The experience of live theatre can be much more affecting even with non-realist representation than film.

Yes, indirectly. Until the Victorian era, it was called the First Gallery, but they renamed it the Dress Circle because you were expected to wear evening dress. In some theatres it’s called the Royal Circle (especially if there’s a Royal Box) but that doesn’t matter much any more, since our royals are all philistines…

Most theatres in the West End have at least three levels: the stalls (orchestra), dress or grand circle (mezzanine) and the upper circle (balcony). It looks like theatres on Broadway are split between two and three levels: http://www.broadwayworld.com/seatingcharts/

I saw La Boheme at the Met with my friend for $25 each with the rush tickets. I’d never seen an opera before and thought it was kind of strange, but it was a cool experience and I’m glad I went. That’s a lot of culture for $25.

I saw it in London, in the last row of the mezzanine (I think you call it?)

I agree that people have misconceptions about what I’ll call ‘cultural’ performances for lack of a better word (all performances are cultural of course). I too live in a metropolitan area and there are quite a few free and cheap options for theater and music. Disney Concert Hall has $20 tickets for some performances…

Yeah, people gotta have the new PlayStation, $100+ Adele tickets, pay hundreds to travel to Times Square to freeze to death in a packed crowd to watch the ball drop on New Years (New York residents avoid Times Square like the plague) or pay hundreds to go watch NBA or baseball playoffs, but you’re elitist if you pay…

Thank you for making this point. I live in a major metropolitan area - you can see a symphony orchestra concert or an opera for under $30. People still have this impression that classical music (and by extension, musical theater) is for the snobby rich asshole people. The reality is that MANY pop/rock/etc acts command…

I am glad that I read reviews of this production of 1984, and now know that it doesn’t have the Eurythmics soundtrack tht the movie had (Richard Burton’s last screen performance!) so I won’t waste my money.

SMALL SPOILER ALERT

Brave New World and 1984 compliment each other.

Libraries?! What are you, some kind of communist?

Sweeney Todd is basically a cartoon, though. If you have the opportunity to see near anything by someone like Martin McDonagh, Caryl Churchill or Suzan-Lori Parks (just three favorites who have had similar articles written about performances of their plays within the past decade or so) and you’re almost sure to see…

I like them both. Both perfect and useful in compatible ways.

And a library card is free.

I wouldn’t personally go to see this because I am very well aware of my tolerance levels for physical violence, but I honestly think that if you aren’t deeply and viscerally disturbed by an onstage production of 1984, they probably aren’t doing it right.

Sadly, you’re being too optimist: the kind of Americans who need the most to read 1984 are the same ones who would read it and say “Thanks God Republicans protect us from this kind of Communism”...

It did actually sell out on Amazon earlier this year; I believe in January. Just did a google and I was right: