|
Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 9:05:09 GMT
I never seen anyone openly forget a line or ask for a promt I did see Ruthie Henshall (in character) have a go at someone on the front row of Billy Elliot for being asleep except of course he actually unconscious and during the skipping song 8 ushers DRAGGED the man out of the auditorium. An ice cream seller told me he was ok but I think that was a smokescreen
|
|
|
Post by emicardiff on Dec 12, 2016 9:18:17 GMT
The irony being that the only reason I know this play so well is that that speech was used in a course at drama school for....well reasons I know forget actually. It's not especially difficult, but then my job isn't especially difficult and I still cock it up sometimes.
Glad to hear good reports, I like this play- it's not life changing but it's an entertaining evening (and I do enjoy Mr S as well)
|
|
|
Post by profquatermass on Dec 12, 2016 13:49:53 GMT
Edward Petherbridge used to be notorious for not just fluffing lines but sometimes having to start the scene over. I have even seen the great Dame Dench fluff a line, but otherwise no. I've seen Dench corpse on stage and be unable to speak at all for a few minutes. Very unprofessional. I also saw Ralph Richardson need a few prompts in his final role but I suppose that was understandable. Otherwise it is very rare. Depends if you go to previews or not. And also sit in the front row as you can't always tell if there's prompting from further back). Alan Rickman famously needed a lot of prompting during Anthony and Cleopatra I've seen understudies 'on the book' including the director of the show on a couple of occasions
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 22:06:54 GMT
EXCELLENT
No line issues
Lovely play and wonderful chemistry between the 3
Quite moving
Tim Key is truly excellent in this
|
|
1,188 posts
|
Post by theatrefan77 on Dec 12, 2016 23:36:39 GMT
A few £10 tickets available now online for tomorrow Tuesday in Stalls and Upper Circle
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2016 17:24:37 GMT
I was sitting next but one to Matthew Warchus
I didn't like the first 30 mins but this was likely as I was bursting for a wee
I started to get worried as didn't want to leave particularly as there is no interval
Eventually I managed to ignore my bladder
I loved all 3 actors and I think they have been clever to cast proper actors rather than just "names" Not to say this trio aren't "names" to me
The acting is wonderful and it's rare to see a play focusing on the friendship between men like this does
|
|
1,465 posts
|
Post by foxa on Dec 13, 2016 17:53:41 GMT
Looking forward to seeing this on Friday!
|
|
748 posts
|
Post by rumbledoll on Dec 13, 2016 18:12:34 GMT
I finally gave up and seeing this on Jan 14, together with Wild Honey
Will be waiting for your review, foxa!
|
|
87 posts
|
Post by greenswan on Dec 13, 2016 23:52:51 GMT
Grabbed a £10 ticket for today thanks to the thread here. Very enjoyable experience overall and I found it quite funny.
Rufus Sewell seems to be losing his voice or getting over losing his voice though.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2016 23:54:20 GMT
Grabbed a £10 ticket for today thanks to the thread here. Very enjoyable experience overall and I found it quite funny. Rufus Sewell seems to be losing his voice or getting over losing his voice though. Sexy he is though
|
|
884 posts
|
Post by lonlad on Dec 14, 2016 0:39:52 GMT
Rufus's voice always sounds like that - his vocal husk is part of who he is - in the Donmar CLOSER he was barely audible from the third row - but he's still sexy and wonderful :-)
|
|
Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
|
Post by Xanderl on Dec 15, 2016 9:34:40 GMT
Press night tickets for £5 - Just checked and there are a few single stalls seats, plus quite a few seats in both circles. Use the promo code on the old vic booking site.
|
|
1,159 posts
|
Post by Steve on Dec 15, 2016 22:00:17 GMT
Thoroughly enjoyed this tonight. The translation can't quite disguise the French origins of the play, as there are a few moments when phrases used feel wordy and unnatural, but this is thoughtful and funny throughout. Two rocks (Rufus Sewell and Paul Ritter) and a lump of jelly (Tim Key) are best friends, and have disagreements over the value of a work of art. Deep thoughts are triggered about the meaning of friendship: can two rocks be friends? Can a rock be a friend with a lump of jelly? While such thoughts wash over us, three great actors get to gradually descend into Basil Fawltys, which process delightfully fires on all cylinders from 45 minutes in. This is more effective than the only other production I have seen, with Gatiss, Pemberton and Sheersmith, as the acting here is more sincere, with zero mugging, which ironically makes the clashes between characters funnier. It also gives added fire to the Peep Show fourth wall breaking moments, when characters tell the audience what they are really thinking! Tim Key is a marvellously floppy and emotive bowl of jelly, Rufus Sewell is a marvellously hard lump of rock pretending to be a bowl of jelly, and Paul Ritter is a sterling lump of rock who simply can't help being a lump of rock. Great fun! 4 stars
|
|
748 posts
|
Post by rumbledoll on Dec 15, 2016 22:25:28 GMT
Great review, Steve! Made me smile ) Wondering who was playing who (as 'two rocks and a lump of jelly') in that version you've mentioned with Gatiss/Pemberton/Shearsmth
|
|
1,159 posts
|
Post by Steve on Dec 15, 2016 22:29:37 GMT
Great review, Steve! Made me smile ) Wondering who was playing who (as 'two rocks and a lump of jelly') in that version you've mentioned with Gatiss/Pemberton/Shearsmth Shearsmith was the lump of jelly. Gatiss bought the painting, of course, cos he's always funny when he thinks he's marvellous, Pemberton thought it was "sh*t."
|
|
38 posts
|
Post by quine on Dec 16, 2016 7:35:34 GMT
Loved this last night. I'd forgotten how funny this was. Off to check how long ago the last version I saw was but a bit scared as it's always si much longer than I remember.
