923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Aug 31, 2016 10:58:29 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2016 9:03:31 GMT
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Post by tlt on Sept 1, 2016 15:14:58 GMT
Yep I also wrote a review. My main feeling is that Branagh's interpretation will probably work better as a broadcast on screen than live on stage. For me, like you, Greta Scacchi was the stand out performance. bit.ly/2bBwFG0
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816 posts
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Post by stefy69 on Sept 2, 2016 4:49:26 GMT
Saw this yesterday and loved it very much a star vehicle for KB but certainly none the worse for that. Booked to see it again in a couple of weeks.
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Post by Honoured Guest on Sept 2, 2016 6:39:05 GMT
very much a star vehicle for KB but certainly none the worse for that But contrast it with No Man's Land where the two stars have drawn an eager mass audience and satisfied their star-seeking hopes but have also served up a proper production of an excellent play. Cardiff's New Theatre hasn't seen either a play like this or audiences like this for years and years. No Man's Land will show up the weaknesses of The Entertainer when it comes in just along the road.
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Sept 2, 2016 9:14:52 GMT
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Post by partytentdown on Sept 2, 2016 9:26:35 GMT
I'm afraid I'm in the 'left at interval' club. I found it interminably dull and poorly acted. Not for me.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2016 9:28:26 GMT
very much a star vehicle for KB but certainly none the worse for that But contrast it with No Man's Land where the two stars have drawn an eager mass audience and satisfied their star-seeking hopes but have also served up a proper production of an excellent play. Cardiff's New Theatre hasn't seen either a play like this or audiences like this for years and years. No Man's Land will show up the weaknesses of The Entertainer when it comes in just along the road. Having seen the two within a couple of days, I agree. I don't think The Entertainer or Ken B are bad by any stretch, both are solid production/performance. But No Man's Land is a really excellent production of a better piece of theatre, and with two leads who just take it to another level. And damn right the New hasn't seen the likes in years...I think those walls have forgotten what a proper play looks like!
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103 posts
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Post by sondheimhats on Sept 3, 2016 5:51:38 GMT
I saw this last night via the TodayTix lottery. I found the play itself to be a real miss. It seemed to be juggling several different themes and ideas without really committing enough to any one of them. As a result, it felt very jumbled and confused to me, and really didn't leave me with anything.
However, I have to admit, I was extremely impressed with KB. I've seen all of his Shakespeare performances that are preserved on film, as well as The Winter's Tale and a few of his other film roles, and I've always had very mixed feelings about him as an actor. I'm frequently bothered by his lack of subtlety, and I often get the sense that he is hardly acting, but rather saying his lines with a predetermined (often self-indulgent) "mood." However, I did not find that to be the case at all in The Entertainer. I think he brought levels of nuance, honesty and groundedness that I have never before seen him display. I truly thought it was an excellent performance. Also, I've almost always enjoyed Branagh's work as a director. Though I was unimpressed with this play, I think he and Ashford did as good a job as can be expected with the material. I found the other performances to be strong as well.
(in case anyone is wondering why this is my first post - I'm a student from the US, studying here in London for my 3rd year at Uni. The Entertainer is the first show I've seen since arriving, and thus, the first thing I've felt compelled to post about. I look forward to discussing more shows here in the coming year!)
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103 posts
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Post by sondheimhats on Sept 4, 2016 6:02:19 GMT
^Thanks!
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652 posts
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Post by theatremiss on Sept 5, 2016 13:46:29 GMT
very much a star vehicle for KB but certainly none the worse for that But contrast it with No Man's Land where the two stars have drawn an eager mass audience and satisfied their star-seeking hopes but have also served up a proper production of an excellent play. Cardiff's New Theatre hasn't seen either a play like this or audiences like this for years and years. No Man's Land will show up the weaknesses of The Entertainer when it comes in just along the road. I'm seeing both shows on the same day......the most 'Sirs' I'll ever see in one day?
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5,593 posts
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Post by lynette on Sept 5, 2016 19:51:50 GMT
What an interesting point about the way a comic works, TM. I didn't book for this because , hey, seen it a couple of times.. No actually I didn't book because I would have had to book so far in advance and then I forgot. But I wonder if the comic is meant to engage with the audience here like they do at the RSC which works sometimes and often not. V hard to do within the context of a 'serious' play. I have liked KB's work in the past. I love his movie of Much Ado where he does the comedy well ( his stuff, not Dogberry which is nigh impossible)
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1,119 posts
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Post by martin1965 on Sept 5, 2016 20:34:25 GMT
Am seeing this on saturday so will be interesting. Its the only play on the season i am going to, ive somehow not seen it before and i quite like KB. Finny enough monkey, i think he is a good comedy player, his benedict and touchstone all those years ago were imo very good. Oh well i will make io my mind sat.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2016 22:33:26 GMT
A stunningly decrepit set and a glimpse of Sir Ken's stunning, not-at-all-decrepit calf muscles sadly do not make up for an exceptionally boring play. Actually, the stuff with the shadow at the end was fab, too. But the rest of it...oh dear.
Why is this seen as the test of a great actor? Archie's on, he's off, he's on, he's off. You have to wait ages for him to actually engage with another character and then when he does, he's mostly drunk. I don't think there's a single sympathetic character on the stage (OK, maybe Frank, but it's like he's wandered in from another play). And unpleasant characters are fine - great, even - so long as they're interesting. This lot just weren't.
