Private Lives - UK Tour / Ambassadors

[Phantom of London]

Normally local theatre is a very hard sell, especially if it's a play, I have seen some very famous plays with many empty rows at the Greenwich theatre, Churchill, or Orchard, even a musical can be a tough sell.

so Tuesday night in January at the Churchill Theatre and the place was sold out. I didn't think Tom Chambers would be such a draw, but seems he is box office gold. 

The play itself is enjoyable, one of Noel Cowards more famous piece.

3 stars

[stageyninja83]

Tuesday was press night so not surprised it was full. Looking at the rest of the week, it is less than half sold for some nights.

[Phantom of London]

Also there are more advantage ATG offers with the members card.

I wouldn't think press night would make it that much busier, it's not like the West End.

[stageyninja83]

They were also papering Monday and Tuesday.

[peggs]

A friend at work loved this the other day.

[duncan]

Saw it at the weekend in Glasgow, 2 levels shut and the stalls half full - I had 6 seats to myself

Have to admit to finding the same problem as I have with most NC plays - NONE of the characters are likable and thus I don't care if they elope together or stick with their current partners, they are both so unlikeable that you'll wish the balcony would collapse and take them with it.

Chambers is good, he has an easy charm (some would say smarm) that stood him out from the rest of the cast and which makes me wonder why someone hasn't yet cast him in a remake of The Saint. Which was lucky as I wasn't impressed with the performance that Laura Rogers was giving, it was an almost note for note copy of her performance in Tipping the Velvet and it didn't work here as I spent the first act wondering why both men were so in love with her when she came across as aggressive and petty.

5/10

Their was a leaflet in the foyer that said the tour was prior to a West End run but I cant see this transferring based on the numbers attending here, unless its selling out elsewhere.

[wickedgrin]

I haven't seen this but a comment in a review in the local paper made me smile.

" It might have helped if the set was 75% more lavish."

[frappuccino]

Lockdown Theatre, in association with The Royal Theatrical Fund, presents a virtual reading of Noël Coward's Private Lives September 13 at 7 PM GMT (3 PM ET).

Jonathan Church directs a cast that includes Oscar winner Emma Thompson (Howards End, Sense and Sensibility) as Amanda, Tony and Olivier winner Robert Lindsay (Me and My Girl) as Elyot, Sanjeev Bhaskar (Art, Spamalot) as Victor, and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, The Seagull) as Sybil.

The Zoom reading will be followed by a live Q&A with the cast and director, moderated by Paul Jackson.

Tickets are £35, and all the funds raised will be used as a crisis grant to support those struggling financially in the theatre industry due to the ongoing pandemic. For tickets and additional information, visit RTFLockdown.com.
________

Missed it!!

[talkingheads]

Thrre's a touring production with Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge at the moment - has anyone seen it? I'm going next week.

[david]

talkingheads - I saw it at the Salford Lowry a few weeks ago. I had a decent afternoon watching it. I thought Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge were really good and both got a great reception from the audience when they first appeared on stage. I preferred Acts 2 and 3 to Act 1 for the comedy value. There is only 1 interval after Act 1.

[matty]

I saw it when it came to Richmond and enjoyed it. It was mostly sold out from what I remember, which was great to see

[edelweiss]

Mar 6, 2022 20:40:39 GMT talkingheads said:

Thrre's a touring production with Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge at the moment - has anyone seen it? I'm going next week.

100% recommend! I saw it recently, Patricia Hodge was the highlight for me but the whole cast was superb - not a weak link!

[Dave B]

Not a Donmar transfer...

Patricia Hodge and Nigel Havers

www.whatsonstage.com/news/private-lives-with-patricia-hodge-and-nigel-havers-to-open-in-the-west-end_1508506/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=4july2023

12 weeks until November 25.

[bobby]

This seems a bit of a crazy decision to bring in another production of Private Lives, however good it may be, so soon after the Donmar show finished, literally only a couple of months ago. How many people want to see this Coward play again? Is there really an audience for it?

[oxfordsimon]

It sold well in Oxford when it here last year

But the casting is too old and, in the case of Havers, not good enough.

[dlevi]

I saw this production in Richmond and while the casting is downright geriatric, the two stars are having a good time and so is the audience - it's an enjoyable production but in no way revelatory and doesn't provoke any post-show discussion, whereas the recent Donmar one was full of hidden surprises and was thought- (and conversation) provoking. Will I book to see this production again? Truly doubtful.

[Rory]

I had hoped The Band's Visit would be coming in. Not sure why I had it in my head that it was linked to the Ambassadors.

Out of the two Private Lives, I would have preferred to have seen the Donmar version come in to town, but hardly anything transfers from there anymore for reasons unknown.

[Being Alive]

I love Patricia Hodge but the Donmar version deserved a transfer over this really...

[sph]

I've never seen this play, but I do enjoy a Noel Coward comedy so might actually give this a go, if tickets turn out to be cheap and easy enough to come by.

[Deleted]

Good cast and a classic play but do we need another version plus with leads well into their 70's even though both look younger tbf.

[mattnyc]

The most exciting thing in that press release were the words “newly refurbished”.

[bobby]

And 6 wheelchair spaces, which is brilliant for a West End theatre. Every theatre should be the same and follow suit. We have waited all these years to actually even get into the Ambassadors (as this was one of a couple of non-accessible theatres) and they go and stick in a Coward play, that we saw at the Donmar, has only finished in another London venue!

[Jan]

Jul 4, 2023 9:29:46 GMT bobby said:

This seems a bit of a crazy decision to bring in another production of Private Lives, however good it may be, so soon after the Donmar show finished, literally only a couple of months ago. How many people want to see this Coward play again? Is there really an audience for it?

There is a large group of casual theatregoers and visitors to London who won’t have seen the Donmar version because it was far too hard to get tickets - they’ll welcome the ease of booking and discounts that will be on offer for a familiar play and actors. If the Donmar version had transferred there’d have been an audience for that too for the same reason.

[bobby]

We went on a Saturday night fairly late on in the run to the Donmar Private Lives, and it was nowhere nearly full, plenty of availability. The Donmar used to be the place to be and was always hard to get tickets, but not lately. Although Macbeth is certainly an exception because of its star casting.

[theatreliker]

I imagine Coward's estate to be like Captain Tom's family