816 posts
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Post by stefy69 on May 30, 2016 10:51:26 GMT
A welcome return to the West End for J B Priestley's An Inspector Calls from November at the Playhouse Theatre.  |
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Post by oxfordsimon on May 30, 2016 10:56:29 GMT
Is it that welcome?
It would be if it were a new production - but as it is the Daldry one, surely it has been seen by everyone who has ever wanted to see it.
It is time for a new director to make it fresh again, bring some new thinking to the play and see what happens. Trotting something out for 25 years might be good for nostalgia, but it is not serving audiences.
The play is a classic, the production was a classic - but it is time to re-examine it.
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 11:08:33 GMT
Yes, but young audiences are perpetually refreshed and the show still works for them so why not continue to produce this concept with new casts?
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 11:24:13 GMT
Considering it's on the curriculum, it's clearly getting new audiences in every year who won't have seen it before and who weren't even born when it was new. It's a museum piece, sure, but all museums are new to the school groups making their first trips.
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 11:39:49 GMT
Welcomed by Stephen Daldry I assume as I think he gets paid each time it's revived. As does the National I guess
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1,936 posts
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Post by wickedgrin on May 30, 2016 12:26:53 GMT
Oh my days.....I cannot believe this production is nearly 25 years old ...first produced at the National in 1992!!!
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Post by oxfordsimon on May 30, 2016 16:00:12 GMT
The fact that this production gets churned out year after year means that new takes on the piece are not being given a chance to be produced. Surely it would be even better for a producer to mount a new version - which would still attract the school groups but then appeal to those who have already seen the Daldry version and are eager to see a fresh take on it.
Classic plays need to be reinterpreted for each generation. Constant revivals (even with new casts) are just stale.
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 18:03:48 GMT
I can't wait. Saw it at the Novello a few years ago and really enjoyed it.
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4,970 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on May 30, 2016 18:11:41 GMT
Is it that welcome? It would be if it were a new production - but as it is the Daldry one, surely it has been seen by everyone who has ever wanted to see it. It is time for a new director to make it fresh again, bring some new thinking to the play and see what happens. Trotting something out for 25 years might be good for nostalgia, but it is not serving audiences. The play is a classic, the production was a classic - but it is time to re-examine it. Why would anyone want to repaint Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, there is one good reason why it is still touring after 25 years. I am guessing this is the production that started at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford, which is my nearest theatre, so great if it makes a couple of bob. When I saw it on a Monday night last year, the theatre was packed. |
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2016 18:12:53 GMT
Classic plays need to be reinterpreted for each generation. Constant revivals (even with new casts) are just stale. How many visits have you made to this? I thought that, at each revival, the new cast is re-directed, whilst retaining Ian McNeil (and Stephen Daldry)'s design concept. I've never heard anyone say that it's stale in the way of West Side Story which has to replicate the original choreography, etc. |
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Post by stefy69 on May 31, 2016 5:58:26 GMT
I will certainly be going along to the Playhouse as I have so many fond memories of this first time around.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2016 11:16:22 GMT
I have to say I've never seen it so this is rather pleasant news. I shall be mincing around to the Playhouse come November time!
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5,795 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jun 5, 2016 8:32:19 GMT
I think the point is that there is (probably) no bettering this production. I wouldn't want to take it on if I was a director or designer as this version is still so impressive.
It's like Carousel.. After the NT production years ago, any revival just feels stale and fussy in comparison.
