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Post by Tibidabo on Jun 22, 2017 9:27:23 GMT
I am probably one of the last board members to see Lettice and Lovage. Oh no you're not I also saw the wonderful Maggie Smith and will admit to buying tickets this time for Maureen Lipman close-up. Having had a recent rummage through my theatre programmes I noticed that I have seen many things with Felicity in them and have very little memory of any of them - which says a lot! (I think one reason may be that she was in shows we wanted to see when we did our theatre binges in the UK when I lived abroad.)
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Post by peggs on Jun 24, 2017 19:21:46 GMT
After much umming and ahhing bought a front row ticket yesterday for today's Love in Idleness and oh what a delight! I love Eve Best but I appeared to have forgotten just how brilliant she is, it says a lot for the remainder of the cast that I didn't just watch her the whole way through so a joy it was but really impressed by Anthony Head who I had some doubts about and Edward Bluemel seemed to have the self absorbed, moody teen down to a fine art. Didn't know the play at all and assumed it was going to be pretty light fun the whole way through so was pleased when it developed some more gloom and heart in the second half before making it's way to the ending we all wanted. And what a nice change to watch a play and feel quite assured that no one was going to commit a sudden act of violence and let some of the red stuff out, I have missed that in a play!
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Post by Tibidabo on Jul 7, 2017 8:24:30 GMT
Well, we finally saw Lettice and Lovage and it has to go top of my list of this year's crapness. I won't go on too much as it's, mercifully, finishing tomorrow; just maybe give a few thoughts and fun facts. Firstly I have to get the subject of Felicity out of the way. She was far worse than comments up thread had led me to believe. Seriously awful. What was she doing with her voice? Growling one minute, an octave up the next. Now I know this was written for Saint Maggie. But why would someone, 30 odd years later, deliver every line in the way Maggie would do so? You really didn't have to have seen the 1988 version to hear Maggie's intonation throughout. I mean, didn't Judi very simply say "a handbag" so as not to risk any comparison whatsoever to Dame Edith's "haannnndbaaaaaag?" Surely that's the way to go? Totally different. And to say she was overacting would be an insult to Christopher Biggins. Finally, Theatreboard rules denote that I cannot make personal comments about her. I wonder if that would run to her plastic surgeon?
The production itself was soulless. Disjointed. Everyone coming along, saying their bit with no cohesion. Miss Lipman was good - her timing and facial expressions fabulous. I would love to see her again in something else.
It's taken me all night to work this out, but the lovely lady next to me, who'd spent 3 hours on a coach to get there, thought she was going to see a stage version of Rosemary and Thyme. Bless.
We were in the front row. For those who don't know the Choco Factory that is about 2 feet from the action. Before the interval Maureen Lipman is sitting on a chair centre stage with a beige mac hung on the back. Slowly, oh so slowly, a massive spider appeared on one shoulder of the mac and began to saunter across to the other side. It disappeared out of view shortly after but we beat a very hasty retreat at the interval. We hope Miss Lipman didn't notice both of us jumping in unison, then casting a terrified glance between ourselves as the creature emerged - we were directly in front of her but there's no way she would have been able to see what had made us twitch so.
Finally, no one has been paying attention. I didn't know until last night that 'ache' is the medieval name for parsley. (It's actually ache de chien before anyone has a go, but that's just what was in the script.) Well, it made me chortle. Not much else did. Disappointing.
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Post by wickedgrin on Jul 7, 2017 8:35:41 GMT
I saw the first preview performance of this and was very disappointed too. I did think it might improve ( especially some familiarity with the lines would have been appreciated) but clearly it hasn't.
No West End transfer looking likely, although I am sure with the names involved they must have hoped for one?
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Post by Tibidabo on Jul 7, 2017 8:43:07 GMT
especially some familiarity with the lines Actually, that was fine. No prompts and not too much stuttering. It was just the way in which they were delivered that was annoying. On paper I was so excited about this too. Shame.
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1,936 posts
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Post by wickedgrin on Jul 7, 2017 12:10:59 GMT
I was on the second row sat behind the two prompters who were part of the tour group in the first scene. I could not help but notice the HUGE chunks of dialogue for Felicity Kendal highlighted in green! A huge role to learn. The prompters were riveted to the scripts on the first preview, a few prompts but more noticeably flicking through the pages in panic to find where Felicity had jumped to ( or made up) and if she could get it back on track. This was the most amusing part of the evening!
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Post by Tibidabo on Jul 7, 2017 12:48:06 GMT
a few prompts but more noticeably flicking through the pages in panic to find where Felicity had jumped to ( or made up) Brilliant! Now if she did that last night I have no idea! But it does remind me of a *cough* friend who jumped so far ahead in an amateur production of Brush With a Body (or something-or-other) that the murdered person was still on stage happily quaffing g&ts, listening to everyone else talking about them being dead.....
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 7, 2017 20:09:41 GMT
But it does remind me of a *cough* friend who jumped so far ahead in an amateur production of Brush With a Body (or something-or-other) that the murdered person was still on stage happily quaffing g&ts, listening to everyone else talking about them being dead..... That must have been hysterical! And I'm now wishing it could be incorporated into The Play That Goes Wrong.
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Post by Tibidabo on Jul 7, 2017 20:53:04 GMT
But it does remind me of a *cough* friend who jumped so far ahead in an amateur production of Brush With a Body (or something-or-other) that the murdered person was still on stage happily quaffing g&ts That must have been hysterical! Not so much for me my friend who was furiously trying to scrabble back 40 pages so she could actually commit the dirty deed on the gin-soaked heiress....
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Post by schuttep on Jul 10, 2017 14:30:31 GMT
Slowly, oh so slowly, a massive spider appeared on one shoulder of the mac and began to saunter across to the other side. I hope it took a bow at the end.
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