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Post by mkb on Aug 29, 2023 19:19:47 GMT
Do you think it's recoverable? I thought there was still potential but needs a few changes to make it a success, in my opinion. What did you make of the sound effects?? They have enough of an audience, it doesn't matter. It's already a commercial success. The sound effects were fine apart from the prolonged one in the last 15 minutes which I initially thought was someone's phone ringtone. That was too quiet to serve any purpose and became irritating.
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Post by Being Alive on Aug 29, 2023 21:36:33 GMT
OH! I've fundamentally misunderstood that this is at a paying audience now - I didn't think it was til Thursday!
Sorry!
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Post by mrbarnaby on Aug 30, 2023 9:01:03 GMT
The whole enterprise sounds self indulgent. I shall be avoiding happily.
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Post by foxa on Aug 30, 2023 9:13:06 GMT
Oh no - I am bringing someone to see it tonight. And definitely paid.
I've seen Andrew Scott on stage quite a few times and he's never been bad, so thought this was a pretty safe bet.
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Post by mkb on Aug 30, 2023 12:25:43 GMT
Oh no - I am bringing someone to see it tonight. And definitely paid. I've seen Andrew Scott on stage quite a few times and he's never been bad, so thought this was a pretty safe bet. It's one of those marmite things. Plenty present applauded rapturously, so there's every chance you'll like it.
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Post by Fleance on Aug 30, 2023 14:46:07 GMT
So... having never seen one of these types of shows, how does it work. Do they actually play every character in the play? Jumping between voices/mannerisms etc? I've seen one-person shows, but only when they were written to be for one person. If it's clearly supposed to be a number of characters played by a full cast like Macbeth for example I think I'd find myself just sitting there wishing I was watching a full production. A brilliant example of a one-person, multi-character show is Miriam Margolyes' Dickens' Women.
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Post by theatrescribe on Aug 30, 2023 16:25:20 GMT
The best one-person shows I've seen have been from Kathryn Hunter - but then she is an actual shapeshifter and can seemingly physically change into anyone!
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Post by Steve on Aug 30, 2023 17:18:09 GMT
I don't think there is much to enjoy here for Chekhov fans. This is solely for Scott groupies Chekhov hat off, Andrew Scott groupie hat on.
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Post by Jan on Aug 30, 2023 17:35:57 GMT
The best one-person shows I've seen have been from Kathryn Hunter - but then she is an actual shapeshifter and can seemingly physically change into anyone! You should put that in its own thread, it is an interesting question. I generally avoid them but decent ones were Ben Kingsley in Edmund Kean (1983), Alec McCowen in Kipling (1984) and Michael Pennington in Anton Chekhov (1984), and the best I've seen Roy Dotrice in Brief Lives (1967-2008) but of course there have been more notable multi-character ones like John Sessions in The Life of Napoleon (mid-1980s) and both Alan Cumming (2012) and Stephen Dillane (2005) as Macbeth.
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Post by Steve on Aug 30, 2023 21:39:35 GMT
I saw this tonight, and since most of the characters in this play are essentially muted and unhappy, there isn't the typical variety in character types and attitudes that allow a one person show to thrive. On the other hand, Andrew Scott is typically mesmerising, and creates many entrancing moments, though, for me, they do not add up to a satisfactory whole. Some spoilers follow. . . I always liked the line that Chekhov wrote about Vanya feeling like he could have been Schopenhauer in another life. Since Schopenhauer is the leading philosopher of misery and striving (and trying to understand the misery and striving of human existence), it demonstrates that deep down Vanya doesn't equate success with happiness, but simply getting to grips with misery lol. Simon Stephens changes the line, modernising Alexander, the usurping family patriarch, into a successful filmmaker rather than a writer, and Vanya becomes instead a wannabe "Bresson or Ozu," two ascetic filmmakers who want to understand humanity, for sure, but more by way of stylistics than content. Despite this, it is still Schopenhauer's philosophy of endless human striving that underpins all the characters, and when you've got Scott trying to play the truth of the striving misery of every character, they inevitably bleed into each other. To distinguish them, Stephens ends up having to end almost every line and address with the name of the character that follows, and this feels tedious. If you are unfamiliar with the play, it is likely you will not understand the story at all, and will consume the play as a typical Stephens play about alienation, in which you just focus on individual scenes, and compare and contrast them, losing the overall thrust of the plot. If you are familiar with the play, you will wish you could have seen Scott's emotional vulnerable Vanya playing off other actors, rather than wrapping the ennui of all the other characters into one indivisible morass of misery. You could argue that the revelation of this production is that we are all essentially the same, but that is inherently undramatic. There are many mesmerising moments, such as when Scott sings, and when Scott plays "Chopsticks," and when Scott breaks down in tears. But, for me, the project is a noble failure such as you would expect in the life of any true artist, boldly trying to mix things up and not repeat themselves. If the result is the very striving disappointment that Schopenhauer's philosophy predicts for all of us, that's pretty Chekhovian, when it comes down to it. 2 and a half stars from me.
