Curtain up Old Vic welcomes back live audiences with sell-out show
AN historic Bristol theatre finally reopened yesterday after months of closure. Bristol Old Vic last welcomed a live audience in December, and since then has been staging virtual events to keep itself afloat.
While its online shows have proved popular, the theatre and its fans have craved the return of live action to the main auditorium.
One of the most popular performances to be staged at the historic King Street venue in recent years returned to mark its grand reopening.
Touching the Void’s world premiere in 2018 marked the relaunch of the theatre, which was originally built in 1766, after a multimillionpound redevelopment.
The “daring and imaginative tour-de-force” of a show went on to earn a wealth of five-star reviews before embarking on a West End run and UK tour, leaving audiences up and down the country reeling with its nail-biting plot.
The theatre decided to bring it home for a three-day run.
Although tickets are sold out, each performance is being live streamed for home viewers, with tickets on sale on Bristol Old Vic’s website.
Bristol Old Vic is combining the intimacy of live performance with the technical power of digital theatre to create a “binaural, multicamera, and totally live story,” allowing people at home to experience the show from every heartstopping angle.
Tom Morris, artistic director of Bristol Old Vic, said the theatre will “come back stronger” after the latest period of closure.
He said: “We’ve been kept alive throughout the pandemic by the Government’s support and the loyalty of our audiences.
“Responsibility comes with this, and in the depths of lockdown we’ve also had a chance to reflect on the things we did well and the things we need to improve at after the pandemic.
“We are determined to build on the successes of recent years but also to come back stronger, more connected, more welcoming and more entertaining than ever.
“This mini-season of summer work shows our first step in that direction and our renewed determination to welcome and celebrate every area and community of our beautiful city.”
Directed by Tony Award-winning Tom Morris and based on Joe Simpson’s bestselling memoir turned Bafta-winning film, David Greig’s thrilling adaptation charts this breathtaking struggle for survival.
Perched on an unstable snowcliff and battered by freezing winds, Simon is desperate to rescue his injured climbing partner who hangs from a rope below him.
Meanwhile, Joe teeters on the brink of death and despair in a crevasse from which he can’t possibly climb to safety.
Life-affirming and often darkly funny, Touching the Void takes the audience on an epic adventure that asks how far you’d be willing to go to survive.
The West End cast return for this limited one-week run in the theatre. Josh Williams returns to the role of Joe Simpson, alongside Angus Yellowlees as Simon, Patrick McNamee as Richard and Fiona Hampton as Sarah.
Bristol Old Vic is collaborating with original co-producing partners Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Royal & Derngate Northampton, Fuel and Fiery Angel, who presented the West End run in association with Ambassador Theatre Group Productions.
❝ We are determined to come back stronger, more connected, more welcoming and more entertaining than ever
Tom Morris