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Post by jek on May 17, 2018 9:23:43 GMT
Has anyone heard anything about this? I have had a notification from Wilton's Music Hall (of which I am a friend) that it is opening there in September and is a crowd sourced play re-imagining Charles Dickens' London for the 21st century. Friends' booking is already open and open booking starts at 10 am tomorrow.
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Post by dani on May 17, 2018 10:14:14 GMT
This was on Twitter back in 2014. ![]() |
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Post by jek on May 17, 2018 11:26:53 GMT
Thanks dani . Clearly a while in development. |
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Post by foxa on May 17, 2018 20:12:34 GMT
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Post by jek on May 18, 2018 7:23:54 GMT
Thanks foxa. That looks interesting. I know that James Graham gave a talk at my daughter's (East London, state) secondary school recently about the importance of young people finding their voices and is keen on different experiences/perspectives being told on stage. Will give some thought to getting tickets for this. Although the seats at Wilton's are uncomfortable (I'm guessing they were purchased as much with their wedding business in mind as for theatre viewing) it is very easy for us to get to. |
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Post by joem on May 18, 2018 9:09:05 GMT
The sun is shining, let the man make hay whilst it does so.
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Post by lynette on May 18, 2018 11:47:42 GMT
I’ve booked. I love Wilton’s. So should be interesting Autumn experience.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jun 18, 2018 17:21:34 GMT
I don't know how they're defining "crowdsourced" exactly. James has selected a small number of emerging writers, who will each write a subplot adding up to about 15 minutes of stage time. Like a lot of mini-plays joined together.
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Post by joem on Oct 6, 2018 21:51:47 GMT
Definitely underwhelmed with this. Very cleverly done, from a technical perspective, as the six-strong cast performs a swathe of different stories set in London moving from one to another and back. But mostly these stories are not linked and the overall effect is to create such a displacement that it is difficult to latch onto any character with whom to empathise. If the idea was precisely to do this then congratulations but it detracts from the possibilities of each individual piece.
This tootles along rather than soar at any point, a few good lines but I was expecting more. More sketchy than sketches. Not close to a sell-out I'm afraid, I was expecting this to be a big seller after Graham's recent triumphs.
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Post by lonlad on Oct 7, 2018 0:18:38 GMT
Excruciating. I was there on Weds and it was sparsely attended to start with and even more so after the interval. Doesn't deliver on any level except to force the cast into the shoutiest, most posturing acting imaginable. Avoid.
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Post by lynette on Oct 7, 2018 18:20:28 GMT
O dear.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Oct 7, 2018 18:41:43 GMT
I really loved it, and it looked sold out the night I went. But I can see how it's not everyone's cup of tea. It's more a series of sketches than a single play. My friends said it reminded them of Short Cuts.
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Post by l0islane on Oct 8, 2018 0:40:39 GMT
Yeah went on Wednesday (it was approx. half full), pretty uninspiring, we left at the interval. I only cared about two of the stories and they barely featured and were both written by James Graham!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2018 2:09:02 GMT
Who is James ? As in the singer?
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Post by n1david on Oct 8, 2018 7:59:15 GMT
James Graham, playwright, as in This House, Privacy, Ink, Labour of Love, Quiz, The Vote, Monster Raving Loony
(To mention just the West End ones)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2018 8:42:47 GMT
James Graham, playwright, as in This House, Privacy, Ink, Labour of Love, Quiz, The Vote, Monster Raving Loony (To mention just the West End ones) Thanks for this. I have a lot of catching up to do! I have seenQuiz and read Ink but would like to read the other plays - all of which I missed in performance |
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Post by n1david on Oct 8, 2018 21:56:40 GMT
Well I was there tonight and I have to say I didn't love it, although it had some interest.
The stories are very variable in quality (and the best ones are by Graham himself) and there is a certain sense that you just get to an interesting point in a story and then you get taken away to another story and the dramatic thrust completely dissipates. I thought the actors on the whole were very good in challenging roles (and with limited audience feedback).
If this had been billed as a workshop production or a new writers showcase then I might have felt better about it but it is advertised as "James Graham's Sketching" and you need to read the details to understand its genesis and what you're actually seeing. There is ultimately a sort-of common narrative thread but there are too many dead-ends en route to really satisfy (and I wouldn't care if those bloody "conceptual artists" vanished altogether)
About 70% full tonight, didn't notice significant walkouts, ultimately I think it's an intriguing failure.
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Post by dani on Oct 10, 2018 10:34:03 GMT
I don't really get all the love for Wilton's. It's a historically interesting venue, but as a performance space it is terrible and it's also one of the least comfortable theatres to sit in.
I do get the love for James Graham, but this venture sounded like nothing beyond a worthy attempt to "give something back". Nothing I've read has persuaded me to the contrary.
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Post by lynette on Oct 10, 2018 17:50:33 GMT
I think the history of Wilton's lends it some magic, the fact that it only just escaped demolition, bombing and neglect. The acoustic is good and with the right production is can work very well.
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Post by dani on Oct 10, 2018 22:18:54 GMT
I think the history of Wilton's lends it some magic, the fact that it only just escaped demolition, bombing and neglect. The acoustic is good and with the right production is can work very well. I've only been a couple of times and found it uncomfortable, as well as a very limiting performance space. But I agree that its precarious recent history gives it a certain aura. |
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Post by n1david on Oct 10, 2018 22:34:39 GMT
The seating is nasty and if you're unlucky with heads the view can be lousy, but the right sort of performance and the venue just sings. But trying to shoehorn a standard theatre staging into the venue just doesn't work. It needs a designer who understands the space and adapts to it. Thus, most touring productions don't really work.
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Post by joem on Oct 10, 2018 23:05:48 GMT
I remember way back seeing Racine's "Brittanicus" at Wilton's and they had portable seating which was very different to anything they'd have since and probably more comfortable.
It is a unique venue with loads of history and atmosphere so you do make allowances for that.
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Post by lynette on Oct 13, 2018 21:10:33 GMT
What David said above. Not wow but interesting. Artist thing def the weakest. Fab actors.
One thing Mr Graham - very poor start so work on that. And more specific London not just the Holloway Road and Westminster Abbey!
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Post by itsabouttogdown on Oct 16, 2018 11:39:24 GMT
Agreed with what everyone is saying really. I found the concept an interesting one but the content was really lacking for me. Also it's a shame, but understandable that James Graham's work comes across the strongest and are the only two plays which really stick out.
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Post by dani on Oct 19, 2018 8:48:24 GMT
Apparently there is a second press night for this on Monday, with the idea being that critics can see the sketches they didn't see on the original press night. I wonder how much take-up there will be. Not much, I expect.
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