ALW's The Illusionist (Dir. Jamie Lloyd)

[thedrowsychaperone]

Bruno Major being involved is VERY interesting. Wonderful singer/songwriter, but seems like the wildest match to ALW. Major's lyrics are pretty outstanding across the board, perhaps he's the lyricist?

[oxfordsimon]

My interest in this has now significantly dropped.

Lloyd Webber I can do (though I still haven't finished listening to all of the Cinderella cast recording). Lloyd I can't.

[theatrefan62]

The usual Jamie Lloyd bag of tricks wouldn't work for something like this (look at the video projections for wiw). This is much closer to Phantom and WIW in terms of setting and atmosphere and needs a more gothic type feel.

I like the movie and it has potential, glad they are reworking it a lot though. The movie as it is doesn't really seem like something that would work as a musical.

[singingbird]

Let's just celebrate that it isn't Laurence Connor.

[Being Alive]

Oct 28, 2024 17:10:57 GMT singingbird said:

Let's just celebrate that it isn't Laurence Connor.

My thoughts exactly.

[viserys]

Oct 28, 2024 16:40:48 GMT theatrefan62 said:

The usual Jamie Lloyd bag of tricks wouldn't work for something like this (look at the video projections for wiw). This is much closer to Phantom and WIW in terms of setting and atmosphere and needs a more gothic type feel.

I like the movie and it has potential, glad they are reworking it a lot though. The movie as it is doesn't really seem like something that would work as a musical.

Jamie Lloyd is a lot of things but not stupid. Maybe he's realized that he's reached the end of the rope with his minimalist stagings and camera stuff and now looks for a complete departure from that. I'm not particularly happy with the announcement, but I'd say, I'm not without hope that he will surprise us all. 

And I'm definitely happy with the announcement of a capable lyricist after the godawful stuff Zippel churned out for Cinderella. 

[chernjam]

Yeah my first thought when I heard Lloyd was directing was that perhaps he wants to demonstrate he doesn't have one particular style. I haven't seen any of his other works before Sunset, so I'm taking everyone else's word that it's been a similar approach to other things he's staged. And to be fair the whole descriptor of Sunset being "minimalist" is really a wild characterization IMO - the camera work/screens and large cast/orchestra is pretty elaborate to me. My point is he can find ways to be elaborate. And the thing that excites me is ALW working with all these new people who seem to be drawing a lot more creativity from him.

[blamerobots]

ALW just wants someone young and in the public conscious to be directing his stuff I suppose.

Please have a set and costume... please... thank you very much... thank you...

[mrbarnaby]

I’m half terrified and half relieved it’s Lloyd.

At least he’s a director with a serious amount of clout and won’t just do what the Lord tells him (hello Laurence).

I just hope he uses a different designer than the usual dreary one.

[mattnyc]

I rolled my eyes with the Lloyd announcement. Hopefully the way the critics took him to task on Romeo and Juliet for using his same bag of tricks made him realize it’s time for something new.

[marob]

Hopefully, he’ll stop trying to direct every show the same way. Guess we’ll find out in December when The Tempest opens.

I can’t believe I managed to find the right title from a quick google of “films set in Prague.” His Lordship needs to stop being so loose-lipped.

[Someone in a tree]

I have seen quite a few JL shows and none them of used film. He does mix things up a bit

[singingbird]

I have to say, I'm a bit surprised at the negativity here regarding the announcement of the director, especially considering the almost overwhelmingly positive response to Lloyd's Sunset Blvd.

When I saw SB I really hoped that Jamie Lloyd might be asked to direct a new ALW show. He's a serious director with a huge body of work behind him, and it's more varied than many people here seem to think. My feeling is that he is fit to stand alongside both Hal Prince and Trevor Nunn. But whatever you think of him, I don't think that anyone can doubt that this is going to be be way more interesting than any other new ALW show of recent years. It feels like he's assembling a team that want to do something serious, and to whom quality is important. About time, I say.

[dr]

I think the potential issue with Lloyd is that new work is not his 'thing' - although he is clearly a successful interpreter of Lloyd Webber's earlier work, Sunset Boulevard and Evita were revivals, and Lloyd was shedding new light on already established, well-received pieces. Indeed, I'm not sure he's done a new work since "The Pride" in 2008; his style since then has certainly been characterised by adapting and revitalising classic texts. So - although I have faith in the pick - I see why some may question him directing a new ALW show... perhaps it truly is a case of Lloyd Webber trying to make Sunset magic happen again, without considering Lloyd's specialisms and style.

Having said that, I do not get the criticisms about variation in Lloyd's work. The only piece of Lloyd's which has ever been truly uninspired was his Romeo and Juliet, an failed attempt at reusing elements of Sunset, and to comically awful effect. But outside of that, his corpus of work shows as much variety as any credible director - just look at The Effect, Cyrano de Bergeac and Evita to see three starkly different productions. None of which, by the way, used Katie Mitchell-esque video design.

This has become a rather annoying criticism of Lloyd's work (the idea that 'it's all the same'), and I simply think it is due to his repeated collaboration with Soutra Gilmour as a designer. People conflate 'shows with a similar aesthetic palette' with 'shows that are similarly directed,' and I think it's rather reductive of his output.

[oxfordsimon]

Given how much JL already has announced for the next 6 months or so, how much time do he realistically have to devote to this?

Nor knocking him for being busy, but he has two major Shakespeare productions and the Evita revival/restaging in London plus Godot on Broadway and that is just off the top of my head.

Many directors would kill to be that busy. JL is very much flavour of the month (even if his work of recent years is really not to my taste and that is fine)

But helping to create a new musical is a significant undertaking and a new type of project for him.

