Well it’s a clear sign I’ve hit my thirties when I can no longer hack a three-hour concert and miss newsletter day from being so tired… Yep, I went to the Eras tour on Tuesday! So writing this week was a bit of a struggle as I continue to nurse my achy feet and attempt to stop napping during the day. But here’s another review for you to enjoy, plus the usual news, offers and updates.
AD - GIFTED. I received free tickets to this show, however my review remains completely impartial!
Thanks to LBO Theatre for the tickets to Farm Hall that’s currently playing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. I was really intrigued by the concept which is based on a true story - set during World War II, a group of Germany's top scientists have been detained at a stately home in the UK. When the news comes through that the Americans have succeeded in building and using an atomic bomb, they discuss the effect and ethics of the development of nuclear science.
The play is well under two hours including interval, and it is both enough time and not enough time to develop the story. Act one is purely an elongated look at the pressure cooker that is life imprisoned in the house. It ends with the news of the bomb, and act two's look at the fallout just doesn't go into enough depth.
There are some really interesting conversations on the feeling of almost being 'those people' behind the devastation, but there was no real acknowledgement of the horrendous outcome of the scientific breakthrough. It was almost insensitive as they spoke more about their moral conscience over the events, and how to explain away their scientific failure, than the deaths themselves. It was an interesting concept but it just didn't go about it the right way.
There are some funny moments and the relationship between the men is well-written in the first act, but with that not being the point of the play it does make the first half seem unnecessary. There’s some great acting on show though, and I'm sure some people will take something from the debate. I sadly just felt it was underdeveloped and lacked sensitivity in places.
If you do fancy it and want to draw your own opinion on the piece, LBO Theatre currently has some brilliant £15 tickets to the play. It is running in the West End until the end of the month.
Happy ticket-buying!
Rochelle 🎭🎫
Carrying the banner
In the news this week…
I’m kind of a big deal
London Theatre Week is back again! You can get reduced-price tickets from just £15 to over 75 shows around London, including some West End greats. There’s some brilliant discounts to be had! It also applies to dates across the coming months so there’s loads of performances to choose from. It usually gets extended beyond just a week, but of course there’s no guarantee and the best seats will sell out first. The offer is available with many different ticket-selling agents but here’s just a few to choose from below…
Hey big spender
Here’s your discounts, offers and cheap seats this week.
🚨 Free theatre klaxon! Some great free shows are available on TV right now. The most recent tour of Titanic the Musical will be showing on Sky Arts on Mon 26 Aug at 7pm. You can also stream In the Heights on BBC iPlayer at the moment.
🚨 More free theatre! Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures is bringing back its Doorstep Duets - free dance performances in local communities across the UK! You can see the full schedule here.
🏃 New rush alert! Three shows added to the TodayTix rush pool this week… The Bush Theatre’s transfer of Shifters has £25 rush tickets. The Old Vic’s The Real Thing will have £20 rush tickets, and Why Am I So Single? will have £25 rush tickets (both of which open next week).
Don’t forget, on top of London Theatre Week, we still have the brilliant Kids Week and ATG Summer Saver offers.
There’s 50% off A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, with tickets from £11!
Get £12.93 tickets to There's a Monster in Your Show - or if you book by tomorrow and use code PROMO they’re £11.64!
There’s £20 preview tickets for Kim’s Convenience at Riverside Studios. Use code KIMSPREVRS, selected performances only.
Get £25 tickets to 23.5 hours at the Park Theatre.
And get best seats for just £29.50 for Theatre Royal Bath’s new production of The History Boys. Bank Holiday Monday only, use code BOYS2950.
Don’t throw away your shot
Competitions, on-sales and announcements.
Cate Blanchett will star in The Seagull at the Barbican next year. Public booking opens at 10am on Wed 9 Oct and there will be more than 100 tickets £20 for every performance!
Nassim Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit Red Rabbit is coming to the West End for the first time. A new celebrity star will receive the script on stage each night and interpret the show in their own way. There’s a brilliant list of names involved including . Tickets are on sale but some nights are already sold out.
I Wish You Well: The Gwyneth Paltrow Ski-Trial Musical is transferring to the West End! It will open at the Criterion Theatre on 12 Sep - tickets are on sale and there’s currently some ‘no fees’ ticket deals.
You Me Bum Bum Train will return for a new production in London in November. This one’s intriguing as it has very little information about it and you actually need to sign an NDA to experience it! You will need to enter the ticket ballot from 10am on 3 September - sign up to the mailing list for a reminder.
Derren Brown will be touring the UK next year with new show Only Human. Check individual venues for on-sale dates and info.
Fiddler on the Roof has extended at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre! There’s now another week of performances until 28 Sep. Don’t forget to check out my review of the show!
Save the date: Theatre Craft is back on 11 Nov! This is a fantastic free careers event for 16-30 year olds. Sign up to their newsletter to hear about registration.
One of my favourite gift brands, Bookishly, is doing a lovely collab with the National Theatre and they’re doing a giveaway of loads of Bronte-themed prizes to celebrate the release of The Other Other Bronte on NT at Home. Also if you buy something from the range you’ll get 50% off your subscription to the streaming platform for the first two months.
Speaking of gifts, Wicked fans will be pleased to know you can now pre-order the Lego collection to accompany the new film!
Win a brilliant prize package for The Book of Mormon in Manchester.
And finally, win tickets to Guys and Dolls thanks to Kids Week!
That’s all for this week. If you enjoyed the newsletter, please tell your friends. I’m also open to suggestions and requests for certain discounts, so do drop into my DMs. Right, time for a second night in for Eras tour recovery. 😴