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Post by joem on May 24, 2023 21:04:39 GMT
They've worked pretty hard to alienate audiences, not really surprised it's going downhill which is a great shame because it did have some very good seasons. End of the day people mutht be amuthed, you can't expect to be lecturing, hectoring all the time and expect people to part with their hard-earned cash to receive a browbeating.
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Post by joem on May 23, 2023 21:41:28 GMT
Good strong season which deserves support. Particularly looking forward to the revival of Stoppard's "Rock and Roll". Thoroughly enjoyed the original. I sometimes get the feeling Stoppard isn't quite celebrated as much as he should be. I do wish some ambitious theatre would revive "The Coast of Utopia". Now that would be something!
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Post by joem on May 2, 2023 8:28:41 GMT
I concur with above. I was also there last night. Not many plays about cycling (Ventoux at the Vaults is the only one I can remember) let alone musicals.
This kind of grew on me, it's a good (true) story in its essentials about a sports star engaging in acts of real heroism as opposed to sporting acts of "heroism". The music is fairly generic and think some of the vocals need polishing a bit but the book sheds light on a detail of the war in Italy which deserves wider knowledge.
Mods might change name of the thread? It's "Glory Ride" as has been pointed out.
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Post by joem on May 1, 2023 22:36:05 GMT
Bill Nighy in King Lear at the NT Yes, as Edgar - saw it on a school trip to London along with Antony & Cleopatra around the same time (I recently found a little drawing of him as mad Tom in my school notebook, so he did make an impression - unlike Hopkins who was surprisingly disappointing!). Probably my first visits to the NT. Trigger warning: I was sat in the front row for King Lear and got absolutely drenched in Hopkins' spittle.
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Post by joem on May 1, 2023 22:27:35 GMT
A highly appropriate time to put on a new play about Eurovision which - funnily enough - isn't a musical!!! It most definitely is a comedy.
Well structured and staged the action is all in the flat of Josh a young gay guy trying to find himself and make it as an actor, and over several Eurovision parties held there over the years, with a revolving cast of characters who appear some years but not others - his best female friend Kat an actress and writer, Daz an actor on whom Josh has a crush, Andy who we first see as a stripogram performer and Josh's mum Gina.
The first half is pretty lightweight with lots of jokes and gags, many pretty obvious ones, on Eurovision and gay stuff. Gets more serious in the second half, the action and dialogue tighten up and becomes a more bittersweet affair.
Eurovisions nerds will probably enjoy it most.
On a serious note the Union Theatre owes £120,000 rent from the period under which it had to close down. No reduction, no government help even though it was the government who forced them to stop working. Disgusting.
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Post by joem on Apr 30, 2023 1:05:30 GMT
Benedict Cumberbatch in Rhinoceros at the Royal Court (well before seeing him in After the Dance at the NT!) Michelle Dockery in Pygmalion Eddie Marsan at the Savoy Theatre in some play about polar exploration - Antarctica? Bill Nighy in King Lear at the NT
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Post by joem on Apr 29, 2023 23:14:02 GMT
Ok, I know full well this isn't an opera but - is this a thing? - it was sort of staged/dramatised here, with the singer acting out the feelings associated with the words and the music. Plus some extra mime/almost dance work from other actors and interesting lighting and effects to go along with it.
And the music is lovely, of course. Soothing, soulful and regretful, all in one.
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Post by joem on Apr 20, 2023 19:59:03 GMT
I always switch off my phone at night so if World War III breaks out after midnight I'm afraid I won't be available.
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Post by joem on Apr 18, 2023 14:39:08 GMT
I may go next week. There's a £3 discount if you're on strike so I'll tell my employer I am in officially in dispute with them.
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Post by joem on Apr 15, 2023 21:16:35 GMT
I didn't know anything about this play other than it might be about Tristan da Cunha, which apparently it is. Except that where the narrative meets history it is less clear that some of the pivotal events are true or that they all relate to this particular island. The tale of exile, for example, seems more to reflect events on the Chagos Islands. I suppose though that it is essential to include this, and a crucial fiction which is essential to understanding the character of Bill (the troubled islander excellently played by Cyril Nri) in order to make this an anti-colonial play. Because the history of Tristan is not a colonialist expropriation in the accepted sense, the islands belonged to no-one and had not even been visited by anyone till like the 17th century. Such population as settled there did so voluntarily and accepting a harsh, lonely existence which was not foisted on them. Likewise the evil pantomime capitalist thrown in - with a South African accent for good measure, the play being set in the sixties - is also an invention and has no basis in anything which happened there. Bizarrely, from the point of narrative, he then turns up in England as some sort of government official. So I would take the history of this with an islet of salt and concentrate on the mood of the piece instead.
