The Years - Almeida / Harold Pinter

[aspieandy]

Aug 6, 2024 11:48:53 GMT prefab said:

And again, I wouldn't have been so bothered by this if I felt like the play was offering me any new insights--or even old cliches wrapped in memorable poetic language. But aside from the abortion scene, it all felt so shallow and trite. Maybe the fact that I'm a huge fan of authors who've covered similar territory like Doris Lessing made this look weak in comparison.

I felt similarly. It was pretty superficial; a little like an elderly women leafing through her journals from back in the day, rekindling memories.

It was careful to be quirky and heartfelt and to not lag, but even then it felt whiteboarded or workshopped into effect.

But I'm sure, as I say above, if I were female it would have resonated far more. As an older misery guts who's also seen a bit, it just didn't have enough of interest.

Let's hope no more men *fainted*.

Glad to see reviewers like it.

[n1david]

Well I'm male and pushing into my late 50s and thought this was genuinely terrific last night. I didn't interpret it as a history of the world, or even a history of womanhood - this was one person's story, and I enjoyed the suggestion that we are all many people, different people at different places and times. I thought it was acted with great humanity; maybe the Q&A after the show helped to contextualise how the production was put together (essentially, they started with a carbon copy of the Dutch version - then the director, who is Norwegian but also directed the Dutch version, worked with the cast to create their own versions of the character). I can see it wasn't for everyone - but, for whatever reason at this stage in my life and with my history it gave me a lot to ponder, even if I did not precisely identify with the lead character.

We did get a show stop last night - a male audience member audibly distressed during That Scene, and then just before the show restarted a female audience member fainted. Maybe about a dozen audience members left during the show stop. As far as I was concerned, the scene was appropriate and critical to the character.

[mrnutz]

I was in last night (along with at least a couple of celebs) and thought this was absolutely fantastic. No show stop, but a fair bit of commotion in the stalls during that scene.

Outstanding performances from all five actors and a story that absorbed and affected me way more than I expected.

5/5

[greatauntedna]

Too episodic and detached for me, a waste of the cast, half of it reeling off Wikipedia. Some great moments.

[Phantom of London]

Well an easy sell out normally equals a very easy West End transfer.

I expect this in zone 1 soon.

[parsley1]

I feel incredibly sorry for the cast in this show and the theatre staff

Quite magnificent acting and performances

Interrupted constantly and affecting the momentum of the show

Moreover the way the media have covered this aspect of the show

As if it’s some badge of honor

Distasteful

[parsley1]

Aug 7, 2024 19:31:18 GMT Phantom of London said:

Well an easy sell out normally equals a very easy West End transfer.

I expect this in zone 1 soon.

It’s very unlikely this is a commercial piece of theatre or that the cast are all available for an ongoing run

Sell out in small venue doesn’t equal main venue transfer

As we have seen before

[Phantom of London]

I respect your opinion. I would’ve thought anything at the Almeida has to have an afterlife? I could see this going into the Soho Place, perfect size theatre for this.

[n1david]

I think this would be a tough sell in the West End, despite the fact that I loved it. Firstly, could they re-assemble this great cast, which is I think a large part of its success. Secondly, it feels like a piece that doesn't connect with everyone (we've seen that in this thread) and I wonder if a commercial audience might be less open to it.

But my main reason for responding is to point out that the Almeida Theatre is in Zone 1, when we had a zonal system for buses in London, the bus stop that was the boundary between Zone 1 and Zone 2 was the next one northbound on Upper Street by the Town Hall, and so we'll have none of this talk about "expecting this in zone 1 soon" when it is already there!

[Latecomer]

i loved this at today’s matinee. No disruption from the crowd and as someone else said it affected me more than I thought it would (I’m that sort of age!) …..needed to sit quietly for a bit at the end and then met up with daughters in Soho for tea (at Govinda- excellent!) which seemed very apt.
Excellent - this is why I go to theatre.

[parsley1]

I think this must rank amongst my top 5 theatre experiences of all time

Total team work and true ensemble skills

Acting, singing, dancing and instrument playing

The simple staging lets the story shine

The scope is simply breathtaking and awe inspiring

The comments about it appealing to women are nonsense

If you are a human with a brain and emotions and have lived

There is something here for everyone

An amazing snapshot of life in all its glory fragments pieces events and memories

Quite astounding and makes me feel proud of theatre as a form of art

[parsley1]

Aug 6, 2024 17:48:53 GMT aspieandy said:

Aug 6, 2024 11:48:53 GMT prefab said:

And again, I wouldn't have been so bothered by this if I felt like the play was offering me any new insights--or even old cliches wrapped in memorable poetic language. But aside from the abortion scene, it all felt so shallow and trite. Maybe the fact that I'm a huge fan of authors who've covered similar territory like Doris Lessing made this look weak in comparison.

I felt similarly. It was pretty superficial; a little like an elderly women leafing through her journals from back in the day, rekindling memories.

It was careful to be quirky and heartfelt and to not lag, but even then it felt whiteboarded or workshopped into effect.

But I'm sure, as I say above, if I were female it would have resonated far more. As an older misery guts who's also seen a bit, it just didn't have enough of interest.

Let's hope no more men *fainted*.

Glad to see reviewers like it.

