Giant - Royal Court

[drmaplewood]

Sept 30, 2024 8:06:34 GMT Mark said:

Sept 28, 2024 13:37:31 GMT drmaplewood said:

Refresh constantly from about 8:56 - they sometimes appear a minute later too. I've never not managed to get any but not sure I have ever tried when an entire run has been sold out before. 

Started refreshing at 8:56 as suggested, they ended up going on a smidge after 9am. But very pleased to have gotten 2 great stalls seats for tonight. Appreciate your advice

I'll see you there  

[blamerobots]

Sounds like there'll be a few Theatreboarders there tonight! Is there a place to have a quick chat?

[iwanttix]

I had a look for the Monday seats and every time I clicked on a seat, it had gone. I wasn't really intending on going tonight though, was more interested in seeing if it was possible to get a ticket for future reference.

[aspieandy]

Glad to see some were succeessful this morning. Maybe suggests the mixed *professional* reviews are having some effect on demand.

[robs]

I showed up at the website at 0935 (the limited availability notice had disappeared for today when I last looked on Friday) and managed to get what appeared to be the last seat in the Circle.

[theatrefan77]

I was unlucky today. Will try again next week

[kallyloo]

I met a lovely lady Saturday, that had visited the box office lunch time, no tickets. Then as an afterthought dropped by on her way home about 6pm and a ticket had become available.

If you shop, work, or live anywhere near, it just might be worthwhile checking in once in a while for ticket returns.

[harry]

Sept 30, 2024 9:04:58 GMT aspieandy said:

Glad to see some were succeessful this morning. Maybe suggests the mixed *professional* reviews are having some effect on demand.

Not trying to be facetious but do you mean the reviews have encouraged or discouraged people from going?

Personally I think of the reviews that the wider general public read the only one that wouldn’t be that encouraging would be the Telegraph. All the other main papers were 4 or 5 stars (nobody reads the Stage except industry). So I’d think the majority of people who didn’t know much / anything a week ago who’ve since read something will have read something positive.

They sold out pretty quickly today (and the RC tweeted to say the phone lines were clogged and to stop calling if it was for tickets for this evening). 9 months ago the RC would have hardly believed that possible!

[aspieandy]

Sept 30, 2024 13:56:06 GMT harry said:

Sept 30, 2024 9:04:58 GMT aspieandy said:

Glad to see some were succeessful this morning. Maybe suggests the mixed *professional* reviews are having some effect on demand.

Not trying to be facetious but do you mean the reviews have encouraged or discouraged people from going?

Not facetious - Monday's at the RC can sell out in a minute. It will still sell well, I assume, because of the cast and creatives (many still keep an eye out for Hytner).

as per the poll here, it is worth more than 'something positive' - the contrast between word-of-mouth and professional reviewers will make an interesting year for award nominations.

[blamerobots]

Needs to transfer ASAP. John Lithgow is one of the bests, utterly convincing. It's a really, really scary show.

I could anticipate the weight of this show for this season even by reading the blurb initially! Succeeds spectacularly and another hit for the RC and definitely still keeps it a hit above the rest presenting these kinds of works.

[Mark]

This was absolutely great. I thought the writing was wonderful, and the play flowed extremely well. Lithgow is brilliant as Dahl, and I must say I thought Romola Garai was a particular standout. If I had one criticism, I didn't find the gardener character was particularly needed.

I'd be surprised if this didn't at the very least get Olivier nominated for Best Play, actor and featured actress.

[aspieandy]

Sept 30, 2024 22:10:48 GMT Mark said:

If I had one criticism, I didn't find the gardener character was particularly needed.

Very important moment, imo. The men had seen and done things few had.

At 23, 24, Dahl had sat completely alone in cockpits confronting death every day; sh*tting and pissing himself, shaking and weeping, and all the stuff no one talks about. Facing his own humanity. He killed 5 German pilots, at least. Technically a war ace. Of the 15 he joined up with, 5 survived.

He and the gardener were war comrades (different places, different ranks). I doubt they would have spoken about the specifics of what they did in the war anymore than they would the specifics of the issue in hand - certainly not about the people they had lost, had loved, killed. The bond is with those who shared the burden (and who quietly live with it after).

