What If If Only (Caryl Churchill) - Royal Court Theatre

[theoracle]

New 14min play by Caryl Churchill opening at the Royal Court this week. Linda Bassett and John Heffernan both starring and James Macdonald returning to direct another Churchill play. Should be interesting I'm hoping. It will be my first at the Royal Court too. Anyone else going?

[NeilVHughes]

Seeing it in a couple of weeks as an aperitif for Metamorphoses at the Wanamaker.

[Dave B]

Going in a couple of weeks along with Is God Is.

[Forrest]

Dave B, I'm looking forward to your thoughts about "Is God Is". 

As for the Churchill, I'll likely try and get a Monday ticket but I'll definitely try to see it. But I have to say - having been to the RC last night and seeing it half-empty, and now looking at relatively poor advance sales for the Churchill, but also, having been to 3 other theatres this week - I'm a little puzzled as to why people aren't going back to theatres more, even those where the tickets are affordable, such as the Court. Is it that they feel unsafe, or have most people simply given up on theatre? (Or am I worrying too much?)

[dlevi]

Sept 26, 2021 21:13:09 GMT Forrest said:

Dave B , I'm looking forward to your thoughts about "Is God Is". 

As for the Churchill, I'll likely try and get a Monday ticket but I'll definitely try to see it. But I have to say - having been to the RC last night and seeing it half-empty, and now looking at relatively poor advance sales for the Churchill, but also, having been to 3 other theatres this week - I'm a little puzzled as to why people aren't going back to theatres more, even those where the tickets are affordable, such as the Court. Is it that they feel unsafe, or have most people simply given up on theatre? (Or am I worrying too much?)

I've a friend who is an active producer here in London and he said the following to me:  The shows which people want to see: Anything Goes, 2:22  for example , are doing well.  The shows which people are marginally interested in or have been tourist dependent are suffering and those which were always going to be a hard sell - are suffering.  He went on to say though that you can get a ticket to any show - none are the sellouts with return queues. It's going to be a while before people return to the theatre in pre-pandemic numbers. 

[londonpostie]

It's not only theatre. Most things I tangentially see seem to be roughly the same; gym membership/exercise, retail, pubs/eating - if i guessed I'd say most were operating at 60-65% of *old normal*. I did think it might vary depending on the day of the week but now not sure. Is it regional .. So many factors in play ..

[Jan]

Sept 29, 2021 15:02:50 GMT dlevi said:

Sept 26, 2021 21:13:09 GMT Forrest said:

Dave B , I'm looking forward to your thoughts about "Is God Is". 

As for the Churchill, I'll likely try and get a Monday ticket but I'll definitely try to see it. But I have to say - having been to the RC last night and seeing it half-empty, and now looking at relatively poor advance sales for the Churchill, but also, having been to 3 other theatres this week - I'm a little puzzled as to why people aren't going back to theatres more, even those where the tickets are affordable, such as the Court. Is it that they feel unsafe, or have most people simply given up on theatre? (Or am I worrying too much?)

I've a friend who is an active producer here in London and he said the following to me:  The shows which people want to see: Anything Goes, 2:22  for example , are doing well.  The shows which people are marginally interested in or have been tourist dependent are suffering and those which were always going to be a hard sell - are suffering.  He went on to say though that you can get a ticket to any show - none are the sellouts with return queues. It's going to be a while before people return to the theatre in pre-pandemic numbers. 

Maybe they should stop pricing them as if they ARE sell outs then. Part of the audience like to book in advance rather than wait to see if deals are available at short notice.

Comparing notes with a fellow audience member the other day it seemed like musicals were doing a lot better than plays. Anyone got a view on that ?

[edi]

I live nearby and I may see this, but I honesty don't expect the crowds traveling all the way to see a 12 min play.

@forrest what did YOU think of is god is?

[londonpostie]

fwiw, I was thinking that, if I went, I'd double it up with something. Maybe www.saatchigallery.com/

[Marwood]

I’m seeing it a week on Saturday but going to see Sundown at the London Film Festival after, I just fancied seeing something at the Royal Court.

