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Post by foxa on Mar 7, 2017 18:21:53 GMT
Oh - I missed the flame up (turned up late, so I guess the tone of my posting is a bit off-kilter - I assumed it was a fairly light-hearted discussion) - but nine pages on this - goodness!
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Post by foxa on Mar 7, 2017 18:11:39 GMT
In another life, I was an English teacher and it doesn't bug me if folks make errors/use slang/write casually/show they are human with the occasional typo (which I do myself.) I've spent too much of my life correcting others' writing, so have no inclination to do it here. Frequently I'm impressed by how well people write - which is why I recently complained about a Times review of 'Hamlet' - people posting here were so much more insightful and eloquent. And for our posters for whom English is their second language - I have nothing but respect.
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Post by foxa on Mar 3, 2017 23:12:02 GMT
HUZZAH! It happened. (Now is someone going to come on with an envelope and tell me it was a mistake?)
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Post by foxa on Mar 3, 2017 23:11:06 GMT
Should I do my 500th post here? Or somewhere where there are more readers...'Wicked' or something? Or do a victory lap?
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Post by foxa on Mar 3, 2017 23:10:06 GMT
The pressure.
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Post by foxa on Mar 3, 2017 15:19:10 GMT
On an unrelated subject. How can I still not be a Senior Member? I'm going to keep posting in this topic until I become one. (And when I do, I'm expecting confetti, party poppers and speeches.)
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Post by foxa on Mar 2, 2017 16:29:26 GMT
You may be right - it's unhealthy. I thought that even more when I read the accountants involved in the mix-up, not only can no longer be involved with the show, but have had death threats on social media. Their firm has hired bodyguards for them. Seriously.
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Post by foxa on Mar 2, 2017 14:03:03 GMT
Yes - I had booked for the 10th. Just off the phone with the box office and have rescheduled.
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Post by foxa on Mar 2, 2017 8:49:53 GMT
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Post by foxa on Mar 1, 2017 11:22:36 GMT
'Time Out' and 'What's on Stage' gave 5* 'Evening Standard' 4*
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Post by foxa on Mar 1, 2017 11:20:30 GMT
I have to say that if one of my A level students had written something as lazy as 'we just didn't care about him' they would have been asked to rewrite.
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Post by foxa on Mar 1, 2017 11:19:18 GMT
Ann Treneman, The Times ★★ "Ben Whishaw gave us the ultimate angsty teen, David Tennant excelled as the neurotic and Cumberbatch mastered the cerebral. In some ways, you do feel that Moriarty has at least sent Scott a memo here."
"At times, [Scott] is mesmerising but there are times when he seems to lose his impetus and we just don't care about him. Indeed, the entire production, at almost four hours long, is uneven and sometimes the stage seems almost becalmed, especially towards the end when the TV screen is used to record a fencing match (more Bob Dylan)."
"Icke has gathered a gathered a mini-reunion of stars from his past production. Juliet Stevenson (who was just on stage here in Mary Stuart) is Gertrude. Claudius is played by Angus Wright and Ophelia by Jessica Brown Findlay, both of whom starred in Oresteia."
"But it is only Scott and Stevenson who really work here and Wright, in particular, never seemed believable."
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Post by foxa on Mar 1, 2017 11:03:34 GMT
The two star really shocked me. Big range of reviews, but I'm sticking with my personal 5* - there were things that didn't work (looks like Angus Wright's not being, well quite right, is being noted) but the production overall has stuck with me.
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Post by foxa on Feb 28, 2017 22:08:17 GMT
Mrs Lovett - my daughter and I were there too! Sorry not to have met you.
1st preview show report: Seating: Described as 'interactive' - what this means is that most of the seats are little swivel stools - no backs. Despite the ushering advice, I only put my coat in the cloakroom but kept my bag with me and it was no problem. Some people had both coats and bags. If you have a bad back there are a few seats with backs to them at the back of the space. Stage configuration: The acting area is around three edges of the space with the bar stools in the middle. Probably the best seats are the one closest to the middle acting area, but I don't think any are particularly bad in terms of sight lines. Acting: Lashana Lynch and Gershwyn Eustache Jnr who carry the first half of the show were both terrific/believable/interesting. I looked them up and note that Lynch has the lead role in an ABC period drama - so one to watch. Script: Hmmm...lots of squabbling. A touch like Beckett, if he was interested in a dissection of male/female relationships. Audience: Very attentive. Running time: 80 minutes no interval. Take Away: Love isn't what you think it is.
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Post by foxa on Feb 27, 2017 17:55:52 GMT
You two have made me want to see this.
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Post by foxa on Feb 27, 2017 13:40:37 GMT
I feel bad for Beatty - the first stuff I saw when I woke up (unlike you nightbirds who watched it live) were ageist postings about how he was 'an old white dude' who should have worn glasses. And I feel sorry for all the others too BUT in the end I hope a lot of people go see both films. I didn't hear it, but someone there said the sound of Emma Stone going 'Oh my god' when she realised what had happened was why he didn't 'go to horror films anymore.' (Unlike Gosling who was apparently giggling onstage and then 'stony-faced' afterwards.) And I think people were accusing her of somehow handing her Best actress card to someone causing it to be onstage, so instead of saying how great it felt to win she had to spend a long time saying, 'honestly, it's been in my hand the whole time.'
