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Post by orientfan on Sept 20, 2024 17:05:45 GMT
Couldn't find a thread, so here goes...
This is one of my favourite plays, and I will never forget the original Royal Court production done in rep with The Recruiting Officer in 1989. Timberlake Wertenbaker has revised the text for this production, which actually doesn't consist of much more than giving 'The Aborigine' a name and more lines.
Reviews have hovered around the 3-star mark, some criticising aspects of the play itself rather than the production, so I was apprehensive that very fond memories might be dashed.
We went on a Thursday. The stalls were half full, I don't think the upper circle was open and the circle appeared sparsely populated. Consequently, the first half seemed to lack energy and atmosphere. This did pick up after the interval, but it was a disappointingly small turnout - and tickets are not expensive.
It's a good production. Wertenbaker's rich script and the key characters' powerful monologues are well spoken. The humour of the play-within-a-play is there, but counterbalanced by the sheer horror of transportation which is clearly paralleled to modern-day issues.
The cast are totally committed, and there's a very relevant request at the curtain call for donations to a good cause.
Do go, it's deserving of bigger audiences.
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Post by greenandbrownandblue on Sept 20, 2024 17:36:19 GMT
Thanks for the review. I'm going in a couple of weeks - it's a play I really like, having seen student productions and the NT production a few years ago. This seems like a strong cast, hopefully the audiences will pick up.
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Post by SilverFox on Sept 20, 2024 17:53:18 GMT
For me (on my one London night this month), it came down to a choice between the Lyric's OCG or the Stratford East production of Abigails Party - and AP won. Partly because I like Tamzin O, having seen her many decades ago in some of her earliest productions, partly on reviews, and partly because I have seen OCG (incl the original RC production) more often than AP.
It is sad it is not selling well - I hope I made the right choice!
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Post by Jan on Sept 21, 2024 7:24:41 GMT
The cast are totally committed, and there's a very relevant request at the curtain call for donations to a good cause. I dislike theatres doing that. What is the good cause ? |
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Post by nash16 on Sept 21, 2024 10:29:29 GMT
The cast are totally committed, and there's a very relevant request at the curtain call for donations to a good cause. I dislike theatres doing that. What is the good cause ? Will it change your mind knowing? |
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Post by happysooz2 on Sept 21, 2024 11:29:03 GMT
Oh my goodness, I love this play so much. I was in this at school in maybe 1990. I’ve been waiting to see it for years. I would have missed it if it weren’t for this thread!
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Post by Jan on Sept 21, 2024 14:02:35 GMT
I dislike theatres doing that. What is the good cause ? Will it change your mind knowing? No. Just interested. What is it ? |
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Post by kate8 on Sept 21, 2024 16:43:24 GMT
I really enjoyed seeing this again. It lived up to my good memories of the original. I love that it’s such an ensemble piece and very funny too. I went with a friend who knew nothing about the play in advance, and she loved it.
Re the charity collection, I think it was something to do with education or rehabilitation of offenders.
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Post by orientfan on Sept 21, 2024 19:30:18 GMT
The collection at the end was for a rehabilitation support programme taking place in the Lyric. Seemed entirely appropriate to the play and I was happy to donate the £3 suggested.
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Post by smithfield on Sept 22, 2024 3:41:57 GMT
I saw it (and Abigail's Party). I thought both were excellent. The night I went, OCG was fairly sparsely attended, which is a shame.
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Post by joem on Sept 27, 2024 22:25:48 GMT
Sparsely attended, half-full at the best. Energetic, attractive set which makes the Lyric stage seem bigger but it had the feel of a good undergraduate production. All sorts of alienating effects so the audience can't emote too much which is odd given the subjects tackled are apt to inspire strong emotions.
The tacked on First Nation comments are a bit on the tacky side too.
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Post by cavocado on Sept 28, 2024 9:30:49 GMT
I really liked this. I have seen it before but had forgotten how funny it is. Very good cast.
It's a shame if it's not selling well. The Lyric doesn't seem to connect as well with the well-heeled locals as, say, the Almeida, although of course it's a much bigger auditorium.
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Post by Jon on Sept 28, 2024 10:20:09 GMT
I really liked this. I have seen it before but had forgotten how funny it is. Very good cast. It's a shame if it's not selling well. The Lyric doesn't seem to connect as well with the well-heeled locals as, say, the Almeida, although of course it's a much bigger auditorium. Weirdly, I don't consider Hammersmith a well heeled area but I agree with your point that it's not on the minds on those who go to the theatre in the surrounding areas as well in Hammersmith itself. |
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Post by cavocado on Sept 28, 2024 11:18:53 GMT
I really liked this. I have seen it before but had forgotten how funny it is. Very good cast. It's a shame if it's not selling well. The Lyric doesn't seem to connect as well with the well-heeled locals as, say, the Almeida, although of course it's a much bigger auditorium. Weirdly, I don't consider Hammersmith a well heeled area but I agree with your point that it's not on the minds on those who go to the theatre in the surrounding areas as well in Hammersmith itself. There are lots of multi-million pound homes within walking distance - Brackenbury Village, Ravenscourt Park, the riverside streets, etc, and Chiswick and Barnes not far away. But I suppose the Almeida is the outlier in selling so well compared to other zone 2-3 theatres. |
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Post by happysooz2 on Sept 28, 2024 13:24:19 GMT
You could argue that The Almeida is really a zone 1-2 theatre, as Angel station’s in zone one. There’s not much that would get me to the Lyric as I’ve found it a very hot theatre in the past, but I really want to see this.
