Romeo & Juliet - Duke of York's Theatre

[Being Alive]

This is seemingly in a bit of a mess from what I've heard too - sounds like a very unhappy team on both sides.

[BVM]

May 10, 2024 13:59:17 GMT peopleplaces said:

May 10, 2024 13:38:13 GMT aloysius said:

First preview tomorrow night has just been cancelled "due to the technical aspects of the production needing further preparation".

Considering they just fired a member of the creative team yesterday and Tom is extremely unhappy, I’m not surprised.

Who have they fired?

Why is Tom unhappy?

[Jon]

I get cast and creative being unhappy during a show's run but before it takes the biscuit!

One has to wonder if this might end up being Jamie Lloyd's Opening Night.

[normasturban]

It’s not going to be Jamie Lloyd’s Opening Night because despite what could go wrong with the production, the text is strong.

ON was a colossal misfire on all fronts, material most of all.

[marob]

Didn’t he already have his Opening Night with Doctor Faustus?

[mrbarnaby]

Oh dear, this isn’t good.

Maybe someone shot down the drone?

[parsley1]

I do think JL is a director of the highest calibre and have always felt an affinity to his work

But with recognition and popularity

Comes ego

And with increased output

Standards inevitably drop and ideas become old

And the fashion changes

I will be interested to see where he goes in the next 10 years and if he develops his style and evolves

[Jon]

May 10, 2024 20:47:18 GMT parsley1 said:

I do think JL is a director of the highest calibre and have always felt an affinity to his work

But with recognition and popularity

Comes ego

And with increased output

Standards inevitably drop and ideas become old

And the fashion changes

I will be interested to see where he goes in the next 10 years and if he develops his style and evolves

In the Sunset Boulevard programme, the minimalist look is Jamie Lloyd wants to do, I'm sure he'll go back to doing traditional productions in the future.

I think this is the first production that Jamie Lloyd has done since The Jamie Lloyd Company became independent from ATG which isn't good for him if things aren't going well on R&J    

[nash16]

May 10, 2024 13:59:17 GMT peopleplaces said:

May 10, 2024 13:38:13 GMT aloysius said:

First preview tomorrow night has just been cancelled "due to the technical aspects of the production needing further preparation".

Considering they just fired a member of the creative team yesterday and Tom is extremely unhappy, I’m not surprised.

Just heard about this too. Sounds tense in there.

They still seemed to be loading set in this afternoon, so they can’t have even started technical rehearsals fully yet either.

Oh well. We’ve got the drone to look forward to for the gimmick this time.

[takeabow]

deadline.com/2024/05/tom-holland-romeo-amp-juliet-first-preview-canceled-1235912210/amp/

Not much additional information here but clearly issues are brewing. Likely forced to extend run to accommodate?

[A.Ham]

There’s already the issue of accommodating all those booked for tonight elsewhere in the run so if any further previews get cancelled that problem will only be made worse.

Apparently ATG’s form is to issue a voucher for the price paid which can then be used as a credit to rebook for the same show. Not hugely helpful if you managed to get a reasonably-priced ticket originally as that credit won’t go far against the £250 seats remaining!

If further performances are cancelled then surely they’ll have to add dates at the end of the run, or slot in some additional matinees? What’s at the DOY after this and has a start date been confirmed?

[blamerobots]

The tense atmosphere of Sunsets gone by finally catches up, maybe?

I don't like to talk about show drama often because it can be real reductive and rude to assume things about people's personal lives (thinking back to 2021-2022 Broadway season and the revolving door of shows coming in and out and actors leaving and joining and the various things people were saying then, literally as the industry was recovering post-pandemic.)

But I say this genuinely, I didn't know that the first preview was literally today. Didn't the set only start getting loaded in like, a WEEK back? For some reason in my mind the first preview was like in a week or two from now? With the star power on the marquee, I can imagine people getting pretty stressed now we're down to the wire.

I'm anticipating a shaky bunch of previews.

[greenandbrownandblue]

They were definitely still loading in last Saturday. I saw set being constructed (or adjusted) in the back of a lorry parked on St Martin's. And the foyer was full of not-yet-rigged lighting.

Now a new production can be loaded in and teched in a week. Jude Law's Hamlet was loaded in to the Wyndham's on a Saturday night straight after the final performance of Madame de Sade (remember that?!), and the first preview was on the following Friday. Now that was a technically pretty simple production, but for a starry Shakespeare, it can be done!

[Dave B]

x.com/ahmedaydi__/status/1789277613766099090?s=46

[Dave B]

May 11, 2024 12:57:55 GMT Dave B said:

x.com/ahmedaydi__/status/1789277613766099090?s=46

Picture of rigging up on the roof of DoY if preview does not come through.

[dillan]

I have no idea how they’re going to accommodate everyone with new dates and tickets unless they add extra dates in.. (unless it’s not as sold out as they’re making it out to be)

[A.Ham]

All this talk of a set being loaded in and the amount of time that entails… have we all forgotten it’s a Jamie Lloyd production?! 😂

[Always@thetheatre]

Daily mail have photos of Tom arriving and leaving the theatre, he doesn't look happy 😔

[solotheatregoer]

All this drama doesn’t bode well at all does it? Wish they’d hurry up and confirm if performances early next week are going ahead so I can make other plans.

[ceebee]

May 11, 2024 12:59:56 GMT Dave B said:

May 11, 2024 12:57:55 GMT Dave B said:

x.com/ahmedaydi__/status/1789277613766099090?s=46

Picture of rigging up on the roof of DoY if preview does not come through.

surely that's never going to hold one man in a Spiderman costume?

[mrbarnaby]

May 11, 2024 13:16:10 GMT A.Ham said:

All this talk of a set being loaded in and the amount of time that entails… have we all forgotten it’s a Jamie Lloyd production?! 😂

At a push it might be a couple of chairs.

[parsley1]

I think part of the drama has been inflated and exaggerated

Technical issues happen

What I would comment though

As an avid opera goer

They don’t have previews and press review the first night

Yes they have rehearsals and dress etc

But most operas have way more personnel to manage than a theatre show

So it does strike me as poor judgment and lack of planning as this sort of issue is common place for theatre stage shows

[theatrefan62]

May 11, 2024 14:01:23 GMT Always@thetheatre said:

Daily mail have photos of Tom arriving and leaving the theatre, he doesn't look happy 😔

Normally, I'd say you have to take the daily mail with a huge pinch of salt. But the video of his arrival going around social media he doesn't look that happy at all, especially for him. Usually, it is one for smiling and waving, etc. (even if it's just an act)

The mail can also be quite good at trying to hint at things that they can't say. So seems there is truth to the unhappy rumours

[Jon]

Is it just The Jamie Lloyd Company producing or are there other producers? Considering JL's other productions last year were fine and went without a hitch, it's strange that things have gone wrong.

[peopleplaces]

May 11, 2024 17:17:06 GMT Jon said:

Is it just The Jamie Lloyd Company producing or are there other producers? Considering JL's other productions last year were fine and went without a hitch, it's strange that things have gone wrong.

Didn’t he just very recently part ways with ATG to go solo?