Hex - NT

[QueerTheatre]

Dec 9, 2021 12:06:03 GMT fiyerorocher said:

Another thing that I can't fathom is 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
The princes who don't end up with Rose all go off to go their own thing. One of them says he's starting a creche - fine, supposed to be an attempt at comedy since we just saw them all abandon two babies; one of them says he's going to do 'something to do with fish'? made no sense to me at all, and another declares they're actually a woman and no longer want to be referred to by a man's name. The last one just seemed so strangely shoehorned in? By all means, please do add queer rep to fairytales, but do so in a way that doesn't feel so horribly tokenistic and played for laughs...

Wait - they have a cis actor suddenly turning trans for laughs?

[fiyerorocher]

Dec 10, 2021 13:32:49 GMT QueerTheatre said:

Dec 9, 2021 12:06:03 GMT fiyerorocher said:

Another thing that I can't fathom is 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
The princes who don't end up with Rose all go off to go their own thing. One of them says he's starting a creche - fine, supposed to be an attempt at comedy since we just saw them all abandon two babies; one of them says he's going to do 'something to do with fish'? made no sense to me at all, and another declares they're actually a woman and no longer want to be referred to by a man's name. The last one just seemed so strangely shoehorned in? By all means, please do add queer rep to fairytales, but do so in a way that doesn't feel so horribly tokenistic and played for laughs...

Wait - they have a cis actor suddenly turning trans for laughs?

So some of the princes are played by members of the female ensemble, dressing as men and with the god awful yellow wigs. I'm pretty sure it's one of them (couldn't tell which, I was sat too far away) who announces 'I'm Agnes, not Elliot, and I'm a girl.' 

[ThereWillBeSun]

Dec 10, 2021 14:00:16 GMT fiyerorocher said:

Dec 10, 2021 13:32:49 GMT QueerTheatre said:

Wait - they have a cis actor suddenly turning trans for laughs?

So some of the princes are played by members of the female ensemble, dressing as men and with the god awful yellow wigs. I'm pretty sure it's one of them (couldn't tell which, I was sat too far away) who announces 'I'm Agnes, not Elliot, and I'm a girl.' 

Yup so that was Natasha Barnes (first preview)

I just thought it was totally random and unsure who this story is aimed at.

Hot mess.

[mattnyc]

To be fair I don’t think anyone “turned trans”, it was just a weird moment where one of the princes (who is played by a female) says they’re a female. I really wouldn’t read too much into it since it’s just a horribly written joke (if you can call it that) that doesn’t even make any sense.

[kathryn]

Just seen this and have to agree with the consensus.

Natasha J Barnes does a great job in the circumstances as Queenie, and barely glanced at the script in her hand in one scene, and Rosalie Craig’s vocals are as sure as ever, but the characterisations are a mess and the book makes no sense.

The Sleeping Beauty Story just doesn’t fit a ‘be yourself!’ moral, so it all feels horribly tacked on. The Fairy character doing the multiple personality thing has no dramatic purpose other than to provide an excuse for casting a Hex - there’s no attempt to resolve that. And I couldn’t work out why they decided Fairy has no wings - they deprived themselves of some potential for spectacle and energy by so doing.

Energy generally is a problem, once past the opening number, which does look very pretty.

The songs in the first act dragged. The ‘Thorns’ did not need to be characters - would have worked better as danced representations of thorns than personifications. The Concept of the Princes was ok but the costume/wigs choice was wrong - make them individuals, not all looks the same!

SPOILER: Click to show

I did not buy the thing at the end with Queenie repenting after she genuinely thought she had eaten the children and Rose. Nor did I buy Rose’s forgiveness. If you’re going to go that grotesque then your villain needs to be a villain - you can’t hand-wave it away at the end. There needs to be consequences.

[argon]

"And I couldn’t work out why they decided Fairy has no wings"

Went through my mind also, but she had wing stubs

Is there such a thing as a fallen Fairy like an Angel?

[jennapatchell]

Completely agree with everything above. Can't wait to see the features on this come press night.

