Best of Enemies - Young Vic / Noel Coward Theatre

[zahidf]

[Mark]

Seating plan now online for selecting your own seats on the young vic website with seats at all price ranges.

[cavocado]

I booked this in June. Do they normally send seat number info for those of us who booked before the configuration was decided? I'm not sure I've ever booked that early at the YV before, but was excited about a new JG play. I find the YV website really annoying. There's no way that I can see of logging in and seeing my bookings, as I can do on most other theatre websites.

[altamont]

With Hamlet, I was in the same position - as soon as the seating plan was available, I emailed to find out what seats I had been allocated - and was able to swap to ones that were more to my liking. You could try that

[Dave B]

Nov 1, 2021 10:12:49 GMT cavocado said:

I booked this in June. Do they normally send seat number info for those of us who booked before the configuration was decided? I'm not sure I've ever booked that early at the YV before, but was excited about a new JG play. I find the YV website really annoying. There's no way that I can see of logging in and seeing my bookings, as I can do on most other theatre websites.

They send the tickets themselves at some point and it's from those you find out your seat numbers. Timing seems to vary. And yes, I find it quite frustrating that there isn't a listing in an account/members section.

[cavocado]

Thanks - I'll try emailing to ask the seat numbers.

[samuelwhiskers]

I also find the seat thing frustrating.

Btw James Graham has yet another new (short) play titled ‘Shoot’ debuting this winter, which will be broadcast on Sky Arts this Christmas.

[londonpostie]

As a follower of Christopher Hitchens I always found these two to be pompous pricks, which isn't to say Hitch wasn't also at times (esp. in his DC period). Nonetheless, all were good at presenting and challenging positions.

Anyway, you can get more than a flavour of all three on Youtube.


It's be interesting to see if this writer can add something or whether it's a matter of cashing in on Frost/Nixon, et al. I'm hopeful of good work.

[Mark]

Curious if anyone is familiar with this layout? It almost looks like the £10 tickets are behind the stage. I've always managed to get a seat through lucky dip tickets previously but would be nice to guarantee a seat because I expect this to be a long one.

[MrBunbury]

Nov 10, 2021 14:36:53 GMT Mark said:

Curious if anyone is familiar with this layout? It almost looks like the £10 tickets are behind the stage. I've always managed to get a seat through lucky dip tickets previously but would be nice to guarantee a seat because I expect this to be a long one.

It looks like the same they had for "Blood wedding". I was sitting in the £10 seat and the production was sort in thr round with a prevalence of the time acted towards the front (so I was watching their backs from time to time). I am sure it will not be a problem, otherwise they would have not chosen a staging in the round.

[basi1faw1ty]

A friend went to the first preview of this last night and shared some thoughts with me:

Edwards had the best lines and embodied Vidal very well. Harewood performed good too, but unfortunately forgot some lines. I'll put it down as first-night nerves.

She said there was a lot going on in Act 1 and maybe it needed cutting down a little, but besides that, it was entertaining.

I'm seeing it in two weeks time and will report my findings.

Reviews online all generally positive so far. Early days but Graham could be on to another winner here.

(I'll see how well that comment ages in the coming days.)

[Dave B]

Dec 5, 2021 18:04:41 GMT basi1faw1ty said:

Edwards had the best lines and embodied Vidal very well. Harewood performed good too, but unfortunately forgot some lines. I'll put it down as first-night nerves.

Harewood had something catch in his throat towards the end of the second act and I think it really threw him. He had a bit of coughing but more so a lot of him, I think, trying to suppress coughing - very noticeable effect on his voice for a couple of minutes. At a scene change, he was given a small cup of water which helped a little but he still struggled for a good few minutes and it was during this that he needed two line prompts*. I genuinely think he was struggling and thrown by whatever was going on rather than forgot his lines.

The final scene had him drinking some 'whiskey' and I think he was very glad to have that bottle and a cup to pour into!

Anyways, yes A LOT of scene setting in Act 1 which did feel kinda all over the place. It feels like a lot could have been cut down here, the scene setting included the Kenendys, MLK, Warhol, Enoch Powell... it felt a bit much.

It was entertaining and the cast were all good, enjoyed both Edwards and Harewood.

Time was cut already from advertised runtime btw, it was 2.5 hours, we were out by 22.05. Stage similar to Blood Wedding but with a platform above on the balcony where there are the tv offices but they are also used as tv screens with projections. I think the scenes from at least the third row right by the stage going upwards are restricted with the top seats being extremely restricted - you won't see anything on the small stage on the balcony.

