The Lovely Bones - Touring

[stevej678]

The Lovely Bones is being adapted for the stage in a co-production between Birmingham Rep, Royal & Derngate and Northern Stage in assocation with the Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse.

The world premiere of The Lovely Bones, one of the bestselling novels of the 21st century and now adapted for the stage by Bryony Lavery and directed by Melly Still, will open at Royal & Derngate, Northampton on 1 September 2018 before transferring to partner theatres Everyman Liverpool, Northern Stage, Newcastle and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. The show will also tour to The New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich.

Alice Sebold’s unique coming-of-age tale captured the hearts of readers throughout the world when it was first published in 2002. An uplifting story about life after loss, The Lovely Bones, achieved critical acclaim and became an instant bestseller across the world. It won the Indies Choice Book Award for Adult Fiction 2003 and was on Oprah’s Book Club list for 2010.

The Lovely Bones tells the story of young girl Susie Salmon, who is just like any other girl. She wants to be beautiful, adores her charm bracelet and has a crush on a boy from school. There’s one big difference though – Susie is dead. Susie can only observe while her family cope with their grief in their different ways. Her father, Jack is obsessed with identifying the killer. Her mother, Abigail is desperate to create a brighter future. And her sister, Lindsay is discovering the opposite sex with experiences that Susie will never know. Susie is desperate to help them and there might be a way of reaching them.

Alice Sebold today expressed her excitement to “see The Lovely Bones as a play and to see its characters come to life on stage” whilst Bryony Lavery spoke of her passion for this “rich, funny, tough, healing book” saying that “I've found that the huge story is very, very happy to change its medium and reveal its treasures on the stages at five of the UK’s leading theatres. I am a most fortunate playwright!"

Bryony Lavery’s acclaimed work includes the Tony Award-winning Frozen (due to be revived in the West End this spring) Stockholm (Frantic Assembly), Kursk (Young Vic) and Beautiful Burnout (National Theatre of Scotland and Frantic Assembly).

Bringing The Lovely Bones to life on stage is The Hauting of Hill House director Melly Still, whose credits also include the acclaimed Olivier and Tony Award-nominated production of Coram Boy (National Theatre and Broadway), My Beautiful Friend (Rose Theatre Kingston), and several recent productions for Glyndebourne, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Tour dates are:

• Royal & Derngate: 1st – 22nd September 2018
  
• Liverpool Everyman: 25th September - 6th October 2018
• Northern Stage: 9th - 20th October 2018
• Birmingham Rep: 30th October - 10th November 2018
• New Wolsey Ipswich: 13th - 17th November 2018

[TallPaul]

I didn't realise it took a full 10 days to drive from Newcastle to Birmingham!

[Deleted]

That book is stupendously bad.

[Someone in a tree]

I also couldn’t cope with the the book and gave up on it, twice!

[popcultureboy]

I love the book, think the film adaptation is awful and dear God please don't adapt it again WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS?

[Deleted]

I'll always remember with fondness the old lady who recommended the book to her friend by declaring it "just lovely". I'm... not sure whether it was the murder or the grief that enraptured her so, but she clearly felt oddly warmly about the whole thing.

[Deleted]

Feb 17, 2018 9:41:33 GMT @baemax said:

I'll always remember with fondness the old lady who recommended the book to her friend by declaring it "just lovely". I'm... not sure whether it was the murder or the grief that enraptured her so, but she clearly felt oddly warmly about the whole thing.

So does Lavery by the sound of it.

[crowblack]

I haven't read the book (it seemed to be everywhere at the time), but I really hated the film. Hated it.

[stevej678]

Seems like this is touring again in the autumn, with two venues announced so far:

6th-21st September - Birmingham REP
15th-19th October - The Lowry

[showgirl]

For some time this has been scheduled for the Rose, Kingston too.

[TallPaul]

Nottingham Theatre Royal - 24 to 28 September.

[xanady]

Travel Zoo discounts for this in Brum...tickets from £19.

[showgirl]

Also in Guildford (Yvonne Arnaud) 18 - 23 November, but they will offer their own discount nearer the time if necessary.

[robertb213]

I saw this 3 times last year through volunteering at the Derngate and I have to say it was very good, the acting all round was excellent and I enjoyed each watch more than the last. Definitely worth a watch. I also want to say it ran straight through without an interval.

[BurlyBeaR]

£15 tues to thurs at the Lowry. Code 15LB

[TallPaul]

The email I received from The Lowry gives a running time of two hours, including interval, so one must have been inserted post Northampton!

[BurlyBeaR]

Oct 5, 2019 13:57:49 GMT TallPaul said:

The email I received from The Lowry gives a running time of two hours, including interval, so one must have been inserted post Northampton!

It’s 2 hours 20 including the interval - finished at 9.50. 

