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When is a first night not a first night? Sarah Crompton laments the rise of the theatrical preview
Those of you who follow such things - and I know that many of you do - can be forgiven for feeling baffled about when, exactly, David Hare's new play Stuff Happens actually opened at the National Theatre.
The stuff that happened in this case was that one national newspaper, the Guardian, bought tickets for the first preview, two weeks ago, and sent a team of special commentators along to give their opinions. They are perfectly entitled to do that, of course - anyone can buy a ticket for anything - but in so doing so they broke the established etiquette that allows a period of previews before an official "first night" when the press are invited and the critics give their verdicts.
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