Fanny & Alexander (Old Vic)

[Steve]

Mar 2, 2018 15:00:41 GMT foxa said:

>some of the reviews complain that it doesn't capture the magic of the film - whereas if you haven't seen the film you don't feel that loss.


Yes, I think that might have played a part in downgrading this from four to three stars for some. The critics probably just had to rewatch the movie, to compare, which would make it really fresh for them.

For me, the fact that there's a movie that's better than a play doesn't invalidate it in any way. I'm delighted there's a play. I've never had many to talk to, about the film, because almost noone I know has seen it. If Max von Sydow (Father Merrin in The Exorcist, The Three Eyed Raven in Game of Thrones, the guy with the map in Star Wars The Force Awakens, etc)  had starred as the Bishop, as originally planned, more might seek the film out, but his agent played hardball for money, and Bergman got fed up and moved on. Now von Sydow says not appearing in this is his greatest regret, and blames his agent lol.

The existence of the play exposes the content (and the film - check your husband already lol) to more people, and for me, that's delightful, as now there are loads of people I can talk to about it.

And looked at independently, without the weight of comparison to the film, this play is richer than other plays these same critics awarded four stars. I mean, Cavendish gave the misses-the-target-by-a-million-miles "Girls and Boys" four stars, and this has much more depth than that, in that it speaks to the role of family in a child's life, as well as addressing the extent to which the imagination (and theatre) can shield and/or help us digest life. And Billington gave that shallow (but rude and intermittently hilarious) David Tennant vehicle, "Don Juan in Soho" four stars. Why not compare this to that rather than the masterpiece of a film?

[Deleted]

Well, Dame Nigella of Lawson loved it! Must have been all that food they talked about.

[foxa]

Steve, I think the comparisons you make with other plays are really interesting - and I agree.

For me, this easily earned its four stars for its warmth, humanity, contradictions and ultimately,its optimism. I am so sick of cynical/shocking/shallow/one-note stuff right now. I want something that has some heart. (I recommended this highly to a friend who I know likes big community, epic plays and she's travelling some distance to see it - I hope I didn't get it wrong!)

[alexandra]

Don't know whether anyone's mentioned that Misha Handley is Thea Sharrock's son. He's the spitting image of her and rather good, as is Katie Simons as Fanny. Very enjoyable. Love a bit of Swedish singing.

[Deleted]

Mar 6, 2018 15:22:29 GMT alexandra said:

Don't know whether anyone's mentioned that Misha Handley is Thea Sharrock's son.

And Daniel 'Harry Potter' Radcliffe's godson too.

[showgirl]

Add me to the list of fans: I saw the matinee today and loved it - apart from the hassle over seating and having to dash to the Young Vic at the second interval for the loo, as suggested above, rather than risking the Old Vic queue.

Although this is 3 hours 30 mins long, at least 30 mins of that is intervals so each act is only an hour and many interval-free plays are almost double, and feel it, but not only did this never drag; it was positively captivating. Penelope Wilton looked as if she was having the time of her life and not having seen the film (along with all those sitting nearby, judging from our conversations at the interval), I neither felt short-changed by the stage version nor had much idea what to expect - though the prologue did outline the ending.

Small but significant point about the rake in the stalls: having consulted Theatremonkey.com, I booked row J as that's where the rake supposedly begins but honestly, if it does, it was not discernible, and just before the play started, a really tall man sat in front of me, blocking my view of the stage. As there were a couple of empty seats nearby, I moved to the nearest, whereupon the lady behind me said she couldn't see over me - and unlike the man in front of me, I really am not tall. So then I felt an absolute heel and shrank down in my seat as much as possible, which she said was OK, but at the first interval I went to ask the Box Office if I could move officially, and was directed to a seat in row L which really did seem to benefit from a slight rake - so everyone was happy.

[pochard]

Foxa and Showgirl - absolutely agree. Really enjoyed this - the time flew past. Also happy to have a break from the real world for one evening! Wonder if the future production of "Wise Children" might an interesting comparison...

