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Post by paplazaroo on Oct 17, 2018 21:28:27 GMT
I really enjoyed this, mad as a bag of frogs and very funny if you like Mcdonaghs style. Makes a clever point about history and revisionism in a totally original way. It’ll divide audiences for sure. Some of the cast are still settling into it. The set is really cool too
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2018 22:43:16 GMT
More than ever, I'm congratulating myself for booking this for the Friday before Christmas - it sounds like the most unfestive thing ever, which is exactly what I was looking for! A Christmas show about a colonial massacre should definitely be "unfestive". |
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Post by crowblack on Oct 17, 2018 22:51:52 GMT
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Post by londonmzfitz on Oct 18, 2018 8:39:02 GMT
My auld Da John Fitz would look at the Monty Python sketches and mutter darkly "they're all on drugs" ...
That thought popped into my head last night watching this.
I'm glad the other reviews didn't put me off, I found there to be some real comedy in this. Jim Broadbent was excellent, Johnetta Eula'Mae Ackles too and I loved Phil Daniels role. Comedy delivery needs tiny tweaks (still in preview, of course). Three and a half stars from me, it's nutty, really dark, but well delivered and I laughed.
Overheard on the way out - two young women in a sort of stunned discussion "I felt there were references to information I don't know anything about that everyone else seemed to know" and "I really don't know much about Hans Christian Anderson". I wonder if they thought they were seeing a biography, in which case they are seriously going to struggle watching Disney's The Little Mermaid in the future.
Like a doofus I dropped my bank card, only realised when I tried to swipe in at the Station. Checked my phone and the box office had left a voicemail saying they had it. Walked back, chatted to box office staff as someone when to retrieve it and found I was next to Jim Broadbent and Phil Daniels, with Martin McDonagh sat at a table making notes.
Right, I'm off to check the spoilers on here now.
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Post by londonmzfitz on Oct 18, 2018 8:46:11 GMT
Does anybody know what the view is like from the front row for this production? Or how high the stage is? If you look up the hashtag #averyveryverydarkmatter on Instagram, someone has posted a photo of the curtain call showing the set and stage etc. I was A28 which I would avoid like all hell for anyone looking. It's at the very corner of the square stage, as in, I had a leg either side of the stage, higher numbers than 28 would, I think, be restricted view. I've booked A20 for further into the run, front and centre, which seems to be fine. The stage is quite high, last night I could see everything though except the floor. Centre block front is quite a way back from the stage. |
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Post by crowblack on Oct 18, 2018 8:49:09 GMT
"I felt there were references to information I don't know anything about that everyone else seemed to know" and "I really don't know much about Hans Christian Anderson". I saw someone tweeting about this yesterday who seemed to be under the impression this was the truth about Hans Andersen! A few seemed unaware of Belgium's colonial record too, which really surprised me, but might go some way to explain why many now seem to regard Brussels as the model of human perfection (overheard on the tube afterwards, two women expressing the dark thought that maybe McDonagh was a 'Leaver') |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2018 8:57:38 GMT
A few seemed unaware of Belgium's colonial record too, which really surprised me, but might go some way to explain why many now seem to regard Brussels as the model of human perfection (overheard on the tube afterwards, two women expressing the dark thought that maybe McDonagh was a 'Leaver') I'm not surprised about that to be honest. Belgium today still ignores it or pretends it didn't really happen so it's no surprise people outside of the country are seemingly unaware too. EDIT: In addition, there are probably a huge number of British people who are unaware or wilfully ignorant of Britain's pretty shonky colonial record too so, again, no surprise that they don't know anything about Belgium. |
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Post by stefy69 on Oct 18, 2018 9:59:20 GMT
A few seemed unaware of Belgium's colonial record too, which really surprised me, but might go some way to explain why many now seem to regard Brussels as the model of human perfection (overheard on the tube afterwards, two women expressing the dark thought that maybe McDonagh was a 'Leaver') I'm not surprised about that to be honest. Belgium today still ignores it or pretends it didn't really happen so it's no surprise people outside of the country are seemingly unaware too. EDIT: In addition, there are probably a huge number of British people who are unaware or wilfully ignorant of Britain's pretty shonky colonial record too so, again, no surprise that they don't know anything about Belgium. Makes you wonder what people thought Billy Joel's reference to " Belgians in the Congo " on We Didn't Start the Fire referred to ?....  |
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Post by crowblack on Oct 18, 2018 10:20:03 GMT
unaware or wilfully ignorant of Britain's pretty shonky colonial record too I don't know what other UK regions were like, but we were taught it at school for O or A level, and the history of Ireland, Cromwell, the famine etc. - not much on the Highland Clearances though. And loads of European/Russian history for A level. Maybe it's all Nazis and America in school now. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2018 10:21:30 GMT
I'm not surprised about that to be honest. Belgium today still ignores it or pretends it didn't really happen so it's no surprise people outside of the country are seemingly unaware too. EDIT: In addition, there are probably a huge number of British people who are unaware or wilfully ignorant of Britain's pretty shonky colonial record too so, again, no surprise that they don't know anything about Belgium. Makes you wonder what people thought Billy Joel's reference to " Belgians in the Congo " on We Didn't Start the Fire referred to ?.... I'd imagine they thought that he was just finding something to rhyme with "Psycho". |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2018 10:25:42 GMT
Anything we were taught at school with regards to Britain's colonial past was very much couched in terms of "the British Empire! What an achievement!" without much critical thinking as to whether we really should have or not, but more often than not it was all glossed over in favour of things like the Industrial Revolution. One does hope this has improved since my schooldays, but I fear not...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2018 10:52:13 GMT
