The Grapes of Wrath - National Theatre

[dillan]

Thanks for the advice guys - will avoid and use the Friday rush!

[knutinkerbell]

Aug 20, 2024 11:50:54 GMT thistimetomorrow said:

Aug 19, 2024 15:53:44 GMT dillan said:

How bad are the first 4 rows for this theatre? It's obviously a lot cheaper

not good. I sat in the 2nd row and missed a big element of the set that meant i could only see the heads of the actors (and tbh even that just about).

Further back is better. Was in row G and didn’t see that element. But that didn’t bother me.

[singingbird]

Despite a really clever and atmospheric approach to capturing wide open space in the box of a theatre, and a few incredibly striking scenes, to be honest I found this pretty poor overall. It just felt like an exercise in how not to adapt a novel for the stage. It was as if the adaptor just doggedly transcribed everything rather than taking the text as a jumping off point to make something that stood alone in it's own right.

I also felt the music was poor. Aside from the lovely slow number in the barn dance, it was melodically and harmonically basic in the extreme and incredibly generic, so it really didn't lighten proceedings for me. It's a powerful story but a largely wasted theatrical opportunity.

[lt]

I think I have similar feelings to singingbird about this performance. Overall, I found this very disappointing. The acting felt stagey and the actors' reactions when another was speaking unnatural and awkward. I thought the music was a good idea, but it definitely needed more variety.

In the first half towards the interval, lots of scenes with the traveling truck became repetitive and in the second, the various vignettes felt rather disconnected. There was little sense of a narrative drive. And the final scene - without giving away any spoilers - felt overly melodramatic, and oddly emotionally disconnecting.

The play gave no real sense of the grinding poverty and desperation that makes the book so powerful.

And when it finally ended, there was a very subdued response from the audience.

I hadn't sat in the narrow seats at the Lyttelton before and I thought they were really uncomfortable, much worse than the equivalent in the Olivier. Made worse by the fact, there was someone very large in one of these seats beside us and they took up much of one of our seats as well.

[cavocado]

This and London Tide suffered from similar problems: both way too long, with music expected to carry too much weight and songs sometimes breaking the narrative tension inappropriately. Both were also lovely to look in different ways, but the design and movement seems to have been prioritised over acting and storytelling. Both could have been improved by better scripts. There's nothing wrong with trying to tell an epic story in an inventive way, but the inventiveness shouldn't swamp the basics of a decent script, characters, structure and acting. I didn't dislike either, I thought they were okay 3 star plays, but I felt they could both have been so much better.

[lt]

Aug 25, 2024 14:09:55 GMT cavocado said:

This and London Tide suffered from similar problems: both way too long, with music expected to carry too much weight and songs sometimes breaking the narrative tension inappropriately. Both were also lovely to look in different ways, but the design and movement seems to have been prioritised over acting and storytelling. Both could have been improved by better scripts. There's nothing wrong with trying to tell an epic story in an inventive way, but the inventiveness shouldn't swamp the basics of a decent script, characters, structure and acting. I didn't dislike either, I thought they were okay 3 star plays, but I felt they could both have been so much better.

I think I'm giving up on the NT. It seems to consistently provide rather worthy plays that miss the mark.

[cavocado]

Aug 25, 2024 15:16:20 GMT lt said:

Aug 25, 2024 14:09:55 GMT cavocado said:

This and London Tide suffered from similar problems: both way too long, with music expected to carry too much weight and songs sometimes breaking the narrative tension inappropriately. Both were also lovely to look in different ways, but the design and movement seems to have been prioritised over acting and storytelling. Both could have been improved by better scripts. There's nothing wrong with trying to tell an epic story in an inventive way, but the inventiveness shouldn't swamp the basics of a decent script, characters, structure and acting. I didn't dislike either, I thought they were okay 3 star plays, but I felt they could both have been so much better.

I think I'm giving up on the NT. It seems to consistently provide rather worthy plays that miss the mark.

I disagree. I've had some of my best theatre experiences there, and even in the last couple of years I've loved Till The Stars Come Down, Grenfell, Dear England, Infinite Life and others. Even the plays I haven't liked so much haven't been terrible, and the front rows are a bargain at £20. I'm really fond of the NT, so it's just disappointing when they don't get it right. 

