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Post by Jan on May 1, 2024 17:30:28 GMT
Julius Caesar - Questors Theatre (Ealing)
This is really quite good. It is better than the last RSC production of the play but that is not saying much. Set in 1930s Italy. Don’t be put off by the fact it appears to be amateur theatre, the venue and auditorium are fantastic, far better than most commercial venues, and the creatives and cast are mostly drama school trained professional or semi-professional well up to fringe standard.
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160 posts
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Post by bee on May 2, 2024 6:38:27 GMT
Julius Caesar - Questors Theatre (Ealing) This is really quite good. It is better than the last RSC production of the play but that is not saying much. Set in 1930s Italy. Don’t be put off by the fact it appears to be amateur theatre, the venue and auditorium are fantastic, far better than most commercial venues, and the creatives and cast are mostly drama school trained professional or semi-professional well up to fringe standard. I saw this last night and also liked it. A brisk, solidly acted production. I only discovered Questors Theatre a couple of years ago in spite of living in the area for nearly 20 years now. I've been to a few productions since then and they have all been decently done, some better than others but as Jan says none would have looked out of place at one of the "proper" fringe venues. The venue is a 10 minute walk from Ealing Broadway station so worth checking them out if you live in West London.
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Post by Jan on May 2, 2024 6:49:49 GMT
Julius Caesar - Questors Theatre (Ealing) This is really quite good. It is better than the last RSC production of the play but that is not saying much. Set in 1930s Italy. Don’t be put off by the fact it appears to be amateur theatre, the venue and auditorium are fantastic, far better than most commercial venues, and the creatives and cast are mostly drama school trained professional or semi-professional well up to fringe standard. I saw this last night and also liked it. A brisk, solidly acted production. I thought David Erdos as Casca was outstanding. As Ealing Broadway is on the Elizabeth Line travel times from outside West London can also be reasonable.
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Post by cavocado on May 2, 2024 19:20:31 GMT
I also saw the Questors' Julius Caesar and enjoyed it. One thing I didn't understand was the significance of the schoolgirl being onstage throughout. I think she was reading a biography of Caesar and then occasionally playing a minor character. Can anyone shed any light on her purpose/significance?
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160 posts
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Post by bee on May 2, 2024 19:33:08 GMT
I also saw the Questors' Julius Caesar and enjoyed it. One thing I didn't understand was the significance of the schoolgirl being onstage throughout. I think she was reading a biography of Caesar and then occasionally playing a minor character. Can anyone shed any light on her purpose/significance? Not me, I was similarly perplexed by that. I've just had a quick scan of my programme and there's no hint in their either.
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Post by cavocado on May 2, 2024 19:47:25 GMT
I also saw the Questors' Julius Caesar and enjoyed it. One thing I didn't understand was the significance of the schoolgirl being onstage throughout. I think she was reading a biography of Caesar and then occasionally playing a minor character. Can anyone shed any light on her purpose/significance? Not me, I was similarly perplexed by that. I've just had a quick scan of my programme and there's no hint in their either. I wondered if it was a slightly clumsy way of representing 'us' - as in modern day citizens learning from history, hence the book? But why a schoolgirl? And why have her playing Caesar's wife with her school blazer still on? I thought I must be missing something.
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Post by Jan on May 3, 2024 8:50:28 GMT
I also saw the Questors' Julius Caesar and enjoyed it. One thing I didn't understand was the significance of the schoolgirl being onstage throughout. I think she was reading a biography of Caesar and then occasionally playing a minor character. Can anyone shed any light on her purpose/significance? My take on the framing device: She's studying Julius Caesar and reading a book about it and falls asleep and dreams the play. At moments she intervenes directly in the action at those points where prophecies are delivered - she's Caesar's wife telling him not to go to the forum and she's the soothsayer - because she's standing outside the action and already knows what's going to happen next. In addition she's fulfilling a Brechtian role in constantly reminding us that it's just a play we're watching so we are engaged politically rather than emotionally. I don't think it was particularly well done but it was an interesting approach. Of course things like that have been done before - in the Norris Macbeth I seem to recall the Porter was on stage almost the whole time fulfilling a similar role.
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Post by cavocado on May 3, 2024 16:22:00 GMT
I also saw the Questors' Julius Caesar and enjoyed it. One thing I didn't understand was the significance of the schoolgirl being onstage throughout. I think she was reading a biography of Caesar and then occasionally playing a minor character. Can anyone shed any light on her purpose/significance? My take on the framing device: She's studying Julius Caesar and reading a book about it and falls asleep and dreams the play. At moments she intervenes directly in the action at those points where prophecies are delivered - she's Caesar's wife telling him not to go to the forum and she's the soothsayer - because she's standing outside the action and already knows what's going to happen next. In addition she's fulfilling a Brechtian role in constantly reminding us that it's just a play we're watching so we are engaged politically rather than emotionally. I don't think it was particularly well done but it was an interesting approach. Of course things like that have been done before - in the Norris Macbeth I seem to recall the Porter was on stage almost the whole time fulfilling a similar role. That makes more sense - thanks Jan.
