Blues for an Alabama Sky - Lyttleton, National Theatre

[mkb]

Well this was good. Be prepared for slow pacing, more redolent of the Deep South, than the frenetic 1930 Harlem where the play is set, and some first-rate acting from the entire ensemble.

Last night was flawlessly executed on all fronts, with the kind of assuredness that usually comes only well into a run. Hard to believe this is still in previews.

Four stars.

Act 1: 19:35-21:01
Act 2: 21:23-22:25

[alessia]

Seeing this one tonight! Your review makes me feel better for having booked a long play on a weekday evening lol.
I hope I'll stay awake and alert.

[zahidf]

oh cool. Seeing this tomorrow

[jm25]

I really enjoyed this. Gorgeous set and a fantastic use of space. Really well acted (Samira Wiley in particular is great) and pretty funny too! Was a bit concerned about the running time going in but it doesn't feel long at all.

[alessia]

Loved this, I was concerned that 3 hours after a long day at work would end me but I was never bored. Agree with above comments that the acting is top class- for me the standout actor is Giles Terera, how talented is this guy? His friendship with Angel/Samira Wiley (also brilliant) is so natural and believable. All the actors have great chemistry and the banter feels completely real. Unlike other plays where thick accents made it hard for me to follow (Jitney for instance), in this case I didn't have any problems.
Everything was flawless, the set was stunning and the costumes great. I can't think of anything negative to say about this play.

[zahidf]

This was excellent tonight! Really funny and moving. Giles is amazing

[Steve]

I agree with everybody else who's seen this. I absolutely loved this tonight.

It reminded me of how I felt when I saw "After the Dance," "Small Island" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" here, like absolutely everything is right, from the set to story to humour to drama to the acting and singing.

It's as good as the above productions, for me - like them, a perfect theatrical experience: slow-building (the first half is practically a character piece), but because of how funny and loveable the characters and their bonds are, because of how well-utilised song is (I've never experienced better, as the songs, few and far between, only start at points you are already overwhelmed with emotion, and serve to climax that emotion - whoever wrote the song, "Hold on to your Dreams," thank you!), because of how brilliant the actors are (they simply ARE these characters), I became so immersed in it, that it felt over too soon.

The characters are so well written and acted that the bonds between them practically become characters in themselves: the way Giles Terera is so fidgety, soft, dreamy, elastic, witty yet focused at his core while Samira Wiley is so internally still, tough, practical yet wild at heart - the way he catches her when she needs him to, it's like they become one person; the way Sule Rimi is so worldly-wise and adaptable and and Ronke Adekoluejo is so coy and innocent and hopeful (she's SO funny with all of it), it's like they become one person. These are some of the most delightful performances and character relationships I've ever seen on stage.

And when the Alabama gentleman of the title, Osy Ikhile's Leland (so brilliantly bottled up yet so outwardly charming) injects a little drama into their lives, I worried about all of them like I'd never worried before lol!

A smash for the National! Five stars from me, without question.

[n1david]

Cancelled tonight (press night) because Samira Wiley is recovering from bronchitis. Press night now October 4.

[Dave B]

Looks like it still played with an understudy on, and is still on sale/offer for tomorrow and through the week.

[intoanewlife]

Anyone seen this from the cheap front row seats?

Is the stage high etc?

[jm25]

Sept 29, 2022 18:34:40 GMT intoanewlife said:

Anyone seen this from the cheap front row seats?

Is the stage high etc?

I was front row and couldn’t have asked for a better seat. Was pleasantly surprised by how low the front of the stage is - the actors are incredibly close at times! The relatively low height at the front means that the higher parts of the stage which are further back don’t feel too high. 5 star view as far as I’m concerned.

I believe the seats are also advertised as narrow but I can’t say that I noticed.

[MrBunbury]

I agree with what has been said above. Great production and performances. Samira Wiley was still out but Helena Pipe was really great and deserved the standing ovation at the end.

[orchidman]

It's a superior melodrama and that makes it significantly better than most of the rubbish the National has put on in recent times. Entertaining but far too derivative of Tennessee Williams to be considered an artistic achievement, and unnecessarily long.

The naivety of the gentleman caller from Alabama strains credulity and feels contrived to heighten the drama. Are we supposed to believe he doesn't know what kind of woman Angel is? Come on.

[Dr Tom]

Though this was excellent all round last night and can't imagine anyone playing the lead role better than Helena Pipe.

I got an excellent rush seat in the centre of Row E for £10, so one of my best value buys of the year. This isn't selling well though and there are lots of offers, which is a shame.

Only complaint is the usual one about selected audience members and their complete lack of control. I can't understand people who laugh at an attempted gay-bashing (and that was far from the only example).

Worth seeing. One of the more traditional offerings at the National recently and all the better for it.

[Steve]

Sept 30, 2022 22:47:04 GMT orchidman said:

far too derivative of Tennessee Williams to be considered an artistic achievement

I agree it's inspired by Tennessee Williams, but in my opinion, it's in not overly derivative, more an evolution. In fact, I'd argue that the Harlem setting is more August Wilson.