The gardener came from that pure place where you fight and die for what you believe in.

Imo, no matter how warped it might seem to contemporary opinion, Dahl likely felt a duty to be true to himself, knew the likely consequences of the course of action he'd chosen and, obliquely, sought reassurance from his bonded comrade before making the phone call.

That's not our context in 2024, but it was his in 1983. Imo, such great understanding of that generation by Mark Rosenblatt.

[lt]

Shame, Giant has lost its unblemished TB five star rating!

[raiseitup]

After failing at 9am yesterday to get the £15 seats, I did a refresh at about 5pm and managed to get 2 great central stalls seats, so definitely recommend checking the website throughout the day for returns.

I thought this was absolutely fantastic, such sharp writing and excellent performances all round.

[zahidf]

Just to add this was brilliant tonight. Great acting and writing

Hoping for a future life. I was thinking Broadway potentially.

[Being Alive]

Pretty perfect actually.

All four actors should be nominated for awards, as should the play.

Look forward to it's inevitable transfer - thank god there's a new play to finally get excited about after a fairly tepid few months.

[MrBunbury]

Really excellent play, extremely well acted. A deep breath intake happened immediately when a mention of Israel's attack of Lebanon was made (although it was the one in 1982); it is mindboggling to see the play in this moment.
Due to my usual clumsiness, the play costed me three times more than I had originally envisaged. In the afternoon I was joking with a colleague that after arriving to another play half a hour late because I had not realised it would start earlier than usual, that would never happen to me again because I now check the starting hour multiple times. So, yes, I arrived at the right hour, but on the wrong day because my ticket was for yesterday... Luckily the box office staff told me they had had two returns so I could get one of them adding £43, which I did. At least for once I experienced the view from the third row of the stalls! Now I am on a strict diet to recoup part of the extra money I paid :-)

[callum]

Thought this was completely superb at today's matinee - razor sharp script and really wonderful performances.

Was sat front row and directly in front of Lithgow for the phone conversation monologue towards the end of the play. I was completely mesmerised at how utterly spine-chilling he was. One of the great stage performances of the last decade.

And Ian McKellen was in the house in stalls Row E... nice to see him in good health and he seemed to enjoy it!

[talkingheads]

Is there any news on a transfer for this?

[BurlyBeaR]

£15 ticket on the Noticeboard for tonight 7th October

[vickyg]

Oct 7, 2024 10:11:41 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

£15 ticket on the Noticeboard for tonight 7th October

Thanks very much for publishing and publicising this so quickly! It has been taken now.

[foxa]

We were also at the Saturday matinee and loved it. We were in Row A of the circle which were great seats to take this in. All the performances were terrific - it felt like a privilege to see John Lithgow's work - how he mines the monstrousness and humanity of the character. Rachel Stirling was perfect, I felt she entirely understood that woman. Elliott Levey (always excellent) and Romola Garai (following The Years with this is quite a feat) were so detailed and surprising - you didn't want to miss a thing that they did.

Also so great to see the Royal Court buzzing, after a couple of truly dismal years, this is a spectacular comeback.

[Dr Tom]

This is good. All very well analysed already, but the subject matter is topical today. I will never understand the laughers in the audience.

I tried for the £15 seats this morning, but was too far back in the queue. Tried again thirty minutes later and picked up a stray seat in the back row of the Dress Circle, which is a perfect view as it’s a small theatre. Sole complaint is the theatre is hot. The leather (or leather style) seats covers do not help.

Started 15 minutes late and cameras filming from the sides of the Dress Circle, but presumably for archive and marketing reasons.

I think this deserves a transfer. Not sure I’d want to see it a second time, but definitely up there with the most interesting plays of the year.

[Rory]

Someone has given this one star in the poll?! Really?!!

[iwanttix]

I was there tonight too after managing to get a circle ticket this morning. I had no idea just how relevant this play was going to be to current circumstances.

All the performances were great and considering not much happened, it was very entertaining.

I echo that it was hot! And I did wonder if the cameras were for archive reasons.