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Post by zahidf on Jun 29, 2023 11:52:10 GMT
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183 posts
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Post by bee on Jun 29, 2023 12:01:31 GMT
This could almost be a prequel to the recent Farm Hall at Jermyn Street.
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Post by keyspi on Jun 29, 2023 19:30:50 GMT
This could almost be a prequel to the recent Farm Hall at Jermyn Street. Based on the plot summary provided it sounds almost the same to me even? Kind of strange to get two of these premiering within a timespan of 12 months I liked Farm Hall a lot, but I can't figure out what Operation Epsilon would add to the story ... 🤔 Steep pricing on those tickets as well by the looks of it EDIT: Couldn't resist and managed to get a £7.50 ticket for the opening day, quite chuffed actually |
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Post by Dave B on Jun 29, 2023 22:06:42 GMT
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Post by keyspi on Jun 29, 2023 22:12:13 GMT
I didn't even know that option existed, thank you for making me aware of it! Excellent value indeed |
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Post by bee on Jun 29, 2023 23:20:12 GMT
This could almost be a prequel to the recent Farm Hall at Jermyn Street. Based on the plot summary provided it sounds almost the same to me even? Kind of strange to get two of these premiering within a timespan of 12 months I liked Farm Hall a lot, but I can't figure out what Operation Epsilon would add to the story ... 🤔 Steep pricing on those tickets as well by the looks of it EDIT: Couldn't resist and managed to get a £7.50 ticket for the opening day, quite chuffed actually It is pretty remarkable to have two plays based around a not especially well known aspect of WW2 coming out within a few months of one another. I also liked Farm Hall so I'll try and get to this though my schedule's already pretty full for September/October. |
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Post by showgirl on Jun 30, 2023 3:39:34 GMT
Agree that 2 plays on the same subject in short succession is unusual; also that fitting any more bookings into Sep/Oct is tough but at least this venue has Thursday (ie rather than Tuesday) matinees. US running time was 1 h 50 so even if it varies for the UK production, it'll have to be a matinee for me.
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2,496 posts
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Post by zahidf on Jun 30, 2023 7:24:53 GMT
the oppenhenimer effect maybe?
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Post by keyspi on Jun 30, 2023 14:37:16 GMT
Turns out Operation Epsilon had its world premiere back in 2013, thus pre-dating the Farm Hall play by 10 years!
I wonder if Katherine Moar is familiar with this one and whether it influenced any of her writing for Farm Hall at all.
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3,316 posts
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Post by david on Jun 30, 2023 22:49:17 GMT
Well, this is great news. It ties in nicely with my London trip at the end of September. I had my Farm Hall at the JST visit cancelled, so this is a great alternative. It will also be an opportunity to visit the new venue for the first time.
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Post by capybara on Sept 25, 2023 18:51:05 GMT
Has anyone been to see this? Trying to work out if it’s worth a trip.
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Post by Dave B on Sept 25, 2023 21:46:13 GMT
As it happens, I am just home from it.
I'm glad that I knew it pre-dated Farm Hall as it does tread some of the same ground. Eleven characters feels a bit much, very short shrift for many and the conflicts feel they could be distilled down to five or six very easily (much like Farm Hall did). That being said, the cast are almost all great and the set is I think the most detailed and biggest I've seen at either Southwark.
Reasonably full this evening, applause was more polite than enthusiastic at the end. Three stars for me, I think overall I preferred Farm Hall - more focused.
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Post by capybara on Sept 25, 2023 22:46:59 GMT
Interesting. The thing for me is that I’d like to see either this or Farm Hall but Operation Epsilon will work out a lot cheaper and more flexible with dates than the FH tour!
I suspect I will end up seeing this version of the story unless there’s a huge gulf in quality.
