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Post by MrBunbury on Apr 15, 2017 17:19:43 GMT
Had anyone heard about this? I only spotted it by chance in the list of plays coming to the National Theatre in the future. I had completely missed it before!
"In Spring 2018, Indhu Rubasingham will direct the Francis Turnly’s new play The Great Wave, which is set in Japan and North Korea and is a co-production with the Tricycle Theatre."
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Post by MrBunbury on Apr 7, 2017 19:27:44 GMT
Very sad. I had met him at the Almeida because he had come to see Hamlet as well at the end of February.
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Post by MrBunbury on Apr 6, 2017 11:25:36 GMT
If you select the address bar then press enter again, the page should load properly. It just seems to have an issue loading first time from an external link. Many thanks!! I wonder what will be left for those without memberships by the time general sale starts. I'm guessing with Olivia Colman, not much... There should be always Friday rush! I don't have any membership but I have always managed to get tickets at the National.
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Post by MrBunbury on Apr 5, 2017 15:20:07 GMT
I saw this last night. It was enjoyable and Joshua Maguire and David Haig are really fabulous. Daniel Radcliffe has a less flashy part but he was good in counterbalancing Maguire's wiry performance. I adored the costumes!
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Post by MrBunbury on Apr 5, 2017 15:16:58 GMT
The reviews are much better than I thought. Sincerely I was quite underwhelmed by the whole thing when I saw it on Saturday. The acting is very good but from the synopsis I would have imagined that the trial for rape would have been more central and the play would have focused on different attitudes towards that. I failed to get engaged by the rich smug characters so it was an interesting night, but not a play that left me with much.
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Post by MrBunbury on Mar 29, 2017 12:38:24 GMT
I will be in the Gallery with a £15 ticket so I can provide a report from the worst possible seat in the Dorfman :-)
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Post by MrBunbury on Mar 29, 2017 10:47:46 GMT
Is anyone seeing this soon? I am going on Saturday night.
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Post by MrBunbury on Mar 29, 2017 10:40:34 GMT
I saw it yesterday and I must admit that it left me rather cold. Sophie Okonedo is great and the real star of the show, but overall I was a bit disappointed by the play. It did not help that the usher was chatting up a woman just outside the gallery during the performance...
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Post by MrBunbury on Mar 29, 2017 10:38:32 GMT
Great news! I loved it at the Almeida.
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Post by MrBunbury on Mar 27, 2017 8:16:41 GMT
I hope "is Damian Lewis famous" was/is a joke question? Next we'll be getting, "who is this Benedict Cumberbatch fella anyway" ,,,, ? It's not, I didn't grow up in the UK and in Italy Homeland was not particularly successful (nor is Sherlock). I knew his name from the Donmar revival of Into the Woods, but I wasn't sure if he was big or something. Are you Italian as well?
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Post by MrBunbury on Mar 25, 2017 22:39:04 GMT
Just seen the first preview and very much enjoyed it despite a few moans. First it's too long, clocking in at nearly three hours. It might tighten up a bit but there's not much room to do this as it's nearly all music with not much dialogue. The book's a bit of a mess with no real arc to the story line but you do care for the characters. Act one drives along (because of the music) act two drags a bit. But the positives... The music is fantastic in Coleman's characteristic jazz/gospel/soul style and it's very well performed by an extremely talented cast. Sharon D. Clarke is simply tremendous in every way, both vocally and timing her spoken one-liners to perfection. Her first song is so immaculately performed it virtually stops the show; this is a bit of a problem as it comes only about 20 mins in and there is nothing after that that quite touches it. Excellent direction from Blakemore - the audience went wild at the end! Despite reservations - highly recommended. I was there too and I agree completely. Sharon D. Clarke is amazing and it is a very good production. the book is what it is but overall the music is great and everyone work hard to give the best possible performance. They seemed very pleased when we gave them the standing ovation at the end.
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Post by MrBunbury on Mar 9, 2017 15:27:30 GMT
Not quite sure where to put this as it isn't really a 'play' but an improvisation.
Anyway, I went to see 'Lost for Words' yesterday evening. It's a co-production between the National Theatre and Improbable, a company who work heavily on improvised pieces.
