Lazarus is coming

[Deleted]

Look on the bright side, there are another 12 rows or so behind you!

[foxa]

Jan 9, 2017 8:45:16 GMT mrslovettsmeatpie said:

Due to train strikes I've twice had to change my tickets for this, starting on the front row im now on row Z. Has anyone sat this far back? Is there any point going?

My children sat in the next to last row and although they said they thought it would be better close up, they (particularly my son) enjoyed it.  My daughter is v. short and since there was no one behind her, took advice from folks on here, and sat on three coats, which helped sightlines.  The music is loud and the projections big so that's all fine from the back, but son confessed that when one character came on with a different hair colour (wig?) he thought it was a different person altogether so daughter reckons he wasn't taking enough care trying to follow the 'plot' - he was just enjoying the music and spectacle.

I'm in first row at this Wednesday's matinee.  I feel like I bought this ticket a lifetime ago.

[floorshow]

Jan 9, 2017 8:45:16 GMT mrslovettsmeatpie said:

Due to train strikes I've twice had to change my tickets for this, starting on the front row im now on row Z. Has anyone sat this far back? Is there any point going?

Its a pretty sparse set and there is a fair amount of low action on the stage, there is a decent rake to the seating though.
It's apparently totally sold out apart from the lottery now or I'd be trying to go again..

[sophie92]

Jan 9, 2017 8:45:16 GMT mrslovettsmeatpie said:

Due to train strikes I've twice had to change my tickets for this, starting on the front row im now on row Z. Has anyone sat this far back? Is there any point going?

I was ZA for the first show and I was able to see everything with a bit of craning my head round the couple in front who could not sit still! Am happy to admit that I may have just been lucky and not had anyone particularly tall in my line of vision, but even so, your view shouldn't be completely obstructed from row Z.

[Sven]

Saw the show on Sunday, Bowie's 70th Birthday. Full house. We were in row ZK for £15, and I was surprised how good the view was. Nothing obstructing our view, even when the actors were on the floor it was decent. Not chilly either at the back of the theatre. I also liked how the sound was great even at the back. Nice 3D soundplan, perfect volume. The show is visually really well done, perfect use of cameras, projections and effects. Michael C Hall, Michael Esper and Sophia Anne Caruso really really were a joy to watch and listen to. Unexpectedly I broke a few times during the show (Absolute Beginners, the end, ...) and I was completely into it. Lots of sobbing around me too.
After the curtain call, when the cast had left, suddenly a guy 2 rows in front of me started singing "Happy Birthday dear David" and the whole audience joined in, which was quite heartwrenching.
And the box office staff are great. I had a spare ticket and they immediately refunded it to my credit card. Nice service!

[floorshow]

I was completely onboard from the moment the geisha appeared
And the joyful "I'll drink all the time" and "I wish I could swim" deliveries did catch me off guard, think I had something in my eye..

Theres a nice Enda Walsh chat about the evolution of the play here:

[charliec]

Sorry if someone else has already spotted this... on the official Laz site they have a recording this sunday which is a "filmed performance", no seating plan but you can buy a ticket for £25 and it says its restricted view. Friend is keen to see the show so tempted to book and hope the stage isn't completely obscured by cameras!

[stefy69]

Jan 11, 2017 12:58:47 GMT charliec said:

Sorry if someone else has already spotted this... on the official Laz site they have a recording this sunday which is a "filmed performance", no seating plan but you can buy a ticket for £25 and it says its restricted view. Friend is keen to see the show so tempted to book and hope the stage isn't completely obscured by cameras!

Excellent so pleased this is being recorded for posterity

[theatrehound]

That's great news! So glad this amazing show is being recorded, hope it gets released to the general public

[hjalmberi]

Going to see it next weekend, the ticket says "All ticket holders should arrive at least 45 minutes prior to the start of the performance to allow time for venue staff to verify tickets and conduct bag searches", do they indeed have issues with lines, or would getting 15-20 minutes in advance be fine?

[stuart]

Jan 13, 2017 14:09:02 GMT hjalmberi said:

Going to see it next weekend, the ticket says "All ticket holders should arrive at least 45 minutes prior to the start of the performance to allow time for venue staff to verify tickets and conduct bag searches", do they indeed have issues with lines, or would getting 15-20 minutes in advance be fine?