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 31, 2023 6:46:27 GMT
The best one-person shows I've seen have been from Kathryn Hunter - but then she is an actual shapeshifter and can seemingly physically change into anyone! You should put that in its own thread, it is an interesting question. I generally avoid them but decent ones were Ben Kingsley in Edmund Kean (1983), Alec McCowen in Kipling (1984) and Michael Pennington in Anton Chekhov (1984), and the best I've seen Roy Dotrice in Brief Lives (1967-2008) but of course there have been more notable multi-character ones like John Sessions in The Life of Napoleon (mid-1980s) and both Alan Cumming (2012) and Stephen Dillane (2005) as Macbeth. Misterman with Cillian Murphy was splendid!
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Post by mkb on Aug 31, 2023 11:21:12 GMT
Misterman with Cillian Murphy was splendid! I intensely disliked that one too, but I was a lone voice. It's an interesting comparison. Both shows feature(d) a big-name star who it was clear many in the audience were in awe of. My sense at both was that there was a very enthusiastic response from half the audience and polite applause from the rest.
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Post by foxa on Aug 31, 2023 11:43:52 GMT
A big 'why?' hangs over this production. So much of the appeal of Chekhov is in the small meaningful exchanges between the characters which a solo performer, no matter how talented, just can't convey. The scenes that worked best were some of the duologues where trying to figure out who is who and the use of names was less distracting. I liked the updating of Alexander to the film director and the discussion of finances. Also there was some clever use of the door for theatrical flourishes, with Scott exiting as one character and entering as another or interrupting himself. I love Andrew Scott and have seen him on stage in Dying City, Present Laughter, Hamlet and Sea Wall. This was the first time when I felt he was struggling and even his enormous charisma couldn't entirely save the day. (Though with someone less talented it would have been unbearable.) Some sections felt sketched in and may well grow later in the run. Above someone mentioned disruptive laughter, but I wasn't aware of that last night. Partial standing ovation at end. I think Steve sums up the problems with this play well and agree with his star rating - I suspect it will remain a 'noble failure.' Two pluses from the evening, my companion said she now wants to read Uncle Vanya (she also said 'Justice for Sonya!') and it was good to see the Richmond Theatre looking in good nick and packed. I bet they were sad there wasn't an interval as they would have made a killing at the bar. We had a good pre-theatre meal at Franca Manca.
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Post by mkb on Aug 31, 2023 13:14:31 GMT
... and it was good to see the Richmond Theatre looking in good nick and packed. I bet they were sad there wasn't an interval as they would have made a killing at the bar. We had a good pre-theatre meal at Franca Manca. Agreed. They are keeping the bars and the Ambassador Lounge open afterwards, and we stayed for a glass of wine, but hardly anyone else did.
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Post by n1david on Aug 31, 2023 21:40:43 GMT
For anyone who wants a refresher of a traditional Uncle Vanya, BBC4 are repeating the Toby Jones production on Sunday night at 9.30pm
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Post by pws on Sept 1, 2023 9:49:15 GMT
I was there Tuesday. Some of the things people had complained before about did not seem to happen, or rather, if they did I did not notice. No silly giggling. In fact, a very full audience, very respectful, mostly a standing ovation at the end. The only annoyance was phones going off, but that is everywhere. Some parts of it were quite wonderful, but it seemed to drag a bit in the middle. The last ten minutes or so were quite magical. The programme was excessively expensive for what it is.
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Sept 1, 2023 10:28:04 GMT
I'm glad I finally saw Andrew Scott on stage, but wish I had seen him in something else.
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Post by teamyali on Sept 1, 2023 13:36:31 GMT
Awards buzz is growing with the glowing reviews of Andrew’s film, All of Us Strangers, which is currently screening at Telluride Film Festival (which is one of the most important venues of Oscar-bait films this autumn season, the other two being Venice and Toronto). All of Us Strangers is directed by Andrew Haigh and also starring Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy.
Andrew Scott’s Uncle Vanya is getting divisive reviews so far, and I don’t know if it’s even a good idea to act out all characters of an entire play/book (I’m curious how Sarah Snook will pull this off with Dorian Gray) all on your own (well, there was Ben Daniels who played all the men in Medea earlier this year, but he was opposite Sophie Okonedo, while Jodie Comer’s Prima Facie was a new work in the UK and Broadway and not based on classics). Regardless on Uncle Vanya’s reception, I hope Andrew’s latest film success will do wonders too. If he’s lucky, he could be nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars, a rare feat for openly gay actors.
