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Post by katurian on Jan 18, 2018 19:25:23 GMT
I saw the opening night performance and thought it was really fantastic.
I'd read the play already and I felt the production captured it perfectly. The performances, particularly of Kitty and Jenny, were perfect (although one thing I'd say is I think some of the actors need to speak up a bit, it gets very softly spoken at times and a struggle to hear). The set design is exactly as I'd pictured it, and the tone wonderfully captured.
I think her plays can be marmite, especially the long pauses and slow pace, and I could sense around me that some of the audience were perplexed and restless at times. There's a bit early on where the characters go upstairs and talk in an unseen bedroom, and we can't hear what they're saying. I've read the text and it says for this bit 'shouldn't' hear all of it', but actually we couldn't hear any of it, and the audience around me got very restless and confused and thought it was an error. However, just a small issue that can easily be rectified.
As a warning, there's a bit at the end of Act 2 where the lights go up for interval, but then a minute or two later a character comes out from behind the curtain and begins a monologue. I'd forgotten that this happened, so luckily I hadn't left my seat, but a chunk of the audience had already left and missed it, or only came wandering back in for the end. Maybe they need to tighten it up and have the character come out sooner, it left things a bit confused. I think that's just first night issues that can easily be addressed!
All in all, a few issues to be smoothed out, but this is a fascinating, beautiful play. It won't be to everyone's tastes, but I think it depicts a complex group of characters very astutely, it leaves a lot of room for thought, and it's also very funny.
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Post by andrew on Jan 18, 2018 22:23:57 GMT
Thank you Katurian for the warning, I would have spent that monologue in the bathroom.
As with The Flick, I was oddly captured throughout despite the slow pace and lack of action. I had a great time, but I’m not sure why. I’m not even really sure if I ‘got it’. But I liked it nonetheless.
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Post by barbra99 on Jan 18, 2018 22:31:02 GMT
Apologies but have to disagree with previous poster who loved this. We left at the second interval. I loved the Flick btw.
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Post by andrew on Jan 18, 2018 22:46:32 GMT
Apologies but have to disagree with previous poster who loved this. We left at the second interval. I loved the Flick btw. There’s no need to apologise for having a different opinion to me, we all make mistakes.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2018 23:35:00 GMT
This is a brilliant production of a wonderful play; rich, textured, meandering at times - pin-point in others. I fully expect it to be something of a curate's egg - it is very slow and specific and might not be for those with a more conventional taste in drama - but I adored it.
There is a sense of foreboding that hovers throughout; death, madness, ghosts, love, fidelity, childhood, music, the workings of the universe. I spent much of the play with my open heart in my mouth. I think Annie Baker is special - even though I struggled horribly with the production of "The Aliens" at the Bush a few years back.
Marylouise Burke (Mertis) gives a wonderful performance; she is effortless. I also thought Tom Mothersdale (Eli) brought exactly the right quality to the role - very even-paced, very subtle.
I think I also caught a glimpse of our very own Ryan (going by his avatar anyway), looking very dapper might I add.
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Post by callum on Jan 18, 2018 23:41:57 GMT
{Spoiler - click to view}
Any gunshots or loud noises?
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Post by andrew on Jan 19, 2018 0:14:30 GMT
{Spoiler - click to view}
There are two moments where there are people suddenly yelling/screaming which may come as a shock, but no bangs or other shocking moments. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2018 11:21:03 GMT
Well. I don't know if I'd like to be the person that has to run around the set with a feather duster night after night. They must be there for hours working through all those trinkets. I think I'm with andrew on this one. I liked it and the 6 hours did seem to fly by nicely but I'm not quite sure I got it, if indeed there was anything to "get". On the plus side though, the set is simply smashing and the cast were wonderful (although Jenny really annoyed me). Those with pediophobia may want to stay away though. And I loved the way Mertis pulled the curtains across at the beginning and end of each act. They should do that in all plays. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when David Lan tells Vanessa Redgrave that this is one of her duties in 'The Inheritance'. And I did like the look of those Vienna Fingers. Made me rather peckish. Oh and don't get up straight away at the end of Act 2. No matter how much you may need a wee. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2018 11:24:17 GMT
I think I also caught a glimpse of our very own Ryan (going by his avatar anyway), looking very dapper might I add. Oooh, I was there last night so it was probably me you saw! You should have said hello. Unless I was doing something untoward of course, in which case I'm grateful that you didn't draw attention to me. And thank you. I have to admit I thought I looked pretty smashing yesterday too so I'm pleased you saw me on a good day. I'm sure you looked swell as well. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2018 21:33:38 GMT
Just checked on a whim and there are still Friday Rush tickets (£20 for front row of the pit) available for most performances next week (other than the press night) including both on Saturday 27th. I guess the rush system is overloaded with people trying to get Network tickets so people gave up?
