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Post by martin1965 on Oct 21, 2016 21:02:22 GMT
I had to leave She Stoops to Conquer at the Nash because she and Pemberton were outrageously chewy that I physically couldn't handle it (I am aware that makes me sound more dramatic than anybody) Indeed it does! |
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Post by Marwood on Oct 21, 2016 21:59:08 GMT
God I hate booking anything on the NT website, I've just booked to see Dublin Oldschool and the NT has probably the least user-friendly website out there- I've seen comments elsewhere about trying to book on an iPad but it is useless on a PC too, who the hell did they pay to redesign their website?
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Post by showgirl on Oct 22, 2016 4:11:41 GMT
It's not great but I honestly wouldn't say it was the worst of those I use (that dishonour must go to Jermyn St Theatre, which arbitrarily allocates you a seat AND adds a hefty fee) - which issues exactly did you experience, Marwood? It has worked OK for me since the revamp, too: I managed to book for the cancer musical recently and actually found the process better than before, though that was largely because the seating plan was available.
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Post by Marwood on Oct 22, 2016 10:22:28 GMT
I first tried booking in the afternoon - showing availability for all dates, selecting any of them, the site just ground to a halt with no seating plan coming up to choose where I wanted to sit. Better luck in the evening, but that whole 'Click here to select your tickets' and the seating plan then going brown just seems tatty, and is aggravating when it keeps doing it everytime I want to change seat or dates.
The whole thing looks like something designed by someone that has done a couple of evening classes in web design at their local community centre, not what is supposed to be the flagship theatre of the U.K.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2016 23:09:19 GMT
Didn't want to set up a new thread as it is probably something that has been discussed on this forum or on the previous one;
But does anyone know why the National never seem to release their NTLive titles on Blu-ray or DVD?
The RSC seem to have done it for most of their productions since Tennant's Richard II, and wouldn't it help towards the funding of the NT?
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Post by Jan on Oct 24, 2016 5:04:18 GMT
Didn't want to set up a new thread as it is probably something that has been discussed on this forum or on the previous one; But does anyone know why the National never seem to release their NTLive titles on Blu-ray or DVD? The RSC seem to have done it for most of their productions since Tennant's Richard II, and wouldn't it help towards the funding of the NT? Artistic reasons- they believe theatre should be "live" and with an audience - Nicholas Hytner made this decision. |
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Post by showgirl on Oct 24, 2016 6:01:33 GMT
Didn't want to set up a new thread as it is probably something that has been discussed on this forum or on the previous one; But does anyone know why the National never seem to release their NTLive titles on Blu-ray or DVD? The RSC seem to have done it for most of their productions since Tennant's Richard II, and wouldn't it help towards the funding of the NT? Artistic reasons- they believe theatre should be "live" and with an audience - Nicholas Hytner made this decision. Yet many venues (largely cinemas but including at least one theatre I know, which seems like cannibalism to me anyway) are now showing repeat relays which they nonsensically call "Delayed Live". I know it's good business for them but what's the difference between those and watching on a DVD? Neither is live. |
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Post by Jan on Oct 24, 2016 6:18:40 GMT
Artistic reasons- they believe theatre should be "live" and with an audience - Nicholas Hytner made this decision. Yet many venues (largely cinemas but including at least one theatre I know, which seems like cannibalism to me anyway) are now showing repeat relays which they nonsensically call "Delayed Live". I know it's good business for them but what's the difference between those and watching on a DVD? Neither is live. One has a communal audience and one doesn't. I'm not arguing the case, just reporting why they made the decision, personally I'd never see a theatre production anywhere other than in a theatre. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2016 6:31:05 GMT
I would have thought rights would be an issue too - getting the rights to a play for DVD release is presumably a different negotiation to a one-off film screening. Which wouldn't apply to the RSC's Shakespeare releases.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2016 8:11:31 GMT
I'm sure last time it came up they said it was mainly due to rights issues. Seems odd though - the Globe do it, sounds like the RSC do too; so do the Royal Opera House and the Met...
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Post by DuchessConstance on Oct 24, 2016 8:40:39 GMT
Shakespeare is conveniently out of copyright.
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Post by rumbledoll on Oct 24, 2016 8:48:00 GMT
I had a chance to talk about it with Daniel Rosenthal past June and he basically said that apparently NT is not interested 'cause they believe they will make more money out of repeated encore screening all over the world rather than selling DVDs (at least for some productions, but they won't make expections for Frankenstein).
He himself strongly believes that experience of seeing theatre in cinema in the dark on a big screen with no interruptions, chats or sandwich-making-pauses (which are likely to happen in your living room with DVD player on)is more powerful and rewarding for you as an audience member. I kinda agree with that.
