"Totally met all my expectations, and personally, even exceeded expectations, a real surprise!"

"Wonderful, totally wonderful! Lane Hall is definitely one of the best young actors in Generation Y, there is no doubt about it. God, I still can't get out of it, and a few performances are worth remembering. ”

'Yes, I'm really looking forward to the second half now. Three hours is a long time, but in fact, it's more of a high feeling than tiredness. It's been a long time since I've felt the charm of drama again. ”

"For me? I like the version of the Almeida Theatre. I know it's not for the general public's taste, because it's too long, and the Queen's Theatre version is still excellent, but personally, the Almeida Theatre version presents a grand picture of the original story, and can really taste the details. ”

"Drama is always a drama, and you need to sit and watch it in person to appreciate the true meaning. Ranley Hall, indeed, is outstanding, and I can now finally appreciate why so many people keep praising him. ”

……

After the first half of the performance, 550 spectators flocked out, and the entrance of the Almeida Theater was shrouded in a boiling warm current.

Journalists are eager to get first-hand information about the play, hoping to get a glimpse of the play, while other audience members are eager to exchange ideas, hoping to feel the live atmosphere of the play in just a few words. Of course, the audience who was begging for tickets was still holding up the signs, but they were doomed to disappointment.

Tickets for the opening night of Les Miserables, one of the hottest shows of the month of May were always priceless, with the £120 regular ticket being hyped up for £3,500 and then £5,000 – and one viewer couldn't resist the temptation to sell it, and it did sell for £5,000.

On the eve of the premiere, on the black market, ticket prices reached a new high, rising to £6,000. However, no one is for sale.

However, people have persevered. Since this "Les Miserables" is divided into two halves, and the tickets for the two halves can be purchased separately, it is conceivable that if the quality is not satisfactory after the end of the first half, or it is far below expectations, then a large number of tickets for the second half will inevitably be released-

Even if it's not 6,000 pounds, it's just 600 pounds, or even 300 pounds, it's a bargain than a deal.

As a result, there was a large number of opportunists gathered at the entrance of the Almeida Theater, from opportunistic ticket scalpers to eager loyal fans, as well as opportunistic middlemen...... However, they are all disappointed, unanimous, praised, word-of-mouth, and expectations not only did not fall, but also continued to rise.

"In the second half, it was even more exciting. ”

It sounds a little unbelievable, a six-hour performance, at the moment in 2012, it is simply written clearly on the top of the head "non-literary and young artists do not approach", but after the end of the first half of the three-hour performance, the three-hour second half of the performance has become the expectation of every audience-

Five hundred and fifty, each. Literally. Maybe...... Elle Hall was the only exception, and her thoughts were unknown.

It is unimaginable that the second-half tickets for "Les Miserables" are on the black market, and the popularity has risen instead of decreasing, and some people have offered a high price of 8,000 pounds in one go, which can be called madness. Perhaps, this is just a joke price, perhaps, it is destined to be impossible to buy tickets, but behind this figure is the popularity of the show and the strong appeal of the blue ceremony.

There are still two and a half hours to go before the second half is opened, and the West End fever has not stopped, little by little to climb to new heights. It's definitely one of the craziest events of 2012 in London, and there's nothing wrong with removing the "one".

The bustle and boiling outside slowly permeate every corner of the Almeida Theater, the flowers, laughter, and busy scenes in full swing all reveal a warmth and excitement, and the warm and cold weather in London seems to have smelled the breath of midsummer at this moment, which makes people involuntarily cheerful.

Ned Moulin's mood was a little tense.

Yes, nervous. Realizing his nervousness, Ned himself laughed dumbly.

As a veteran reporter for Empire magazine, Ned has naturally seen countless storms and waves, and more importantly, at the recent Berlin Film Festival, Ned interviewed Lan Li face-to-face, and the two had a very pleasant conversation. But today, thinking that he was about to see Lan Li again, the sweat in his palms and the nervous heartbeat still revealed his true emotions.

Noticing Ned's smile, theater manager Emma Fielding turned her head, "What's wrong?"

