724 posts
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Post by Latecomer on Mar 8, 2017 15:28:32 GMT
Wait, Roger Allam's in makeup? Is this going to be a Moderate Soprano situation all over again, where we'll have to close our eyes and just get our kicks from his sonorous voice? He really does look like Roy Jenkins with bald front half of head...much better than the effort at Hampstead where it was terrible (from close up he looked like he was wearing a swimming cap!)! He has the slight lisp off pat...I really enjoyed his performance!
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3,478 posts
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Post by showgirl on Mar 8, 2017 18:15:54 GMT
If necessary, you can tell which one he is by order of appearance & number in cast.
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816 posts
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Post by stefy69 on Mar 9, 2017 7:26:27 GMT
A very good review for this in today's Times and it confirms what has been said on here : that David Owen doesn't come out of it too well " Never a man to take himself too lightly " !
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3,478 posts
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Post by showgirl on Mar 9, 2017 8:21:00 GMT
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3,478 posts
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Post by showgirl on Mar 10, 2017 4:56:32 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2017 9:53:50 GMT
A moment of silence for covering up Roger's beautiful hair...
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4,581 posts
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Post by Mark on Mar 11, 2017 21:49:24 GMT
Loved this tonight! And so current.
Very witty play and some really fun performances. Row C seats just fine. Glad I'd had a big meal beforehand, the smell of onions was quite overwhelming!
Definitely worth a watch!
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Mar 12, 2017 9:26:00 GMT
Yes, this was great. I was in row C circle too, missed a little bit of the stage but virtually everything was staged centrally so no problem at all. A highlight for me was the lady next to me saying to me "You must be FAR too young to remember all this!" (I was 14 at the time ) I presume the contemporary echoes mean this works even if you weren't around at the time?
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Mar 12, 2017 18:18:09 GMT
Yes, this was great. I was in row C circle too, missed a little bit of the stage but virtually everything was staged centrally so no problem at all. A highlight for me was the lady next to me saying to me "You must be FAR too young to remember all this!" (I was 14 at the time ) I presume the contemporary echoes mean this works even if you weren't around at the time? What a highlight indeed! Yes it works even if you weren't around or were way too small to have a clue, the parallels are rather striking in the way they were presented, I did thinking I wonder what happened, will have to look it up and then they very helpfully told me that too.
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5,593 posts
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Post by lynette on Mar 23, 2017 22:45:43 GMT
Enjoyed this v much but not sure we needed the last little bit telling us what happened because it seemed to be from another angle. They could have used newsreel on the back like the time thing? Great performances all round. Contemporary parallels fun...or sad...or tragic...
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1,181 posts
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Post by joem on Mar 26, 2017 0:56:42 GMT
An interesting, informative play. Well acted and with a good pace and flow. The references to current situations are rather Laboured. Good for some laughs of recognition but not relevant to the actionEach historical situation is different and drawing parallels, whilst an engrossing pastime, leads to seeing patterns which aren't necessarily there.
In political terms it was quite even-handed, I was expecting this to be more anti-SDP. The balance between the politics and the human dilemnas was good, I thought.
Row C in the Circle isn't fantastic but at £10 you can hardly complain, especially when the re-sellers probably sell these at 10 or 20 times the price. Does the lampshade on the set have to hang so low though? It interferes unnecessarily with he view at times.
I agree that the postcript was unnecessary.
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404 posts
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Post by dlevi on Mar 26, 2017 7:25:09 GMT
I thought the performances were downright terrific and as always both Roger Allam and Tom Goodman-Hill prove themselves to be among our very best actors. It was also nice to be in a theatre with virtually no American tourists.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 9:01:46 GMT
Saw this earlier in the week and, while it's always a pleasure to see the great Allam on stage, I didn't think it was particularly good. Perfectly enjoyable but quite clunky and cliched - I feel like I've now seen enough plays in which an alpha male strides around the kitchen in the early hours orating while the little woman shushes him because she doesn't want him to wake the baby. So it started badly for me - and ended badly with that unforgivably terrible monologue. I think I did enjoy the inbetween bits and it had some interesting things to say about loyalty, identity and emotion in politics - but all a bit 'meh'. There's a fascinating play to be written about the subject but this is too busy trying to insert jokes about Europe and Labour today to manage it; and it's a real underestimation of the audience to think we wouldn't be able to find those parallels without them being signposted in massive letters.
I really really hate writers who think audiences give the tiniest s**t about what they personally think and try to bash us over the head with their opinions, so my memory is probably being coloured by the last two mins. I might have had more favourable feelings towards it without that! Overall I just left feeling I'd been patronised by a writer who thought I was too thick to see what he was getting at without it being explicitly spelled out.
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5,593 posts
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Post by lynette on Apr 8, 2017 14:14:52 GMT
Agree heartily with no need for last monologue. I suggested they could have used an edited video thing. Next we will be getting tedious 'codes' after everything just in case we missed the point. Trend to be stopped in its tracks please.
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1,465 posts
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Post by foxa on Apr 15, 2017 8:51:13 GMT
Finally caught this shortly before it closed. Show report: Play: Steve Waters has carved out an unusual niche. As with Temple, he writes about about intelligent people trying to make the unglamourous centre ground hold in shifting times. Also, as in Temple, touches on the vanity of politics. The play presents no solutions (how could it?) and we were rather dispirited as we stepped out into the night air. Casting: Fine, though unusual in having a couple of actors rather less attractive than their originals (I don't think Owen or Rodgers would be flattered.) Food: Yes, made me want to whip up Delia's macaroni and cheese. I felt they should have eaten more salad. Audience: Rather subdued. The obvious parallels with now made for some rather sad listening and knowing nods. It was sold out with standing room full too. There was an altercation near me with a man who didn't want to sit in his seat (not sure why) and was sitting on stairs instead. Was moved (he chose to stand) but not until some harsh words were spoken and the usher plaintively said, 'You don't have to swear at me.' Staging: Fine, but in many ways it is a very untheatrical play. There is a movement director credited and I can't imagine what they did - advised Chahidi on how to act having a bad back? Insight: I wanted to learn more about Debbie Owen - intriguing moments about her contributions. Also interesting points about how a new party is formed - can it be imposed or does it have to rise organically. Take away: We're all doomed.
3/4*
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2017 22:31:49 GMT
The timing thing just made me laugh after a while. Debbie started making that dish at 9 in the morning for heaven's sake, even the most dried out pasta only needs 12 or so minutes in a pan of boiling water. And when the clock started whizzing through the minutes super quickly as everyone moved at normal pace on stage, I couldn't help but imagine that they were actually moving really slowly. I know we shouldn't be overthinking the scene transitions, but I think that speaks for the overall writing that I couldn't help but notice how odd they were if you thought about them for more than thirty seconds.
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