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Post by tmesis on Jun 24, 2017 16:58:26 GMT
Very enjoyable with a dark twist. It's a great satire on the publishing industry that deepens and darkens. The six strong cast shows great versatility in playing multiple roles and there are no weak links. After Salome and Common seen, respectively, last week and the week before, I was beginning to wonder why I bother with this theatre malarkey but this has very much restored my faith. Running time at today's matinee was only 2hrs 15mins. Recommended.
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3,458 posts
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Post by showgirl on Jun 24, 2017 17:51:41 GMT
I was also at the matinee & really relished this. The ending was a bit weak & anti-climactic but the play held my attention throughout & the doubling was amazing.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2017 8:28:22 GMT
Well. Gloria, Gloria. I think they've got your number. I think they've got the alias, that you've been living under.
Sadly that classic doesn't make an appearance but Colin Morgan certainly does. Merlin is all grown up and me likes him a (came)lot!
It's hard to talk about the play without giving away a HUGE spoiler so all I'll say is that, for me, the first act was stronger than the second although I did like what it said about the publishing industry and the media and how they see and treat events.
Great cast. Colin Morgan was terrific and I think was the character I liked most too. Some of the other characters were really quite horrid and I did like how the two actresses (Kae Alexander and Sian Clifford) playing them didn't try to go for sympathy and make them more likeable. I also found Bo Poraj strangely hot, even in a nasty pair of slacks.
Oh and the onstage photocopier really works so if you have anything you need printing, take it along. I'm sure Edward Hall wouldn't mind.
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Post by emicardiff on Jun 27, 2017 17:10:48 GMT
Great I've got a few invoices I could do with copying, I'm sure wee Colin won't mind running them off for me tomorrow
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717 posts
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Post by Latecomer on Jun 28, 2017 8:05:25 GMT
Great I've got a few invoices I could do with copying, I'm sure wee Colin won't mind running them off for me tomorrow I am at matinee today too! Come and say hello (and we can talk about Angels, I promise, as saw 2 show day without any knowledge of play play!) I am wearing all black and have a small very bright red jumper....plus I have a lot of rather 80s style hair!
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Post by emicardiff on Jun 28, 2017 8:12:27 GMT
Brilliant! I've got a flowery shirt and denim jacket on! Just shout "Emi" at me I'll answer! (Or just on you!) Can't wait to chat!
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717 posts
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Post by Latecomer on Jun 28, 2017 16:41:01 GMT
Well this was fun and quite a good companion piece for The Treatment. Great doubling by the cast...my favourite Colin Morgan as IT guy! Met Emicardiff and she is lovely! ☺
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3,458 posts
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Post by showgirl on Jun 28, 2017 16:59:35 GMT
Glad some of you managed to get together and that you enjoyed the play, Latecomer; I much preferred this to The Treatment, though - but the latter play did seem to progress more smoothly whereas Gloria has that very shocking development at the end of the first act which takes the second in a different direction.
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Post by emicardiff on Jun 28, 2017 17:27:09 GMT
Well this was fun and quite a good companion piece for The Treatment. Great doubling by the cast...my favourite Colin Morgan as IT guy! Met Emicardiff and she is lovely! ☺ Delightful to meet you! So nice to have a pre show and interval companion ! Really enjoyed this. Interesting script and brilliantly put together ...which is more eloquent than my interval tweet some of you saw that was just "f*** me" (in my defence I was very close to the stage)
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Post by emicardiff on Jun 30, 2017 19:43:13 GMT
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562 posts
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Post by jadnoop on Jun 30, 2017 20:17:41 GMT
Gah, with limited time and money, and lots of things already lined up, I'm trying to limit my theatre-going a little. I thought I was set on getting Hamlet tickets as a final splurge for the immediate future but this just seems so intriguing, especially after missing Octoroon.
Gloria? Hamlet? Gloria? Hamlet?
