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Post by musicbox on Apr 17, 2024 16:42:48 GMT
I didn’t feel that this was effectively communicated in the writing though - her despair came as across as shallow and the reasoning being that she didn’t want to look old to the audience is so deeply misogynistic. I was there last night, and it was clear that the character is having a breakdown, through a combination of midlife crises, alcoholism, and trauma related to the death of Nancy. Sorry, but I disagree. In fact I found the staging and writing so unclear that I wasn't even sure which parts were supposed to be a rehearsal and the actual show. I'm still unsure if the final scene was supposed to be a successful show performance or a final rehearsal to be honest. |
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Post by Oleanna on Apr 17, 2024 18:09:43 GMT
I was there last night, and it was clear that the character is having a breakdown, through a combination of midlife crises, alcoholism, and trauma related to the death of Nancy. Sorry, but I disagree. In fact I found the staging and writing so unclear that I wasn't even sure which parts were supposed to be a rehearsal and the actual show. I'm still unsure if the final scene was supposed to be a successful show performance or a final rehearsal to be honest. That’s completely fair! A friend who saw it raised similar points. |
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Post by Steve on Apr 17, 2024 19:43:14 GMT
Well she’s having a mental breakdown, she doesn’t just not love her character. I didn’t feel that this was effectively communicated in the writing though - her despair came as across as shallow and the reasoning being that she didn’t want to look old to the audience is so deeply misogynistic. Vis-a-vis her breakdown, I'd say that it goes like this:- Spoilers follow. . . The dead girl's name appears across Myrtle's dressing room mirror. We can infer she wrote it. She hasn't yet broken down but we can infer that that's a bit weird, and it could be heading that way. Later, the dead girl herself appears to Myrtle as she's looking in the mirror. She sings "I Forgive You" to Myrtle, nose to nose, hugging and cuddling and stroking Myrtle. Now we know it's a nervous breakdown. Noone else sees the dead girl, ever, in the course of the play. To hammer the point home, in the next scene, Myrtle starts SINGING to her Ex-husband to "Meet me at the Start" of our relationship, and start again. Nicola Hughes's writer says "WHY'S SHE SINGING?" The Director and Stage Hand discuss calling a Doctor. Now they all know she's lost it. Now the furious and despairing Nicola Hughes's writer sings about how "Life is Thin," and how you can totally lose it in one moment. It's one of the most powerful songs in the show, really unbelievably, incredibly powerful, like Shirley Bassey at her best. |
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Post by Rory on Apr 17, 2024 21:56:40 GMT
Saw it tonight and absolutely loved it. So glad I caught it before it closes next month. It is a travesty that this is closing early, especially as the filler which is replacing it is so uninspiring.
The audience tonight was very full and it got a very good reception. I thought the music was great and not a weak link in the talented cast. Sheridan was terrific. Yes, it's bonkers in places but I was thoroughly entertained throughout.
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Post by bonnotonno on Apr 17, 2024 23:25:25 GMT
I also saw it tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the use of cameras and the music. I will try to return before it closes.
