A Little Life BAM ... Also London 2023

[JasonC3]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 11:29am

A compelling lineup has been announced and includes Ivo van Hove's production of A Little Life, October 20-29.  Very much looking forward to seeing it.

Updated On: 11/23/22 at 11:29 AM

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 11:51am

Some very exciting things to look forward to.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 3:58pm

Do we think A Little Life would have a... life .. outside of this? Or is this worth flying in for?

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 4:52pm

RippedMan said: "Do we think A Little Life would have a... life .. outside of this? Or is this worth flying in for?"

After hearing that it’s over four hours long I don’t see this ever having a life on Broadway.

Updated On: 6/7/22 at 04:52 PM

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 4:53pm

Does anyone know the length of the stage production?

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 5:06pm

According to the Edinburgh International Festival, where it will run in August, it's 4 hours 10 minutes, including intermission.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 5:14pm

RippedMan said: "Do we think A Little Life would have a... life .. outside of this? Or is this worth flying in for?"

I'm opting to fly in as I'm not confident that this would get produced on Broadway, but I'd be thrilled to be proven wrong and have a chance to see it again in English.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 5:16pm

Yeah, I'd like to couple this with Strange Loop and Kimberly Akimbo in a fall trip. 4 hours is a lot, but I saw something that was like 9 hours at BAM and loved it.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 5:42pm

I’m not familiar with the source material, or with this particular production - Is there any particular reason people think it might go to Broadway? Or are you just asking because it’s Van Hove?

If it’s the latter, then I’ll remind everyone that he’s had an enormously prolific career, and the vast majority of his shows - including the recent ones - have not played on Broadway, or gotten even close. If you want to see this production, I would definitely not recommend waiting for another opportunity - again, unless I’m missing something about this particular piece of source material that might set it apart. 

As for the festival, I’m most excited by Ostermeier’s Hamlet. I saw a professionally filmed video of it some years back, and I didn’t think it was quite as good as his Richard III, but everyone I know who saw the production live said their minds were absolutely blown by it. I’m excited to give it another chance, this time in a live performance. It’s been kicking around in European repertory for over a decade, but I’ve never gotten a chance to see it.

[suzycat]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 5:59pm

I’m torn on this. A LITTLE LIFE is my favorite book of all time, but it’s so brutal I’m not sure I want to revisit it and actually see it unfold in front of me. Plus I’ve had strong negative reactions to every other van Hove work I’ve seen… maybe I should skip it. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 6:40pm

JBroadway, it’s based on an extremely successful novel.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 6:40pm

JBroadway, it’s based on an extremely successful novel.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 7:10pm

I don’t think A Little Life has any chance of moving to Broadway. On top of its challenging runtime, the source material is way too brutal for commercial audiences in America. Even people I know who are fans of the novel are either staying away from experiencing it again in any form, or will see it at BAM. Any other audience it might have would maybe fill a limited run in another “niche” venue like St. Ann’s or the Armory, but not Broadway.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 7:21pm

Echoing what others have already said: this has no chance of life on or off-Broadway for any commercial run. Ivo has had a number of exceptionally well reviewed works brought to BAM (and some commissioned by NYTW) that didn’t extend beyond its run at those theaters. Scenes from a Marriage stands out as one of those more remarkable productions. 
 

If you want to see it…and oy, I’m on the fence based upon the description…you should see it at BAM or otherwise hope to see it abroad, at some later point. 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 7:26pm

A Little Life is my favorite book and I’ll absolutely be seeing this, but I wouldn’t say I’m “excited” for it. The book is HEAVY and honestly the most emotionally devastating piece of any kind of media I’ve ever encountered. It’s sad, it’s brutal and there is NO redemption. I still cry when I talk about it. It is just a different kind of heavy that you’ve ever experienced.
 

I have worked in a bookstore for I always tell people “if you’re prepared to want to die for the entirety of the book, read it. It not.. it’s not the book for you.”

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 7:31pm

 

Updated On: 6/7/22 at 07:31 PM

[lachri5]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 7:35pm

The original Dutch produciton was broadcast through ITALive last year, by the way.

[Funhouse2]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 9:01pm

TaffyDavenport said: "According to the Edinburgh International Festival, where it will run in August, it's 4 hours 10 minutes, including intermission."

