London Theater - December 2022

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 12/4/22 at 4:33am

Heading over to London over the holidays and curious if anyone has seen these shows

I value the opinions of folks on here (looking at you Jordan). 

Orlando

Best Of Enemies

Watch On The Rhine - on the fence

Mandala

Lucked out already with tickets to STREETCAR which I most excited for 

[Mark_E]

Posted: 12/4/22 at 5:52am

I saw Best of Enemies at the Young Vic - it's a brilliant play and a great production. Very well constructed.

I'm not seeing Mandela until the new year (and Streetcar!), but a friend went to the first preview and enjoyed it, but said the book was a bit weak.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/4/22 at 6:04am

I'm in London right now, actually. I saw "Best of Enemies" yesterday and thought it was just fantastic. When the lights came up at intermission, I couldn't believe over an hour had passed - it's just so well written. 


I was also at "Mandela" the other night and I really did enjoy it. The show is not without its flaws but for a brand new musical, I found them mostly minor and forgivable in favor of the production as a whole. It's more a show about the Mandela family than the movement he worked so hard for and I think that's why it actually works better as a dramatic piece of theater. There, of course, are plenty of scenes depicting the violence that went on during that time but the musical more focuses on him and his family getting through it. Make sure Danielle Fiamanya and Michael Luwoye are in as Winnie & Nelson because they're just spectacular. 


Sadly, I can't fit "Orlando" into my schedule and I'll be missing "Streetcar" by something like a day which annoys me. But at least I got to see what turned out to be Katie's final performance of "Tammy Faye" there the other night. So I can't be too mad. :)

Updated On: 12/4/22 at 06:04 AM

[binau]

Posted: 12/4/22 at 7:31am

So lucky/happy that you managed to catch KB. THAT would have been disappointing!!!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/4/22 at 7:42am

I wouldn’t have been a happy camper lol. 

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 12/4/22 at 5:24pm

so glad you got to see TAMMY FAYE...incredibly envious actually. Love Jake Shears and Andrew.  And that theater. 

Great feedback on BEST OF ENEMIES.

Tickets purchased.

Thank you all

[lilpunkin]

Posted: 12/4/22 at 7:59pm

Best of Enemies is phenomenal (as is Tammy Faye, which I’m looking forward to seeing in a larger venue once it transfers).

 

I liked Orlando but it’s more of a concept than a play. Interesting staging and a charismatic lead performance but the actual plot is wafer-thin as all the significant plot points of the book are skipped from so quickly. Very funny but ultimately quite a shallow piece of theatre.

[ggersten]

Posted: 12/4/22 at 9:12pm

Shouldn't you have one panto on your list?  (And no, I don't have a recommendation - but check theatreboard as I'm sure there are recommendations there)

[ggersten]

Posted: 12/5/22 at 9:06am

Isn McKellen is in a panto - Mother Goose - at Duke of York’s Theatre starting 15 December. 

[jr88]

Posted: 12/5/22 at 10:12am

I'm making my first trip to London in January and have tickets for Life of Pi (next to final performance). Has anyone seen the show - like/dislike? Thanks!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/5/22 at 10:30am

“Pi” has some issues with the book (especially act two) but the magic of the puppetry and the beauty of the show as a whole, pretty much overshadow those flaws. 

[yyys]

Posted: 12/5/22 at 11:38am

The actor playing Pi was hard to understand because of his accent. 

jr88 said: "I'm making my first trip to London in January and have tickets for Life of Pi (next to final performance). Has anyone seen the show - like/dislike? Thanks!"

 

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 12/5/22 at 11:36pm

thank you for your recommendation.

 

and wow, these reviews for ORLANDO are so good.  5 stars (out of 5)  in GUARDIAN, 4 (out of 5) in DAILY TELEGRAM, 4 (out of 5) WHATSONSTAGE, 5 (out of 5) THE STAGE

 

glad I got my tickets when I did

[binau]

Posted: 12/6/22 at 4:28am

jr88 said: "I'm making my first trip to London in January and have tickets for Life of Pi (next to final performance). Has anyone seen the show - like/dislike? Thanks!"

