944 Stay up all night
“The opening night of "Les Misérables" came to an end. After the performance, the audience's thunderous applause lasted for fifteen minutes. The crew members came on stage five times to take curtain calls, but they still failed to satisfy the audience's expectations and excitement. , after five curtain calls, the applause still echoed for nearly two minutes, and then the curtain reluctantly came to an end..
A true interpretation of enduring. This is a glorious scene that has not been seen in the West End of London for many years..
After entering the 21st century, the West End has fallen deeply into the quagmire. In the past twelve long years, only two plays have achieved real success. The 2008 musical "Out of My World" ” and the 2010 musical “Matilda,” both of which focus on children..
But even for these two works, their success is still far behind what it was fifteen or twenty years ago - they simply cannot match peak dramas such as "Miss Saigon" and "Phantom of the Opera" , it can only barely reach the industry average level of that year..
Tonight, "Les Misérables" at the Almeida Theater has once again regained its glory. Even compared with "Les Misérables" at the Queen's Theater at its peak, it is not inferior. More importantly, this is a six-part production. Hours of play, such a long and daunting experimental work, has resulted in the most successful audience response of the twenty-first century..
Five curtain calls! Fifteen minutes of applause! The whole place was thunderous! At the peak of the 1970s and 1980s, this was also a premiere response that was enough to shock everyone..
Of course, this is just the premiere, and this is just the audience. The reason why the Queen's Theater version of "Les Misérables" is called brilliant; the reason why "Out of My World" and "Matilda" are considered to be performances Failure to reach the peak, the difference is naturally not in the brilliance of the opening night, but in the subsequent performances and the longevity of the box office.
Take "Jump Out of My World" as an example.
This play officially debuted in 2008 and has been on stage ever since. After the first version starring Tom Holland, the team of young actors has been replaced several times, and there is still no crisis of withdrawal in the short term. Their attendance is very stable, not a hit, but they are always profitable and attract new audiences..
There is indeed a gap between such results and the popular dramas at their peak..
The opening night of the Almeida Theater recreated the grand occasion of twenty-five years ago, but this was only the first step; next, the play's overall release momentum, overall reputation and box office will be replaced. After the casting, how attractive it is to the audience is the real test..
Before the test of the future comes, this is the first hurdle that the new version of "Les Misérables" must pass..
In the film industry, the opinions of film critics are one of the important reference standards, but they are not the key to determining the direction of the box office..
For example, popcorn movies often face more challenges in terms of reputation among critics. The "Twilight" series and the "Transformers" series, which are more criticized by critics and perform better at the box office, are typical examples; another example is film critics. Some movies that are not too popular may hit the preferences of certain groups of people. Romantic love movies, movies that spread religious beliefs, and certain black movies can still reap good box office results..
In the final analysis, a movie is a commodity. As long as this commodity caters to the preferences of its audience, it can achieve good results. Film critics are only part of the audience..
But drama is different. The critic's opinion is the key factor that determines the outcome..
Although both London's West End and Broadway have many amateur audiences, who may be tourists or onlookers who join in the fun, it is a problem for them to choose repertoire, so they often choose the most popular repertoire, or get close to Promotion from friends or recommendations from authoritative people.
In other words, the audience of drama is inherently very narrow, that is, those specific groups of people who have a deep interest in and research on art, literature, and performance. This art form is inherently niche and special, and can be compared to Literary films, independent films.
Therefore, professional audiences or senior fans are actually the same audience group as drama critics. The only difference is that drama critics make a living by doing this. They are more professional, more authoritative, and more profound. Their opinions are It can often provide first-hand reference materials to the audience, and the audience will also buy it..
It is precisely because of this that works praised by theater critics can often achieve correspondingly excellent market responses. Even those experimental works with highbrow lyrics can occupy a place in London's West End as long as they have real materials..
On the other hand, bad reviews from theater critics will quickly turn into a flood of negative feedback. Audiences may enter the theater to watch the show out of curiosity or research, but the performance often does not last long..
People in the industry always say this: the pen of a theater critic is enough to ruin a play..
Similar plots even appear in the creation of movies and plays. Theater managers beg theater critics to show mercy, and they are willing to pay a high price even if they delay publishing negative reviews for a few days; or perhaps the theater critic has a relationship with someone. An actor had a personal grudge, such as love and hatred, and then deliberately wrote a negative review, completely ruining the actor's future..
