1,175 posts
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Post by joem on Oct 15, 2022 0:06:38 GMT
Despite never having been fond of Brecht as a playwright or as a human being, after nearly three hours of this "version" I found myself having feelings of nostalgia for him.
If I have to watch another "updated" "modernised" (oh how clever I'm going to insert an Ipad into a 1940s play cos' it's so cool and funny!) "based on" "version of" or other bowdlerisation of a revived play.... there will be blood.
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1,159 posts
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Post by Steve on Oct 15, 2022 12:39:36 GMT
Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jonathan Slinger make this worthwhile. Some spoilers follow. . . The actor playing the Singer/Narrator says at one point: "at last I'm going to get to do some acting, well, Brechtian acting," thus warning us that "Brechtian acting" is not going to be as good as "acting." And it isn't, as long as it isn't funny, cos Brecht's Marxist satire of Capitalist injustice really isn't that funny if it's not curated and played with absolute, committed, caustic, crazed mania. And any translation that's making excuses for "Brechtian acting" plainly isn't committed enough. Luckily, Jonathan Slinger refuses to make the distinction between Brechtian acting and acting, cos he is a caustic, crazed, committed masterclass of Monty Python level satiric zany fun as the Judge who carves up capitalism at every opportunity, even while he's constantly scared for his life. Slinger generates some big and constant laughs in the second half (the only half in which he appears) and you could sense the school parties, in particular, putting their scripts down, feeling the grownup in the room, letting loose and enjoying the show. The first half of the show, by contrast, is too cool for school, too playfully silly, lacking any real sense of commitment or outrage about the things Brecht wants us to be outraged about. Luckily, Carrie Hope Fletcher is there, and every time she sings about these injustices, I found myself welling up. For me, she lifts the first half to a 3, and together with Slinger, they both lift the second half to a 4. So, 3 and a half stars from me.
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Post by cavocado on Oct 15, 2022 12:40:33 GMT
I'm not a big fan of updating for the sake of it, but this worked well in my opinion. The prologue was moved to a modern displaced persons camp, with a UN woman organising resettlement with her iPad. The main play within a play seemed fairly faithful to Brecht (or at least very similar to another translation I've read), but the prologue gave it modern relevance, with obvious reference to any number of recent conflicts and refugee crises.
Jonathan Slinger was great, the rest of the cast were good too, including CHF whose singing was lovely.
The amplification was a bit intrusive - sometimes too echoey, and not always the right balance between the guitar and the singer.
I agree with Dave's comment about the set - the ladders and upper stories were barely used and largely pointless, but the beds were used inventively.
It was a solid production and my friend and I had an enjoyable evening and plenty to discuss on the (long) journey home. 3.5 stars.
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Post by cavocado on Oct 16, 2022 10:00:51 GMT
Thanks for your point about the 'Brechtian acting' line Steve. That grated with me and I couldn't explain why until I read your post.
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