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Post by stevejohnson678 on Nov 4, 2021 8:46:39 GMT
Seems to be mostly four-star reviews so far, including from WhatsOnStage (where the review suggests four stars is being generous, despite WhatsOnStage awarding it five stars before).
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Post by Someone in a tree on Nov 4, 2021 9:47:09 GMT
He's so completely out of touch with reality that it's hard to say if this is comic or tragic. Welcome to the real theatregoing world Mark. I guess. "For one thing, the Criterion Theatre itself is such a joy to sit in – a gem that you don't get to see that often because it is so frequently home to long-running shows. The producer David Pugh must be hoping that P&P is another left-field success. Certainly its heart is huge and its delivery enthusiastic – both qualities that lend distinction." From the WoS, review. Ha ha!
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Post by TallPaul on Nov 4, 2021 10:10:26 GMT
Sorry, not sorry?
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Post by fiyerorocher on Nov 4, 2021 12:03:48 GMT
I definitely think it deserves better reviews than it's getting :/ For starters, every critic who starts with a play on the 'It is a truth universally acknowledged' line should be obligated to give them another star, to make up for how annoying the repetition is :') It feels like they've all cottoned on to the fact that people thought post-lockdown shows were getting very generous reviews, and now they're all going in the opposite direction in an attempt to balance things out? Criticising the show for not being enough of a feminist critique or deconstruction feels like such an empty argument when shows like Cinderella never got the same complaints. And half the reviews I've read are comparing it to one other specific production of a different show entirely?? Just odd. At least everyone is in agreement on one thing: it isn't a musical :') But I do urge people to go see it - it's the most I've laughed at a show in forever!
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Post by lightinthedarkness on Nov 7, 2021 21:50:47 GMT
This was absolutely fantastic! Hilarious throughout, and very well put together.
All of the actors were great, and it was fun every time they would pop up as someone else! Definitely worth seeing while you can, I haven’t laughed this much in a very long time
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Post by showgirl on Nov 8, 2021 5:30:00 GMT
I've now seen this twice: once in Oxford in March 2020 (my last pre-lockdown theatre visit, which I can't believe was less than 2 years ago - it seems far longer due to everything which has happened since) and again in London in the last week. Turns out I had forgotten most of it but it was as enjoyable as ever and this time the theatre hadn't moved the start time forward and failed to contact those who had booked (I haven't forgotten that part, Oxford Playhouse - one of my worst theatre experiences ever), so I was able to see it in full. There were only a few moments when I laughed out loud but I loved it all and particularly liked the songs. A couple I didn't recognise but I've been unable to find a list anywhere so if anyone does know where to find one, please say. I booked at very short notice and paid £15 for my aisle seat in the stalls via Seatplan. I wouldn't have paid more as it was my second visit and the view was fine from that location.
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Post by properjob on Nov 8, 2021 6:09:02 GMT
I saw this on its mini tour at Birmingham Rep and went to see it in London at the weekend to see if it was as good as I remembered it. It was better!
The designer has done a simple but brilliant thing of updating the style and colour scheme of the set to reflect the decour of the Criterion theatre. This makes it feel like the set reaches out and wraps around into the auditorium. It has the full orginal cast who are incredibly talented and funny to the extent that I'm not sure they would be able to recast it if it ends up with a long run.
It has what I would describe as proper Scottish swearing which I suspect might scare the tourists so I hope it finds a domestic audience.
It has the feel of a potential real word of mouth hit, I hope it gets the time to develop its audience. This is my contribution to that.
Go and see it. It is both hilarious and a brilliant demonstration of what makes theatre a distinct artform when stripped back to the talents of 5 amazing performers.
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Nov 8, 2021 10:55:17 GMT
It has the full orginal cast who are incredibly talented and funny to the extent that I'm not sure they would be able to recast it if it ends up with a long run. They've reduced the cast from six to five haven't they (with two understudies)? Definitely agree that word-of-mouth will ultimately be what gives this show a chance of a long run. The pricing is spot on, reviews have been good (though should arguably have been even better), ticket sales don't look great but presumably this was always viewed as a show that would take a while to build up word-of-mouth. Can't wait to see it, for the first time since the tour, this weekend.
