19,788 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 11, 2019 19:03:18 GMT
I saw Cat On A Hot Tin Roof without incident in Manc. Angels in America was bug free. Virginia Woolf, all good. Actually I’ve not had a problem so far.
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19,788 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 11, 2019 19:25:22 GMT
Friends in Leigh have given up and gone to Dumbo instead.
What a terrible experience.
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131 posts
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Post by eliza on Apr 11, 2019 19:41:14 GMT
I think I've done 6 NTLive screenings now (not entirely sure all of them were live but the dates online match up with around the time I would have gone) and not had any issues! Obviously can't comment for the entire country.
I'm seeing this tomorrow in person so haven't gone to the screening. I'm Row B of the balcony and a little worried about seeing the screens. My parents are sat a few seats further down the row (we booked separately, I'm not just avoiding them!) and my mum loves the film so I'm worried mostly on her behalf too because I really want her to enjoy it. I think they'd have booked better seats if they weren't trying to sit near me.
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661 posts
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Post by Oleanna on Apr 11, 2019 19:53:24 GMT
Goodness, I just had to leave the NT Live screening, mainly because I was concerned that my falling asleep would distract fellow audience members.
What a phenomenal misfire.
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Post by BoOverall on Apr 11, 2019 20:59:48 GMT
Friends in Leigh have given up and gone to Dumbo instead. What a terrible experience. Oh that is what I also felt when I sat through Dumbo 😀 For once our cinema managed without hitch this evening, after a few previous broadcasts were riddled with glitches. Follies was almost inaudible: yes Tracie, dear, I can see you’re still here, but for all your emoting I can’t bloody hear ya! I enjoyed All About Eve, once it really got into its stride about an hour in.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2019 21:08:38 GMT
My cinema ended up refunding literally everyone who went to see Follies after the picture cut out during the last scene. But the NT believes that people really enjoy the live experience more than they enjoy actually watching the show they paid for, so they don't really care what complaints they get...
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1,107 posts
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Post by alicechallice on Apr 11, 2019 22:19:55 GMT
We just had about a second of distortion on about 8 occasions in Brighton tonight. Glad I didn't pay to go see it in the theatre, as it left me a bit cold, rather like Network did. Trying to get the screens included as well as the actors made for quite frustrating viewing.
I couldn't stop thinking about how much I'd rather be watching Gillian in a part that was written for theatre rather than this strange experiment. Like Shakespeare, Chekhov or something Greek. Her abilities felt a bit underused in this. Lily was ok but I don't think she was powerful enough to get the character across. Monica Dolan was good but how that can be pinned down as the best supporting female performance of the year by the Olivier's is a complete mystery.
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1,133 posts
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Post by Stephen on Apr 11, 2019 23:12:32 GMT
I was back in Scotland for the screening tonight and it all went ok in Glasgow besides the fact that I didn't realise it was a 7.15 start so missed the first few minutes. I enjoyed it overall but really didn't rate Lily James. I felt as though she was very unsure until the last twenty minutes. Gillian Anderson excellent. Some of the filming made sense and other parts felt unnecessary. Very ugly staging. Glad that I saw this but happy that I payed to see it on screen rather than in the theatre.
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Post by maggiem on Apr 12, 2019 7:57:28 GMT
Satellite problems delaying the start for my friends in Cineworld, Leigh (that’s in the north west for the uninitiated). Anyone else? Fully cancelled at Vue in Lancaster because they couldn’t get the stream to work (Also North West) I wondered if to go to the screening at Leigh last night, as I'm actually seeing it 2 weeks' time in London. So glad I went to see Missing Link instead!
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 12, 2019 8:12:04 GMT
I thought it was interesting and entertaining, but it didn't make me "feel" that much. Glad I didn't pay for a ticket to see it in London.
Not sure if Lily James is really good enough to truly lift that role off the page.
I liked the video footage at times, but that and the exposed wing-space became fussy to me after a while.