It picked up marginally when Branagh was reflecting on Archie performing for an audience as dead behind the eyes as he was. It made me wish there had been more moments allowing for that level of drama and (much as Archie denied it) feeling. But so much of the action and the lines felt pedestrian.
I stuck around after the interval but I noticed a few people around me didn't. What a shame to make this the play to end the season.
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1,103 posts
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Post by mallardo on Sept 6, 2016 11:17:24 GMT
Your point is well taken, TM. It's why I thought Robert Lindsay was so perfect in the role. He has that old time hammy vaudevillian thing in his bones and he was totally credible as a performer.
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Post by alexandra on Sept 6, 2016 11:44:43 GMT
By "gets it" I presume you mean "agrees with me".
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2016 12:05:21 GMT
I assume Theatremonkey means both Bowles and Lindsay were able to ham it up in the way he feels makes Archie work as a character - ie they both 'get' what makes Archie tick more than Branagh does, maybe.
And while those first two actors may well be lovely chaps in real life, I do tend to associate them with slightly smarmy roles, so I can see what Monkey is getting at.
The comedy didn't go down too badly last night - some lines were truly terrible and would never raise a laugh; I assume purposefully so. But even a few of the old jokes got a laugh from the audience last night - I wasn't sure if we were meant to, though, as Archie's follow-up lines often stressed the supposed failure of the joke!
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46 posts
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Post by mtchairs on Sept 6, 2016 14:53:15 GMT
Saw it Saturday afternoon (and have the KB Garrick Snowglobe to prove it - it made me giggle and wasn't badly priced IMHO. Anyway)... Hope you weren't joking about this, because I would really love to take home a KB Garrick Snowglobe as a souvenir when I see the play in November. Photo or more details please? :-)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2016 15:02:10 GMT
Is the misspelling of "Branagh" yours or the snowglobe's? In all seriousness, that sounds HILARIOUS! I sort of want one just to frighten people with!
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46 posts
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Post by mtchairs on Sept 6, 2016 15:09:46 GMT
^ No, not joking at all. £5 gets you a substantial 10cm high snowglobe containing a little plastic Garrick Theatre with "The Kenneth Branaugh Season" on the signboard, and a little plastic taxi and tree in front. On the back of the theatre is also the "Branaugh Season" printed again. It made me laugh a lot. Make sure you take a large bag, as the box it comes in is quite substantial and the globe is really well packed in moulded polystyrene. Thanks. Hope they still have some left in November and that I can fit it in my luggage! It will have to travel round the globe with me to the US and then home to Australia :-)
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209 posts
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Post by Flim Flam on Sept 6, 2016 18:11:13 GMT
Ooh, and forgot to mention, the "snow" is sparkly, too! Of course it is, that's real West End snow. Hate to admit it, but I really want one of these now...
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Post by alexandra on Sept 7, 2016 12:09:03 GMT
FFS. The EGO.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2016 12:30:15 GMT
Do you think it was cheaper to order the snowglobes than to get business cards with "KENNETH BRANAGH, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR" printed up? Or maybe they offered him a discount on the snowglobes when he ordered his business cards?
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Sept 7, 2016 12:39:36 GMT
(Can we get theatreboard snow globes, please?)
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748 posts
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Post by rumbledoll on Sept 7, 2016 14:53:17 GMT
^ No, not joking at all. £5 gets you a substantial 10cm high snowglobe containing a little plastic Garrick Theatre with "The Kenneth Branagh Season" on the signboard, and a little plastic taxi and tree in front. On the back of the theatre is also the "Branagh Season" printed again. It made me laugh a lot. Make sure you take a large bag, as the box it comes in is quite substantial and the globe is really well packed in moulded polystyrene. It was priced at £20 back in January if I remember it correctly.. But I though it was only The Winter's Tale "feature" gift
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299 posts
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Post by macksennett on Sept 8, 2016 21:20:05 GMT
I have two of the cheap £15 stalls tickets I can't use for this Saturday afternoon if anyone is interested - am in town Friday night for delivery. Msg me!
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1,119 posts
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Post by martin1965 on Sept 10, 2016 18:05:58 GMT
Saw this today, hmmm bit of a curiosity, to be honest although Branagh and an unrecognisable Scacchi acted their socks off, i think the play has dated. Yer woman from Downton was awful. Set and lighting were good i thought. Not full by any means and he got a lot of laughs but... I hope he comes back with another season, west end needs him😃
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2016 18:09:58 GMT
Saw this today, hmmm bit of a curiosity, to be honest although Branagh and an unrecognisable Scacchi acted their socks off, i think the play has dated. Yer woman from Downton was awful. Set and lighting were good i thought. Not full by any means and he got a lot of laughs but... I hope he comes back with another season, west end needs him😃 I have to admit that it took me ages to work out that it was Greta Scacchi. She was probably the best one in it. I think she'd watched 'Vera Drake' one too many times though but still....
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1,179 posts
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Post by joem on Sept 13, 2016 13:45:33 GMT
Not bad but not half as good as Robert Lindsay at the Old Vic. The part of Archie Rice doesn't come nturally to Branagh. In trying so hard to be the new Olivier he sometimes forgets that he isn't Olivier and that the times they have a-changed.
Agree with the positive comments on Greta Scacchi. And about how the play is dating.
I wonder what John Hurt would have made of the Billy Rice role. Probably would have made him more abrasive and confrontational.
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446 posts
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Post by theatreliker on Sept 14, 2016 12:08:06 GMT
I'd quite like a Mark Shenton snow globe. Like the My Theatre Mates mugs.
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