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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2016 16:23:47 GMT
Jamie is also working with ATG with their extra charges.... ATG refunded my original booking charges in full, as well as the ticket price, for the cancelled Doctor Faustus. Given their reputation, I had half expected them to charge me a fee for refunding the ticket cost. So on this occasion I was a happy customer. |
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2016 19:31:07 GMT
Yeah I have go say, I called atg Monday about my cancelled doctor faustus performance and no issue getting a refund, already showing on my card today.
Also, the last couple of bookings I've made the fees have only been about £3.50. Which didn't seem bad to me at all.
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Post by Squire Sullen on May 4, 2016 19:36:29 GMT
Booked a £15 for this. Going with my friend who isn't much of a theatregoer. She's going for Kit Harington's bum and I'm going to hear Jenna Russell sing Bat Out of Hell, so we'll both get at least something out of it.
Also flicking through my theatre book, turns out I saw Harington on a school trip to War Horse yonks ago - always nice to see someone before they become big.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 5, 2016 13:25:26 GMT
Also, the last couple of bookings I've made the fees have only been about £3.50. Which didn't seem bad to me at all. It's about 3 quid usually I think, but that's per ticket not per booking. So if you're a party of four that's £12 for finding your own seats, booking them on line and potentially printing your own tickets. Ok there might be an argument that ATG have to administer and run the booking system but I don't think that sort of charge is justified. Anyway... Off topic!  |
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Post by popcultureboy on May 6, 2016 22:12:28 GMT
Also, the last couple of bookings I've made the fees have only been about £3.50. Which didn't seem bad to me at all. It's about 3 quid usually I think, but that's per ticket not per booking. So if you're a party of four that's £12 for finding your own seats, booking them on line and potentially printing your own tickets. Ok there might be an argument that ATG have to administer and run the booking system but I don't think that sort of charge is justified. Anyway... Off topic! It's not per ticket. They charge £3.50 per booking, as a general rule. If there are additional per ticket charges, they will be related to the producers of that particular show, which won't be anything to do with ATG, though they'll still get the blame for it, since we all love to shoot the messenger. Also, ATG doesn't offer print at home yet. So are you sure you're talking about them and not another ticket agent? |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 6, 2016 22:21:01 GMT
I stand corrected. But the point I'm making about booking fees stands. And I'm not interested in who the two quid goes to. It's a rip off.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2016 22:22:27 GMT
I stand corrected. But the point I'm making about booking fees stands. ... even though it's incorrect? I'm confused now ... |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 6, 2016 22:26:40 GMT
I stand corrected. But the point I'm making about booking fees stands. ... even though it's incorrect? I'm confused now ... Well, no need for confusion. I just don't think we should have to pay for the privelege of buying something off someone. If you think it's ok, that's fine |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on May 7, 2016 20:10:26 GMT
Well, no need for confusion. I just don't think we should have to pay for the privelege of buying something off someone. If you think it's ok, that's fine I have a theatre card, but I don't mind ATG's bookings fees all that much - they provide a decent platform to buy tickets, which needs to be funded from someone somewhere. Nimax could learn a thing or two. Where I take issue is when places like the o2 charge booking fees, processing fees, handling fees, and even box office collection fees. For some events I've ended up having to pay £20+ per ticket just to buy a ticket in the first place! Yes it needs to be funded by THEM. They're selling a product and we're buying it. I can't believe how numb we've become to bring completely and utterly ripped off in this country. And I totally agree with your point about arena shows. |
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2016 21:30:02 GMT
I really didn't get this at all. Not really my cup of tea. Jenna Russell was great, but Kit Harington really is overestimated in my opinion, perfect bum aside.
The Duke of York's really is terribly designed for those in the grand circle I must say. Terrible sight lines and the narrowest leg room I've ever encountered.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2016 9:03:18 GMT
There was a theatre a year or two back who had some kerfuffle with people complaining about booking fees, so they went into quite some detail as to why they had to charge different fees and why they had to call them what they did. I wish I could remember which theatre so I could find an article rather than relying on my shoddy memory, but it was basically that the ticket cost either completely or mostly goes to the production company, whereas the booking fees go to the venue. So although people were complaining they'd have been less annoyed if the ticket prices had simply risen a little to cover the price hike rather than introducing a new booking fee, if the theatre had done that, they still wouldn't have been any better off, as they needed booking fees to cover staff and building costs that the production company wouldn't be dealing with.
Some booking fees are massive rip-offs, sure, but generally they exist for a reason. Other businesses are set up that extra fees for venue and staffing (such as a restaurant) are included in the basic price and that doesn't lead to any financial confusion down the line, but for better or for worse theatre has been set up over the years in such a way that the booking fee does need to be listed separately from the ticket price.
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2016 10:48:02 GMT
I remember that article, while this isn't it there is a breakdown in this....http://www.marlowetheatre.com/page/3598/Booking-fees-your-questions-answered
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Post by Phantom of London on May 9, 2016 16:55:01 GMT
Tempted to see this now.
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Post by andrew on May 9, 2016 22:09:48 GMT
Caught this tonight with the £20 Mondays thing, and probably because my expectations were lowered by recent reviews I had a surprisingly good time. I'm not particularly well versed in classical theatre so know not much of Dr Faustus (or Faust), haven't seen any other productions, and haven't got much to compare it to. Maybe that's why I had a pretty good time from start to finish. I don't have any qualms about the script, although I can see how the modern sections don't quite live up to the classical parts in general. It all gelled together in a strange way, mostly as everyone says because of the actors working very hard. Craig Stein created one of my favourite moments in the play with a particularly surprising Obama portrayal, Jenna Russell was on top form and Kit Harrington just about acted as well as he is sculpted. I'm very glad I went.
