Play: Hymn

Today - well, Up in the Cheap Seats watched Hymn last night. Of course, I couldn't make that time, so watched on my own. It's live-streamed from the Almeida, last day today, so the only show I could make was today's matinée. And I'm glad I took the organiser's advice to book early, as the last one sold out - this one did, too! (As I learned from last week's Graham Norton Show, where one of the stars of the play was a guest. And proved himself an excellent dancer.)

I logged into the Almeida website early, where the livestream of Hymn actually starts an hour beforehand - but the performance doesn't start immediately. Anyway, in the meantime, they show a couple of background videos. It's shocking to hear how even a sell-out show only provides 40% of what they need to keep running - alongside box office receipts and a grant, they must raise £2 million every year in donations! Crazy - especially for a theatre that produces such excellent material.

Sadly, I don't count this play among such material. A Q+A afterwards at least explained to me, to some extent, what I should have got from the play - the story, basically, starts with a funeral, which is the meeting point for two men that subsequently form a close bond. The next 90 minutes consists of a series of chats that they have, in which they discuss their lives. And there's some very nice singing.

I guess I could have found something interesting in such a play - but I didn't. Not much of their life experience resonated with me, nothing really happens with the plot. I fell asleep, I think - didn't miss anything. Even the Q+A, which at least had more content, wasn't interesting enough to distract me from doing other things. I'm sure there are people that will gush about this - it is well written and well acted - but it left me completely cold. Oh well, I needed a nap.

Tomorrow, Up in the Cheap Seats is watching Angels in America (Part 1 - Millennium Approaches), a National Theatre production. Again, would you believe it, not at a time I can make - they're starting early, but it's very long. Well, this is one you can rent at any time, and watch on demand for three days after - so I've rented it. Hey, it's cheaper than your average NT production.. Curiously, priced at £6.66. Coincidence..?