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Post by NeilVHughes on Sept 29, 2019 10:49:49 GMT
Was there last night, believe they made the right decision as it was a central pane of glass floor.
The production itself came over as workmanlike, a little forced and shouty and lacking a certain something which I think is the dynamics, there is no consistency to the acting some using volume to fill the space and others their acting ability.
John Simms I thought was excellent, he was only beginning his descent and would like to see how his characterisation developed and also think it would have been better suited to the smaller Minerva where his intimate and nuanced performance would be more suited.
One thing I did like was how the witches ‘morphed’ into minor characters and therefore a consistent influence on the events.
Having seen the Antic Disposition production recently my expectations were higher than usual, compared to the recent National and RSC productions this pared back and simple production is definitely a step above.
Not sure if I will try to catch this again, if local I would, but not really worth the cost of an additional train trip.
Might be worth making this the formal thread in the Plays section for this production.
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Post by artnouveau on Sept 30, 2019 12:42:23 GMT
I'm planning to see this during the final week of its run, but am quite taken aback by the lacklustre reviews it has been getting. Only an average of 2 and 3 stars. I've always had special admiration for the works of John Simm and Dervla Kirwan, both on telly and on stage, so to see this getting poor reviews puts a damper in my excitement.
So anyone who has been can share their thoughts?
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Post by NeilVHughes on Sept 30, 2019 12:59:03 GMT
Was at the performance last Saturday which was cancelled just before the interval and therefore this is my impression of the first 1½ hours I saw but do concur with the reviews I have read.
The production is rather workmanlike, a little forced and shouty and lacking a certain something which I think is the dynamics, there is no consistency to the acting some using volume to fill the space and others their acting ability.
John Simm I thought was excellent, he was only beginning his descent and would like to see how his characterisation developed and also think it would have been better suited to the smaller Minerva where his intimate and nuanced performance would be more suited.
Not sure about Dervla Kirwan, she didn’t come over as persuasive and manipulative enough and felt that when Macbeth was beginning to waiver I would have chosen not to carry on sticking place or no sticking place.
One thing I did like was how the witches ‘morphed’ into minor characters and therefore a consistent influence on the events.
Having seen the Antic Disposition production recently my expectations were higher than usual, compared to the recent National and RSC productions this pared back and simple production is definitely a step above.
The e-mail has come through this morning offering a refund or a ticket to another performance, at the moment will likely request a refund.
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Post by meister on Sept 30, 2019 13:00:39 GMT
Saw half of it on Saturday before the stage got smashed. The set gives not much sense of location and the acting felt generally underpowered - maybe it was all going to kick off in the second act?!?! Difficult to recommend!
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Post by Sam on Sept 30, 2019 13:59:46 GMT
We saw the matinee on Saturday.
Having not seen a Shakespeare play before, this certainly didn't convince us to see another.
I thought Lady Macbeth was good, as was John Simm.
I found it hard to catch a lot of what everyone was saying, both because of the pace and volume of what they were saying, as well as not being familar with the language.
Kinda wish we'd been at the evening performance as the drama of the floor would've been entertaining and we'd have had a good reason not to have sat through the whole thing.
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Post by crabtree on Sept 30, 2019 15:13:19 GMT
so what exactly happened that caused the play to be cancelled?
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Post by altamont on Sept 30, 2019 15:37:01 GMT
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Post by emsworthian on Sept 30, 2019 16:59:43 GMT
I saw the Saturday matinee and I enjoyed the staging. I thought the lighting and sound effects were very atmospheric.
I agree with NeilVHughes that it was clever the way the witches were threaded into the action; one of the witches joins the murders when they attack Banquo but lets Fleance escape so helping to fulfil the prophecy and later it is one of the witches who is the messenger who tells Macbeth that Burnham woods are approaching.
My main criticism was that there was that I could see no chemistry between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, which is the crux of the play. Both gave subdued performances certainly in the first half; I thought in the second half both were stronger. There was little voice projection from the leads; I was right at the back and during the interval several people complained that they could not hear.
I've read a number of reviews online and they seem to be divided 50-50 between those who praised John Simm's performance but found the staging gimmicky and those who loved the staging but found the leads underwhelming. I'm afraid I am in the latter camp.
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Sept 30, 2019 17:37:32 GMT
Was there last night, believe they made the right decision as it was a central pane of glass floor. The production itself came over as workmanlike, a little forced and shouty and lacking a certain something which I think is the dynamics, there is no consistency to the acting some using volume to fill the space and others their acting ability. John Simms I thought was excellent, he was only beginning his descent and would like to see how his characterisation developed and also think it would have been better suited to the smaller Minerva where his intimate and nuanced performance would be more suited. One thing I did like was how the witches ‘morphed’ into minor characters and therefore a consistent influence on the events.Having seen the Antic Disposition production recently my expectations were higher than usual, compared to the recent National and RSC productions this pared back and simple production is definitely a step above. Not sure if I will try to catch this again, if local I would, but not really worth the cost of an additional train trip. Might be worth making this the formal thread in the Plays section for this production. They did that in New York with Ethan Hawke and Anne-Marie Duff a few years back. I didn't like it. Was confused, bitty and troublesome. A good concept and a nice try on a different take on the text. But in that production it didn't quite work |
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Post by youngoffender on Oct 1, 2019 12:48:41 GMT
As soon as this was announced, my first reaction was 'not another flipping Macbeth', and the indifferent response to the result seems to confirm my scepticism. I often think that Shakespeare suffers from being out of copyright: producers might think twice about staging yet another one (cast with familar but not stellar names) if he could command a hefty fee for the privilege, and if they weren't then seen as easy bankers to pull in the school trips and those who can't resist the cultural imperative that they will, nay must enjoy him.
Perhaps a decade-long moratorium on Shakespeare productions would do everyone good - not least the man himself.
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Post by Phantom of London on Oct 1, 2019 20:16:10 GMT
There is a dagger in Daniel Evans' smile.
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Post by peterbrook on Oct 25, 2019 7:46:23 GMT
Saw this yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it, as did the 15 year old GCSE student who was with me.
The verse speaking was very clear and John Simm and Dervla Kirwan were superb - up among the best Mr & Mrs M I have seen (though not as good as Judi and Ian).
I agree with thebenbucklaird's comments above about the way the witches"morphed" into minor characters and influenced events throughout the action. Both the 15 year old student and I felt this was very clever and effective, as was the speed and energy with which they moved.
Not a perfect production, but well worth seeing.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Oct 25, 2019 8:21:37 GMT
Merged. Comments about the production from the Curse thread in General have been moved to this thread.
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Post by Phantom of London on Oct 27, 2019 17:26:09 GMT
I enjoyed yesterday afternoon and agree with the above poster that John Simm and Dervia Kirwan were both a very good Mr and Mrs Macbeth. Macbeth is a firm favourite of mine as so many well known saying I used in common parlance. However the reviews for this have been poor so it was no different from the recent Globe/National/RSC production.
Chichester did a critically acclaimed version of this play in 2007, helmed by Rupert Goold, I would love to see that exact production being put on again, for a new generation.
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