It should really say "Please arrive 45 minutes prior to the start of the performance so you can stand in a cold tent where there aren't enough seats for our patrons, browse the 4 pieces of merchandise we have on sale, wait in a queue for 15mins to use the dirty bathrooms and pay £4 for a warm can of coke before we rush you into the auditorium 10mins before the performance and start the show 5mins late".

To answer your question, 15mins will be fine.

[bellboard27]

I went about a week ago and they had some FOH technical problems, so couldn't let people in till about 30 mins before the start. Most had arrived before then, so a huge queue had built up in the cold. We still had loads of time (but they still started about 10 minutes late).

[hjalmberi]

Thank you Stuart and bellboard27! I will dutifully arrive as late as possible then

[Deleted]

This is bad. Really bad.

Michael C Hall is amazing. Very much enjoyed Michael Esper also. They are the only things I can recommend.

I sat in row V and paid £55 for the privilege. I'd guesstimate I saw maximum 40% of the show clearly. The majority of it seemed to be played out with actors sprawled on the floor, and with that many heads in front of me (including an irritating tall woman directly in front doing her best meerkat impersonation every time anyone on stage moved a muscle) I really struggled to see. Most of the time I was at an angle of 45 degrees, with my neck hyperextended into the aisle.

The less said about the 'plot', the better. Newton's storyline should be fascinating and worthy of exploration. Instead we get a lot of rubbish about some 2D woman who doesn't like her hubby very much, the pair of them having conversations I don't believe any normal people have ever had. Then some more rubbish about an irritating loved-up couple who appear to be there for one reason only (can't speak for their denouement to see if my guess was right, I had my eyes screwed up for ten minutes at that point trying to avoid some vicious strobe lighting. Perhaps someone can enlighten me using spoiler tags!).

Hall and Esper handle the songs beautifully, the two women not so much. They seem to think every line should be sung with an MT belt. I would have hoped they'd have troubled themselves to cast singers who have found their own 'voice' - I'm hard put to think of a Bowie song rendered with a production-line MT sound. Life on Mars was a real letdown, and as for Changes... Wish I'd ch-ch-ch-ch-changed my ticket for a show actually worth two hours of my life.

[boybooshka]

Well different strokes for different folks I guess. I absolutely loved it and am totally gutted that I haven't been able to fit a second visit in. Given what i'd read about if before hand i expected to appreciate it as interesting at best, but i actually had a pretty emotional reaction to it to the point of not being able to speak about it for about half an hour afterwards. this was from the second to back row.

I have no criticism of the show and the venue was better than i expected but the rake on the seats is annoying to the point of me wondering if it's a joke. it seems purposefully designed to ensure that half of everybody's view is clipped off.

[mapleglaze]

This was an emotional rollercoaster for me. I think everyone in the cast was great, and tbh I liked Amy Lennox more than Cristin Milioti (well, based on what I've heard on the recording). Can't wait for the DVD to be released. Maybe it could even go to the cinemas?
As to the plot and bland conversations, I think it's supposed to be that way as most of the characters are shattered in their own ways, so there's no room or will for eloquence.

[boybooshka]

Jan 16, 2017 10:10:51 GMT mapleglaze said:

This was an emotional rollercoaster for me. I think everyone in the cast was great, and tbh I liked Amy Lennox more than Cristin Milioti (well, based on what I've heard on the recording). Can't wait for the DVD to be released. Maybe it could even go to the cinemas?
As to the plot and bland conversations, I think it's supposed to be that way as most of the characters are shattered in their own ways, so there's no room or will for eloquence.

That last sentence exactly sums up what i thought about the blank/ blandness in the show.

[Deleted]

Totally get what you're saying, boybooshka and mapleglaze, and I'm pleased you had a more rewarding experience!

But for me I suppose it's a question of: when you've got such a fascinating central storyline, why on earth would you opt for blandness in the subplots? Where is the entertainment value in blandness? Why not either make the subplots more interesting - or jettison them altogether?

I didn't feel any of the women were remotely characters in their own right - can't even remember their names - at least with the blokes Valentine had a purpose, we knew the assistant's husband worked in IT and Newton's friend had worked in the business with him. Actually, God only knows how the blonde ditz landed a role as a rich bloke's personal assistant - these people are usually hyper-organised and 'together', so I can only assume the rest of the applicants must have been catatonic.