In this case the actors are a group of veterans all over seventy. Caroline Blakiston, Lynn Farleigh, Georgine Anderson, Anna Calder-Marshall, Tim Preece, and Charles Kay (although he did not appear last night, unsure why not). They are gently prompted and given suggestions by the directors who are on the stage, and there are additional people improvising lighting, sound, and musical accompaniments.
I really liked it. It ran for an hour and I think we had six different scenes. The first was a mother and daughter at the beach, eating fish and chips, then swimming (Farleigh and Anderson did this one). Then a 'game' where the letter s could not be included, which was played as a father emigrating with work and his daughter worrying about it, with slips from both getting oohs from the audience (Preece and Calder-Marshall). Then a piece between two people who have lived together a long time but still find everything interesting, at breakfast ("Marmite toast!"), which turned out to be two sisters plus a ghostly visit from mum when one sister had gone for a lie down (Calder-Marshall and Blakiston, plus Farleigh at the end). A piece where a couple trade wishes and have the last dance of their lives under a conveniently descending glitterball (Preece and Farleigh). A group scene for a birthday which ended up hinting at cross-dressing and a lovely line about being allergic to rabbit skin (all five). And a largely solo piece including a brokenly sung aria about love, with a ghostly husband visiting at the end (Blakiston, and briefly Preece).
It was a joy to watch this group of actors at work in a playful, funny, and ultimately touching piece about relationships, age, and dreams. It is, apparently, totally unscripted, so there were prompts like "this is called Mum decides to swim for the first time", "one of you says they feel tired and are going for a lie down, leaving this character alone", "this is the last dance of their lives", "you were singing something then and it was lovely, so let it come out", etc. It doesn't feel forced or fake, and is beautifully performed. I'm assuming each show is unique given the improvising aspect.
It plays until the 18th of March and if this sounds like your kind of thing, do check it out. Thanks, going next Wednesday :-)
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Post by MrBunbury on Mar 2, 2017 12:58:10 GMT
Alex Parker has announced another of his (usually very good) concerts, celebrating Stephen Sondheim. As always, big orchestra and a talented bunch of performers that include Janie Dee, Fra Fee, Laura Pitt-Pulford, Jordan Lee Davies, Tamsin Dowsett and David Birrell. More info here. I don't think I'll still be in London by then, but I have always enjoyed these concerts very much. Particularly, his A Little Night Music is one of my fondest memories I got a ticket immediately. I absolutely loved A little Night Music.
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Post by MrBunbury on Mar 2, 2017 12:56:21 GMT
I saw this last night (not far from herculesmulligan apparently, because I was in E1). Really engaging and intense production. I particularly liked Conleth Hill who takes the audience on a true emotional rollercoaster.
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 25, 2017 13:59:09 GMT
I was there last night too! The important stuff: Have I missed it or has someone already remarked on the new seats at the Almeida? No more two-seat benches, but slightly more padded single seats - much more comfortable. We were in Row F in 11 and 12 (£10) and F12 for this production has to be one of the best bargains around. No real obstruction (F11 does a pillar pretty centrally placed to deal with) and a moment of eye contact with Scott during a soliloquy. Be still my beating heart. Last night was a starry night: Vanessa Redgrave was a few rows in front of us and Bill Paterson over to our right a bit. Think Clive Merrison was there too. I enjoyed it more than MrB or Ryan - my impressions probably closer to Steve's. What I thought: Scott is such a charismatic, quick-witted actor - I loved this performance. He plays it as a broken man, perhaps someone who was always a bit of an outsider, a bit damaged. But there were some rough bits - sections that didn't feel fully realised, a few clear errors (stepping on someone's line towards the end, for example) so I think it will just get better/deeper. His 'to be or not to be' was the best I've ever seen. While watching it, I didn't want to breath. I also loved Jessica Brown Findlay's Ophelia. She was superb as Sonya in Uncle Vanya and is again remarkable in this. She is an exceptionally beautiful actress, who fights against her beauty (perhaps the explanation for the odd hair colour) but I find her raw/exciting as an actress as if her nerve-endings are exposed at all times. Towards the end, she reminded me a bit of Denise Gough - high praise. She, Luke Thompson and Peter Wight made a believable family - the siblings rolling their eyes at the father's advice, joining in with a particularly familiar line, but fond and physical with each other. I agree with those above who single Luke Thompson out - I've never seen him before, but he was great - the way he received the news of Ophelia's death...I also think this was my favourite ever Juliet Stevenson performance. The use of screens worked well - I loved the ghost beckoning - that gave me chills. The two intervals made the weaker middle section stand out as not as strong as the rest of the play and I wasn't keen at all on Claudius. His big soliloquy (which isn't a soliloquy in this) was a bit of a mess (the woman behind me whispered loudly, 'well that didn't work at all.') Horatio went for nothing, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as well - I almost wondered if having all of Hamlet's friends be so weak was to emphasise how isolated he was, or maybe they just weren't up to much. But even given those caveats, I'd still go for 5* for this. Scott tied with Sheen as my favourite Hamlet and this production was more coherent than the Young Vic one, so yes, go, see it and sit close if you can. Glad you enjoyed it, Foxa. I had not named Peter Wight in my previous comment but he was the best Polonius I have seen. I always struggle with Shakespeare not being a native English speaker, so my impression of the play is somehow marred by the distance the language produces in me (not helped by the fact I could not hear particularly well). It was my first time in the circle since normally I am like you behind a column in the stalls. Maybe that did not help either. I still recommend the production: the fact that not everything worked for me does not mean others can fully enjoy it.