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Post by Ade on Jan 19, 2018 23:07:02 GMT
Saw this tonight. It was my first Annie Baker play and I have to say I was pretty captivated. Like others have said I’m not sure I understood everything but there was something quite beautiful about the silence and slowness of it.
Sight lines from Circle stage right are pretty shocking as a fair bit happens on that side of the stage that can’t be seen at all. I’m assuming the opposite side has the same problem too. That said, for this it didn’t bother me too much because it felt in keeping with the dialogue that was done out of sight in other scenes.
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Post by dave72 on Jan 20, 2018 0:17:55 GMT
Wonderful production, extraordinary play. Annie Baker is brilliant in her ability to conjure up mystery and depth out of what seem perfectly ordinary details: they add up in a way that is haunting and resonant. The cast is superb, and already by the third preview they were working like a well-oiled machine. Marylouise Burke is legendary in New York, but I'd never seen her before: she is very funny in her apparent distraction and then suddenly empathetic and wise--the part fits her like a glove. And the other actors are equally subtle and precise. This production is really very special, not to be missed--but you do have to be willing to be patient and not expect the details to add up quickly. I took a dozen of my university students tonight, and they were practically jumping up and down afterward.
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Post by drmaplewood on Jan 20, 2018 2:49:43 GMT
I was there tonight too, really loved it. Amazing how so something so relaxed in pace and relatively slow can still fly by compared to some 90 minute plays I’ve seen which have felt longer. Thought the acting and set were tremendous, did anyone catch the Annie Banker talk beforehand? Annoyingly didn’t know about it until I read the cast list.
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Post by gazzaw13 on Jan 20, 2018 11:39:07 GMT
I went to the Platform talk with Annie before and then saw John. Annie was very interesting but sadly the interviewer was more interested in showing off his knowledge of her work and theatre in general that he spoke for more than half the 45 minutes. Annie was very self deprecating and on several occasions said that the audience at the last 2 previews had 'hated' John.
Well, I loved it for the same reason that I loved The Flick and I can't explain why and I also understand why others walk out of her plays. Annie Baker is a great observer of people and this translates into her wonderful dialogue - just go with the flow. One of many fascinating aspects of this play is the idea of being observed. Mertis opens and closes the curtains as if welcoming us to her home; characters ask each other if they have ever felt watched; the doll Susannah watches us from the top of the staircase yet ironically the most insightful character is blind, yet still watches in the darkness. This helps create a feeling of trepidation and fear.
Definitely a 5 star evening.
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Post by jadnoop on Jan 20, 2018 11:59:01 GMT
I absolutely loved The Flick and have been so excited to see John since it was announced. I've been trying to keep my expectations in check, but the comments here so far are making it pretty difficult. Not long now. I can't wait.
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Post by n1david on Jan 21, 2018 12:39:36 GMT
I liked this but didn't love it as much as The Flick. I loved the relaxed pace and the confidence of the author and the actors to let the conversations breathe and let us ponder on the nature of the relationships.
Marylouise Burke as Kitty is the emotional heart of this play and gives a remarkably nuanced performance - in lesser hands this could be a comic character but in this production there are such depths of sadness and madness, of loyalty and love, that she was a joy to watch whenever she was onstage. The younger couple were believable and painful to watch, and the less I say about the fourth character probably the better to not spoil too much.
My issue was with some aspects of the plot which I felt didn't really hang with the rest - I didn't quite get the mix of plots and while I was happy for the play to wander off in different directions, I felt there was a striving for a resolution to the supernatural themes in the play which I couldn't quite grasp. I probably need to think a bit more about it but I'm not sure it adds up to something concrete.
Anyway, as others have said it definitely didn't feel like 3h20m in the theatre, I enjoyed spending time with these people and I thought it a treat. But I'd give anything to see The Flick again.
Practical stuff - curtain down at 10.22 last night, a handful of people not returning after intervals but a mostly full house at end with a handful of standers, and note that the second interval is a short one and the bar is not open for the second interval (if that sort of thing is important to you)...
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Post by jadnoop on Jan 21, 2018 13:15:42 GMT
I saw this yesterday and thought it was great, layered, and yet surprisingly light in parts. It's certainly not going to be for everyone and, for me, didn't quite match The Flick, but I think it's well worth a trip to the Southbank.
I'm not sure I took everything in, but the occasionally unnerving tone, alongside the themes of storytelling and seen & unseen information made it seem like a perfect pairing with Pinter's The Birthday Party. Even the setting seemed similar; a B&B the somehow feels both comforting and unsettling.