[Deleted]

They are giving away tickets to this

Not a box office success

Papering and offers all
Over the place

[showgirl]

I hope it will build support from word of mouth as I and plenty of others here had a brilliant time. Maybe people are deterred by the length, and/or by the earlier start times, but if you can fit this into your schedule, I think it's well worth it.

[Jan]

Mar 21, 2018 5:43:01 GMT showgirl said:

I hope it will build support from word of mouth as I and plenty of others here had a brilliant time. Maybe people are deterred by the length, and/or by the earlier start times, but if you can fit this into your schedule, I think it's well worth it.

Maybe also people (like me) were deterred by the ticket prices - now they are offering top price £65 tickets for £10 it makes it even less likely I will ever book anything in advance there. Really they should have priced this correctly from the start.

[Latecomer]

Mar 21, 2018 6:52:43 GMT Jan said:

Mar 21, 2018 5:43:01 GMT showgirl said:

I hope it will build support from word of mouth as I and plenty of others here had a brilliant time. Maybe people are deterred by the length, and/or by the earlier start times, but if you can fit this into your schedule, I think it's well worth it.

Maybe also people (like me) were deterred by the ticket prices - now they are offering top price £65 tickets for £10 it makes it even less likely I will ever book anything in advance there. Really they should have priced this correctly from the start.

It was a real bargain for £10 and yes, the prices there do put me off (I end up behind a pillar for £21 mostly!) I think also the audience at the OV are quite elderly and winter+long running time (and hardly any loos!) makes it most unappealing....if I were a theatre manager I would put on short plays in the winter and leave my longer ones until the Summer! Transport home can also be a problem for late finishing! The blurb was not really that appealing either...a few pictures of that sumptuous dining table and a better picture of Penelope Wilton (where you can actually recognise her!) would have helped. It all sounded very worthy and rather grey from the blurb but was actually rather jolly and then dramatic! 
On ticket prices the £10 first previews are good but it is a bit of a bun fight trying to get one! If I were them I'd do a scheme where you got £20 off for the first 2 or 3 weeks to create a buzz and perhaps have a scheme whereby you get discount if you book 3 plays at the same time. Plus get your publicity for the next play ready (and giving some idea of what the play will be like!) and hand it out to everyone leaving with a discount voucher. Reward loyalty! 
Oh and their website hardly works on my iPad......I tell you it doesn't take much to put you off booking!!!! 

[duncan]

Upgrade to stalls E tonight, Baylis shut and about 15 people in middle tier. Shame as it's a corker of a show.

[Deleted]

Good god

I looked at the OV site

Some dates aren’t even 10% sold

Disaster

[andrew]

I have to admit I was put off buying a ticket last week based on how many seats are available. The reviews are mixed, audiences aren't flocking there, that puts off flighty characters like myself.

[peggs]

I think people are missing out on a really enjoyable and now cheaper evening out, I'd recommend andrew

[Deleted]

I'm thinking about squeezing in a trip, but similarly, the fact it's not selling well means I'm waiting for super-cheap offers, which is probably not what the theatre wants at all. Oops!

[andrew]

Mar 22, 2018 11:39:00 GMT @baemax said:

I'm thinking about squeezing in a trip, but similarly, the fact it's not selling well means I'm waiting for super-cheap offers, which is probably not what the theatre wants at all. Oops!

Maybe they'll pay us to go if we wait long enough?

[wickedgrin]

£15 ticket offer on Today Tix.

[Phantom of London]

Feb 22, 2018 21:26:40 GMT lynette said:

Obvs too late now but don’t forget next time if you are in the stalls, front left hand side , ladies' loo tucked away in the corner.

Oh Lynette, that is terrible advice to give, I got all kinds of terrible stares, I think really they were concerned as I couldn’t find the urinals.

[duncan]

8 - Fanny & Alexander - Old Vic - 21st March

At the Ekdahl christmas dinner, Helena announces her retirement from the stage. The Ekdahls are a theatre family and Helena has been the star for the last few decades and she now leaves her son Oscar to put on Hamlet with a new Gertrude None of them know the consequences of this announcement will tear the family apart and place Fanny & Alexander at the mercy of Bishop Vergerus and his sister.