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 25, 2017 11:28:42 GMT
I really liked this. I thought it could be a good experience to learn about the reasons why one is a sex worker from the voice of real people and it really works. There is a very intimate atmosphere and the performers are very brave to tell their stories. Some are better in keeping the attention of the audience and others less, but there feeds into the reality of the show. I was particularly moved by Zarya's story: she just looked and sounded like many girls I see on the tube or around London, but her options were cut off very early. Very sad.
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 25, 2017 11:22:01 GMT
For me Juliet Stevenson and Luke Thompson took the acting honours in this. Andrew Scott does some lovely hand acting though for fans of that. It's a strange one. Some bits are really rather marvellous and then there's a load of terribly dull stuff and there's a lot I'd have cut though. There really is no excuse for the running time. I agree completely. There were some nice elements and Juliet Stevenson and Luke Thompson were excellent. Andrew Scott is good too with his peculiar accent and I don't mind that he waved his arms (but I am Italian, so for me that is what you do when you speak :-)). But there were parts that really dragged along and it did not help that I could not hear very well from the circle (and an old flame was sitting not far with a new boyfriend while I was alone… How horrible when that happens!! I need to get an inflatable theatre friend for these occasions...). On the plus, there were Hope Davis, Robert Icke, Elizabeth Debicki and Tim Pigott-Smith behind me when I was collecting my ticket. Overall it was an interesting evening but probably I would not give it more than three starts out of five.
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 16, 2017 11:20:55 GMT
So, it ended at 10.45, it was 3 hours and 15 minutes but it will get shorter during previews and the interval lasted 30 minutes tonight. Emma Rice would love this production, it's bizarre and very gender-focused even for Twelfth Night's standards (the Elephant is a gay club, etc). I loved the set, it was very imaginative and for once the revolve was used cleverly. Nice performances all around, especially Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Feste and Malvolia. I think that having a female Malvolio really focused the attention on how the character is abused by Toby, Andrew, Fabio and Feste: Tamsin wasn't playing for laughters, she was shivering and was scared. Similarly, the finale was very focused on this aspect of Malvolia's humiliation: people don't laugh her out of the stage, but there is a sincere concern for her and Olivia is clearly mad at Maria & co. Actually, the finale is quite low-key and melancholic, there is the joy of found love and weddings, but there is a particular attention for the losers as well: Sir Andrew waiting for the bus, Malvolia alone with the traumas of the abuse. I found it quite touching. Very excited about this now, although I have still more than one month before seeing it!
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 15, 2017 11:32:49 GMT
Is anybody else seeing this soon? I will go tomorrow night and I am quite excited. Most people I spoke with about this show were interested to come (quite to my surprise since normally I am looked at as a weirdo when I mention my theatre outings) but I discovered that the show is sold out.
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 10, 2017 16:33:38 GMT
Anyone seeing this? It was totally sold out but if anyone fancies seeing it cheaply they have just put the gallery on sale for all performances - all seats £10 with a warning that the subtitles will be obscured for the last 10 minutes of the show. Gets a live stream on Sunday afternoon if you want to see it even cheaper! I will watch it in live stream, since I have just blown my extra theatre budget for February to book "Moving stories" at the end of the month...
