Donmar All New Seasons

[lonlad]

About time with ADH, Part 2, which is a fabulous play -- maybe they'll get the great Laurie Metcalf to repeat her bravura turn here!

[Mark]

Mar 12, 2022 14:04:59 GMT zahidf said:

A musical in the round. Something 'business', wom several Tony awards and is its UK premiere.

Not much it could be from the past 10 years or so.... Band's Visit, Gentlemens Guide or Great Comet (which would be ambitious for Donmar as it requires a large cast).

[zahidf]

Mar 12, 2022 17:10:05 GMT Mark said:

Mar 12, 2022 14:04:59 GMT zahidf said:

A musical in the round. Something 'business', wom several Tony awards and is its UK premiere.

Not much it could be from the past 10 years or so.... Band's Visit, Gentlemens Guide or Great Comet (which would be ambitious for Donmar as it requires a large cast).

It's Bands Visit!

[juicy_but_terribly_drab]

Mar 12, 2022 17:37:12 GMT zahidf said:

Mar 12, 2022 17:10:05 GMT Mark said:

Not much it could be from the past 10 years or so.... Band's Visit, Gentlemens Guide or Great Comet (which would be ambitious for Donmar as it requires a large cast).

It's Bands Visit!

No way! For real? I'm so excited! And seems like a perfect space for such an intimate show.

[vernongersh]

would be incredible if their summer show is A DOLLS HOUSE PART 2 - missed it in NYC.

[Jan]

Wouldn’t it have been more interesting/commercial to have done A Doll’s House in rep too ? I assume prior knowledge of “Part 1” is useful for Part 2 ?

[jaggy]

I could see someone like Martha Plimpton doing this. I thought she was fantastic in SWEAT.

[couldileaveyou]

Months (years?) ago Baz said that Laurie Metcalf was supposed to reprise her Tony winning performance, I hope it's still an option

[jaggy]

I really hope Metcalf reprises the role. I haven’t had the fortune of seeing her perform on stage.

I also hope a producer like Sonia Friedman will revive that Who’s Afraid…? revival on the West End. The rest of the cast were British and I selfishly want to see Metcalf’s Martha.

[vernongersh]

I thought Donmar was going to announce their season this week but apparently not. Anyonme have any inside knowedgle on what shows?

I just read that Laurie Metcalf just booked a new TV series so hope that doesnt count out ADH2.

[Dave B]

Some details out to the press.

www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/mar/21/new-season-london-donmar-shocking-play-climate-crisis

[Jan]

Mar 21, 2022 9:07:17 GMT Dave B said:

Some details out to the press.

www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/mar/21/new-season-london-donmar-shocking-play-climate-crisis

Sounds like the Donmar are following the RSC down the amateur actor path under cover of community engagement. 

Also quite amusing to hear him trying to defend the recent lengthy building works there on grounds of environmental sustainability - it all looked utterly pointless to me - moving a bar a few metres to one side for no good reason, a tiny sliver of extra space in the foyer etc. - might as well have left it the same and saved all the CO2 generated making the new concrete.   

[zahidf]

Looks like a good season. Two UK premieres of interesting shows

[mrnutz]

And now officially announced!

[Phantom of London]

The Band’s Visit and a Dolls House (Part 2) does theatre get any better than this.

[Phantom of London]

I know generally in the subsidised theatre that runs are quite short to give the piece the best chance of transferring to the West End. However it seems mad to finish this run on 03rd December, I would have thought they would keep the show open until the New Year, it is going to easily sell out and will likely transfer to the West End, so don't understand why they are closing when they are.

[Mark]

Mar 21, 2022 16:15:30 GMT Phantom of London said:

I know generally in the subsidised theatre that runs are quite short to give the piece the best chance of transferring to the West End. However it seems mad to finish this run on 03rd December, I would have thought they would keep the show open until the New Year, it is going to easily sell out and will likely transfer to the West End, so don't understand why they are closing when they are.

It does seem odd to not run through to the first week of January but either they’ve got something else lined up or will extend.
As for a West End transfer - I wouldn’t be so sure. It’s not the most commercially viable musical, and of the Tony winners for best new musical the run for this was relatively short compared to lots of recent winners.

[juicy_but_terribly_drab]

Mar 21, 2022 16:15:30 GMT Phantom of London said:

I know generally in the subsidised theatre that runs are quite short to give the piece the best chance of transferring to the West End. However it seems mad to finish this run on 03rd December, I would have thought they would keep the show open until the New Year, it is going to easily sell out and will likely transfer to the West End, so don't understand why they are closing when they are.

A transfer isn't guaranteed by any means, just look at Fun Home.

[Someone in a tree]

Mar 21, 2022 17:53:16 GMT juicy_but_terribly_drab said:

Mar 21, 2022 16:15:30 GMT Phantom of London said:

I know generally in the subsidised theatre that runs are quite short to give the piece the best chance of transferring to the West End. However it seems mad to finish this run on 03rd December, I would have thought they would keep the show open until the New Year, it is going to easily sell out and will likely transfer to the West End, so don't understand why they are closing when they are.

