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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2020 8:29:40 GMT
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Post by bordeaux on Feb 13, 2020 9:45:56 GMT
The production at the National in 2001, brought over from the US was superb. Looking forward to this. Would love to see some more too: Seven Guitars sounds great.
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Post by Mark on Apr 25, 2022 8:28:03 GMT
Did anyone see this in Leeds during its run last October? I hadn't realised the Old Vic production was a transfer until searching for a thread.
PWC £10 tickets for previews 9-14th June will go on sale tomorrow (26/4) at Midday.
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Post by Mark on Apr 26, 2022 11:10:09 GMT
Straight in and row H stalls booked for first preview today.
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Post by Dave B on Apr 26, 2022 11:15:01 GMT
Yup, easy booking for me too. Row G for third or fourth preview.
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Post by cavocado on Apr 26, 2022 11:22:22 GMT
I'm still 571 in the queue, 21 mins to go...
EDIT: there were still plenty of tickets available when I got in.
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Post by edi on May 26, 2022 9:54:31 GMT
Some good PWC tickets appeared on the website.
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Post by zahidf on May 26, 2022 10:41:25 GMT
Some good PWC tickets appeared on the website. Thanks, just got one |
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Post by showgirl on Jun 2, 2022 14:01:10 GMT
Still seems to have lots of seats unsold (at least for matinees, which I checked as no way can I do 2 hours 30 in the evening), which may explain why the Old Vic is offering such a good deal for bookings made this weekend. Suited me since apart from the fact that PWC dates go live during working hours so I can't queue then, they never include any matinees. So now I have a top-price (£65, which I'd never pay) stalls seat for £10 and no booking fee. Worth a chance at that price.
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Post by Mark on Jun 9, 2022 22:25:54 GMT
Was at the first preview tonight. My first time seeing an August Wilson play - had only seen the film of Fences prior.
I thought it was very good overall. Wil Johnson in particular I thought delivered the performance of the night - exceptional.
It took a while to “tune in” to the show and it does start very quiet, and the accents are quite strong. Once it gets going though it really gets going! Another strong outing at the Old Vic
Runtime: 2 hours 55. They are advertising it as 2:30 plus a 20 minute interval so maybe a few minutes to tighten.
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Post by edi on Jun 11, 2022 19:23:52 GMT
I saw this yesterday, liked it a lot, interesting snapshot of the lives of these people. I didn't like what happened to the chap who owns the jitney, I thought it could've been done differently, but hey-ho, that's how the playwright wrote the story.
Anyways, I was wondering about something. I had real trouble to understand the play to start with, the accents were very strong, as Mark above has already said, and I worried that I won't enjoy it at all. However after a short while I had no problem at all, everything was clear. I was wondering whether my ears were getting used to the accents as I eased into it, or is it that the actors lose their (assumingly) fake accents as they ease into it? I cannot judge it because English is not my first language so I am not good with recognisig accents.
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Post by lichtie on Jun 12, 2022 19:54:54 GMT
I saw it on Friday too. I think I just tuned into the way they were speaking. I thought it was a good production of a play I was unfamiliar with, but would agree the ending is a bit weak (even if it's telegraphed earlier in the play).
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Post by Forrest on Jun 13, 2022 16:24:31 GMT
I liked this too, and particularly enjoyed it for the performances. Sule Rimi was my absolute favourite (but I might be biased, because I have loved him in everything I've seen him in so far), followed closely by Nnabiko Ejimofor (who looked so familiar for reasons I could not explain, before I realised he was recently in "For Black Boys... " at the Court!).
It isn't an amazing play, but it is definitely an enjoyable night out at the theatre, as for me it managed both to be entertaining and to give me something to think about (I very much enjoyed observing the clashes of generations, and the how-s and why-s behind these, and the interesting picture that it painted of men and expectations from men at the time when it was written).