[callum]

I enjoyed this more than most on Saturday evening. I was braced for the bleakness but got swept along with the characters in this story that is the same time very specific in its milieu but timeless in its themes - refugees, climate crises, economic exploitation.

Perhaps this makes it sound pious alongside depressing but loved the ruthless pragmatism of Cherry Jones’ Ma Joad. She will do whatever it takes to survive, even if it means sending her pregnant daughter to her husband ‘for a slap’… which got a few bizarre laughs from the audience.

I had a circle seat but sat in an empty section of Row A… great view and can understand why it would be difficult to see the water pool from the front of the stalls.

Harrowing but rewarding!

[amyja89]

Seeing this next week. Feeling pretty good about my solo circle slips seat for £20 given the mixed reviews, and I'm sure I'll enjoy the luxury of being able to fidget a bit more than usual given the run time! Sounds like I'll have a better view of the pool than those at the front of stalls at least. I'm attending on a filming day, so should be interesting.

[amyja89]

It’s matinee day for me. Does anyone who has been remember rough act running times?

[hamletothello]

2 hrs 50

[hamletothello]

Sept 4, 2024 8:33:08 GMT amyja89 said:

It’s matinee day for me. Does anyone who has been remember rough act running times?

2 hrs 50 total running time. Approx. 1 hr 15 act 1 and 1 hr 05 act 2

[hamletothello]

Sept 4, 2024 10:01:38 GMT hamletothello said:

Sept 4, 2024 8:33:08 GMT amyja89 said:

It’s matinee day for me. Does anyone who has been remember rough act running times?

2 hrs 50 total running time. Approx. 1 hr 15 act 1 and 1 hr 05 act 2

Just realised that doesn't add up to 2 hrs 50! 1 hr 20 act 1 and 1 hr 10 act 2

[amyja89]

Overall I think I liked this. What you watch on stage is a slog, because they are quite literally slogging, so as long as you commit to that kind of experience I think it can be quite rewarding.

I echo some of the thoughts here about the repetitive nature of the truck driving in the first act, but I’m not sure how else you would portray the travel really.

Second act felt more dynamic, but also felt like there was a slight imbalance in the shorter half of the play trying to pack in the majority of the ‘juicier’ stuff. That ending really does pack a punch, these people striving to find the best in human life, ultimately resorting to one of the most animalistic tableaux you can imagine. Not necessarily horrifying, just utter irony.

The music provided a nice, atmospheric soundtrack to something that could really have been on wrong side of too desolate, and handy during some of the more cumbersome set transitions.

Cherry Jones underused in my opinion, she had more charisma than the rest of them put together.

Very attentive if somewhat tepid audience, stalls looked full, circle about 60%. Was very happy with my circle slips seat, so much so that I didn’t bother moving to a free one in the circle proper at interval. Didn’t miss anything, and enjoyed the luxury of fidget and leaning room!

Both of today’s performances were sign posted as being filmed, but I couldn’t see any cameras from where I was. I don’t know if the plans changed.

[edi]

Any pictures of the river? I couldn't see it properly from the 5th row and I cannot find anything online.

[amyja89]

Sept 4, 2024 19:41:11 GMT edi said:

Any pictures of the river? I couldn't see it properly from the 5th row and I cannot find anything online.

imgur.com/a/CCU4Kw0

No pics of when it was on show because it was only during the performance, but the floor basically slid away in a strip where the first row are standing in that pic. Just looked like a very slim lap lane you might find in an expensive loft apartment lol.

Nothing much to see, but I bet you got a shock from those first splashes! 😂

[jek]

edi The National have posted a film of the musicians singing 'We Are The People' on their Instagram page. If you watch that they show a glimpse of a scene of actors throwing themselves into the pool.

[edi]

Sept 4, 2024 19:55:46 GMT jek said:

edi The National have posted a film of the musicians singing 'We Are The People' on their Instagram page. If you watch that they show a glimpse of a scene of actors throwing themselves into the pool.

Perfect

[MrBraithwaite]

Liked it more than I expected, booked this as a contrast to all the musicals on my trip. Cast was great, wouldn't want to read it now though. Stage was HIGH, so glad I listened to the comments and booked Row D or E instead of front row. 3.5/5