La Cage Aux Folles - Regent's Park 2023

[JJShaw]

Anne got away with it for me, as her material is understandable from an audience pov. It's the character of the son that has the strangest arc and is very unlikeable for the majority of it, so to have a gorgeous dancer beaming is way through being a selfish brat really highlighted the flaws in the writing for that character (although I feel that he as the actor / the director could have masked some of the floors! He danced beautifully and when he was kicking and pointing his toes I could see why he was cast but when he wasnt...)

[theatrefan77]

Saw it on Thursday matinee and this was a joy from start to finish. Loved the set, costumes and choreography. It was a pity to see so many empty seats. The lower part was more or less full apart from the odd seat here and there, but the upper side had full chunks of empty seats. Maybe it's because it was a midweek matinee. Hope the evening performances are fuller. This production deserves it.

[ladidah]

Aug 27, 2023 19:05:03 GMT JJShaw said:

Anne got away with it for me, as her material is understandable from an audience pov. It's the character of the son that has the strangest arc and is very unlikeable for the majority of it, so to have a gorgeous dancer beaming is way through being a selfish brat really highlighted the flaws in the writing for that character (although I feel that he as the actor / the director could have masked some of the floors! He danced beautifully and when he was kicking and pointing his toes I could see why he was cast but when he wasnt...)

I've seen the show twice and he was so much better the second time. I think he just needs some more time and experience

[curiouskc]

I saw the show last Thursday night and honestly couldn't understand all the negativity about Ben Culleton's acting. I thought he did great in the son role. Yes, his character has to be wrongheaded for most of the show, but his apology at the end got big cheers and awwws from our audience.

And yes, his dancing was a highlight too. 

[seeseveryshow]

Aug 27, 2023 23:03:48 GMT theatrefan77 said:

Saw it on Thursday matinee and this was a joy from start to finish. Loved the set, costumes and choreography. It was a pity to see so many empty seats. The lower part was more or less full apart from the odd seat here and there, but the upper side had full chunks of empty seats. Maybe it's because it was a midweek matinee. Hope the evening performances are fuller. This production deserves it.

How does the show play in matinee bright light?

[Someone in a tree]

Aug 30, 2023 2:26:21 GMT seeseveryshow said:

Aug 27, 2023 23:03:48 GMT theatrefan77 said:

Saw it on Thursday matinee and this was a joy from start to finish. Loved the set, costumes and choreography. It was a pity to see so many empty seats. The lower part was more or less full apart from the odd seat here and there, but the upper side had full chunks of empty seats. Maybe it's because it was a midweek matinee. Hope the evening performances are fuller. This production deserves it.

How does the show play in matinee bright light?

I'm sure one side of the auditorium is best to avoid due to direct sunlight but i cant remember which. The BO or some lovely person on here will know I'm sure

[partytentdown]

I enjoyed the show but I need to talk about the burgers. We got one chicken burger and one beef burger. They were hands down some of the worst we'd ever eaten. £12.50 each and in dry, crumbly bread rolls. The chicken was basically two 'nugget' size chunks and the burger was cheap and dry. No relish, a limp bit of lettuce. £25 for the pair! It would be so easy to do nice food there.

Anyway the show was good.

[theoracle]

Is there any chance of this transferring given the strong reviews and from what I can see, good commercial performance too? It would be great to see a transfer to the Barbican but not sure how well it would work in a bigger space. Really loved it and not sure when we’ll get another La Cage again

[woobl]

Sept 2, 2023 16:33:07 GMT theoracle said:

Is there any chance of this transferring given the strong reviews and from what I can see, good commercial performance too? It would be great to see a transfer to the Barbican but not sure how well it would work in a bigger space. Really loved it and not sure when we’ll get another La Cage again

Would be surprised if the Barbican will take anything MT going forward that isn't co-produced with Trafalgar Entertainment due to their new partnership - especially not the summer slot. 

[mattnyc]

Did John Owen-Jones ever return to the show?

[tom]

Sept 3, 2023 17:13:39 GMT mattnyc said:

Did John Owen-Jones ever return to the show?

He was back not long after. He was in it on Thursday 24th when I saw it.