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Post by Steve on Jun 15, 2022 13:16:14 GMT
I loved this. A terrific slice of life character play, beautifully performed. Some spoilers follow. . . At a Jitney (unlicensed) cab office, that serves an area where licensed cabs won't go, in Pittsburgh in the Seventies, we follow the lives of the drivers and everyone who passes through. . . The characterisations are beautifully done, the language needs tuning in to (it happens fast), and the dramas of each character are movingly realised. I've now seen four of August Wilson's Pittsburgh plays (and read one other), and would rank this one third of the four I've seen. What this one lacks, that say, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" (the National's version was nigh on perfect, with its visual hierarchy of status, from the top to the bottom of the stage) does better, is a fully climaxing central plotline and a fully realised social context that drives that climax. By contrast, this play simmers and bubbles rather than explodes. And this play sidelines the racism that is a major context of Wilson's plays, to focus on multiple plots, the foremost of which is about the dangers of gossip. That said, Sule Rime is on fire as the strutting, dressed-to-the-nines, too-cool-for-school gossipper, Turnbo, and gave one of my favourite performances among a sterling cast. Wil Johnson's performance as the man in charge of the Jitney office, all restrained dignity, is overwhelmingly moving when he lets loose emotionally! And Geoff Aymer is so convincing as optimistic, huffing and puffing, Korean war veteran, Doub, that I honestly and rarely couldn't spot the actor beneath the character, not even once. I wouldn't miss this wonderfully realised character study, even though I feel Wilson has written plays that succeed on more layers than this one. 4 stars from me.  |
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Post by theatrelover123 on Jun 15, 2022 16:32:40 GMT
I, on the other hand, found it quite tedious. I was 8 rows back and it wasn't the speed or rhythm of the speech that was the issue, it was the lack of any real volume or projection, particularly in Act 2. I think the acting was a mixed bag but I tended to struggle to really care for any characters. It felt a lot longer than 2.5 hours, needs tightening up or small cuts and I found the ending an odd anti-climax - almost like Wilson didn't really know how to end it. I have seen about 5 Wilsons and I would probably put this play - and production - bottom. The understudy last night did a fantastic job though - I did wonder why they had cast somebody who looks in their teens/20s as a character who is 39  |
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Post by partytentdown on Jun 15, 2022 20:19:40 GMT
I saw this last night and enjoyed it. Random question, I googled photos of the show when it was in Leeds and it had the same set design, but with some subtle but interesting differences like a different furniture layout and different signs on the wall etc. I'm curious why they would make these small changes?
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Post by nottobe on Jun 16, 2022 18:45:07 GMT
Odd the Old Vic haven't announced any summer shows yet. This ends of July 9th and summer would be an optimum time to get bums on seats. Maybe this will extended but that seems fairly unlikely.
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Post by lichtie on Jun 16, 2022 19:19:42 GMT
The gap is presumably where 4000 miles was supposed to be running until it got canned.
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Post by Dave B on Jun 17, 2022 8:16:03 GMT
I saw this last night and really enjoyed it. I had to double check my tickets after I saw reviews, it seems strange that PWC Previews continued after opening night, I'm not sure I've seen that happen at OV before.
Anyways, while I thought the play didn't really do anything new or tread any new ground, I think that it did everything it wanted to *really* well. The cast were all excellent (including understudy Blair Gyabaah, tho as noted above, an age difference in the role!). I found each character to be distinct and ... the word I came up with on the way home is warm. They all felt real and understandable and very little felt contrived. Sule Rime is fantastic, has a shining role from the start. Geoff Aymer and Wil Johnson do top, top work especially as the play goes on and their stories move to the front. Frankly all of the cast were excellent and I really could pick them all out here for praise.
Solidly enjoyable evening. For a PWC preview, there were a small but surprising number of good seats empty. Covid increase + heat might explain it but I very much hope this one plays to full houses for the rest of it's run.
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Post by alessia on Jun 17, 2022 9:29:26 GMT
I went on the first day, had a cheap dress circle side ticket (PWC preview, had I known it wasn't going to sell well, I'd have waited and tried for a stalls ticket!). Maybe because I was tired, but I didn't enjoy it that much. I had real trouble hearing the actors, it felt very quiet, not sure if the microphones were turned too low. The heavy accents did not help either. As a non native speaker, I struggle with heavy accents and Shakespeare sometimes, but this was harder than usual.
Previous visit for the 47th also sat in the dress circle and had a bit of trouble hearing. This has only ever happened to me at the Old Vic, so in future I will avoid non stalls seats there...
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Post by NeilVHughes on Jun 21, 2022 8:26:10 GMT
Found it extremely powerful, one scene knocked me for six and needed the interval to recover.
Took a few minutes to settle into the accents but once familiar it was no issue.
With the deals available well worth a visit.
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Post by jamb0r on Jun 21, 2022 15:46:04 GMT
About 10 minutes in I was really considering just walking out of this. I couldn’t understand a word anyone was saying, one actor in particular I didn’t understand at all for the length of the play (the one that kept putting his feet up on the table - thankfully he wasn’t in it much). Once things got going either my ears tuned in or they relaxed with the accents and I ended up loving it. Very glad I persevered!
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Post by alessia on Jun 21, 2022 15:48:23 GMT
About 10 minutes in I was really considering just walking out of this. I couldn’t understand a word anyone was saying, one actor in particular I didn’t understand at all for the length of the play (the one that kept putting his feet up on the table - thankfully he wasn’t in it much). Once things got going either my ears tuned in or they relaxed with the accents and I ended up loving it. Very glad I persevered! Yes I think I also got used to the accents after a bit. the main issue was that I just couldn't hear very well from the dress circle. It's clearly just me though. |
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Post by nottobe on Jun 22, 2022 11:10:54 GMT
Looks like Old Vic will announce new show soon as a application for an assistant director on an unnamed show running from 7th September to 29th October is up.
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Post by Being Alive on Jun 22, 2022 11:25:48 GMT
Yep, they're closed over the summer, and then back in Sept with something before Christmas Carol
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