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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2016 22:54:04 GMT
This was a strange experience tonight. In places I was bored, in others hugely entertained. It didn't feel like Rory Kinnear was entirely convincing all the time, but when he was, my goodness he was brilliant... Perhaps the Kinnear thing is down to the fact we see Mack mainly through others' eyes, rarely his own. I understand the reasons for that, of course, but maybe that's why I felt a bit alienated from the character at times. I know a few people weren't impressed by Sharon Small but I thought she brought real heart to her role and her singing sounded fine to me (Rosalie Craig's voice blew pretty much everyone out of the water, of course). {Spoiler - click to view} The sound effect of snapping bones had a brilliant effect on the audience - you could hear the wince ripple round the circle like a Mexican wave!
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906 posts
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Post by max on Jun 7, 2016 23:20:55 GMT
I think the opening song 'Mack The Knife' is poorly staged - we don't really get Macheath's legend built through it - and then he features surprisingly little in Act 1. So that's a chance missed, to make him more than absence. Yes Act 2 pulls it back.
How The Soldier's Song ("beefsteak tartare") could be staged in such a static way is beyond me. Where are the ideas, musical staging, and satirical music hall relish?
Hitting the button for the revolve to do a twirl (many aimless twirls) isn't a staging idea. Not an idea better than some savage satirical choreography anyway.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2016 23:25:48 GMT
Such a prestigious cast
I mean
SO talented
It's the director
Anything he touches turns to sh*t
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367 posts
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Post by Ade on Jun 8, 2016 5:46:58 GMT
Such a prestigious cast I mean SO talented It's the director Anything he touches turns to sh*t Seeing this on Friday. If I'm not a fan I really am going to have to put a ban on going to anything by Rufus Norris. I keep giving him another chance because he picks some interesting productions, but it's very fair to say I've not enjoyed anything I've seen of his so far at the National.
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Post by David J on Jun 8, 2016 22:24:30 GMT
Well, I enjoyed this
It felt as Brechtian as one expects it to be. No illusion but a minimalist set of flats that are moved around, whilst the comings and goings on backstage are clear for all to see.
The music too was disconcertingly fantastic to listen to. I actually went to a talk beforehand about the collaboration between Brecht and Kurt Will held by Matthew Scott and Dr Tom Kuhn. It was fascinating to hear music from this and other works like The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, and notice how the harmony, tone, and lyrics clash with each other, as if the music too is observing the action with a critical eye.
And man was Brecht a handful to work with
Rory Kinnear gave an impressive performance, though I do agree that the production could have build up the legend of Macheath more. Nick Holder and Haydn Gwynne were a delight to watch as the Peachums and its nice to see Peter de Jersey perform again.
I'm afraid I fall under the 'bland Rosalie Craig' camp. Beautiful vocals, but it's noticeable when everyone else was playing up the satire of their characters.
Loved some of the visuals, such as the maze of walls and staircases that is Macheath's residence. A place of deceit to get lost in. The end of the first act alone is worth seeing.
Personally I thought the pacing would stop and start at points. And the Threepenny Opera's messages can get overshadowed by the spectacle. It was a similar problem I had with the Fiona Shaw production of Mother Courage, which felt like a rock concert than a Brechtian play by the end. This isn't as bad as that, but I do wonder whether Brecht's style of drama doesn't work in a large scale production
Fun fact by the way: we know we like to complain about the extortionate prices people pay for brochures full of adverts, or there tat at the souvenir counter. Well Threepenny Opera was one of the first productions to sell souvenirs. Or shall I say the 150 German productions held in the 12 months following the premiere, since the opera was so popular that everyone wanted to join the bandwagon. Recordings were sold alongside stuff like Threepenny Opera postcards and wallpaper
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2016 22:28:01 GMT
I did fancy seeing this, but now I feel I probably won't enjoy it as I'm pretty much a total stranger to Brecht, other than briefly studying Fear and Misery of the Third Reich last year at uni. Not even sure that I've fully grasped the concept of "Epic Theatre".
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2016 6:46:09 GMT
Are there two or three acts? (If two, what's the first act finale?)
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1,103 posts
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Post by mallardo on Jun 9, 2016 7:15:55 GMT
Are there two or three acts? (If two, what's the first act finale?) There are two acts. If memory serves, the first act ends just after the Tango Ballad as Mack is dragged off to jail for the first time. The second act opens with the Ballad of the Easy Life played straight to the audience. The structure works.
