The Pain & The Itch Outing - 26 June
From two mega West End musicals to one of the hottest new plays of the season - and another sell-out Whatsonstag.com Outing. Last night, we took 100 theatregoers to the Royal Court to see the UK premiere production of The Pain and the Itch.
The package for this event included a free drink. The bar at the Royal Court is always very buzzy – and busy. The cool bar staff there helped us out by setting up a special mini bar area just for Whatsonstage.com. Many of our theatregoers arrived early to grab their drink – and dinner – beforehand. At the interval, our queue snaked through the main bar, but with the help of two Royal Courters – pouring (as noted by several theatregoers!) very generous glasses of wine – everyone got served quickly.
Last week The Pain and the Itch was a hit with the critics. Last night the play proved a big hit with the (sell-out) audience as well. Our theatregoers clearly loved it, and wanted to hear more. As a result, we had a massive turnout for the post-show Q&A. And the turnout from the company was equally impressive.
We were always expecting (very gratefully!) Royal Court artistic director Dominic Cooke, who directed the play. We also had near full attendance from the cast - Matthew Macfadyen, Andrea Riseborough, Peter Sullivan, Amanda Boxer and Abdi Gouhad. And, as a very special bonus, we were joined by playwright Bruce Norris himself. Based in New York, Norris was in town during rehearsals and for last week’s opening. Happily for us, he decided to stay on for a few extra days this week.
You can read edited highlights from the discussion – tackling subjects including 9/11, anthrax, American accents, dislikeable characters and the Royal Court’s artistic policy – in our news story posted on the main site today.
The evening wasn’t without mishap. While waiting to go on for the Q&A, I spilled my glass of water backstage – dangerously close to some cables. Let’s just say, the technicians weren’t overly pleased. I hope Whatsonstage.com hasn’t caused so much damage at the Royal Court that we’re not invited back!
Anyway, we’ve added a few photos from the Q&A here. If you attended the event and took photos, please do email them to editorial@whatsonstage.com and we’ll share them here too. And of course, add your own comments about the event either here or on the main Discussion Forum. You can also add your verdict on The Pain and the Itch to our User Reviews for the show – and spread the word!
We look forward to seeing you all again soon.
- Terri Paddock, Editorial Director