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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 23, 2017 17:34:11 GMT
I always wanted to see this, since reading the original New York Times review of David Henry Hwang play.
it is about what happens when you translate Chinesse into English literally, this has English subtitles, sounds heavy doesn't it? Breathe easy it is just a comedy and on all accounts meant to be hilarious.
Playing the Park Theatre, early Summer.
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Post by showgirl on Feb 23, 2017 19:20:25 GMT
I had my eye on this and it's now close to opening; however, reading the reviews from the US productions (Chichago and Broadway), they seemed to suggest that the play itself wasn't that good, so I'm waiting to see what the word is re this production.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2017 22:01:20 GMT
Very funny
Excellent cast
Shame it's at Park Theatre
Who don't spend more than 60p on shows
A real pity
Would be much better off at Dorfman or even Donmar
Where they could throw a bit more money
At staging and production
But very enjoyable
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2017 23:55:53 GMT
Oh Parsley.
Park Theatre is not a subsidised theatre, so the productions are very rarely produced in-house.
Chinglish is a co-production between "Tim Johanson Productions in association with Julie Clare Productions, Arion Productions and Park Theatre". The credit Park Theatre have on most shows - "in association with" - is just dressing; it is a contractual credit just for housing the show. So suggesting the perceived budget underspend is down to Park Theatre is just not accurate - but whether it is one of the rare in-house productions or a visiting production then the budget will no doubt be very tight, and will vary from production to production.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it though. Will be hoping to pop along at some point; sounds good.
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Post by showgirl on Mar 27, 2017 3:45:49 GMT
I thought this play sounded very interesting but when I checked reviews of US productions, they seemed to suggest that however good they were, the material itself was poor. Hence I decided to await reports of this one, but it's encouraging to hear that the first comment is favourable. I do like the Park, too, even though they have stabbed me in the back over pricing in the past.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 8:08:21 GMT
It's a co-production from a small, relatively young theatre company (Arion) and the Park, a non subsidised theatre, it's hardly going to look like the Olivier stage is it? From what I saw on FB I thought the design looked great. I'd love to see this as it looks like a great play (and I'm quite fond of Arion/Andrew Keates work as well as the Park itself) but sadly timings as ever conspire against me.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 9:44:07 GMT
It's a co-production from a small, relatively young theatre company (Arion) and the Park, a non subsidised theatre, it's hardly going to look like the Olivier stage is it? From what I saw on FB I thought the design looked great. I'd love to see this as it looks like a great play (and I'm quite fond of Arion/Andrew Keates work as well as the Park itself) but sadly timings as ever conspire against me. Let me clarify The staging does not even look like a professional production That has a paying audience No one said anything about the Olivier stage! The staging is at odds with the play and acting which brings the experience down and that is a shame I recall the last play by this playwright transferred to the red box outside the NT and was all the better for it in the larger space |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 9:48:32 GMT
It's a co-production from a small, relatively young theatre company (Arion) and the Park, a non subsidised theatre, it's hardly going to look like the Olivier stage is it? From what I saw on FB I thought the design looked great. I'd love to see this as it looks like a great play (and I'm quite fond of Arion/Andrew Keates work as well as the Park itself) but sadly timings as ever conspire against me. Let me clarify The staging does not even look like a professional production That has a paying audience No one said anything about the Olivier stage! The staging is at odds with the play and acting which brings the experience down and that is a shame I recall the last play by this playwright transferred to the red box outside the NT and was all the better for it in the larger space *sigh* nobody said you were comparing it to...I was making an observation that I wouldn't expect quite the same levels from different theatres.
I haven't seen the show, I'm just making an observation about expectations being relative. But I'll shut up before I get called 'uneducated' by you as well.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 9:56:00 GMT
Yes of course you would expect different levels from different venues
100% agree
But the standard at Park is consistently below a certain threshold and I cannot quite work out why that is.....
There are other venues like Orange Tree which have to manage budgets carefully and are limited in capacity
What is it about Park that means the production values are lacking?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 9:57:37 GMT
Well my personal experience hasn't been that, which is why I couldn't agree with the idea that the Park is always terrible. Obviously you can do a lot with little if you try, and clearly I've been lucky with what I've seen there.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 9:59:39 GMT
Well my personal experience hasn't been that, which is why I couldn't agree with the idea that the Park is always terrible. Obviously you can do a lot with little if you try, and clearly I've been lucky with what I've seen there. Are you planning to see Madame Rubinstein? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 10:00:53 GMT
Well my personal experience hasn't been that, which is why I couldn't agree with the idea that the Park is always terrible. Obviously you can do a lot with little if you try, and clearly I've been lucky with what I've seen there. Are you planning to see Madame Rubinstein? Not planning on it no- I don't live in London and scheduling trips at the moment is difficult. |
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Post by perfectspy on Mar 27, 2017 19:02:39 GMT
I've been to the Park theatre many times and have always enjoyed all of the plays I have seen there. I'll try to get a ticket for this play.
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Post by showgirl on Mar 29, 2017 4:44:51 GMT
First review I've seen gives this 2.5 stars. So far as standard of productions at this venue is concerned, it seems to me inevitable that this varies because, as baladorn points out above, the venue is often not the producer but is simply housing the production. On the whole I've found the standard both higher and more consistent in the smaller space (Park 90) than the main house (Park 200). Everything I've seen in the former has been good if not excellent, whereas in the main house, while I've also seen some impressive work, there have been productions so dire that I've left at the interval.
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 29, 2017 10:29:42 GMT
I started a thread on this already!!!! theatreboard.co.uk/thread/2414/chinglishAnyway the Park is, what it is - which is a low budget Donmar Warehouse, however how limited their budget is, their aspirations aren't limited. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Mar 29, 2017 21:33:20 GMT
As Fiona Mountford said in today's Evening Standard review 'In 21 previous outings to the Park in nearly 4 years, I've managed just one review rating above 3 stars, but I'm delighted to double that number.
Obviously got 4 stars which is a excellent review from Fiona, if you take the evidence above, but then agai. Just proves that how one reviewer is critically of the fringe and it has to be exceptional to get any merit.
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Chinglish
Mar 29, 2017 21:51:22 GMT
via mobile
Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2017 21:51:22 GMT
As Fiona Mountford said in today's Evening Standard review 'In 21 previous outings to the Park in nearly 4 years, I've managed just one review rating above 3 stars, but I'm delighted to double that number. Obviously got 4 stars which is a excellent review from Fiona, if you take the evidence above, but then agai. Just proves that how one reviewer is critically of the fringe and it has to be exceptional to get any merit. If the play itself is good it will withstand meddling poor staging etc However lavish staging set and lighting can tart up a mediocre play no end |
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Post by joem on Apr 14, 2017 21:17:51 GMT
This was really good, very funny and quite perceptive. Deserves a bigger production, though this was pretty effective within the limitations imposed by the Park Theatre's budgetary constraints. Solid acting from the entire cast but especially honourable mentions for Siu-see Hung's nicely balanced perforrmance as the amorous Vice-Minister and Duncan Harte's impressive (to my untrained ears) Mandarin accent.
This is a play about language but, less overtly, it is about culture and about how strangely universal certain emotions can be even if the cultural trappings surrounding them are different. As someone supposedly bilingual (I don't really buy into it) people often don't understand how language is only one element, albeit an important one, of being bicultural - a much rarer phenomenon. To understand another language without understanding the culture it springs from is, to say the least, problematic.
This is not a modern take on "Mind Your Language". It is definitely a silk purse of a play, although to be fair the Chinese make a mean salad from a sow's ear.
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