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Post by foxa on Mar 25, 2018 14:32:22 GMT
Was there at the evening performance on Saturday - the coughers must have cleared out by then.
I thought this was absolutely wonderful.
Seeing it in the same week as 'Macbeth' at the National was instructive.
The director of this, Rebecca Frecknall, treats the script (which some have dismissed as a water-downed, schematic version of Williams' themes seen in 'Streetcar') with such respect, heart and insight. The semi-circle of pianos works beautifully, both for creating the soundscape of the play and as levels upon which the actors perch, walk, observe, but also as a symbol for Alma's love of the arts (she is a music teacher, she leads a book group.) And without spoiling the effect, the pianist at the end of the piece is used incredibly well. Ferran and Needham are the focus of the production and have, as mentioned above, excellent chemistry. Their nuanced, intricate reactions to each other hold you throughout. Williams' rarefied women can seem the stuff of parody, but Ferran's Alma is so touching and raw - as if all her nerve-endings are exposed. The other casting is excellent, with Anjana Vasan (who plays Rosa/Nellie) being a particular find - especially when she belts out a blues number. All the elements of the show, the music, the lighting, the set, the staging, serve to mine and reveal the play.
I hope it does transfer - I can't recommend it highly enough.
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Post by foxa on Mar 24, 2018 13:29:32 GMT
In terms of new plays, I think it is a big jump for establishing playwrights who have mainly been working in small spaces with tiny casts to suddenly make the leap to what works in the Olivier. It's something that could be more proactively addressed (I heard of another major theatre that worked with new playwrights on ways to fill a big space, for example, showing them how voice teachers work with actors in those spaces.) On the other hand, Macbeth certainly should have worked there - it seemed a lack of a coherent vision, etc., that hurt that.
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Post by foxa on Mar 22, 2018 12:08:39 GMT
To anyone who knows him, 'Mr Foxa didn't demand to leave at the interval' should appear on posters.
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Post by foxa on Mar 22, 2018 9:11:53 GMT
Mr Foxa didn't demand to leave at the interval - so that's something.
The positives: I liked the huge rampy thing as it was first positioned, suggesting that the story would spill out towards the audience. When it was used, it encouraged the best staging in the show. (However they lost faith in it and were constantly shunting it to one side and bringing in measly, mean little sets instead. Plus they missed a trick - it was crying out for someone to skateboard down it.) Kinnear delivered the lines about 'a tale told by an idiot' well. The second half held my interest more than the first half.
The negatives: The world of the play. It seems odd to have a play about ambition, reordering the hierarchy and the importance of the king set where there is no clear hierarchy and the only perk of being king is getting to wear a red suit. Otherwise, Duncan was sitting on plastic chairs (sometimes covered with a plastic sheet - why?) and sleeping on the tiniest and thinnest of camp beds.The food, still packaged in little boxes for the feast, could have been lifted from a particularly poor motorway service station. Mr Foxa wondered if the Macbeth 'castle' was an abandoned Butlins resort. Also the weird sisters didn't seem weirder than a lot of the other characters - say the sparkly dress bobble hat person who danced on a table or Fleance who was running around covered by a large cardboard box looking like SpongeBob SquarePants. The relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth just didn't happen - Mr Foxa wished it had the intensity of the publicity shot. You had to question Macbeth's judgement if he thought he'd chosen good murderers, one of whom seemed to struggle with and then give up on opening his little tinny of beer. Is he really the person for job? The music and lighting did nothing to add to the atmosphere or storytelling. At one point a witch was crouched over a smoke machine so it looked like she was farting smoke - was that the desired effect? (If so, I think it could have been a good running gag.) In another scene, Macduff found himself suddenly and confusingly out of the light and looked pissed off. Or maybe he was acting - who knows.
I asked Mr Foxa what he liked best about the production and he said he thought Kinnear was at least trying things. He had a longer list of what he didn't like including (and he was bizarrely adamant about this) the doctor wearing wellies - 'So is the queen of the realm being treated by a vet - just so wrong! - and Macbeth having his armour taped on ('Surely the king of the realm wouldn't need, etc. etc. ') A big palaver was made of the taping and then just moments later he takes if off. What was the point? As I think has been mentioned before, black bin bags and guys arriving in camouflage are always bad signs.
The auditorium was pretty full at the opening, but a number of people left at the interval - including the people to either side of us. (What did we do?) The audience was attentive (lots of school groups in the circle) and the applause was reasonably warm at the end.
So for us - two stars, maybe a shade less - somewhere in that region.
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Post by foxa on Mar 21, 2018 16:29:05 GMT
We're in tonight. Front row of the circle. I'll be the one next to a man looking furious at being dragged to another dubious show...
