Michael Grandage season already taken ?2.5 million

[Princeton Returns]

The Michael Grandage theatre season, which includes a host of stars and a flood of £10 tickets, has sold a record £2.5?million worth of seats since I revealed its debut line-up two weeks ago.
Grandage’s West End revolution has become a sensation.
As this page was first to report, the director has persuaded some of the stage’s brightest lights, including Simon Russell Beale, Judi Dench, Jude Law, Daniel Radcliffe, Sheridan Smith, David Walliams and Ben Whishaw, to star in five plays, each having a three-month run at the Noel Coward Theatre.
The season will kick off on December 1, with Russell Beale in Privates On Parade.
John Logan’s new play Peter And Alice will follow, with Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw portraying Alice Liddell Hargreaves (who inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice In Wonderland) and Peter Llewelyn Davies (who provided the spark for J.M. Barrie to pen Peter Pan).
Daniel Radcliffe stars in the season’s third production: Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple Of Inishmaan.
It will be Radcliffe’s second appearance on the London stage. He starred in How To Succeed In Business Without Even Trying on Broadway. But the actor said his year in New York was enough.
Sheridan Smith and David Walliams will play Titania and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Grandage told me he wanted the play to be the ‘sexiest Dream ever’. I was most amused to see his quotes appear all over the world.
The fifth and final production in the inaugural season will see Jude Law give us his Henry V while, as Grandage put it, he still possesses ‘youthful vigour’.
Obviously, not all the seats are £10. Just 200 are at that price for every performance. Others are £27.50 and £57.50.
But to sell £2.5?million worth of tickets in a fortnight for a series of non- musical plays is extraordinary, and a testament to the fact that serious theatre is still a potent force in the commercial West End.
It also makes an argument for playhouses to stay that way and not allow themselves to be turned into houses for musicals.
At least two major theatres for dramatic plays or comedies have been lost to musicals on Shaftesbury Avenue, which is a shame.
Once, a producer could assemble a first-cast play, director and stars and find a theatre within a few months. Now, the choicest houses are so scarce they have to be booked six months to a year in advance.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2166161/Going-wild-West-End-record-breaking-2-5million-worth-10-seats-sold.html#ixzz1z7uC1tzs

[Jonwo]

The plays do have star casting so it's unsuprising that it's got a great advance for the season. I do agree with Baz that it's a shame that some playhouses are hosting musicals, some of which are past their prime.

[jaqs]

Its pretty great given the pricing structure and the long wait til the first show.

I'm less bitter about long runners in playhouses at the moment given all the terrific 12 week seasons we're getting.
With the royal court stuff at the dutchess and the grandage season and whats coming up at the harold pinter things are pretty fantastic.

[Phantom of London]

£50 of that is mine.

[theatrepaul]

This season was always going to be a massive hit given the star casting for each of the productions coupled with the pricing structure. I do hope that as the shows are all so far off, a percentage of tickets will be held back for sale either on the day or just in advance of each production as planning so far ahead is really difficult.

[jaqs]

They've already announced there will be £10 dayseats.
I'm glad if I want to see any of it twice it gives the option though I imagine it could mean a very early start. I remember the returns queue for Jude laws hamlet being huge.

[FrontRowDress]

Saw Privates on Parade last night and it's not aged well. A blast when Simon Russell Beale is on, and when he is on he is ON, but it sags when he is not centre stage and it's a definite period piece. Another alternative to panto for the adults I suppose and the Vera Lynn number is very cleverly staged, but I felt a wee bit uncomfortable at times. More on the blog if that's not enough.
Privates On Parade

[Mark_E]

2.5 million is only around 100 tickets at top price per evening. Still a lot of seats to be sold!

[songanddanceman2]

Oh please, my theatre company's season has already taken 100s of pounds lol

[Stewart A]

Where are the £10.00 day seats? When I went for Privates On Parade I was told they were only in the upper circle or balcony. Day seats for other shows I have seen have always been front row of the stalls albeit £25.00. In the end I got a £27.50 seat in the dress circle which was classed as restricted view as it was on the side but it was fine and I just had to lean forward a bit for some of the scenes.

I agree with what was said about Privates and that the show mostly came to life when SRB was on stage. I looked forward to him coming back on stage when he went off. The story was interesting enough and the other actors were good but SRB was the shining light in the production and it didn't live up to the rave reviews I read. I was surprised at the noticeable number of empty seats in the stalls when I saw it and that was on a Saturday night.

[theatrepaul]

I was surprised that some of the cheapest tickets weren't front stalls seats as is usually the case with such offers, especially day seats.

[theatrepaul]

Have just returned from seeing Privates on Parade. What a dated, tired play it is. I felt for the cast who were very good but have little to work with here. A very disappointing evening. I hope the remainder of the season proves better

[Princeton Returns]

hi mark, i posted this article 6months ago, im sure lots more seats have been sold since

[Sean2]

Saw it yesterday and the stalls at least were full. But what the hell was that? Michael Grandage did a horrible job! Apart from the lovely SRB who imbues everything with humanity and the witty choreography, the rest of the piece looked like it had been thrown together at the last minute with no thought. No fault to the cast either -- they were fine.

Agreed that it's a period piece, but that's no excuse to not even try.

[theatrepaul]

Sean2 Good to know I'm not the only one who didn't like it. I'm surprised at what Michael Grandage saw in this piece to make it worthy of inclusion in this season of plays? For me, it's just too dated and not worthy of revival.

I hope later production sin the season will prove to be much better!

[theatrepaul]

Sean2 Good to know I'm not the only one who didn't like it. I'm surprised at what Michael Grandage saw in this piece to make it worthy of inclusion in this season of plays? For me, it's just too dated and not worthy of revival.

I hope later production sin the season will prove to be much better!