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Post by mallardo on May 10, 2016 5:36:00 GMT
I was there as well, andrew, and I agree with you. Who would have thought dreary old Doctor Faustus could be such fun? Not being a fan of Marlowe's dramatically inert original, I welcomed Colin Teevan's script interventions and, frankly, preferred them. Faustus selling his soul for celebrity is hardly a new or profound take on this material but Jamie Lloyd has thrown everything (including a kitchen sink) into it and I thought it was pretty damn dazzling.
I have not much enjoyed some of Lloyd's recent work - the Pinter on steroids Homecoming, the overblown and hence unfunny Urinetown - but here he has a project perfectly suited to his gifts. He's not a thinker he's a showman - like Lucifer himself - and this is a great show.
I thought Harington was shouty and uneasy at the beginning (the Marlowe bits) but once the concept took hold he came into his own and I thought he was tremendous thereafter - a perfect fit in virtually every way. He earned his applause. I also loved Jenna Russell (of course) and her interval cabaret and Tom Edden, whose extravagant second act monologue was quite astonishing and Forbes Masson, whose camp Lucifer was a darkly entertaining presence throughout. But the whole cast was wonderful.
I can see why Marlowe afficionados wouldn't care for this but for me it turned a dutiful evening of "classic theatre" into a great night out.
And then, to emerge into St. Martin's Lane to find a mob of smartphone wielding fans swarming around Harington's waiting limo, screaming for his attention, was icing on the cake. Was this too part of the show? It was the perfect coda. Life and art conjoined.
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Post by greenswan on May 10, 2016 5:52:48 GMT
I went yesterday as well. With those famous £15 Tickets plus £3,50 for the joy of them selling it to me. Quite a few empty seats around me at the back of the stalls so I had a great view and plenty of legroom! I thought the overall audience reaction at the curtain call was fairly muted though aside from some whistling.
My expectations were lowered by what I read here but despite this I didn't particularly enjoy it. Like with The Maids which I also experienced as relentlessly stressful, this one reaches fever pitch quite quickly and never breathes. There is so much thrown at it, it goes beyond even Regietheater really? If there was a coherent play in there somewhere it got lost.
I do think the actors do what they can (aside from lack of clarity in the dialogue in the beginning) but overall I really don't know what to do with this. And just on a last note, interesting when the tables are turned so to speak and a man is objectified on stage - lots of gratuitous nudity.
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Post by viserys on May 10, 2016 11:49:57 GMT
Trust me, Regietheater in Germany can be way way worse. Especially since it so often involves bare stages that are meant to be arty but only scream "we had no money for a set" and very staid cerebral "performances" completely drained of any emotion. It's in the strange stiff German that kids are being taught at drama schools that has no bearing on normal German and ruins movies as well.
I hate German Regietheater with a passion and have avoided seeing dramas here for years - one of the reasons why I keep coming back to London all the time. So initially I was dismayed when I read all the negative reviews (here and the official ones) about this Faustus. I love the story, especially Goethe's version which I'd LOVE to see staged somewhere (outside of Germany) and I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan so seeing Harington as Faustus was the icing on the cake for me.
And yet, when I saw it last week, I was thoroughly entertained by the frenetic action on stage and I thought Lloyd's concept worked very well here. I was far less impressed by The Maids, though I think that's the play's problem rather than the staging. But overall - nah, nothing like Regietheater and I'm with Mallardo on this.
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Post by RedRose on May 10, 2016 12:19:19 GMT
Also seen it yesterday. My theatre buddy and me had a lot of fun watching it but thought it was not really good. Our main problem with it: Jamie Lloyd has thrown too many ideas, gimmicks etc into it, even more overloaded than the stage at Richard III. A kind of very entertaining and funny show, but not a working production of the play.
Such a shame as some of the ideas are fantastic and especially Jenna Russell and Forbes Masson shine. When Jenna Russell performed her songs at the end of the interval we were just thinking it would be much better if she was just going on instead of the play.
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Post by dan on May 12, 2016 22:40:39 GMT
I apologise for the tedious question, but as I'm trying to book trains... Can anyone let me know what time they were out of the theatre for an evening performance? I normally book latest train back from London but the website does says it is a 2hour 15min performance?
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Post by viserys on May 13, 2016 5:15:31 GMT
I didn't look at my watch but it was before 10pm.
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Post by greenswan on May 13, 2016 5:36:13 GMT
It was over at 9.40pm including the curtain call.
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Post by Hana PlaysAndParasols on May 17, 2016 9:55:12 GMT
Oh wow. I tried to be really openminded (also used to Regietheater btw) but I had sooo many issues with this. I actually prefered the modern part to the original because with the original bit the delivery was so disjointed from the text.
There were so many people around me who didn't know how to behave in theatre which I found annoying.
I enjoyed Jenna's performance but even here I think dramaturgically the relationship could have been explored much more effectively.
Glad some of you guys liked it though!
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Post by Ade on May 19, 2016 21:53:43 GMT
What a load of tosh this is! Saw it this evening and while I enjoyed it, it was in a car crash TV kind of way. If I'm being blunt it probably shouldn't have made it to the stage, but pleased I saw it none the less.
It actually had nearly a full standing ovation in the stalls, but I can't help but think that was primarily for Kit Harrington's (rather perfect) bottom.
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Post by mallardo on May 20, 2016 7:04:16 GMT
A number of people have posted here to say that they enjoyed this even though it didn't work. Folks, if you enjoyed it, it worked.
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Post by londonmzfitz on May 20, 2016 8:15:59 GMT
I can't say I enjoyed it, won't say I endured it. I experienced it. That feels right.
Oh, Kit Harrington's bum ... sigh ... that I enjoyed.
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