Gloria(Hampstead Theatre)

There is danger and danger, one may say it's more perilous in the National's Olivier at the moment.

My "claim to fame" (he says with tongue firmly in cheek!) is that I was in a promo video with Colin Morgan for a graphic design agency which was made over a weekend about 15 years ago, long before Merlin. He was a very nice guy.

Very enjoyable with a dark twist. It's a great satire on the publishing industry that deepens and darkens. The six strong cast shows great versatility in playing multiple roles and there are no weak links. After Salome and Common seen, respectively, last week and the week before, I was beginning to wonder why I bother with this theatre malarkey but this has very much restored my faith.
Running time at today's matinee was only 2hrs 15mins.
Recommended.

Well. Gloria, Gloria. I think they've got your number. I think they've got the alias, that you've been living under.

Sadly that classic doesn't make an appearance but Colin Morgan certainly does. Merlin is all grown up and me likes him a (came)lot!

It's hard to talk about the play without giving away a HUGE spoiler so all I'll say is that, for me, the first act was stronger than the second although I did like what it said about the publishing industry and the media and how they see and treat events.

Great cast. Colin Morgan was terrific and I think was the character I liked most too. Some of the other characters were really quite horrid and I did like how the two actresses (Kae Alexander and Sian Clifford) playing them didn't try to go for sympathy and make them more likeable. I also found Bo Poraj strangely hot, even in a nasty pair of slacks.

Oh and the onstage photocopier really works so if you have anything you need printing, take it along. I'm sure Edward Hall wouldn't mind.

I am at matinee today too! Come and say hello (and we can talk about Angels, I promise, as saw 2 show day without any knowledge of play play!) I am wearing all black and have a small very bright red jumper....plus I have a lot of rather 80s style hair!   

Well this was fun and quite a good companion piece for The Treatment. Great doubling by the cast...my favourite Colin Morgan as IT guy! Met Emicardiff and she is lovely! ☺

Delightful to meet you! So nice to have a pre show and interval companion !

Really enjoyed this. Interesting script and brilliantly put together ...which is more eloquent than my interval tweet some of you saw that was just "f*** me" (in my defence I was very close to the stage)

Gah, with limited time and money, and lots of things already lined up, I'm trying to limit my theatre-going a little. I thought I was set on getting Hamlet tickets as a final splurge for the immediate future but this just seems so intriguing, especially after missing Octoroon.

Gloria? Hamlet? Gloria? Hamlet?

I'd say it depends on just how desperately you want to see Andrew Scott do Hamlet. There will always be another great Hamlet production along soon (and I say that as someone who ranks this top 3 Hamlets seen) but Gloria is great new writing with a great cast.

We did indeed (expletive filled haha)

I agree about the last scene- though I loved Lorin in that scene the rest of it felt a bit flat comparatively. A small niggle in the scheme of things I guess. 

But yes re: Hamlet vs this it depends if you want to feel like you saw an old classic done incredibly well, or if you want to see something new and a bit unexpected on it's first run. Both will be a great evening of theatre though. 

Honestly then I'd say go and see Hamlet- I think that production is a great first time one!

Xanderl, I was at Gloria last night and Committee last week. You've definitely made the right choice. I don't think Gloria is quite as smart as it thinks it is, but I was constantly intrigued and involved. Committee was an interesting idea which failed in its execution.