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Post by foxa on Mar 16, 2018 18:59:52 GMT
I was in the cinema earlier this week to see something else and got talking to the woman next to me - she said she'd seen 'The Greatest Showman' three times and her daughter had gone five times. Then a preview of 'The Greatest Showman' came on and she said to me, 'I've gone all goosebumpy.'
I still haven't seen it.
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Post by foxa on Mar 13, 2018 17:45:41 GMT
I had a quick look, but didn't book for anything.
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Post by foxa on Mar 11, 2018 14:11:10 GMT
Actually - I have no idea if the opening poster is right or not (and never will as I have no plans to go to Stratford in the near future.) BUT I liked their post because I get caught up in people caring so much about theatre/plays - rave or pans tend to be entertaining to read and at least the viewer felt something.
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Post by foxa on Mar 11, 2018 10:23:05 GMT
We used the £10 deal and were in Row P, so quite far back but very clear view and particularly good for the film sections.
As soon as you arrive at the Empire Haymarket, the mood is set. Roses frame the doorways, mirrors and box office. 1930s ushers guide you in, then pick up instruments and begin singing. It is a perfect Valentine of an evening.
The two leads, Isobel Pollen and Jim Sturgeon, play it absolutely straight, and Emma Rice (who we caught sight of before the play began) underscores their relationship with water imagery to express their underlying and overwhelming passion. As Steve mentioned, Jos Slovick (Stanley) raises every scene in which he sings. There are some incredible effects and one or two that don't quite come off (the flying looked awkward last night - hardly matching their poster image.) But I would highly recommend. It's an evening to which you could confidently take anyone, your mum, your lover, a school group. All would find something to enjoy.
Theatrebass- I think front row might be fun as there are some bits of action that take place down there. You will be looking up a bit - particularly for the sections that take place on the bridge.
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Post by foxa on Mar 10, 2018 15:57:10 GMT
I think companies allow credit for returns because it works for them. I suspect a lot of people either don't use their credit notes or take a chance on a show they wouldn't normally have booked because they have a credit note, so I don't think theatres lose much if anything at all. The only time I returned tickets at the NT was for Salome. I got a credit note which I finally used towards 'Nine Night' - which I hadn't been planning to see at all but the credit note was burning a hole in my wallet. I still have about £5 left on the credit note - so will apply that to something else, obviously topping up with more of my ££- possibly, again, for something I hadn't originally been planning to attend. I think there is an additional plus to credit returns in terms of how I approach the shows I see at the NT. I am more willing to book far in advance because I know if something comes up I can get credit back and I feel I have more agency in terms of what I do see. For example I'd heard bad word of mouth about both St George and the Dragon and Pinocchio but chose to see them anyway. However knowing I could have returned the tickets made me feel less resentful in the case of St. George which I didn't much like and pleased that I'd made a positive choice about Pinocchio which I rather did.
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Post by foxa on Mar 8, 2018 22:53:46 GMT
At the moment, I don't think we will return the tix - they are only £15 first row of the circle and it's not a long evening.
But, from the sound of this, I think this is a real shame. Kinnear, in particular, I think could have been really, really good in this. But, as someone suggested above, he's best when rooted in something naturalistic/psychologically believable. I LOVED his performance as Angelo in 'Measure for Measure' at the Almeida - he made incredible sense of it: horrible, funny, pathetic, believable. Ditto his performances in The Revenger's Tragedy and Othello. I think he could have done something really interesting with this.
As someone who has been involved in a lot of student productions - as soon as bin bags form part of either a set or a costume, I know we're in trouble.
It's been an awfully long time, it seems to me, since Duff has been in a good production. She's been good in mediocre or poor shows, but I don't associate her with a good evening out.
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Post by foxa on Mar 8, 2018 15:12:20 GMT
Oh dear.
Somehow I'd missed this topic until today. I thought this was a pretty safe bet after the excerpt that was done at the Gala a while back....
My tickets are for 21st March, so I could return them....I dunno.
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Post by foxa on Mar 6, 2018 18:08:26 GMT
Just received an email from the Royal Court saying that they have added to more rows for 'Instructions for Correct Assembly.' As I was previously in first row seats, I will now be in third - though I can request to be in first.
Whaddya think? Third row probably better?
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Post by foxa on Mar 6, 2018 17:29:59 GMT
Having never seen 'Calvacade' I can only speak from a position equally of curiosity and ignorance.