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Post by lt on Sept 28, 2024 15:40:33 GMT
I've never understood why the Lyric struggles to fill seats. It is only zone 2 and vclose to the tube station. It has some excellent productions and has got to be one of the best value theatres in London. This year, I have paid £10 to sit in seats in the front ten rows of the stalls for several productions.
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Post by showgirl on Sept 28, 2024 17:23:50 GMT
I do go to the Lyric when there's something I want to see but the location is a pain as the only other theatre remotely near is the Riverside Studios & there's no cinema in the area, either, so a trip doesn't easily combine with other activities - which it does in many other areas of London. Also, I wonder whether the rather worthy subject is deterring people? I did see the original RC production but even after all these years, have no desire to see the play again; instead, I would prefer to use my time and money seeing something new or more entertaining - or both.
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Post by Jan on Sept 28, 2024 17:37:05 GMT
I've never understood why the Lyric struggles to fill seats. Programming. There were spells in the 2000s when it was full every time I went and had a buzz about it with an Almeida-type older well-heeled audience and fairly conservative mainstream programming. But that hasn't been the type of audience subsequent ADs wanted. To be fair there have also been periods when it was worse than now, once in the 1980s when I was there the actors outnumbered the audience. |
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Post by aspieandy on Sept 28, 2024 18:20:18 GMT
Fwiw, I don't think the space works well. You start off with stairs, then more stairs, then .. a space with a bar. Then more stairs. I appreciate why but .. and then you enter a Victorian theate with Victorian leg room and chair arms. A bit 'Hmmm'.
Probably unhelpful that a new 1,500-seater opens at Olympia next year.
It does a lot of work with schools, though, and I believe, the community generally. Council chips in.
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Post by lt on Sept 28, 2024 20:36:32 GMT
I've never understood why the Lyric struggles to fill seats. Programming. There were spells in the 2000s when it was full every time I went and had a buzz about it with an Almeida-type older well-heeled audience and fairly conservative mainstream programming. But that hasn't been the type of audience subsequent ADs wanted. To be fair there have also been periods when it was worse than now, once in the 1980s when I was there the actors outnumbered the audience. This year I have seen two strong productions which deserved much larger audiences - Faith Healer and Wedding Band. |
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Post by Jan on Sept 29, 2024 9:56:50 GMT
Fwiw, I don't think the space works well. You start off with stairs, then more stairs, then .. a space with a bar. Then more stairs. I appreciate why but .. and then you enter a Victorian theate with Victorian leg room and chair arms. A bit 'Hmmm'. Probably unhelpful that a new 1,500-seater opens at Olympia next year. It does a lot of work with schools, though, and I believe, the community generally. Council chips in. They used to do a full programme in their studio theatre too. I think the current AD is good but it will take time to build an audience lost under previous ADs and Covid. |
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Post by greenandbrownandblue on Sept 29, 2024 10:14:00 GMT
I do go to the Lyric when there's something I want to see but the location is a pain as the only other theatre remotely near is the Riverside Studios & there's no cinema in the area, either, so a trip doesn't easily combine with other activities - which it does in many other areas of London. Also, I wonder whether the rather worthy subject is deterring people? I did see the original RC production but even after all these years, have no desire to see the play again; instead, I would prefer to use my time and money seeing something new or more entertaining - or both. I'm at the Lyric next Saturday for the matinee, and then I'll get the tube back into central London for an evening show - I don't go there very often, but it's always easy to do a 2 show day. |
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Post by aspieandy on Sept 29, 2024 11:09:25 GMT
always matinees for me - Ikea and Primark 150m away and a Weatherspoons opposite: living the High St dream!!
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Post by Jan on Sept 29, 2024 11:27:08 GMT
I do go to the Lyric when there's something I want to see but the location is a pain as the only other theatre remotely near is the Riverside Studios & there's no cinema in the area, There is a cinema in the Riverside Studios which shows mainstream and arthouse stuff and NT Live type things (they have the Globe Othello soon). The Bush theatre is not far. |
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Post by showgirl on Sept 29, 2024 13:57:36 GMT
I do go to the Lyric when there's something I want to see but the location is a pain as the only other theatre remotely near is the Riverside Studios & there's no cinema in the area, There is a cinema in the Riverside Studios which shows mainstream and arthouse stuff and NT Live type things (they have the Globe Othello soon). The Bush theatre is not far. TY, Jan, but I have memberships for Curzon & PH so am unlikely to need to see a film other than at one of their sites & if ever I do, Vue is cheaper. And you can only see one matinee in a day so no doing a double with the Bush, alas. No art galleries in the immediate area, either. |
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