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Post by joem on Mar 24, 2024 12:33:38 GMT
Saw this tonight and wow, absolutely loved it. The chemistry between the cast is unparalleled and it's such a simple story, told perfectly. Charismatic, funny, authentic, touching. Knocked it out of the park - 5 stars. One thing I will say is be cautious if you sit front row - they kick around a ball before the show starts and a lady in front of me got a ball to the face! They were very apologetic but unless you have quick reflexes maybe sit a row back lol I showed my quick reflexes in the original run at the Bush when a ball whizzed towards me and I killed it perfectly with my trusty left foot and passed it back. Suspect it will be goalkeeping skills needed here though. Safe hands.
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Post by joem on Mar 21, 2024 22:36:43 GMT
Why doesn't Faith Healer, or the other plays for that matter, not have a thread of its own?
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Post by joem on Mar 10, 2024 19:22:59 GMT
This was better than I expected and really rather good.
Although inevitably it's more NyeHS than a considered work on Bevan's political career and influence on British politics, it is dramatic and the characters well drawn and sympathetic. Certainly the birth pangs of the NHS are well documented - even if it's later woes are not dealt with.
Sheen is very good in this - what a contrast to Under Milk Wood - and the emotions are tasteful and believable, never mawkish.
Solid production with strong supporting performances.
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Post by joem on Mar 9, 2024 10:25:51 GMT
Saw this last night. Running time 3.50 but does not feel long, let alone overlong. It's a very busy production, in the right sense of the word, there's always something to see or something going on which demands your attention.
You go to see this because of Mckellen though, and he does not disappoint. It is the performance of a much younger man. In fact if one can criticise "God" I'd say he's a bit too nimble and spry for the weight he is carrying but his concentration and timing are excellent and, more than ever, this play is really misnamed. It's "Falstaff", the Henrys are both makeweights for him.
The acting elsewhere is good without ever threatening to move towards Mckellen's level. The usual daft casting and costuming decision or two, the court is people by drab courtiers and the the drabs' court is not very lively. A fair amount of line stumbles which will hopefully be ironed out.
Odd audience. Very few people left but they were still streaming in half an hour into the play and fifteen minutes after the interval. Reasonably well behaved, I didn't hear the crunching of crisps or pop corn much although there was plenty in evidence. Only the odd can of beer or pop being opened.
Hopefully not but this could be Mckellen's swansong in a major production so do go if you haven't seen him before. I missed out on all the greats despite most of them still having been working when I started theatre-going and regret it bitterly.
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Post by joem on Mar 8, 2024 10:58:27 GMT
Anyone interested in Bevan should read Michael Foot's magisterial biography of him. But you have to be interested, it's extremely long.
Managed to get tickets for this, thought I was going to miss it. Not a fan of Sheen's offstage utterances and when I've seen him on stage his performances have been a mixed bag, but the subject interests me although I have a suspicion this will be worthy rather than exciting.
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Post by joem on Mar 8, 2024 1:05:24 GMT
I did manage to prepare a Korean barbeque during a performance of Bernard Shaw once but the slow-roasted pot au feu wasn't ready before the end of Hamlet which was very frustrating.
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Post by joem on Mar 8, 2024 0:40:42 GMT
I enjoyed this, having no knowledge or expectations of this at the time of booking. It is a little dated but in a nice way and after the first few minutes when I struggled a bit with so many characters and their various relationships, I sat back and enjoyed the undemanding fare. Lindsay Duncan elevates this with her wit and timing.
Why should it be revived? Well the programme notes tell us Dodie Smith was one of just three successful female playwrights on the West End in the first half of the century. Don't we want this to be remembered? Or is class now trumping feminism???
Incidentally these are not Downton-style grandees (and of course Downton was written like 70/80 years after Octopus so surely it's the later work that gets compared to the earlier not vice-versa?) but sort of upper middle-class people. I imagine there was a fair sprinkling of families living like this at the time. I don't see any need to alter this to meet our uber-sensitive modern sensitivities.
Overall this is the yan to Rattigan's "After The Dance" yin. A staider version of the bright young things' world as it moves towards its conclusion/extinction, where family rather than flummery is still at the centre of events.
Not thrill-a-minute stuff but there are plenty of less well-crafted productions in London at the mo.
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Post by joem on Mar 7, 2024 23:18:26 GMT
I wouldn't say this was a disaster but it's far from being a great musical. Conceptually the idea of a musical of a documentary of a play onstage is already stretching it a bit, much as I like Rufus Wainwright this is pretty thin on good tunes and some of the more interesting lyrics are lost.
If Sheridan Smith leaves this it will be closed in a fortnight, can't help feeling casting her in this is a bit too close to the bone.
