap - but neither theatre offered proper concessions for them (£1 less than an adult isn’t a concession in my view!) and I can’t afford minimum £80 a pop. It was the same for The Red Shoes, which Bean recommended. I could go on my own, but Sproglette would fall out with me and I can’t just take her to the ballet as her sister enjoyed The Nutcracker and the trailer for The Red Shoes too.

However, I’m going to see if there’s anything I can get tickets for when the West End’s kids week comes round. Ideally it would be Joseph as I know my MIL would come too, but I imagine that will be popular! We went to see a local company perform it in Bradford-on-Avon instead.

Sproglette enjoyed The RSC’s As You Like It when we went to London in January and has asked to see Romeo and Juliet, which will be an NT Live stream later in the year according to Thursday’s presenter. Fortunately, Elvis doesn’t mind missing Shakespeare.

Anyway.

Have you seen anything good recently? Are you looking forward to anything booked?

[Ella77]

You have been busy! We’ve been to a few things lately, so I will join in.

- Nora: A Doll’s House (The Young Vic). This was an interesting look at the role (plight, really) of women over the last century, but although a couple of the actors were very good, much of the performance felt overwrought and the central message flogged to death.

- A Number (The Bridge Theatre, just by Tower Bridge). I saw this on Thursday, and loved it. Only two performers (Roger Allan being one- he was excellent), and only an hour long, but I really enjoyed it. This is probably my favourite theatre too as it’s just so convenient.

https://bridgetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/a- ... 0F,3UAJI,1

Coming up we have Invisible Women with Caroline Criado-Perez (Queen Elizabeth Hall), and the one I’m most excited about, Philip Pullman’s La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust) back at the Bridge Theatre .

[wendy james]

A Number sounds intriguing (and I love Allam in Endeavour).

Your local theatre sounds good. I noticed you can choose seats for They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? that mean you can join in the dancing.

I love Caroline Criado-Perez. Jealous!

[Epponnee Rae]

I really miss the London theatre scene. I need to try harder to see what’s on in Seattle and appreciate it but it’s hard to rate when I’ve lived down the road from the Globe/NT/West End for years. Also, anything here that is vaguely decent sells out fast (too small theaters, too short runs), so it’s hard to get a look in. That said, True West is opening soon and I intend to see it with some friends.

I can’t say much about what’s on but I love the Bridge!! I wish it had opened while I was still living 7 minutes’ walk away I will also give props to the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park. My mum is a huge fan and sees everything they put on, they have a lovely cafe and bar area and from the couple of times I’ve been it’s a wonderful community space that punches above its weight creatively. Yet it’s not really overrun.

It’s how I felt about the theatre in Swiss Cottage until they started getting seen as a West End feeder route (which makes sense) and then the world and his wife were there selling everything out

[H1ppychick]

I saw Romantics Anonymous at the Bristol Old Vic last month, it was wonderful and I would recommend you see it if you get the chance.

I’m seeing Red Shoes in a couple of weeks, and I also follow a small local company called The Living Spit who do comedy versions of famous stories, often in verse. I saw their Swan Lake last month, their Odyssey just before Christmas and I’m seeing them do The Six Wives of Henry VIII next month.

I’m seeing Balletboyz in Bath in April, and Six in Bristol in the summer.

That’s all I’ve booked at the moment but I’m hoping to get tickets to a few more things.

ETA I forgot I also saw Kneehigh’s UBU last month! That was aces. I love Kneehigh.

[wendy james]

My children and I are jealous of your Six and The Red Shoes bookings (Bristol would have been our destination), HC!

I’ve just booked us all in for a beatbox comedy show in Bath instead.

I guess nothing compares to London, Epp!

[Ella77]

I don’t know which dance that is, but it sounds terrifying .

It’s a bit cheesy, but in the summer, I like Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

[wendy james]

Kneehigh’s The Red Shoes is one of very few things I recall seeing in Leeds.

[wendy james]

That was my poor wording - I meant the dancing generally - but yes, terrifying!

You’ve reminded me that Sproglette and I wanted to see an open air performance of Wuthering Heights last year but couldn’t do the date it was on. I should look out for it this year.

[Flora Poste]

I love the Bridge Theatre - (relatively) recently I've seen Maggie Smith in This German Life which was astounding. We also went to the The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe back in November which was really good as well. And I need to book La Belle Sauvage.

Other than that, this year so far I took the two eldest to see Mary Poppins which we all really enjoyed.

I took A to see Alice's Adventures Underground at the Royal Opera House which was ok - a children's opera but very surreal. I go to the ROH a fair bit, balletwise I've seen Coppelia and Onegin so far this year, and operawise I've got tickets booked for Fidelio (I did the opera for A-Level and HATED it so I'm hoping Jonas Kauffman and Lise Davidsen rescue it for me), Elektra and Jenufa and I'm going to book for Netrebko's Tosca in July.

[H1ppychick]

The Red Shoes I’m seeing in couple of weeks is the Matthew Bourne ballet, not the Kneehigh version. I hadn’t realised they’d done one!

I also saw Book Of Mormon last month, that was fun.

[wendy james]

Yes, I know, we looked at going. You mentioned Kneehigh though - it’s just coincidence I’d seen their version. Kneehigh’s is based on the story (not the film) and it’s quite gory.

Oh, Fidelio, Flora.

[Pippedydeadeye]

We’ve booked Six! too for when it comes to Curve in June. All four of us will go. Squeak really enjoyed West Side Story so I’m going to milk her interest as much as I can.

[Flora Poste]

Oh, Fidelio, Flora.

I really rate the NT and ROH live screenings - I'm a Friend at the ROH which is one reason I go so much, but it's pretty expensive and as I have a Picturehouse at the bottom of the road it's a lot nicer to get home 5 minutes after the screening rather than an hour or so. Plus significantly cheaper.

[H1ppychick]

I realised that after I reread Wendy!

[Annabella]

I saw the Red Shoes (Matthew Bourne) at Sadlers Wells in January Early Feb I took my mum and aunt to see Witness for the Prosecution at County Hall on the Southbank - a great setting in the Council Chamber. I always do a Pantones at the Lyric Hammersmith as they are quite updated. I also love Regent's Park Theatre in the summer. I need to look now for What's On this summer!

[Morganna]

I haven't seen much lately. i think the last thing was Kate Tempest. I have a ticket for the Northern Poetry Slam in March, and the Newcastle Poetry Festival in May. Oh, and something about knitting songs of WW1 is coming up too . I've just remembered, Mr M and I went to see Dial M for Murder in January, and we have tickets for Appointment With Death in June.

[Duophonic]

This is timely after a long spell of nothing we went to see Woman in Black last night in Glasgow. A few more jump scares that other performances of it I've seen but still a great story.

I also have An Inspector Calls next month and I normally get the annual Bard in the Botanics programme emailed out around this time.

[sally maclennane]

I am going to see Swan Lake at the start of May, it's a Scottish Ballet production and their stuff is usually pretty good.

I've just googled Red Shoes and it's on in Glasgow in May too! I might try for tickets for that.

I would love to see Six, and I am still desperate to see Hamilton but that would involve a trip to London.

[Chicky]

I saw Les Mis and Priscilla last year, both were excellent.

I’d love to see Hamilton too. I just looked for tickets when I’m in London next but it’s SO expensive, they have done £43 seats but at the top of the highest floor, if you want to sit anywhere you might be able to see it’s £100+. I know it must cost a lot to put a show on but I find it prohibitively expensive, it’s such a shame.