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Post by peelee on Mar 5, 2018 15:56:57 GMT
I'm pleased this new play by Alan Bennett is to be staged at the Bridge Theatre.
I liked People, though unlike some upthread I like people, and saw it on a cinema screen where from an audience standpoint it worked well. And The Habit of Art was interesting enough for me to see it twice at the National Theatre. As Bennett is naturally funny and thought-provoking, even if that seam of melancholy in his writing-mind remains as thick as ever, this forthcoming play of his may well have all that in it as well as some laughs.
I checked last week and tickets seemed available for various dates and times, so I'll be buying two or three for myself and friends in the next few days.
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Post by alece10 on Mar 18, 2018 8:58:47 GMT
Anyone who has booked for this, have you received your tickets yet?
I booked a couple of weeks ago but not received anything. Wondered if the Bridge is one of those places that sends tickets out nearer the time.
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Post by Rory on Mar 18, 2018 9:06:55 GMT
Nearer the time I suspect. I booked my ticket for the Martin McDonagh when booking opened and still haven't received it yet.
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Post by stevemar on Mar 18, 2018 9:56:33 GMT
Anyone who has booked for this, have you received your tickets yet? I booked a couple of weeks ago but not received anything. Wondered if the Bridge is one of those places that sends tickets out nearer the time. I’m assuming you didn’t choose (or accidentally choose and miss them) the pdf ticket option, in which case the tickets were sent by email almost instantly? |
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Post by bordeaux on Mar 18, 2018 10:15:30 GMT
Seem to remember The Habit of Art was pretty dreadful too Oh yes, indeed. I seem to remember commenting to my theatre companion at the time that had the play been submitted to the NT without the "written by Alan Bennett" it would never have got produced. Is that a problem? It seems to me that if your previous play was as good and as successful as The History Boys, if you have an outstanding record of four decades of wonderful writing behind you, then you deserve to have your next play put on even if it isn't as good as your best. Many theatre-goers will want to see even minor Alan Bennett and even minor Alan Bennett is better than no Alan Bennett in many people's view. The same is true of Stoppard and Frayn. That level of achievement does make your late work (even if on first sight it doesn't look that good) worth putting on. The same is true of publishing. If Hilary Mantel or Philip Roth wrote something their publisher didn't like, I still think they should publish it because any publisher should take the view 'we publish authors, not books' i.e. when you're dealing with writers with that amount of talent, then it's worth taking a risk on stuff not many people will like. |
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Post by alece10 on Mar 18, 2018 11:38:33 GMT
Anyone who has booked for this, have you received your tickets yet? I booked a couple of weeks ago but not received anything. Wondered if the Bridge is one of those places that sends tickets out nearer the time. I’m assuming you didn’t choose (or accidentally choose and miss them) the pdf ticket option, in which case the tickets were sent by email almost instantly? No I paid an extra £1 for tickets to be posted. I have a hatred of e tickets as I like to keep proper tickets with my programme. |
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Post by Jan on Mar 18, 2018 14:10:13 GMT
Oh yes, indeed. I seem to remember commenting to my theatre companion at the time that had the play been submitted to the NT without the "written by Alan Bennett" it would never have got produced. Is that a problem? It seems to me that if your previous play was as good and as successful as The History Boys, if you have an outstanding record of four decades of wonderful writing behind you, then you deserve to have your next play put on even if it isn't as good as your best. Many theatre-goers will want to see even minor Alan Bennett and even minor Alan Bennett is better than no Alan Bennett in many people's view. The same is true of Stoppard and Frayn. That level of achievement does make your late work (even if on first sight it doesn't look that good) worth putting on. The same is true of publishing. If Hilary Mantel or Philip Roth wrote something their publisher didn't like, I still think they should publish it because any publisher should take the view 'we publish authors, not books' i.e. when you're dealing with writers with that amount of talent, then it's worth taking a risk on stuff not many people will like. The decision in practice is merely commercial. There are plenty of notable playwrights who struggled to get any new plays produced when they fell out of favour - Arnold Wesker and even Arthur Miller (in USA) are examples. Likewise there are actors in the same category - Sir Donald Sindon was one. On the other hand J.K Rowling had no problem getting her feeble little detective stories published and adapted for TV. |
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Post by lynette on Mar 18, 2018 20:07:34 GMT
Who was it who submitted a novel with a name not her own and was rejected , then recognised? A few years ago now. I don’t mean JK who submitted her detective stories under another name and was then outed by a silly person. She was very cross. It is an interesting exercise. Same with all the celebrity books published , the children's novels and so on, not books about the celebrity's speciality. So same for plays. I’m sorry but I don't agree with you wickedgrin. If the book/play is not very good why should we asked to buy it? Harsh, yes, but we take the supermarket to task if the apples are rotten despite many years of good apple selling...