A transfer isn't guaranteed by any means, just look at Fun Home.

I remember a lot of empty seats at Full Monty Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

[jojo]

Mar 21, 2022 9:20:46 GMT Jan said:

Mar 21, 2022 9:07:17 GMT Dave B said:

Some details out to the press.

www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/mar/21/new-season-london-donmar-shocking-play-climate-crisis

Sounds like the Donmar are following the RSC down the amateur actor path under cover of community engagement. 

Also quite amusing to hear him trying to defend the recent lengthy building works there on grounds of environmental sustainability - it all looked utterly pointless to me - moving a bar a few metres to one side for no good reason, a tiny sliver of extra space in the foyer etc. - might as well have left it the same and saved all the CO2 generated making the new concrete.   

It's a fair point, often overlooked that concrete is one of the biggest villains when it comes to generation of CO2, but if they did make proper changes to the heating and ventilation systems, then they could more than make up for it. That's opposed to a renovation to have carpets in this season's colours etc.


My friend did his PhD on the environmental burdens and costs of constructing and using buildings, it's the running costs/burdens that matter. The problem is that most of the time buildings are built by people who want to sell them on, so they build them cheap with all of the running costs (and associated environmental impacts) passed onto the user.

I like the look of the new programme with a good mix. I'm intrigued by the 12 Angry School Kids production, but what could be brilliant could also be awful. Hopefully the former.

[Jan]

Mar 21, 2022 18:31:30 GMT jojo said:

Mar 21, 2022 9:20:46 GMT Jan said:

Sounds like the Donmar are following the RSC down the amateur actor path under cover of community engagement. 

Also quite amusing to hear him trying to defend the recent lengthy building works there on grounds of environmental sustainability - it all looked utterly pointless to me - moving a bar a few metres to one side for no good reason, a tiny sliver of extra space in the foyer etc. - might as well have left it the same and saved all the CO2 generated making the new concrete.   

It's a fair point, often overlooked that concrete is one of the biggest villains when it comes to generation of CO2, but if they did make proper changes to the heating and ventilation systems, then they could more than make up for it. 

Increased ventilation generally increases overall CO2 generation because it increases heating demand - all those schools leaving windows open in the Winter for Covid reasons for example. 

[lichtie]

Good ventilation isn't the same as opening a bunch of windows - that was desperation.... For what it's worth he seems to be playing into the production rather than the reasons they gave before the changes were made - namely that they needed to improve access (hence the wider gangways, shifted bars etc) and completely replace their main electrical plant, which also offered the chance to improve the ventilation. Anything else they did was the architects getting to play at the client's expense.

Not so enthused by the slate - suspect I might only go for Pt 2.

[jojo]

It depends how it's done. Smart heating systems are more efficient and some ventilation systems recycle heat, and some 'natural' ventilation systems can improve energy efficiency and improve comfort compared with old fashioned and inefficient systems. There are more ventilation options than opening windows and letting the heat escape.

I've no idea what they did at the Donmar or how much of it was actual improvements as opposed to sprucing the place up for the sake of it, so maybe they are making empty claims, but it is entirely plausible that the environmental costs of the refurbishments will be recouped by their lower ongoing environmental costs.

[Phantom of London]

Mar 21, 2022 17:53:16 GMT juicy_but_terribly_drab said:

Mar 21, 2022 16:15:30 GMT Phantom of London said:

I know generally in the subsidised theatre that runs are quite short to give the piece the best chance of transferring to the West End. However it seems mad to finish this run on 03rd December, I would have thought they would keep the show open until the New Year, it is going to easily sell out and will likely transfer to the West End, so don't understand why they are closing when they are.

A transfer isn't guaranteed by any means, just look at Fun Home.

Fun Home is a great example, however surprisingly the Young Vic production wasn’t great, it was nowhere near to the New York production. Saying that I am surprised it hasn’t been done in the regional theatre since, in a better production this could be a route back to the West End. Same with Spelling Bee which was done in the same venue, that didn’t transfer too.

If The Band’s Visit did transfer it would be in a very small theatre, could even be the Other Palace as they seem to be a receiving house now.

However let’s just say we have 2 cracking productions coming over.

[juicy_but_terribly_drab]

Mar 22, 2022 12:56:01 GMT Phantom of London said:

Mar 21, 2022 17:53:16 GMT juicy_but_terribly_drab said:

A transfer isn't guaranteed by any means, just look at Fun Home.

Fun Home is a great example, however surprisingly the Young Vic production wasn’t great, it was nowhere near to the New York production. Saying that I am surprised it hasn’t been done in the regional theatre since, in a better production this could be a route back to the West End. Same with Spelling Bee which was done in the same venue, that didn’t transfer too.

If The Band’s Visit did transfer it would be in a very small theatre, could even be the Other Palace as they seem to be a receiving house now.

However let’s just say we have 2 cracking productions coming over.

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong I am beyond happy that this show is coming over, I just don't see a West End run as a given. Must disagree about Fun Home though, I really loved that production and saw it twice.