Life of Pi - Crucible Sheffield /Wyndham’s / Tour

[Jon]

Jul 12, 2019 5:04:58 GMT Rory said:

Jul 12, 2019 0:23:48 GMT Jon said:

The earliest it could be get a suitable theatre is January or February when the Piccadilly, Harold Pinter and Gielgud are available and the Gillian Lynne can't be ruled out either.

Uncle Vanya is going into the Pinter in January and To Kill a Mockingbird is strongly tipped for the Gielgud. Piccadilly possible but isn't Moulin Rouge tipped for there? Maybe the Duke of York's or Playhouse?

Duke of York’s is a little small, Playhouse is possible but not sure what’s filling the gap after Fiddler finishes in November.

[Rory]

Jul 12, 2019 7:53:15 GMT Jon said:

Jul 12, 2019 5:04:58 GMT Rory said:

Uncle Vanya is going into the Pinter in January and To Kill a Mockingbird is strongly tipped for the Gielgud. Piccadilly possible but isn't Moulin Rouge tipped for there? Maybe the Duke of York's or Playhouse?

Duke of York’s is a little small, Playhouse is possible but not sure what’s filling the gap after Fiddler finishes in November.

Cyrano de Bergerac with James McAvoy is going to the Playhouse.

[Jon]

^Forgot about Cyrano, I imagine it’ll run until February or March.

Moulin Rouge I suspect won’t be until the end of 2020 or early 2021 so enough of a gap for a few plays or musical at the Piccadilly.

[Deleted]

I just checked the Crucible website for tickets - I hadn't booked as I just didn't really fancy it, but it seems to be getting a lot of good word of mouth, and I'm off work for the summer and I have no theatre booked... and HAHAHAAAAA they want SIXTY POUNDS for a back row seat? I don't think so, pfft!

Crucible prices have gone up a huge amount since Robert Hastie took over. Although I say back row - I notice they've still got the back 3-4 rows curtained off and not on sale.

[TallPaul]

The curtains have been thrown open, and all rows are now on sale for next week's performances, so for £60 you can sit even further from the stage than before!

[BurlyBeaR]

I got mine for £49 when I booked on Sunday. Central, 5 rows back. 

You snooze, you lose.

[BurlyBeaR]

Is it now normal procedure to not but the back rows on sale when booking opens?

[Deleted]

Jul 12, 2019 15:45:12 GMT BurlyBeaR said:

Is it now normal procedure to not but the back rows on sale when booking opens?

Yes, they've been up for a few years now, and they only seem to remove them when there's a real hit.

There's no way I'm paying anywhere near £60 to see this, as it didn't really appeal to me that much. I'd have risked it for £15, or maybe £20, but combined with the ridiculously expensive parking in the cheesegrater, that's a nope from me.

Edit: the last few things I've seen here have been massively far from full. Apart from Kiss Me Kate, which seemed to sell well, it's been at least half empty every time I've been.

[BurlyBeaR]

Did you not see Sky’s Edge @elanor? I think that sold out.

[Deleted]

No, I missed that. By the time I got round to booking (and was horrified at prices, which put me off) it was pretty much sold out. I still don't think they opened the back rows though, from what I could tell. I'd forgotten about that one though.

[TallPaul]

[Jon]

For those who have seen it? Would it in a traditional theatre or would it best in somewhere with a thrust stage.

[BurlyBeaR]

I’m not sure anyone here has seen it yet, and I’m not going till the end of next week.

From the reviews it sounds like one of the illusions might need a trap door, but I’ll deffo report back when I’ve seen it.

[crabtree]

No disrespect to the wonderful crucible but I was not expecting such production values all round - this is simply an amazing production, asking very big questions, and moving you unbearably. The set design and mechanics are so ingenious, and to keep this intact any future theatre would need a thrust and room for a revolve and several traps. in the week that there have been all these discussions about the lifeless animals in the CG Lion King, go see this and have your heart broken by Richard Parker,

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
and the gruesome fate of the animals, especially the turtle. No punches are pulled. Gorgeous lighting, truly gorgeous, and the staging going from the story to the framing device with balletic fluidity. Watch the birds and how they transform into the 'reality'.

 But Richard Parker shaking the water off his wet paws will stay with me forever. This has to travel to London and have a long long life. I'm a bit overwhelmed by it, tell the truth. and I got a side seat for £22 - absolutely fine. The revolve caters for everyone. Well done a provincial theatre. I have a feeling the national might have thrown everything at it, and lost the joyous simplicity of the rough magic here. And it is magic. Pi diving into the sea got a huge gasp.