This sounds a bit magical, but in the drama circle, it is real. It still exists in 2012, but thanks to the existence of the Internet, the comments of drama critics are no longer the only criterion. People also Communication and understanding can be carried out through the Internet, which to a certain extent alleviates the situation of drama critics covering the sky with only one hand..
Now, the Almeida Theater's version of "Les Misérables" is facing such a test. How will theater critics evaluate it?？
After the performance, Alistair Smith did not rush home and immediately began to write a play review; instead, he left the Almeida Theater for a walk, walking on the cold but lively streets of London at night, without any purpose. Just using my own feet to explore in the night.
As the crowd left, the midnight bell had already struck, but the faces of all the audience were filled with excitement and excitement that could not be dissipated for a long time; reporters gathered around the entrance of the theater, eager to interview the audience's thoughts. , trying to piece together the complete outline of today’s play.
Alistair bid farewell to his colleagues and walked alone in London at midnight. He needed to calm down and clear his thoughts. The six-hour play was filled with countless contents, and a huge amount of information was released, and he needed to digest it well. and understanding, finding a clear clue among the complicated thoughts, connecting everything together.
Just because I like this work, I need to be more cautious.
After walking for more than an hour, he hailed a taxi and returned home. However, after returning home, Alistair was still not in a hurry to write. He opened a bottle of red wine, sat on the sofa, and let it go. Listening to the sound coming from the TV, sipping the red wine and enjoying such a beautiful day.
It’s been a long time since we lasted like this; I once again enjoyed the beauty of drama, and once again got a glimpse of the essence of drama. This is something that cannot be replaced and eroded by Internet culture in the fast food era, and it is also the core of the long-term inheritance of art. He admired John -Corder's courage, and even more admiration for Renly Hall's determination.
It wasn't until about three o'clock in the morning that Alistair, whose heart was racing and still overwhelmed with emotion, began to write..
“I've been trying to find the right words to describe this play, but I've failed.
Because this is not only a work of art, but also a picture of the times. It majestically outlines the era when people were in dire straits, lives were in ruins, and morals were broken, and then it vividly outlines the people who lived at that time. In this way A work that is so grand, so beautiful, and so moving that the language loses its color.
Needless to say, this is a masterpiece. Is it perfect? I reserve my attitude; but I am willing to give this work high respect and respect. So, maybe, perfect is a suitable word.
John Codd has really started to develop his skills in drama. Both the script and the stage have reached a magnificent peak, starting from a small character and ending with a small character. The little character at the beginning is burdened with the weight of the times and struggling; the little character at the end breaks free. The shackles of the times are reborn.
As Charles Dickens once said: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the epoch of wisdom, it was the epoch of foolishness; it was the epoch of faith, it was the epoch of doubting.
Dickens once sketched out the scenes of London and Paris during the industrial period with his vigorous and profound brushwork. Similarly, Victor Hugo sketched out the Paris era with his compassionate, delicate and magnificent brushstrokes..
Now, John Codd has re-presented this era and interpreted the core of what Dickens and Hugo expounded. There is no doubt that Codd achieved a great victory in this artistic exploration and adventure..
This may be the most worth-watching play in London's West End in the 26 years since the Queen's Theater version of 'Les Misérables' was launched..
If viewers still have doubts about the six-hour length, then I'll give you a reason you can't refuse: Renly Hall.
This 22-year-old actor presented the greatest and most moving part of the performance, perfectly combining emotions and characters, characters and stories, and stories and times, with smart and delicate, vast and magnificent performances. The performance injects soul into the whole play, which truly belongs to the soul of Victor Hugo.！
Watching Hall's performance is a real enjoyment. Like a symphony, soft and majestic, harmonious and exciting, that dazzling light has become the light that will always shine on the stage of the Almeida Theater. Indeed, I The vocabulary is so poor and limited that it cannot describe even one tenth of the excitement of watching it live, because drama always belongs to the theater.
Every audience is welcome to enter the Almeida Theater, watch this play, and enjoy the beauty of six hours. Jesus Christ, for the first time, I discovered that six hours is really too short..”
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