2,760 posts
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Post by n1david on Aug 17, 2016 18:15:42 GMT
Press night delayed to Aug 23 according to Shenton following the loss of two previews...
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208 posts
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Post by argon on Aug 18, 2016 9:39:20 GMT
First Act slightly ponderous in the beginning but builds up a head of stream by the close/interval so ends well. The second act felt flat and tiresome so probably needs strategic pruning. The light-hearted comedy provide by Richard Goulding improved things but the audible SMS text character didn't work for me. The night ended with more negatives than positives.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2016 16:49:36 GMT
Overall I would say it was fine but not really memorable...Highlight of my evening was seeing Robert Icke in the foyer, kinda fancied him :-D Really? Even with all his conspiracy theories and his love of a tracksuit? There's a foot for every shoe I suppose . . . . |
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5,056 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Aug 19, 2016 23:54:47 GMT
I really don't like long plays.
2hr is about fine.
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Post by Jan on Aug 20, 2016 8:04:06 GMT
Press night delayed to Aug 23 according to Shenton following the loss of two previews... How do they do that ? Do they tell a bunch of people who had booked for 23rd they have to give their seats up for Mikey Billington (or more likely poor old Lyn Gardner) ? |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2016 8:58:35 GMT
I prefer to believe the theory that the Almeida postponed its press night after Mark Shenton complained on behalf of the Critics' Circle that the original press night of They Drink It in the Congo clashed with the second of his three return visits to Scooby-Doo! Live Musical Mysteries at the London Palladium.
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3,575 posts
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Post by showgirl on Aug 25, 2016 3:23:43 GMT
All the reviews I've seen (professionals and well-known bloggers) seem to be giving this 4 stars, so I'm wondering if it has improved vastly during previews or whether their taste and that of posters here is very different? Or both!
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92 posts
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Post by chameleon on Aug 25, 2016 8:05:59 GMT
All the reviews I've seen (professionals and well-known bloggers) seem to be giving this 4 stars, so I'm wondering if it has improved vastly during previews or whether their taste and that of posters here is very different? Or both! It's a fact universally acknowledged that theatre reviewers have a much higher boredom threshold than the average punter. Otherwise they'd go insane in short order. |
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Aug 25, 2016 9:45:54 GMT
Quite often theatres have a "second press night" date pencilled in, with enough seats held off sale until they know they won't need it. Is this what becomes a Trade Night for people like me who can get free tickets for review but not actually important or sexy enough for press nights? |
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1,503 posts
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Post by foxa on Aug 25, 2016 18:09:59 GMT
Okay a bit brutal there, TM. ;-)
Going to see this on Wednesday. For any bargain hunters out there - the lovely Almeida restaurant (the posh one opposite the theatre) is doing a £15 two course with a glass of wine pre-theatre deal at the moment...
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Post by lolli on Aug 29, 2016 23:40:35 GMT
This is excellent. Thought provoking, ambitious new writing. Makes you check how privileged you are to be ignorant. Do go.
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1,503 posts
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Post by foxa on Sept 1, 2016 8:11:31 GMT
I was a little surprised by the 4* reviews for this. I booked because I rate the director and it sounded interesting. Although it spluttered into life from time to time and I agree with lollipop that it is ambitious and certainly about an important subject, I just didn't think it worked and, by the end, I was willing it to be over. Part of the problem, I suppose, was its ambition, it was trying to do so much. There was a slightly lame excuse for giving us the history of the Congo in one scene; there was a send up of a protest group (that bit reminded me a little of the film 'Four Lions'); there was a little bit of a love story; flashbacks to the Congo; a badly staged attack; some auditions (quite funny); some meetings (not so funny.) There was clever stuff in it - quite liked the symbolic man in the pink suit and Fiona Button was fine, but nothing that actually moved or surprised me (which makes me sound heartless, but there you go.) My SO was almost entirely silent on the tube ride home in that 'you've dragged me to something dire' sort of way. Some people left during the interval and there were a lot of empty seats. It has a huge cast and a band, they must be losing a lot of money on this one.
However the meal beforehand at the Almeida restaurant across the road was ace - the Evening Standard two course deal is a winner.
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1,061 posts
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Post by David J on Sept 3, 2016 14:47:17 GMT
First act didn't do a lot for me until the flashback. Nice scene change until it went on for ages
If the Almeida could afford a subtitles screen, why couldn't they get at least one computer that can turn on and show a video of a football match. Instead of a couple of screens that had pictures on them before the Internet cafe guys made the pretence of switching them on
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2016 12:39:52 GMT
Amused that in quick succession this afternoon I've been sent a survey by the RSC to find out why I didn't book for Making Mischief and a survey by the Almeida asking why I didn't book for They Drink it in the Congo
Theatres are just getting so clingy these days
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2016 13:54:41 GMT
I've just had one of those, despite the fact that I did both book and see it! I've every sympathy, though, our contacts management system is dire as well...
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752 posts
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Post by Latecomer on Sept 7, 2016 15:12:46 GMT
I got survey too but won't do on principle unless there is at least a prize draw for some tickets or goodies! My time is money.....
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2016 15:19:07 GMT
Apparently they left Richard III off on purpose, because so many people will have seen it that they wouldn't get much interesting information about booking patterns by leaving it on.
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3,575 posts
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Post by showgirl on Sept 8, 2016 3:49:51 GMT
I got survey too but won't do on principle unless there is at least a prize draw for some tickets or goodies! My time is money..... That's my usual view but I feel so strongly about the weird programming now at the Almeida that I did complete mine. However, as I haven't been for a couple of years (when I saw just about everything and disliked the lot), I can't remember which was the last production I saw - they could have provided dates. |
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Post by Jan on Sept 8, 2016 5:53:40 GMT
I got survey too but won't do on principle unless there is at least a prize draw for some tickets or goodies! My time is money..... I got one of those on-line survey things from a financial company (I knew it was a genuine email) and they said they'd pay me £25 if I filled it in, so I did and it was about 10 simple questions (much shorter than the NT one) and (a bit surprisingly) I got £25. So that's my price now. Sometimes I fill the RSC one in and add a massive amount of extra comments and complaints, just for fun as I know they couldn't care less what I think. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2016 7:41:37 GMT
This must be doing awful business - comp comperty comp comp
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2016 7:45:33 GMT
It has greater capacity than usual at the Almeida because there's additional onstage seating so that it's staged in the round.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2016 7:55:20 GMT
Aw cool
I'd go but I'm going to THORPE PARK baby!!!!!!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2016 7:57:49 GMT
I visited Lower Thorpe last year. I wanted to see it before three quarters of the buildings are demolished for HS2.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2016 8:28:07 GMT
I used to do the dirty with one of the main lobbyists for the HS2!
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Post by Jan on Sept 8, 2016 13:08:42 GMT
This must be doing awful business - comp comperty comp comp It's one of those things they stage to keep the Arts Council happy. I wrote that in the survey. |
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