Monthly Archives: March 2012

Bingo Audience Reviews

The audience reviews for Bingo are in!  Read your fellow audience members’ thoughts on the production below, and email us your review at reviews@youngvic.org.

The play is very simply, but very engagingly produced. Set design is minimalist, which allows focus on the performance & clever in the final scene when the snow is shown to fall.

The thrust stage is elegantly used to allow the cast to enter & exit through the audience aisles & this brings the performance out into us as we watch.

Individual performances were terrific & we felt a real camaradie between the players, with Patrick Stewart being very generous in his inclusivity, not over egging his headline status at all – but joining with his fellows.

The theatre itself was a joy! What a great ambience you have created – & how wonderful to sit in comfort, have a brilliant view & have ones own space – fantastic!! As was the provision of a jug of tap water at the bar during the interval – very thoughtful, thank you!

Stephen & Claire

It would be so easy to pick out Patrick Stewart but in truth it was a brilliant cast; he happened to be one of them!  Superbly acted;  fascinating scene design.  Strange play!

 —Marion McCrindle

I saw the original production at the Royal Court. I remember feeling detached and unmoved, disappointed. I am so pleased that I revisited the play; this production had the opposite effect. Patrick Stewart , even conveying the stillness of old age, was animated and movingly anguished. Catherine Cusack made me feel I might understand the family of a great writer through her intelligent portrayal of the domestic Judith. Richard McCabe provided well judged amusement as kindred ,yet contrasting, spirit Jonson.

Those for whom Shakespeare is a life-long fascination will find their knowledge and appreciation enhanced by this production.

I would like to extend my thanks to all involved.

—Tony Couldrey

Brilliant, enthralling, captivating, thought-provoking, unmissable.

—Mary Musker

Watched BINGO by Edward Bond with my friend at the Young Vic last night! Truly brilliant! It revived my thirst for more theatre… “Women with shopping bags stepping over puddles of blood”. A tragic and contradicting retiring Shakespeare portrayed superbly by Sir Patrick Stewart. A must watch!

—Barry Crisp

Although the reviews posted on the website were all 4 star, I did read a couple of reviews that were less enthustiastic, particularly one by a reviewer I’d normally trust who clearly didn’t enjoy Mr. Bond’s play. Well I did enjoy it, and I thought the production was excellent and the acting throughout the cast, not just the mighty Mr. Stewart, was of a very high order indeed.

—Chris Dearmun

Win a trip to Paris to see The Suit

The Young Vic, Time Out and World Stages London are hosting a competition to win a trip to Paris to see The Suit before it comes to London!

Winners will receive round-trip Eurostar tickets for two, a two-night stay in the luxurious 4 star Champs Elysees McMahon hotel, and tickets to see the world premiere of The Suit at the celebrated Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord.  A new musical adapted and directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne, The Suit is based on Can Themba’s heartbreakingly beautiful South African story of lust, betrayal and retribution.

The competition is free to enter and closes 1 April – enter here now for your chance to win!

5 Stars for Sound&Fury’s Going Dark + Extra Performance Added!

Audience members and critics alike are raving about Going Dark, the story of an astronomer and single dad losing his sight.  Created by immersive theatre company Sound&Fury, don’t miss your chance to see this sold out show with the extra performance we’ve added. Book your tickets here.

★★★★★
‘Sound&Fury are going boldly where few companies have gone before… this is a dazzling achievement that deserves a rich scattering of critical stars’
The Telegraph (full review)

★★★★★
‘A pulse-quickening poem… a wonderful piece of theatre’
The Independent (full review)

★★★★
‘Exceptional… imaginative… a technical feat’
The Guardian (full review)

★★★★
‘The audio and visual trickery is first rate, but tellingly the play’s soul lies in Hattie Naylor’s beautifully understated text and actor Jon Mackay’s delicate, heartbreaking performance’
Time Out  (full review)

★★★★
The Times

★★★★
Financial Times (full review)

★★★★
Metro

11 questions with the cast of After Miss Julie: Kieran Bew

First up in our After Miss Julie  cast series is Kieran Bew. You may recognise him from the acclaimed Reasons to be Pretty (Almeida). He’s also been in Almeida’s The Knot of the Heart and Trevor Nunn’s production of Richard II at the Old Vic). Films he’s been in includes Green Street, Alien vs Predator, King Lear and recent British indie film 1-2-3-4.