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Post by foxa on Feb 27, 2017 13:25:08 GMT
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Post by foxa on Feb 27, 2017 13:18:14 GMT
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Post by foxa on Feb 27, 2017 8:54:52 GMT
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Post by foxa on Feb 27, 2017 8:36:36 GMT
Am sure there will be more on this but apparently: There are two sets of envelopes for each category as the presenters may enter from either side. Beatty was handed the extra 'Best Actress' envelope rather than Best Film one. When he opened it it said Emma Stone for LaLaLand. He knew something was wrong, so showed it to Dunaway, who, thinking he was messing around for comic effect, read out 'LalaLand.' As the LalaLand people approached the stage you can hear Beatty saying 'but it said Emma Stone.' Felt a bit bad for everyone - lots of Twitter stuff about Beatty not being able to read or being too old, etc. which is unfair. The Twitter sleuths have already enlarged the envelope Beatty was holding which says 'Best Actress in a Leading Role' on the outside. What's impressive is how classy both the 'Moonlight' and 'LalaLand' people were about it. Vanity Fair, as always, has some fun, online coverage of the ceremonies.
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Post by foxa on Feb 25, 2017 14:04:14 GMT
Absolutely, Mr. B. Also having an old flame nearby wouldn't help! I am a native-English speaker and have been going to Shakespeare plays forever, yet I still have a slight panic in the first five minutes of a Shakespeare production thinking am I going to understand this - even with plays I've seen a lot. And there was a fair amount of garbling/breaking up of lines. My husband, who knows the play better than I do, claims there were some made up lines and an addition of the word 'rambunctious' at one point. Who knows.
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Post by foxa on Feb 25, 2017 13:10:25 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.
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Post by foxa on Feb 23, 2017 17:41:46 GMT
I'd never heard of this show and had missed this discussion. But got an email from The Southwark Playhouse flagging it up and on the basis of the director (I think Blakemore is properly good) and Sharon D. Clarke and heck, it's a Cy Coleman musical, I've booked. Don't really know what to expect....
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Post by foxa on Feb 18, 2017 21:17:09 GMT
Yeah, I agree with OxfordSimon - I had thought three of Iron Sun would get through and two of Drive. But, on the other hand, Iron Sun seemed to genuinely get along, so maybe it would have been sad to pick and choose like that. I will be feeling the loss of Jordan on the show....
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Post by foxa on Feb 18, 2017 20:11:21 GMT
I'm catching up with this show and have watched tonight's episode, plus the previous two. Last week I thought there were three pretty good groups (the ones that got through) and actually thought Iron Sun were particularly fun. This week Five to Five was the strongest by quite a bit, but I still think that tall red-haired Scottish (I think) drummer guy from Iron Sun has something special about him - could imagine somehow his being winkled into the final group, if such a thing can happen.
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Post by foxa on Feb 17, 2017 20:57:09 GMT
I just had lunch with a friend who told me this hair-raising tale from a couple of months ago: She was with her husband in the stalls of the Old Vic watching Glenda's 'King Lear.' She noticed a young woman at the end of her row kept looking at her phone and then eventually pulled out her iPad and began typing on it. As they were a few people over, my friend stood up and leaned over to tell her to stop. The young woman looked shocked and put her electronic equipment away. My friend went to plop down, with a 'job well done' smugness, but hadn't realised her seat had tipped up. So she fell to the ground - and screamed as she fell. Then everyone around her began telling her off for being so noisy. Her husband was mortified and made them leave at the interval.
I'm not sure what the moral of that story is...
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Post by foxa on Feb 17, 2017 18:40:30 GMT
I used it mostly when I was a student or helping friends to find plays to put on. The staff tended to have a somewhat high-handed attitude at times, but they could direct you to, say, 'a contemporary play with a single set for three young actors' - that kind of thing. In terms of drama text publishing, I prefer Nick Hern Books - they are better looking scripts and when I've dealt with them either for rights or orders they've been great - but Samuel French is probably better for locating contemporary American plays. If so few of us theatre fans were going there regularly, I suppose you can see the problem. I use the NT and Royal Court bookshop more because I'm more likely to be there anyway.
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Post by foxa on Feb 16, 2017 11:26:18 GMT
The Samuel French Book Shop on Fitzroy Street is closing mid-April. Apparently they were notified of a 200% rent increase and couldn't make it work. They will continue publishing and selling books online, but it is a shame as it was such a useful resource, especially for students/young actors.
If you are in the area, starting today there is a 50% off sale, so might be a time to both say 'goodbye' and pick up some bargains.
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Post by foxa on Feb 11, 2017 14:26:40 GMT
I've booked £25 seats for this - loved her concert in this same venue a while back. Just checked and there are still tickets available including £25 ones.
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Post by foxa on Feb 10, 2017 20:14:01 GMT
Not until 14th April for me.
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