Last night Stuart and I went to see Ivo van Hove's production of new musical Opening Night at the Gielgud Theatre in London's glitzy West End.
Hmmm. Not brilliant.
First the good stuff; van Hove's usual visual flourishes of on-stage video were all present and correct. The free-flowing, almost improvised style was there too. Rufus Wainwright's music and lyrics were pleasant enough. And the talented cast of Sheridan Smith, Hadley Fraser, Shira Haas, Nicola Hughes, Amy Lennox, John Marquez, and Benjamin Walker were all very good.
It's just the songs were all a bit bland. The acting equally so. And the script utterly under-whelming.
The plot - based on John Cassavetes' film - simply went nowhere. A theatre company is preparing to stage a new play on Broadway. "But drama ignites backstage when their leading lady is rocked by tragedy, and her personal turmoil forces everyone to deliver the performance of their lives." (or so it says here.) It actually got a bit boring.
Self-indulgence and theatrical naval-gazing are all well and good when you like spending time with the characters. I didn't.
⭐️⭐️
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