1,133 posts
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Post by Stephen on Sept 14, 2019 13:10:09 GMT
I was in the onstage audience when they filmed this. I have vocal responses at points. Should be interesting to watch.
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5,160 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Sept 14, 2019 13:14:20 GMT
Broadcast tomorrow evening (Sunday 15th) on BBC4 from 10pm until 11.40pm, and then presumably, depending on rights, available on catch up.
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3,040 posts
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Post by crowblack on Sept 16, 2019 8:25:54 GMT
I didn't see this live - I wanted to, but thought it would be too depresssing to experience on a London trip on my own, but I saw it on TV last night and thought it worked well on screen, helped maybe by the apparent stylistic nod to Dave Allen. It was pretty gruelling, though I think the comedy/horror worked for the most part until the end. I think it should have ended after the horrific murder of the daughter. After that, the flip back to comedy with the laugh line about killing a celeb felt misplaced: it pulled me back, made me conscious I was watching a play, a construct, and the subsequent murders felt oddly anticlimactic, overkill, lacking the impact of the daughter's death. Rea was fantastic and most of the cast were strong, though the actress playing the psychiatrist sounded like she was reading her lines from an autocue, which is a shame as it rather unbalanced those scenes. |
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Post by londonpostie on Sept 16, 2019 10:39:06 GMT
I remember liking very much that it threw the kitchen sink, plug and plumbing at ID politics, didn't miss a single aspect to my understanding. Quite the outpouring.
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3,321 posts
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Post by david on Sept 16, 2019 22:29:10 GMT
After watching the BBC4 broadcast tonight, I’m glad I got to watch it but gutted I didn’t take the opportunity to see it at the RC. A really good piece of theatre both in its writing and performances (Stephen Rea was outstanding). I really loved the use of dark humour in the writing with plenty of laugh out loud moments (which where counterbalanced with the more serious aspects of the examination of sectarian violence). I certainly can see similarities in its style to the Inishmore play. I didn’t see that ending coming though which made it the more shocking.
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3,040 posts
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Post by crowblack on Sept 17, 2019 7:43:43 GMT
I didn’t see that ending coming though which made it the more shocking. I had heard that he killed the baby. I hadn't heard that he also killed the two female characters which does make me wonder if people think killing women in drama isn't particularly noteworthy! |
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105 posts
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Post by youngoffender on Sept 17, 2019 22:16:33 GMT
Just finished watching this on iPlayer. Wow, what blistering writing, and what a revelatory performance from Stephen Rea. He was clearly a favourite of Hugo Blick a few years ago, in The Shadow Line and The Honourable Woman, where the archness and detachment coloured my view of him, but here he's just explosive. How did he manage to do this night after night at the Royal Court?
The role of the psychologist was pretty thankless, but nonetheless I thought the performance here was the weak link. I never bought into her as a character, it was just an actress on stage saying her lines.
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3,040 posts
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Post by crowblack on Sept 17, 2019 22:34:40 GMT
It would be interesting to compare the RC audience reaction with the Belfast one - I got the impression they'd filmed both but looking again a the iplayer page I think they mean they just filmed those outdoor scenes in Belfast. Yes, absolute tour de force from Rea - it was exhausting to watch, so heaven knows what it must be like to play.
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Sept 18, 2019 9:33:03 GMT
He is 73 in October as well. I think this role would be the end of many much younger actors.
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Sept 18, 2019 9:35:11 GMT
The role of the psychologist was pretty thankless, but nonetheless I thought the performance here was the weak link. I never bought into her as a character, it was just an actress on stage saying her lines.
The original production upstairs has the electrifying Wunmi Mosaku, who has rightly gone to bigger and better things. There was a lot of tension between her and Rea. When he calls her the n-word and she calls him Irish both seem just as shocking in the context. I agree the actress in the main run just didn't get nuance of that complex relationship. |
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Post by jvoom on Sept 18, 2019 13:23:10 GMT
The original production upstairs has the electrifying Wunmi Mosaku, who has rightly gone to bigger and better things. There was a lot of tension between her and Rea. When he calls her the n-word and she calls him Irish both seem just as shocking in the context. I agree the actress in the main run just didn't get nuance of that complex relationship. I'm curious about that actually. I had only ever read the play before seeing it on BBC the other night. Was the N-word line cut during the run of the show or just on whatever night the BBC were in? |
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Sept 18, 2019 14:16:30 GMT
My memory was that it was cut for the RC Downstairs runs but was in place during the original upstairs run. I am assuming it was still. Place during its Abbey Theatre and Belfast runs.
I think a lot of black theatre writers voiced their discomfort (Spoiler: it is supposed to be uncomfortable) and as a person of colour it still has an impact. I do think Ireland was justified in using it but I can see why Royal Court, particularly post its Town Halls had to consider the impact on the audience.
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Sept 21, 2019 22:36:33 GMT
Well I had to go and watch some strictly catch up after watching this in order to recover. Ended up watching with my jumper clutched half up over my face, jeez. Was somewhat irritated by all that early laughter, yes bits were funny but without knowing what was going to happen it seemed that his reactions to certain things were clearly going to have consequences somewhere and were somewhat threatening, foreboding rather than funny.
Watching strictly hasn't worked, realise shoulders are still up round ears from attempt to hide self from what I was watching. This must have been something to watch live.
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3,580 posts
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Post by Rory on Sept 21, 2019 23:02:08 GMT
Well I had to go and watch some strictly catch up after watching this in order to recover. Ended up watching with my jumper clutched half up over my face, jeez. Was somewhat irritated by all that early laughter, yes bits were funny but without knowing what was going to happen it seemed that his reactions to certain things were clearly going to have consequences somewhere and were somewhat threatening, foreboding rather than funny. Watching strictly hasn't worked, realise shoulders are still up round ears from attempt to hide self from what I was watching. This must have been something to watch live. It was pretty electric peggs for sure! |
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Post by theatremad on Oct 13, 2019 21:06:30 GMT
Wow, now watched this on I-player. Knew the ending but still left me shaken. Superb play
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3,040 posts
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Post by crowblack on Oct 14, 2019 15:01:24 GMT
Goes off iplayer tomorrow!
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1,863 posts
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Post by NeilVHughes on Oct 20, 2019 12:33:13 GMT
This was screened at the Barbican this morning followed by a Q&A with Stephen Rea and Vicky Featherstone.
First time I have watched it since seeing it live at the Court and despite knowing the denouement the dark humour still resonated a sign of the great writing in what is a truly horrific piece.
Stephen Rea was fairly subdued and didn’t try to hide his contempt for the character and the intransigence of the Unionist position to not move forward.
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