[Forrest]

Sept 29, 2021 15:34:48 GMT edi said:

@forrest what did YOU think of is god is?

I thought it was very entertaining, and all the individual components of it are superb: the design, the sound, the directing and acting. It is also interesting in terms of the way it is written (the characters introducing themselves in the third person, e.g., which is not very common in theatre, but more so in films, for instance.) It is fun and fast paced and unpredictable, and yes it's a little crazy, really, but I was pretty immersed in its world. Despite being a little crazy, and not actually making much sense - or perhaps because of it - it does work as a whole. 
In terms of the "message" of it, I found it pretty... puzzling. Not exactly sure what the point was, to be honest, but that didn't bother me, as it was an evening well spent at the theatre in terms of entertainment. I'm learning to let go of the need to find a "deeper meaning" in everything I see. This was like an action film at the cinema: not life-changing, but good fun.

It's not something I would say is a must see, but it makes for a pretty decent night out.
Have you seen it?

EDIT: Reading that, I realise it's actually quite silly what I've written. And perhaps it does frustrate me (more than) a little that I don't see an obvious point to it, tbh.  

[edi]

What you wrote makes perfect sense - in fact I am envious you can express my own thoughts so clearly.

As for the point - not sure but I like that it is against the stereotyping of how "bad" people look like, their gender, etc... also it blurres the boundaries between bad and good.

[Forrest]

edi, yes, and it's perhaps somewhat about every story (of vengeance) having more than one side (and, yes, definitely the "bad" and the "good" guys not being black and white, you are spot on!) and a little bit about the vicious cycles of violence (there's something very greek drama about it, isn't it - I cannot not think of Churchill's brilliant "Kill"!) and a little bit about gendered violence/domestic abuse... There are all these references and hints but it doesn't seem to have a single, clear message that I can hold on to. 

Perhaps someone else on here will see it and bring to light what I am missing. :)

[Phantom of London]

It’s not the money, but time I cannot justify just spending 14 minutes in a theatre.

[theoracle]

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/up-close-with-carlos-tseng/id1551007808?i=1000536612331

According to John Heffernan, the 15mins still manages to feel like a 5 Act Shakespeare play. I don’t know if that’s a good thing but I’m keen to see what Caryl has brewed up over lockdown.

[zahidf]

Im going to this on Sat, as i am watching As God Is in the evening

[crowblack]

Sept 29, 2021 15:02:50 GMT dlevi said:

Sept 26, 2021 21:13:09 GMT Forrest said:

Dave B , I'm looking forward to your thoughts about "Is God Is". 

As for the Churchill, I'll likely try and get a Monday ticket but I'll definitely try to see it. But I have to say - having been to the RC last night and seeing it half-empty, and now looking at relatively poor advance sales for the Churchill, but also, having been to 3 other theatres this week - I'm a little puzzled as to why people aren't going back to theatres more, even those where the tickets are affordable, such as the Court. Is it that they feel unsafe, or have most people simply given up on theatre? (Or am I worrying too much?)

I've a friend who is an active producer here in London and he said the following to me:  The shows which people want to see: Anything Goes, 2:22  for example , are doing well.  The shows which people are marginally interested in or have been tourist dependent are suffering and those which were always going to be a hard sell - are suffering.  He went on to say though that you can get a ticket to any show - none are the sellouts with return queues. It's going to be a while before people return to the theatre in pre-pandemic numbers. 

I live in the North West and I just can't risk it - there's the health aspect, obviously, in the journey and sitting in the venue, the cost of committing to a train ticket that I might have to cancel to travel to see a show that might be cancelled when I get there. Also, a year or so away from theatre has made me reflect on how much time and money I was spending to see plays that quite often turned out to be half-baked and depressing! If I lived in London and had more energy, money and a higher misery threshold I could take that risk, but long distance I just can't. 


 

[Forrest]

crowblack, all you write sounds really sensible.