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Post by rumtom on Sept 1, 2023 15:57:06 GMT
Awards buzz is growing with the glowing reviews of Andrew’s film, All of Us Strangers, which is currently screening at Telluride Film Festival (which is one of the most important venues of Oscar-bait films this autumn season, the other two being Venice and Toronto). All of Us Strangers is directed by Andrew Haigh and also starring Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy. Andrew Scott’s Uncle Vanya is getting divisive reviews so far, and I don’t know if it’s even a good idea to act out all characters of an entire play/book (I’m curious how Sarah Snook will pull this off with Dorian Gray) all on your own (well, there was Ben Daniels who played all the men in Medea earlier this year, but he was opposite Sophie Okonedo, while Jodie Comer’s Prima Facie was a new work in the UK and Broadway and not based on classics). Regardless on Uncle Vanya’s reception, I hope Andrew’s latest film success will do wonders too. If he’s lucky, he could be nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars, a rare feat for openly gay actors. Medea has been a favourite this year. Ben Daniels was excellent - although he only had to worry about being 3 characters and he had a nice slow motion walk to contemplate, and then transition into the next one. I hadn't heard of All Of Us Strangers, so thanks for bringing it to my attention. I've just been reading about it - a rave review in The Guardian - and lots of other positive feedback around too. I'll add it to my list of films I one day hope to watch!
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Post by mattnyc on Sept 1, 2023 22:30:39 GMT
I was there Tuesday. Some of the things people had complained before about did not seem to happen, or rather, if they did I did not notice. No silly giggling. In fact, a very full audience, very respectful, mostly a standing ovation at the end. The only annoyance was phones going off, but that is everywhere. Some parts of it were quite wonderful, but it seemed to drag a bit in the middle. The last ten minutes or so were quite magical. The programme was excessively expensive for what it is. How much are programmes?
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Post by mkb on Sept 1, 2023 22:48:10 GMT
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Post by mattnyc on Sept 1, 2023 22:55:20 GMT
Thanks. That’s about “normal” for one of them, now. Sadly.
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Post by rumtom on Sept 2, 2023 3:22:29 GMT
Thanks. That’s about “normal” for one of them, now. Sadly. I don't mind paying £5 or £6 for a programme with interesting and thoughtful content in but half the programmes these days are a few photos of the rehearsals with a list of the actor's previous work. If there's some original content in a programme they can be really informative and sightly better value for money. Especially if they take the time to actually write about the production, or interviews with actors; thoughts of the production team; relevant historical context if relevant etc . I find the RSC programmes a good example of how to do it properly.
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Post by mattnyc on Sept 2, 2023 4:35:37 GMT
And I’ve noticed so many are now like 70% ads and, well that REALLY upsets me. I’ll spend £6 on one but give me something that I won’t be finished reading by the time I find my seat.
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Post by solotheatregoer on Sept 2, 2023 11:32:18 GMT
Seeing this next month. Any insight on set design?
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Post by theatrelover123 on Sept 2, 2023 13:09:45 GMT
Seeing this next month. Any insight on set design? Yes. I saw it last night. I can confirm that it has a set.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Sept 2, 2023 14:30:26 GMT
Seeing this next month. Any insight on set design? Yes. I saw it last night. I can confirm that it has a set. Helpful reply. Looking at a photo on insta- it looks like a rehearsal room with a curtain at the back? All pale wood and furniture..? And just as uninspiring as that sounds.
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Post by teenangel on Sept 2, 2023 15:10:22 GMT
Saw this last night, and was sadly thoroughly disappointed.
Simultaneously not much going on, whilst also being cluttered and clumsy. I think Andrew Scott is a terrific performer, but I was left wondering what the show would be like with a different actor in the role.
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Post by Forrest on Sept 2, 2023 17:11:55 GMT
teenangel , we were part of the same audience. I think Andrew Scott is incredibly talented, and truly wonderful on stage, and he was wonderful in this too, but somehow the thing I kept thinking while watching this was: Why? What exactly is/was the point of this? If it is to show off what a versatile performer he is, then there are hundreds of other ways to do it. If it is something else, I guess I just couldn't see it. I would rather have seen the play from Vanya's perspective, than this. I have great respect for Simon Stephens, and I think he is a really talented author, but this just didn't work for me. It left me baffled.
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Post by alessia on Sept 3, 2023 18:19:38 GMT
I think I'm in agreement with the majority here, this is all about Andrew Scott's talent and it clearly attracted his fans, and I enjoyed watching him for a couple of hours- but I wonder how many in the audience understood what was going on, only based on this and not knowing anything about Uncle Vanya. I've seen the play before and even I found it a bit confusing.I don't regret seeing it but I must say it left me cold. Enraptured audience though!
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