An Enemy of the People - Duke of York's Theatre

[dip]

Yeah, it's weird how you either need to buy tickets instantly (before dynamic pricing really kicks in) or wait it out and hope for the best

[alessia]

I guess it really depends how much you want to see something- because what if they don't do offers and then you're stuck and it's sold out? So for me, the new Jez Butterworth play is the unmissable one and I bought an expensive ticket immediately, but for anything I'm not dying to see, I wait for offers.Sometimes it pays off, sometimes I miss out.

[dollybm]

Thanks everyone for posting about the £40 seats popping up. I think they may be up for full run now as I managed to book for 25th March.

I knew I wanted to see this but thought I’d been too slow to get the usual seats I go for in this theatre (the low number row C stalls) however they’d clearly been held as £40. I had been going to hold out to closer to the time on pricing generally when I saw what sales looked like but glad to have got booked in now. I think it’s the cheapest I’ve got my usual seats for actually (willing to take the risk that the staging might mean these aren’t as good options as usual)!

[Rory]

I much prefer the Delfont Mackintosh approach to sales than the ATG approach used on this show and many others (and I know this is not an ATG production). With DMT the full range of tickets is released with a range of prices and you can decide what to do. They don't really change.

ATG in contrast hold many seats off sale, and dynamically price to the extent that prices can change on a daily basis. Prices are often exorbitant. Later they release swathes of tickets, and sometimes a great deal appears late on, like the £40 tickets for this show. However it's not really fair on those who paid over inflated prices when this went on-sale and must surely damage consumer confidence in the long term.

[justfran]

Interview with Matt Smith:

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/feb/04/matt-smith-an-enemy-of-the-people-thomas-ostermeier-doctor-who-the-crown-house-of-the-dragon-interview

[Jan]

Jan 11, 2024 22:03:16 GMT theoracle said:

Hurray - got a pair! Thought some seats might discount later but didn't think to this extent. Wonderful stuff

I suppose in a show that relies on audience participation it is in their interest not to have the expensive stalls seats half empty every night so this was probably part of their decision to discount so heavily. 

[lynette]

Audience participation in an Ibsen play?

[Jan]

Feb 5, 2024 13:15:48 GMT lynette said:

Audience participation in an Ibsen play?

Yes, in the public meeting scene. I’m just going by Billington’s review of the original production and comments in this thread. You wouldn’t get much diversity of opinion if it was confined to the people who’d paid £180 for the stalls seats within shouting range of the stage. You won’t get much diversity of opinion anyway of course …

[dip]

"The director is also retaining the big moment, seen in productions elsewhere, when Stockmann’s opponents ask the audience for a show of hands – is he right or wrong, politically speaking? – before inviting them to pose any questions they have."

[lookingatthestars]

Saw the first preview last night. A producer announced from the stage that one of the actors had taken ill, so the understudy was going on without having had a rehearsal. But props to him because I had no idea who it was untill the end when he got his own bow. He blended right in.

I know it was the first preview, but overall I don't think the production worked for me. I think this was in large part to do with the music, but also the setting. I have seen a modern version before, but something about this didn't ring true for me. I just couldn't get into it fully. I did see huge potential with all the mordrn day references. I don't know of it's the right word but it felt gimmicky as if a lot of the text/story was rushed over to get to the big moment of the town hall, and to be fair it was worth going for that alone, Matt Smith was particularly great here, especially as it was the first show. But over all I just could not get invested, I didn't care enough.

I did enjoy it, as it is a good play and the acting is really good. I particularly like the dynamic between Dr stockman and his brother (Paul Hilton I believe). I just felt the production did the text a disservice in that it could have been a fantastic commentary on where we are at as a society, but apart from Matt's speech, I felt I didn't get that.

I may eat my words when the production settles into the run and I hope I do. The music was a big no no from me, but I did see people bopping their heads, so it might be just me.

[Rory]

Feb 7, 2024 15:09:51 GMT lookingatthestars said:

Saw the first preview last night. A producer announced from the stage that one of the actors had taken ill, so the understudy was going on without having had a rehearsal. But props to him because I had no idea who it was untill the end when he got his own bow. He blended right in.

I know it was the first preview, but overall I don't think the production worked for me. I think this was in large part to do with the music, but also the setting. I have seen a modern version before, but something about this didn't ring true for me. I just couldn't get into it fully. I did see huge potential with all the mordrn day references. I don't know of it's the right word but it felt gimmicky as if a lot of the text/story was rushed over to get to the big moment of the town hall, and to be fair it was worth going for that alone, Matt Smith was particularly great here, especially as it was the first show. But over all I just could not get invested, I didn't care enough.

I did enjoy it, as it is a good play and the acting is really good. I particularly like the dynamic between Dr stockman and his brother (Paul Hilton I believe). I just felt the production did the text a disservice in that it could have been a fantastic commentary on where we are at as a society, but apart from Matt's speech, I felt I didn't get that.

I may eat my words when the production settles into the run and I hope I do. The music was a big no no from me, but I did see people bopping their heads, so it might be just me.

Please feel free to hide a spoiler but what was the extent of the audience participation? Do you have to join in?

[lookingatthestars]

Apologies,  for some reason I can't get the spoiler button, to work. I'll try again. 