[rumbledoll]

Listening to Enda Walsh talk I loved the expression he used as it being a "fever dream" and imagining the perfectly structured storyline coming from a person whose mind it collapsing on itself. Makes total sense to me.

It's like in that doumentary Bowie said he's not Bob Dylan he can't find all the right words to explain the situation but always can tell you how it makes him feel. For me Lazarus is all about imagination, experience through surreal. More a sensation, a flick rather than a clearly communicated idea.

[wickedgrin]

I sympathise with Jean Hunt - I would have felt the same I think except I only paid £15 for a clear view from the front row - so I did see all the sprawling around on the floor!

I completely gave up trying to work out the "plot" and just enjoyed it more as a piece of performance art rather than musical theatre.

[Deleted]

Yes, I think performance art is probably a better description than 'musical'. I generally find that stuff a bit 'up itself' - for want of a better expression! - so to be fair, it's probably not surprising I wasn't that taken with it.

I hasten to add I'm not alone - the reaction from several friends I've spoken to has been 'thank God, I thought it was just me!'

[rumbledoll]

Looks like it's a marmite show. I hate marmite itself but Lazarus just crawled under my skin before I was able to process it even. Many peeps I know walked out with WFT just happened? look on their faces, others poored they heart out adoring this. I think it's a good sign when the show resonates that strongly, differently and deeply rather than being given "okay, fine, cool" kind of review by all.

Judging by what Enda said during the interview kindly shared on the previous page Bowie hinself didn't much interested in positive response - he wanted to do it his way, make it that abstract dream, 5 seconds before you die agony and hope stretched into 1h45min and so he did. It's great if some of us can relate to that, but it's okay if some of us don't.

[westendwendy]

Saw this tonight, what utter nonsense and a horrible vast letter box of a theatre designed to make maximum money on the poor mans death.

It should have been staged at the almeida or somewhere and no it's not a musical but an arty acid trip on toast.

Mayhem. Some neat tunes, good projections and Amy Lennox is talented, but damn what a hot 1 hour 45 minute MESS!

I need a drink. The worse show in the worst auditorium ever - no one could see what was on stage with them all lying down! Madness

[richard2711]

I saw this a few nignts ago and it was silly of not to think to come on here and ask a few questions about the venue before booking. I have MS which gives me severe mobility problems but I'm also visually impaired. When I booed my ticket, the box office were so helpful and I was asked "Can you manage a few steps?" which I can, with a bit of help. It turns out that "a few" was a bit too much for me in this instance! FOH staff were on it and found a lady who was on her own on the end of a row I could make it to and she kindly sat in my front row seat.

The FOH staff were amazingly helpful. They all chatted to me and also asked me at all times what I needed them to do to help, rather than just assuming. I got a bit of goss too. One lady said they'd had a few complaints about the venue and they had to explain it was purposefully built for this production. Someone else told me that the cast rarely did stage door appearances which didn't stop some partrons waiting quite a while in the cold after the show. I asked what the behaviour has been like as I saw a young guy taking a flash photo during the actual performance (!) and they said that, on the whole, people were respectful but that there were people who went, particularly at the start of the run, who were a little difficult. It was apparently rather clear that they were merely Bowie fans rather than regular theatregoers.

I think I'm in the camp of posters who have said they're glad they saw this, didn't quite understand it and possibly wouldn't see it again. Mixed review from my broken body!

[Deleted]

Saw this Friday with viserys and I think we both ended up in the 'well it was interesting and I'm glad I saw it but no idea what happened' camp.

For me I thought all the performances were brilliant. Everyone was engagingly watch-able and I was interested in their characters even without knowing what the beejesus was going on.

For me it was sheer curiousity (and a £15 ticket) that got me there, I respect Bowie for what he achieved but I'd struggle in a pub quiz to name more than 3 of his songs. I freely admit my ignorance of his work, and if nothing else I'm more inclined to explore that further after Lazurus. I'm also intrigued by Van Hove's work, and to be honest I got exactly what I would have expected from the combination of those too- and interesting but ultimatly incomprehensible piece of work.

Michael C Hall really is a fascinating, and very beautiful man though. If I may have a shallow thought to close, and I enjoyed very much sitting in the front row very close to him for 2 hours.