Very few people left at the interval apart from a caveman who doesn't know how close he came to leaving with a black eye.
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Post by joem on Mar 7, 2024 23:05:15 GMT
Tonight at "Opening Night" Martha Wainwright (unsurprisingly) and Tony Robinson.
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Post by joem on Mar 6, 2024 22:52:40 GMT
Seven actors sat at a long bar address the audience - but never each other - with a series of exhortations, epithets quotes and reminiscences, telling fragments of a story or stories in an impressionistic manner which never come together to form an actual narrative while they get drunk.
Based on the unfinished work by Japanese author Ozamu Dasai- he committed suicide before finishing it (no comment), this is a very personal work, so personal I doubt anyone in the theatre understood it. It touches on the Second World War and its legacy to Japan, on what it meant to be Japanese after that... but this is not necessarily apparent during the play.
Backed by Japanese rock band Kukangendai who provide a constant, monotonous droning guitar/bass/percussion rhythm (think Can or Tangerine Dream) which rises and falls in level and urgency the Chiten Theatre Group - one of Japan's foremost experimental theatre companies apparently - deliver a challenging, and not especially rewarding, performance in Japanese, with sub-titles in English..
This, to me, is performance art rather than theatre. A bit like some early Peter Handke plays the characters are arbitrary, undefined and nothing other than loose mouthpieces for the writer who does not feel the need to give them life or shape - it's not about them, it's about him.
Reading up on the work beforehand will not produce spoilers but helpers. Information provided on the Coronet's website will help understand the author and adapter's intentions and certainly will not spoil the show. I would recommend it if anyone does feel inclined to watch this.
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Post by joem on Mar 6, 2024 9:14:35 GMT
Interesting play which entertains and has some good lines. At its best when moving quickly between the two pairs in an Ayckbournesque manner, drawing parallels and sharing lines. In the latter half the two halves tend to drift and the conjunction is less felicitous.
Good performances but slightly disappointed they didn't try to get the voices of the characters, especially Vincent Price's. I thought this was cerebral rather than emotional.
One needs to always remember that this type of play is speculative, the writer uses certain characters and events, chooses which to highlight and extrapolates and, where necessary, takes sides in conflicting accounts. it's a work of fiction. I wouldn't get too excited about the conclusions drawn by a writer without further research.
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Post by joem on Feb 28, 2024 20:55:49 GMT
My white gaze will not be troubling this show.
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Post by joem on Feb 20, 2024 19:18:57 GMT
Cash is best for small transactions. I found it disgusting to witness at the Park Theatre a bar tender throw away a just poured gin and tonic because the lady who ordered it only had cash to pay. And then theatres are always asking for money???
As for BA telling us on every flight that their flights are cashless and then going on to ask for spare change for their "Change for Good" charity. How they hell do they think people are going to have spare change if they're not allowed to use cash?
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Post by joem on Feb 14, 2024 15:38:12 GMT
I forgot to comment on this play.
Written and performed by Ins Choi, this is set in a convenience store owned and operated by a Korean immigrant. Very funny in bits, thoughtful at times, the odd bit of bordering on being offensive but not really and it's fun and for a purpose, this ends up as a quite charming little vignette. Also a play about one of the forgotten diversities, there are very few plays by east Asian writers or thematically or geographically related (the Arcola has done some work in this area).
A bright, convincing shop is the set for the action and looking at the items on offer was an education in itself. The son has left due to misunderstandings with Appa, the daughter is only interested in photography and shuns the shop and the wife rarely appears (least interesting role). Meanwhile Appa toys between retiring, selling (selling out?) and obsessing with anything Japanese - in a negative way. Will he hang on or will he find a successor?
Ins Choi himself plays Appa, the quirky, slightly cranky and overbearing - but with a heart of gold - family-man dad. Great comic touch. Also in the cast was Jennifer Kim as the sensible daughter and Miles Mitchell who was really very good playing several black characters but particularly Alex, the policeman who used to be a friend of Janet's at school and now resurfaces unexpectedly in her life....
I think it's done now but otherwise I would have recommended a visit. Should mention it is inspired by a sitcom by Choi which was unknown to me.
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Post by joem on Feb 12, 2024 22:52:40 GMT
HOLD THE PRESSES…. Weren’t Russian opera singers cancelled for being Russian within the Russian Ukraine war? Wasn’t Russian culture and vodka cancelled in London last year? Wasnt Russia cancelled from Eurovision? YES YOU ARE ALL HYPOCRITES…. I agree fully with the sentiments expressed by the other posters. I have close Russian friends who I most certainly have not cancelled, although I refuse to accept Putin apologists despite the greyness of some of the issues preceding the invasion, but I was under the impression on this board people were allowed to make comments without being personally insulted. Clearly the times are changing and not necessarily for the better.
