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Post by Jon on Oct 7, 2023 10:05:13 GMT
The only recent transfer from the Donmar that I can remember was the marvellous 'Sweat' to the Gielgud (and, of course, the Constellations revival which was mounted at the Vaudeville in 2021). Very little transfers from there, unlike say, the Almeida, Young Vic and the NT, but if they can't manage a transfer for Next to Normal, then they'll never get one. It's a no brainer to transfer it if they have Caissie Levy on board. And I thought Wessex Grove were working with the Donmar on transfer opportunities. This would be their best bet! A transfer isn't the be all and end all and there are multiple reasons why a show that was successful at the Donmar didn't transfer such as cast availability, theatre availability etc The show not transferring doesn't mean the show is a failure. |
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Post by couldileaveyou on Oct 7, 2023 10:11:32 GMT
City of Angels transferred too, although it took half a decade and was then thwarted by the pandemic. It must have played only a handful of previews
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Post by Rory on Oct 7, 2023 10:25:02 GMT
The only recent transfer from the Donmar that I can remember was the marvellous 'Sweat' to the Gielgud (and, of course, the Constellations revival which was mounted at the Vaudeville in 2021). Very little transfers from there, unlike say, the Almeida, Young Vic and the NT, but if they can't manage a transfer for Next to Normal, then they'll never get one. It's a no brainer to transfer it if they have Caissie Levy on board. And I thought Wessex Grove were working with the Donmar on transfer opportunities. This would be their best bet! A transfer isn't the be all and end all and there are multiple reasons why a show that was successful at the Donmar didn't transfer such as cast availability, theatre availability etc The show not transferring doesn't mean the show is a failure. I think most subsidised theatres enjoy it when a commercial transfer success happens. I was pointing out that the Donmar has had far fewer than others. And I never said that a show which doesn't transfer is a failure. |
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Post by westendwhistledown on Oct 7, 2023 14:31:53 GMT
I heard it was doing a limited 16 week run next year You heard correctly. Summer, it has a venue. Funding was dependent on Caissie staying. They’ve managed to secure her booking. It’s done. Literally said the transfer was happening the other day and mrbarnaby shut me down 🙃 praying we are right and mrbarnaby wrong lol! |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Oct 7, 2023 14:49:38 GMT
Hate to break it to everyone- but there are still no concrete plans to transfer this. Barnaby? |
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Post by tmesis on Oct 7, 2023 15:11:53 GMT
Charing Cross?  Kiss of death. |
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Oct 7, 2023 17:34:17 GMT
Was in for the matinee today.
However, once was enough for me!
Everyone was fantastic - Cassie is phenomenal. Jamie towards the end almost broke me.
I’m Alive and I Miss The Mountains received the biggest response.
So special that I saw this on the final day. Hopefully it will return judging by the trailer that was released last night!!!
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Post by mattnyc on Oct 7, 2023 17:34:54 GMT
Charing Cross? Don’t even put that out into the universe lol |
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Post by Ade on Oct 8, 2023 6:47:41 GMT
I saw this yesterday matinee and am kind of disappointed that something about it didn’t click for me. I was definitely in the minority as there was plenty of sniffing going on around me (I cry at almost anything). On paper I can’t really fault it, the writing is exceptional in how it handles the subject matter, the music is often great, and the performances were all perfect. In fact the vocals are phenomenal - yes Jamie Parker isn’t the strongest and is just fine but everyone else sounded amazing. My only real criticism of the whole thing is that while I liked the staging, I found the lighting and projection design quite weak overall - very one note which felt odd given the tone of this.
Given it was the second to last performance there seemed to be a lot of people in for a repeat visit that were keen to whoop like they were at a showing of Six which did keep dragging me out of the piece as it just feels at odds with what’s going on on stage. All in all it’s 4 stars from me for quality but I came out not as amazed as I had hoped.
