1,012 posts
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Post by David J on Dec 18, 2019 17:53:01 GMT
I loved it up until the Moira/George scene (which as others have said was just beautiful), then it just became confusing after that. The girl is running around the stage and the next minute the brother is leaving town and George is missing. Was he meant to have seen them or not because we never saw that? Then the soldiers turn up and say they are going to destroy the entire area if he is not found. Really? Would they have REALLY done that because one soldier went missing? Or are we to take it that was their plan all along and they were just using this event as a catalyst? Then the Father starts babbling about something I couldn't hear very well, and then it was all over. It all just felt like such a contrast to Act 1 which despite taking a while to warm up, was so beautifully written and interesting. In the end I was left feeling a bit baffled instead of shaken like I think I was supposed to when those lights came on. I've looked up the plot in wikipedia and ultimately what happens between those scenes are left vague. It is hinted that George is attacked, possibly by the twins that we never see who stole some army equipment earlier in the play. That was my theory as I tried to follow the action. I can't believe George only wanted to sleep with Moira once and leave her Why Friel wanted to leave this vague I've no idea and it rather ruined for me what happened in the first half of the second act As for the soldiers threatening to scorch the land, I'd put it down to the ingrained animosity and suspicion between the english and irish over the centuries. Especially with the english working to anglicise Ireland. Its possible George's absence was the excuse they were looking for to destroy everything
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Post by londonpostie on Dec 18, 2019 18:14:42 GMT
I don't think anything is vague. It just isn't spoon fed. George was kidnapped and killed by the twins and his body disappeared in the hope recriminations would be at least delayed. The British response to this is the same as occupying forces the world over through all of history - for example, the raising of Fallujah by the USA in response to contractors being killed. It's a language well understood.
The brother leaves becasue he thinks the British will accuse him of George's disappearance (the girl having publically turned him down in favour of George).
The girl is not "running around the stage". God help us.
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Post by intoanewlife on Dec 18, 2019 18:45:00 GMT
I don't think anything is vague. It just isn't spoon fed. George was kidnapped and killed by the twins and his body disappeared in the hope recriminations would be at least delayed. The British response to this is the same as occupying forces the world over through all of history - for example, the raising of Fallujah by the USA in response to contractors being killed. It's a language well understood. The brother leaves becasue he thinks the British will accuse him of George's disappearance (the girl having publically turned him down in favour of George). The girl is not "running around the stage". God help us. The girl is literally running around the stage while George and Moira are kissing...dunno how you missed it...maybe you were too busy being superior ? I assumed she was running to tell the bother...but she just stopped running and the next scene is the brother packing his clothes in a different part of the stage. I assumed she'd told him, he saw them and was leaving because of that, but then all a sudden out of the blue George is now missing and he's leaving because he was worried of being accused of killing George. Um wtf? When did this happen? Who are these twins we never see and why did they kill him? Because he was British? Because he stole their friends girl? From there on it was all badly written exposition and a couple of metaphorical monologues before turning on a few lights to show a bit of barbed wire. The whole play went from showing us what was happening to telling us what had happened, vaguely. The whole flow of the play and method of storytelling change in the 2nd Act when it had been totally linear in the first. It was a sloppy, lazy mess x
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Post by londonpostie on Dec 18, 2019 19:08:17 GMT
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Post by intoanewlife on Dec 18, 2019 19:11:17 GMT
Avatar got a few 5 star reviews, whats your point?
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1,012 posts
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Post by David J on Dec 18, 2019 21:21:41 GMT
Not spoon fed. Sure. And as I said I correctly guessed what had happened.
The problem is that up till that point the play didn’t jump ahead between scenes and left the audience to figure out some major plot points.
That and right before that last scene had been such an emotional high point with George and moira coming together and that girl seeing her and running off as intoanewlife says. I felt joyous and scared for the pair. Then suddenly we’re brought down to earth and left to put together the pieces
Ill judged I feel. Is that whole bit of the girl running round and round the stage part of the script or something the director put in the heighten the emotion?
I sound like I’m making this worse than it is. I’d still say half of the play, from Fra Free’s entrance to the pair coming together, is really good
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Post by intoanewlife on Dec 18, 2019 22:19:02 GMT
Not spoon fed. Sure. And as I said I correctly guessed what had happened. The problem is that up till that point the play didn’t jump ahead between scenes and left the audience to figure out some major plot points. That and right before that last scene had been such an emotional high point with George and moira coming together and that girl seeing her and running off as intoanewlife says. I felt joyous and scared for the pair. Then suddenly we’re brought down to earth and left to put together the pieces Ill judged I feel. Is that whole bit of the girl running round and round the stage part of the script or something the director put in the heighten the emotion? I sound like I’m making this worse than it is. I’d still say half of the play, from Fra Free’s entrance to the pair coming together, is really good The girl didn't run around the stage apparently...that was just a figment of our imagination... I got everything apart from the twins killing George. I still quite enjoyed it, the change was just a blight on what would've been a much better play if it had've just played out properly. If it was a time problem they could've cut down some of the drivel in the first part of Act 1 in order to flesh out Act 2 more.
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994 posts
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Post by nash16 on Dec 18, 2019 23:08:03 GMT
Wow again! Are you stalking my old comments on different threads now? (moderators, can anything be done about her?) I would also advise keeping Fairview comments on the Fairview thread. It's why we have different threads for things. LOL I was just kidding, lighten up x Too late for the late for that, unfortunately. You've been reported to the moderators apparently.
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Post by intoanewlife on Dec 19, 2019 1:14:20 GMT
LOL I was just kidding, lighten up x Too late for the late for that, unfortunately. You've been reported to the moderators apparently. Bless x
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1,248 posts
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Post by londonmzfitz on Dec 19, 2019 14:19:50 GMT
And ... moving forward
I saw this last night, having read the play last month, so everything made sense to me (although in reading the play I was waiting to confirm what happened to George but it is laid out in the dialogue, just not presented to the audience). Manus says he saw Maire with George Yolland when they left the dance early "her face buried in his shoulder .... and shouted at them".
Beautifully performed by everyone on stage, I was impressed by every performance. Sarah in particular, thought she was a little star. Full house.
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