I think it’s telling I loved this so much and in origin it is a European piece I’d theatre from outside the UK

And it reminded me very much of the best international theatre I have seen at The Barbican before they decided to programme commercial sh*te every summer and lose all artistic respect

I think part of the point of the novel and adaptation

Is that in the grand scheme of things most people’s lives are superficial and mundane and boil down to the same few themes which have remain unchanged over centuries and decades

Yes technology progresses and the soundtrack for each generation is a new one

But in essence people are driven by the same emotions and aspirations and desires

Historical events come and go

Wars and pandemics and revolutions

Do people magically change?

Absolutely not

[cavocado]

There was another show stop for 5 minutes or so this afternoon as someone was distressed and cried out during Romola Garai's big scene, then it looked like another couple of people left, perhaps they were with her. Poor Romola Garai having to stop in the most difficult, emotional scene in the play, and by now the cast must be wondering if it's going to happen again, despite the theatre being plastered with content warnings.

I thought this was stunning, best thing I've seen this year. Maybe we need a poll BurlyBeaR? Opinions seem quite polarised.

[parsley1]

Aug 10, 2024 18:14:48 GMT cavocado said:

There was another show stop for 5 minutes or so this afternoon as someone was distressed and cried out during Romola Garai's big scene, then it looked like another couple of people left, perhaps they were with her. Poor Romola Garai having to stop in the most difficult, emotional scene in the play, and by now the cast must be wondering if it's going to happen again, despite the theatre being plastered with content warnings.

I thought this was stunning, best thing I've seen this year. Maybe we need a poll BurlyBeaR? Opinions seem quite polarised.

Yes she acquits herself impeccably

And must have some anxiety

Moreover when she resumes she goes back a bit and repeats the lines which may lead to the distress

And it is quite a long passage

So she must hope there isn’t staggered fainting which would lead to multiple stops

[BurlyBeaR]

Poll added

[kallyloo]

Just to let people know, there’s an event in connection with the play at Waterstones in Islington.

“To celebrate the forthcoming Almeida Theatre production of The Years, adapted from Annie Ernaux's book by Internationaal Theater Amsterdam's Artistic Director Eline Arbo, we'll be discussing the possibilities and challenges of taking Ernaux's words from page to stage in conversation with the Almeida's head of Programming and Literary, Stephanie Bain."

The event takes place Monday 12th at 18.30 and tickets are from £5 on Eventbrite.

[Phantom of London]

Just to rub it in and add a poll when it’s sold out, still hoping for a transfer though.

[kate8]

I also loved this. Very well acted by all five, and I liked how they managed to combine some serious and often traumatic events with quite a light, irreverent jokiness at times. For me (middle aged woman) a lot of the themes felt close to home, and the very insightful writing made me want to buy the play text to read on the way home. The woman in front of me in the queue bought 10 copies, wish I’d asked her why.

As is often said on TB, why don’t we get more European theatre in translation? This felt relevant and also really interesting to get a French perspective on some of the events and social changes mentioned. Is it prohibitively expensive for theatres to get plays translated?

[vickyg]

I'm desperate to see this and I've usually been successful at The Almeida at getting returns by regularly refreshing the page of sold out productions. I've been doing this for a few days and haven't seen any tickets at all come up which is unusual in my experience. Has anyone had any luck getting returns either online or in person?

[tal]

Aug 13, 2024 10:57:23 GMT vickyg said:

I'm desperate to see this and I've usually been successful at The Almeida at getting returns by regularly refreshing the page of sold out productions. I've been doing this for a few days and haven't seen any tickets at all come up which is unusual in my experience. Has anyone had any luck getting returns either online or in person?

I was also unsuccessful online. Then I decided to try my luck in person. I went into the theatre last Thursday at around 7pm, but that was already too late - the queue was too long and I didn't get any tickets. I went again yesterday, this time at around 5pm, and I was the first in the queue. Around 15min later they offered me a ticket, which I bought, so I didn't have to wait until 7:30 in the end.

[harlow]

I thought this was utterly compelling. I had read the book but still found the whole experience almost overwhelming - in the best possible way. On reflection, it was the quieter moments that I found most beautiful - a small hand gesture or a particular phrasing (I found the cleaning of the blood from Romola's legs by the other actors particularly moving). All 5 actors were exceptional.

We too had a long interruption in the abortion scene (at least 10 minutes?) and I was incredibly impressed with Romola Garai's poise both during the break, as she stood to the side of the stage unmoving but separate from the rest of the cast, and when she returned to the scene. She's always been one of my favourite actors - both powerful and vulnerable - but I felt like there was something quite wondrous about seeing someone's skill and commitment in this way. To see her able to stand 'within' the moment during the break, seemingly with no thought to the surrounds (the lights, the people talking), and then picking it back up without losing its poetical rhythm or its impact. While the disruption interrupted the flow of the piece as a whole, I also felt privileged to have this experience and found it moving in a very different way.

I bloody love actors!

[Rory]

It must be a very strange experience for Romola Garai to witness the power of her words and her performance on the audience on a seemingly nightly basis.

I very strongly expect that this production, which sounds extraordinarily unique and powerful, will return.

I must say that I would really love to experience this show.

[Jon]

Because the cast have other commitments, a transfer is unlikely but I could see a return to the Almeida in 2025;

[parsley1]

There is a segment from woman’s hour today

With an interview from Romola Garai

She briefly talks about how they manage that scene

And how she personally manages the break in flow

It was the scene she auditioned with as well

[parsley1]

This is a nudge for people to book

1- when booking opens
2- once casting is announced
3- at least once performances commence into previews
4- do your research if the show has been staged elsewhere and seek reviews from that particular run

I am sorry but if you are going to wait for reviews

Then tough