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Post by Rory on Oct 8, 2023 6:58:52 GMT
Ade, we had the same itinerary yesterday because I was also at the matinee yesterday and I agree with you. I liked this -there is much to admire - but I didn't love it. I think this was because I wasn't familiar with the score before I went, and I just found all the songs a bit samey and generic sounding. I Miss the Mountains and I'm Alive stood out. I thought the cast were phenomenal though, & I very much would include Jamie Parker in that. But it just wasn't as affecting as I thought it was going to be and there were several times when I thought "these actors are amazing, I am invested in the story of this family" and wished I had been watching a play instead. But it's immensely popular and well done, and I hope it transfers and is a big commercial hit for them.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Oct 8, 2023 7:00:17 GMT
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Post by Ade on Oct 8, 2023 7:05:09 GMT
But it just wasn't as affecting as I thought it was going to be and there were several times when I thought "these actors are amazing, I am invested in the story of this family" and wished I had been watching a play instead. Exactly this! Couldn’t agree more! |
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Post by toomasj on Oct 8, 2023 9:02:12 GMT
A masterclass performance from one of the best in the world in her field presently. The part was almost made for her. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Oct 8, 2023 9:49:13 GMT
What a lovely thing to do.
As I said, as of last week- there was no confirmed transfer. That may change- but for someone to say it’s signed and sealed …’done’.. is simply false. If that was the case- they would have teased this somehow at the end of last nights show.
I’m desperate for this to transfer- so I have everything crossed.
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Post by Rory on Oct 8, 2023 10:08:07 GMT
Hmm, will miss the theatre itself but not the show?!
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Post by adolphus on Oct 8, 2023 10:19:51 GMT
This was extremely good, a privilege to watch. The lyrics mined astonishing emotional and psychological depths to illuminate the action and spoken dialogue. The cast were uniformly excellent with the best ensemble singing I've heard in quite a while
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Post by capybara on Oct 8, 2023 10:41:01 GMT
My second time seeing it and reaffirmed by view that this is such an insanely fantastic piece of musical theatre that really needs to be seen to be believed. I’m so lucky to have experienced its closing night at the Donmar. The cast are so talented and give such powerful and heartfelt performances in a show about such a difficult subject matter.
First of all, Caissie Levy is a phenomenon. Her voice is out of this world and every word is steeped in such emotion. Jamie Parker gives one of the most honest and raw acting performances I’ve ever seen, while Jack Wolfe is completely hypnotic whenever he’s on stage - you just cannot look away.
Finally, Eleanor Worthington-Cox is a superstar in the making. Oh my god, her vocals go right through your body if you’re lucky enough to witness her on stage. I’ve seen her in The Secret Life of Bees earlier this year and I’m pretty sure I saw her as Matilda many, many years ago. A huge talent.
I hope the rumours are true and that this has another life.
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Post by Mark on Oct 8, 2023 11:01:46 GMT
Agreed. This performance will be looked back on in years to come as one of the greats. An incredible actress.
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Post by andrew on Oct 8, 2023 11:10:23 GMT
The way the cast are all talking about the show ending, there is a very deliberate choice of words about it not being the end of the show necessarily. Obviously it could still fall through but they're under the impression there's a realistic chance of a transfer.
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Post by apubleed on Oct 8, 2023 11:15:57 GMT
It could be the best experience I’ve ever had in a theatre last night. Just thinking back at ‘Light’ makes me want to cry.
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Post by vickyg on Oct 8, 2023 11:37:16 GMT
How usual is it to not have a transfer secured by the end of the initial run? I was very hopeful that Tammy Faye would get a transfer and there was a lot of buzz about that initially but it seems to have faded away and I worry that the same will happen with Next to Normal. Both shows seem to have been, in general, adored by audiences but didn't receive the best reviews and I hope this isn't another parallel to draw...
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Post by toomasj on Oct 8, 2023 11:43:34 GMT
I absolutely promise this show is transferring next summer.
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Post by Jon on Oct 8, 2023 12:36:17 GMT
How usual is it to not have a transfer secured by the end of the initial run? I was very hopeful that Tammy Faye would get a transfer and there was a lot of buzz about that initially but it seems to have faded away and I worry that the same will happen with Next to Normal. Both shows seem to have been, in general, adored by audiences but didn't receive the best reviews and I hope this isn't another parallel to draw... You do need commercial producers involved for a West End transfer but the theatre owners likely have producers waiting to put their shows into a West End theatre even if the show isn't going to open until next Autumn. The other factor is finding a theatre that fits the production both in terms of the set but also capacity, you don't want a theatre that's too big but you don't want one that is too small either. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Oct 8, 2023 12:52:50 GMT
I think the perfect venue would be the Ambassadors in terms of size.
It’s one thing selling out the 200 (?) swat Donmar, to filling a theatre with 800 or so seats.
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Post by Being Alive on Oct 8, 2023 13:03:34 GMT
Trafalgar would be nice...
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