The Faith Healer

And Lyndsey Turner is an awful awful director

Heavy handed

The only thing directed by her I liked was Posh

And that was not a hard play to direct

Even Chimerica which had merits was rendered a pastiche due to the lack of any basic skills

You've certainly whetted my appetite for this one. ;-)



This was a bit of a dodgy booking for me - I don't really like monologues, but I do like Gina McKee and I've never seen the play so I opted for a couple of cheap seats. Which I may live to regret.

I think STEVE was there this evening?

In the front row stalls?!

Parsley, Parsley, there's no one like Parsley,
He's at so very many plays, yet spotted only sparsely.
You may see him in the first half, if you see him anywhere —
But in the play's second half, Parsley's not there!

I regretted buying the ticket the moment the line flubs started happening, and wished I went next week instead, but when I trialed the £10 Barclays tickets two weeks ago, and got offered front facing stalls, I couldn't resist.

Incidentally, I believe Ken Stott flubbed his lines playing the same part at the Almeida press night years ago. Apparently Brian Friel was none too happy, as his words are everything to him, so Stephen Dillane had better get some practice in. I think it's a mesmerising play, but line flubs throw you right out of it, and the hypnotic intensity of those poetic words is lost.

Anyway, it's too early in previews to moan, so what I will highlight is that Ron Cook is giving one of his best performances in this. He's absolutely wonderful, blunt, forceful and hilariously funny!

This is a play of 4 monologues. At present, the first and fourth, by Dillane, need work. The second, by Gina McKee is dreamy, sad and mesmeric. But that third monologue by Cook is the absolute bees knees.

Obviously, this play can't work as it should if all 4 monologues are not tip top because the Rashomon-like structure requires complete concentration on all 4, combining the action of each in your mind to build up a full picture of the events that each of the monologues describe.

So for now, at this early preview, the only thing I'm genuinely over the moon about is Ron Cook.

I will consider going again later in the run, depending on the word of others, as tonight, this just didn't cohere for me.

In fact, the audience didn't even realise when the play had finished at fade out, and noone started clapping until the lights came back on, and all the actors returned to take their bows. Needless to say, the actors did not come back out a second time.

Love love my song

Thank you
Xxxx

The device used to cover the scene changes is truly stunning.

Otherwise, I agree- the group I was with all adored Ron Cook's wonderful, wonderful monologue, enjoyed Gina McKee's very affecting monologue (it's far less showy and audience-pleasing than Cook's monologue but she did a brilliant job of connecting with the audience and trying to bring them in), and thought the opening and final ones were pretty bad. Stephen Dillane aimed all his lines at a patch of floor in front of him, in a low mumble. Combined with his accent it made it difficult to hear what he was saying. But worse was the complete disconnect with the audience. Granted he did get better, and his second monologue was much better than the first. But really no one goes to the theatre to see a man mumbling at his shoes.

Shame, because it's a cracking play. But Ron Cook is worth the £10 front row tickets alone. Hopefully it will get better by press night.

Amusingly, Dillane turned the wrong way during the bows and Ron Cook had to turn him round.

No, the set is almost bare and each actor sits or stands in the middle of the stage. Cook and McKee do a good job of looking around and making eye contact with and generally addressing themselves to the entire audience (sides and circle).

Parsley- are you a He or a She?

I'm confused. One minute I thought you were female.. Are you transitioning?

Parsley is a sprig.

What is the scene change device they use?

Not seeing this until August, hoping everyone involved has learnt their lines by then, and if not - ah well, it's one more Game Of Thrones actor to tick off the list I've seen.