[BurlyBeaR]

Spoiler added.... crabtree c’mon now I haven’t seen the film!

[properjob]

I don't think it necessary has to be a thrust stage but the problem with any potential transfer is that there is a lot of projection on the floor so the whole audience needs to be above stage floor height and there is a lot of mechanics in the stage floor.

I wonder if the bridge would be suitable from an audience height and configurable stage floor perspective with the thrust configuration being a bonus?

[crabtree]

A thrust would allow them to keep the neat lifeboat shaped stage. A moment that has really stayed with me overnight, apart from Richard parker shaking the water off his paws, is the paper birds in the boat narrative becoming the newspapers in the hospital narrative. beautiful. I spent all night thinking about this show (and what must have been happening over at the Queen's). Richard Parker's journey was extraordinary and the will he won't he look back so powerful.

[Jon]

The Gillian Lynne would be perfect, it was the home to the Crucible’s production of Show Boat and has used thrust stage for War Horse

[TallPaul]

Saturday night was a sell out; Tuesday night is sold out; Wednesday night has a single £55 ticket available; Friday night has two separate £60 tickets; and closing night has three separate £60 tickets remaining.

The Stage review gave the seating capacity of the Crucible as 719, compared to a usual capacity of 980, so there must be 261 seats behind the curtains. If a thousand extra tickets have been sold in just a few days at, say, an average of £50 each, that's quite a nice boost to the coffers!

[BurlyBeaR]

Excellent sleuthing there TallPaul. I’m reinstating your Regional Reporter badge forthwith.

[TallPaul]

Thanks, BurlyBeaR, but won't that mean I actually have to do some work, rather than leave it all to you? 😉

If you're collecting your ticket at the Box Office, it's probably best to get there early and avoid the huge queue. And please try not to get into another fight in the bar! 🙂

[Rory]

Ref Jon saying Gillian Lynne would be perfect- it probably would be but I'm hoping to take my kids to see School of Rock in Feb so I hope it extends til then!

[NorthernAlien]

Well, Nick Hytner was spotted in the foyer during the interval of the matinee today, so the Bridge would seem to be in the running?

The staging would work there, thanks to their 'flexible space' - they could have the revolve in the bit that's currently 'The Pit' for AMND.

[lou105]

Really enjoyed this tonight, as did the full house who were all on their feet at the end. It's a while since I've heard so many audience members saying Wow, that was amazing etc both at the interval and the end. It definitely needs space to play to its full effect but if the right theatre comes up, it can be a hit without a doubt. Beautiful to watch, clever, though provoking. They did RSC style whole company bows, because it is an ensemble piece , but the guy playing Pi was so good. Just be a bit wary of taking sensitive children. Another Sheffield triumph and the Crucible has space to move and plenty of toilets!

[BurlyBeaR]

As I’ve said before. I do not like puppets. Let me qualify that... Sooty and Sweep - great, love ‘em. I can even get on board with a pre ‘no strings’ Pinocchio. But where things start to go wrong for me is when you see huge humans manhandling skeletal stylised puppets all over the stage. It completely takes me out of the story and it’s (just) one of the reasons that Warhorse left me cold.

And this afternoon for the first part of Act 1 I wasn’t entirely on board with this. At times there were so many people on stage either acting or operating puppets that it was very crowded. But by they time they’re out at sea and we see the thrilling end of the first half I was so onboard that I was almost in there with Pi and Richard Parker. I swear that despite actually looking at that stage full on when the boat first appeared I did not see it happen. It’s like a piece of origami and so seamlessly smooth that the slightest distraction, such as the stunning projections and sounds of the storm and the sea, meant that I totally missed how it was done. And there are other moments of such supreme stage craftiness that by the end you feel completely satiated. Like you’ve eaten just enough chocolate but not too much. The design, sound and lighting is gorgeous. And the puppets? Yes I was totally invested.
It’s visually stunning and emotional. The final scene with the deep blue celestial sky and last paragraph of the investigators report projected onto the stage... gulp. Had to hold hem back.

Anyway you can’t see it because it’s the last performance tonight so ner. Yes It would be a shame if it didn’t get a wider audience and it probably will. But then again I’d rather like if it didn’t transfer. You get everything in London, it’s really annoying sometimes. And this could be one of those things that Sheffield got to have all to itself.

The world famous Crucible © TallPaul was completely full. I didn’t hear a sweet wrapper unwrap, or a single cough for the entire two hours. An immediate standing ovation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️