28 replies to this topic

[coated peanuts]

I only really fancied War Horse and A Matter of life and death. Will see what reviews are like before plumping for the others or not?

I wasn't too sure whether I wanted to see all of them, but for £10 I didn't feel I'll be loosing out if one or two of them are pants. I'd be a bit cross if all 5 turned out to be tedious, but I can't imagine the NT to get it that wrong.

[Backdrifter]

It just means you can't use the NTs new booking system of when you click on the individual seats you want from a plan of the auditorium.
They don't use this new system in the Cottesloe, I suspect because there isn't a fixed seating arrangment in there and so they haven't made the plans to be able to.

Yes, but what I've never understood is this shyness the NT have always had about revealing the Cottesloe's various seating plans. They've never included it in their brochures and they don't include it in the select-your-seat function on the website. Yes, the configuration changes, but it's fixed for any one given show and they must by definition have a seating plan to work from when allocating seats in response to phone and written applications. So why not just upload that plan for each production? These days they mostly seem to be end-stage with a few minor tweaks. I accept I might be missing some technical aspect that governs their inability to do this so will happily be corrected if necessary, but I notice that the Barbican manages to retain the seat-selection function for occasions when the Pit and main theatre change their configurations.

[armadillo]

There was a production a few years ago with Felicity Kendal and Alan Bates who were both middle-aged. Why should love affairs only be for the young?

[Backdrifter]

On the subject of online booking at the Cottesloe, I partially take back what I said earlier - when it's in its 'normal' end-stage configuration the seat selection facility is there, but not when the configuration changes. The NT B.O. tells me this is being looked at with an aim to having it for all Cottesloe productions.

[MaxCady]

I thought that the NT was supposed to be doing the new David Hare play in 07. Has this now been put back?Does anyone know what is going on?

[Reich]

I thought that the NT was supposed to be doing the new David Hare play in 07. Has this now been put back?Does anyone know what is going on?

I read today (I think Guardian) that Mendes is hoping to bring it over this year. It was in article about his Old Vic Brooklyn Academy of Music partnership. Would it still come to the NT while NH is charge after the fuss of Stuff Happens? Perhaps now the Old Vic?

[Jan Brock]

There was a production a few years ago with Felicity Kendal and Alan Bates who were both middle-aged. Why should love affairs only be for the young?

I agree. What in the text suggests they are NOT middle-aged ? Two other productions where they were middle-aged or at least not young were the Donald Sinden/Judi Dench/John Barton one (British Raj setting) and Derek Jacbi/Sinead Cusak/Terry Hands one (English Civil War). Though the last RSC production (Havana setting) was excellent, I actually thought Benedik was a little too young to be a "confirmed bachelor".

[achilles]

Aah I see, I've only been in there once for The Seafarer and I used the phoneline.

Interesting to see how many of those directors were given their big breaks at the Royal Exchange in Manchester.
That seems a darn good season to me.