I genuinely think the golden age of the NT is beyond far gone. During the Hytner era you had to snap up tickets during the first onsale day because the shows were usually fantastic. For some reason I still try snap them all up on opening day, but why? I think I need to stop coming unless I hear a show is actually good.

[kathryn]

Dec 11, 2021 22:41:46 GMT argon said:

"And I couldn’t work out why they decided Fairy has no wings"

Went through my mind also, but she had wing stubs

Is there such a thing as a fallen Fairy like an Angel?

Yes, she has wing stubs, and the fact that she can’t fly is mentioned a couple of times by characters. But why?! What relevance to the story did that have?

[mrbarnaby]

This show sounds just horrendous.

[fiyerorocher]

Dec 12, 2021 10:08:29 GMT kathryn said:

Dec 11, 2021 22:41:46 GMT argon said:

"And I couldn’t work out why they decided Fairy has no wings"

Went through my mind also, but she had wing stubs

Is there such a thing as a fallen Fairy like an Angel?

Yes, she has wing stubs, and the fact that she can’t fly is mentioned a couple of times by characters. But why?! What relevance to the story did that have?

So they can abandon her in the air on a spinning wheel as she helplessly watches events below, presumably :') I really cannot tell why they needed to leave not one but TWO of their performers suspended in the air for extended periods of time.

[mrnutz]

Press night pushed back from 15th to 21st.

[londonpostie]

Monday lunchtime and £10 Friday Rush tickets still available this week for all three theatres:

events.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?date=2021-12-13~2021-12-19

[emsworthian]

Is this musical based on the Rufus Norris version of "Sleeping Beauty", which was staged at Chichester in 2018? I didn't see that but everyone who did said it was very weird. I noted that when Chichester did "The Wizard of Oz" as its Christmas production the following year, the publicity stressed how traditional it was, which to me implied that "Sleeping Beauty" the previous year hadn't been well received.

[justinj]

Cancelled todays and tomorrow’s performances due to illness.

[alece10]

I'm due to go on Thursday so will wait to hear about that.

[lonlad]

Next week's press night cancelled and no dates offered for rescheduling.

[princeton]

Dec 13, 2021 17:15:44 GMT emsworthian said:

Is this musical based on the Rufus Norris version of "Sleeping Beauty", which was staged at Chichester in 2018?

The Rufus Norris version of Sleeping Beauty was originally done at the Young Vic in 2001 and then again at the Barbican with largely the same cast in 2004 and it was marvellous in both versions - and really well received. It was based on the traditional Charles Perrault version and featured a baby eating ogre queen and a dishevelled flightless fairy - but its strength was in its simplicity. It sounds as though everything that was good has been lost by trying to turn it into a large scale musical. Not due to see Hex until the new year, but I suspect I'm going to be very disappointed.

[theatrelover123]

Dec 14, 2021 16:03:25 GMT lonlad said:

Next week's press night cancelled and no dates offered for rescheduling.

The new press night date is 21st and is still showing as on sale and happening?

[couldileaveyou]

[alece10]

Well that's me cancelled tomorrow night. I'm not that bothered especially after reading some of the reviews on here. Think I'll wait until press reviews are out before deciding whether to rebook.

[mkb]

I had front stalls £20 seats for Saturday night. There was no offer to move the seats to a future show, only that I could rebook using the £40 credit towards more distant seats at a higher price. I won't be bothering.

[cezbear]

Highlights recording of this released, not sure if this was already posted and I'm just late to the party.

[stageyninja83]

They've just cancelled my tickets for 1st Jan. Wondering if this will actually reopen.

[alece10]

Dec 17, 2021 16:40:32 GMT cezbear said:

Highlights recording of this released, not sure if this was already posted and I'm just late to the party.

Where can we listen to it? I've got Apple music but can't find it there.

[mattnyc]

Looks like they’ve canceled all performances until 5 Jan. That leaves just over two weeks of performances left. I’m curious if they’re just going to scrap the whole thing.