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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 12, 2024 19:02:22 GMT
The smiley pics are somewhat at odds with the quote. It's just temporary photos, they'll have a proper poster by the time the show opens. They want people to buy tickets before the show opens though. |
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Post by corblimey on Jun 12, 2024 19:17:42 GMT
I see it 90 minutes no interval. Is that new information? I assumed longer, will be quite a wait until my 23:05 train home. From Waterloo! I saw the information on the OV website yesterday RUNNING TIME Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes without an interval |
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Post by fiyero on Jun 12, 2024 19:47:43 GMT
Is that new information? I assumed longer, will be quite a wait until my 23:05 train home. From Waterloo! I saw the information on the OV website yesterday RUNNING TIME Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes without an interval The perils of booking my train in advance 😂 |
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Post by Jon on Jun 12, 2024 19:56:04 GMT
Could be worse, could be 3 hours 45 hours and you'd miss the train.
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Post by mkb on Jun 12, 2024 20:56:18 GMT
I saw the information on the OV website yesterday RUNNING TIME Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes without an interval The perils of booking my train in advance 😂 If you book Advance fares, for any operator, through Cross Country Trains, they allow time changes without the usual £10/ticket admin fee, and only for any fare difference up to the day before departure: www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/customer-service/no-admin-feeOf course, the fare difference could be substantial, but it's not always. You should be able to make the same change with most retailers, but you then get stung by the admin fee, but might be worth doing to save 90+ minutes. |
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Post by fiyero on Jun 12, 2024 21:42:10 GMT
The perils of booking my train in advance 😂 If you book Advance fares, for any operator, through Cross Country Trains, they allow time changes without the usual £10/ticket admin fee, and only for any fare difference up to the day before departure: www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/customer-service/no-admin-feeOf course, the fare difference could be substantial, but it's not always. You should be able to make the same change with most retailers, but you then get stung by the admin fee, but might be worth doing to save 90+ minutes. Useful for next time! I'm now off to railforums.co.uk to make some show suggestions and restore balance Edit: the extra ticket is £10.50. I could just buy that then have my original as backup if there is a long show stop 😂 |
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Post by mkb on Jun 12, 2024 22:05:23 GMT
If you book Advance fares, for any operator, through Cross Country Trains, they allow time changes without the usual £10/ticket admin fee, and only for any fare difference up to the day before departure: www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/customer-service/no-admin-feeOf course, the fare difference could be substantial, but it's not always. You should be able to make the same change with most retailers, but you then get stung by the admin fee, but might be worth doing to save 90+ minutes. Useful for next time! I'm now off to railforums.co.uk to make some show suggestions and restore balance Edit: the extra ticket is £10.50. I could just buy that then have my original as backup if there is a long show stop 😂 Keep an eye on when your original train departs. If it is as little as one minute late in departing, you're contractually entitled to not travel on it and have a full refund. Might be a battle if the delay is that little, but it's the rail industry itself that chose to write the rules that allow that, so ultimately they'd have to pay up. |
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Post by capybara on Jun 13, 2024 9:42:53 GMT
Will be at the first preview tonight.
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Post by anthony40 on Jun 13, 2024 9:57:27 GMT
Will be at the first preview tonight. I am there Saturday night |
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Post by capybara on Jun 13, 2024 20:34:37 GMT
Always exciting to see the first preview of a brand new show and even more so when the cast includes both Anna Maxwell Martin and James Corden. The latter may well have suffered from overexposure on screen but he is without a doubt an enjoyable watch on stage.
Joe Penhall’s new play touches on a number of themes, with the focus on how easily simply trying to help somebody can spiral out of control. Maxwell Martin plays Monica, an MP struggling to deal with an intense constituent; Alec (Corden).
The play, staged in the traverse with stalls seating, runs at 90 minutes with no interval and flows well. The scenes are relatively short but capture the frantic perspective Alec is viewing the world from. The pair work well together for a first preview and Penhall’s script is consistently engaging.
As I often find with plays, the ending seemed to arrive a little abruptly and didn’t quite answer all of my questions. But Maxwell Martin and Corden, supported by Zachary Hart (DC Mellor), both impress in their roles.
The Constituent is timely, in an era when politicians are facing more hostility than ever just for going about their job. It makes a good case for remembering the humanity on both sides of the surgery desk.
Four stars.
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Post by ceebee on Jun 14, 2024 20:23:48 GMT
Everything capybara said. This is a well written play, well acted by three really good actors. Thoroughly enjoyed this evening's performance. Very relevant, thought provoking, funny at times and also sad. Shows 'the system' for what it is. Four stars from me. |
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Post by nash16 on Jun 14, 2024 21:44:15 GMT
Can we ask the early reviewers what would have made it a 5*? What was missing?
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Post by ceebee on Jun 14, 2024 21:57:16 GMT
Can we ask the early reviewers what would have made it a 5*? What was missing? For me it was slightly under-energised in places where you'd have expected more tension. James Corden plays his role really well as a PTSD damaged former soldier going through a marital split and losing access to his children. I found Anna Maxwell Martin understated as the harassed but compassionate M.P. but I think a few more previews will sort this. Zachary Hart as the police protection officer is excellent. I think a couple more previews will fix the very minor points of an otherwise excellent production (which also has a great soundtrack). It's superbly directed. |
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Post by mrekko on Jun 14, 2024 23:15:41 GMT
I’ve overspent lately so hoping they put rush tickets to this, like with Machinal.