unaware or wilfully ignorant of Britain's pretty shonky colonial record too I don't know what other UK regions were like, but we were taught it at school for O or A level, and the history of Ireland, Cromwell, the famine etc. - not much on the Highland Clearances though. And loads of European/Russian history for A level. Maybe it's all Nazis and America in school now. That's why I said "a huge number of British people" rather than assuming "everyone". I'd be inclined to believe that @baemax's example is the more widely common version and that is that if the subject of the British Empire was taught at all, it was about how perfectly marvellous it all was. A view which I also imagine played a large part in many a person voting 'Leave' at the referendum. Lucky you to have been taught how perfectly monstrous the British Empire actually was and the devastating impact that still looms large for many countries but I'm willing to bet that this wasn't the case for many people and going back to my other earlier point, if they weren't taught about the negative impact of the British Empire, I can completely understand why many people are blissfully unaware of Belgium's shady colonial past. |
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Post by crowblack on Oct 18, 2018 11:52:19 GMT
"a huge number of British people" rather than assuming "everyone". I would have thought the almost-entirely-'broadsheet'-reading, news watching, mostly university-educated Bridge Theatre crowd would all be aware of it though, surely? |
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Post by mallardo on Oct 18, 2018 12:08:04 GMT
Say what you will about Great Britain's colonial past, in the atrocity sweepstakes no one beats the Belgians.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2018 12:08:36 GMT
"a huge number of British people" rather than assuming "everyone". I would have thought the almost-entirely-'broadsheet'-reading, news watching, mostly university-educated Bridge Theatre crowd would all be aware of it though, surely? Belgium's colonial history? No, I don't think they would necessarily. And why would it matter if they were university educated or not? A university education doesn't make one more educated or knowledgeable. I'm certainly living proof of that for example and I would imagine I'm not the minority. Public school education as well (although I'm not a "twit"). |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2018 12:12:37 GMT
Say what you will about Great Britain's colonial past, in the atrocity sweepstakes no one beats the Belgians. I'm not quite sure it's really a contest.  |
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Post by peggs on Oct 18, 2018 12:35:04 GMT
A university education doesn't make one more educated or knowledgeable. That is ever my line of argument when my mother says of the crossword 'you went to university, you must know this. I studied history until first year at uni, never touched on the empire, I know bits of British history from just general reading but it's very gappy and nothing about Belgium or the Congo. Should I do some reading before I go? |
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Post by crowblack on Oct 18, 2018 12:45:10 GMT
And why would it matter if they were university educated or not? Because that sort of issue is very hard to miss if you're a student - campaigns about statues, the dodgy donors of buildings old and new, fair trade food, boycotting certain brands and companies and countries etc., flyers and posters and demos... woe betide the flatmate who bought the wrong sort of orange juice... or has it all changed? |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2018 13:06:41 GMT
Say what you will about Great Britain's colonial past, in the atrocity sweepstakes no one beats the Belgians. I see your Belgians in the Congo and raise you Germans in Namibia... |
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Post by lichtie on Oct 18, 2018 13:29:42 GMT
Say what you will about Great Britain's colonial past, in the atrocity sweepstakes no one beats the Belgians. I see your Belgians in the Congo and raise you Germans in Namibia...
Ot Italians in Abyssinia...
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Post by lichtie on Oct 18, 2018 13:31:51 GMT
And why would it matter if they were university educated or not? Because that sort of issue is very hard to miss if you're a student - campaigns about statues, the dodgy donors of buildings old and new, fair trade food, boycotting certain brands and companies and countries etc., flyers and posters and demos... woe betide the flatmate who bought the wrong sort of orange juice... or has it all changed? I'm not sure students campaign about things that happened long ago and far away unless those things still touch on their existence. So slavery yes, Belgium in the Congo not so much. |
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Post by lichtie on Oct 18, 2018 13:34:22 GMT
A university education doesn't make one more educated or knowledgeable. That is ever my line of argument when my mother says of the crossword 'you went to university, you must know this. I studied history until first year at uni, never touched on the empire, I know bits of British history from just general reading but it's very gappy and nothing about Belgium or the Congo. Should I do some reading before I go? I've not seen it yet, but I suspect that McDonagh is probably just channeling Heart of Darkness. |
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Post by paplazaroo on Oct 18, 2018 13:53:05 GMT
That is ever my line of argument when my mother says of the crossword 'you went to university, you must know this. I studied history until first year at uni, never touched on the empire, I know bits of British history from just general reading but it's very gappy and nothing about Belgium or the Congo. Should I do some reading before I go? I've not seen it yet, but I suspect that McDonagh is probably just channeling Heart of Darkness. He does actually mention Heart of Darkness in the play |
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Post by Jan on Oct 18, 2018 13:53:32 GMT
Say what you will about Great Britain's colonial past, in the atrocity sweepstakes no one beats the Belgians. Japan ? |
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Post by sf on Oct 18, 2018 14:35:31 GMT
unaware or wilfully ignorant of Britain's pretty shonky colonial record too I don't know what other UK regions were like, but we were taught it at school for O or A level, and the history of Ireland, Cromwell, the famine etc. - not much on the Highland Clearances though. And loads of European/Russian history for A level. Maybe it's all Nazis and America in school now.
Even in terms of Ireland, the history I was taught at GCSE carefully skirted around the question of just how much blood we-the-English have on our hands. And we can see from the "negotiations" currently being conducted in Westminster that a firmly colonialist attitude still informs the way a number of our politicians - a lot of them around my age (mid-40s) or only slightly older - approach the question of the Irish border and the Good Friday Agreement.
I'm seeing this play next week. The stuff about Belgium/Colonialism now has me very curious.
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