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717 posts
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Post by Latecomer on Jun 30, 2017 21:20:25 GMT
Gah, with limited time and money, and lots of things already lined up, I'm trying to limit my theatre-going a little. I thought I was set on getting Hamlet tickets as a final splurge for the immediate future but this just seems so intriguing, especially after missing Octoroon. Gloria? Hamlet? Gloria? Hamlet? Both excellent.....I would pick Hamlet, just! But depends...Hamlet is a great version of a play I knew quite well, Gloria completely new....so what are you in the mood for? I think basically (although all the acting was excellent) Gloria is a fun play but could be done as well in a different production with different cast, whereas Hamlet is one of the best productions I've seen and Andrew Scott is a bit special (and I say this as someone who was not expecting that!)
Edit: you see now I've read emicardiff's spolier free review of Gloria and I may have changed my mind (I'm so fickle!) I feel your pain in trying to decide!
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Post by emicardiff on Jul 1, 2017 12:29:57 GMT
I'd say it depends on just how desperately you want to see Andrew Scott do Hamlet. There will always be another great Hamlet production along soon (and I say that as someone who ranks this top 3 Hamlets seen) but Gloria is great new writing with a great cast.
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4,028 posts
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Post by kathryn on Jul 1, 2017 21:46:36 GMT
Gloria is surprising, whereas Hamlet is a known quantity. So the question is: do you want to be surprised?
I enjoyed it a lot - had the same interval reaction as Emi - though I did feel it petered out in the last scene.
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Post by emicardiff on Jul 2, 2017 12:29:28 GMT
Gloria is surprising, whereas Hamlet is a known quantity. So the question is: do you want to be surprised? I enjoyed it a lot - had the same interval reaction as Emi - though I did feel it petered out in the last scene. We did indeed (expletive filled haha) I agree about the last scene- though I loved Lorin in that scene the rest of it felt a bit flat comparatively. A small niggle in the scheme of things I guess. But yes re: Hamlet vs this it depends if you want to feel like you saw an old classic done incredibly well, or if you want to see something new and a bit unexpected on it's first run. Both will be a great evening of theatre though.
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562 posts
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Post by jadnoop on Jul 3, 2017 10:11:52 GMT
Thanks for the comments and suggestions emicardiff, kathryn and Latecomer! Definitely helpful, although the choice is still difficult An added complication is that I haven't seen Hamlet before (I know the story more-or-less but have never seen it on stage). I'm off to see the second part of Angels In America tonight, so I think I'll let that settle a bit and then make a decision between Gloria & Hamlet later in the week.
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Post by emicardiff on Jul 3, 2017 10:45:28 GMT
Thanks for the comments and suggestions emicardiff, kathryn and Latecomer! Definitely helpful, although the choice is still difficult An added complication is that I haven't seen Hamlet before (I know the story more-or-less but have never seen it on stage). I'm off to see the second part of Angels In America tonight, so I think I'll let that settle a bit and then make a decision between Gloria & Hamlet later in the week. Honestly then I'd say go and see Hamlet- I think that production is a great first time one!
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Jul 13, 2017 5:44:30 GMT
Based on feedback here I've ditched my £10 ticket for "Committee" and am seeing this instead. So hope you're all correct!
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2,502 posts
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Post by n1david on Jul 13, 2017 7:27:02 GMT
Xanderl, I was at Gloria last night and Committee last week. You've definitely made the right choice. I don't think Gloria is quite as smart as it thinks it is, but I was constantly intrigued and involved. Committee was an interesting idea which failed in its execution.
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3,458 posts
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Post by showgirl on Jul 13, 2017 9:19:16 GMT
But you'll never know anyway!
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Post by alicechallice on Jul 14, 2017 23:12:27 GMT
Really enjoyed this tonight. First half felt like perfect Friday night theatre I needed, lots of very acerbic humour & felt very "on the nose" with regards to the modern day work environments. Really enjoyed the direction it took in the second half & felt all uncomfortable by the end. Great stuff.
Didn't realise from her headshot that one of the actors was the sister from 'Fleabag''. Got proper thrilled when she turned up. Morgan, Kendrick and Gbadamosi all very impressive.
