Ulster American w/ Serkis & Harrelson - Riverside Studios

Edit: now sold.

Based on the interview on the one show it seems this production came to be due to the actors strike in America and Harrelson being sent the script and being free to do it. Seems the ball only got rolling in September hence why going to the Riverside Studios as every other west end theatre this sort of production would go to was already booked.

I’m not sure I’d go as far as blessed. Perhaps if the recent governments hadn’t valued the arts quite so dreadfully we wouldn’t be in a situation where arts venues are being run by administrators with no time for the value of art beyond the price tag.

What I can’t bear more generally is that it’s not that long ago that a ticket costing £100 was a news story. Now you pay £85-100 for a “Band A” seat which is usually actually about the 4th or 5th price band after premium seats and seats that can only be bought as “packages” which means your “Band A” seat is usually right off to one side or 15 rows back. It feels completely unsustainable as people make fewer and fewer theatre trips per year and so much pressure is placed on each trip being something extraordinary rather than feeling like you can take a risk on something.

But that’s not for this thread. I’m looking forward to seeing this having seen it in Edinburgh and thinking “this is good but it would be *really* funny if they did it with a genuine Hollywood start playing the Hollywood star”. And I’m very pleased to see it for £30.

We’ll have to agree to disagree here Jan. To me the recovery fund was an emergency cash injection to avoid the entire industry collapsing and everyone working in it being without a job and claiming off the state.

The 46% real terms cut in arts council funding from 2005 to 2022 (not to mention those ads suggesting ballerinas retrain to work in IT and the like) shows a complete lack of understanding in the true non-monetary value of art.

Jon yes that’s fair. I’ve conflated Jan’s line about RS receiving no subsidy, and being bankrupt, and created all sorts of noise and a very unclear train of thought.

I do stand by my feeling that the government do not value the arts but I also promise not to comment any more on the general state of the arts on a thread that is not about that!

I went to see it last night. I loved David Ireland's Cyprus Avenue at the Royal Court, so for this one, I was prepared for his unique style. But I have to say, I think this one is even more extreme. Pushing the audience to the limit, quite offensive. Especially in the second half of the show, I could hear gasps from the audience and the woman sitting behind me saying "My gosh" several times. In the first half, it was quite funny, and it's not just the lines, but also the acting part. 

Andy Serkis is so good in playing this role, Leigh, the English theatre director. Woody Harreleson and Louisa Harland are also quite good. In terms of directing, I could say that the director is quite loyal to the writer. 

During the standing ovation, ushers were holding signs that no photography allowed, because it would give away the ending. 

Before entering, I was told that the show would be 90 minutes, but I think for the second preview, they went a bit overtime, maybe around 100 minutes? As during the middle part of the show, I did feel a bit dragged. But maybe because it's a show about the words you choose to say and how it reflects you, and I normally find this type a bit slow.

I really like this, and I recommend it to my friend who also liked Cyprus Avenue. But I don't think Ireland's play is for everyone. 

I sit in the front row so I‘m not quite sure how people sitting behind would view. But I think the rake is fine. The stage is a bit high because I couldn’t see the floor but I didn’t miss anything so it’s fine for me.

I went to see the matinee today because my friend won the lottery tickets. I sat in L row and I find the rake is not that good because the person sitting in front of me is a bit tall so I have his head blocking my view. Luckily, I didn’t miss much as most of the actions took place either in the left or in the right side of the stage.

For the play, I found they made it even funnier so the audience didn’t gasp a lot compared with my first visit. Definitely better. Also, a lot of the lines that seem offensive in my first visit now are softened due to this vibe change.

It’s just the person sitting right in front of me causing the problem. Sitting right beside me was someone who might be the assistant director or else, she changed her seat ( around us there were a few seats they kept not on sale) because the person sitting in front of her was also blocking her view.

Do you still have these?

Yes please, how can i purchase them from you