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2,022 posts
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 12, 2019 8:17:11 GMT
Always thought the film was a poor relation to Sunset Boulevard and undeserving of the Oscar in the same year although haven't seen it for years now. Thought the play exposed weaknesses in the story, it's pretty silly and inconsequential, and the tone is off, but maybe I'd think that if I rewatched the film. If Eve has such great star quality as we are told she doesn't need all the scheming beyond getting her foot in the door. As soon as she auditions and wins over New York's hottest playwright and leading critic to her talents, everything else is redundant. It's unclear if she is actually supposed to be obsessed with Margo or only pretends to be so to ingratiate herself. She's portrayed as Machiavellian but badmouthing Margo in the press is actually extremely stupid, as was telling Addison she is going to marry Lloyd before her opening night just when she wants him to write her a rave. For the story to work, I feel like it needs Eve to truly ruin Margo's life. Whereas Margo having to step away from young leading lady parts is inevitable with or without Eve. And Eve fails to seduce Bill which would have added some much needed dramatic punch. Or alternatively, if it's really a story about the brutality of aging for women, it would be better if Eve didn't scheme at all, she really was guileless, and Margo was obsessed with staying at the top but nothing she can do matters because she simply can't compete with a beautiful youth. Ironically given the title, I'm not sure we actually get to really know Eve and what makes her tick, we know what she wants but her underlying motivations are pretty opaque. Thought the decision to have a pivotal scene between Eve and Karen filmed off-stage was totally bizarre. That was balanced out with the camera in the mirror stuff which was very effectively done, probably the highlight. Hate the jarring men's costumes, I don't know why van Hove thinks it's clever to have one anachronistic element, it just takes me out of the play, did the same thing with the coffee in The Crucible on Broadway. Within the story there's some total nonsense like high schools across America having fan clubs for a stage actress in the movie era. Monica Dolan and Rhashan Stone did not make a believable couple, the acting in general was fine but little more. Would have been more interesting to see Cate Blanchett in the part, not necessarily better but to see how her more ethereal presence would have fitted in. Did think mentioning Sunset Boulevard that Gillian Anderson would be a better fit as Norma Desmond. Mind-boggling to think people will be paying £175 a ticket for such mediocre fare.
Agree 100% with this!!!!!! We thought the fan club thing was unrealistic. Dolan and the actor playing her hubby made an unconvincing couple, and the "no fixed time period" setting was frustrating.
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Post by AddisonMizner on Apr 12, 2019 9:46:46 GMT
I too saw the NT Live of this last night. Despite all the negative reviews for the show on here, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The time went by quickly and I was never bored.
The script is excellent. I love the film, and this follows that extremely faithfully. I can see some people’s issues with it - it is true that we don’t really get to know Eve, and it would have been nice to see what made her tick, maybe in a speech towards the end of the play when she is talking to Anton Du Wit about what truly drives her? I suppose this does make her more enigmatic though, as we view most celebrities nowadays. The fan club thing I don’t really have an issue with - the point of this is that this girl that has made her way into Eve’s room, and basically is trying to do exactly the same to Eve, as Eve did to Margo, so quite simply this whole thing could be a lie, and Eve is just going along with it, as she recognises what is happening.
I do believe the play goes deeper in some ways than the film did, and that is through the direction. I have seen nothing of Ivo Von Hove’s previous work, except the touring production of his HEDDA GABLER from the National Theatre at the beginning of last year. That was alright, but for me, this was better. He seemed to bring the themes of the piece to the fore, making it extremely relevant to today’s society - how society views women, in regards to ageing, celebrity culture and the pursuit of, and obsession with fame. The use of projection, particularly in the mirror close-ups was an ingenious touch, and highlighted Margo’s obsession with her age even more, particularly in that excellent sequence where the audience see how Margo truly views herself. Gillian Anderson’s performance also helped in this regard. It altogether seemed a more contemplative and softer performance than Bette Davis in the film. This is a woman who is crippled with anxiety, not only that she is getting older, but also with a feeling that Bill would leave her for someone younger and prettier. The scene with Bill after the audition was excellently done. The dialogue throughout the play was delivered at such a fast pace, which I liked as it kept the energy up never allowing the drama to sag. At this point in the story however, Von Hove slowed everything down, and allowed silence to speak instead, highlighting the sadness of this impactful moment. With all that being said, Anderson still made sure that Margo still had that dry wit and fire that the role is known for though. I also enjoyed the use of the wing space, and didn’t find the use of this at all distracting. It was at times nice to see what the characters truly felt about a situation when they were “off stage”.
I am still unsure about Lily James. I found her Eve very one-note, except near the end, from the bathroom scene onwards when she finally showed us the schemer that Eve really was. I do think that she could have made more with the role. Was Eve really just a schemer, or did the whole thing come out of a true devotion for Margo? Again, I believe this was shown in the direction in a mirror sequence, where Eve morphs into Margo, showing that Eve thinks she has reached her peak by becoming her idol. Also, like others have said, the playwright and his wife were a very unbelievable couple.
So, flawed, but still very much a worthy evening out.
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Post by westendgurl on Apr 12, 2019 11:18:12 GMT
I think I've done 6 NTLive screenings now (not entirely sure all of them were live but the dates online match up with around the time I would have gone) and not had any issues! Obviously can't comment for the entire country. I'm seeing this tomorrow in person so haven't gone to the screening. I'm Row B of the balcony and a little worried about seeing the screens. My parents are sat a few seats further down the row (we booked separately, I'm not just avoiding them!) and my mum loves the film so I'm worried mostly on her behalf too because I really want her to enjoy it. I think they'd have booked better seats if they weren't trying to sit near me. In the balcony you can't really see the main screen, but there are a couple of small TV screens which show what's going on, so you should still be able to see everything, just in miniature!
