A Little Life

I absolutely hated the book and wouldn't go to see the show if you paid me even with James Norton in it.

His is fine, I just couldn't help but notice, and IKR?
I'm currently totally in awe of him.

Haha me too!! He was so handsome in Happy Valley (in a psycho-killer way of course 🤣). Willem was definitely hot in the play, but I don't think James Norton was inadequate in that department. Maybe I'm used to very below average men 😆 The naked sex scene with him in Willem on stage - how he agreed to do that being the big star that he is 😳

I couldn't see him as hot in this at all, I could see Willem as hot though.
(I shouldn't say it but he has a bigger one too!)
I fancied the pants off him in Happy Valley though, god knows what that says about me.

He really is a superstar and able to play completely different characters- from the priest in Grantchester to Tommy Lee Roys in Happy Valley and Alex in McMafia. And all played brilliantly. He's unbelievably talented. The role of Jude is so incredibly difficult. I can't imagine how he does it every night. He'a probably the most talented young actor now.

God I bloody hated the book and won't be seeing the play, but thought if anyone could carry it off it would be James Norton, so glad to hear he is getting such positive reviews

I know!! I don't know why he agreed to do something like this given what a big star he is after Happy Valley (and all the other great stuff he did). Doesn't sound like a fun project doing it every day. Kudos to him though. He was AMAZING!! And he looks hot naked 👀🤩

I did see an interview with him where he mentioned being in therapy because of being badly bullied in boarding school, so maybe tormented character roles suit him.

I’m hopefully going soon. Was hoping to see it in theatre but couldn’t get time away during its short run!

I'm seeing Good in the cinema today.
I loved the film

Just saw this yesterday. I only went to see it for James Norton and the naked scenes (I'm THAT shallow 😂) and he is superb. But the subject-matter if the play and all the endless misery is bloody awful. I'm quite robust (and as I mentioned shallow) though so it didn't affect me, but one woman had to be carried out of the audience and people were crying all over the place.

@NooNakedJacuzziness Yes, it's talked about but there are also a couple of scenes where actual abuse is shown (although of course James Norton is an adult)

The friendships that carried the book aren't given much time in the play - Malcolm is a non event, Willem is flat

In absolute fairness, I think it would be very difficult to argue that the book is any different. Malcolm is literally pointless. You could remove him from the book altogether and it makes no difference. I can’t even think of one character trait he has or one way his character develops throughout the novel.

It actually isn’t 😂 I just realised, DH had told me that another play I had wanted to see (Good, if anyone is interested) was coming to the small cinema near us with NT Live. In the same conversation we’d discussed A Little Life and for some reason I just substituted one with the other!

I've read the book, and saw the play last week. It really does strip out the tragic, depressing and shocking moments of the book and hurtle through them one after the other. The intensity and horror is unremitting, and four hours is a long time.

The friendships that carried the book aren't given much time in the play - Malcolm is a non event, Willem is flat, and while JB has more personality I wanted to see more of him.

JN incredible, as others have said, but the acting couldn't make up for the relentless misery without respite.

About half an hour from the end I began to find the whole spectacle ridiculous, as if my brain and emotions gave up at that point. Several people left at various points. It's a hard watch, with little of the cushion the book gives. I wish they'd allowed more time for the characters and friendships and cut down some of the plot.

I have seen the play.

I would not have cast JN based on the book’s description of Jude and agree that I saw him as more of a fragile build (as a previous poster mentioned, someone like Eddie Redmayne).

However, JN is excellent in the role and the acting by all the cast is excellent. The shortcomings are in the inability (in the time available) to portray the friendship elements and the more uplifting parts of the book so that you do tend to move from one traumatic moment to another.

JN is not naked for huge amounts of the play (barely (no pun intended) at all in the first half) but from time to time and Willem is also naked at one point. There is, however, a lot of blood and antiseptic.

I am glad I saw it (not least because of the strong performances) but think you need to have the read the book first.

This is so annoying as I tried so hard to get a ticket for opening night month ago!

But also because I'm now worried the steep price I have paid won't be worth it 😳

@Kanaloa where did you find the details of the cinema screening?

Did you leave as soon as you could?

No, lots of applause, rightly so as the actors were excellent.
There was lots of obvious crying from the audience towards the end, I didn't cry, I was stunned I think.

This is what I felt about the book. However, the play is coming to a cinema near me soon so I may go and see it just to judge what it’s all about. Did it follow the book closely? I struggle to see how the flimsy character development and misery porn type stuff would be made gripping in a play.

I hated almost every second of the play. If I could've walked out without disturbing people I would have. I'd forgotten what I thought of the book... Bought a last minute cheap ticket for opening night.

I didn't think it was amazing or brilliant and I've been a big fan of the director's theatre previously.

Trite bollocks. Not good enough to make up for the constant torture. Eventually became farcical, ridiculous.

I went on Thursday night, this is what I put on my FB straight after

Oh gawd, what am I letting myself in for?