Kyoto - Swan Theatre, Stratford / @sohoplace

[mkb]

A Richard Osman Tweet tipped me off to take a look at this (as his wife is starring in it as Angela Merkel), and I have duly booked.

www.rsc.org.uk/kyoto/

Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin direct a new play by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson about the 1997 climate conference.


Annoyingly, the theatre's web designers have created the page at www.rsc.org.uk/kyoto/cast-and-creatives so that's it's impossible to cut-and-paste the cast list (e.g. to my own personal Calendar entry).   Even when you open an individual cast member's page -- which I can open on my Windows desktop but fails on my Android phone -- the ability to copy text has been disabled, and woe betide anyone foolish enough to back out of that page with the browser Back function (rather than the tiny Close button that is not visible if you have scrolled down) as that will take you out completely.  I bet the RSC paid a lot of money for what is a very poor design.   Whole load of other functional deficiencies with it too.

[cavocado]

I was quite interested in this but couldn't fit it around the other things I wanted to see there, so am hoping it might transfer if reviews are good.

I agree about the cast lists, although I don't think that's a new feature. I like to keep a note of casts and find a lot of theatre websites don't make this info easy to cut and paste. I wish they did downloadable PDFs.

[Rory]

Transfers to @sohoplace.

16 weeks.

9th January - 3rd May 2025

x.com/WhatsOnStage/status/1841252269834006983?t=huI3FxkSKE-rx81m4Dej4w&s=19

[zahidf]

Oct 1, 2024 23:04:40 GMT Rory said:

x.com/WhatsOnStage/status/1841252269834006983?t=huI3FxkSKE-rx81m4Dej4w&s=19

4 month run! Glad it's moving, looks good

[bordeaux]

Good news. Quite a few positive comments on the RSC General thread, including mine: Another vote for Kyoto from me. It really should transfer. The writers and directors have done a brilliant job turning a series of environmental conferences, which climaxes with Kyoto, into something thrilling, funny and provocative. Having the narrator as a US oil lobbyist is a superb idea and Stephen Kunken gives a magnificent performance.

[Jon]

@sohoplace is the perfect venue for it and they'll be able to recreate the Swan set with ease.

[oxfordsimon]

Am delighted it gets another run.

It is too good not to have wider exposure.

[jaggy]

Wanted to see this and hoped it would transfer.

Does anyone know if they're planning on transferring Pericles too?

[oxfordsimon]

Pericles had a series of performances scheduled in the US

I haven't heard of anything further in the UK

[Dave B]

Now on sale. Significant reductions for first few nights of previews. Seats then jump from £35 to £95!

Looks like a change of layout too, playing to four sides in balconies but just three sides in stalls.

[oxfordsimon]

That may require some changes to the text

Particularly in the MSND sequence. But we shall see.

Just great to see it starting out beyond Stratford. It should get picked up in the US and beyond all being well.

[lt]

Booked two preview tickets for £28 each. Same tickets cost £80 the following Monday!

[Steve]

Oct 4, 2024 9:13:07 GMT Dave B said:

Now on sale. Significant reductions for first few nights of previews. Seats then jump from £35 to £95!

Looks like a change of layout too, playing to four sides in balconies but just three sides in stalls.

Thanks, Dave B

I booked the previews.

[zahidf]

Ill hold of day seats for this one.

[theatrelover123]

I predict this one will feature regularly on TodayTix Rush and several other sites after a few weeks. I’m looking forward to seeing it but it will absolutely limp along for that duration.

[showgirl]

I hope it'll do better than that & the initial appeal (eg to those who'd have like to see it but were unable to travel to Stratford) will be to a different demographic from that of previous productions at Soho Place. For a start this is a known quantity with great reviews from the original run and the transfer follows relatively swiftly so people won't have forgotten about it.

[oxfordsimon]

The Jungle transferred and was successful in London and in many other cities.

This, the tricky second play, has already got some very, very good reviews. It needs a few trims but they have time to reflect on those comments and to adjust accordingly.

It has the strength of the RSC brand and the pulling power of Daldry as director.

It stands a good chance of doing better than OK.

[n1david]

Can anyone who saw this in Stratford comment on the experience in the 'Conference seats' in the front row? How involving/immersive is the experience from there?

[oxfordsimon]

I was sat a couple of rows back. The interaction was pretty minimal. The actors would confer and chat with the audience. But no enforced joining in that I can remember

You are on full view throughout. And I can imagine it feels great to be at the heart of things.

You will have actors stood on the desk right in front of you will will temporarily impact on visibility.

[Jon]

I wonder if the screen will be kept because it's going to be difficult for audiences to see it if sitting in the seats behind it in the balconies unless they price it accordingly.