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Post by danielwhit on Jun 5, 2016 15:12:34 GMT
The fact that this production gets churned out year after year means that new takes on the piece are not being given a chance to be produced. Surely it would be even better for a producer to mount a new version - which would still attract the school groups but then appeal to those who have already seen the Daldry version and are eager to see a fresh take on it. Classic plays need to be reinterpreted for each generation. Constant revivals (even with new casts) are just stale. Problem is school curriculums don't tend to work like that. Schools are attracted back as they've got all the paperwork for this production, all the useful staging notes, all the lesson plans attached etc. A lot of that would have to be ditched and restarted if they saw a different production (especially anything regarding staging!). That said, I do agree this production now has been around the block a few too many times.. but then The Mousetrap is still running and Woman in Black is another play that looks incredibly dusty. |
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Post by crabtree on Jun 5, 2016 15:19:02 GMT
Oh, a new production, please. Plenty of ways to skin this cat. It was a magnificent production but let's have a new one. Sadly, this has been copied now that the original almost looks like a parody.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jun 5, 2016 19:04:12 GMT
The fact that this production gets churned out year after year means that new takes on the piece are not being given a chance to be produced. Surely it would be even better for a producer to mount a new version - which would still attract the school groups but then appeal to those who have already seen the Daldry version and are eager to see a fresh take on it. Classic plays need to be reinterpreted for each generation. Constant revivals (even with new casts) are just stale. Problem is school curriculums don't tend to work like that. Schools are attracted back as they've got all the paperwork for this production, all the useful staging notes, all the lesson plans attached etc. A lot of that would have to be ditched and restarted if they saw a different production (especially anything regarding staging!). That said, I do agree this production now has been around the block a few too many times.. but then The Mousetrap is still running and Woman in Black is another play that looks incredibly dusty. I don't think saving teachers a bit of work is a good enough reason for retaining the same production for 25 years. Any decent producer will put together an education pack that will start them along the way. Teachers must be fed up of teaching this year after year after year. They deserve a break - even if it does mean more work. |
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Post by horton on Jun 9, 2016 17:03:24 GMT
It's been off the syllabus for years and has only just come back on hence this revival
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Post by liverpool54321 on Jun 9, 2016 18:20:03 GMT
I can remember seeing Stratford Johns in this at the Theatre Royal in about 1975.
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Post by hal9000 on Jun 11, 2016 2:30:36 GMT
Loved it in the 90s, was entirely confused as to what I saw in it during the last revival, as did several others I spoke to.
Not keen on seeing the same incarnation.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2016 14:50:16 GMT
Is this production still produced by the National?
I know it's labeled as "The acclaimed National Theatre production" but the NT doesn't seem to advertise it like they do with War Horse, Curious or PP&T.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2016 18:24:20 GMT
It was recently produced on the 2015/16 tour by PW Productions, with Julian Webber as associate director (Source: WhatsOnStage).
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Post by hadeswasking on Feb 2, 2023 22:03:54 GMT
Please don't mind me reviving this thread.
Saw this on tour tonight and had such a wonderful time. The opening is spectacular, loud music blasting as the curtain opens. Still feels like a spectacle that you hardly get now.
I hadn't seen this production before but the set and the effects are really something special. The book is somehow more relevant than it has been in the past and I enjoyed it way more than when I studied it in High School. I have a feeling if I had seen this version of it back then I would've been more enthralled to study it.
Most of the principal cast we had on tonight did such great jobs with this piece. Liam Brennan as Inspector Goole, Chloe Orrock as Sheila, Simon Cotton as Gerald and Eric Birling as George were standouts.
I wasn't a fan of Jeffrey Harmer though. Luckily I was at a captioned performance or I don't think I would've gotten a word of what he was trying to say. He obviously was just really wanting to get home early tonight.
I believe this production is in fantastic shape and may be worth a revisit if its coming near you.
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Post by drowseychap on Feb 3, 2023 1:48:31 GMT
The set and the house are the original too from 30 years ago , thinks it’s slightly more central now than originally … I agree Eric is outstanding and the inspector too … but a very strong cast All round …
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3,302 posts
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Post by david on Mar 15, 2023 21:50:38 GMT
With AIC coming to Liverpool this week, I took the opportunity to revisit the production last night after not seeing it for a good 15 years or so. Certainly, the play is still a great watch and this cast do a terrific job with bringing JB Priestley's classic work to the stage. With the play still on the GCSE syllabus, we had the theatre packed with the school kids who also seemed to enjoy it (particularly the house effect and when Shelia gives Gerald a slap across the face got a lively response from the kids) and I have to say were very well behaved throughout the entire time. For this current tour, I'd agree with both hadeswasking and drowseychap that George Rowlands as Eric really is a highlight in this production though it is a great cast that has been assembled and keep you engaged with the play. The lighting and sound design are still incredibly effective in heightening the tension and along with the house effect at the end is still fun even on a second viewing. As an aside, it was also nice to have a return to a higher quality house programme from ATG that actually gives some background and context to the show rather than just the cast bios and a few adverts. |
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Post by marob on Mar 16, 2023 13:36:43 GMT
I saw this yesterday. Not really a fan TBH. I liked the performances, but the staging is very self-consciously theatrical and I think that worked against it for me. The music just made me want to rewatch Vertigo.
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