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Post by keyspi on Sept 26, 2023 6:47:39 GMT
Interesting. The thing for me is that I’d like to see either this or Farm Hall but Operation Epsilon will work out a lot cheaper and more flexible with dates than the FH tour! I suspect I will end up seeing this version of the story unless there’s a huge gulf in quality. Farm Hall is the more polished of the two, however both of these work better in a more intimate setting (i.e. Jermyn Street or Southwark Playhouse) - not sure whether the fairly large stage of Richmond Theatre will work well for Farm Hall. |
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Post by david on Sept 28, 2023 21:53:23 GMT
A few thoughts from this afternoon’s visit. I haven’t had an opportunity to visit the new SWP Elephant venue until today and after an unexpected walking tour of the area trying to locate the venue using Google Maps, I have to say that I am very impressed with the venue despite its hidden location. I would be happy to return here for future shows. With this viewing, I made use of the fantastic PAYG scheme from the SWP and I have to say as someone who has a science background as well as an interest in the historical aspects of the subject matter and world war 2 espionage stuff, I really enjoyed the show and was worth the ticket. I would have loved to have compared this production with the recent JST’s “Farm Hall” as both shows covered the similar historical events, unfortunately the theatre gods decided otherwise. Anyway, as for the SWP production, it was certainly an engaging and informative watch over the 115 minute run time (Act 1 was 45 mins, 15 min interval and Act 2 was 55 mins). The production has certainly made me want to do more digging around about the events post show. A lovely detailed 2 story Manor House set to represent Farm Hall from designer Janie E Howland made full use of the stage and the intimate nature of the auditorium worked really well with this production, particularly during the more heated debating scenes in Act 2 when the characters questioned their roles in developing the nuclear science and its possible use by Hitler. Being so close to the cast certainly made you feel part of the proceedings. As for the cast, a really good cast of 11 here. I would agree with Dave B that at times, it was maybe a cast that was too big as some were left with not a lot to do during some scenes when they all present on stage. A smaller number of characters maybe would have been more effective in conveying the same scientific and ethical debates about their roles during the war. Rating 3.5⭐️ |
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Post by lonlad on Sept 28, 2023 23:51:34 GMT
I was there this afternoon and was quite impressed. Rather a shame in this day and age of mini-productions *VANYA etc* for some to advocate for a smaller cast but there it is, I guess. This company was very good and Jamie Bogyo, thank heavens, didn't have to sing (though still adopted his habit of wincing throughout and peering into the middle distance). The set is astonishing.
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Post by bee on Oct 15, 2023 12:37:53 GMT
I saw yesterday's matinee. I'd more less agree with the previous reviewers. It's good, though after having seen seen Farm Hall cover similar ground this does seem to have more characters than is necessary. The performances are generally excellent though, and as others have said, the set is amazing for a small(ish) space.
First trip to The Elephant and I thought it was great. Good leg room in the seats (I was in the upper level), spacious bar areas, and plenty of loos. I look forward to returning.
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Post by showgirl on Oct 20, 2023 3:06:05 GMT
Saw this yesterday and only 2 weeks after seeing Farm Hall, so I was able to compare the two and found them astonishingly similar. Not so much in their treatment of the facts as they're obviously a given, but in the dialogue, character interaction and even scenes - it was almost uncanny. That said, I enjoyed both productions and I'm glad I saw them; absolutely my type of play as I don't mind the static, talking heads type as long it's well-written and engaging, as in both cases.
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Post by Steve on Oct 21, 2023 17:37:15 GMT
I agree with the views above that the set is astonishing, certainly the best I've seen in this space. It really envelops the audience in the production, as if you are in the living room with them, just another one of the talking heads. It feels like you've taken a time machine to witness some very interesting history. And for me, Nathaniel Parker is terrific in this. Some spoilers follow. . . The actual drama isn't particularly involving, watching a bunch of people just focused on their scientific reputations, as if the horrors of the holocaust are mostly just a distraction, with Gyuri Sarossy's Heisenberg coming across the most shallow of them all. But the shallowness is the point, I suppose, despite it not being that edifying to watch. For this reason, I was blown away with how much gravitas and depth that Nathaniel Parker brought to his part of Hahn. He really doesn't have that many lines, given how many other people there are on stage, babbling away covering their backsides, but whether he's talking or not, his expressions, his reactions, his being, he just expresses so much of the soul of the play, elevating it. I was glad for the large cast, as it accentuates the time machine element of it, populating the immersive set with pretty much everyone who was present at the historical events portrayed. I particularly loved Simon Bubb, who winningly combined slyness and affability perfectly in his small role as the British Major overseeing the scientists. For me, I felt this was a 3 star play elevated half a star by the set and half a star by Nathaniel Parker, so 4 stars overall.  |
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