Theatres of Dreams

[Uncle Ethan]

This has probably been done before, but anyone here go to the theatre? Our visits tend to be when we're in London.

In July we saw Young Frankenstein at The Garrick. The production was extremely well done, but the old theatre was the real star of the show.

Best we've seen in a much more upmarket setting was The Lion King.

I am in complete awe of the creativity of people who can deliver such marvels before your very eyes with no retakes or CGI. This ranges from the actors to the set designers and everyone in-between.

[Sits]

This thread may point you the right way.

[WOM]

The Lion King ran in Toronto for years and years, and not once did it occur to me that I might want to see it. Ms Saigon, too, for some reason. And it's not like I have some snobby aversion to blockbuster Broadway-type productions.

[ursus arctos]

The original production of the Lion King (which is the one that tours) is very innovative and visually striking.

It got Julie Taymor a number of gigs at high fallutin' opera houses, including for the Met's current production of The Magic Flute.

[Ginger Yellow]

The Lion King ran in Toronto for years and years, and not once did it occur to me that I might want to see it. Ms Saigon, too, for some reason. And it's not like I have some snobby aversion to blockbuster Broadway-type productions.

I do. I'm more of a Shakespeare/Stoppard/Beckett kind of guy.

[WOM]

We go all different ways: big spectacles, small stuff on minimal stages, one-man 'monologue' stuff. Our subscriptions are always 'off off Broadway' stuff by design. The only ones I genuinely can't stand are minimalist modern dance things. No interest in it or patience for it.

Stoppard's Rock 'n Roll was quite good.

[Bored Of Education]

We go once every couple of years. It's usually OK but I am not normally blown away by anything. However, we went to see the stage version of North by North West last year and it was excellent. It's a bit hard to explain how they staged it (and it would sort of give away some spoilers) but this video gives an idea. Well worth seeing and a complete re-imagining (I suppose) of the film.

We are going to see something in November but that is more because a friend is in it so I shall report back.

[Amor de Cosmos]

We have subscriptions to one of the local theatres, so see whatever's on offer. It's rarely any of the boffo big box office stuff — too small for that. Mostly more off-centre mid-range productions. We generally aren't disappointed and occasionally well surprised. Most disappointing things, the audience is mostly our age — where are the twenty-forty year olds? Also predominately female, many of the guys have clearly been coerced into going.

[gt3]

I went to see the new Alan Bennett thing at the Bridge Theatre here in London on Saturday. I think the theatre has only recently opened. It's a lovely space. The play was great - and I would recommend going to see it.
I'm off to see Imperium on consecutive nights next week. That should be errr....less fun than the Bennett!

[seand]

I do enjoy the theatre every now and again. We used to go every couple of months when we lived in the city, before the arrival of kids. Now it's every couple of years. I find it massively impressive that the cast put on a two-hour production straight through, no retakes etc. Having the actors there in person makes it so much more personal and emotional than film, I feel.

Had the rather pleasing juxtaposition of going straight from a fairly fractious Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers Dublin derby straight to the Gate, one of Dublin's stuffier old school theatres, a couple of years back.

[Patrick Thistle]

I like going to the theatre but go very rarely. I have tried my hardest to like musicals but I just don't. But I enjoy proper plays, and even panto.

[RobM]

My wife dragged me along to that bloody Rock of Ages thing in Leicester Square last time we were in that London but I got my own back by making her go to see Wreckless Eric at a pub near The Strand.

Leslie Nielsen doing Darrow for the Defence at The Kings in Edinburgh was ace and Matthew Kelly in Of Mice and Men was surprisingly good. Used to like going to The Kings

[WOM]

We do that, too. She had to go see The Monkees, so now I have to see fucking Passenger next month.

[KGR]

My three are performing in a junior production of Aladdin Jr at Nottingham Playhouse on Saturday. This is the culmination of a two-week summer school they have been at.

I am very excited.

[wittoner]

My wife dragged me along to that bloody Rock of Ages thing in Leicester Square last time we were in that London but I got my own back by making her go to see Wreckless Eric at a pub near The Strand.

