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Post by Jan on May 24, 2024 7:54:49 GMT
An updated Elizabethan text, starring a hot young British Hollywood star, opens to mixed/poor reviews at the Duke of York’s… History repeating itself? There’s a piece in the programme gushing over his style and approach to the classics, but it omits to mention that the style came about partly after the hostile reaction to Doctor Faustus. Are we likely to have another change of direction (so to speak) or would the success of Sunset mean he’ll keep on doing more of the same? I think Jamie Lloyd should keep the stripped back approach but drop the cameras and handheld microphones unless it's necessary for the production. The stripped back approach with no technology for the classics is what we used to get quite often in small-scale productions in the 1980-90s - they work fine in small spaces with the audience close to the action even without star actors, and work brilliantly with good actors. But I don't think that's a suitable approach for a large conventional West End theatre. |
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Post by peopleplaces on May 24, 2024 8:08:31 GMT
In terms of commercial success his most successful production would be what? The Commitments musical? Surely Sunset? Despite its single run (currently), I imagine it has earned him more than Commitments did. |
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Post by craigbowker on May 24, 2024 8:24:10 GMT
Idk what you guys are talking about. This is definitely mixed reviews, but there are plenty of 4 and even 5 starts to go along with the 2s and 3s.
This is by no means a dud, it's just divisive.
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Post by alessia on May 24, 2024 8:38:44 GMT
Idk what you guys are talking about. This is definitely mixed reviews, but there are plenty of 4 and even 5 starts to go along with the 2s and 3s. This is by no means a dud, it's just divisive. Was thinking the same. Mixed reviews, not terrible across the board.(still, I have no desire to see another R&J- esp at those prices). |
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Post by woobl on May 24, 2024 8:59:29 GMT
This felt like an A Level drama production where the kid playing Romeo has a rich dad and has asked him to pay for a load of AV kit.
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Post by Jon on May 24, 2024 11:24:55 GMT
So now Tom Holland has to limp through this dud until August. Bet his team are in crisis talks. What’s the betting he’ll do a Taron Egerton style bail-out? There's little chance he'll pull out, it'd be very selfish on his part. The situation with Taron Egerton in Cock was different and that production had Jonathan Bailey as well so it could continue even with Taron pulling out. The reviews by the critics and others reflect what I thought about the directing choices by Jamie Lloyd and using his greatest hits on R&J. I'm sure he'll be fine but I think this is a good reminder to him not to rest on his laurels. |
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Post by curiouskc on May 24, 2024 11:41:13 GMT
Taron did not pull out of his show because it didn't get good enough reviews. From what I've heard, he had a significant family situation that took him out of both the play and a film he was due to shoot. Sometimes real life obligations take over work commitments. Actors are entitled to compassionate leave as much as anyone else.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 24, 2024 12:18:54 GMT
I was just using him as an example of a big name star pulling out of a high profile show. As usual if producers choose not to reveal the reason why for privacy reasons then they can’t really complain about people speculating. Regarding Cock, from memory of discussions on here, TE had a fainting incident n stage very soon after previews started. The reviews came out, they were less than raves 2 and 3 stars. Then he immediately disappeared, some said he had covid. Then when it was clear he wasn’t coming back the “personal reasons” announcement was made.
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Post by Jon on May 24, 2024 12:28:45 GMT
If Tom Holland pulled out which is unlikely then it would be putting the show in jeopardy as it's sold out on his star power and who'd want to work with him again after that?
Even if you get mediocre reviews, you are contractually obliged to complete the run. Lyonesse got terrible reviews but both KST and Lily James completed the run.