Odd one this. I abandoned the book after a couple of chapters because I found the premise macabre and was hoping this would convert me. It didn’t really, despite great performances there were just too many things I didn’t like about the production. A particular illusion is used constantly throughout to provide separation between heaven and earth and to allow different scenes to be played simultaneously but it gets very samey pretty quickly. There’s also a lot of miming the opening of doors, of going down steps etc. I find all of that really distracting. I also find adult actors playing dogs and going “woof woof” distracting and there’s quite a lot of that too. 
Act 2 was better than the first and I enjoyed the 70’s soundtrack and as I said the acting was great. Audience was very appreciative so it must have just been me (and the couple on my row who didn’t come back after the interval). 

🧸🧸.5

Some loud bangs and strobe lighting used throughout. No warnings at the theatre surprisingly. 

[Deleted]

Oct 19, 2019 12:54:43 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Oct 5, 2019 13:57:49 GMT TallPaul said:

The email I received from The Lowry gives a running time of two hours, including interval, so one must have been inserted post Northampton!

It’s 2 hours 20 including the interval - finished at 9.50. 

Odd one this. I abandoned the book after a couple of chapters because I found the premise macabre and was hoping this would convert me. It didn’t really, despite great performances there were just too many things I didn’t like about the production. A particular illusion is used constantly throughout to provide separation between heaven and earth and to allow different scenes to be played simultaneously but it gets very samey pretty quickly. There’s also a lot of miming the opening of doors, of going down steps etc. I find all of that really distracting. I also find adult actors playing dogs and going “woof woof” distracting and there’s quite a lot of that too. 
Act 2 was better than the first and I enjoyed the 70’s soundtrack and as I said the acting was great. Audience was very appreciative so it must have just been me (and the couple on my row who didn’t come back after the interval). 

🧸🧸.5

Some loud bangs and strobe lighting used throughout. No warnings at the theatre surprisingly. 

I think this has changed somewhat since last year. There was no interval and ran 1hr40 straight through.

Also I don't remember any loud bangs??(Just it starting suddenly with bright lights and loud music which made me jump!)

[BurlyBeaR]

Oct 19, 2019 19:19:40 GMT @jamescrispy94 said:

Oct 19, 2019 12:54:43 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

It’s 2 hours 20 including the interval - finished at 9.50. 

Odd one this. I abandoned the book after a couple of chapters because I found the premise macabre and was hoping this would convert me. It didn’t really, despite great performances there were just too many things I didn’t like about the production. A particular illusion is used constantly throughout to provide separation between heaven and earth and to allow different scenes to be played simultaneously but it gets very samey pretty quickly. There’s also a lot of miming the opening of doors, of going down steps etc. I find all of that really distracting. I also find adult actors playing dogs and going “woof woof” distracting and there’s quite a lot of that too. 
Act 2 was better than the first and I enjoyed the 70’s soundtrack and as I said the acting was great. Audience was very appreciative so it must have just been me (and the couple on my row who didn’t come back after the interval). 

🧸🧸.5

Some loud bangs and strobe lighting used throughout. No warnings at the theatre surprisingly. 

I think this has changed somewhat since last year. There was no interval and ran 1hr40 straight through.

Also I don't remember any loud bangs??(Just it starting suddenly with bright lights and loud music which made me jump!)

Yes that’s what I meant by the bangs. It was music but had the effect of a very loud jumpy bang. At the start of act 1 it happened three times. Once at the start of act 2. 

[showgirl]

I saw the matinee in Guildford today and it was worth the long wait for the tour to reach the venue nearest me. Not a full house but a pretty decent attendance for another production outside the normal comfort zone so soon after Two Trains Running and though I normally prefer down-to-earth, realistic settings, I thought the adaptation worked really well, including the music.

Along with BurlyBeaR , I'm another who isn't wild about actors playing animals but I could forgive that for the overall effect, which I found spellbinding. Comments about the loud noises I can also echo, as I was one of many who jumped and gasped as the play started and again later when the same thing happened without warning. Apparently there were notices about noises and strobe lighting but I didn't see any, so they can't have been that prominent, and they certainly weren't mentioned on the website.

You wouldn't expect a play about the brutal killing of a young girl to leave you with a smile on your face at the end but though it was a long and gruelling journey, that was ultimately exactly the effect this had.

[Deleted]

I saw this last time it toured. Disappointing that it has an interval now, as it is quite fast paced and I can imagine having a interval ruins that. It is a great piece of theatre. I'd recommend.

[showgirl]

I didn't find the insertion of an interval an issue - though of course I'm unable to compare it with the alternative - and I was certainly grateful, as always, for the break. As it's 2 hours 15 with the interval, I and I'm sure many others in the Guildford audience would have found it challenging, at close to 2 hours, without.