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Post by unseaworthy on Apr 17, 2024 23:32:26 GMT
I spoke to Sheridan at stage door tonight - she said Rufus was recording the music himself as a solo album
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Post by mkb on Apr 17, 2024 23:43:06 GMT
I didn’t feel that this was effectively communicated in the writing though - her despair came as across as shallow and the reasoning being that she didn’t want to look old to the audience is so deeply misogynistic. Vis-a-vis her breakdown, I'd say that it goes like this:- Spoilers follow. . . The dead girl's name appears across Myrtle's dressing room mirror. We can infer she wrote it. She hasn't yet broken down but we can infer that that's a bit weird, and it could be heading that way. Later, the dead girl herself appears to Myrtle as she's looking in the mirror. She sings "I Forgive You" to Myrtle, nose to nose, hugging and cuddling and stroking Myrtle. Now we know it's a nervous breakdown. Noone else sees the dead girl, ever, in the course of the play. To hammer the point home, in the next scene, Myrtle starts SINGING to her Ex-husband to "Meet me at the Start" of our relationship, and start again. Nicola Hughes's writer says "WHY'S SHE SINGING?" The Director and Stage Hand discuss calling a Doctor. Now they all know she's lost it. Now the furious and despairing Nicola Hughes's writer sings about how "Life is Thin," and how you can totally lose it in one moment. It's one of the most powerful songs in the show, really unbelievably, incredibly powerful, like Shirley Bassey at her best. I think most of that points to the audience being allowed access to Myrtle's thoughts -- her insecurities and anxieties -- rather than being evidence of an actual mental breakdown, which would typically involve panic attacks, inability to function or other dysfunctional behaviour, rather than singing to a dead person. |
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Post by peopleplaces on Apr 18, 2024 4:08:03 GMT
involve panic attacks, inability to function or other dysfunctional behaviour, rather than singing to a dead person. Didn’t she do all of the above in Act 1? She walks of stage unable to do the scene, has a panic attack when she is hit, stops rehearsals, goes on stage drunk, completely gives up on her character mid performance. Your critique seems to be exactly what happened in the show?! |
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Post by Jane Parfitt on Apr 18, 2024 5:37:17 GMT
Saw it tonight and absolutely loved it. So glad I caught it before it closes next month. It is a travesty that this is closing early, especially as the filler which is replacing it is so uninspiring.Have I missed something, what's the filler? |
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Post by Rory on Apr 18, 2024 6:37:16 GMT
Saw it tonight and absolutely loved it. So glad I caught it before it closes next month. It is a travesty that this is closing early, especially as the filler which is replacing it is so uninspiring.Have I missed something, what's the filler? To be announced next week apparently but don't get your hopes up! |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Apr 18, 2024 6:55:31 GMT
Have I missed something, what's the filler? To be announced next week apparently but don't get your hopes up! But nothing to do with this mornings state of the nation address from Cam Mack? |
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Post by luvvie23 on Apr 18, 2024 8:13:34 GMT
Saw this on Monday! I thought the filming was incredible. Very cinematic. After reading the reviews and seeing the posts on here I have to say I was dreading it. But there were interesting moments. Sheridan is a fantastic actress. But it just didn’t land at all. It was like 5 different genres of music. Also the last scene dragged. But I didn’t hate it. I just left feeling disappointed. So many fab shows waiting in the wings. What’s new pussycat being one. But the producers saying this show was a risk is a bit of a cheek. How? Mainstream leading lady, Prolific director, genius song writer, dynamite cast….. The risk was not doing an out of town tryout.
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Post by Steve on Apr 18, 2024 12:17:45 GMT
I think most of that points to the audience being allowed access to Myrtle's thoughts -- her insecurities and anxieties -- rather than being evidence of an actual mental breakdown, which would typically involve panic attacks, inability to function or other dysfunctional behaviour, rather than singing to a dead person. Oh, I think its pretty clear. I do agree that Myrtle has so many things wrong with her, its sometimes hard to tell them apart. So, to clarify, when the show opens, Myrtle seems perfectly functional despite a midlife crisis that causes her to whinge about her character stereotyping her as old. But then. . . Spoilers follow. . . The 19 year old fan dies and her anxiety spirals, such that:- (1) She falls on the floor in a glazed semi-comatose state, her eyes riddled with tears; (2) She writes a dead girl's name, "Nancy" across her mirror; (3) When asked to speak, she sings; (4) She starts seeing a dead girl that noone else can see; (5) She's a no-show to rehearsals because she thinks the dead girl is subbing for her; (6) She starts drinking to excess, leaving her stumbling about the streets instead of working. Now, since a "nervous breakdown" is just a non-clinical colloquial term referring to someone with extreme anxiety that causes them to be dysfunctional, I think Myrtle definitely qualifies. But Myrtle also enters diagnostic psychiatric territory as soon as the dead girl shows up, since hallucinating and talking to a dead person, and assuring everyone else that that is what you are doing, is accurately referred to as a "psychotic break." Consequently, we have a character, Myrtle, who is in a mid-life crisis, has a nervous breakdown, drinks to excess and has a psychotic break. That the show never really separates out all her problems is an inheritance from the source material, whereby none of the other characters reaches out to help her with any of her problems. Poor Myrtle.  |