There's a wonderful exposed theatricality to the whole thing which fits nicely with the idea of 'watching' as well as a reading in the third act. To anyone going, I'd suggest getting fairly Central tickets if you can; i suspect that from the side, especially at higher levels you'll miss a fair bit. And make sure you stay in the auditorium for the start of the second interval.
The acting was uniformly excellent. I was disappointed that Georgia Engel mysteriously dropped out, since the play was written for her, but Marylouise Burke was so good, as anyone who's seen her brief appearance in Sideways will expect.
I can't wait for the next Annie Baker play to come to the uk.
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Post by foxa on Jan 24, 2018 19:06:22 GMT
I saw this last night and am still gathering my thoughts. I LOVED 'The Flick' - it was one of my top plays of last year so went with really high expectations of this. Parts of 'John' were terrific and others were...okay. For me, I suppose the difference between 'The Flick' and 'John' was that I felt such empathy/sympathy for the central trio in 'The Flick' - and ultimately found the play contained that almost impossible combination of realism and hope. I adored it.
I loved the setting of 'John' - just terrific - and the odd B&B owner played my Marylouise Burke was fascinating - she and it reminded me of a strange B&B we stayed in years ago in Salem, MA - eerie, fussy, otherworldly and yet ordinary. But the central pair didn't engage me - I didn't particularly care about their relationship. The sources of their disagreements were believable but mundane - a bit like a friend relating a bad relationship they have - 'Is she lying to me?' 'Am I annoying her?'
I'd give it 4* - though I think Annie Baker is a 5* writer - just not this time.
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Post by jgblunners on Jan 25, 2018 10:21:16 GMT
I found it very difficult to express my thoughts on this after seeing it last night - I found it odd to be so drawn in by a play in which nothing much really happens and couldn't explain why I found it so engaging. For me, it really emphasised the value of good writing. Despite the slow pace, there was not a second where I wasn't completely transfixed by what was happening on stage. I've been to plays that were 90 minutes straight through, full of action, which dragged and seemed to last much longer than this 3.5 hour slow burner. Annie Baker really is a brilliant playwright, and I now understand why people raved about The Flick (I never got the chance to see it). The cast are superb, particularly Marylouise Burke and June Watson who are absolute perfection in their respective roles.
5* from me for a touching, hilarious, slightly creepy, and remarkably thought-provoking play.
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Post by mallardo on Jan 26, 2018 7:48:59 GMT
Let me get the usual disclaimer out of the way - I loved The Flick. But this one? No.
A long three hours and twenty minutes of atmosphere produces loads of false narrative trails resulting in no pay off and only the tiniest of resolutions. I'm not arguing for traditional story telling, I don't require resolution - but I need something to take away from a play and I got nothing here.
Foxa is right in her comments above - the central pair of characters, Elias and Jenny, one a neurotic, the other a confused liar, are simply not engaging. No fault to the actors, Tom Mothersdale and Anneika Rose, who are excellent, but their situation, for all the window dressing with dolls and depression, is banal. Like foxa, I cared about the people of the Flick - but not these two.
Annie Baker is definitely on to something with her plays that travel at the speed of life, all the pauses and hesitations and small talk included. But it's a technique that doesn't lend itself to ideas or themes and it seems like with John she's trying to wrap her quotidian portraits in something larger which creates a density that muddles rather than enlightens. Whatever she's trying to say in this play, she never quite manages to say it.
Director James Macdonald does yeoman work to make the long slog entertaining which, moment by moment, it often is. The overall "spookiness" is down to him and to the cast's impeccably played crones, June Watson and, especially, Marylouise Burke. They all do so much with so little. But ultimately, for me at least, the play comes up empty.
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Post by lynette on Jan 26, 2018 12:26:00 GMT
This doesn’t sound like one I’ll enjoy. Be honest, do I return the tix and book something else or go with it?
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Post by zahidf on Jan 26, 2018 12:38:57 GMT
This doesn’t sound like one I’ll enjoy. Be honest, do I return the tix and book something else or go with it? Did you like the Flick? Same sort of thing really |
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Post by lynette on Jan 26, 2018 13:31:42 GMT
Didn’t see The Flick.
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Post by theatrelover123 on Jan 26, 2018 14:12:37 GMT
I would suggest giving or selling your ticket back. I loved The Flick. I did NOT love this pretentious, laboured play which went nowhere and said nothing for over 3 hours by some characters who couldn't care two hoots about. Great set and lead performance though. Plus I imagine sight lines on the sides are pretty bad in the main.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2018 17:18:20 GMT
Circle Mirror Transformation ? |
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