Tell us about your character.
John is an ambitious, dedicated, butler and valet. He works on Miss Julie’s estate for her father.

Favourite word?
Crocodile

Proudest moment?
Winning the British cadet epee championship.

If you could have a room full of any one thing, what would it be?
Parsons Terrier puppies.

If 28 hour days existed, what would you do with the extra four hours?
Talk to my family.

Favourite holiday?
Greece with my lady.

Weirdest quirk?
I’m clumsy… I could trip over my feet in bed…

If you had one super power, what would it be?
To shape shift. I believe this will cover a wide range of abilities.

Do you have any regrets?
Piano… I should have learned to play the piano… (looks out of window wistfully).

Favourite midnight snack?
Roast potatoes with mature cheese.

Since working on After Miss Julie (Classics for a New Climate)…
I turn lights off when I leave rooms now – before the production I often left a room well-lit.

After Miss Julie starts tomorrow and we’ve added an extra week of performances so it now plays until 14 April. Buy your tickets now >>

Please wear layers

Heating, cooling and ventilating are three systems that form the bulk of energy used within a theatre. As our building was refurbished and reopened in 2006, the Young Vic actually has very good environmental performance.

A bit of manual labour has also helped reduce transport mileage..

For After Miss Julie (the first in our series of Classics for a New Climate), we are reducing consumption by using natural ventilation and by tailoring the air supply to After Miss Julie‘s seating layout. This explains why the temperature will vary slightly and why we’ve asked audience members to wear layers. This has helped After Miss Julie achieve it’s target of reducing energy consumption (compared to a normal production in The Maria) by at least 60%!

After Miss Julie begins in two days… buy your tickets now >>

My eco-tips…

ImageDid you know? After Miss Julie  is our first Classics for a New Climate show. By using more eco-friendly lighting, sourcing recycled props and costumes, implementing paperless ticketing and much more, we’ve reduced the amount of energy taken from the National Grid by 60%.

We’ve asked the cast to share what eco-habits they’ve changed since working on After Miss Julie. Here are their answers…

Kieran Bew (John)
I turn lights off when I leave rooms now, before the production I often left a room well lit.

Natalie Dormer (Julie)
Inspired by my director and the lovely Miss Frame, I bought a bike in the third week of rehearsals. Haven’t had one in a few years and seeing as I sold my car last year, hopefully it will encourage me to make those shorter journeys on two wheels.

Polly Frame (Christine)
I now pay particular attention to not re-boiling the kettle if it was boiled 5 mins ago by someone else!

After Miss Julie starts next week. Shows are sold out until 31 March, but we’ve added an extra week of performances… book now!

Young Vic Fact #24

Photo by Richard Bryant

Did you know that the insulation around the main auditorium is made from recycled paper?

The Young Vic is working towards becoming more eco-friendly with our Classics for a New Climate production of After Miss Julie. You can learn more about environmentally sustainable arts practices from Julie’s Bicycle.

Going Dark Trailer

Sound&Fury’s Going Dark begins previews at the Young Vic tomorrow.  Check out the beautiful trailer below.  Tickets are £10/£15 at youngvic.org.

 

Four Stars for Bingo

4 Stars for Bingo

Read what the press are saying about Edward Bond’s Bingo:

★★★★
“A modern classic… Angus Jackson’s fine production of Bond’s masterpiece”
-  The Guardian (read the full review here)

★★★★
“The truly Shakespearean greatness of Patrick Stewart’s portrayal… compels and tantalises”
- The Independent (read the full review here)

★★★★
“played with great subtlety and force by Patrick Stewart, a fine actor at the height of his powers”
- Time Out (read the full review here)

★★★★
“a potent revival of a tremendous play… Bond’s 1974 play could hardly be more resonant”
-  Daily Express