Enjoyed all three performances but special mention for Rufus's purple pants! Are they purple every night?
|
|
7 posts
|
Post by johnv47 on Dec 16, 2016 8:39:20 GMT
Saw this the other night. It's a great play. You can see why it lasted so long first time round. I have seen several casts do this. I saw Richard Griffiths as Ivan. Astonishing. I saw Mark Williams, not so good. Best was League of Gentlemen - the last cast of Art in the west end. Three ACTUAL friends of the amount of time the characters have been. Ritter is good in this. They inhabit it well.
|
|
717 posts
|
Post by Latecomer on Dec 16, 2016 9:25:46 GMT
Loved this last night. I'd forgotten how funny this was. Off to check how long ago the last version I saw was but a bit scared as it's always si much longer than I remember. Enjoyed all three performances but special mention for Rufus's purple pants! Are they purple every night? They were purple on Wednesday! (I love this forum!)
|
|
1,465 posts
|
Post by foxa on Dec 16, 2016 21:55:54 GMT
No Purple Trousers Tonight!! They were black. Should I demand a refund from the box office? ;-)
|
|
1,064 posts
|
Post by bellboard27 on Dec 16, 2016 22:40:43 GMT
That's it. We need a separate thread on the colour (and possibly other characteristics) of actors' pants. I'm sure some on this board would be able to pass many a happy hour there.
|
|
1,465 posts
|
Post by foxa on Dec 16, 2016 22:53:29 GMT
We liked this. Got £21 tix, slightly restricted (A7, B7) in the Dress Circle which were fine. Rufus Sewell is quite something - he does have that (apparently) effortless star quality and I thought he was particularly good. The others were fine as well though I suspect the show will improve with a little more fermentation - there were a couple of little flubs (Tim Key's long speech, for example) and a pause that didn't feel quite right. There was a wild cackling laugher who might have thrown timing a bit. But, yes, recommend - think most folks will enjoy this.
|
|
717 posts
|
Post by Latecomer on Dec 17, 2016 7:20:34 GMT
No Purple Trousers Tonight!! They were black. Should I demand a refund from the box office? ;-) Haha...no his PANTS were purple...you could see his underpants at the back when his trousers slipped down a bit...just a sliver of colour!
|
|
1,465 posts
|
Post by foxa on Dec 17, 2016 10:12:42 GMT
AH! Damn those cheap seats!
I did wonder. Americans use pants/trousers interchangeably so when there was no underwear on display - sorry- should that be in a spoiler? - I thought you meant trousers. Now it becomes clear. Maybe the wild cackler in the audience was seeing the sliver of colour and that's what set her/him off.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2016 16:46:40 GMT
'No underwear on display' in this instance is less of a spoiler, more of a disappointment, in my book.*
*It's OK, I'm just kidding.
|
|
1,188 posts
|
Post by theatrefan77 on Dec 18, 2016 1:22:07 GMT
I enjoyed this but not as much as the Wyndham's production a few years ago. It's still a great play, but the actors are a bit under directed. Very lazy production, just a copy of the original one, with the same or very similar set.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2016 1:42:40 GMT
I enjoyed this but not as much as the Wyndham's production a few years ago. It's still a great play, but the actors are a bit under directed. Very lazy production, just a copy of the original one, with the same or very similar set. It's supposed to be an anniversary production with the same creative and directing team
|
|
2,389 posts
|
Post by peggs on Dec 18, 2016 17:23:05 GMT
I rather liked the set though this was a first time for me so had nothing to compare it with, I was quite interested each time to see what the art was. For someone for whom comedy often seems wasted, (I do like comedy but tend to like my theatre rather miserable in truth), this was rather a smart combination of very funny based on the rather sad and melancholy so worked for me. I picked this because well who can resist a £10 seat and because I do like Paul Ritter, Rufus Sewell was a bonus ( he always seems to lend a production a bit of class and I don't mean he's just good at playing posh) and new for me Tim Key who was like some bear of a man who invoked great sympathy from the audience.
|
|
|
Post by QueerTheatre on Dec 20, 2016 15:15:41 GMT
I was there last night, and have to say... this is the first time the board has steered me wrong! Totally not my type of show, id dint smile once - let alone laugh. My friend and I were bored and confused the entire time, and had my friend been less shy we'd have left after the first 20 minutes.
Totally fine to admit its a taste thing - everyone else was loving it, and a few even stood at the end, we were not among that few!
|
|
1,064 posts
|
Post by bellboard27 on Dec 21, 2016 9:48:40 GMT
At press night yesterday. Terrific time - seriously funny.
Bonus having the Old Vic flog off great dress circle seats for £5 for PN and extra bonus of early start & 90 mins straight through (on train home by 8.45). Thanks Santa!
|
|
642 posts
|
Post by Stasia on Dec 22, 2016 9:16:06 GMT
Dear all, I have a slight change of plans so I have a spare ticket for the ART
Wednesday, 11 January 2017 - 7:30pm Dress Circle A29 - front row of the dress, slightly affected by the rail, Bought it for £22, giving away for £20
Anyone interested?
|
|