[FrontroverPaul]

I'm booked for tomorrow's matinee with a senior ticket. In view of the high temperatures likely (currently 31 degrees forecast) I sent an email asking if I could switch to the matinee in two weeks time.
I suggested two available single seats for an exchange, offered to pay an admin fee, but got an immediate refusal from the box office quoting terms and conditions.

I accept rules are rules and they are totally within their rights but I do think most theatres would have agreed. Encouraging seniors to attend matinees by offering discounted tickets but refusing an exchange in circumstances like these does seem harsh. Senior tickets can only be collected on the day from the box office so it wouldn't take much for them to make the amendment for me.

I have asked for my request to be referred to a manager but in future it'll be Rush or don't go there for me !

[richey]

[harry]

Sept 6, 2023 12:19:59 GMT richey said:

Set of pipes on him that’s for sure!

[LaLuPone]

Sept 6, 2023 11:45:11 GMT FrontroverPaul said:

I'm booked for tomorrow's matinee with a senior ticket. In view of the high temperatures likely (currently 31 degrees forecast) I sent an email asking if I could switch to the matinee in two weeks time.
I suggested two available single seats for an exchange, offered to pay an admin fee, but got an immediate refusal from the box office quoting terms and conditions.

I accept rules are rules and they are totally within their rights but I do think most theatres would have agreed. Encouraging seniors to attend matinees by offering discounted tickets but refusing an exchange in circumstances like these does seem harsh. Senior tickets can only be collected on the day from the box office so it wouldn't take much for them to make the amendment for me.

I have asked for my request to be referred to a manager but in future it'll be Rush or don't go there for me !

That’s terrible customer service!

[Being Alive]

Most Box Offices have a 48 hour exchange policy, and thus won't exchange with less notice than that.

I get it seems harsh, but there has to be a point where you stop doing exchanges, otherwise you can find yourself in a situation where half of your audience is trying to do it on the day/day before and then you've lost seats you could have sold.

[LaLuPone]

That “48 hour exchange policy” has really gone out the window since covid though. I work at a west end box office and we do many exchanges within the 48 hour window as long as the reasoning seems good enough. The 48 hours thing is still the general policy so that we don’t end up with everyone “trying it on” but generally we can be flexible, and we’d certainly be lenient in a case such as Paul’s.

[Being Alive]

Interesting to here what other theatre's would and wouldn't let you exchange for - I also work on a West End box office and we wouldn't exchange in the less than 48 hours notice for this reason.

[LaLuPone]

I guess it really just depends on the BO Manager + the company the theatre is run by.

[FrontroverPaul]

I replied to the initial refusal requesting that the matter be considered by the duty manager. I then received a further reply that I COULD exchange my ticket for a £5 admin fee with a number to ring. The person who answered that number was very helpful and said the admin fee for an amendment was in fact £3 which I gladly paid. Hopefully by Thursday 21st it will be a bit cooler...

I think that the key issue here was that there is currently an official health warning due to a heatwave with potentially increased mortality among over 65s which I am, as well as the vulnerable. The senior matinee pricing at Regent's Park means that a high percentage of the audience tomorrow afternoon will be in that age group. That's why I thought it was reasonable - indeed sensible - to request an exchange to a different matinee. Three hours at the hottest time of the day sitting outdoors under the sun in 30 plus degrees temperatures could even lead to heatstroke. Not the same as being in air conditioned West End theatres.

I've travelled to London to see shows on Monday and Tuesday including the sweltering Victoria line, tonight I'm in Canterbury  and tomorrow evening again in London, I was just seeking to avoid a potentially harmful environment of three hours static in almost unprecedented September hot weather which I now have.

[properjob]

I suspect exchange policy will vary based on how likely the theatre thinks it will be able to resell the orginal ticket.
An outdoor theatre in the UK will need a strict exchange policy otherwise every bit of forecast drizzle will lead to an empty theatre!

[ladidah]

It's a hard thing to navigate.

[ladidah]

Went to see this again last night, I've had a tough year and this show makes me so happy.

It was better than ever, everyone is at their best.

[longinthetooth]

John Owen Jones has just posted on Twitter / X that he is out for the rest of the run, due to an ongoing viral throat infection.

[bobbievanhusen]

I love the policy that the Lyric had, not sure if its the same for all Nimax. You check in, of sorts, 48 hours before and if you cant make it they'll give you options for another performance with a week or 2. No hassle, no fuss, just a straight forward exchange