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Post by Jan on May 24, 2024 12:31:38 GMT
I was just using him as an example of a big name star pulling out of a high profile show. As usual if producers choose not to reveal the reason why for privacy reasons then they can’t really complain about people speculating. It is a very secretive profession and there are reasons for that. I know a case where a production was announced with a director attached and then closer to when it opened it was advertised with another director with no explanation for the switch ever given. What had happened was the first director had withdrawn with a genuine medical issue but didn’t want this known as they thought it would impact their chances of getting future work. This is even more of a problem for actors, film actors particularly, I suppose related to insurance issues. The last high-profile withdrawal I recall was Michael Balogun pulling out of the RSC Much Ado and no explanation was ever given beyond “unforeseen circumstances” which we could have worked out for ourselves. |
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Post by c4ndyc4ne on May 24, 2024 13:12:27 GMT
It's completely sold out so far from a dud in commercial terms. I meant from the critical reaction perspective. Five from the Telegraph, 4s from Time Out, Evening Standard, Financial Times, Daily Mail, WOS, London Theatre – this isn't a dud. It's divisive, sure, there are enough critics' ratings behind it to fill the posters. |
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Post by claireyfairy1 on May 24, 2024 13:36:51 GMT
And it’s the worst R&J even worse than the appalling Lily James one You have missed nothing Yikes, I left at the interval of that one. 😭 Seeing this one tomorrow. I like Tom Holland and was hoping for good reviews for him after he was quite upset at the critical reception for his recent tv show. It’s a shame it’s so mixed. Not completely surprised that it’s a rehash of ideas though. |
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Post by curiouskc on May 24, 2024 13:42:53 GMT
I was just using him as an example of a big name star pulling out of a high profile show. As usual if producers choose not to reveal the reason why for privacy reasons then they can’t really complain about people speculating. It is a very secretive profession and there are reasons for that. Exactly. If I am having a family emergency and require compassionate leave from my job, I know that my work place will respect my privacy and not make a big announcement about something in my personal life that's already causing me a lot of stress (like the sort of stress that has you fainting at work for example). To demand that the theatre say exactly what Taron was dealing with, so not only audiences but the world press can get a piece of it, shouldn't be necessary. And I don't think NOT getting a reason should mean it is open season for accusing actors of ditching shows because of poor reviews. |
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Post by marob on May 24, 2024 13:56:20 GMT
I’d never book anything based on what it says on the poster. Whether a review is positive or negative they’ll pull a quote from it for the poster regardless.
The poll on here of paying customers currently has around three quarters of the ratings at three stars or less.
Interested to read others thoughts as more see it.
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Post by lollibaby on May 25, 2024 5:57:25 GMT
I’d never book anything based on what it says on the poster. Whether a review is positive or negative they’ll pull a quote from it for the poster regardless. The poll on here of paying customers currently has around three quarters of the ratings at three stars or less. Interested to read others thoughts as more see it. I saw it last night and I think those giving a 3 ⭐️ rating are fair. In parts the acting is great but the majority of the time it falls flat. Tom and Francesca clearly tried their best but I was not blown away. In my opinion the actors that played tybalt, friar and capulet stole the show. I am not much of a Jamie Lloyd fan, if I ask myself if this production gains anything from being so stripped back, the answer would be no. The mic stands and the camera’s were was all very superfluous. |
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Post by claireyfairy1 on May 25, 2024 18:55:47 GMT
Saw it this afternoon. IMO it is not the fact that it’s a stripped back staging or even the cameras that are poor in this (although they’re distracting and I didn’t enjoy them). The way he has directed the performances is so disappointing. It’s so low energy it’s like they’re sloths performing. The occasional glimmer of spark in no way makes up for the weird muted delivery of most of the play. It’s like they’re all half asleep. I get that this is a dour interpretation of the play and I am not at all against the concept of a depressed Romeo from the outset, in fact the idea of that at the start was really appealing. Like there’s a bleak inevitability to what happens. But alas it didn’t work for me. The key scenes were too flat, too monotone, too sleepy.
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Post by aloysius on May 25, 2024 21:44:48 GMT
I saw this yesterday. I think there's a good production in there somewhere - I like having a depressed Romeo in a city beset by knife crime and minimal life chances. I thought Francesca Amewudah-Rivers was the stronger lead - playful, haughty, streetwise - but Tom Holland was fine and has charisma. It's not his fault Jamie Lloyd's direction is stale and a little pallid. I think he and Rebecca Frecknall are both suffering a creative block at the moment - or maybe producers forcing them to do the same thing each time - her R&J seemed to be painting by numbers last summer and Lloyd gives us a similar run through the greatest hits without doing anything new. Shame about the loss of the drone but would it really have added anything to the rooftop scene?
