The Times, "Breaking news: London's West End back in the public eye - long queues cause traffic jams to recreate the golden age of theatre!"
As the most well-known and largest newspaper in the UK, after entering the new century, it has encountered a strong impact from the Internet. The status of "The Times" has gradually returned to the mortal world. In terms of authority, it is on an equal footing with the "Guardian", and the elite readers are "" The Financial Times has overtaken, and its political influence has even been eroded by the Independent, but the Times is still slightly ahead in terms of public influence and social status.
There is no doubt that for most ordinary people, the readability and viewability of "The Times" is still in the forefront. Today, "The Times" chose to publish an entertainment news on the front page of the article focusing on the news, which is really rare.
In the report, "The Times" used the grand queuing at the Almeida Theatre as an entry point, and described in detail the frenetic scene in the West End of London yesterday. More than 1,800 people lined up, more than 10,000 people came and went, and even Triggered a frenzy of reporters' frantic interviews, and more than 300 reporters rushed to the West End of London to report as soon as possible.
All of this is just for a play that was pre-sold at 9:00 this morning, from yesterday to today.
Even reading this news on the newspaper print, there is still a sense of absurdity, like a surreal black comedy written by the writer, mocking the lack of traditional culture and literacy culture brought about by the rampant and domineering contemporary fast food culture.
But, this is The Times. So, this is the truth, and it is precisely because it is too shocking and too surprising that The Times gives so much importance to it. Following objective news reports, they further analysed the plight and distress faced by the West End over the past decade; they also analysed the impact of the drama on the West End.
A news report is evolving into an editorial.
What's more, The Times wasn't the only one reporting; with the official pre-sale of tickets for the Almeida Theatre, the news media across the UK were sensational!
"Who are the 350 pre-sale tickets going to?" was the headline of a report in The Guardian.
The Guardian focused on the number of "three hundred and fifty advance tickets", and told the background of the birth of the news:
In the past five to ten years, in addition to the time-honored classic plays such as "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Miss Saigon", the attendance rates of new plays staged in other theatres in London's West End have continued to decline, and the rate of decline is far faster than that. To imagine, even the attendance rate of some plays has been lower than 20%, which has caused the theater's operation to be difficult.
Even if it has won the Oliver Award or the Tony Award recognition, the box office is still far from ideal.
The premiere is the only exception for those brand new plays. However, it was not because the tickets were sold out, but because one-third or even half of the tickets would be distributed to special guests, easing the pressure on the box office; after the premiere, the sales of tickets were completely out of control.
The Guardian cited one of the most simple and intuitive examples: Daniel Radcliffe.
In 2007, this child star who made a name for himself by virtue of the "Harry Potter" series was only eighteen years old, his career was on the rise, and the series of movies have been continuously shooting; Breaking the image, Daniel chose to return to the West End of London to polish his acting skills on the stage.
Daniel participated in the performance of the stage play "Equus / Equestrian Maniac", and in the last ten minutes of the stage play, he took off his clothes one by one, turned red all over, and faced the audience. At the time, it was an absolute hot topic, and it even caused many parents of teenagers to write letters to protest.
The box office performance of "Equila" was really good. In the first week of its premiere, all the tickets were sold out; but the follow-up was weak, and the attendance rate went from bad to worse. In the end, it was only staged for three months. Porter's title fame, and the following year, "Equus" went to Broadway and performed again for three months.
Aside from the artistic work and quality level of the works, the commercial performance of "Equita" has been the most outstanding batch of works in the past few years.
"Sword Comes"
It is precisely because of the slump of the entire market that "Les Miserables" at the Queen's Theatre has been staged for nearly three decades and still has not been offline: tourists are filling the vacancies in the theater box office market.
Now, the Almeida Theater version of "Les Miserables" has only 350 pre-sale tickets, and it is a six-hour experimental repertoire, but it has attracted more than 1,800 spectators in line - not to join in the fun The bystanders, but the real hardcore audience, started to wait in line more than 36 hours in advance!
Don't say "horse", such a grand event has never been seen in the past ten or fifteen years. Really long time gone.
"Fifteen minutes. Three hundred and fifty tickets were pre-sold, and they sold out in just fifteen minutes! That's after the Almeida theater's purchase limit - they limit each audience to a maximum of two tickets, although In this way, in fifteen minutes, all the tickets are still sold out!"