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535 posts
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Post by jek on Jun 9, 2016 7:58:36 GMT
We went to the matinee last Saturday and really enjoyed it. What made us laugh though was that our fifteen year old daughter proclaimed at the interval that 'my school should do a production of this'! Her dad pointed out that they might have to cut rather a lot of references! A couple of days later when we were listening to a recording in the car (an old Ute Lemper version on cassette) she decided that any problems with profanity could be got round by the school (a state school not a million miles from Canning Town) presenting it in German!
Loved the Otto Dix styling of Hadyn Gwynne's Mrs Peachum. Had been on an NT costume tour in the morning and seen at first hand how much work goes in to creating that hair - and the joy of Polly's boots. Man who made those had also made footwear for Rosalie Craig for the Light Princess.
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571 posts
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Post by westendwendy on Jun 9, 2016 15:29:27 GMT
Are there two or three acts? (If two, what's the first act finale?) I don't know as we left in the interval with various other audience members... Dreadful show.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2016 17:36:40 GMT
The theatre looked just as full after the interval as it did before, the night I went, but I presume then there must be nights where Kinnear's direct address to the audience after the interval (something along the lines of 'Jesus, you came back??!') is more pertinent...
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Post by argon on Jun 9, 2016 19:50:26 GMT
Sub Sub standard singing for me even R Craig suffered slightly in the Act1 and Rory's Mack the Knife was so anaemic. Probably, needed well supported voices across the board to tackle this beast
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Post by orchestrator on Jun 9, 2016 21:31:54 GMT
We went to the matinee last Saturday and really enjoyed it. What made us laugh though was that our fifteen year old daughter proclaimed at the interval that 'my school should do a production of this'! Her dad pointed out that they might have to cut rather a lot of references! A couple of days later when we were listening to a recording in the car (an old Ute Lemper version on cassette) she decided that any problems with profanity could be got round by the school (a state school not a million miles from Canning Town) presenting it in German! A few years ago I was tangentially involved in a production by a posh Catholic girls school. #justsayin'
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2016 21:39:33 GMT
This is perfect example Of the
Inbred sh*t bag nature
I mentioned of the arts
In this country
Kinnear is an average actor at best
Hardly attractive
And boring as hell in interviews
Cannot sing
Yet we are forced to see him in plays
Try to sing
Watch his attempt at playwriting which was about as sophisticated as an episode of Emmerdale
And next year he will be directing an opera
Because he is so skilled and has such a background in that
Next thing he will be advertising shampoo for Loreal
Because he's worth it
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2016 21:45:27 GMT
parsley, you are wasted on here. Really.
I can't comment on your comments about The Threepenny Opera, a piece close to my heart, and a production I am really looking forward to, but I find your posts SO entertaining now that I actually look forward to them. (I won't follow you; that would be going too far...)
I sincerely hope you are writing in some shape or form, not just watching from the wings, as it were. Because you are worth it!
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367 posts
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Post by Ade on Jun 9, 2016 21:50:58 GMT
parsley, you are wasted on here. Really. I can't comment on your comments about The Threepenny Opera, a piece close to my heart, and a production I am really looking forward to, but I find your posts SO entertaining now that I actually look forward to them. (I won't follow you; that would be going too far...) I sincerely hope you are writing in some shape or form, not just watching from the wings, as it were. Because you are worth it! I agree with the above completely.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2016 21:58:21 GMT
In fact this show is DEAR to me
At school we did a radically updated version
Causing much controversy
The whores hung about the school driveway as the patrons arrived and solicited themselves
They were given elaborate back stories as to how they ended up in their current fallen states
Mac and his gang had machine guns and the school armoury had provided them with blanks for a firing round during the squaddies song
There were some brutal killings and domestic violence shown
And a local BBC personage who used to do the regional news and was a parent had filmed segments which were broadcast periodically throughout the show as newsflashes
It was great!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2016 8:26:06 GMT
Who did you play, parsley?
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Post by Ade on Jun 11, 2016 10:14:49 GMT
Definitely wasn't mad about this. It was enjoyable enough but definitely preferred the first half to the second. Post-interval it just seemed clumsy and chaotic. For me, it suffered from the exact same problems that all Rufus Norris productions I've seen have. He seems to focus on a handle of moments and create nice visuals and staging and then not really bother about the rest of the play as long as the actors are on stage delivering their lines.