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Post by bordeaux on Mar 18, 2018 21:55:32 GMT
Who was it who submitted a novel with a name not her own and was rejected , then recognised? A few years ago now. I don’t mean JK who submitted her detective stories under another name and was then outed by a silly person. She was very cross. It is an interesting exercise. Same with all the celebrity books published , the children's novels and so on, not books about the celebrity's speciality. So same for plays. I’m sorry but I don't agree with you wickedgrin. If the book/play is not very good why should we asked to buy it? Harsh, yes, but we take the supermarket to task if the apples are rotten despite many years of good apple selling... Doris Lessing submitted something pseudonymously to her own publisher as if she were a first-time writer and it was rejected. It caused a bit of a scandal, though quite a few middle-aged writers write novels well below their best stuff, so it's not like someone rejecting The Golden Notebook or something. This is a charming article by the Jonathan Cape reader who rejected it, now himself a successful poet and novelist (and the son of the architect who designed the National Theatre), James Lasdun. www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/doris-lessing-and-the-perils-of-the-pseudonymous-novel |
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Post by peelee on Mar 19, 2018 9:14:53 GMT
Rowling's post-Harry Potter book, The Casual Vacancy, was far better than the Sunday night TV series confection of it with different ending. It was her first adult novel and, in grittier more perceptive style than TV managed, it showed more of her range.
I have read the first two of the 'Robert Galbraith'-written novels and liked them, though (having missed the first TV adaptation of them) I didn't much care for the recent TV adaptation of one of the later novels. It felt so squeezed and seemed to leave subplots hanging or characters unexplained with the over-all story, as if what had been scheduled as three episodes had been cut back to a two-parter.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2018 17:31:09 GMT
Who was it who submitted a novel with a name not her own and was rejected , then recognised? A few years ago now. I don’t mean JK who submitted her detective stories under another name and was then outed by a silly person. She was very cross. It is an interesting exercise. Same with all the celebrity books published , the children's novels and so on, not books about the celebrity's speciality. So same for plays. I’m sorry but I don't agree with you wickedgrin. If the book/play is not very good why should we asked to buy it? Harsh, yes, but we take the supermarket to task if the apples are rotten despite many years of good apple selling... Many many many years ago when the Royal Court used to run a young playwrights competition (the youngest age for submission was 9) someone told me that Alan Bennett used to send in a play each year to test if the judges would shortlist his work. Never heard if they did or not. |
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2018 22:07:24 GMT
Some cast announcements by Baz tonight...
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Post by lynette on May 25, 2018 2:04:09 GMT
Looking at the cast, is this a whatbever happened to the history boys? Let’s hope there is some real meat left in our Alan and not some grumpy old chap’s vague left wing musings. Sorry just saying.
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Post by rumbledoll on May 25, 2018 5:20:37 GMT
Finally announced! I've been holding my breath for a month to say 'Yay!' for Sam  |
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Post by dontdreamit on May 25, 2018 5:53:54 GMT
I’ve just booked, not my usual sort of thing but its an interesting cast and a chance to visit a theatre I’ve not been to before  |
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Post by stefy69 on May 25, 2018 6:01:37 GMT
I do like Simon Williams and looking forward to this very very much ! |
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2018 7:23:54 GMT
I do love a good History Boy reunion.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2018 8:07:12 GMT
Ooh, nice cast. And Sacha Dhawan is FOXY.
J'approve Nicky x2.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2018 10:55:46 GMT
Nice casting so far and have booked but am still hoping Maggie Smith might be in it as she is an actress would love to see onstage but probably won’t be ont it, I am alsways in hope however.
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Post by Snciole on May 25, 2018 12:29:54 GMT
I was hoping for Alex Jennings but I think he is busy with TV and film, which is great but he is so good on the stage.
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Post by kathryn on May 25, 2018 12:48:07 GMT
Ha! Yes, there's always a very small, selfish voice in the back of my head going '...but that means they'll be too busy to do plays' when great theatre actors suddenly get a really good TV/film role and start getting lots more work.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2018 12:55:19 GMT
Same! But also conversely, since getting into theatre, I've been a LOT less snobby about soaps. "They've got a recurring role in Hollyoaks? Well BLOODY GOOD FOR THEM, that should pay the bills nicely for a while!".  |
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Post by kathryn on May 25, 2018 13:08:22 GMT
I think it was when James Corden hosted the Tonys that they did a whole bit about how NCIS was paying Broadway actors' bills and basically allowing them to keep doing theatre by giving them guest roles every season or so. Funny because it's true...
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Post by Marwood on May 29, 2018 10:51:53 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2018 11:26:02 GMT
Twenty five actors! With this, Potter and The Ferryman we seem to be getting a renaissance of the ‘big play’.
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