*see also my post in the bad behaviour thread

[Stephen]

Looking forward to reading some reviews for this soon! In the meantime I'm considering booking. The balcony seems like a good deal here. Can anyone comment if the second row has a rail to rest feet on as I find high seats more manageable when my legs aren't dangling!

[showgirl]

Libby Purves (Theatrecat) has given it 4 stars, though she always seems generous. Now I know I will want to see this I am keen to know my seat location as I booked months ago and have one of those tickets for which the seat is specified nearer the time.

[Someone in a tree]

What a brilliant new play. Its set in the late 60's but it's frighteningly relevant.

Mrs Buckley's wig was it purchased from a jokeshop and dragged through multiple hedges? Also, sit as central as you you can it maybe a horseshoe configuration but it's directed for a proscenium. But what a brilliant new play. Go go go.

[cavocado]

Dec 10, 2021 4:58:02 GMT showgirl said:

Now I know I will want to see this I am keen to know my seat location as I booked months ago and have one of those tickets for which the seat is specified nearer the time.

Was it booked before they knew the layout? I booked when it was first on sale and emailed the box office recently to find out my seat numbers.

[Forrest]

Someone in a tree, wow, you've gotten me really into seeing this now! I mean, I already have a ticket, because James Graham (and £10 for the front row), but now I'm a little impatient. :)

[showgirl]

Dec 10, 2021 10:34:38 GMT cavocado said:

Dec 10, 2021 4:58:02 GMT showgirl said:

Now I know I will want to see this I am keen to know my seat location as I booked months ago and have one of those tickets for which the seat is specified nearer the time.

Was it booked before they knew the layout? I booked when it was first on sale and emailed the box office recently to find out my seat numbers.

It was, thank you and yes, I can actually call in today. Of course now OH is interested (he will do this, months after I've booked a single ticket and at a low price) so as well as obtaining my seat location, I need to see if I can book for him too, so I will probably have to change the date, pay more and accept 2 single seats.

[Jon]

Quite liked this when I saw this today. I've enjoyed James Graham's previous plays and he has a knack of using real life events from the past to hold a mirror to today's society and Best of Enemies is no different. I would say it's a mix of Frost/Nixon and Graham's own This House which isn't a bad thing IMO.

Will be interesting to see if it has a future life beyond the Young Vic.

[stevemar]

This was pretty good. Decent performances focussing of course on Charles Edwards and David Harewood. As always with Headlong, diverting in terms of projections, some noisy interludes and filmed sections. I wasn’t particularly moved, but of course it is as relevant now in terms of politics - performance vs substance, the media and society’s attitude to race. Well paced and hard working ensemble. Another hit for the Young Vic, which remains one of the most exciting theatres still in central London.

For those of you asking about seating, it’s in the round, so if the auditorium is a clock, the stage is at 11-1. Seating goes all around from 2-10, but those at 2 and 10 - particularly the gallery and top two rows of the stalls will miss the “TV gallery” and some projections behind the stage. But at £10 for my seat in the 10 o’clock position lower down during a preview, this was great value.

It is though performed mostly in the round, and when the actors‘ backs are towards you during the debates, the smaller monitors facing you pick up their faces.

[peggs]

Loved this the other night, if we weren't in the middle of a pandemic and me un boostered and crossing fingers didn't catch anything when out, I'd be tempted to go back.

[Rory]

Dec 12, 2021 0:49:42 GMT Jon said:

Quite liked this when I saw this today. I've enjoyed James Graham's previous plays and he has a knack of using real life events from the past to hold a mirror to today's society and Best of Enemies is no different. I would say it's a mix of Frost/Nixon and Graham's own This House which isn't a bad thing IMO.

Will be interesting to see if it has a future life beyond the Young Vic.

I wonder where it could go though? So many shows in the West End now bedding in for a long run.

[bordeaux]

I imagine it will work well on the live broadcasts, which may reduce the likelihood of a West End transfer. Unless the audience for live streams is different from that for West End transfers. Neither actor is big enough to attract a West End audience, I would have thought.

[Mark]

For those who have seen this, how "forward staged" is it. Would I be looking at backs a lot from the £10/£20 seats?

[Jon]

I think because the debates are also shown on screens, it's not that big a deal that those bits are forward facing. I was in row E in the 60s and it was fantastic value at a tenner.