The Provoked Wife (Swan Theatre, RSC)

Excellent news, so looking forward to the Restoration double bill with Venice Preserved.

Saw first preview last night. Advertised running time is 2hrs 40 plus 20 mins interval. Came down last night at 10.45pm (2hrs 55 plus 20 mins interval).

This will be a marmite show. Its currently played at a deathly slow pace and needs further pruning than just bringing it to the required run time. Feels like each scene is a labour rather than fun.

Decent set though they really only use the back entrances and a door in a false wall. No entries from audience. New designer so wonder where he designed this for in his head.

Caroline Quentin is a joy, Les Dennis barely says a word. The stand out for me was Natalie Dew as Bellinda.

It has the makings of a great theatre show but its by no means there yet.

I have adored Alex Gilbreath since she appeared at SUA in the 1993 season. Gorgeous, Underrated actress. Looking forward to this next month.

Pleased you enjoyed it, Im going to give it a second viewing later in the run.

The RSC did The Relapse in 1995 or so, with Victor Spinetti as the fop and Jennifer Ehle and Hugh Quarshie amongst others. Loved that show. Possibly ripe for another showing

We really enjoyed this - yes, it is overlong but I'm sure will likely be tightened up after the previews. A brilliant cast - those mentioned above and also the great John Hdgkinson who excels in everything he is in. Les Dennis is little more than a member of the company here - I assume he has a much more prominent part in Venice Preserved. Personal highlight was Alexandra Gibreath fluttering her eyelashes at me - be still my beating heart

I saw the matinee yesterday and if anything it seems to have become longer, as it started fairly promptly but we weren't out until nearly 4.40 pm - and it did feel too slow to me, though I wouldn't cut any of the songs/musical interludes as they were a personal highlight and though I'm sure I've seen this play before, I don't recall any musical aspect.

I'm wondering now whether adding or increasing a musical element is an RSC hallmark - though with different directors I'm not sure how it could be - as it was the same with Mrs Rich (etc) last year. Don't think I'm actually that keen on this particular play but another enjoyable aspect of my visit was seeing various actors mentioned by others in this thread but of whom I had never even heard: Alexandra Gilbreath, Natalie Dew, Jonathan Slinger and John Hodgkinson. The last-named I thought was superb and is someone I'll now look out for but I really didn't take to Jonathan Slinger at all, though in fairness to him his character was horrible.

Caroline Quentin and Les Dennis were familiar names but I thought the former was fine but no better than the rest and as for Les Dennis, he hadn't a single word to say so I assume, as someone else has suggested, that he has a larger role in another production.

Yesterday's matinee was a relaxed performance and it had looked quite busy online so it was disappointing, both for the actors and in terms of supporting performances of this type, that it was poorly-attended. No idea what happened, ie whether several groups cancelled or didn't make it, but compared to my two previous midweek matinee visits, it was a small house. One small group arrived very late and sat behind me (I think they were ushered in during a suitable break), but didn't return after the interval, so I wondered what they had expected.

Rather enjoyed this afternoon - Caroline Quentin was an absolute joy, with such a detailed performance, and I did rather feel sorry for her in her Malvolio style humiliation. Alexandra Gilbreath was suitably giddy and torn with her moral situation. Very funny but act two certainly got darker. Yes, loved the musical ode to Lady Fanciful.I was thrilled by the sound and images. Didn't the NT have one John Wood and Lindsay Duncan and wasn't there ice skating on the frozen thames - or was that another Restoration. But I do seem to remember John wood in the frock. And yes Les Dennis has a major part in venice preserv'd but this felt like the days of the Actors company - he had one named part who went into the cellar quickly otherwise he lurked and sang and moved furniture.

Saw this tonight

We had an incident in the audience where someone fainted during the second act, and it sounded like they were in the tiered bench seats in the upper gallery because we all heard the loud thud. Managed professionally by the staff and the show got back on tracks in a short amount of time whilst the person was attended to.

Finished 3 hours and 20 minutes because of that but I could swear this felt like 3 hours and 05-10 minutes (as I said it didn't take long for the show to start again)

As a wise man once wrote, "brevity is the soul of wit"

John Vanbrugh certainly knows how to write repartee between the sexes as the audience kept oohing at the insults thrown back and forth, whilst laughing at the characters praise and criticise theirs and the other sex. But it feels like this battle of the sexes wit takes up a good third to half of each scene. Each scene felt long and plot threads and characters felt unnecessary. From the whole Sir Brute dressing up and encountering the police screnario to the musican that came on a few times to play some songs.

In fact in all the time I've been watching Swan productions, this is the first time I felt the songs added little to proceedings. The first one that stroked Lady Fancyfull's ego was fine but that was all the rest were there for.

Enjoyed this but it was WAY too long at 3 hours 10 minutes. As noted above the songs should have been cut. Preferred it to "Venice Preserved" which I saw the other week - I think for these rarely performed plays a straightforward production really helps as nobody knows the plot. Almost full last night - unlike Venice Preserved. I think the inclusion of the unnecessary BDSM / trolley of sex toys scene in Venice Preserved was a big mistake: the scene could have been played in a much tamer way, doing it the way they did required a content warning which ruled out family audiences during the tourist season.

There was a big school group in last night, so obviously a less annoying audience than normally in The Swan

I'm slightly baffled by the casting of Les Dennis (who was fine in both plays) - his name was quite prominent in the casting announcements but in both plays he was in small roles and also part of the ensemble. Fair play to him for being in both and carrying props on and off stage with no dialogue, seemed a bit odd though. But maybe his thinking is to do something relatively small scale as a way of moving his career in a new direction? The other big name cast members (eg Caroline Quentin, Jonathan Slinger) weren't being part of the "Swan Company" in the way Les was.

Probably my last trip to Stratford for a year or so thanks to the odd programming over the winter.

Following on from his appearance in End of the Pier at the Park last year, think this is the continuation of his transformation into an actor rather than Comedian/Quiz Show host.

Not sure of his financial situation, likely to be comfortably off, so admire his desire to more or less start again.