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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2016 16:33:44 GMT
Same as Peggs above for me - just the suggestion of nastiness/gore makes me queasy! Throw in an actor convincingly going "Arghhh" and I'm outta there. Titus Andronicus totally off limits, given that I even struggle with the eye gouging scene (and its aftermath) in Lear!
I'm genuinely interested to know what everybody gets out of Sarah Kane's stuff. Gore, violence, on-stage masturbation...it sounds like a teenager's idea of writing something cool and clever, but the thought of it makes me want to simultaneously yawn and vomit.
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Post by DebbieDoesDouglas(Hodge) on Feb 20, 2016 16:40:49 GMT
Don't forget sewing a penis onto a lady AND you get to see the willy!
I went to see it as Sarah Kane was a fitty!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2016 16:41:27 GMT
Sarah Kane engages with the real world more directly and honestly than most playwrights, and audiences are most grateful to her for her fearless bravery and boldness.
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Post by Snciole on Feb 20, 2016 16:44:09 GMT
Same as Peggs above for me - just the suggestion of nastiness/gore makes me queasy! Throw in an actor convincingly going "Arghhh" and I'm outta there. Titus Andronicus totally off limits, given that I even struggle with the eye gouging scene (and its aftermath) in Lear! I'm genuinely interested to know what everybody gets out of Sarah Kane's stuff. Gore, violence, on-stage masturbation...it sounds like a teenager's idea of writing something cool and clever, but the thought of it makes me want to simultaneously yawn and vomit. I always think "ooh, Jean Hunt would hate this" during gory theatre bits  I struggle more with suggestions of gore than the gore but it is odd, in theatre I can handle anything but in the cinema I get really jumpy! Sarah Kane was a curiosity for me but I am unsure I would see her work again-except Crave which is less grim apparently-but I am intrigued by controversial writers for the reasons you state. Why are those subjects taboo apart from making people feel a bit ill and what does a theatre get out of producing a play that makes people feel unwell! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2016 17:46:25 GMT
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Post by Ade on Feb 20, 2016 18:48:12 GMT
Here for this tonight. Hoping for two people feinting and 50 walking out.
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Post by foxa on Feb 20, 2016 18:55:36 GMT
I'm here too. My first Kane.
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Post by Ade on Feb 20, 2016 19:06:42 GMT
I'm here too. My first Kane. Mine too! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2016 19:15:55 GMT
Take detailed notes of any fainters or walkers, please!  |
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Post by peggs on Feb 20, 2016 19:39:43 GMT
Take detailed notes of any fainters or walkers, please! Yep i want to know if these fainters are real or not, face the colour of wax, look of confusion (for some reason despite before hand knowing the liklihood of fainting I am always completely surprised when I find myself on the floor and do look for someone to explain why) bit of a sweat on probably equals real, if they looked pained on getting back up probably not as I'd think mimicking the whole floppy, thing you get so you don't hurt yourself so much is probably hard to do. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2016 19:46:36 GMT
An interesting read, thanks HG. I'm all for 'cutting out the extraneous', so on that score it seems like Kane and I would agree. What I notice about that article is that everyone is heavily focusing on form and content. There's very little about character - which, for me, is the main joy of theatre and, indeed, writing. |
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Post by Ade on Feb 20, 2016 21:26:38 GMT
One person feinted tonight. Up in the gallery and also during the dance scene. He was also the last person to take his seat.....
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2016 21:31:37 GMT
This is well directed and performed
Kane is not easy to pull off
Much of her extremity just comes across as comical on stage and it would all work much better on film
Odd decisions such as people having sex in a chair but with toally ridiculous and unbelievable positioning
Others getting limbs severed but making little or no noise expressing pain
All these are staging limitations and are never going to work well in live theatre
Too often it might even look funny
I am sure Kane will get a much wider audience than ever before with this revival as the NT demographic will be tricked into seeing it due to the pure face it is programmed here
The fact remains having seen her plays multiple times she had actual little to say for herself and seemed rather limited in exploring more than one way to express her ideas
Interesting how the programme says "she died"
Had she remained alive I wonder what else she would have come up with
And if she would have liked Bend It Like Beckham
Not to speak ill of the dead but I think KM is a much better director many times over than Kane was a playwright and I fail to see why she would want to direct any work of hers. Particularly as her "NT comeback"
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Post by Boob on Feb 20, 2016 22:27:49 GMT
They should have got Russell Tovey (shirtless) in this too. Imagine how many more fainters there'd be.
