Has anyone had worse luck at the Theatre?

[CurlewKate]

Booked tickets to see Nye ages ago. Proper treat so expensive seats. Got an email a few days before to say that Michael Sheen wasn't appearing. Oh well. Decided not to go, so took NT credit. A few days later got £20 tickets, so excited again. As we were queuing to go in there was an announcement- Sheen's ill.
Still enjoyed it-fantastic production and the understudy did a fantastic job with such big shoes to fill. But really? Which theatre gods did I upset?

I had a similar experience - travelled to the NT twice (400 mile round trip each time) to see a play written by my oldest friend and the lead actor was ill both times. Really wanted to see it with him in but it wasn't to be!

@MargotMoon that's worse!😢 We're only 45 minutes in the train away.

Obviously I don't know how close the understudy was to what MS would do, but there is the option to see it with MS at a cinema via NT Live.

I saw it yesterday and was expecting to enjoy it but the last thing I saw was The Motive and The Cue, which was so good I wasn't sure Nye could be better.

It was amazing. I cried and I am a cold hearted old bag.

Although in answer to the question in your title - maybe Abraham Lincoln?

Very good 😁

Ha ha, excellent response

Love this!

That is disappointing when really that performance is the draw of the play - plenty of plays work well even with a different cast but seeing MS in that particular part would be the only reason I booked tickets for that play.

We have been to a touring opera company which had clearly been hit by flu as all 4 lead roles were played by understudies, one being walked by a backstage person with the singer in the wings.

Massive applause at the end for them managing to pull it off.

I bought DH tickets to see Aladdin in London for our first wedding anniversary, booked a weekend trip, got into the theatre, sat waiting for the show to start and hear an announcement saying there was no water coming into the building for toilets, drinks, etc so the show had to be cancelled. We'd travelled from Newcastle.

Had to reschedule and rebook more trains and a hotel!

Booked tickets 5 months in advance to see Stephen Mangan and Matthew MacFadyen as Bertie Wooster and Jeeves (respectively) at the West End.

Arranged for my parents to drive 100 miles to stay for the weekend with the children (bless them! I have very kind parents), booked a hotel, got the 3hr train to London.

2 hours before curtain came the message two of the three-person cast had a virus and couldn’t perform. Performance cancelled.

Excellent response

I have to say though, I go for the 'whole production' rather than one actor.
I'd go so far as to say often when there is a big star in a role, it can sometimes distract from the production as it can become all about them.

(Not saying that for Michael Sheen, or Nye particularly - I've not seen them).

Travelled to Germany for a concert, and found out as we approached the venue the lead singer was ill and it was cancelled.

These are good.

Booked 'The Importance of being Earnest' only to realise ds2 was studying GCSE 'An Inspector Calls'.

In general I agree with you there - and in fact had to get past a mild dislike of Michael Sheen in this case - but I do think this was a significant bit of casting given his personal views about, and passion for, the NHS.

I also think that where money and opportunity to go to the theatre is short, it's not unreasonable to prioritise seeing particular performers as well as particular productions.

You had a lucky escape. We thought it was embarrassingly bad.

Ha! People have very varied tastes. We got a last minute ticket 4 weeks later and friends had the kids so we could see it. We thought it was great!

@NewName24 "I have to say though, I go for the 'whole production' rather than one actor."

Me too-but I REALLY wanted to see Sheen in this show-for both fannish and political reasons.

@Snooperdoop That is a very excellent joke!

@Snooperdoop I absolutely loved The Motive and the Cue. Surprised myself by crying at the end....

We booked to go to Bath a couple of years ago to see the last night of Murder on the Orient express (the first time it had ever been performed on stage) also booked to stay the weekend in Bath so hotel, restaurant etc. The afternoon before got an email to say several members of the cast had come down with covid so performance cancelled.

Went to see another Agatha Christie a few weeks ago and a member of the audience was taken ill. I thought it was part of the act at first as they actually shouted "is there a doctor in the house". Performance was delayed about an hour.

He's been ill for a lot of the run, which is really sad both for him and for the people who missed out on seeing him. He was off in Disneyland Paris with his kids a few weeks back and probably picked up germs then!!

I sobbed at the end too!!

I saw Nye and Michael Sheen was excellent in it (sorry OP) but £20 tickets is amazing and so that sounds like a good value disappointment at least. Go and see him in it at the NT live instead.

I have what appear to be the world’s worst seats to see David Tennant in November and can almost guarantee he will be ill AND I’ll be in front of a post.

I dislike seeing big names at the theatre for this reason, I can’t take the stress!

Oh yeah the good old Harold Pinter theatre!

@StarsHideYourFir3s "I sobbed at the end too!!"

I appeared to be the only crying person in my bit of the theatre. People were smiling indulgently....