[lookingatthestars]

The town hall scene

[lookingatthestars]

Feb 7, 2024 22:32:25 GMT lookingatthestars said:

The town hall scene

Oh dear, my spoiler disappeared. I'm sure by the time I figure out what's going on with my technical issues, somebody who has seen it will provide the spoiler for the town hall scene. I liked what they did, high point of the evening for me.

[mprlibre]

I work at the Broadway production of this play, which begins previews later this month, and we’ve already had people ask to return tickets because they thought it was the West End production.
Am wondering how often if at all that will happen the other way round!

[alexandra]

Ostermeier was on Radio 4 with Matt Smith this morning, and commented that ticket prices were 5 times as much here as they had been in Germany. The producers can’t have been too delighted with him for that. The only thing I remember about it is the town hall scene, which went on for ages and was certainly remarkable.

[thistimetomorrow]

Feb 7, 2024 22:53:37 GMT mprlibre said:

I work at the Broadway production of this play, which begins previews later this month, and we’ve already had people ask to return tickets because they thought it was the West End production.
Am wondering how often if at all that will happen the other way round!

I actually got an ad for the Broadway production today and was just thinking if I didn't know any better I could've booked for the wrong country!

[mrbluesky]

Saw this last night.

It’s a confusing piece (or at least was for me!) - parts of it really work - Stockmann’s speech, the dynamics between Smith and Paul Hilton for example, but there are bits of it that REALLY didn’t work for me - the town hall scene goes on for too long, and, in my opinion, doesn’t add anything to the show for a start.

It’s a shame, as I wanted to love this, but it just left me cold. I’d say it’s a 2 star production, pushed up to 3 by some really great performances, particularly from Smith and Hilton.

[lookingatthestars]

Feb 7, 2024 15:23:05 GMT Rory said:

Feb 7, 2024 15:09:51 GMT lookingatthestars said:

Saw the first preview last night. A producer announced from the stage that one of the actors had taken ill, so the understudy was going on without having had a rehearsal. But props to him because I had no idea who it was untill the end when he got his own bow. He blended right in.

I know it was the first preview, but overall I don't think the production worked for me. I think this was in large part to do with the music, but also the setting. I have seen a modern version before, but something about this didn't ring true for me. I just couldn't get into it fully. I did see huge potential with all the mordrn day references. I don't know of it's the right word but it felt gimmicky as if a lot of the text/story was rushed over to get to the big moment of the town hall, and to be fair it was worth going for that alone, Matt Smith was particularly great here, especially as it was the first show. But over all I just could not get invested, I didn't care enough.

I did enjoy it, as it is a good play and the acting is really good. I particularly like the dynamic between Dr stockman and his brother (Paul Hilton I believe). I just felt the production did the text a disservice in that it could have been a fantastic commentary on where we are at as a society, but apart from Matt's speech, I felt I didn't get that.

I may eat my words when the production settles into the run and I hope I do. The music was a big no no from me, but I did see people bopping their heads, so it might be just me.

Please feel free to hide a spoiler but what was the extent of the audience participation? Do you have to join in?

Spoiler for the town hall scene

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
After Dr Stockman's speech, the audiece are asked for a show of hands if you had agreed with him. Then you asked if you did put up your hand would you like to explain why you agree with him. There are FOH on every level with microphones waiting. I think about 6 people spoke on the night I was there. I could see more with hands up who never got a chance to speak, so looks like no shortage of participants

[Jon]

I want to know:

SPOILER: Click to show

What the responses were like? I imagine fairly tame but I could envision someone getting a bit carried away

[shakeel]

How long is this, roughly?

[lynette]

Feb 9, 2024 1:36:14 GMT lookingatthestars said:

Feb 7, 2024 15:23:05 GMT Rory said:

Please feel free to hide a spoiler but what was the extent of the audience participation? Do you have to join in?

Spoiler for the town hall scene

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
After Dr Stockman's speech, the audiece are asked for a show of hands if you had agreed with him. Then you asked if you did put up your hand would you like to explain why you agree with him. There are FOH on every level with microphones waiting. I think about 6 people spoke on the night I was there. I could see more with hands up who never got a chance to speak, so looks like no shortage of participants

I’m shuddering; it sounds like BBC Question Time. 

[shakeel]

Feb 9, 2024 14:56:26 GMT shakeel said:

How long is this, roughly?

Answering my own Q: it finished at 9.50pm tonight, so about 2h20. First act finished at 8.50ish.

Not sure how I feel about it. The town hall scene is… interesting.

[shakeel]

I have a feeling the town hall scene

SPOILER: Click to show

uses plants. It all felt a bit too perfect? Ours had someone who opened with “as someone with a degree in philosophy”, followed by an antivaxxer who referred to Matt as Matt.

I think the whole scene doesn’t work that well because the audience is overwhelmingly (and imo a bit uncritically) on Stockmann’s side. The rest of the play just doesn’t make much sense after that? And there’s nothing particularly interesting about a play telling an audience exactly what they want to hear.

[blaxx]

I don't think the audience participation in the town hall scene is a spoiler, a lot of productions use this approach.

I'm bummed to hear it's not very good, I had high expectations for it. Maybe the NYC version will be better.