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Post by aloysius on Jun 14, 2024 23:25:32 GMT
I saw this tonight and didn't love it as much as the other early reviewers. For me the scenario felt too contrived and the dialogue vered into unrealistic speechifying far too often. There were a couple of plot developments that were extremely unrealistic and the third character was badly drawn. There were moments of humour in there which to my mind felt inappropriate given the recent killings of Jo Cox and David Amess. The set is a cheap knock off of the set used for People, Places and Things. Ok that's the negative. The major positive is, boy, James Corden can act. He's exceptional. Anna Maxwell Martin is good -a splice of her Motherland and Line of Duty roles - but I just found her character quite unbelievable. So two stars from me but my friend loved it and gave it four.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 15, 2024 13:11:50 GMT
Poll added
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Post by Jon on Jun 15, 2024 22:55:03 GMT
Just came back and it's a good play with excellent performances from James Corden and Anna Maxwell Martin. It's timely that this play is debuting during the GE campaign because it shows the relationship between MP and constituent and shows how hard being a MP actually is and the reality that they cannot solve every problem. The ending is interesting because Alec's actions have consequences since he loses his job, his kids and his mum plus he ends up homeless but Monica wants to help which she easily and understandably could have refused but it shows she still has empathy and compassion despite the ordeal she went through.
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Post by A.Ham on Jun 16, 2024 11:29:43 GMT
Great reading the comments from those who’ve been over the past few nights. I’m there Tues and looking forward to it.
Great timing for the production that their opening has ended up arriving during election-fever!
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Post by anthony40 on Jun 16, 2024 17:20:54 GMT
Saw this last night. Again, I agree with everything capybara has said. It's a very timely piece.
I was in the second, or third row, so quite up close.
I'm not too sure how far into previews they are but this ran relatively smoothly and I reckon any (extremely) minor hiccups will be ironed out by next week.
Bar the odd seat here and there, the theatre was full.
You do really empathise with the two lead characters predicament.
James Corden is acting his socks off here! He wears shorts for the first half of the play and because I was up so close I was able to notice two small tattoos on the back of his legs; above his ankle, but below his calf muscle. Don't know if they're authentic, or for the character.
I never understood (and still don't) the dislike for him! As referenced, he's working hard here. I mat him afterwards and had (with permission) had a selfie. Such a lovely guy!
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Post by nash16 on Jun 16, 2024 17:41:10 GMT
Saw this last night. Again, I agree with everything capybara has said. It's a very timely piece. I was in the second, or third row, so quite up close. I'm not too sure how far into previews they are but this ran relatively smoothly and I reckon any (extremely) minor hiccups will be ironed out by next week. Bar the odd seat here and there, the theatre was full. You do really empathise with the two lead characters predicament. James Corden is acting his socks off here! He wears shorts for the first half of the play and because I was up so close I was able to notice two small tattoos on the back of his legs; above his ankle, but below his calf muscle. Don't know if they're authentic, or for the character. I never understood (and still don't) the dislike for him! As referenced, he's working hard here. I mat him afterwards and had (with permission) had a selfie. Such a lovely guy! Anthony, if you’ve never understood the dislike, have a google. A selfie doth not a lovely guy make, sadly. |
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Post by Being Alive on Jun 17, 2024 20:20:24 GMT
Those scene changes made me want to start a fight - speed up for goodness sake!
Uneven play, but great last third. Actors better than the material.
3 stars.
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Post by theatre22 on Jun 17, 2024 20:36:12 GMT
Those scene changes made me want to start a fight - speed up for goodness sake! Uneven play, but great last third. Actors better than the material. 3 stars. I saw it this evening and thought exactly the same. For a short play a lot of time is spent on the scene changes and that made it feel uneven. The stop about 15 mins in for a technical issue didn’t help but it was a relief they got it sorted. |
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Post by Mark on Jun 17, 2024 21:36:02 GMT
Agree with the above. It's.... fine. But the acting is V good.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jun 17, 2024 22:15:37 GMT
Saw this last night. Again, I agree with everything capybara has said. It's a very timely piece. I was in the second, or third row, so quite up close. I'm not too sure how far into previews they are but this ran relatively smoothly and I reckon any (extremely) minor hiccups will be ironed out by next week. Bar the odd seat here and there, the theatre was full. You do really empathise with the two lead characters predicament. James Corden is acting his socks off here! He wears shorts for the first half of the play and because I was up so close I was able to notice two small tattoos on the back of his legs; above his ankle, but below his calf muscle. Don't know if they're authentic, or for the character. I never understood (and still don't) the dislike for him! As referenced, he's working hard here. I mat him afterwards and had (with permission) had a selfie. Such a lovely guy! Yeah- he really isn’t a nice guy. |
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Post by MoreLife on Jun 18, 2024 16:52:41 GMT
Saw this one last night and even spending more time reflecting on it today hasn’t changed my impressions.
I found the writing to be poor and filled with platitudes and clichés, everything that unfolds on stage is fairly easy to predict and I got the impression the overarching message was a tad preachy and - sadly - rather detached from reality. Could have believed it to an extent had it bern about a member of a local administration board, but with an MP involved… not so much.
Acting-wise, I thought Anna Maxwell Martin did a very good job with the not that great material she’s been given, and her measure and ability to make small adjustments in tone and intentions to convey a range of emotions whilst holding on to the institutional role of her character and the rules in place was rather engaging.
Personally I really did not like Corden’s characterisation or in general his delivery. I was never convinced I was seeing an actual person but rather the stereotype of what that person may speak and move like as seen through the eyes of Corden. Sadly, I found his acting to lack truthfulness for me. Of course I’m glad others here were a lot happier than me with his performance, but I was not convinced in the slightest.
Bit of a pity also that the play is stretched to the 90’ mark by way of lengthy and apparently not justifiable breaks that are filled with some darkness and background music, but kill whatever pace snd tension had been built during the previous scene…
Considering we were out of the theatre just after 9 and we had had a technical issue that stopped the play after the first scene, I felt that the play could just as well last even less - there really is rather little in it.
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