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Post by caa on Jan 12, 2022 17:28:47 GMT
Also saw it last night and thought it was fantastic, I had a £10 seat on the front row.
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Post by caa on Jan 12, 2022 17:22:15 GMT
I saw Hex last week and really can't believe that its returning it will take a miracle to rescue it! I really have no intention to see it again. The funny thing is I remember it at the Young Vic years ago before it was turned into a musical and quite enjoyed it.
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Post by caa on Sept 16, 2021 20:24:11 GMT
Sorry they’re not doing that version of Antigone they had planned before they closed. I also wonder what is happening with Sammy?
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Post by caa on Aug 24, 2021 13:01:49 GMT
Saw it last night, really enjoyed the first act. Apart from the Buoy that kept getting in the sightlines.
But have to agree with the comments about the ending it really fell apart after the Starkeepers arrived and the audience reaction at the end ie I didn't see anyone stand up to applause at the end (unlike when I Paradise last week!) I think shows that its a bit flat and could be more emotional.
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Post by caa on Aug 19, 2021 15:19:58 GMT
The only stalls tickets I could find were restricted view, although plenty in the circle
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Post by caa on Aug 19, 2021 15:18:33 GMT
When the Guardian critic tells you that the lyrics are amazingly witty when they're pedestrian at best, and the tunes are fantastic when they're all ploddy and square and none of it fits the character it's supposedly written for, you begin to question their sanity. Are they so desperate for a hit they'll say absolutely anything? Must admit I have to say gone are the days when the Guardian critic's rave review meant it was a show worth seeing, except if Suzanna Clapp rates it!
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Post by caa on Aug 18, 2021 9:10:43 GMT
I saw Paradise last night and returning to the National there was a sense that things are slowly getting back to before, arrival was smooth. Sadly the bookshop remains closed as are most of the ground floor areas. I think the reviews I have read have been spot on, there is a lack of focus, its as if they have taken the story which originally ends with Philoctetes going to the Trojan War and gone no that's not what we want. But that is the point of the story.
Its unclear what the Chorus is doing, some scenes work but others are confusing. Has Philoctetes been alone and unloved as the Chorus claim if so why at the end is he saying goodbye to a lover? It seems odd that a production which was announced last year before lock down seems undercooked its too long and needs editing. That said the applause at the end was warm so what do I know.
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Post by caa on Aug 18, 2021 8:46:11 GMT
I agree its not quite as good as it could have been and its been lucky to return. Its a shame that they didn't film it with the original cast as I thought Adrian Scarborough was the star of the show.
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Post by caa on Jul 24, 2021 10:05:58 GMT
I went to a concert at the Barbican last week and the checks going into the Barbican centre weren't great, sounds as if they haven't got any better.
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Post by caa on Jul 21, 2021 8:23:14 GMT
I saw Anna X last night and thought it was better than Walden thought both Emma Corrin and Nabhaan Rizwan were good. However, although it is inspired by the real life case of Anna Sorokin, it's difficult to really care. Anna X is rather a cold character its hard to really care about, whereas Rizwan as Ariel has charm but he is also hard to like. Going into to the theatre was interesting, I was all ready to show my NHS COVID Pass as I thought they might want to see it but no one did, plenty of people going in ignored the Test and Trace check in and in the stalls many people near me weren't wearing face masks.
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Post by caa on Jul 20, 2021 12:42:53 GMT
Julie followed by Bat out of Hell
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Post by caa on Jul 14, 2021 21:44:07 GMT
I saw this a few weeks ago and if I'm honest I still don't quite understand why its been staged and in particular some of the choices made, the framing device is ok at the start but the the ending didn't work, but maybe I'm over thinking this. I have seen a number of Lyndsay Turner's productions, she has directed some good shows although I didn't like what she did with Top Girls and Light Shining but if anything it feels as if the director hasn't really given it a great deal of thought. Best reason for going is Micheal Sheen but at the end of the day it feels like a missed opportunity.
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Post by caa on Jul 14, 2021 21:29:13 GMT
Saw it last night with PC and ZW, good to see it again but sad to say I have to agree that it didn't quite connect with me in the same way that Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall pairing did, the PC and ZW pairing were ok but it feels like a different play with them.
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Post by caa on Jan 29, 2019 21:42:17 GMT
I'd like to see Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker, the Royal Court staged it in 2013 in a Community Centre in Haggerston with Toby Jones and Imelda Staunton.
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Post by caa on Jan 24, 2019 19:15:35 GMT
Really enjoyed this when I saw it last week.
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Post by caa on Jan 24, 2019 19:14:15 GMT
Saw Violet last night sat in row N, had no sound issues. Really enjoyed the show if you liked Fun home or Caroline or Change then I think you'd like it. I really don't understand Billington's review of this show.
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Post by caa on Jan 19, 2019 8:48:44 GMT
I still miss the foyer music and probably spend less time at the NT. I also think that the book shop is full of tat!
