Complicite's Mnemonic- National Theatre

[zahidf]

From  22 June in the Olivier

[bordeaux]

Fabulous show, one of their very best. It'll be interesting to see how McBurney approaches it after, what a quarter of a century, and a new cast.

[andbingowashisname]

Jan 23, 2024 10:47:13 GMT bordeaux said:

Fabulous show, one of their very best. It'll be interesting to see how McBurney approaches it after, what a quarter of a century, and a new cast.

According to the NT website Richard Katz and Kostas Phillippoglou will both be in the new cast, and they were in the original production. Am assuming McBurney will make up part of the cast too, so it'll likely be something of a hybrid.

[jackstage]

Does anyone know about the "front stalls" section for Mnemonic at all? Currently not available to book, but they will be added at a later date.

[happysooz2]

Bumping this. The night I really want to go is press night and either not on sale or sold out. The night before is pretty well sold so I can’t decide if I take the hit and book not great seats, or wait for the front stalls to go onsale.

[kate8]

Apr 13, 2024 10:11:05 GMT happysooz2 said:

Bumping this. The night I really want to go is press night and either not on sale or sold out. The night before is pretty well sold so I can’t decide if I take the hit and book not great seats, or wait for the front stalls to go onsale.

I’d ring the box office and ask about the front seats, when/if they will go on sale.

[happysooz2]

I called them and I’m sure that the box office at the NT used to be way more helpful. She just said that they are an external company and she had no idea about front stalls.

[saints]

£20 front stalls seats on sale for performances until 06/07

[Dave B]

May 28, 2024 21:53:36 GMT saints said:

£20 front stalls seats on sale for performances until 06/07

Thank you! I have returned my ticket and grabbed one of these. The front stalls are laid out already for Boys In The Black Stuff, they look to be fold down metal chairs, a step-up from plastic folding chairs. They also appear to be very nicely at stage height, I don't think anyone but the shortest would have a restricted view from them (unless of course they build up the stage).

[frauleinsallybowles]

Does anyone know was the front stalls are being sold as restricted? Even the ones that are further back? Are these all additional rows being added?

[patiently_waiting]

It looks like the front stalls are available online and are being sold as narrow/restricted. If they are as narrow as row A, they will be pretty narrow.

[aspieandy]

Usually, front 3 rows are Ryan Air class at £20. The rake begin after that, as do arm rests and higher prices.

[frauleinsallybowles]

The front stalls rows that are furthest back have a central aisle, so hopefully these won't be as bad as when I've sat in the non-armrest seats. FF/GG

[Dave B]

If it helps, here is a picture from the Circle the other night. The layout should be roughly the same for this one.

Full size picture here

[frauleinsallybowles]

Jun 1, 2024 16:31:58 GMT Dave B said:

If it helps, here is a picture from the Circle the other night. The layout should be roughly the same for this one.

Full size picture here

Oh very helpful - thank you for this. Have never seen the Olivier with the added rows

[patiently_waiting]

Jun 1, 2024 16:31:58 GMT Dave B said:

If it helps, here is a picture from the Circle the other night. The layout should be roughly the same for this one.

Full size picture here

This is really helpful. Thanks for posting!

[Dave B]

Anyone in last night for early word?

Mid week for me.

[Dave B]

Dear theatregoer,

We’re very sorry to inform you that tonight's performance of Mnemonic has been cancelled due to the indisposition of a crucial member of the company.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the disruption.

The full value of your tickets has been credited to your National Theatre account. You can use this credit to re-book tickets for another performance of your choice.

Performances of Mnemonic play until Saturday 10 August.

Very annoying, even more so no effort to rebook or anything. Just a credit and a sort yourself out.

[artea]

If you ask for cash back, they'll surely give it to you after a cancellation on their part. Meanwhile, the NT looks certain the indisposition will be resolved before tomorrow.
Also £5 tickets have appeared in the distant corners of the Olivier circle. They're also priced at £10 and £20. Someone has messed up I think. Pick a seat, pick a price at the national. Naturally restricted view but that's theatre.