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 2, 2017 10:12:02 GMT
Wow, wonderful experience. Two minutes and the tickets are in my metaphorical pocket. Much better than last time when I lost five years of my life to get tickets for Mary Stuart...
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 1, 2017 18:05:32 GMT
I really liked this production, it might not be definitive or extraordinarily original, but there is a magical quality in it that fully captures its being a memory play. The cast is fantastic. Cherry Jones is magnificent with her ex-Southern belle mannerism and gorgeous accent. I liked how in a couple of occasions she seemed to suggest that Amanda is ill and this gives an urgent quality to her efforts to find a man for Laura. This might be more controversial, but I really liked Kate O'Flynn as Laura and it was so moving to watch her warming up in her scene with the Gentleman Caller. Brian J. Smith is great in that role, he stole the show imho. I wasn't crazy about Michael Esper, his performance was identical to his Valentine in Lazarus, a mixture of shyness and camp. He surely portrayed a troubled young man, but he never made me feel sympathetic for him. I loved that in the scene at table when the Gentleman Caller has just arrived all the three members of the family look like they want to bed him. Oh, and the score is beautiful. It's a magical revival for me, I hope to see it again! I was there last night, sitting next to your ghost (in F20) :-) Great acting and use of the space and the music. I agree that Michael Esper was not totally convincing. It is a superb production!
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 1, 2017 18:02:23 GMT
Five hours later… I managed to get all the cheap tickets I wanted in the right dates. I don't know what happened to the 2000 people in front of me in the queue. They must have been interested in tickets for 'Yerma' only. Now I will go out and buy some chamomile to get ready for the Almeida booking tomorrow.
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Post by MrBunbury on Jan 28, 2017 9:26:29 GMT
I will be in F20 on Tuesday. I will use my imagination to fill the gaps...
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Post by MrBunbury on Jan 27, 2017 14:17:51 GMT
Has anybody else seen "Us/Them" at the Dorfman? I saw it on Friday and I really loved it. I know it was a great success in Edinburgh and I can see why. I have even written a review for one of the journals I work for :-) I was also there last Friday It was okay 3 stars I would say It was a bit infantile and some bits did not work for me I did not find it particularly moving Bellboard puts it nicely in that the overall experience was a bit underwhelming Oh, I could have met you Parsley? I agree that it is not a five start show but it is an interesting perspective on something difficult to represent on stage (especially for an audience that includes children).
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Post by MrBunbury on Jan 27, 2017 12:57:03 GMT
Has anybody else seen "Us/Them" at the Dorfman? I saw it on Friday and I really loved it. I know it was a great success in Edinburgh and I can see why. I have even written a review for one of the journals I work for :-)
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Post by MrBunbury on Jan 27, 2017 10:05:27 GMT
I'm so excited for the new Annie Baker's play! Me too! The rest is not overexciting but better wait and see when there are more details.
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Post by MrBunbury on Jan 25, 2017 11:15:17 GMT
I am intrigued by everything actually, apart from Yerma that I have already seen. This is not exactly the best period to save: booking at the Young Vic on the 1st February and at the Almeida on the 2nd...
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Post by MrBunbury on Jan 25, 2017 9:50:54 GMT
New season announced!
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Post by MrBunbury on Jan 22, 2017 22:05:10 GMT
Why should he not be tolerated? I rarely agree with him but I enjoy being provoked by his posts, he is often witty and always a stimulating read. He obviously cares about the theatre and he's right about actors making speeches at the end of plays. Thank you! Very kind I will take this opportunity to comment that I am not here to please or placate people I do appreciate some of my posts and views are polarising However I am a law abiding citizen I don't drink or smoke Detest waste and drugs and deceit I don't really care or expect everyone to agree with me And this communist desire to censor and block is not healthy Haha, you are very funny Parsley. "Communist desire to censor and block"?? How do you come up with these expressions? Following your logic, it looks like you are having a Ruth Wilson's moment and being political in the wrong place :-) Although I agree with what seems to have been the content of Ruth Wilson's speech, it might have not been the place to make it. Probably she and others in the company felt strongly about what was happening in Washington. It does not change politics, especially what already happened in the US, but does it really harm anyone to be reminded of women's rights? And since this is a blog on Hedda Gabler, I agree with others bloggers that this production gave a rather sympathetic presentation of Hedda. I could relate with her more than in other productions. It is surely not everyone's cup of tea though.
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