The Guardian's exclamations were endless, and finally concluded, "Now, on the black market, Renly-Hall's version of 'Les Miserables' premiere tickets, originally priced at £120, have been hyped. At 3,500 pounds, and it keeps going higher: because there is a price but no market.
Under the wishes of countless people, the Almeida Theater has started the pre-sale of tickets for the first week of the premiere, so the long queue at the entrance of the theater will continue to be lively. The question now is, how long can it last? "
In addition to The Times and the Guardian, almost all the London media, and almost all the British media, have launched relevant reports and exclaimed one after another.
"Fifteen minutes, the premiere is sold out! Amazing frenzy in the West End of London!"
"Renly-Hall dominates London's West End, showing great box office appeal!"
"London's West End returns to its former glory: social media discussion tops the list!"
…
Within 24 hours, on Facebook, Twitter and the photo wall, Renly-Hall's version of "Les Miserables" has been completely refreshed, even out of the UK, and it is also a hot topic in Europe. First, the North American continent on the other side of the Atlantic also vaguely felt this frenzy.
Not the Queen's Les Miserables, but the Renly-Hall version of Les Miserables. A brand new cast, the essence of the original novel, a six-hour daring feat, and a three-month long performance contract... Every detail is a hot topic, triggering waves of discussions.
The "Les Miserables" crew of the Queen's Theatre also generously sent their blessings. They were interviewed by the media for the first time and expressed their expectations for the play.
Head producer Cameron McIntosh was full of praise, "Hugh and Tom have said it before, Renly is a very good actor. To be honest, I admire his courage, whether it is to challenge Ran -The role of Ajan is still a six-hour long show, which is a feat. Yes, I'll be at the premiere night party, and I'm ready for a baptism of shock."
Going back to The Times, in their report, they brought up a crucial factor: Renly Hall.
Having experienced the swiping of three films in 2011, the ups and downs of the "hype gate", and the continuous topping of the Grammys and Oscars, obviously, there is also the legendary experience of the album "Don Quixote". Step by step, Renly's reputation as an artist is being affirmed.
Does this mean that Renly has shed the "star" aura and is truly on the next level? It is not known for the time being, only the precipitation and recognition of the waiting time; but at least it is certain that Renly has a beginning.
It is different from the outstanding representative actors of the Y generation such as Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Williams, Jake Gyllenhaal, etc. Renly's every step is extremely solid, and at the same time, it is extremely shocking, especially after winning the Oscar statuette, when his prestige has reached its peak, people's inner doubts have also reached the extreme—
Did Renly rely on the sympathy points of the "hype gate" to complete the reversal at the last moment and gain a golden man? Is Renly good enough to beat George Clooney, Jean Dujardin, Brad Pitt? Even though Renly is very good, is he good enough to break the shackles of Oscar for more than 80 years at an ultra-low age of twenty-two
This is a professional questioning against Renly.
Not only Renly, but Natalie Portman also faced the same situation last year, especially the follow-up impact of "Body Door", and the aftermath continued; now Renly is facing a more severe situation. However, unlike Natalie, who chose to stay at home and recuperate, using the pretext of raising her children to avoid the limelight; Renly returned to the stage, standing above the West End, facing the challenge with absolute strength.
It is conceivable that "Les Miserables" is bound to be put under the microscope by people for research and criticism; what's more, drama critics are more cunning, harsh and strict than film critics. Moreover, without the advantage of the number of movie audiences, the fan effect will be further weakened, and the difference will really be seen by strength.
So, is Renly's return to the West End, a good thing or a bad thing? Could this drive prosperity across the West End? Or is it like a bubble, after a burst of noise, it is fleeting? Going a step further, if Renly's version of Les Misérables fails miserably, will it give those amateur audiences the wrong stereotype of the West End, and instead push the West End's crumbling theatre industry further into the abyss
A high degree of attention, this is a double-edged sword, and there is no way to know what will lead to the result. The Times still expressed concern.
However, this concern has not had time to spread, and the latest news has been updated:
In three hours, in just three hours, Almeida's tickets for the next week were all sold out, and the supply was still in short supply. Some audience members had already made requests, hoping that the theater could open up the pre-sale of tickets for all performances in the next three months.