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Post by joem on Feb 10, 2024 21:20:28 GMT
How in the name of Ctulhu did I miss this?
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Post by joem on Feb 4, 2024 0:05:41 GMT
Now then folks, nowt to do with Brexit here despite the title.
An entertaining little whodunit mixed up with some politics, a little black comedy and a family story written by Aaron Kilercioglu. A Brit of Turkish origin goes to his family home to meet his father and is caught up in investigating his murder, together with his half-sister and her boyfriend.
Well acted, good pace to this. It's something different to see from the average offering.
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Post by joem on Jan 25, 2024 23:38:11 GMT
I see there is some online upset over Terry's casting as Richard III because she does not have lived experience of disability. I know this is something we have debated a number of times. But the Globe should have been out in front of this one. They have a pretty decent record in terms of casting inclusivity so should have been aware of the likelihood of a backlash. Speaking personally I don't believe that this particular role should now only be cast with a disabled actor. The character is much more than a medical condition or physical challenge. But I suspect major companies will need to explain their casting better in the future. I don't think Terry is right for the role but that is nothing to do with disability. It is not great optics when the AD casts herself in this way. She does not have lived experience of manhood either but no-one's complaining. There is little historical evidence of Richard actually being disabled other than perhaps one shoulder being slightly higher than the other. He had a fearsome reputation as a fighter and given the type of fighting practised in those days plus the armour they war a significantly disabled person would simply have been unable to participate in serious fighting. The idea if Richard being "disabled" is allied to his being labelled as "deformed" and a hunchback and is basically a Shakespearean slur on him because, let's not forget, Richard was the mortal enemy of the Bard's queen's grandfather. In any case surely if it is strict veracity what is required then the disability of the actor playing Richard should be the specific disability the fictional Richard was supposed to have. It would not be enough to have an actor missing, for example, a limb to play the part as he would not have lived experience of the type of disability which (the fictional) Richard suffered from.
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Post by joem on Jan 15, 2024 19:47:06 GMT
Got my tickets for this! I love me a nice bit of Korean culture, especially since I was there on holiday.
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Post by joem on Jan 10, 2024 9:49:14 GMT
Compassion: sympathetic feelings for the sufferings or misfortunes of others - empathy which died out when humans suddenly started proclaiming they cared very much about everything and everyone.
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Post by joem on Jan 6, 2024 18:50:20 GMT
No expectations, as I knew nothing of the play, and had a good long thought about paying the asking prices but... what the heck, still cheaper than the lunch at the River Cafe which preceded today's matinee.
I knew the venue so had no illusions about it but, although the seats are far from comfortable and the bar staff were engaged in a potentially dangerous civil war amongst themselves, the sight lines were pretty good.
As for the play, I loved it. It was very funny, at times grotesquely so (bit Ortonesque at times) but still dealt in interesting subjects and themes, getting away with it because, after all, it's only a comedy. I hear what some people say about violence and offense but, to me, the theatre should not always be a safe place and a safe space. People around me do all sorts of things which I could choose to find offensive every day of my life but I generally don't take it, especially when it's not directed at me. Even Only Fools and Horses has a trigger warning these days.
Loved the acting. Andy Serkis does the get short straw here a bit, his pompous self-serving theatre director is more often than not reacting to the two other characters. Luisa Harland is very good as the stubborn playwright but Woody Harrelson, an actor whose career has largely passed me by, is (to me) a revelation in his portrayal of the arrogant, ignorant and self-important caricature of an actor.
For once, a merited standing ovation.
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Post by joem on Dec 30, 2023 12:31:19 GMT
Most of the people I know personally who've got an award over the years were either scoundrels or time-servers.
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Post by joem on Dec 29, 2023 0:07:31 GMT
I enjoyed this today, visually very attractive production with an enthusiastic and talented ensemble. Interesting book and music too, maybe not got the Wow factor but good solid entertaining stuff.
Meanwhile the predictable travails caused by the "cosiness" of the Menier's seating arrangement were compounded by the layout, especially for those towards the ends of the rows of seating. Extremely uncomfortable to have to sit for nearly two hours with your neck twisted uncomfortably without even a break. Daft planning.
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Post by joem on Dec 27, 2023 18:05:37 GMT
I hadn't seen this first time round as I was appalled by the prices - bearing in mind I knew nothing about the play.
But got in today for £35 at the back of the stall which is a very reasonable price.
