The lieutenant of Inishmore - Noel Coward Theatre

Enjoyed it for £10, but glad I didn't pay full price. It's the same couple of jokes on a loop.

Surprised people have said other productions had more dramatic merit, it was hard to imagine anything in the script or characterisations that could be played seriously. Just didn't feel believable or consequential.

I also enjoyed this production very much. I think that behind the satire on terrorism, there is something more universal and quite topical: the sinister problem of fanaticism, when someone’s mind is completely taken over and controlled by an unrelenting set of ideas or beliefs, and everything else - including common-sense and humaneness - gets thrown out of the window. If you look around, fanaticism is disturbingly all around us. The whole madness of the play rang quite true too me. The acting was great throughout, especially from the Inishmore characters (more especially Chris Walley and Denis Conway). I had no inkling Aidan Turner could do comedy so well.

Most people fainted at seeing Aidan Turner in a tight white vest. The blood is a minor issue in this case.

Just noticed the back row Royal Circle seats are now priced at £29 for August. Is this normal - do they raise prices as run progresses, like the Almeida? I saw it on Saturday and only paid £10 when I booked a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed it and Mr Turner seemed a lot livelier than he does on Poldark, where he strikes me as being bored (god, that series needs some of Taboo's vim!)

There are still some slips in the gods for£10 but the cheapest seats - and there are very few left - in the royal circle are now £29 and the row in front (G?) £69 to £74 depending on weekday. Premium seats go up to £150 in the circle later in the run.

Saw this yesterday and thought it was excellent, even better then when I saw it first many years ago at the Garrick. Never having watched Poldark I didn't know what to expect from Aiden Turner but he was first rate and lit up the stage whenever he was on.

An aside : I would say the audience was probably 90% female ! obviously drawn to a play about the INLA and terrorism by the quality of the writing !!!

Apologies if this has already been discussed, but what would either S4, S25 or T23 be like for this @theatremonkey ?
Appreciated as always.

Ta very much

Well, after some of the comments on this thread I was slightly worried that sitting at the front for this would have me coming home with burst eardrums, wearing a cat's-claw necklace. It wasn't to be. Though I would say that sitting in the low numbers (ie. stage left) at the front meant that most of the action happened an arm's length away from us. Wonderful!  

We absolutely loved this. I totally refute what has been suggested above, that the audience was knicker-throwing 'ladies of a certain age' and predominantly female, knowing nothing about the subject matter they were about to see. The only person we saw who looked out of place all night was an old, greasy looking bloke wearing a football strip and flip flops. There was a great mix of age and gender and nationality. There was the weeniest of frissons when Aidan Turner made his entrance, but only noticed because I was waiting for it. We went because Mini Tibs had performed in The Beauty Queen of Leenane while at school and we heard several people mention this play during the interval. Hardly silver-haired teeny boppers.

(I know what you're thinking. But my avatar is as much about the gorgeous Luke Norris as it is Monsieur Turner. Just saying.)

I had no idea this was going to be quite so funny. The audience was roaring through much of it and it wasn't the cringy 'should-we-really-be-laughing-at-this?' humour I was expecting. It was truly funny, until it became farcical and funny.

Everyone was stupendous. But I do wish they would tell us who is playing - there was a shuffle round as we discovered afterwards that Chris Walley was not on stage and Davey was played by Julian Moore-Cook so perfectly we never suspected a thing. He has a super expressive face. Apparently there was a notice on the auditorium door, hidden against the wall when it was open, so we didn't see it. This is really unfair to the actors. Anyway. Dennis Conway as Donny was outstanding. He was the cement between all the others and managed everything with perfect timing and unbelievable energy.

Aidan Turner was a revelation. I would imagine it could be easy to over-play Padraic and drift into pantomime. At no stage did he even come close to this, whilst somehow delivering his lines with perfect comic timing, pace and pathos. Last week I questioned why Orlando Bloom had chosen Killer Joe (which I hated) as his foray back into theatre. Today, however, I can fully understand why Aidan Turner agreed to do this piece. A perfect bit of casting.

A word for the stage crew and costume people. Wow! What a thing to have to turn around for a two-show day. It is a bit gory and for those who don't like that I wouldn't sit too near the front. Also a special mention for Brian Martin who does a long scene upside down and, well, he was right in front of us and all I can say is...respect man!

I have one complaint about the blocking. This is a massive, massive spoiler so DO NOT click if you haven't seen the show.

 

A great piece of writing, brilliantly cast and executed. Go and see it while you have the chance.

^Really? That's interesting. We were in 7, 8 and 9 and couldn't see. Still, it was worth it to be that close to the action. And, as I said, other people were actually standing up to try and see so it wasn't just us.