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Post by lonlad on Nov 8, 2021 11:20:43 GMT
Not quite sure why people are complaining about the reviews -- it got 5 stars from both the Telegraph and the Mail which isn't bad and plenty of 4 stars as well (along with a few 3 stars, including the ever rancorous Times)
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Post by mrnutz on Nov 8, 2021 11:26:20 GMT
I'm not sure what I'm missing with this one but I saw it on Saturday night and didn't love it. I'm not too familiar with the source material so likely I didn't get all of the gags.
I chuckled in places but for me it felt a bit too much like a great idea for an hour-long Fringe show stretched a little too thin...
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Post by fiyerorocher on Nov 9, 2021 13:42:26 GMT
For several dates of this show there are two seats at the end of row C that are (two different) lower prices that the others in the row because of the side view, but the third seat in is sold (presumably the same price as the second seat in). These two seats cut off from the row cannot be purchased separately, because that would involve leaving a single seat. But they cannot be purchased together, because TodayTix doesn't let you buy two seats of different values together. They are literally unpurchaseable. This really isn't going to help a show with poor ticket sales :')
(I presume buying direct from the theatre doesn't give you the same problem, but I did have the issue previously when TodayTix was running the £15 offer - both seats were reduced to £15, but because they were originally different prices, I couldn't buy them together, nor could I buy them separately because of the single remaining seat issue.)
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Post by couldileaveyou on Nov 9, 2021 14:25:13 GMT
I've already seen it twice at the Criterion (I forgot what a jewel of a venue it is, I haven't been since 2014) and I absolutely loved it. It's not perfect and it is *slightly* too long, but it's so much fun and the cast is impeccable. I hope word of mouth works its magic, because it's a lovely show and deserves to run until spring with packed audiences.
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Post by demonbarber on Nov 11, 2021 9:43:38 GMT
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Post by teatowel on Nov 11, 2021 10:48:35 GMT
Interesting about keeping the integrity of the company - the cast really make the performance, and as someone said earlier, I wonder how they might recast it in the event of an extension.
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Post by jamb0r on Nov 11, 2021 13:27:09 GMT
Really enjoyed this last night! Such a talented cast and some real belly laughs.
I have minimal knowledge of the source material (save a few key plot points and references to Colin Firth being wet!) but I didn't feel like that hindered my enjoyment at all. I think I'll watch one of the screen adaptations and go back for a second visit to catch whatever I missed.
The audience seemed to love it and a full standing ovation at the end.
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Post by amp09 on Nov 11, 2021 23:54:51 GMT
Really enjoyed this last night! Such a talented cast and some real belly laughs. I have minimal knowledge of the source material (save a few key plot points and references to Colin Firth being wet!) but I didn't feel like that hindered my enjoyment at all. I think I'll watch one of the screen adaptations and go back for a second visit to catch whatever I missed. The audience seemed to love it and a full standing ovation at the end. Was the same with minimal knowledge. Felt that made it all the better as I didn’t see jokes coming from a mile off like quite a few people did.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Nov 11, 2021 23:57:45 GMT
The little preshow tonight was slightly derailed when the glove fell from the chandelier extremely prematurely and they had no idea what to do :') They did manage to get somewhat back on track, but it gave me a good laugh.
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Post by orchidman on Nov 12, 2021 0:27:24 GMT
The Criterion Theatre is yet again the place to be for fans of basic comedy.
If you find women swearing and Scottish and Northern Irish accents inherently hilarious then let me tell you it's your lucky day.
It's introduced as though they are going to retell Pride and Prejudice from the servants perspective but evidently that would be a lot more work than just playing the 2005 film for cheap laughs. Albeit this means it ends up way too long for a comedy play.
The cast are likeable and talented but don't go expecting anything sophisticated.
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Post by edi on Nov 12, 2021 7:39:47 GMT
This was so much fun last night, completely unexpected. What I appreciated about it specifically is that it follows the plot faithfully, so you got to see the Austin story but with humour.
