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Post by capybara on Jul 15, 2023 18:39:53 GMT
Pretty sure I’ll catch it again before it closes.
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Post by Rory on Jul 15, 2023 18:41:16 GMT
I love this trailer.
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Post by ncbears on Jul 15, 2023 18:52:23 GMT
Sigh. We had an open Saturday matinee on the last day of our last trip - and decided if we could get an inexpensive ticket to Crazy for You, we would do that. If not, then we would get the inexpensive tickets to Anarchist. The GL Box Office was too kind and Charlie Stemp was incredible and so I don't have regrets, but there was the thought that Crazy For You might come to the States whereas Anarchist likely would not and so we would miss our opportunity. But, we did what we did. I only wish we had seen Anarchist instead of Pilllowman!
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Post by mkb on Jul 19, 2023 22:03:12 GMT
I can add little to add to what has already been said. I last saw this 30+ years ago, and I remember only enough to know that this re-adapted adaption is quite different, but in a good way.
The brilliant and energetic lead performance by Rigby could have fallen flat were it not for the superlative foils provided by the rest of the cast. This is a great ensemble and terrific, if painfully apposite, theatre.
This would sell better if the playgoing public had a better idea of what to expect, which is a breakneck farce, albeit one seeped with barbed political admonitions. That said, the appeal may be limited, as many of the cultural references in the jokes that come thick and fast may go over the heads of non-Brits. (The two lower tiers tonight were 70% full and the upper tier unused.)
Four stars, almost a five.
Act 1: 19:31-20:19 Act 2: 20:36-21:19 Boos to the theatre for the unnecessarily short and stress-inducing 15-minute interval. I want to use the toilets and enjoy a drink in a relaxed fashion and not be rushing around like The Maniac of the play.
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Post by cherokee on Jul 19, 2023 22:03:53 GMT
I loved this. Daniel Rigby! What a tour de force. Hilarious - just couldn't take my eyes off him. And a terribly relevant message at the heart of it too. Very glad to see it in the West End.
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Post by oedipus on Jul 20, 2023 9:14:24 GMT
This was fantastic. I'd always wanted to see a production, and this adaptation was blisteringly fast -- and blisteringly smart. Zingers abound but when the show bares its fangs, it really has something serious to say about power (and powerlessness) in contemporary society. As a non-Brit, a few of the local references went over my head, but it barrels along with such velocity / ferocity that it really doesn't matter. As the reviews note, the lead performance is one for the ages, and I can't imagine the exhaustion of the lead actor on two-show days. Two thumbs up.
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Post by colelarson on Jul 27, 2023 5:26:17 GMT
Saw the Matinee yesterday and this play is absolutely superb. Daniel Rigby's performance is incredible.
The performance is full on, gripping and fast paced. The dark humor script does not fail to make you reflect on some very modern problems.
Amazing from beginning to end. A real must see.
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Post by pws on Jul 27, 2023 8:34:43 GMT
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Post by theatregoer22 on Jul 27, 2023 22:47:21 GMT
Not long got back from this evenings performance. I went in totally blind, knowing nothing about either the original play or this updated version and while I definitley laughed at and agreed with parts, there were times when I found the Maniac's role to be a bit too absurd. Also, I wish they'd used microphones, because the actor playing Agent Joseph wasn't great at projecting his voice and I had to strain to hear him.
That said, I can't deny that Daniel Rigby was fantastic, giving so much energy to his role. I also thought the supporting cast (when I could hear them) complemented the play well.
As I was going in I overheard a couple being told that the whole upper circle was closed and people with tickets to sit there were being moved into better seats.