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Post by simon on Apr 18, 2024 16:19:30 GMT
I think most of that points to the audience being allowed access to Myrtle's thoughts -- her insecurities and anxieties -- rather than being evidence of an actual mental breakdown, which would typically involve panic attacks, inability to function or other dysfunctional behaviour, rather than singing to a dead person. Oh, I think its pretty clear. I do agree that Myrtle has so many things wrong with her, its sometimes hard to tell them apart. So, to clarify, when the show opens, Myrtle seems perfectly functional despite a midlife crisis that causes her to whinge about her character stereotyping her as old. But then. . . Spoilers follow. . . The 19 year old fan dies and her anxiety spirals, such that:- (1) She falls on the floor in a glazed semi-comatose state, her eyes riddled with tears; (2) She writes a dead girl's name, "Nancy" across her mirror; (3) When asked to speak, she sings; (4) She starts seeing a dead girl that noone else can see; (5) She's a no-show to rehearsals because she thinks the dead girl is subbing for her; (6) She starts drinking to excess, leaving her stumbling about the streets instead of working. Now, since a "nervous breakdown" is just a non-clinical colloquial term referring to someone with extreme anxiety that causes them to be dysfunctional, I think Myrtle definitely qualifies. But Myrtle also enters diagnostic psychiatric territory as soon as the dead girl shows up, since hallucinating and talking to a dead person, and assuring everyone else that that is what you are doing, is accurately referred to as a "psychotic break." Consequently, we have a character, Myrtle, who is in a mid-life crisis, has a nervous breakdown, drinks to excess and has a psychotic break. That the show never really separates out all her problems is an inheritance from the source material, whereby none of the other characters reaches out to help her with any of her problems. Poor Myrtle. |
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 18, 2024 21:43:02 GMT
I like the curtain call - fun that it's something a bit different 🤷🏻♂️ I found it absolutely cringe and just too out of place/tone to the rest of the show |
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 18, 2024 21:57:35 GMT
For anyone keen to catch the outdoor scene, it occurred at 21:47 last night. You had to laugh at the footage of punters entering Broadway's "Orpheum Theatre" for the opening night, replete with black cabs and red double-deckers, all driving on the left. I guess no more suspension of disbelief required than when listening to some of the on-stage accents. I did wonder why van Hove didn't simply make everyone British and have the Gielgud play itself. Exactly what I felt. It would have gelled far better being set in the West End |
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 19, 2024 8:35:17 GMT
So overall, I found it unfocused, too many undeveloped threads. It was an incredibly frustrating piece, as there was a lot of interesting stuff in there.
I didn't really like the music at all - not my style, and not immediate enough for musical theatre.
It felt like a work in progress - the type of show I've seen at Edinburgh Fringe, but on a big budget.
Sheridan was solid, but miscast. She didn't for once convince me that she was playing a huge American star. The piece needed an actor with the megawatt star aura of a Nicole Scherzinger or similar for the whole thing to hang together more convincingly. She excelled in the quieter emotional scenes, but I didn't buy her as 'Myrtle, the massive celebrity'.
I found the open set and cast moving around distracting and fussy.
As others have commented, it was tonally all over the place, almost cringingly so at times, Veering from subtle to overblown from one song to another.
There were lots of lovely and beautiful moments, but it didn't hang together for me.
I've read all the reviews now and I can equally see why some gave it 4 stars and some gave it one.
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Post by osdtdg on Apr 19, 2024 9:18:12 GMT
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Post by Rory on Apr 19, 2024 9:21:50 GMT
Having now seen both 2:22 A Ghost Story and Opening Night, I know firmly which one I enjoyed more and would happily sit through again. A real shame ON is closing to make way for this tired old tale. |
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Post by bigredapple on Apr 19, 2024 9:21:58 GMT
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Post by ladidah on Apr 19, 2024 9:23:17 GMT
I would rather Opening Night stayed, at least it's new and has a point of view.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 19, 2024 9:41:31 GMT
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Post by mrbarnaby on Apr 19, 2024 9:58:58 GMT
I would rather Opening Night stayed, at least it's new and has a point of view. That’s like having the choice of drowning or being set on fire. Neither are great options. |
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Post by ladidah on Apr 19, 2024 10:35:56 GMT
No, agree - the show isn't for me at all - but I would take originality over a celebrity based show.
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Post by Being Alive on Apr 19, 2024 10:55:37 GMT
I think what's happened here is exactly how I feel about the state of London theatre in general.
New work like Opening Night that is (in my eyes) bold and fresh can't succeed and we have to endure rubbish like 2:22 and Heathers until the end of time.
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