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Post by Jon on May 26, 2024 0:19:58 GMT
I saw this yesterday. I think there's a good production in there somewhere - I like having a depressed Romeo in a city beset by knife crime and minimal life chances. I thought Francesca Amewudah-Rivers was the stronger lead - playful, haughty, streetwise - but Tom Holland was fine and has charisma. It's not his fault Jamie Lloyd's direction is stale and a little pallid. I think he and Rebecca Frecknall are both suffering a creative block at the moment - or maybe producers forcing them to do the same thing each time - her R&J seemed to be painting by numbers last summer and Lloyd gives us a similar run through the greatest hits without doing anything new. Shame about the loss of the drone but would it really have added anything to the rooftop scene? The Jamie Lloyd Company produced it in association with a couple of other producers like David Binder so the issues with R&J are down to Jamie Lloyd. Rebecca Frecknall as well as Jamie Lloyd probably get a bit of free reign from producing houses and commercial producers. |
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Post by kallyloo on May 28, 2024 8:51:45 GMT
After reading many damning indictments, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this production.
It’s very bare bones, and a lot of the subtleties are absent, but I thought the vibrancy and energy was undeniable.
Is it overly stylised? Yes, but if you enjoy Jamie Lloyd there’s a lot of entertainment value to be had, and Tom Holland is giving the most emotionally rounded Romeo he can in a production that celebrates untheatrical, street style performances.
As someone with hearing loss, I do think it’s difficult to understand the first few scenes which are spoken in actual whispers, not even stage whispers. So if you have hearing issues, get the audio device from FOH even if you’re in the first few rows.
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Post by jojo on May 28, 2024 10:57:28 GMT
So now Tom Holland has to limp through this dud until August. Bet his team are in crisis talks. What’s the betting he’ll do a Taron Egerton style bail-out? There's little chance he'll pull out, it'd be very selfish on his part. The situation with Taron Egerton in Cock was different and that production had Jonathan Bailey as well so it could continue even with Taron pulling out. The reviews by the critics and others reflect what I thought about the directing choices by Jamie Lloyd and using his greatest hits on R&J. I'm sure he'll be fine but I think this is a good reminder to him not to rest on his laurels. I'd be surprised too. I don't think especially rate Holland as an actor, but he's very likeable and seems happy to put in the work. I like to think regardless of reviews he'll see this run as an opportunity to challenge himself and become a better actor. And if we're honest the people paying lots of money for this production are paying to see a name, and that's the bit they'll be telling their friends about. I know there were other issues for Egerton, but I think his lack of stage experience was relevant and contributed towards it all being a bit too much for him. It's a long time since Holland was on the West End, but it was a starring role in a big production. A very different production, but I'm sure he understood the responsibility of being the big name for the production before he signed on, and intends to take that seriously. I'm sure he'd be hoping for good reviews for his acting, but he doesn't need them. The sheer fact he has taken on a West End run like this will round out his CV and give him an edge over a lot of the young Hollywood stars he's competing with for roles. Hopefully Lloyd will have a bit of a think about what is and isn't working, and make some tweaks to improve the production and not just coast on tickets sold on a star name. |
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Post by A.Ham on May 28, 2024 11:37:42 GMT
Crikey - just had a look at availability on ATG and they’ve hiked the top price to £345 now!
Lots of great seats available across centre row F of the stalls - assuming you don’t mind paying through the nose for them.
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Post by theatrefan2018 on May 28, 2024 20:15:43 GMT
As a latecomer who was shut out of the initial ticket drop, and who hasn't been checking this message board frequently so missed out on the incremental releases in the past few weeks, seeing the few released tickets creep up from £250 to ¢295 to £345 has been both depressing and alarming.
Are there any strategies for getting a "reasonable" ticket in the £100-150 range, say day-of? Do unsold premium (£250 and higher) get knocked down at the box office perhaps day of performance?
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Post by clarefh on May 28, 2024 20:21:25 GMT
As a latecomer who was shut out of the initial ticket drop, and who hasn't been checking this message board frequently so missed out on the incremental releases in the past few weeks, seeing the few released tickets creep up from £250 to ¢295 to £345 has been both depressing and alarming. Are there any strategies for getting a "reasonable" ticket in the £100-150 range, say day-of? Do unsold premium (£250 and higher) get knocked down at the box office perhaps day of performance? There are quite a few tickets being resold on Twickets daily - if you sign up you can get alerts when they are posted. They can only be sold at face value but you do pay a twickets fee. |
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Post by ceebee on May 28, 2024 21:05:09 GMT
A ticket for this production isn't worth £345 (any more than Cabaret is worth £330). Greed and hype. There are better things on, offering better bang for buck.
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Post by parsley1 on May 28, 2024 22:25:59 GMT
I would not go back to this
If they paid ME £345
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