Standing At The Sky’s Edge - Crucible/NT/Gillian Lynne

[TallPaul]

Definitely not all indie rock, whatever Apple thinks that is.

Whenever I need a little pick-me-up, the title song is my go-to track, which must, by local by-law, be played at full volume. (It is quite rocky, I grant you, but I promise the whole show isn't like this.)
When I were a lad, my family and the Hawleys lived exactly one street apart. He was in the same class as my middle brother, and I was in the same class as his younger sister, Rebecca.

[BurlyBeaR]

I wasn’t going to see this again at the Crucible this Christmas but in the true spirit of FOMO I’ve just booked it. Xmas time matinee, Can’t have you NT lot opining without me having a recent memory of the detail.

As it stands for perfs earlier in the run at the Crucible the back 5 rows are on sale (and pretty much sold out). Later perfs those rows are not available.. so far.

[mrnutz]

NT AmEx presale now on!

[TallPaul]

Ahead of reopening night, in just a month's time, Chris Bush has spoken to one of the local magazines. I won't post the full article, just a few excerpts.

As a building so intertwined in Sheffield culture and history, are there any worries about it not connecting with audiences in London?

I suppose there is always a voice in your head asking that question. It kind of goes back to the earlier point of finding the universal in the specific, and in these very detailed stories regarding specific points in time there will be something that speaks to everyone.

Have you changed much to the script since it last ran?

There’s been a lot of small surgical tweaks, a bit of fine-tuning, but nothing really major. We’ve brought the final timeline forward slightly, to early 2020, but not fully to the present because I didn’t want it to become a pandemic piece. That would have been restrictive and, let’s be honest, nobody wants to see a pandemic play right now!

Some people, and bears, have described this as a musical, but it's not, is it?

No, it's definitely not a musical.  I've always been very clear that Standing at the Sky's Edge is a play with songs. *

www.exposedmagazine.co.uk/news/sky-the-limit-we-caught-up-with-standing-at-the-skys-edge-writer-chris-bush/

* This would have been Chis Bush's answer if she had actually been asked this question.  

[BurlyBeaR]

🙄

[ThereWillBeSun]

I'm confused.... the NT advertises 'This award-winning new British musical makes its London premiere, directed by Robert Hastie, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres.'

...

Am I being dim? I thought it was a musical this entire time yet the interview, it's a play with songs?!

[TallPaul]

You see what you've done now, BurlyBeaR. I hope you're pleased with yourself.

[BurlyBeaR]

Nov 11, 2022 18:49:50 GMT ThereWillBeSun said:

I'm confused.... the NT advertises 'This award-winning new British musical makes its London premiere, directed by Robert Hastie, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres.'

...

Am I being dim? I thought it was a musical this entire time yet the interview, it's a play with songs?!

Read the end of TallPaul ’s post carefully ThereWillBeSun !

[ThereWillBeSun]

@burlybear @tallpaul Thanks for clarifying; I AM A PLONKER.

[TallPaul]

No, ThereWillBeSun, it's me who is the plonker. I'm sorry I confused you with my little bit of artistic licence.

BurlyBeaR and I have been joshing since spring 2019, when we both saw the initial run at the world-famous Crucible Theatre. He's adamant this is a play; I'm insistent it's a musical. Deep down he knows I'm right, but pride stops him from admitting it.

Nothing will make me happier than for everyone to see Sky's Edge, in either Sheffield or London, and make their own minds up.

[TallPaul]

Fascinating interview with the cast and creatives, courtesy of WhatsOnStage and the biggest microphone ever.  Chris, Rob and Alex all but confirm that Standing at the Sky's Edge is NOT a musical.



Please don't tell BurlyBeaR . It will be a nice surprise for him when he returns from vacaciones.

[TallPaul]

Public dress rehearsal tonight. I've booked myself a £55 seat. Obviously, as a Yorkshireman, I didn't pay that, but that's not the point. After a two-year delay, it's going to be a very special night.

I actually gave directions to one of the cast on Tuesday afternoon. She clearly recognised a theatrical expert when she saw one. 🙂

"Excuse me," boomed this voice from behind, projecting like a true thespian. "Do you know where the Crucible Theatre is?"

"Of course I do," I replied. "And it's the world-famous Crucible Theatre to you."

From my prime seat on row F, I'll be able to give her a wave. 👋

The pavements are like ice, so all I have to do now is get there in one piece!

[BurlyBeaR]

Slightly worrying if the first time the cast saw the theatre was on Tuesday, hopefully she’s a quick learner.

You want to be careful on that ice. There’s no money in Sheffield for gritting, not with the World Student Games to pay for. And you know if someone your age goes down you might never get up again. Anyway enjoy the show!

[TallPaul]

You needn't have worried, BurlyBeaR , either about me falling*, or the cast, who have been rehearsing in that London for weeks. To use a regular TB expression, this was in good shape for a first public performance. By opening night proper, when it's a bit tighter, it will be as good as it ever was.  

We had at least one cover on, which explains why Poppy's dad looked too young to be Poppy's dad. There's a new Jimmy this year, Samuel Jordan, now that Adam Hugill is a big TV star. Even though I knew what was coming, I still ended the night roarin'. Bloody non-toxic smoke effect making my eyes all watery!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
I still think the bit with the miners is an indulgence. And I'm not sure how I feel about lovely Poppy taking Nikki back.