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160 posts
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Post by bee on May 8, 2024 7:07:53 GMT
Questors Theatre - The Slaves of Solitude
Back at Questors last night for this adaptation of a 1947 novel by Patrick Hamilton. It tells the story of Enid Roach, a single woman living in a boarding house just outside London during WW2.
This was OK. Initially I found it a bit dull. Some of the characters felt like stereotypes (especially the American soldiers) and the story also felt like the kind of thing we've seen before in dramas about the home front during WW2. The actors do a pretty good job however, so I eventually got drawn in and started to care. It's all pretty low key though, nothing especially dramatic happens,it's more of a snapshot of a few incidents in someone's life with a somewhat ambiguous ending.
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Post by lt on May 8, 2024 10:57:13 GMT
Julius Caesar - Questors Theatre (Ealing) This is really quite good. It is better than the last RSC production of the play but that is not saying much. Set in 1930s Italy. Don’t be put off by the fact it appears to be amateur theatre, the venue and auditorium are fantastic, far better than most commercial venues, and the creatives and cast are mostly drama school trained professional or semi-professional well up to fringe standard. In my experience, I don't think fringe standard is necessarily lower than WE at all? I suppose it depends on what you're calling fringe? But I've seen excellent acting at the Playground Theatre (definitely fringe), the Kiln, Bush, Menier, Riverside, Orange Tree, Park etc. I've done an acting course myself at Questors (I have no pretensions about my acting skills at all, definitely just for fun) but I wouldn't say the acting is on a level with professional theatre. I frequently heard the phrase "just as good as the WE" but from the productions I saw that was not the case.
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Post by marob on May 14, 2024 16:08:37 GMT
JB Shorts 24 - at 53two, Manchester. 6 short plays, all by established TV writers. It’s been going for 15 years, but I’d only heard of it because a performer I’d liked in something else was cast in this. Sadly the one he was in was a bit of a dud, but the rest were pretty good. Range from a very broad and very funny take on modern politics to a couple that were genuinely quite moving. Will be going back whenever there’s a 25th instalment.
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Post by Jan on May 14, 2024 17:31:44 GMT
Julius Caesar - Questors Theatre (Ealing) This is really quite good. It is better than the last RSC production of the play but that is not saying much. Set in 1930s Italy. Don’t be put off by the fact it appears to be amateur theatre, the venue and auditorium are fantastic, far better than most commercial venues, and the creatives and cast are mostly drama school trained professional or semi-professional well up to fringe standard. In my experience, I don't think fringe standard is necessarily lower than WE at all? I suppose it depends on what you're calling fringe? But I've seen excellent acting at the Playground Theatre (definitely fringe), the Kiln, Bush, Menier, Riverside, Orange Tree, Park etc. I've done an acting course myself at Questors (I have no pretensions about my acting skills at all, definitely just for fun) but I wouldn't say the acting is on a level with professional theatre. I frequently heard the phrase "just as good as the WE" but from the productions I saw that was not the case. I was thinking of fringe venue like Finborough. At the Questors several of the actors *are* professional actors though - Drama school trained, Equity members, in Spotlight etc. but just not paid for the work they do at Questors.
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2,549 posts
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Post by n1david on May 19, 2024 13:34:27 GMT
Quick shout out for SINGING I'M NO A BILLY HE'S A TIM which I saw last night at the tiny Old Red Lion pub theatre. A neat three-hander based on the premise that a Glasgow Rangers fan (Billy) and a Glasgow Celtic fan (Tim) are locked up in the same cell on the day of an Old Firm (Rangers v Celtic) match. Hilariously funny at times, with often extremely off-colour but very sharp jokes which might be lost on someone without an understanding of West of Scotland vernacular ("One Hun Soup" is one still making me smile the day after) Touches on some real issues around Scottish sectarianism, including the presence of the Orange Order and institutional prejudice. Absolutely theatre for a specific audience, I suspect most of the punters were from the same part of the world as me, and it doesn't surprise me that it's been touring Scotland on and off for the last 20 years, and is a favourite in am dram (the language absolutely rules it out of ever being a school production!)
Some unlikely plot twists towards the end to resolve the story didn't spoil the show, and I doubt that many younger Scots are even aware enough of Donald Finlay KC to warrant his inclusion in a script updated to refer to Gaza and Ukraine. But it was a fun night, powerfully acted with enough grit to think about afterwards. Given the 25-seat auditorium wasn't sold out, and the accompanying gender-swapped version was papered, I doubt it will be back any time soon, but the people there had a really good time, gave it a universal standing ovation and maybe left thinking a bit more about their attitude towards religion and religious difference afterwards.
Nicely chosen location too given the Old Red Lion is two doors down from The Shoap, London's first Scottish deli and café, so thirsty punters could nip out at half time for a pint of Tennant's and a macaroni pie.
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