I live in central London, and can more or less walk or take just a few tube stops to any of the theatres I frequently (used to) go to, so I tend to forget that for many it means hours on a train/bus. The money factor, however, is very relatable (I don't think I would go to the Old Vic, for example, if it wasn't for their PwC previews, because as someone already mentioned, perhaps on a different thread, their plays are tempting but the tickets seem even more expensive now than they did pre-pandemic). As for the misery threshold... I like theatre that makes me sad, because I'd rather be sad in a theatre than for real (I find it kind of therapeutic, I think), so I am OK with that. But I assume there are many who would agree with you that after a miserable year and a half they really don't need the extra sadness on stage... So even if we take the health risk out of the equation (I might be fooling myself, but I think theatre is safer than a restaurant/pub or a concert - although I am dying to go back to the latter too), and if we account for the fact that there are much fewer tourists so the seats they'd normally fill are now left for someone else to, there really are so many things theatres will have to overcome somehow to get back to full capacities.  

[zahidf]

This is now 20 minutes! I thought it was great overall. Won't say too much about it but packed a lot into the short running time and was surprisingly funny. Worth a watch though I wouldn't go out of you're way given the length..

[Boob]

Agreed. Well worth seeing before (or after) Is God Is (which I also liked very much).

[theoracle]

I saw this Friday night and was pleasantly surprised by how poignant and funny this actually was. I can see what John Heffernan meant in that interview he did by how epic it feels at times. Both leads are great and it was fantastic to see how engaged the audience was with this piece.

[crowblack]

Aren't the Royal Court going to do any streaming, live or after the run, with their forthcoming plays? I haven't seen any indication that they're going to. Surely the increased inclusivity and diversity aspects of streaming would appeal to them?

[londonpostie]

Oct 2, 2021 21:23:44 GMT crowblack said:

Sept 29, 2021 15:02:50 GMT dlevi said:

I've a friend who is an active producer here in London and he said the following to me:  The shows which people want to see: Anything Goes, 2:22  for example , are doing well.  The shows which people are marginally interested in or have been tourist dependent are suffering and those which were always going to be a hard sell - are suffering.  He went on to say though that you can get a ticket to any show - none are the sellouts with return queues. It's going to be a while before people return to the theatre in pre-pandemic numbers. 

I live in the North West and I just can't risk it - there's the health aspect, obviously, in the journey and sitting in the venue, the cost of committing to a train ticket that I might have to cancel to travel to see a show that might be cancelled when I get there. Also, a year or so away from theatre has made me reflect on how much time and money I was spending to see plays that quite often turned out to be half-baked and depressing! If I lived in London and had more energy, money and a higher misery threshold I could take that risk, but long distance I just can't. 


 

Just to offer a little info. The London you knew is not back yet. Regular theatre goers are not booking much in advance, if at all. There are bargains everywhere, every day - great shows. Walking up 30-minutes before a performance pretty well guarantees a bargain. The apps don't lie and seat fillers don't lie. It requires a different kind of planning but if you're up for that, it's a heck of a time.

[cavocado]

I loved this. I didn't have high expectations as I usually feel a bit disappointed by short plays, a bit like short stories - however brilliant they are I usually feel a bit unsatisfied. Not so with this, which felt complete, and packed an awful lot into 20 minutes, including a lot of humour. The emotional development of John Heffernan's character didn't feel rushed or unexplored. Both actors were great, with impeccable timing, and you could just feel Linda Bassett relishing the language.

I hope they stream it. I'd like to watch it again, and it's a shame for it not to be seen by a wider audience.

[Forrest]

I saw this last night and loved it, too! I think cavocado worded my impressions perfectly, nothing to add, really. It is very Churchill (the broken sentences, the brilliant now, now, now, now... it's impossible not to love her apparent love of what one can do with the intricacies of - just - language), and it is short and I so wanted more, but saying it is too short would be unfair, because at the same time it is completely rounded. (I was left wondering why the Court would pair it with "Is God Is", though. It's a pretty odd combination...)