Good comedy, very funny in parts, and I can see why it's been so successful, although it feels strangely old-fashioned in a way. Great performance by Frances Barber. Chapeau.
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Post by joem on Dec 26, 2023 22:47:20 GMT
Began well but after a few minutes it became clear there was little drama even if the theme was dramatic enough to hold out the promise of more. Sadly this is very one-paced, the characters are mostly uninteresting. I am pretty sure that this can be easily turned into a round table discussion on pain, such is its lack of dramatic tension. The droning pitch at which some of the most important speeches were delivered didn't help either. As happens with many plays with a largely female cast and dealing with female issues suddenly The Man comes in and then the action seems to centre around him. Unfortunately this man was really not very interesting and did not warrant the attention proferred. The last minutes of the play actually for me border on the distasteful. No you can't f*** your way out of chronic pain and it trivialises the suffering so many people are going through for the suggestion not to be quashed. A miss for me.
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Post by joem on Dec 18, 2023 22:17:48 GMT
In no particular order: Standing at the Sky's Edge Marjorie Prime Patriots Dear England The Grand Old Opera House Hotel Honourable mentions to The Brief Life and Mysterious Death ofBoris III, King of Bulgaria and Meetings Are these two plays? I totally read this as "King of Bulgaria and Meetings" The first one with the very long name ends with Bulgaria (Edinburgh fringe) the second is "Meetings" which was done at the Orange Tree.
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Post by joem on Dec 18, 2023 13:43:59 GMT
In no particular order:
Standing at the Sky's Edge Marjorie Prime Patriots Dear England The Grand Old Opera House Hotel
Honourable mentions to The Brief Life and Mysterious Death ofBoris III, King of Bulgaria and Meetings
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Post by joem on Dec 17, 2023 1:06:21 GMT
I am not a fan of "adaptations" where a minor living play wright or someone specialising in dramaturkey takes equal billing with a giant of the stage but Harriet Walter is one of our modern greats so I gave this a chance.
A splendid-looking stage but the dolls house effect ends up distracting from the action and adding little of substance beyond dumb-show gesturing. Harriet Walter is indeed very good as the austere, dictatorial matriarch but the action has not so much been extracted from its historical setting but left there, languishing in a misunderstood context. The continual swearing has already been mentioned - it is unthinkable that women in that type of household in that era in that country would have used a single expletive, there were plenty of euphemisms developed as a result. And there's the rub, this family - which is presented as some sort of freakshow in the production - would have been totally recognisable and fairly normal to at least half the population of Spain at the time. This is the context in the years before the Spanish Civil War where the conservatism of church and countryside clashed against the modernity of town and progress; the failure to reconcile or find a middle way led to a murderous war and regime which lasted forty years.
So this is not a simple tale of a frustrated set of daughters and an overbearing mother, this is a parable for a country on the verge of a cataclysm. But it is totally realistic, this is not poetry and this is not fantasy. What part of Lorca's own explanation of the nature of the play "Reality! Realism!" did the National's team fail to understand?
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Post by joem on Dec 16, 2023 13:13:38 GMT
Still no pub re-opened below unfortunately. I usually go to the Sunday afternoon performances, and have a walk in Brompton Cemetery if I’m early and it’s not raining. There’s a cafe in the cemetery too. But I agree about the awkwardness of waiting at pub theatres if you’re a solo theatregoer and/or don’t want to drink. Are they still insisting on masks and Covid Passes on Sunday?
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Post by joem on Dec 5, 2023 7:29:35 GMT
I have no doubt that Kenneth Branagh is a well-meaning guy (despite being a Tottenham fan) and that helping out RADA was one of the driving motivations behind this production BUT I have to say it ends up feeling like very good youth theatre rather than the loftier heights you expect to be reached in a West End production. The cuts made to the text mutilate the play, all it does is cut down the running time but even then a couple of the key pathetic (in the right sense) speeches are delivered rather briskly by Wor Ken instead of milking them for dramatic effect. Branagh's Lear looks too young and spry to be retiring from tyranny and his fall makes him petulant rather than tragic. Unsympathetic casting doesn't help either, I am very relaxed with flexibility in this but seriously, what did we gain by having a female actor play Kent? Sum total: a cheap laugh from the audience when she declares "I'm a man!". I don't want to knock it too much because I think the idea comes from a good place but Branagh surrounded by students in a chopped-up text doesn't sound great and ended up being deficient. I don't think someone new to the play would have got what it's about and that's a shame because it might dissuade them from going back to the theatre or to Shakespeare. 3/5 if I'm generous. King Lear supports Spurs? Well who knew. Nothing can come of nothing... Odd I know... he should be supporting Newton Heath maybe?
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