Ned chuckled, "Would you believe me if I said I was a little nervous right now?"

Emma didn't laugh at Ned, but suddenly took her jaw, "Trust me, I'm also very nervous right now. Interrupting the rhythm of the actors' performances during the first and second half breaks is no small feat. I'm also very emotionally stressed right now for the sake of my job prospects. ”

Such a response made Ned uncontrollable.

Accompanied by the theater manager, Ned entered the backstage of the Almeida Theater. The backstage of the theatre in London's West End is not a secret, but it is far more complicated than you think. The seemingly simple building contains a rehearsal room, a props room, a lifting platform, a waiting area for the side stage, and a waiting room for actors.

The oldest theatres in London's West End are built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, often named after the court, or the history of the neighborhood and its founders.

The Teatro Almeida is just a medium-sized theatre with a slightly cramped backstage.

At this time, the staff was carrying all kinds of giant props, and during the second half of the performance, the stage background props suddenly began to increase, such as the mansion of Jean-Argent after he became a merchant, such as the neighborhood where Marius and Anjura and others discussed important matters, and then the fortress of street warfare.

The experimental repertoire in both halves is a serious challenge, but in modern times, the six-hour experimental repertoire is often an artistic repertoire, and there are very few cases that require the use of large props, and "Les Miserables" is obviously an exception. On the one hand, the preparation for the second half becomes cumbersome, and on the other hand, the costs are also rising, and naturally, the risks are greater.

Now, the staff on the passage are coming and going, arranging all the props in an orderly manner, and at the same time, the props team, costume team, and makeup team are also preparing for the second half of the performance. Instead, the actors are nowhere to be seen.

As a representative of the magazine "Empire". Ned was the only journalist who was able to get backstage into the theater during the halftime break on premiere night. The only one is mainly due to the personal relationship between "Empire" magazine and the Almeida Theatre, otherwise countless media outlets have followed one after another, even if "Empire" magazine is among the top in the UK, it is definitely not so easy to get an interview.

Because all the media and all the reporters know that nominally, this is an intermission interview for the entire crew of "Les Miserables", but at the same time, it is also Lan Li's first interview since the Oscars. No one wants to miss out.

Thinking of this, Ned's palms couldn't help but start sweating again.

"Why is it that this show is only going to run for three months?" Ned and Emma started talking, "With such a huge investment, if the response is good, it needs to be performed for at least six to nine months, otherwise the audience will not agree." ”

"The premiere isn't over yet, and I don't want to judge too soon. Emma still showed modesty, but the joy between her eyebrows was not disguised.

Before the end of the show, Emma had a brief exchange with several senior drama critics, and the results were gratifying. "But the truth is, we wanted to be able to run it for a longer period of time, but this show is really too long, six hours, which is a burden for any actor. ”

"It's a challenge for the actors, for the theater, and even for the audience. Three months, which is a relatively safe choice. What's more, Lan Li is an extremely busy actor, and I don't want to keep him here for too long, otherwise the fans will definitely be disappointed. ”

Compared with movies, the influence of theater is still limited. Not every movie fan in London's West End, even in London, has the conditions and ability to come to London to see a play, even if the crew is on tour on Broadway.

"We signed a three-month contract with Lan Li, but the other young actors remained open. After three months, we can see how the performance will look and decide whether to continue the performance in the future, and if necessary, we can change the cast and rehearse. Emma simply sketched out the future of the play.

Six hours a day, six times a week. This is unbearable for any actor, so the theater has prepared two sets of lineups to perform alternately. If after three months, it will be continued, then the theater will inevitably have to train two other sets of actors for rotation.

"However, I have spoken privately with Lan Li about this. He said that even after three months, he would be happy to return to London's West End and perform again if he had the chance. Emma's steady eyebrows fluttered, a rarity for a seasoned theater manager, "I don't know if you've ever talked to Lan Li face to face, but when he stepped on stage, his eyes were really different. He is a natural actor. ”

"I know. Ned nodded in confirmation, and before they spoke, they were already in the waiting room, and there was a sound of giggling from inside, and they could feel the cheerful atmosphere before they could open the door.