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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2017 7:20:36 GMT
I really enjoyed it, helped by watching it with the outlook that there was gold to be found in it. EmiCardiff, how can you turn down a play with the first NT Angel in its cast? I think of Christopher Shinn's plays as a sort of anti-cooking process. They're stuffed full of all the right ingredients but the audience has to do the actual cooking in their heads, hearts and loins. There probably is a secret recipe but most people end up with a different dish. Christopher Shinn is one of my favourite playwrights, unleashing real people on the stage. I can turn it down because I have limited means and limited time and don't live in London.
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Post by showgirl on Sept 19, 2017 16:48:51 GMT
I really enjoyed it, helped by watching it with the outlook that there was gold to be found in it. EmiCardiff, how can you turn down a play with the first NT Angel in its cast? I think of Christopher Shinn's plays as a sort of anti-cooking process. They're stuffed full of all the right ingredients but the audience has to do the actual cooking in their heads, hearts and loins. There probably is a secret recipe but most people end up with a different dish. Christopher Shinn is one of my favourite playwrights, unleashing real people on the stage. Interesting interpretation, though no good for those who prefer ready-meals or even takeaways. Sounds a bit like Mosquitoes to me, i.e. there's a good play in there somewhere and the ingredients are promising but some work is needed to identify the best combination. As I've said, I quite liked this as it was though it could have been much better.
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Post by kathryn on Sept 19, 2017 19:58:30 GMT
Takeaway?! Ready-meal !
How about a fully-prepared, perfectly cooked, dish. Michelin star theatre, that's what I want!
And served ON A PLATE not a sodding chopping board/slate/spade/old boot etc.
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Post by showgirl on Sept 20, 2017 4:35:51 GMT
I agree with the quirk-free servings, which in theatrical terms for me equates to no promenade performances, standing, puppetry, miming or interval-free productions. But the word Michelin in connection with dining is almost as much an anathema (and a turn-off) as was the loathsome concept of nouvelle cuisine. Give me a couple of decent platefuls of simple, solid, satisfying stodge, with plenty of carbs. The traditional "well-made play" perhaps?
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Post by kathryn on Sept 20, 2017 5:50:03 GMT
Can see this analogy is going to run and run!
(Disclaimer: I've never actually eaten at a Michelin-starred restaurant.)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2017 16:55:45 GMT
Can see this analogy is going to run and run! (Disclaimer: I've never actually eaten at a Michelin-starred restaurant.) I have. I was so hungry by the time I left that I had to get a pasty on the way home. I don't know how that fits into tha analogy though.
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Post by joem on Sept 23, 2017 23:00:04 GMT
I think I'm in the minority here but, whilst it has its flaws, I enjoyed this. It was rather long but I didn;t find myself hoping it would finish soon.
The main problems for me were the lack of knowledge about the Whishaw character prior to his moment of revelation, the vagueness of his "mission" and some of the unnecessary (to me) subplots. I don't find the lack of conclusions which have been highlighted by some reviewers as so much of a problem. Theatre is meant to make you think not to offer solutions.
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Post by crowblack on Sept 24, 2017 8:20:02 GMT
whilst it has its flaws, I enjoyed this Yes - I didn't think it was bad, but it felt half-finished. I've seen several new plays by well-known names recently that I felt would be better with a few more rewrites.
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Post by Honoured Guest on Sept 24, 2017 10:30:58 GMT
Yes - I didn't think it was bad, but it felt half-finished. I've seen several new plays by well-known names recently that I felt would be better with a few more rewrites. Funny, I wondered after the last scene if it was over-finished. It seemed maybe a little too pat to see intimacy vanquish violence. Anyway, Against is one of my best plays of the year. I love the immersion in the characters and their situations. I always emerge from a Christopher Shinn play comparing my own life and reviewing where I'm going.
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Post by joem on Sept 24, 2017 16:56:52 GMT
Yes - I didn't think it was bad, but it felt half-finished. I've seen several new plays by well-known names recently that I felt would be better with a few more rewrites. Funny, I wondered after the last scene if it was over-finished. It seemed maybe a little too pat to see intimacy vanquish violence. Anyway, Against is one of my best plays of the year. I love the immersion in the characters and their situations. I always emerge from a Christopher Shinn play comparing my own life and reviewing where I'm going. How would you say intimacy vanquished violence in Against?
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