Leslie Nielsen doing Darrow for the Defence at The Kings in Edinburgh was ace and Matthew Kelly in Of Mice and Men was surprisingly good. Used to like going to The Kings

Wreckless Eric in Manchester was my trade-off for my wife taking me to "Jersey Boys" in Liverpool. Thing is though, I really enjoyed it and would gladly see it again.

[WOM]

Yeah, Jersey Boys was fun. So was Rock of Ages, though. Jukebox Musicals are so fucking absurd that you have to work hard at not enjoying them. We Will Rock You was much the same. Bat Out of Hell was excellent musically, but the 'book' was so fucking bad that it was painful.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I do enjoy the theatre every now and again. We used to go every couple of months when we lived in the city, before the arrival of kids. Now it's every couple of years. I find it massively impressive that the cast put on a two-hour production straight through, no retakes etc. Having the actors there in person makes it so much more personal and emotional than film, I feel.

Had the rather pleasing juxtaposition of going straight from a fairly fractious Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers Dublin derby straight to the Gate, one of Dublin's stuffier old school theatres, a couple of years back.

ah yes, but you got to use your opera glasses twice in one evening.

[MsD]

I want to see The Lehman Trilogy, but it's sold out. Hoping I can get returns or something.

https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/s...lehman-trilogy

[Sam]

When I was in sixth form a mate set up a website to review stuff in Bristol, and we got press tickets to things. He liked musicals, so took most of the ones for the Hippodrome, which left me with the Old Vic and the Tobacco Factory, which I was absolutely delighted with. Loved both of them; I got to see the early years of the Tobacco Factory's Shakespeare company, which apparently now tours internationally.

When we were in London last year my girlfriend wanted to go to something in the West End but we didn't have time (I did take her to Shrek the first time we went, and we went to Horrible Histories: The Best of Barmy Britain on the first day of the last trip, which was great fun). She was a bit cross about this until the reason for our lack of time arrived; Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe. There's nothing quite like walking into the Globe and seeing the stage fully decked out for a performance. It's such a fucking great space. She had a massive grin on her face from beginning to end. As, to be fair, did I.

Matthew Kelly in Of Mice and Men

Wow.

[gjw100]

My wife, a nurse, always has to work until mid-afternoon on Christmas Day and occasionally on Boxing Day. By way of compensation it has become a tradition for us to pop up to London between Christmas and New Year for a mooch around Covent Garden, a spot of shopping, a meal and the theatre. I have a marked dislike of musicals (although I enjoyed ‘Young Frankenstein’ last year) so, sweetheart that she is, my wife is always happy for us to take in a straight play or a comedy. The three shows produced by the Mischief Theatre Company – ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’, ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ and ‘A Comedy About A Bank Robbery’ were particular delights. Biggest disappointment was ‘The Woman In Black’ – interesting staging but sadly lacking in the chills that were promised beforehand.

[Benjm]

Of the current National Theatre productions I've seen Julie and Home, I'm Darling. The former, an updating of Strindberg's Miss Julie, is good but suffered from some overly choreographed party scenes. Once it gets down to the two hander between ageing rich kid Julie and Jean, the family chauffeur, it picked up and held the attention. Vanessa Kirby, in the title role, has had good reviews but was indisposed the night I saw it. Francesca Knight stepped up to good effect.

Home, I'm Darling is a new modern day piece about a couple whose '50s obsession takes over to the point of living out that decade's domestic roles. It is very funny, human and I'll be surprised if it doesn't transfer to the West End. Katherine Parkinson does her thing brilliantly and Richard Harrington is moving as the husband who is unexpectedly more unsettled by the premise than his wife.

I also saw Barry Humphries' Weimar Cabaret at the Barbican Theatre a couple of weeks ago. BH delivered a monologue loosely linking various pieces of music and songs from 1920s Germany. The premise was that he had bought a bundle of old sheet music as a boy in 1950s Melbourne and become curious as to why the composers had largely vanished from history (spoiler: Hitler). Fellow Melburnian Meow Meow did several show stopping turns and the whole thing was delivered with great affection for the material. I saw some 1980s Les Patterson stuff on YouTube recently and the reliance on poofter jokes was a bit of a shame, for Alf Garnett not-supposed-to-be-laughing-with-him reasons. It would be a great shame if a life long champion of outsider and degenerate art came to be characterised by that aspect of his work.