Majestic! A 150 minute adaptation of the Ingmar Bergman film and its a superb piece of theatre - sadly its dying on its arse in front of sparse houses but I guess trying to sell a 3hr + play based on a Swedish film with only Penelope Wilton having any real name presence was always going to be tough. But go if you can, I got a £65 ticket for £21 such was the lack of paying customers.

This is a play about love,

love for your family
love for your wife
love for your husband
love for your children
love for other peoples children
love for the sound of your own voice
love of stories
and most importantly its a story about love of god.

The run time flys by in an intriguing show as we get an ensemble piece that is led by the character of Alexander whose love of fantasy and story (representing the world of theatre) comes into a more and more bitter and destructive conflict with the Bishop and his love of god and austerity to prove his faith against the world of fantasy (and thus theatre).

The world of the theatre is all red and lush and vibrant whilst the world of the Bishop is desolate, empty, cold and plain white. And that's the main difference between them, one can see the excitement present in the world whilst the other sees excitement in a book written hundreds of years ago and wants everyone else to share that excitement.

Split into 3 hour long chunks if you are not familiar with the film and I wasn't then the end of Act 1 comes as a massive shock as

SPOILER: Click to show

they kill off the man who has been set up as the lead and then introduce the Bishop at his funeral

and the story goes off in directions I'd never have seen coming if I'd guessed all evening.

Its not perfect - you could shave some time off it, the food motif becomes tiresome and there is one off performance from the actor playing Ismael but its a lovely production and it deserves to be seen by so many more people.

A corking 9/10

Although I still have no idea what was supposed to have happened when the Bishop looked in the chest.

[duncan]

...and another thing, when the Bishop puts his hand under Alexander's bed clothes you could hear the audience gasp - surely the Vic wasn't about to pass comment on its previous Artistic Director in the middle of a play, in front of everyone!!!

Well no, they weren't but if you'd not seen the film you wouldn't have been shocked if they had gone down the sexual abuse route as this is a play that doesn't follow a straight line from start to finish.

[ruperto]

I just thought I should highlight the fact that the Old Vic website has slashed the price of ALL tickets to this to just £12 for the performances from April 4th to 14th inclusive (except for the evening of the 14th), which is a total bargain.

In a way, it's such a shame - they must really be struggling to sell tickets to have to resort to that sort of discounting.

I loved this play - this, along with the previous Old Vic show The Divide (which I think also had to do some discounting), are possibly the two things I've enjoyed most at the theatre so far this year. I've booked a return visit and am taking my eldest daughter. I would totally endorse duncan's review above - if you don't know the film, this one goes off in some quite surprising directions, and it gets quite dark and Dickensian. And Penelope Wilton really is magesterial in it. In fact, it's got a really strong cast, and there are some visually striking moments. And no, I'm definitely not on the Old Vic payroll!!

[NeilVHughes]

In agreement with ruperto both Divide and Fanny & Alexander are surprise highlights of the year so far.

Initially when the season was published It looked quite risky with no real standout productions, which appears to have been backed up with the lack of box office interest and the thread on here.

Hope this lack of sales does not bring us a season of ‘safes’ such as Ibsen, Chekhov, Shakespeare next year, the return of a sure fire hit A Christmas Carol, which I found too saccharine, indicates this is extremely likely.

The only caveat, the Old Vic charges West End prices for a Theatre which I perceive (wrongly) as an Offie, often has aseasons which would not be a surprise at either the Almeida or Donmar at half their price.

[Deleted]

I’ve heard enough good things to spend £12 on this. Especially given as I booked onstage Quiz at £42 today, not realising that it would have been half the price to go sooner.

Any thoughts on the best spot to be in for this show? There really is a lot of availability so I feel like I might as well go for the best view.

[Deleted]

Mar 29, 2018 18:28:54 GMT @happysooz said:

I’ve heard enough good things to spend £12 on this. Especially given as I booked onstage Quiz at £42 today, not realising that it would have been half the price to go sooner.

Any thoughts on the best spot to be in for this show? There really is a lot of availability so I feel like I might as well go for the best view.

I looked on theatremonkey...”The monkey normally likes central row H back to K, though, for viewing comfort. It could even go further back too, with A in use, to rows J to N to avoid the dip...”

So should I do front row or h middle?