As someone else has mentioned the mish-mash of accents does not seem to serve any purpose, dramatic or otherwise, other than to mislead at least some in the audience to think this might be about the Orkney Islands or somewhere in the Outer Hebrides. The repetitive language at times sounds poetic and at times, well, repetitive.
The acting is mostly very good, at least from Jenna Russell, Cyril Nri and Gerald Kyd - not entirely convinced by the younger islanders I'm afraid. Not entirely convinced you need a vocalist on stage when she is rather underutilised.
I don't want this to sound negative. Despite it being a slow-burner, as described elsewhere, it is entertaining and at times even absorbing and it is an interesting idea on a quirky theme about far-off places about which we know little which I enjoyed.
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Post by joem on Apr 13, 2023 22:09:38 GMT
Very funny and anarchic, as someone has said, but at times more revue than play. The town v country divide which is identified in plays such as Jerusalem or Albion is very much present here but, despite the mystical ending, this is not really a deep, philosophical play. Indeed, the country gripes are mostly reduced to a single-issue affair - H2.
The framing structure of the annual Syresham (the fictitious village where events are set) talent show is great for comic purposes, and recurs during the evening, but it does take up a lot of space which could be used for narrative/character development. Nice programme in the style of a village newspaper, for those who collect them.
An enjoyable romp well-acted by an enthusiastic cast of six ranging from hoary veterans to starry-eyed youngsters. Loved the refreshing broadness of the humour. There's a long list of things which might offend those who get offended, if you're one of them you may wish to read it on the websiteif you are the type who takes offence.
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Post by joem on Apr 12, 2023 23:43:25 GMT
Presented as an examination on cancel culture and rule by virtual mobs, Robert Boulton's play - nominated for an Offie when it was performed at the Old Red Lion last year - started a run tonight at Park90.
It's a play which has a lot to say for itself but I feel it sometimes skirts around the issues it seeks to address and is vague on specifics - example, it takes ages to find out what the controversial character may have said/done - and has too much abstract discussion.
Very Dumb Waiterish in some ways, the scene is well set and staged, with two (let us call them to avoid spoilers) "activists" confronting a possible offender - as identified and accused by Twittermob - in a "me too" type scenario.
Drifting into areas of dystopic near science-fiction, the play posits a society where popularity and populism replace the justice system, and gladiatorial trial by twitter on the net decides who will survive, who will flourish and who will be cancelled. Who judges the judges, who scrutinises the accusers and who ensures the accused receive a fair trial; these are questions which increasingly seem to matter less as the accusation effectively acts as a sentence before the act.
Intensely acted by the cast of three, including author Boulton as a smiling psychopath, there are interesting questions here but they need to have a sharper focus.
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Post by joem on Apr 12, 2023 22:55:49 GMT
Watched this film today. It's pretty different to most stuff I've ever seen. A sort of hyper-really coloured, funny, unlikely romantic movie feauring two young people on the rebound with bags of charm which is also a visual love song to often maligned and much misunderstood south London. A joyous, life-affirming celebratory piece of cinema.
David Jonsson is really good as the awkward, earnest, strait-laced young accountant but Vivian Oparah is wonderful as Yas - sassy, kooky and a real hoot. Worth the admission price just for her performance.
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Post by joem on Apr 12, 2023 10:21:59 GMT
When diversity in theatre is discussed in this country it tends to be always one type of diversity under the microscope, so it is gratifying to see this play at the Arcola written by British-based, Canadian-Chinese writer and comedian Joanne Lau and performed by a cast of actors with an east Asian background. Many people tend to forget that this too is an important and significant minority (well in excess of 1% of the UK population) which is under-represesnted in the world of entertainment.
Sermon over. There may be some slight spoliers ahead, more thematic than narrative I hope. This is a rumbustious, at times exhilarating, tale based partly on two real-life incidents. Starting off as a dark family comedy, two brothers and two sisters, plus the teenage son of the older sister, which has Ortonesque moments of black farce as the siblings come together for the first time in years, fence around the issue of their mother's death (it's the day of her funeral) but really are far more interested in what money they can get out of her estate, ending up with a wild search around the house for anything she might have hidden.
