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Post by zephyrus on Oct 22, 2024 21:37:18 GMT
An interesting evening, which included a show stop as Emma Darcy fully stacked it off the front of the stage and landed in an audience members lap - seemingly ok after a 5-10 minute show stop and hobbled through the rest of the evening. This didn't quite come together for me, because it felt a bit like a lot of them were in different plays to each other (although maybe that's the point). Nina Sosanya and Tobias Menzes were good, but it never really came alive for me. Why did this happen? Can’t she see? I don’t recall dancing involved
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Post by zephyrus on Oct 22, 2024 21:38:18 GMT
Emma was running across the front of the stage, about to go down the steps into the auditorium, but seemingly slipped and fell off the stage into the front row. It looked pretty bad and, after the show had been stopped, Emma seemed to have difficulty moving and was assisted into the wings by stage management. I fully expected the show to be abandoned at this point - or for the understudy to take over - but after around 10 mins the show resumed. It was clear that everyone - actors and audience alike - was a bit shaken by the incident and it definitely affected the rest of the play.
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Post by parsley1 on Oct 22, 2024 21:40:24 GMT
Emma was running across the front of the stage, about to go down the steps into the auditorium, but seemingly slipped and fell off the stage into the front row. It looked pretty bad and, after the show had been stopped, Emma seemed to have difficulty moving and was assisted into the wings by stage management. I fully expected the show to be abandoned at this point - or for the understudy to take over - but after around 10 mins the show resumed. It was clear that everyone - actors and audience alike - was a bit shaken by the incident and it definitely affected the rest of the play. Oh yes there are the stairs at the side I hope she is 🆗🙏🏽
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Oct 23, 2024 9:49:55 GMT
Emma uses they/them pronouns btw
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Post by nettie on Oct 23, 2024 10:16:23 GMT
Was in the front row right next to the girl Emma landed on, it was really shocking.
Earlier in the play when the ashes are put in the bag Emma dropped a handful that were swept on the floor, which is later what they slipped on when they went flying into the audience. It definitely affected the rest of the show, having seen in twice, there are a few things that have changed and dialogue that has been cut or altered and even the ending with Erika going out the Annie in the tent, that never happened in the first preview. Some interesting choices to change.
As a writer I find it fascinating as I found aspects of the play very compelling to watch with good writing but then it really went down hill for me, I felt cheated. It felt as thought it is written for a young audience to get them to see theatre especially with the cast, who are all fantastic but the ‘Saltburn’ esq writing choices towards the end felt gratuitous.
Also one of the few play I have ever seen that I felt could be longer as if your going to push the boat out and give us this drama push the drama, give us the drama!
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1,826 posts
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Post by Dave B on Oct 23, 2024 21:06:40 GMT
In this evening, had fully expected an understudy for Emma D'Arcy but the show must go on. Strapping just visible on their leg and a lot of limping and moments of clear pain standing a couple of times, pretty sure they channeled it into Annie's nerves and general disposition.
A fair few gasps, more than once. Liked this a lot, cast doing really good work. Very much enjoyed, tension very well built up. A fine piece from the NT. Tobias Menzies looking completely wrung out at the curtain call, he looked to only really start relaxing and noticing the reaction when they returned to stage a second time and all seemed a little taken aback by the warm reaction.
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Post by parsley1 on Oct 23, 2024 21:16:08 GMT
Glad they were back on
Gasps probably say more for the audience
Than the work itself
On balance they are a poor marker of anything these days
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Oct 24, 2024 8:28:02 GMT
Emma D'Arcy uses they/them pronouns
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Post by bordeaux on Oct 25, 2024 9:57:02 GMT
I was disappointed with this, given the rave reviews from some on this thread. I like the idea of updating Greek tragedies (I loved the Simon Stone Phaedra and am looking forward to the Icke Oedipus) but I just didn't buy the big deal being made of the ashes eight years after someone's death, tragic though that death clearly was. And the later revelation just seemed tacky to me and not quite believable. And there were various nagging questions all the way through. Why did the brother have the house and not the daughters? I do wish I'd seen some of Zeldin's other work, though, which sounds both different and much better.
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1,081 posts
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Post by andrew on Oct 25, 2024 14:37:12 GMT
I was disappointed with this, given the rave reviews from some on this thread. I like the idea of updating Greek tragedies (I loved the Simon Stone Phaedra and am looking forward to the Icke Oedipus) but I just didn't buy the big deal being made of the ashes eight years after someone's death, tragic though that death clearly was. And the later revelation just seemed tacky to me and not quite believable. And there were various nagging questions all the way through. Why did the brother have the house and not the daughters? I do wish I'd seen some of Zeldin's other work, though, which sounds both different and much better. I was bored out of my pants by 'Faith, Hope & Charity' and 'The Confessions', finding this the best of the three. I understand Love was very good but I never caught it. I've now put him in the camp of only going to see if he's getting rave reviews, and booked a ticket off the back of the first few notices on here. Glad I did.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Oct 28, 2024 21:12:50 GMT
I thought this was dreadful, and I adored Love, and Faith, Hope & Charity so much. Just write a new play about {Spoiler - click to view}incest if that's what you want to do. I didn't mind the changes from Antigone but the fundamental tension is gone: the stakes in Antigone are so high because the body is to be left unburied on pain of death, dooming his soul, as a deliberate punishment. Those are three very high stakes right there. Two people squabbling over ashes doesn't have the same weight in a 21st century context because there's no taboo and no fundamental beliefs about the afterlife at play. Annie doesn't even live there so it's hard to swallow when she walks on and immediately says {Spoiler - click to view}if her dad's ashes are removed from the house he used to live in, that she'll die. I also thought the {Spoiler - click to view}farting/Percy Pigs scene had some of the worst writing I've seen on a professional stage in years. The ending ratchets up the dramatic tension yes, and amazing acting all round yes, but Zeldin really should have forgotten about trying to vaguely shoehorn this into being nebulously Antigone-flavoured and just written a wholly original work about {Spoiler - click to view}the impact of grief, mental illness, and incest in 21st century middle class England.
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Post by Dave B on Oct 30, 2024 9:12:21 GMT
A week later and there is one piece of the staging/direction that really keeps coming back to me. It's a fantastic visual and added a whole extra level of depth for me {Spoiler - click to view} When Chris finally reveals/accepts his feelings for Annie, he covers his head with a red towel. It immediately invoked ortolan bunting (ok yes, I had to look up the name of the bird/dish), the French dish where traditionally you cover your head with your napkin in order to hide your shame/decadent from god. It works here if you go in the same context or if you go with the original and apply it to the Greek gods.
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Post by nash16 on Oct 30, 2024 11:13:47 GMT
A week later and there is one piece of the staging/direction that really keeps coming back to me. It's a fantastic visual and added a whole extra level of depth for me {Spoiler - click to view} When Chris finally reveals/accepts his feelings for Annie, he covers his head with a red towel. It immediately invoked ortolan bunting (ok yes, I had to look up the name of the bird/dish), the French dish where traditionally you cover your head with your napkin in order to hide your shame/decadent from god. It works here if you go in the same context or if you go with the original and apply it to the Greek gods.
Yes yes yes, but what about the Percy Pigs? Their pivotal meaning and fixating Emma’s Annie so as she sits and stares at the non-gelatinous goodness.
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