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Post by caa on Jan 14, 2019 22:01:42 GMT
A theatre funded by the public (partly) should ensure that it does not exclude part of that public from being able to attend. An NT live would cover that but none appears forthcoming. A tour would help, but this isn’t likely to tour. An extension similarly but a slim chance, I imagine, and it has to be announced alongside an initial booking period. I think many see that this has so far been a PR disaster; angering regulars, cutting out many (most?) who would have attended for the first time, setting remainers versus leavers (whoops, I mean winners versus losers), etc. First mistake was choosing a very big name for a very small theatre in a very limited run. Second gross miscalculation was promoting a ballot as some sort of egalitarian thing instead of it being an admission of failure to avoid exclusivity. An exclusive production at the National that deliberately cuts out many of the public who pay for it is pretty scandalous as long as it remains that none of the extra means of making it available as per above are not provided. Punchdrunk got hauled over the coals for it and that was only for an R and D experiment. For a full production the NT turning people away just proves to people that it is for the few and not the many (or whatever Magic Grandad said). I 100% agree with this comment, my main issue is that I am concerned that NT will do this again in the future. As a member of quite a few theatres I don't book tickets because of a star actor, but based on other factors, and had NT just opened booking saying it was a new Martin Crimp play that would have been far fairer than what they have gone and done, as I very much doubt it would have sold out to members at least before the cast was announced.
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Post by caa on Jul 7, 2018 7:56:45 GMT
Just had an email saying its closing on 22nd July
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Post by caa on May 20, 2018 9:23:50 GMT
I gather this is looking to go into the West End, has anyone else heard this, I wonder where it might go?
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Post by caa on Apr 10, 2018 6:28:45 GMT
Also, Girl From the North Country should of won Achievement in Music in my opinion. Hamilton is great, but it felt very much "Lin is in the catagory, Lin must win" kind of situation, whereas the music for Girl was really outstanding, both from a Orchestral and Vocal perspective. The problem with that category is that it's a bit like nominating an apple, a pear, a satsuma, and a mango for an award for Best Banana. This year, there were two nominations for original scores, one for orchestrations/vocal arrangements, and one for an orchestra. All four were outstanding, but they aren't all the same thing. As much as I loved the arrangements in 'Girl from the North Country', I think I'd probably have given the award to one of the nominees whose work involved original composition - and as much as I loved 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie', as writing, between it and 'Hamilton', there's no contest. I always thought the Achievement in Music Award was a bit like the Best British Film Award at the BAFTAs, ie to highlight a show that might be forgotten but if its going to go to the winner of best Musical then what's the point.
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Post by caa on Mar 25, 2018 15:54:19 GMT
So now this has been and gone, and has nominated for multiple Olivier Awards, I have to ask... IS IT A PLAY OR A MUSICAL? Are the songs only diegetic, or do they exist non-diegetically/further (or at least comment on) plot and character...? Having seen this twice I still think its a play with music, as I'm not convinced its a musical.
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Post by caa on Mar 23, 2018 21:26:50 GMT
The Olivier has a habit of finding out directors, such as in 2010 when Michael Grandage directed Danton's Death, possibly the wrong play to be staged but it also seemed that Grandage who had seemed to have the midas touch somehow was found wanting.
Personally I wish the National would rethink things especially as they do seem to be having issues in finding plays to stage in the Olivier, why not restage classic productions that had worked before,such as Frankenstein, Ghetto, Guys and Dolls, Summerfolk or a Greek play like the Oresteia. This was something that the National did in the past and other National Theatres do.
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Post by caa on Mar 22, 2018 23:02:03 GMT
Thanks for the heads up about the front row seats, when I called the Barbican box office this morning I was told that the front row wasn't available.....
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Post by caa on Mar 22, 2018 22:43:07 GMT
Good luck with that! Let's hope that the new director can make Stratford East the new 'go-to' cultural venue of choice for London theatregoers with her programme of classics done in new and inventive ways as well as serious modern drama because she is unlikely to attract the local audience, which is what I thought the Arts Council was anxious to protect with the emergency grant. There isn’t a local audience. That’s the problem. She needs to attract a distant audience like me. I agree I have been there over the past few years and I'm not sure the programme is going to appeal to people that Nadia Fall is hoping to attract. Also in my opinion Stratford (and in particular where the Theatre is located) isn't the nicest part of London late at night and its a long way from where I live, so I'm afraid productions will need to be good to get me there.
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Post by caa on Mar 14, 2018 20:56:48 GMT
Not sure who Carl Woodward is (apart from seemingly being Mark Shenton's new BFF), but he also has the same info - though he seems to have a hatred for the show so not sure why he cares! Shenton and Woodward have been doing Podcasts recently
twitter.com/hashtag/CommitNoNuisance?src=hash
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Post by caa on Mar 14, 2018 20:40:22 GMT
I tend to avoid praising actors if I can help it as theatre is a collective art form, but seeing Patsy Ferran last night, it felt like a privilege to see her perform, even the toes on her feet were in tune with her portrayal, a wonder to behold.
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Post by caa on Mar 8, 2018 23:02:36 GMT
Julius Caesar is a good play to see if you have never seen a Shakespeare production, and this version is one of the best and its easy to follow what is going on
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Post by caa on Mar 1, 2018 15:11:42 GMT
It seemed to take a lot longer this morning for me to book tickets at least 50 minutes waiting in the queue, despite this I still managed to get tickets
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Post by caa on Mar 1, 2018 15:08:12 GMT
Bearing in mind we know its going to appear at the Gielgud I wonder why its taking so long to announce it
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