The second half has the play taking a more serious turn and the laughs disappear as the action becomes tense, confrontational and even violent. This is less successful, to my mind, and rather discordant with the earlier, lighter, tone. The characters morph from loveable rogues to something rather less engaging and what is presented as a mildly discordant family, in a funny sort of way, suddenly becomes more sinister with issues of abuse and mental health coming to the fore. I would also suggest the second half does drag on a bit, in contrast to the feisty, sparkling first half.
To sum up though this is good entertainment and a worthy effort which might benefit from a slight rewrite.
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Post by joem on Apr 11, 2023 11:10:56 GMT
Revival of Brian Friel's Olivier (not Oliver as per the National's programme!) winning 1991 play.
Confession time: despite meaning to, I have never seen one of Friel's plays before, an odd lacuna, so I cannot compare this to any other productions or even plays by the same playwright. This is only an opinion based on what I saw last night and not learned in any way. In fact, I'd rather not start the thread but someobody's got to.....
First impression is how well the space has been used to create the (artistically unwalled) farm in the middle of nowhere in the Irish countryside, beautifully set out providing several levels for the actors. Chapeau. The Olivier stage which is indeed very big, looks huge here.
The play is basically a slice of life in mid 1930's Ireland with the arrival of the wireless heralding modernity, the narrator (loosely based on the author) comments as an adult on what happened in his childhood participating mostly invisibly in the live action. It's a moment in time, caught just before big changes are due to happen - at family and society levels. The five sisters who share the simple, impoverished country life will be going their own ways, the returned (possibly disgraced) priest will yearn for a return to Africa and the cultural fusion he adores, and the love child narrator will leave the family cocoon. Is it a nostalgia fest? Not really, they language is simple but at times lyrical and the wistfulness is not for the "old times" but for happy, uncomplicated times such as the dancing checked in the title with its links to a freer, pagan past of harvest festivals and living in tune with nature.
It's not dramatic with a big D but it is inspiring and thought-provoking and sensibly directed and acted by a fine ensemble cast.
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Post by joem on Apr 10, 2023 11:48:53 GMT
Play by Francis Beckett which tells the story of Rose Cohen, a British Jewish Communist and journalist, but also Harry Pollitt leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain for most of the period between 1929 and his death in 1960 and how the former fell foul of Stalin's purges against all and sundry, despite the latter's "friendship" with the Soviet megalomaniac.
The playwright concentrates on the human aspects of the story, which is just as well as the politics of it is depressingly sordid - with the one brief exception of the time between the Nazi-Soviet pact of summer 1939 and the German attack on the USSR in 1941 where he argued that Hitler needed to be stopped, Pollitt was a faithful Stalin lickspittle supporting the killing of millions during the largely self-induced famine of the 30s and the murderous purges, the destruction of democracy in eastern Europe and the killings in Hungary in 1956. Perhaps it's only by seeing him as a frustrated lover that he can be made into a more sympathetic character.
The short informative scenes (helped by projections telling us when and where the action is happening) give it a good pace, sort of cinematic, but also mean that character development is sketchy. Still, a nearly full house - mostly of a certain age - expressed its approval of the piece and of the performers. Jonathan Hansler's turn as as a superficially bluff and avuncular Uncle Joe Stalin - always pathologically suspicious and one hair's breadth away from violence, was particularly effective.
Perhaps this is also a good place in which to mention that John and Katie Plews, who have been running the theatre Upstairs at the Gatehouse with much flair and TLC since 1997, are retiring and the theatre will in future be ran by new artistic directors who already have links with the venue. Good luck to them but above all a thank you for a job well done to John and Katie.
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Post by joem on Apr 4, 2023 15:01:16 GMT
Sad news but I did wonder how a small fringe venue could suddenly catapult into a much bigger, more upmarket venue with such a mixed offering. I think it should have gone for the "neighbourhood theatre" vibe. The Park and Hampstead Theatres should have been their model, especially the former.
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Post by joem on Mar 19, 2023 11:54:26 GMT
I can't find a thread for this? It's on again now at the Hampstead Theatre and I believe is raising funds for the theatre so that already makes it a worthy cause. But this is pain-free "charity" because David Suchet is as charming a person as he is a great actor and this is a wonderful, fun and educational evening.