My £55 seat gave me a direct view of the orchestra 'pit', which is actually 15' above the stage. Alongside her musical theatre work, the cellist is also a regular on Songs of Praise. 

All the key players were in, including the man himself, Richard Hawley, who was lurking at the back.

Programmes are £4, and the playtext £8.50. That's the playtext.

For those to whom these things are important, Act 1 is 1 hour 20 minutes, a 20 minute internal, then 1 hour 10 minutes for Act 2. Last night started 10 minutes late, then Rob Hastie gave a 10 minute speech, and the interval was also extended by an extra 10 minutes.  No word of a lie, by the time I got home, the milkman was already doing his rounds!

Poll added. We're trying something a bit different. So that I remain sort of neutral for now, I'll vote later, after a second viewing.




*I did fall over this morning. It's the landing that hurts the most!

[jacobjb25]

I saw the public dress rehearsal last night and it was fantastic. This cast are just sublime (as one comes to expect with Stuart Burt at the helm). Alex Young, Rachael Wooding and Faith Omole are wonderful leading ladies. The whole cast is strong, but newcomers Bobbie Little, Samuel Jordan and Nicola Sloane are just wonderful additions to the show (not that the other newcomers aren't as well!). It was long last night at around 3 hours long, but it will get slicker I'm sure.

[Someone in a tree]

Sorry to probe you @tallpaul how was the 20 minute internal?

*sorry, I couldn't resist. I'm diagnosed with dyslexia (and im the king of typos) but I should also be diagnosed with innuendo syndrome! Love and hugs xx

[TallPaul]

Had it only been a 20 minute internal, it wouldn't have been too bad. Those 10 extra minutes were hard! 😉

[joem]

I finally saw this on Friday and can say unreservedly it is a wonderful production. Being a big fan of Richard Hawley's music I made sure I put on my objective specs for this but cannot be faulted. Yes, it is an unusual experience (for me at least) to go to a new musical where I recognise all the songs. The last one would have been "Sunny Afternoon", but good as the music in that was it bears no comparison to this as a musical. Yes, it is a musical. What creates doubt is how well crafted the various stories have been and how the songs - which were not written with a musical in mind - fit seamlessly into the narratives. This is no jukebox musical; it tells a relatively complex tale - by musical stadards - very well, and deals with wider issues of belonging, who we are and where we are. In this sense it acts like a play but the music is absolutely central to the proceedings making it, for me, a musical.

You don't need to know much about Sheffield or Hawley's career to enjoy this but it will do you no harm if you do. Having said that it is, unapologetically, a musical about Sheffield, Hawley's entire solo career has been a love letter to his native city, warts and all. Watching it in Sheffield is special though, the audience loved the self-referential, deprecatory humour in particular.Proper heartfelt standing ovation at the end, not one for the gallery.

The singing and playing was of a pretty high order. If I had to highlight two songers it would be Faith Omole as Joy and Maimuna Menon as Nikki but there were no weak links. One quibble, if I must... the first half of the show ends on a tremendous high note with the entire cast bombing it out on stage. The ending, by contrast, is rather muted. I know it's a production choice but wonder if it was the best decision.

I see no reason why this can't become a sizeable hit in London, it is a gem. And it threatens to introduce Hawley to a whole new audience and maybe a bew career.

[Dr Tom]

I saw this right before Christmas and must have forgotten to post about it then. Missed it first time around. I didn't grow up in Sheffield, but I did grow up in a similar enough Northern town to follow and appreciate everything.

I sat in the front row off to the side and I really appreciate how well staged this was to all sides. The set is pretty minimal and doesn't really change and there was only one section where the view was badly blocked. Good sound too.

I didn't know the music at all. It's accessible enough, but not something I would rush to listen to. To me, this really comes across as a very good play, which has had songs added to it. All performed very well.

A good plot and framing device. All very modern and diverse. Alex Young is fabulous as always. It would be better if it lost 10 minutes from the run time. But very glad I made the detour.

Not too sure how well it will do in London. It's a short enough run that it could sell out. To me, it doesn't scream out as a show to watch multiple times, but I might try for a Friday Rush, just to make sure I pick up on some of the plot strands I missed first time around.

[BurlyBeaR]

My visit before Christmas was scuppered by the rail strike. No refunds, not even a credit note, but they offered to change to another date so I booked for another matinee at the end of the run. Not sure that I’ll make it but at least I saw it first time around.

I’ll be interested to see if the specificity to that particular block of flats in that particular city might alienate london audiences a bit. A story about different generations of tenants of a council flat from when they were brand new to when they finally get gentrified and become desirable could work anywhere. It’s a great idea to be that specific when it’s at the Crucible which is literally in the shadow of those flats but whether it will chime with people in the same way in London seems questionable. I hope it does though.

[TallPaul]

To think I used to respect you, joem.   

Unusually for a play, it was announced last week that, in addition to the published playtext, there's also going to be a cast recording.



#StandingAtTheSkysEdgePlay

[joem]

I really, really wanted to agree with you TallPaul as I enjoy your comments and most often agree with your views but.... anyway thanks for tagging me I will definitely buy the "play's" soundtrack!!!

[BurlyBeaR]

😀

[TallPaul]

Apart from returns, all the remaining performances in Sheffield are now sold out. We love our plays with songs here in the steel city!

If anyone sees a caped bear loitering outside the world-famous Crucible Theatre, offering tickets for sale, please check his credentials very carefully. 

[theatrenerd]