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131 posts
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Post by eliza on Apr 12, 2019 13:41:17 GMT
I think I've done 6 NTLive screenings now (not entirely sure all of them were live but the dates online match up with around the time I would have gone) and not had any issues! Obviously can't comment for the entire country. I'm seeing this tomorrow in person so haven't gone to the screening. I'm Row B of the balcony and a little worried about seeing the screens. My parents are sat a few seats further down the row (we booked separately, I'm not just avoiding them!) and my mum loves the film so I'm worried mostly on her behalf too because I really want her to enjoy it. I think they'd have booked better seats if they weren't trying to sit near me. In the balcony you can't really see the main screen, but there are a couple of small TV screens which show what's going on, so you should still be able to see everything, just in miniature! Thank you! At least we won't miss it completely
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Post by westendgurl on Apr 12, 2019 14:35:56 GMT
In the balcony you can't really see the main screen, but there are a couple of small TV screens which show what's going on, so you should still be able to see everything, just in miniature! Thank you! At least we won't miss it completely If you're row B of the balcony you might have to politely ask anyone who's hanging over the rail in front of you to sit back, but otherwise when I was there I could see pretty much everything. Enjoy
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Post by craig on Apr 14, 2019 23:37:05 GMT
I thought this was both throughly enjoyable and quite problematic. I'm only going on the NT Live screening.
I loved Ivo Han Hove's direction of A View From The Bridge a few years ago but I thought this was ill conceived on many levels with regards to the staging. The use of the wing space was interesting but the whole thing was just ugly and busy and the stuff on the cameras was just unforgivably bad. The stage was so dark and the screens seemed too low res. The whole concept had the whiff of art student production in its execution and it just didn't cut the mustard.
Gillian and Monica chewed the scenery beautifully. I really thought Gillian did a wonderful job and was such a different Margo to Bette Davis. It must be hard to take on such an iconic role and build the character from the ground up again to bring a different perspective. Lily James, likeable as she is, wasn't up to the job here, sadly. There were some flashes of excellence, such as in the bathroom scene it was virtually impossible to see, but she just didn't have the range (darling). Monica as Karen was just brilliant. You cut the tension in the air with a knife when she snapped at Margo during the party scene. Julian Ovenden was lovely, as always.
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Post by eliza on Apr 17, 2019 18:48:32 GMT
Oh dear. I thought Gillian Anderson eas good but the rest was a bit meh. I'm sure the camera work was nicer if you could see the main screen but I always felt I was missing something having to flit between the little TVs and the stage.
The audience around me wasn't bad enough to justify being in the bad behaviour thread but a lot of people turning up late and being let in all at once which was distracting, a guy behind me was rustling NON STOP for like the first half an hour and the entire auditorium seemed to have really bad coughs. It's April!
There were a lot of people who seemed just to be there for Gillian Anderson and were laughing reaaaaaally loudly at every single thing she said. The script is all so close to the film that I guess I didn't find it all that funny!
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Post by NeilVHughes on Apr 20, 2019 8:54:10 GMT
Late to the party on this one, at least I behaved myself.
A lot to like especially the performances, fortunate to watch it from row C in the stalls so could focus on the acting rather than the filmic episodes, maybe Van Hove needs to move on from his incorporation of film and focus on the stage as in this production I found it rather distracting rather than enhancing and could be why it left me cold.
Only one lady bossed the red dress and it was not the younger, found Eve/Lily to be two dimensional, one face for scheming and one for charm whilst Margo/Gillian was a complete character as she came to terms with entropy is the most powerful force to which we all succumb.
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Post by vdcni on Apr 25, 2019 8:10:09 GMT
I mean personally I don't mind to the point of not going but the average cinema is just a hell of a lot more comfortable than the theatre so the have you never seen a film point only goes so far. Bigger, wider seats, better cushioned, more legroom, easier to pop out if you need to. I can easily sit in a cinema for 2 and half hours but I know now this is going to mean I'm going to start hurting at some point. There's a reason I always try and book aisles in the theatre and am happy to sit in the centre in the cinema. And when I finally went to All About Eve the seats were painfully uncomfortable and I could have done with an interval. I don't actually see why there wasn't an interval, it wouldn't have interrupted the dramatic flow as there wasn't any really. It's an odd listless play which particularly in the first hour just kind of happens and I might easily have left. After that it picks up the pace with the confrontation after the audition, the scene between the two friends when Margo can't make the performance and the restaurant scene all sparking a greater level of interest. The ending though goes on forever and despite the title when Margo isn't on stage the whole thing falters. Other than that I generally agree with previous comments, the video adds nothing but performance wise Anderson & Ovenden strong, James less so but comes to life in the restaurant scene, Dolan was excellent but she and Stone have no chemistry to the point where it's hard to care about their marriage falling apart. Sheila Reid was off but Phillipa Peak filled in well, if a little too young while Stanley Townsend seemed to be performing in a different play with a performance you could see from orbit.