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Post by foxa on Mar 6, 2018 17:15:13 GMT
Yes, Oxfordsimon - I think it would only work with a radical reworking a la Daldry and 'An Inspector Calls.' :-)
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Post by foxa on Mar 6, 2018 16:11:25 GMT
If I were AD at the Donmar, I'd schedule something like:
A new musical stage adaptation of either 'Cold Comfort Farm' or 'Diary of a Nobody.' (We need more comedy and musicals.) A revival (with big name actors) of 'Burn This' by Lanford Wilson (Saw this on Broadway with John Malkovich and Joan Allen - it was extradordinary) Commission a new play about the current state of higher education (Because...) A production of Jean Genet's 'The Balcony' (Haven't seen a production of this in years - lots of opportunities for reimagining/movement, etc.) A revival of Coward's 'Calvacade' (I've never seen this - but deals with Britishness/history/place in the world - could be interesting) Something by a current playwright I find interesting like Lucy Prebble or Penelope Skinner (New writing by good playwrights) Either a play by Langston Hughes - or a new work incorporating his poetry (LOVE his poetry and the libretto for Street Scene) Probably something on a schools' syllabus (So school groups could justify a trip.)
So - there.
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Post by foxa on Mar 6, 2018 15:22:24 GMT
Steve, I think the comparisons you make with other plays are really interesting - and I agree.
For me, this easily earned its four stars for its warmth, humanity, contradictions and ultimately,its optimism. I am so sick of cynical/shocking/shallow/one-note stuff right now. I want something that has some heart. (I recommended this highly to a friend who I know likes big community, epic plays and she's travelling some distance to see it - I hope I didn't get it wrong!)
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Post by foxa on Mar 2, 2018 19:13:13 GMT
Despite the unenthusiastic reviews, a lot of the audience was in tears at the end of 'Big Fish.' 'Death of a Salesman' always gets me - not just the ending, but the scene with the dictaphone, when he's trying to get a pay rise.
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Post by foxa on Mar 2, 2018 19:10:47 GMT
Ticket availability remains spectacular for this show.
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Post by foxa on Mar 2, 2018 15:00:41 GMT
Quick question about this please - have those who have given positive reviews so far been familar with the film? I am not, and just want to check that isn't a possible bar to fully appreciating the play. Many thanks i didn't know the film and really enjoyed the play (despite a few longeurs.) I wonder if it might be an advantage - I can see some of the reviews complain that it doesn't capture the magic of the film - whereas if you haven't seen the film you don't feel that loss. I think there is a lot to enjoy simply going to it as a play. There is nothing in the plotting or context, etc. that is too complex if you don't know the background - except possibly the odd Ismael section. Since we saw it, my husband keeps watching bits from the film (and sometimes tries to make me watch it too but so far I'm resisting ;-))
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Post by foxa on Feb 27, 2018 9:29:19 GMT
My daughter and I wept copiously at Daniel Kitson's 'It's Always Right Now Until It's Later.' We still get choked up when we quote lines from it.
For me, there is something about a character not wanting very much - and then not getting it - that breaks my heart.
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Post by foxa on Feb 26, 2018 20:56:58 GMT
The Browning Version (Rattigan)
Glass Menagerie always gets me.
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Post by foxa on Feb 23, 2018 0:49:59 GMT
Okay, so two hot takes on the play, side by side.
Steve's brilliant, informed, nuanced reaction (he's even seen both versions of the Bergman film.)
And then there's mine: loos/food/knew nothing - not even that there were two versions.
This board has something for everyone. ;-)
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Post by foxa on Feb 23, 2018 0:10:46 GMT
Damn missed the magic front left hand side loo - people were complaining a lot about the queue and some women went into the men's.
But....I liked the show - found much of it engrossing. I thought it was an advantage going in knowing pretty much nothing about it (remember when I booked it I thought it was about the Russian Czars.) I was interested and surprised by some of the turns it took. There were more laughs in the first section than I had expected. As Peggs mentioned, the set changes - and there are a lot - are quick, smooth seamless - adding to a dream-like/filmic quality. It has a lot of Shakespeare in it (scenes from Hamlet and other allusions elsewhere), some Dickensian scenes of childhood torment and some Chehkovian family gatherings. Wilton was on fine form - her performance had resonances of her excellent Arkadina which she performed at the RSC some time ago. We were at Waterloo just a bit after 10.45, so it's not over-running the stated time. There are a few little bits that could be trimmed.
I think this would be an ideal matinee show, where you can just relax, not worry about catching a train or how late it is, and just soak it in. They talk about food A LOT, so don't go with an empty stomach. We were in P5 and 6 in the stalls for £10 which was a great value - and people who got the £5 did very well indeed.
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Post by foxa on Feb 22, 2018 20:19:26 GMT
First interval. Enjoying it so far. Somehow filmic and theatrical. Husband is content and hasn't mentioned leaving. Haven't braved loos yet.
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