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Post by Jan on Oct 24, 2016 8:52:25 GMT
I'm sure last time it came up they said it was mainly due to rights issues. Seems odd though - the Globe do it, sounds like the RSC do too; so do the Royal Opera House and the Met... The issue is comprehensively covered in "The National Theatre Story" by Daniel Rosenthal, the primary reason for the decision was artistic initially and taken by Hytner - that's not to say that now they may be keener on maximising the revenue. Rights is an issue that can be fixed with money. The current RSC LLL/MA is an interesting case because the DVDs have been long available for these but now they are re-staging the original stage productions with (apparently) little impact on theatre sales. |
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Post by Jan on Oct 24, 2016 8:55:32 GMT
Shakespeare is conveniently out of copyright. But how many classic plays do the NT do which are not, if in English, "improved" by current playwrights or if not in English are in new translations or versions - that re-establishes copyright. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2016 8:58:06 GMT
Makes sense. I guess initially there may have been concerns about quality of the transmissions, too, but over the years I reckon that's improved hugely. (I'm going to gloss over one camera operator at Don Giovanni on Saturday not having a clue where a singer was entering the stage from at one point, and treating the audience to a queasy rollercoaster style sweeping shot as s/he frantically tried to track them down...). ;-)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2016 11:19:18 GMT
Makes sense. I guess initially there may have been concerns about quality of the transmissions, too, but over the years I reckon that's improved hugely. (I'm going to gloss over one camera operator at Don Giovanni on Saturday not having a clue where a singer was entering the stage from at one point, and treating the audience to a queasy rollercoaster style sweeping shot as s/he frantically tried to track them down...). ;-) That's likely to be a mistake from whoever was directing that sequence not the camera op. The clip below is from the live Grease from the US, a bit more busy than an opera but the same idea, it's pretty high pressured stuff. www.facebook.com/carrie.havel/videos/10153418696832898/ |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2016 12:05:09 GMT
Makes sense. I guess initially there may have been concerns about quality of the transmissions, too, but over the years I reckon that's improved hugely. (I'm going to gloss over one camera operator at Don Giovanni on Saturday not having a clue where a singer was entering the stage from at one point, and treating the audience to a queasy rollercoaster style sweeping shot as s/he frantically tried to track them down...). ;-) That's likely to be a mistake from whoever was directing that sequence not the camera op. The clip below is from the live Grease from the US, a bit more busy than an opera but the same idea, it's pretty high pressured stuff. www.facebook.com/carrie.havel/videos/10153418696832898/ Quite possibly, but either way it was a nauseating few seconds while the camera swung! I seem to remember there being a few instances of this sort of thing in the early days of screening theatre in cinemas - as I remember a few early plays seeming 'shouty' on screen - but this is largely gone now. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2016 12:51:21 GMT
Didn't want to set up a new thread as it is probably something that has been discussed on this forum or on the previous one; But does anyone know why the National never seem to release their NTLive titles on Blu-ray or DVD? The RSC seem to have done it for most of their productions since Tennant's Richard II, and wouldn't it help towards the funding of the NT? Artistic reasons- they believe theatre should be "live" and with an audience - Nicholas Hytner made this decision. The answer I heard to this question when it was put to N Hytner at a Platform is that the actors didn't want it; many had reservations about the difference between acting for stage and acting for film, and how the former comes across in the latter medium. That was at the start of NT Live - might have moved on since then. I agree with them though - I've seen some amazing performances on stage that come across terribly on screen. I personally like the romance of theatre as something you have to be there for and then it's gone; I think live broadcasts keep that to a large extent, but selling DVDs of theatre performances feels wrong somehow. But I get that I'm lucky to live in London and be able to catch pretty much everything I really want to see. |
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Post by theatremiss on Oct 24, 2016 13:54:41 GMT
When are Follies and Angels likely to go on sale? Isnt Angels supposed to be opening in Jan (or have I misheard this?)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2016 14:06:29 GMT
I've heard Angels booking will open in January, *just* Angels rather than a selection of plays including Angels. We don't yet have any dates for Follies so I expect booking won't be until late spring at the earliest or summer.
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Post by theatremiss on Oct 24, 2016 14:24:20 GMT
Thank you Baemax. I shall ensure I have post Christmas cash available (whatever that is as usually I have zero)
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Post by martin1965 on Oct 24, 2016 18:50:54 GMT
I've heard Angels booking will open in January, *just* Angels rather than a selection of plays including Angels. We don't yet have any dates for Follies so I expect booking won't be until late spring at the earliest or summer. Been clear on NT site that tix for AIA will open in Jan. Follies wont go on sale till Spring i would think. |
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Post by popcultureboy on Oct 25, 2016 7:57:20 GMT
They might be canny and wait for the Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf reviews to drop before they open Follies booking.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2016 11:12:59 GMT
I doubt that would have any bearing on their booking date, Follies will sell itself, and there's surely not a person alive who is unaware that Imelda Staunton is awesome!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2016 11:24:59 GMT
I doubt that would have any bearing on their booking date, Follies will sell itself, and t here's surely not a person alive who is unaware that Imelda Staunton is awesome!Just waiting for the first person to post a message saying "I didn't book for Imelda Staunton and anyway I have no idea who she is" . . . |
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