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Post by pws on Jul 28, 2023 19:29:33 GMT
Not long got back from this evenings performance. I went in totally blind, knowing nothing about either the original play or this updated version and while I definitley laughed at and agreed with parts, there were times when I found the Maniac's role to be a bit too absurd. Also, I wish they'd used microphones, because the actor playing Agent Joseph wasn't great at projecting his voice and I had to strain to hear him. That said, I can't deny that Daniel Rigby was fantastic, giving so much energy to his role. I also thought the supporting cast (when I could hear them) complemented the play well. As I was going in I overheard a couple being told that the whole upper circle was closed and people with tickets to sit there were being moved into better seats. I was downstairs in the middle and the sound was fine, in fact, jolly loud. Yes, the whole top level was closed but the rest was full, so not so bad for a Thursday. I laughed a lot and was exhausted by the end. I went on a whim and was pleased I did (wanted to spend some theatre tokens). Catch it if you can. But don't bother with the programme.
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Post by theatregoer22 on Jul 28, 2023 22:37:13 GMT
Not long got back from this evenings performance. I went in totally blind, knowing nothing about either the original play or this updated version and while I definitley laughed at and agreed with parts, there were times when I found the Maniac's role to be a bit too absurd. Also, I wish they'd used microphones, because the actor playing Agent Joseph wasn't great at projecting his voice and I had to strain to hear him. That said, I can't deny that Daniel Rigby was fantastic, giving so much energy to his role. I also thought the supporting cast (when I could hear them) complemented the play well. As I was going in I overheard a couple being told that the whole upper circle was closed and people with tickets to sit there were being moved into better seats. I was downstairs in the middle and the sound was fine, in fact, jolly loud. Yes, the whole top level was closed but the rest was full, so not so bad for a Thursday. I laughed a lot and was exhausted by the end. I went on a whim and was pleased I did (wanted to spend some theatre tokens). Catch it if you can. But don't bother with the programme.
I was nearer the back of the stalls (Row S) and had no problems with the sound except when Agent Joseph talked.
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Post by matty on Jul 29, 2023 23:49:09 GMT
Really enjoyed this at the Lyric, so took a friend along to see it at the Haymarket. Still just as good, my friend loved it too. Daniel Rigby really is a force, but the whole cast is great.
We had the £15 front row seats and definitely couldn't complain about the view.
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Post by greenswan on Aug 1, 2023 7:18:12 GMT
Saw this last Thursday - stalls at least were mostly full. Starts dialled up to eleven and just keeps ratcheting up the tension. It worked as farce to an extent - the juxtaposition with the police subject matter covered rather took my laughter away. The physical/panto humour was a bit borderline in places for my taste but it's not my favourite comedy genre.
The information projected at the end felt like a slap in the face - took me until the next day to get my head around what I had seen. (Sometimes) funny and very impactful at the same time.
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Post by firefingers on Aug 9, 2023 21:44:00 GMT
Saw this tonight and loved it. Incredible energy from the cast, and extremely hard hitting despite being a farce. Something actually worth buying the playscript of for once.
EDIT: And I agree Joseph was a bit quiet. The cast are mic'ed from above (as one got struck by something being thrown in the air creating a solid bang) but not wearing their own so still reliant on the cast to give a bit of welly.
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Post by colelarson on Aug 11, 2023 11:40:26 GMT
I saw this again last night thanks to a TodayTix deal and still found it gripping, fast paced, funny and a real tour de force. The raptus definitely got me a 2nd time!
Daniel Rigby's performance is superb and look forward to seeing him in whatever he does next.
I had no sound issues as I was 2nd row in the stalls so very loud in certain moments!
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Post by Rory on Aug 11, 2023 12:09:06 GMT
I saw it last week and absolutely loved it. No issues with the sound and it was packed (great to see).
Daniel Rigby is such a talent. I hope he gets awards for this.
Really inventive production staged with a lovely set and some very theatrical moments.
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Post by Being Alive on Aug 11, 2023 19:00:21 GMT
I think it's between Rigby and James Norton for A Little Life currently (unless there's something coming up that we don't know about/a male performance upcoming I haven't factored in)
I can see Norton getting it because of the ordeal he has to go through, but Rigby is working super super hard to make that look as good as it does.
