HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
jacobsnchz14
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/06
#1HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 10/29/18 at 12:19pm
Anyone planning on catching any early previews? The show begins its London run this Friday, November 2.
Impossible2
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/31/18
#2HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 10/29/18 at 3:28pm
I am going Saturday night, can't wait!
#3HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 10/29/18 at 3:37pm
I love this preview video https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/VIDEO-Inside-Rehearsals-for-HADESTOWN-with-Reeve-Carney-Eva-Noblezada-and-More-20181029
#4HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 10/29/18 at 3:42pm
Has the West End board gone missing?
#5HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 10/29/18 at 6:24pm
Wow, this looks like it's going to be amazing! Does anyone know if the London space is in the round? It seems like that to me. Choreography looks great. It seems very different from the NYTW choreo.
Impossible2
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/31/18
#6HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 10/29/18 at 6:25pm
macnyc said: "Wow, this looks like it's going to be amazing! Does anyone know if the London space is in the round? "
No it isn't x
GeorgeandDot
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/16
GeorgeandDot
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/16
Impossible2
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/31/18
#9HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/2/18 at 5:48pm
Only one more sleep!!!!
dbird
Chorus Member Joined: 10/19/12
#10HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/2/18 at 6:23pm
Going next week after scoring a ticket today...I was positively surprised that the National released some tickets this afternoon for the upcoming performances.
theatregoer3
Broadway Star Joined: 3/8/13
#11HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/2/18 at 6:56pmThe pics on Insta look SOO COOL!!!
taylortrensch
Leading Actor Joined: 1/20/18
#12HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/3/18 at 12:29am
can anyone report on the merchandise that's available? will it eventually be posted on https://shop.nationaltheatre.org.uk?
Impossible2
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/31/18
#13HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/3/18 at 7:55pm
Well that was a crushing disappointment...
Caveats
I knew nothing about the show other than the Comet connection to Chavkin and Grey. I also had seats in the circle so a bit away from the stage but still had a great view.
The Good
The musical itself was fantastic as was the singing from everyone but the lead male who I thought was miscast but still very good.
The Bad
Everything’s else. I HATED the set and staging, it just did not work. It hobbled the whole production. The direction was terrible. It was DULL when it should’ve been exciting. It was people twirling around on a revolving stage for 2 hours. The choreography was killed by the set as was the entire cast even doing the simplest of things like trying to do anything other than sing. Spin spin spin...
I am hoping they can iron some of this out during previews and getting people to use what little stage they have a little more and drag us into the story a little instead of the audience straining to understand the lyrics so they know wtf is going on.
As it stands it is little better than a stage reading of a concept album spinning on a turntable.
If Meh-ta is what they are aiming for, they passed with flying colours. As the thrilling original piece of theatre that it is crying out to be it fails miserably and that makes me very sad for all involved.
Bwayfan292
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/19/17
#14HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/3/18 at 8:15pm
I am shocked at the negative reaction on social media. I thought this was going to be a hit 
#15HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/3/18 at 8:30pmI’ve mostly seen positive feedback on social media and on TheatreBoard, which is London’s messageboard.
Bwayfan292
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/19/17
#16HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/3/18 at 8:52pmThe negative reactions are more on twitter
#17HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/3/18 at 9:07pm
Bwayfan292 said: "The negative reactions are more on twitter"
I just searched “Hadestown” on Twitter and I went back pretty far and everything I saw was positive. Can you link specific tweets?
imklepcyk
Understudy Joined: 7/22/18
#18HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/3/18 at 9:54pmThe pictures of the set so far are disappointing.
#19HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/4/18 at 12:46amThe set looks great, in my opinion. Love the album, so I'm very excited for this.
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#20HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/4/18 at 1:43am
The set looks...fine? It's not anything thrilling or new. It just looks like some turntables, which are a pretty old concept. And I'm not sure why the turntables are so integral to the story?
GeorgeandDot
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/16
#21HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/4/18 at 1:53amI see one negative review on Instagram. Everything else on social media is a rave. The set looks great. Better than what was in NY and Canada.
Bwayfan292
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/19/17
#22HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/4/18 at 1:08amSorry I got called into work, I can’t seem to find them anymore, but they were mostly unimpressed with the sets.
GeorgeandDot
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/16
#23HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/4/18 at 1:22amI'm still not seeing them. I'm actually only seeing positive things about the set.
JBC3
Broadway Star Joined: 4/9/17
#24HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/4/18 at 7:55amRippedMan said: "The set looks...fine? It's not anything thrilling or new. It just looks like some turntables, which are a pretty old concept. And I'm not sure why the turntables are so integral to the story?"
I do not see this for two weeks but are they using the drum revolve which differs from the typical turntable? It is kind of a character in its own right ... not used a lot but always commented about when it is.
Even if they are not using the revolve people may find this short video about what it can do to be interesting:
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/file/9401/view
Impossible2
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/31/18
#25HADESTOWN at the National Theatre in London - Previews
Posted: 11/4/18 at 8:14am
There is nothing wrong with the set visually, it is the constraints it puts on the performers that is the problem. It looks like a tiny set dropped in the middle of a massive stage and it gave me flashbacks of the terrible 'meta' version of The Colour Purple. For the first 10 minutes I kept wondering why they were building a railroad in the middle of B.B Kings' Blues Bar.
While the 'turntable' is used to great effect towards the end of the show, the rest of the time it is used to spin people around instead of them moving about the stage and filling the (tiny) available space.
Instead of a row of dancers fanned out across the stage, they are spinning around a small circle in the centre of the stage....endlessly. The visual impact of the choreography is lost to the point that they may as well not even be there.
During major dramatic moments when the characters are singing to each other, instead of facing each other and emoting the lyrics, they stand dead still facing the opposite direction and spinning in opposite directions on the turntable. I got the 'metaphor' (how could you not it's there the whole show), but the emotion of the material is lost.
It's just 'odd', really, really odd and instead of enjoying the production and being pulled into the story and what was happening on an emotional level, I found myself constantly pulled out of the material by wtf directorial decisions. I spent the whole night thinking, this should be so damned exciting, but it is as flat as a tack!
The fact that Chavkin had gone from using the space so brilliantly in Comet to this is just mind boggling.
When the curtain call is the most emotionally affecting moment of the production (apart from the obvious BIG moment in the show) something is very wrong.
The Canadian production looked MUCH better as the turntable was a small part of a sparse stage with plenty of room to breathe.
It is such a shame as the material and performers/performances are SO strong.
If this staging goes to Broadway, they can kiss those otherwise much deserved Tonys goodbye!
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