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Original poster

Has anyone had worse luck at the Theatre?

42 replies

CurlewKate · 18/04/2024 06:36

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?

OP posts:

StarsHideYourFir3s · 13/05/2024 17:22

CurlewKate · 13/05/2024 16:53

@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....

whaaaaaat Zadok the Priest sailing over the theatre with that outline of Burton facing the lights and people couldn't muster up more than a smile?! That was pure theatre magic.

Original poster

CurlewKate · 13/05/2024 17:29

@StarsHideYourFir3s It was me they were smiling indulgently at as we went out!

OP posts:

HohiyiKozbevi · 13/05/2024 17:33

@CurlewKate I have had worse luck than you though.

I've been wanting to see Hades Town for years. Delighted to discover it was coming to the UK in 2024. Booked our tickets in May 2023 to go see it in March 2024.

Then in September I was diagnosed with cancer, started chemotherapy and was later on booked in for surgery with an operation date 5 days before the theatre trip was due.

Needless to say I wasn't well enough after the operation but the theatre kindly allowed us to switch dates - they warned us that they had a policy to only do this once. So we shifted the theatre date to May. In happy news the cancer is gone so that's a big plus.

Then the day before we were due to go DC came down with a D&V virus and next morning I got the same bug too. So we didn't go.

Have bought new tickets for June but am assuming the Fates Themselves will cause something else to happen.

Oblomov24 · 13/05/2024 17:52

@LoreleiG Tennant in Macbeth, my friend got 2 tickets, which sold out in hours!

Newwindows · 13/05/2024 19:34

We went to Wicked and the man in front of me was close to 7 feet tall - no exaggeration! Every man who walked past him to get to their seat was at least a foot shorter.
I just watched the third of the stage I could see over his shoulder😂

Sparsely · 13/05/2024 19:44

I’ve had a lot of bad luck at the National over the last few years. Once it was cancelled. Once the lead was ill and the understudy stepped in, script in hand. Then another time it was late starting due to a prop malfunction. Previous 30 years, nothing.

Popworks · 13/05/2024 19:54

Late in 2019, I decided my resolution for 2020 would be to see at least one play a month and so I spent a fun weekend and a small fortune (for me!) buying tickets for a show for each month of year. We got to see shows in January, Feb and March before the world shut down (the March show we squeaked in 2 days before lockdown). I don't think I dare try it again after all the hassle of getting refunds etc!

FriNightBlues · 13/05/2024 19:56

I saw it on Saturday- was incredible. Standing ovation.

Also the wig deserves its own Olivier award.

Mrsjayy · 13/05/2024 19:57

CurlewKate · 18/04/2024 06:36

Has it been in the cinema yet at national theatre live? I saw it was coming to ours soon I'm considering going to see it. What rotten luck though. I hope he's OK he's a clichéd national treasure I love him.

drawnfrommemory · 13/05/2024 20:02

They didn't have an understudy for Mark Rylance in Jerusalem as the role was so much his - they ended up cancelling 3 shows so he could attend his brother's funeral but I think they added extra performances.

NewName24 · 13/05/2024 20:52

Oblomov24 · 13/05/2024 13:16

These are good.

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

That's hilarious (from where I'm standing, I suspect it wasn't in your house)

Oblomov24 · 13/05/2024 22:11

@NewName24
No.

TotalDramarama24 · 13/05/2024 23:22

I've been fairly lucky, although the last three times I have been (Back to the Future, Opening Night and Tina) some bastards have been sitting in my seat and I have had to ask them to move at the interval.

The worst thing that's happened to me at the theatre was last year at the Bob Marley musical Get Up Stand Up at the Lyric, we were sitting near the front of the stalls and I reached to pick up my drink from the floor and touched a live rat. It was so awful and then I saw a few more running around the seats. I couldn't concentrate on the show at all and shudder to think of it.

LoreleiG · 13/05/2024 23:36

Oblomov24 · 13/05/2024 17:52

@LoreleiG Tennant in Macbeth, my friend got 2 tickets, which sold out in hours!

Yes, I was delighted to get tickets… then went on seat view 😂

Snooperdoop · 14/05/2024 07:19

StarsHideYourFir3s · 13/05/2024 17:22

whaaaaaat Zadok the Priest sailing over the theatre with that outline of Burton facing the lights and people couldn't muster up more than a smile?! That was pure theatre magic.

Show quote history

It really, really was. I saw it via NT Live and definitely had a lump in my throat (although Zadok does that to me anyway).

As it was, a bit of my brain had been niggling at how they were going to end it, given they final scene was on the stage; it hadn't occurred to me that we might be behind them rather than in front, so when the lights went up like that I was completely blown away by it.

Beautiful.

Motheroffourdragons · 14/05/2024 07:38

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on behalf of the poster.

BibbleandSqwauk · 14/05/2024 08:00

David Tennant was due to be in Much ado about nothing with Catherine Tate years ago. ex DH and I were so excited, first big night out since baby was born etc. House lights went up not down and CT came on to say he had a bad back and wouldn't be appearing. The little boy in front of us *big DR Who fan I'm guessing) started crying and sat miserably through the whole Shakespearean play not having a cluse what was going on. The understudy was great but it was a disappointment. I did see him in Stratford though once which was v cool.
I do agree that the big name thing is a huge risk.

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