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Post by craig on Apr 25, 2019 8:52:04 GMT
Lucky you! I thought she was pretty dreadful.
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 25, 2019 9:15:47 GMT
I mean personally I don't mind to the point of not going but the average cinema is just a hell of a lot more comfortable than the theatre so the have you never seen a film point only goes so far. Bigger, wider seats, better cushioned, more legroom, easier to pop out if you need to. I can easily sit in a cinema for 2 and half hours but I know now this is going to mean I'm going to start hurting at some point. There's a reason I always try and book aisles in the theatre and am happy to sit in the centre in the cinema. And when I finally went to All About Eve the seats were painfully uncomfortable and I could have done with an interval. I don't actually see why there wasn't an interval, it wouldn't have interrupted the dramatic flow as there wasn't any really. It's an odd listless play which particularly in the first hour just kind of happens and I might easily have left. After that it picks up the pace with the confrontation after the audition, the scene between the two friends when Margo can't make the performance and the restaurant scene all sparking a greater level of interest. The ending though goes on forever and despite the title when Margo isn't on stage the whole thing falters. Other than that I generally agree with previous comments, the video adds nothing but performance wise Anderson & Ovenden strong, James less so but comes to life in the restaurant scene, Dolan was excellent but she and Stone have no chemistry to the point where it's hard to care about their marriage falling apart. Sheila Reid was off but Phillipa Peak filled in well, if a little too young while Stanley Townsend seemed to be performing in a different play with a performance you could see from orbit.
Summed up better than I could have!
It makes you wonder with such talent around, they can still come up with something so mediocre, yet so high profile.
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Post by sfsusan on Apr 25, 2019 21:31:03 GMT
I liked the video footage at times, but that and the exposed wing-space became fussy to me after a while. The two gentlemen next to me tonight repeated the word "overused" several times after the lights went up, and whether or not they were talking about the video, I think it applied. It wasn't as distracting as I'd feared from reviews/comments, and a couple of times it was jaw-dropping brilliant and completely added a different dimension to the scene. But a lot of the party shots were superfluous, especially when the camera held on the kitchen counter or the phone in order to not distract from the scene on the actual stage. Why leave the camera on, at that point? And once it was decided to do the play without an interval, they should have cut 20 minutes. and the entire auditorium seemed to have really bad coughs. It's April! Those same folks must have been at "A German Life" last night... I thought one gentleman was going to hack up a hairball.
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Post by kathryn on Apr 27, 2019 12:46:08 GMT
I definitely felt like the video was overused! For everything but the real close-up mirror work/ special FX you could have created the same effect using basic staging/lighting/set changing techniques and kept the immediacy of a theatrical presentation. It’s a play about theatre people, using so much video just felt wrong for the piece.
I think I’ve finally worked out that I really like Van Hove when he is directing theatre as theatre, and am not so keen on his mixed-media stuff. If he finds close-up, special FX and film work so fascinating he should just go direct a film already!
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Post by floorshow on May 2, 2019 16:57:43 GMT
Finally got to see this, very mixed bag - expected it to be be a bit fresher I s'pose.. The party scene was awful but it got a lot better after that. Think Van Hove got more wrong than right and I usually like him. Use of space was poor and more often distracting than dramatic. Performances were lost and the majority of camera stuff was just poor staging. I thought big Stanley was one of the best things about it Gillian was a bit wasted (ha ha etc.) but Lily got better as it went on, she carried the last act.
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Post by Backdrifter on May 2, 2019 21:51:57 GMT
On balance I enjoyed it but glad I paid the dayseat price.
It's too long, it felt like a lot of time to not say very much. I thought it could have lost 20mins and not suffered.
It looked nice, I quite enjoyed the staging and the use of video which is often something that can irritate me but I felt it worked pretty well here. I liked all the performances.
My first time seeing Lily James on stage, she is beautiful with a luminous sort of Ruth Wilsonesque quality.
At curtain call at today's matinee, everyone around me stood in one of the most glaring displays of devaluing the ovation I've ever seen.
BO staff very good and clear explaining to the queue about waiting til 10.30 for dayseat sales.
It looked like someone arrived quite late joining their much earlier arrived friend but hopefully just to accompany and not buy as well.
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