As the name suggests this evening is much more than about "Poirot" (as is Suchet) but you can tell what hooked some people into going and they no doubt benefit from Suchet's interesting exposition on aspects of his art and craft and - especially - on the language of Shakespeare.
Assisted, as interviewer/conversation partner, by author Geoffrey Wansell, Suchet goes into anecdtes about his career, life, people he has worked with and gives some great impersonations and examples of his work too.
Well worth supporting this.
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Post by joem on Mar 19, 2023 11:35:14 GMT
Really enjoyed this. Didn't know much about it but had a spare evening and thought the cast looked good. Wasn't disappointed. It is a play which raises interesting questions about AI - its increasing importance, its use/misuse, the ethical factors which may inform on this. And of course, allied matters of relevance as will AI acquire sentience and/or rights? There's been plenty of interesting fiction around this subject including, fairly recently major novels by Ian McEwen and Kazuo Ishiguro.
Anne Reid was superb and stood out but the rest of the cast were no sludges and gave sensitive, nuanced performances which worked singly and as an ensemble. Nicely designed and staged this play. Jordan Harrison's play deserves a wider audience.
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Post by joem on Mar 5, 2023 22:01:06 GMT
Whatever the premise of the play anything with Mckellen and Allam in it is going to attract my custom. We must enjoy the former, in particular, whilst we can. Seen both on them on stage several times and they're both top-notch actors. Why? Is he retiring or something? 84 in a few weeks.
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Post by joem on Mar 5, 2023 21:55:46 GMT
Whatever the premise of the play anything with Mckellen and Allam in it is going to attract my custom. We must enjoy the former, in particular, whilst we can. Seen both on them on stage several times and they're both top-notch actors.
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Post by joem on Feb 26, 2023 22:00:40 GMT
Orlando Figes is best known as a historian who has written mostly about Russian history - I can indeed recommend his masterful account of the Russian Civil War: "A People's Tragedy". Also, less fortunately, for some kind of internet scandal where he was allegedly dissing other historians' work, whilst promoting his own, with the use of pseudonyms. The Oyster Problem is his first staged play; no doubt his research has been put to good use here.
The play deals with the writer Gustave Flaubert's financial and personal travails through a series of set-piece scenes mostly featuring him interacting with his friends and fellow-writers Emile Zola and Ivan Turgenev, who try and help him with varying success.
Not a bad effort but it feels a bit writing-by-numbers at times and it's only about a third into the play that it becomes clear whose story this is (Flaubert's) rather than a play about three writing celebs.
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Post by joem on Feb 18, 2023 0:04:21 GMT
This wasn't shown where I lived at the time and I only heard of the show when they had their biggest hit "Ok?", which wasn't a bad number. Always been interested in watching it but never caught a re-run (if there was any) or seen the dvd for sale. Andy Mackay from Roxy Music wrote all their songs I believe, so that can't be a bad thing. And Julie Covington could certainly sing.
One thing which has intrigued me in case there's anyone with knowledge of the politics of the time - was Jim Callaghan's insult/put-down to Maggie Thatcher when she was leader of the Opposition "There, there little lady" referencing the name of the Rock Follies band, The Little Ladies (odd name)? The timing would seem to make it possible or likely but it may just have been a coincidence.
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Post by joem on Feb 17, 2023 23:10:14 GMT
I enjoyed this tonight. It's an easy story to understand with good singing and the score is pleasant enough even if there are few stand-out songs.
Great to see George Takei, what a legend together with his Star Trek chums and unchum. Been watching it since I was five or six and still in love with the series and most of its sequels.
Note to Charing Cross Theatre: it's a really bad idea, maybe even on safety grounds, to have a stall selling stuff just in front of the only exit from the auditorium.
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Post by joem on Feb 17, 2023 1:11:49 GMT
This is at the theatre rather than the show itself but I hope the self-important prig who wouldn't allow a lady trying to get to the toilet to pass because he was perusing an old fifties theatre poster and waved for her to go behind him (there was no space) is sleeping soundly tonight. He must be so proud of himself. I hope to see him in nursery when he grows up a bit.
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Post by joem on Feb 17, 2023 1:04:06 GMT
Knew nothing about this beyond that it wasn't The Lemon Trilogy and was rather appalled at the prices - although not quite as appalled as with prices for The Unfriend - but having time for a matinee today forked out for some lesser stalls tickets. Spread the cost, or persuaded myself I was doing so, by going to the Vaults in the evening.