I remember being in a Sarah Kane play once upon a time. I had to cook a penis on a barbecue.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2016 23:12:08 GMT
They should have got Russell Tovey (shirtless) in this too. Imagine how many more fainters there'd be. I remember being in a Sarah Kane play once upon a time. I had to cook a penis on a barbecue. Yes They did this at Barbican They chop it off and griddle it Phaedras Love It was a good production One of the Penry Jones And it's her "best play" Comparatively speaking |
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Post by theatremadness on Feb 20, 2016 23:14:08 GMT
Had to read Blasted at drama school. Couldn't get to Sheffield for the recent revival - I think subconsciously maybe I didn't want to! Plus the fact that my head could not get round the image of Richard Wilson directing it. Unsure whether to give Cleansed a go, but since I could go on the cheap with an Entry Pass maybe I should broaden my horizons!
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Post by foxa on Feb 20, 2016 23:53:05 GMT
I liked my seat very much - R31 in the gallery.
But I'll wait until tomorrow to post more....
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Post by Ade on Feb 20, 2016 23:55:26 GMT
I liked my seat very much - R31 in the gallery. But I'll wait until tomorrow to post more.... You weren't far from me at all. I was R43. Agree that the seat was great. No sound issues and perfect view. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Feb 20, 2016 23:59:09 GMT
I doubt She Would Have liked Bend it Like Beckham I'm intrigued by the reaction to this (I know nothing about this play) but it's making me a bit scared to go.. This is well directed and performed Kane is not easy to pull off Much of her extremity just comes across as comical on stage and it would all work much better on film Odd decisions such as people having sex in a chair but with toally ridiculous and unbelievable positioning Others getting limbs severed but making little or no noise expressing pain All these are staging limitations and are never going to work well in live theatre Too often it might even look funny I am sure Kane will get a much wider audience than ever before with this revival as the NT demographic will be tricked into seeing it due to the pure face it is programmed here The fact remains having seen her plays multiple times she had actual little to say for herself and seemed rather limited in exploring more than one way to express her ideas Interesting how the programme says "she died" Had she remained alive I wonder what else she would have come up with And if she would have liked Bend It Like Beckham Not to speak ill of the dead but I think KM is a much better director many times over than Kane was a playwright and I fail to see why she would want to direct any work of hers. Particularly as her "NT comeback" |
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 21, 2016 8:39:35 GMT
I liked my seat very much - R31 in the gallery. But I'll wait until tomorrow to post more.... You weren't far from me at all. I was R43. Agree that the seat was great. No sound issues and perfect view. You were at the beginning of the same row where I was probably: I was in R67 and I could hear and see well (I lost a bit of the left corner but I could see all the important details...). I did not realize that someone had fainted. It was my first Sarah Kane's play: bleak as expected but rather interesting. Michelle Terry is very brave in this: I had only seen her in very different roles. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2016 9:24:43 GMT
They should have got Russell Tovey (shirtless) in this too. Imagine how many more fainters there'd be. I remember being in a Sarah Kane play once upon a time. I had to cook a penis on a barbecue. Yes They did this at Barbican They chop it off and griddle it Phaedras Love It was a good production One of the Penry Jones And it's her "best play" Comparatively speaking I saw Phaedra's Love at the Barbican as well - the only Kane play I've seen so far and I thought it was a bit adolescent and shallow. There was no characterisation or development, it was just people running around, shouting at high volume and being stupendously violent, which fairly quickly lost its impact and became slightly ridiculous. Am I missing something/being too elderly? Would genuinely like some insight before I see Cleansed! |
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Post by Ade on Feb 21, 2016 9:27:00 GMT