When I saw A Little Life in Amsterdam the show had to be stopped twice because people in the audience got physically ill. I don't know if this is a common occurrence with this show, but definitely be prepared for it to be even longer than the advertised 4 hours and 10 minutes.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 9:06pm

Funhouse2 said: "TaffyDavenport said: "According to the Edinburgh International Festival, where it will run in August, it's 4 hours 10 minutes, including intermission."

When I saw A Little Life in Amsterdam the show had to be stopped twice because people in the audience got physically ill. I don't know if this is a common occurrence with this show, but definitely be prepared for it to be even longer than the advertised 4 hours and 10 minutes."

Can you elaborate on what scenes this happened in with spoiler tags? That seems… crazy, and that is coming from someone who was emotionally traumatized by the novel. 

[Funhouse2]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 10:42pm

n2nbaby said: "Funhouse2 said: "TaffyDavenport said: "According to the Edinburgh International Festival, where it will run in August, it's 4 hours 10 minutes, including intermission."

When I saw A Little Life in Amsterdam the show had to be stopped twice because people in the audience got physically ill. I don't know if this is a common occurrence with this show, but definitely be prepared for it to be even longer than the advertised 4 hours and 10 minutes."

Can you elaborate on what scenes this happened in with spoiler tags? That seems… crazy, and that is coming from someone who was emotionally traumatized by the novel."

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The first show stop happened fairly early in act 1, I believe it was a scene with Jude and Brother Luke. The second show stop was in act 2 during a scene with Dr Traylor. The characters of Brother Luke, Dr Traylor, and Caleb are all played by the same actor and he was the one who called for the show to be stopped both times when it became clear someone in the audience wasn't feeling well.

Sorry I couldn't be more specific but the play has a very non-linear structure and deliberately blends a lot of Jude's traumatic memories together so it's quite hard to remember some of the details.

 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 6/7/22 at 10:42pm

Based on seeing the broadcast of it, I would imagine what is causing some people to become ill is:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Jude's cutting scenes are quite intense and visual.  They are traumatic on the page, but even more visceral and intense when seen with blood.

 

Updated On: 6/7/22 at 10:42 PM

[pathman2]

Posted: 6/9/22 at 12:42pm

I just bought an onstage ticket for A Little Life, but now I’m curious about how the subtitles work. I haven’t watched any of the clips posted because I really don’t want any spoilers in terms of staging. Anyone know what to expect? Thanks!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/9/22 at 12:57pm

I don’t know the answer to your question, but I will say that I saw Roman tragedies, also by Van Hove, in which the audience was encouraged to move freely all around the theatre, including onstage seating that faced a variety of different directions. And for that show, there was always some supertitles within view from pretty much every location in the house. So he has experience planning for that, and this sounds like a simpler set-up of the audience isn’t moving around. 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 6/9/22 at 1:24pm

Thank you guys for the responses, I've been very curious how this will translate to stage. I will say for anyone who doesn't know the source material: this is honestly something that is best knowing what you're getting into. It is much more than just "super depressing and dark." I'll never forget when a young girl was buying it from my store, I warned her and she said "I read The Fault in Our Stars, I can handle it" and I just thought "yeah, ok... have fun!"

Anyway, I signed up for a BAM membership so I could get presale tickets. I almost went for the stage seating but I A) didn't know how the subtitles would work from there and B) didn't want a full audience seeing me have a mental breakdown. Got great seats in row C of the orchestra. I didn't realize that members also get a discount, so I can't complain. 

I am VERY nervous about seeing it, though. I'm curious how my favorite book will translate but I'm definitely nervous about seeing everything on stage. Has anyone read the book and seen the show to compare?

[JasonC3]

Posted: 6/9/22 at 1:50pm

I don't want to in any way diminish the trauma and cruelty of Jude's story that both the book and the play center, nor its effects on readers or theatregoers.  I would only add that the play also is about friendship and relationships and how they morph and evolve as we learn more about ourselves and each other.  The book contains many moments of laughter, love, and deep affection.

A couple of links that offer more descriptions:

https://tga.nl/en/productions/een-klein-leven

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/theater/a-little-life-play-amsterdam-ivo-van-hove.html