I actually also really disliked the use of the revolve (which for me is a rarity). Until that point the whole production had been in typical Brecht fashion doing everything to remind us this was a simple handcrafted experience, and the sudden appearance of a very technological way of bringing on the scene change felt very jarring. Essentially there was absolutely no need to use the lift other than the fact it was there and available.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2016 12:26:43 GMT
Who did you play, parsley? I did the stage management and sound
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2016 12:37:07 GMT
Who did you play, parsley? I did the stage management and sound Ahhh, I envisioned you playing Mackie Messer, with your cut-throat wit and your slashing comments, all delivered with your singular sense of charm!
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1,868 posts
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Post by Marwood on Jun 11, 2016 22:22:59 GMT
Saw this today, after having a few doubts in the first 10 minutes or so I'm glad I stuck with it and rather enjoyed it, while it was no masterpiece I certainly thought it was the best thing I've seen at the NT recently (and I am SO glad I swapped The Suicide for this).
I don't really know if Rory was the right man to play Mack (I thought his voice was OK, but not that strong, and it was hard to buy him as the type of man that all of the women would be lining up to get their hands on) but he had the charisma and just general...likeability to get him through. Maybe the whole 'patriots' plotline swung my opinions on this seeing this today and made it feel sort of topical, what with Trooping The Colour and the rest of what is going on this weekend but I thought it was good fun (I have next to no knowledge of Brecht so don't know if this production is sacrilegious in any way to the Brecht fanboys)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2016 22:43:51 GMT
What a waste of Kinnear. Who knew he could sing. I didn't get it, maybe I'm missing something but I stayed 'till the end. What an unsatisfactory ending. Nick Holder and Gwynne made it worth watching….just.
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Post by popcultureboy on Jun 18, 2016 8:28:50 GMT
I was so looking forward to this. Love Kinnear, Love Rosalie Craig and somehow managed to miss the fact that Hadyn Gwynne was in it until I picked up a cast list on the way in to the show. And I LOVE her too. So I thought I was in for a treat. Nope.
When people were singing, it was generally fine. But my GOD, the book scenes were absolute torture. TORTURE, I tells you. When Hadyn Gwynne came roaring on and then used a fire extinguisher as a vomit cannon, I was done with it. Every time someone sang, I would then think "ok, fine, it's good, they're good, maybe I can stay after all" but then they'd stop singing, start talking, and immediately I was all "nope, no way, where's my coat?"
So I left at the interval.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 8:59:03 GMT
Oh dear... a dud then? I was so looking forward to this. I'll know for myself in a couple of weeks...
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Post by meister on Jun 18, 2016 9:45:09 GMT
I too left at the interval. Not familiar with the show but it seemed an absolute mess and could not engage with it at all. Didn't care for any of the characters and there was no sense of place or context. I'm still underwhelmed by the new regime....
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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 Jun 18, 2016 9:48:19 GMT
I really enjoyed it although wasn't convinced by Rory Kinnear.
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1,465 posts
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Post by foxa on Jun 18, 2016 16:34:03 GMT
Wow - this was the only thing I booked for at the National in the last booking period because I thought it would be surefire. Haven't seen it yet, but I'm getting worried. A trillion years ago, for some odd reason (complicated), the first play I ever saw on Broadway was Raul Julia in the Public Theatre production of 'Threepenny Opera' and I cannot tell you how fantastic and eye-opening that was - especially to someone who was as absolutely green as I was. It was inventive, extreme, decadent. There was this amazing, odd stylised dancing - for one bit, a man turned around and he had a monkey mask on the back of his head, with a chain around his neck, and he did this incredible, slinky, weird dance. Raul Julia was SO sexy, omni-sexy - and harsh and cruel and funny at the same time. I just stumbled out of theatre, having spent my time thinking there was nowhere else I would rather be.
So, yeah, I'm afraid I might be disappointed.
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Post by Honoured Guest on Jun 18, 2016 16:46:50 GMT
This production is different but musically very strong. It'll be interesting to read your thoughts about it when you've seen it.
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Post by RedRose on Jun 18, 2016 23:59:19 GMT
Yes it is musically very strong! And the little band is extraordinary! I love the music! But this is not a Musical! Shame that 24 years ago the internet didn't exist as it does now, then I could show you my perfect version of it! In German! Much simpler! More spoken than professionally performed songs. This piece really loses a lot when performed in English. The hard German sound adds a lot! I was not disappointed by this but it is a bit too big at many places. But Rory is excellent in it!
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