You weren't far from me at all. I was R43. Agree that the seat was great. No sound issues and perfect view. You were at the beginning of the same row where I was probably: I was in R67 and I could hear and see well (I lost a bit of the left corner but I could see all the important details...). I did not realize that someone had fainted. It was my first Sarah Kane's play: bleak as expected but rather interesting. Michelle Terry is very brave in this: I had only seen her in very different roles. Plenty of us in last night then! After having the night to digest it, I've decided I'd really have enjoyed it if I'd understood it more. Definitely an interesting one! Have to say that the violence was far more tame than I was expecting. There was barely any blood and everything was quite hidden, so personally didn't find it all that shocking in that sense. Full thoughts on the blog if anyone is interested... thewestendwanderer.wordpress.com/2016/02/21/review-cleansed-national-theatre-london/ |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2016 10:31:31 GMT
Yes They did this at Barbican They chop it off and griddle it Phaedras Love It was a good production One of the Penry Jones And it's her "best play" Comparatively speaking I saw Phaedra's Love at the Barbican as well - the only Kane play I've seen so far and I thought it was a bit adolescent and shallow. There was no characterisation or development, it was just people running around, shouting at high volume and being stupendously violent, which fairly quickly lost its impact and became slightly ridiculous. Am I missing something/being too elderly? Would genuinely like some insight before I see Cleansed! No This is the general level and standard of her playwrighting Never any character or plot development Of course after she died this was seen as a radical new way of theatre The truth is that she is far from a good playwright but had some interesting ideas Unfortunately the shock value has declined with time |
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Post by DebbieDoesDouglas(Hodge) on Feb 21, 2016 10:55:16 GMT
I was in R40 when I saw it! Great mind think the same row!
I like SK's plays. If u read Cleasnsed u will see there is a bit of humour that this production really skims over, like the scene between the 2 male lovers- I shat myself laughing when I read it but they played it down
Definitely some of the interest in her must be in the way she died. It appeals to my darker side that she did these 5 plays (which get less violent as they go on) and then killed herself, it's almost (probably very misplaced on my part) romantic, the artist with limited work choosing to end her life
But I do like the plays. Had she had lived then I'd thought she would be a kind of C Churchill type person
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Post by foxa on Feb 21, 2016 11:59:03 GMT
Yes R31 was a pleasant surprise - on the end of the row so I could stick my coat and drink beside me rather than under my chair plus had a nice chat with the usher who was on a little fold up seat near me (I think he was worried I was going to be a fainter - he said he hadn't seen it yet but to prepare myself for anything.) View and sound were fine - a little distance might improve this experience. After the tongue scene I was aware of a kerfuffle in the SL side gallery, the nice usher rushed off and (I think) fetched a St. John's Ambulance person and a couple of people speedily left. There was also one other walk out about ten minutes later. However it was all done very quietly - if it is a plant it wouldn't seem worth it as I would imagine most of the audience wouldn't be aware of it. House lights didn't come up. Show Report: Running time: 1 hour 40 Nudity: Lots, varied. Violence: Lots. Some not for the squeamish, some almost comic book ridiculous. Ice Cream: No interval. Not really an ice cream sort of show. I braced myself with a white wine spritzer which set me back £7.75 Dogs: None - and this would have been enlivened by some canine presence. Set: Excellent - perhaps my favourite thing. I wonder if it was inspired by Dorothea Tanning? " uploads5.wikiart.org/images/dorothea-tanning/eine-kleine-nachtmusik-1943.jpg " Performances: Good, as mentioned above, incredibly committed. Michelle Terry, of course, excellent - raw, almost feral. Also special mention to Graham Butler - fantastic movement. If you want someone to walk backwards in slow motion down some stairs, he's the man for you. Takeaway message: Ah, here's the problem. Beyond 'Welcome to my nightmare' I'm not sure. Audience reaction: Mixed - the person next to me said 'That was horrendous, thank god I was drunk for it.' Someone in the foyer was jokingly asking if anyone fancied some chocolate. Applause was warm. I was glad to have seen it as I felt Kane was a gap in my theatre-going experience, but I didn't love it. Some of the music/movement was compelling. The parts I enjoyed most were more like watching an art installation/performance. At an hour forty it had somewhat outstayed its welcome with me. |
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I struggle more with suggestions of gore than the gore but it is odd, in theatre I can handle anything but in the cinema I get really jumpy! 