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Post by bonnotonno on Aug 11, 2023 21:29:03 GMT
I loved this show a lot, does anyone have any recommendations for other plays (either currently running or not) that are a similar style? I don't normally see many plays but I really enjoyed this style of play (not sure if style is the correct term, genre maybe?).
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Post by crowblack on Aug 12, 2023 11:27:06 GMT
Does anyone know if there are plans for this to be recorded / streamed at some point?
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Post by firefingers on Aug 12, 2023 14:05:18 GMT
I loved this show a lot, does anyone have any recommendations for other plays (either currently running or not) that are a similar style? I don't normally see many plays but I really enjoyed this style of play (not sure if style is the correct term, genre maybe?). Sort of depends on what aspects you like. The comedy of it is pretty much a farce, so check out The Play That Goes Wrong and Noises Off (which is running directly after Anarchist). If it is dark social commentary interspaced with humour perhaps Cuckoo currently at the Royal Court.
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 18, 2023 20:09:47 GMT
Seen this week based on rave reviews. The kind of laughter that slowly turns into more of a survival tool and then reduced to nothing at a final reveal. Very effective and clever! Just one thing that got in a way of a 5 star vote.. I am no stranger to a farce and I admit Daniel Rigby gives a tremendous performance, I just wish they had a couple of quieter moments for his words to sink in.. Otherwise the whole thing passes you by like a tornado leaving only the debris behind while you feel like you missed the main part when you were supposed to be in a middle of it screaming or being excited depends on your relationships with tornados, of course..
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Post by theatrenerd on Aug 19, 2023 12:59:25 GMT
Do you think this is likely to tour? Would've love to have seen it, however won't have chance now to get back down to London.
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Post by rumtom on Aug 19, 2023 14:11:50 GMT
Do you think this is likely to tour? Would've love to have seen it, however won't have chance now to get back down to London. I should think so. It's not a complicated production and I'm sure would be popular enough to make it worthwhile.. but can't see anyone replacing Daniel Rigby so I suppose it depends what he's got scheduled.
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Post by Rory on Aug 19, 2023 15:07:05 GMT
Do you think this is likely to tour? Would've love to have seen it, however won't have chance now to get back down to London. I should think so. It's not a complicated production and I'm sure would be popular enough to make it worthwhile.. but can't see anyone replacing Daniel Rigby so I suppose it depends what he's got scheduled. He's starting rehearsals for The Witches at the National.
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Post by rumtom on Aug 19, 2023 17:14:57 GMT
I should think so. It's not a complicated production and I'm sure would be popular enough to make it worthwhile.. but can't see anyone replacing Daniel Rigby so I suppose it depends what he's got scheduled. He's starting rehearsals for The Witches at the National. Ah, I've avoided anything to do with The Witches, I'm still suffering the childhood trauma from watching the film! No wonder I didn't realise he was doing that next.. I'll either have to give it a miss or reopen old wounds. What a quandary.
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 19, 2023 17:36:28 GMT
The recent film was awful… And this production is directed by Lyndsey Turner so most likely a snooze fest..
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Post by Rory on Aug 19, 2023 17:48:51 GMT
The recent film was awful… And this production is directed by Lyndsey Turner so most likely a snooze fest.. Mind you, Turner's production of Chimerica was one of the most thrilling things I've ever seen.
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 20, 2023 4:38:30 GMT
The recent film was awful… And this production is directed by Lyndsey Turner so most likely a snooze fest.. Mind you, Turner's production of Chimerica was one of the most thrilling things I've ever seen. But anything after that?
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Post by Rory on Aug 20, 2023 6:48:33 GMT
Mind you, Turner's production of Chimerica was one of the most thrilling things I've ever seen. But anything after that? Posh at the Royal Court/ Duke of York's, A Number at the Old Vic, Faith Healer at the Donmar?
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 20, 2023 8:01:42 GMT
Posh at the Royal Court/ Duke of York's, A Number at the Old Vic, Faith Healer at the Donmar? Well, maybe it’s just me then.. that only seen disappointing ones from her..
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