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Post by Jan on Dec 8, 2018 20:56:00 GMT
It is amusing that with his rants against documentary plays, directors’ theatre, and European-style productions Sir David has become exactly the type of reactionary conservative establishment bore he’s professed to dislike for all these years. The NT could improve their age, gender and ethnic balance at a stroke by never employing him again.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Dec 8, 2018 22:04:28 GMT
Was anyone at the talk and heard Hare's actual words? Now I've read the article more closely it strikes me as odd that the Times are claiming it as an attack on James Graham, who really has never written a documentary or verbatim play about modern political events. This House comes closest but was fictionalised (or at least stylised) and used historical events as a metaphor for current politics. The majority of his plays are not overtly about politics, and those that are, like Labour of Love or the Vote, aren't based on real people. I could name twenty playwrights whose work could more accurately be described as documentary style.
I guess Privacy was semi-verbatim but that wasn't about politics or rehashing events.
This comes only a couple of weeks after the Times' hatchet job on his Brexit TV movie, alleging an on-set feud and diva-like behaviour from Benedict Cumberbatch. The Times' own work of complete fiction according to James' Twitter.
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Post by Being Alive on Dec 8, 2018 23:10:40 GMT
Didn’t like it. Well, overall. I liked the first half (although wanted to slap Pauline for most of that insufferable final scene where they just swap chairs for 20 minutes!) But none of the ideas that they set in Act 1 did anything in Act 2.
Design was poor. You heard all the set changes so it didn’t feel smooth. Not for me. 2 stars.
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Post by youngoffender on Dec 31, 2018 17:34:44 GMT
I see that this is currently scheduled to limp on for another 25 performances in January, with loads of seats (including the cheap ones at the front) still available, many of them no doubt returns. And the last one of these is an NT Live, which I can't imagine filling many cinemas! I feel sorry for the cast.
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Post by lynette on Jan 1, 2019 20:48:01 GMT
Interesting they are carrying on. In the book of letters of the NT edited by Rosenthal, they have dumped shows. Suppose they have tighter contracts these days.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2019 21:20:27 GMT
They have been known to schedule the first run of a show without declaring the final performance, and then - instead of announcing the rest complete with designated final performance - just quietly let the whole thing drop, within the last few years. I think you're right that this was fairly tightly contracted, I feel like we've known the closing date of January 31st for a really long time and also there's the NTLive, but I bet they've still got the option to drop terrible shows if the circumstances are right.
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Post by Backdrifter on Jan 16, 2019 21:53:19 GMT
I am on the train having left at the interval after struggling through the first act. The earlier comments here probably relieve me of the need to explain further.
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999 posts
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Post by Backdrifter on Jan 16, 2019 21:57:09 GMT
Whatever our misgivings about what When We Are Sufficiently Embarrassed About This Stupid Title might be like, surely it's got to be better than this. Hasn't it?!
(EDIT: from early comments in since I said that, it seems not)
Even a member of NT staff who commented on my early departure looked furtively around, leaned in and said "Don't worry, it's just one big argument. Go on, go!"
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Post by learfan on Jan 18, 2019 22:36:14 GMT
Oh well, i quite liked this! So did most of the audience from what i could ascertain. Nearly full house. Huge part for Sian Brooke, thought she did well. Quite refreshing not to hear Brexit mentioned. No masterpiece but nowhere near the disaster made out.
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Post by alexandra on Jan 24, 2019 16:04:28 GMT
Agreed learfan, I enjoyed it too. One thing about David Hare, there are always a few good jokes. I and the stranger on my right chuckled for a long time about the votes one.
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Post by NeilVHughes on Jan 26, 2019 14:04:26 GMT
Found it as dull as ditchwater. (Apologies for any offence to any ditchwater and bog snorkelling aficionados)
A poor relationship play, masquerading as an even poorer political play, of course she is running, as we all are from something which will eventually come to define us.
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999 posts
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Post by Backdrifter on Jan 26, 2019 17:53:42 GMT
I meant to say earlier, did anyone else wonder what happened to Sian Brooke's voice? It was a weird mix of both shrill and blurred.
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Post by zephyrus on Jan 27, 2019 17:45:26 GMT
Against my better judgement, went to see this during the week. Found it very dull, and pretty much every aspect of the play was unconvincing (and I didn't enjoy having to spend a couple of hours listening to Sian Brooke's irritating voice.) The only unexpected bonus was the running time - the NT website listed the running time as 2h40 (and the screen by the box office said 2h45) so I spent a lot of time checking my watch during the second half, and was bracing myself for a 10.15pm finish... and I was pleasantly surprised when it was over by 9.55pm. (But, seriously, how difficult is it for the National to update the running time on the website and on the information screen in the foyer?)
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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 Jan 27, 2019 18:08:24 GMT
Was at the NT box office yesterday, people in front of me were collecting tickets for this and their circle seats had been upgraded to the stalls.
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1,316 posts
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Post by tmesis on Jan 28, 2019 13:14:25 GMT
Against my better judgement, went to see this during the week. Found it very dull, and pretty much every aspect of the play was unconvincing (and I didn't enjoy having to spend a couple of hours listening to Sian Brooke's irritating voice.) The only unexpected bonus was the running time - the NT website listed the running time as 2h40 (and the screen by the box office said 2h45) so I spent a lot of time checking my watch during the second half, and was bracing myself for a 10.15pm finish... and I was pleasantly surprised when it was over by 9.55pm. (But, seriously, how difficult is it for the National to update the running time on the website and on the information screen in the foyer?) Yes - the best thing about this tedious play is that it finishes earlier than expected.
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999 posts
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Post by Backdrifter on Jan 29, 2019 8:19:07 GMT
I was pleasantly surprised when it was over by 9.55pm "Not as long as I expected it to be." Now there's a pull-quote for the promos.
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Post by drmaplewood on Jan 29, 2019 11:53:48 GMT
Saw the trailer for the NT live when I went to the cinema at the weekend and if that’s what’s meant to draw people in then.... yikes.
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Post by MrsCondomine on Jan 30, 2019 17:06:17 GMT
They keep pushing and pushing this on FB and all the trailer has done is dissuade me from bothering even to see the NT Live.
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Post by danielwhit on Feb 20, 2019 22:08:43 GMT
They really were pushing this show heavily on social media. Presumably to pull the yoof, leftie, crowd.
Thought it was "OK but nothing more". I was intrigued by Hare saying he has already written a Conservative based play, do we know anything more about this?
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