I really enjoyed this, suspended disbelief and bought into the unbelievable - but certainly metaphorically credible - premise. After all we have had basic human freedoms restricted in recent memory which would have been thought impossible a few years back, so this is just a little leap further. Whilst it is an examination of relationships, or a relationship, I find the question of what to do in the face of basic freedoms being curtailed - protest, find ways around or acquiesce??? - rather more interesting and relevant.
I think Jenna Coleman has a flair for comedy. Would love to see her explore/exploit this (the way we are being exploited by West End prices).
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Post by joem on Feb 17, 2023 0:02:54 GMT
Went to Compositor E today by Charlie Dupre. A play about one of the typesetters of Shakespeare's first folio which weaves together fact, fiction and the works of Shakespeare to create an interesting story of witchcraft in Jacobean times.
A two-hander with the author himself acting the part of Isaac the owner of the typesetting business and Harry Pudwell taking on the role of John Pudwell, the troubled young apprentice.
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Post by joem on Feb 15, 2023 0:13:01 GMT
Despite having done some dancing myself when Nureyev was a household name I must admit dance is the least interesting of the performing arts to me and the one I know least about.
The only reason I went to this special Valentine's Day performance by the Ballets Jazz Montreal was that it consisted of a series of choreographies by three choreographers (Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Ihsan Rustem) aimed at bringing to life some of the songs of Leonard Cohen - my favorutie musician whose career I followed avidly and enthusiastically until his sad passing a few years ago. Given that I've always said I would have chosen to be him if I couldn't be born as myself, I obviously had to go and watch this.
I know little of the language of dance to understand whether there was an intention of a cohesive narrative here (I don't think there was it was more about feeling and emoting Cohen's songs and work in dance and movement), there were a few moments when the dancing seemed to be following the lyrics, but it was certainly energetic, colourful spectacle with some wonderfully fluid movements by the 14 strong cast. Plenty of amusing and pertinent details - the dancers wearing the suits and fedora Cohen sported, typewriting on the screen, moving references to the last communications between Cohen and his erstwhile muse Marianne and even some pretty good singing in a couple of pieces including, of course, the inevitable "Hallelujah".
Fine fare for an occasional visitor to this temple of dance. Would be interesting if someone on the forum with more knowledge of dance actually went and could give a more competent verdict.
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Post by joem on Feb 14, 2023 12:54:21 GMT
Surprised at 4 stars from the Standard and Stage. Thought it was easily bagging 5 stars! Aside from posters on this board (and a couple of critics), I haven't heard much praise for this show. I texted several industry pals who were there last night expecting they would share in the hosannas here but so far, not the case. They were unanimous in stating the audience was extremely receptive in its reaction but likewise in their consensus that the show was really not their cup of tea. I should add that most are non-British so I have to wonder if it is a UK thing....perhaps it doesn't appeal to those who know little about Sheffield and who may have struggled with the references/accents? Curious if any non-UK posters here found it to be all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips. There was a local band in Liverpool... can't remember their names now...The Quarrymen? The Silver Beatles? They had these broad scouse accents which make Sheffield's accent sound like the King's English by comparison. Didn't seem to do their career much harm.... Joking apart, I am not born in UK nor live here permanently but I have absorbed enough of its culture to realise from way back when that there was more to this country than red post boxes and black cabs. We celebrate diversity. Let's not forget that as well as wonderful traditions and cultures all over the world, many of which have been brought here too by immigrants, there is also a multiplicity of customs, accents, looks, festivals, writings, you name it etc etc here and they also deserve to be celebrated. There's more to UK than London and the big city culture, let's not pigeonhole it as quirky or backward or inferior. Let a thousand flowers bloom.
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Post by joem on Feb 13, 2023 23:03:42 GMT
Tend not to go to the same productions more than once as a rule but having a spare night I used the excuse that I'd seen this in Sheffield so wanted to check out how it translated to the London stage.
Happy to report it hasn't lost any of the energy from the Crucible and the audience seem to have no problems with the Sheffieldisms which some forecast - never thought they would, audiences are cleverer and more adaptable than often given credit for. They hugely loved this tonight, it was press night, but bizarrely the National decided to cut the standing ovation very short by switching on the house lights. Mr Hawley was in attendance, beaming like Mr Punchinello whilst being congratulated by all and sundry.
Had the "privilege" of being the first person to buy the cd at the National shop apparently.
Definite hit. Love this.
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