ALW is seeking at least one more hit show to round out his career. He clearly believes in JL. But will JL's schedule give him the time to fully engage in The Illusionist in the way that ALW needs?

[marob]

I don’t think he’s as busy as it looks at first glance: Godot’s not until Autumn 2025 and The Illusionist 2026.

[rayc]

Was there not a fairly strong rumour of JL also doing a revival of Ragtime at the National.?

[crabtree]

I was hoping that this 'Illusionist' was going to be based on the unfilmed Jacques Tati script, that did become an animated movie.

[Jon]

Oct 28, 2024 22:12:53 GMT dr said:

I think the potential issue with Lloyd is that new work is not his 'thing' - although he is clearly a successful interpreter of Lloyd Webber's earlier work, Sunset Boulevard and Evita were revivals, and Lloyd was shedding new light on already established, well-received pieces. Indeed, I'm not sure he's done a new work since "The Pride" in 2008; his style since then has certainly been characterised by adapting and revitalising classic texts. So - although I have faith in the pick - I see why some may question him directing a new ALW show... perhaps it truly is a case of Lloyd Webber trying to make Sunset magic happen again, without considering Lloyd's specialisms and style.

Having said that, I do not get the criticisms about variation in Lloyd's work. The only piece of Lloyd's which has ever been truly uninspired was his Romeo and Juliet, an failed attempt at reusing elements of Sunset, and to comically awful effect. But outside of that, his corpus of work shows as much variety as any credible director - just look at The Effect, Cyrano de Bergeac and Evita to see three starkly different productions. None of which, by the way, used Katie Mitchell-esque video design.

This has become a rather annoying criticism of Lloyd's work (the idea that 'it's all the same'), and I simply think it is due to his repeated collaboration with Soutra Gilmour as a designer. People conflate 'shows with a similar aesthetic palette' with 'shows that are similarly directed,' and I think it's rather reductive of his output.

The Commitments was his last new show and that was in 2013. I think he also directed The Faith Machine in 2011 as well. 

[singingbird]

Oct 28, 2024 22:12:53 GMT dr said:

I think the potential issue with Lloyd is that new work is not his 'thing' - although he is clearly a successful interpreter of Lloyd Webber's earlier work, Sunset Boulevard and Evita were revivals, and Lloyd was shedding new light on already established, well-received pieces. 

I totally take your point here. Lloyd is known for re-imagining classic texts, and helming a new large-scale musical from scratch is a different job. But that's partly why I think it's an interesting choice, and he's certainly earned the right to show what he can do. 

This coupled with the threads that ALW is already drawing out from the story and setting in that interview makes me think we might finally be getting the serious and ambitious new work from him that I've been waiting for ever since The Master and Margarita didn't happen. 

[viserys]

Oct 28, 2024 22:12:53 GMT dr said:

Having said that, I do not get the criticisms about variation in Lloyd's work. The only piece of Lloyd's which has ever been truly uninspired was his Romeo and Juliet, an failed attempt at reusing elements of Sunset, and to comically awful effect. But outside of that, his corpus of work shows as much variety as any credible director - just look at The Effect, Cyrano de Bergeac and Evita to see three starkly different productions. None of which, by the way, used Katie Mitchell-esque video design.

But none of them are "traditional" staging for want of a better word - Evita with modern dress, balloons and that huge staircase with not a moment's sense of being in Argentina/Latin America and I gave up on Cyrano after five minutes with (again) modern dress and people shouting into microphones with no sense at all of being in 17th century France.

If this show is set in turn-of-the-century-Vienna I would like to get a feeling of BEING in Vienna at the time - the sets, the frocks, the whole fin de siècle vibe there. I live in hope that maybe Lloyd can surprise us all, but I'm not surprised people (including myself) are very doubtful.

[Someone in a tree]

Breaking away from soutra DULLmour's bland designs could be a positive step

[blamerobots]

"Operatic" score... that brings some relief and truly makes me wonder how Jamie Lloyd will direct it.

I think the combination I'd love is the lavish sets of Phantom or Nunn's Sunset with the Jamie Lloyd direction and tricks he enjoys. I think that'd go down really well.

Loads of Pepper's ghost etc for that one scene

Do remember that Hal Prince's Evita is probably the original Jamie Lloyd staging lol

[kit66]

Out of interest....what's Laurence Connor been up to since (Bad) Cinderella?

[newyorkcityboy]

Oct 29, 2024 7:59:28 GMT viserys said:

Oct 28, 2024 22:12:53 GMT dr said:

Having said that, I do not get the criticisms about variation in Lloyd's work. The only piece of Lloyd's which has ever been truly uninspired was his Romeo and Juliet, an failed attempt at reusing elements of Sunset, and to comically awful effect. But outside of that, his corpus of work shows as much variety as any credible director - just look at The Effect, Cyrano de Bergeac and Evita to see three starkly different productions. None of which, by the way, used Katie Mitchell-esque video design.

But none of them are "traditional" staging for want of a better word - Evita with modern dress, balloons and that huge staircase with not a moment's sense of being in Argentina/Latin America and I gave up on Cyrano after five minutes with (again) modern dress and people shouting into microphones with no sense at all of being in 17th century France.

If this show is set in turn-of-the-century-Vienna I would like to get a feeling of BEING in Vienna at the time - the sets, the frocks, the whole fin de siècle vibe there. I live in hope that maybe Lloyd can surprise us all, but I'm not surprised people (including myself) are very doubtful.

The fact that EVITA had a staircase while Sunset didn’t tells you everything you need to know…