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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2017 11:02:20 GMT
Well. Imagine, if you will, an episode of 'My Family' but one of the later ones where Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker were just taking the money and running. 'Twitstorm' is like that, just not as funny.
Don't get me wrong, there are some laughs but they're few and far between. It picks up a little bit in the second half and it does have some interesting things to say about Twitter and particularly its users before it all goes wrong at the end where the writer clearly couldn't think of a better way to tie it all up. A good cast delve into their Blitz spirit and get on with it but they're all probably too good for the play. It must be mortifying to play to such a small audience in a theatre like that when you can see the swathes of empty seats. On the plus side though, there are moments where, if you squint, Claire Goose is morphing into a blond Belinda Lang.
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Post by showgirl on Jun 7, 2017 16:59:59 GMT
I also saw this and it wasn't as good as reviews - which I know have varied - had led me to expect. In particular I think @ryan is right that having raised an interesting subject, the writer didn't know how to conclude the play and to me it seemed to be trying too hard and veering towards farce in the final scene.
Regarding the small audience, something odd appeared to have happened when I went as I booked quite late (having been caught out by this theatre in the past with discounts announced after I'd paid full price) and from the website the performance appeared quite full, which was of course encouraging in terms of the atmosphere I expected. It also looked as though people had booked the cheaper (side stalls) seats first, leaving gaps in the more expensive central stalls only, so of course that's where I had to sit, though I did use the offer on @theatremonkey .'s site. However, when it came to it the side stalls were almost empty. I'm not suggesting it was a ruse to force people to book the more expensive seats or to avoid gaps but it did look very odd. At the interval I asked the box office chap if he knew what had happened but he said that all these seats had been blocked off in his absence and he didn't know why - and I think he was being honest.
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Post by showgirl on Jun 7, 2017 18:40:11 GMT
all these seats had been blocked off in his absence Maybe a poor attempt at "dressing the house" - putting people into seats in a pattern to suggest the place is busier than it is. A VERY skilled art, and only to be attempted by the very best box office managers. Not something I'd come across, theatremonkey.com, but I'll keep an eye out for it in future. The only similar practice with which I am familiar is closing a higher level such as a balcony, and we know that some people gamble on that happening and book a cheap seat in hope. I'd be interested to know how it would work as if the "dressing" happened after people had booked, surely they'd have to be told on arrival that their seat allocation had been changed? And as this theatre offers e-tickets, many people would by-pass the box office anyway. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2017 22:00:21 GMT
Regarding the small audience, something odd appeared to have happened when I went as I booked quite late (having been caught out by this theatre in the past with discounts announced after I'd paid full price) and from the website the performance appeared quite full, which was of course encouraging in terms of the atmosphere I expected. It also looked as though people had booked the cheaper (side stalls) seats first, leaving gaps in the more expensive central stalls only, so of course that's where I had to sit, though I did use the offer on @theatremonkey .'s site. However, when it came to it the side stalls were almost empty. I'm not suggesting it was a ruse to force people to book the more expensive seats or to avoid gaps but it did look very odd. At the interval I asked the box office chap if he knew what had happened but he said that all these seats had been blocked off in his absence and he didn't know why - and I think he was being honest. This could also be because the producers of the show have made those seats available for purchase through an allocation that is not controlled via Park's website/box office. If so then it will look as if they are sold when you view them on Park's website, but they will only be available for purchase via the other ticketing agent (SEE or Encore or whoever) and may have sold or not sold. |
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Post by showgirl on Jun 8, 2017 7:13:33 GMT
But baladorn, surely the box office assistant would have known this? Also, while, as above, I've known offers for Park plays appear elsewhere, the booking has always been via their own site. Plus it would be hugely unfair if another provider swiped all the cheaper tickets with no indication on the Park's own site that there was an alternative.
I'm not saying that other sellers don't often have separate allocations; we all know they do, but in this case it doesn't seem to fit the circumstances for all the above reasons.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2017 9:39:01 GMT
But baladorn, surely the box office assistant would have known this? In my experience Park's box office staff sometimes barely know what the name of the show is... |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2017 10:57:18 GMT
Someone has been reading too much Agatha Christie. Who did what? When? Blah-di-blah-di-blah.
It seems that the Park offered for sale seating in a limited central area.
In the unfortunate absence of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, I suggest we all lie down to recover and then move on.
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Post by orchidman on Jun 8, 2017 23:13:34 GMT
It also looked as though people had booked the cheaper (side stalls) seats first, leaving gaps in the more expensive central stalls only. Having booked tickets on their website recently, I think it's that there are two prices, Cat A and Cat B and the Cat B tickets are shaded, which I interpreted as them being sold and unavailable, but actually it is just weird colour-coding. |
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Post by showgirl on Jun 9, 2017 4:25:21 GMT
Exactly, orchidman, & it was all the cheaper category B tix which were - as confirmed by the box office chap - blocked off, so it was buy A or nothing. And thank you to those such as theatremonkey.com for replying helpfully as this is potentially an issue for others, rather than a joke for the amusement of those with nothing better to do than poke fun.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2017 10:58:47 GMT
this is potentially an issue for others, rather than a joke for the amusement of those with nothing better to do than poke fun. It is both. |
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