It's the way the two are melded together that makes it so artistically satisfying for me.

Some spoilers follow. . .

This is similar to Jitney, the recently produced August Wilson at the Old Vic, in that the plot doesn't revolve around racism, but the limitations on the black lives depicted are informed by it, one of the reasons why Giles Terera's protagonist yearns to escape America for Josephine Baker's Paris.

The other reason is that he's openly unapologetically gay, in a way that no Tennessee Williams character ever was. In that sense, it's a play that Tennessee Williams could only ever have written in an alternative universe, where guilt, delusion and self-hatred weren't the order of the day.

On the other hand, the Alabama native who enters the world of the play, and triggers the main plot, does seem to have come from Tennessee Williams style Southern conformist repression land.

So, the structure of the play is more like: alternate universe, repression-free Tennessee Williams lives in August Wilson land, but gets visited by the ghost of Tennessee Williams past.

It's a total evolution from what Tennessee Williams was, and part of the delight of it is the healthy loving relationships at the heart of it that are an anathema to Tennessee Williams.

If there is a Tennessee Williams based critique to be made, it is that the lack of guilt and self-hatred among the principals removes psychological complexity from the play. But while that critique may be true of Terera's character, it falls down in respect of Samira Wiley's Angel, who has imbibed, August Wilson style, enough of her limited racist milieu to be psychologically intriguing and unpredictable.

I think this play is amazing, and Tennessee Williams would love it, both as homage and as it's own unique thing.

[kyvai]

Sept 27, 2022 18:15:41 GMT n1david said:

Cancelled tonight (press night) because Samira Wiley is recovering from bronchitis. Press night now October 4.

Ooh! I am going on the 4th anyway!

I’ve never been to the theatre on a press night, is it very different from usual?

[samuelwhiskers]

No, generally starts at 7pm not 7.30 (but presumably not since it’s a date change), lots of critics in the audience, probably some celebs, little sheep pen in the middle of the foyer with critics drinking bad wine.

[edi]

Very nice, atmospheric and well functioning set. That alone impressed me.

Enjoyed the songs which nicely complemented the story.

I did not struggle with the accents but I had to strain my ears to hear some of the conversations- so missed a fair bit of nuances.

Story slowly but steadily builds up, second half was stronger...

Finally : Giles Tererra!!!!!

[kyvai]

So I went last night. It’s excellent! House was full, I guess maybe that was the press night influence, I was aware a lot of people around me clearly knew each other and there was the odd celeb spot (of the “oh that’s her off the telly, she was in that thing” type). The audience was hugely supportive and very receptive/appreciative and maybe that’s cos it was all actors and press and me, somehow!

But anyway, it’s a great story, well told, well acted, excellent set, great costumes, funny moments, sweet moments, tragic moments, deals with several very serious issues but wasn’t too clunky about it, it has it all. 5*, go see this.

[drmaplewood]

Enjoyed this last night a lot - Giles Tererra is sensational. Shame its clearly not selling, I had a row to myself, though train strikes likely had a part to play in that, too.

[greenswan]

I thought it was enjoyable and I can understand the good reviews but I could not properly connect. Also - this is too long. The first half could definitely do with adding some New York style pacing and cutting about 20-30 minutes. The supporting cast's acting was so over-stylised it almost tipped into parody for me.

On the plus side: the main cast is incredibly strong, the set is impressive and the costumes gorgeous. Also, I booked on Tuesday for Wednesday and had a presumably left over Friday Rush ticket in the row G stalls. Absolute bargain.

[jamb0r]

Can anyone who’s seen it this week confirm if Samira Wiley is back? Looking to get a rush ticket for next week but I really want to see her if possible, so if she’s still off I might wait another week. Thanks!

[drmaplewood]

Oct 6, 2022 8:43:05 GMT jamb0r said:

Can anyone who’s seen it this week confirm if Samira Wiley is back? Looking to get a rush ticket for next week but I really want to see her if possible, so if she’s still off I might wait another week. Thanks!

Yes she was back last night.

[harry]

Thought this was pretty fab. Very well received last night. Felt a bit like an Hytner-era Lyttelton show (not sure I could quite put my finger on why but echoes of Men Should Weep, The Last of the Haussmans, and Burnt By The Sun among others for me) - an enormous set depicting a relatively lifelike domestic setting, a proper plot with great actors who really know their characters and all in all a really good night out at the theatre that will leave no-one feeling short changed.

I did wonder slightly if the very liberal minded central quartet of characters was slightly the product of a modern playwright, rather than totally realistic for 1930s Harlem (but then again I’m no expert), and not enough to really worry me.

Overall it’s a lot of fun to be in an audience who really cares about what happens - laughs, cheers, and gasps in all the right places. Definitely one I’d recommend to friends.

[mkb]

Oct 7, 2022 16:49:39 GMT harry said:

I did wonder slightly if the very liberal minded central quartet of characters was slightly the product of a modern playwright, rather than totally realistic for 1930s Harlem (but then again I’m no expert), and not enough to really worry me.

I wondered that too, but one of the essays in the programme convinced me otherwise.