I have to add that the only reason I went was this forum, because from the pictures and the title this is not what I expected. I thought it would end up silly and cringy. I am just wondering aloud why it's not selling better.
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Post by properjob on Nov 12, 2021 7:52:23 GMT
This was so much fun last night, completely unexpected. What I appreciated about it specifically is that it follows the plot faithfully, so you got to see the Austin story but with humour. I have to add that the only reason I went was this forum, because from the pictures and the title this is not what I expected. I thought it would end up silly and cringy. I am just wondering aloud why it's not selling better. I think you've answered your own question in that it is going to rely on word of mouth which worked on you. It just depends on how quickly word of mouth works. In its favour I assume it isn't that expensive to run so maybe doesn't need very full houses to cover its costs.
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Post by TallPaul on Nov 12, 2021 9:45:29 GMT
Over the last three decades, the Criterion has carved out something of a niche as the home of last-minute slow-selling long-runners, if I can put it like that.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - March 1996 to April 2005.
The 39 Steps - September 2006 to September 2015.
The Comedy About a Bank Robbery - March 2016 to March 2020.
It doesn't scan, but a of name change to The Pride and Prejudice would guarantee success* (*sort of)! 🙂
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Post by fiyerorocher on Nov 12, 2021 13:07:28 GMT
They're definitely relying on word of mouth. Preview seats were all £25 and there have been a lot of deals, I presume to get as many people through the door as possible. They're still heavily papering each show, though :/ At least the auditorium is full, and maybe more people to spread the good word :') I hope it picks up for them or I'm not sure I see them lasting until April. I took a friend and she was already talking about going back to see it again as we were walking up the stairs to leave, so it does go down really well with people, you just have to get them in the door first! It doesn't help that their trailers aren't great and don't really get the vibe of the show across very well.
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Post by lynette on Nov 14, 2021 18:48:50 GMT
Is this any good? I need to know before i inflict it on my long suffering family. Also suitable for 12 and 9 yr olds? ta
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Post by lightinthedarkness on Nov 14, 2021 18:55:44 GMT
There's a thread for it in Musicals here: theatreboard.co.uk/thread/7268/pride-prejudice-sort-criterion-theatreIt's really not a musical though! A few music karaoke style parts but it's definitely more of a play. I thought it was absolutely hilarious, and would highly recommend it. I would think those ages would enjoy it but there is a fair amount of swearing!
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Post by fiyerorocher on Nov 14, 2021 21:15:31 GMT
I personally wouldn't take a nine year old. I don't think it would appeal to children all that much, but I would recommend it (and indeed have been recommending it) to every adult who will stop for long enough to listen. It's fantastic!
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Post by teatowel on Nov 14, 2021 22:12:43 GMT
When it was on at the Bristol Old Vic on its tour, the recommendation on the publicity was 12+
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Post by lynette on Nov 15, 2021 0:18:43 GMT
Thanks guys. I didn’t see the musicals thread because I didn't think it was a musical…
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Post by fiyerorocher on Nov 15, 2021 0:26:11 GMT
Thanks guys. I didn’t see the musicals thread because I didn't think it was a musical… It isn't :') Everyone who's seen it is in agreement. And I think the woman who wrote it also said it wasn't a musical. But here the thread remains, so I think we're all just going with it at this point. More people are probably likely to see the thread if it stays here, so that's good at least. Sell a few more tickets.
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Post by rosscoe on Nov 15, 2021 6:52:44 GMT
This was simply a delight from start to joyous finish. Spontaneous clapping , an audience that was having as much fun as the five young ladies on the stage. So glad I saw it, an absolute highlight of my trip
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 15, 2021 18:41:31 GMT
Thanks guys. I didn’t see the musicals thread because I didn't think it was a musical… It isn't :') Everyone who's seen it is in agreement. And I think the woman who wrote it also said it wasn't a musical. But here the thread remains, so I think we're all just going with it at this point. More people are probably likely to see the thread if it stays here, so that's good at least. Sell a few more tickets. And yet no one has hit that little report button and asked for it to be moved have they! So over to Plays it is.
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