"What's wrong? You look like you've just raped yourself" is going to be my new welcome greeting too.
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Post by orchidman on Jul 21, 2017 1:28:14 GMT
Feel like this has benefited in the reviews by the classic journalist bias for stories about journalism. It's fine but I don't think it ever really comes together. The novel Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris covers very similar ground and this is pedestrian by comparison.
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Post by katurian on Jul 21, 2017 20:13:09 GMT
I thought this was really sharp and entertaining - I didn't know where it was going to go from scene to scene, moment to moment. It was funny and horrifying, and I'm going to be haunted by it for some time.
Colin Morgan and Bayo Gbadamosi/Ellie Kendrick's triple character performances were particularly fantastic, and I loved the way the set design of the 3rd scene echoed the 1st scene. Ditto the Bach threaded throughout. Those recurring elements gave the whole thing a great sense of dread for the inescapable cycle the characters were trapped in. I also liked how at times they were aware of that themselves, like waking up from a nightmare, but when the cycle continues whether they participate in it or not, they often end up sucked back into it again.
Definitely intrigued to see more of Jacobs-Jenkins's work.
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1,181 posts
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Post by theatrelover123 on Jul 22, 2017 20:47:56 GMT
Saw the show this afternoon. HUGELY disappointed in this. In no way deserving of its 4 star reviews. Will post more another time.
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371 posts
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Post by popcultureboy on Jul 25, 2017 7:25:12 GMT
Feel like this has benefited in the reviews by the classic journalist bias for stories about journalism. It's fine but I don't think it ever really comes together. The novel Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris covers very similar ground and this is pedestrian by comparison. Given the shift in tone that happens in this play, I doubt very much journalist bias came into it. It also really is not about journalism per se, it's about a whole ton of different things, media just happens to be one of them. Funnily enough, I went to see this last night and absolutely loved it. The workplace stuff that dominates the first act felt very authentic, the performances were all great and by the end of the night, it was clear to me why the play had ended up as a Pulitzer finalist. And yet, I hated the Ferris novel you mentioned so much I had to stop after 50 pages for fear of gouging my eyes out with boredom. Each to their own :-).
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999 posts
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Post by Backdrifter on Jul 31, 2017 9:08:49 GMT
I enjoyed this very much, one of the stronger plays I've seen so far this year. It was good up to the much-referred-to incident that closes act 1, then it got better in act 2 when the aftermath is picked over. Someone here earlier said the ending was weak but I disagree, I loved the ending. The multi-role approach worked really well and the performances were very good. The dialogue is very sparky, there are a lot of laughs and some tension, and I found the ending quite moving.
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Post by Squire Sullen on Jul 31, 2017 18:21:25 GMT
I think the chat between me and a colleague that's seen this as well pretty much sums it up: "I saw Gloria on Friday" "And?" "Holy sh*t" "RIGHT?!"
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3,019 posts
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Post by Rory on Jul 31, 2017 20:56:00 GMT
Hampstead have said there are no current plans to transfer this, which seems a pity given the critical and audience response. Hopefully they will try to do so at some point. This could have been a commercial hit for them if Colin Morgan had remained in the cast, and after their cut in funding they could probably do with one.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2017 20:59:26 GMT
Hampstead have said there are no current plans to transfer this, which seems a pity given the critical and audience response. Hopefully they will try to do so at some point. This could have been a commercial hit for them if Colin Morgan had remained in the cast, and after their cut in funding they could probably do with one. Yes I passed the recommendation to many Who went in the last week extension And were all astounded It's so modern and fresh and relevant
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Post by theatre-turtle on Jul 31, 2017 21:37:23 GMT
For me this is a 4* play.
I found the first act gripping, and very realistic. The characters were highly identifiable.
I thought the 'twist' was very effective. I can't think of a time when I've been more shocked at a sequence of events.
I found it lost a bit of momentum in the second act and introduced too many new themes and characters too quickly. I think it was still a very strong act though.
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