[mrnutz]

Has anyone managed to see this yet? I'm in tonight.

[Adalea]

Saw this yesterday in one of the front seats. They're cushioned folding chairs, a little narrower than regular chairs but leg room is fine.

I enjoyed it. It's certainly quite abstract, but it somehow works. I especially liked the first half hour, don't want to spoil it because it's quite the unique for a theatre performance.

There is a lot of nudity in the play, just be aware of that especially if you're booking front row. They hand out phone pouches when you enter, though they are not locked.

[Someone in a tree]

Incredible. Up there with Elephant Vanishes and Measure in terms of simon mcburney brilliance.

Some stunning stage pictures but it's quite a small show, I wonder how it looks from the back of the circle

[mrnutz]

Hated this. A load of pretentious and tedious twaddle.

Couldn’t wait for it to end.

[Steve]

I LOVED it. Its equal parts lecture and drama, but for me, those parts blend together beautifully and meaningfully.

Its probably not as surprising as it once was because of Complicité's other works, and other works inspired by them, having played since.

Some spoilers follow. . .

I mean, I saw a show called "This Much I Know" at Hampstead Downstairs this last December, in which Esh Alladi starts by giving a lecture, when he discovers that his other half, Natalie Klamar, has disappeared mysteriously on an odyssey across Europe in search of her identity, and at the time, I recall this structure being described as "original" in the reviews.

So forgive my sense of deja vu when this show starts with Khalid Abdalla giving a lecture, when he discovers that a character he plays, Omar's other half, Eileen Walsh, has disappeared mysteriously on an odyssey across Europe in search of her identity.

Coincidence maybe? Inspired by the ideas in this show, more likely, though of course ideas are not copyrightable, so there's no legal issue here lol. Its just that I'm obviously not as surprised by the structure of this show as I would have been 25 years ago. Particularly because I've seen lots of other Complicite shows as well.

And Robert LePage shows too, which also typically involve travel and immigration and subtitles and links between people.

Anyhow, for me, the returning cast members from the original 1999 show, Tim McMullen, Richard Katz and Kostas Philippoglou make the biggest and most pleasurable impact. McMullen's voice has long been one of my favourites, its sing-song fruity rhythm like an endless massage to the mind, so he's a great choice for anthropolgist Konrad Spindler (who I think he also played in 1999, and he's more the right age now lol), head of the 5,000 year old Iceman investigation team at Innsbruck University, whose lectures about the Iceman and his discovery are one key focus of the show. Richard Katz is hilarious in a late role as another particularly pernickety anthropolgist, but its in his interactions with Eileen Walsh's world-wandering woman that he has the biggest ball of a time, making for some of the most engaging moments of the dramatic part of the show. And Kostas Philippoglou is also massively entertaining as an omnipresent Greek Taxi Driver "from Cockfosters," who exclaims to Khalil Abdalla, an Egyptian "from Brockley", "Whatever happened to the Ancient World?" lol.

Newbies, Eileen Walsh (the driver of the dramatic bits) and Khalid Abdalla (the driver of the lecture bits) are also a wonderful addition to the show, with Walsh making us feel the hysterical desire of a woman who feels lost without history, and Abdalla making us feel that learning some history can be entertaining rather than boring.

Anyhow, the show gets us personally involved (I found this bit moving) in the most mild manner possible, by having us open a pouch on our seats and interact with it; the show gets us uninvolved in trying to photograph stage nudity (Would anyone actually do this? Don't answer lol!) by bagging our phone for the duration; and all in all, I found that the show was profoundly moving, and especially worthwhile too in an age where the mere term "immigration" sparks conniptions, by pointing out connections between all people, everywhere, all over.

4 and a half stars from me.

[Someone in a tree]

Great review Steve

Didn't the Daily Mail show naked pics of James Norton naked in A little life?

I was happy having my phone in the little bag, as I never use it in the theatre. in general I do take a lot of pictures of my experiences as I'm scared of forgetting them.I love the digital memory reminders that I get, a e-mnemonic if you like.