So I finally saw this, the stagecraft is absolutely beautiful and groundbreaking. Not just the puppets but the lighting, costumes, set etc. and the way it all fits together. It epitomises the power of what you can only do on stage and why I don't think the stage will ever be replaced by other mediums.

Some of those lines and acting (especially the people interviewing Pi) are atrocious but I think it's a must-see. If you live in NYC, I would probably skip it and catch it on Broadway rather than waste a slot but if this is your only opportunity....

I actually wonder if the show will end up doing a bit better on Broadway than on the West End. It had really struggled recently but it's the kind of show I can imagine tourists paying top dollar for and not being disappointed. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/6/22 at 4:41am

If you’re a fan of “Newsies”, I’d also try to catch the London premiere of it. It’s at the Wembley Theatre and it’s - enormous lol. And also a pretty damn great production 

Updated On: 12/6/22 at 04:41 AM

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/6/22 at 9:15am

jr88 said: "I'm making my first trip to London in January and have tickets for Life of Pi (next to final performance). Has anyone seen the show - like/dislike? Thanks!"

If you like the book and / or film you won't be disappointed. I think the narrative is dull and borderline asinine.

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 12/11/22 at 9:00pm

I never got to see Newsies.  Thanks for the recommendation. 

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 12/16/22 at 9:24pm

Newsies looks fantastic (having never seen it) but the theater looks like its 45 min by train so might not have time for that AND West End/Islington/SouthBank shows

Also - reading the UK theater board and sounds like Patrica Hodge is out until December 23 at Donmar for WATCH ON THE RHINE.  Ended up getting a ticket for it as I loooove me some Donmar 

The Mandela reviews seemed really middling at best so might see what else I can discover

 

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 12/28/22 at 2:08am

Best Of Enemies was excellent. Tremendously entertaining in a fast paced perfectly written, acted and directed production.  Highly recommend

Orlando - Thought Emma and Deborah Findley were excellent as well as being well directed by Michael Grandage but sadly this isn't much of a play.  Sure it breezes through, most of the time, at its 90 min running time but the show left me feeling empty like I just witnessed a college production of experimental theater. Glad I saw it - wouldn't recommended it but Emma is just electric and they light up the stage.  Put her and Deborah in an actual play and let's talk

[Hey old friends 2022]

Posted: 12/28/22 at 7:19am

Ian Mckellan was wonderful in Mother Goose. We had a great time at the panto and strongly recommend it. 
 

Good with David Tennant and Elliot Levy (Olivier winner from cabaret) was very good but horribly depressing. 
 

excited to finally see Mousetrap next week!

[yyys]

Posted: 12/28/22 at 8:18am

any chance of a Streetcar Named Desire extension?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/28/22 at 8:26am

yyys said: "any chance of a Streetcar Named Desire extension?"

No. The Almeida starts new shows almost immediately after one closes which never leaves room for extensions. 

[Owen22]

Posted: 12/28/22 at 10:19am

I saw Streetcar the night before I left and I have to say, except for one cast member, it really was a wonderful production. Patsy Farren who stepped in a week before previews as Blanche is fantastic! Not as glamorous as you would want in a Blanche, but she is such a great actress! The Stella/Blanche relationship is probably the best I have ever seen depicted (Anjanna Vasan is perfection as well). Unfortunately there is a hole in the play and that is Paul Mescal. Which is the reason I originally booked! I have seen him play an alpha male in the zoom This Is Our Youth and he was very good. But Stanley is beyond him. He screams a lot and stomps around the stage and I just didn't believe him. Maybe because his face is so sweet it's hard to imagine that he's doing anything but pretending?

I also want to push the Donmar's production of Watch on the Rhine which I had never seen before. It too has a bit of a hole, as the leading American actress, who actually has been very good in a number of television shows, is terribly flat. But her leading man, from the Netflix TV show Dark, is extraordinary. The rest of the cast, including the three children, are also excellent. It's a great melodramatic history lesson. I wholly recommend it.

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 1/2/23 at 2:00pm

Thought A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE to close to perfection.  Exquisite performances coupled with brilliant execution with direction.  So glad I got to see this