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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2019 10:31:57 GMT
Casting! And it's only Prince flippin' Philip himself innit! Tobias Menzies joins Michele Austin, Danny Kirrane and Howard Ward in the stage adaptation of the Danish film 'Jagten' (Hunt). Tobias or Not Tobias, That is the Question . .
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Mar 21, 2019 11:01:19 GMT
Bit of a queue but painless public booking this morning - got my favourite £20 pillar seat
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Post by Baemax on Mar 21, 2019 11:03:51 GMT
And I got my favourite £10 pillar seat completely painlessly. It's SO much nicer only having to book one or two shows at a time than an entire season in one go!
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Post by Lopsided on Mar 21, 2019 13:05:24 GMT
Same here Baemax...I might even be sat next to you in the pillar seats again (it was me at Shipwreck last Saturday - nice to briefly chat with you).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2019 18:19:37 GMT
L11 for me as always at The Almedia and a rather painless experience with a 3 minute queue.
Am a big fan of Scandi dramas so am looking forward to this.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2019 19:16:32 GMT
Welcome to the board @rossi. Thank you, can't guarantee that I will prove to be a great addition but am looking forward to playing a more active role!
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Post by partytentdown on Jun 18, 2019 9:16:08 GMT
Did anyone see the first preview?
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Post by Rory on Jun 20, 2019 21:48:34 GMT
Saw it tonight. It's incredibly good. Grips like a vice and doesn't let go; I was spellbound throughout. You know when Es Devlin is the designer that it will be visually stunning. Great lighting, soundscape. Some people may take issue with some of the symbolism. Tobias Menzies was excellent, and the child actors were outstanding. I could definitely imagine Sonia Friedman taking this to a larger audience.
Only note of caution to those in the gallery stage left - some of the action occurs beneath there but nothing major.
Act 1 is around 50 minutes, the interval is 15, and the second act is an hour so out by around 9.40pm.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jun 20, 2019 22:20:37 GMT
{Spoiler - click to view}DOGGY!!!
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Post by andrew on Jun 20, 2019 22:23:32 GMT
Oh Rory I was also there. I feel very similarly, I was very engaged throughout and there were some fantastic moments of theatre in this. The visual design is striking, centring around a house in the centre of a raised stage kitted out with electrochromic glass, which is used by Goold very well. It's a very loud production, and because I know people feel strongly about these, I might as well point out that there are sudden loud noises which occur without warning. The moments with the most tension though are left completely unadorned, just actors on a stage, and there was one scene in particular which had me really squirming in discomfort, which I take to mean that the show was working very well. Tobias Menzies gives a very understated but effective performance in the lead role, he's onstage essentially for the whole show. The kids were terrific as well, particularly the young boy who was absolutely hilarious and has more confidence than I will ever hope to have. The true star of the show however was the character Max, whom I also saw walking around during the interval outside having a great time. There should be more Max's out there. I don't think this is a play about child sexual abuse particularly, it's more about the fear and hysteria that understandably erupt from such accusations. Parts of it are uncomfortable, but I thought sensitively handled by the writer. Completely by mistake, I brought my primary-school-teacher friend with me, who brought a lot of baggage to this tale I did not necessarily have, although we both agreed about a scene with a rather unrealistic portrayal of how this situation might be handled in the real world. She felt that ruined the show for her, it definitely did not for me. My only complaint was around the denouement, which I thought was the teeniest tiniest bit unsatisfactory, but I'll say no more than that. Another great play at the Almeida, roll on the next.
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Post by Rory on Jun 20, 2019 22:29:10 GMT
Ah sorry I didn't get to meet you andrew. Great review, you've captured it all. Tend to agree with you about the final scene. I was walking to Angel tube afterwards and saw the little girl from the show walking home with her parents. I told her she was brilliant (she sure was!) and she was delighted!
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Post by david on Jun 21, 2019 22:38:34 GMT
{Spoiler - click to view} If the kids performance wasn’t great enough, the appearance of the dog was an added bonus. It’s just shame he wasn’t brought out at the end to receive a well earned applause from the audience. How cute was he? His behaviour was impeccable. Saw tonight’s performance. I’m in total agreement with both Rory and andrew with their thoughts about this production. It’s an excellent production in terms of its plot and it’s handling of a very emotive subject as well as how it’s staged. Yes at times it was an uncomfortable watch as an audience member, but I thought the way the subject of perceived child abuse and it’s impact on individuals was well handled. Thankfully, alongside the darker plot points, there was some light relief from the Hunting Lodge crew, particularly in Act 1. Acting wise, I thought Tobias Menzies’s performance as Lucas really was superb. Yes it was a understated performance which I thought worked really well, contrasting well against the more angst ridden hunting lodge and Lucas’s friends. While the adult cast were all great, a big shout out to the 2 kids tonight. George Nearn Stuart and I think it was Taya Tower. For 2 young kids, their performance over the 2 hours really should be commended. Both oozed a level of confidence and an acting ability that defies their age and I was just stunned at how good both were. A great set design combined with an effective lighting and sound design really helped drive the plot forward and provide the necessary tension when required. This is definitely worth a watch and having got a £20 side stalls ticket, I felt it was money well spent and was definitely worth watching. Another great Almeida production.
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Post by dave72 on Jun 21, 2019 22:46:50 GMT
I was there tonight too and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very strongly cast, and Menzies is superbly controlled and moving in the lead. I don't think the ending works yet, though--I and the people I was with were quite confused about what actually happens in the final scene, and I'm not sure the ambiguity is intentional. Hope they experiment in the remaining previews to clarify it. But overall I thought this was a terrific production, up there with Goold's best.
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Post by david on Jun 21, 2019 22:52:56 GMT
I was there tonight too and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very strongly cast, and Menzies is superbly controlled and moving in the lead. I don't think the ending works yet, though--I and the people I was with were quite confused about what actually happens in the final scene, and I'm not sure the ambiguity is intentional. Hope they experiment in the remaining previews to clarify it. But overall I thought this was a terrific production, up there with Goold's best. Definitely agree with you about the ending. It didn’t appear to be very clear how the whole thing was wrapped up or what it signified. As you say, hopefully it’s something to work on in upcoming days.
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Post by andrew on Jun 22, 2019 11:13:45 GMT
I was there tonight too and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very strongly cast, and Menzies is superbly controlled and moving in the lead. I don't think the ending works yet, though--I and the people I was with were quite confused about what actually happens in the final scene, and I'm not sure the ambiguity is intentional. Hope they experiment in the remaining previews to clarify it. But overall I thought this was a terrific production, up there with Goold's best. Definitely agree with you about the ending. It didn’t appear to be very clear how the whole thing was wrapped up or what it signified. As you say, hopefully it’s something to work on in upcoming days. I had a quick look at the film synopsis on my way home, and it was interesting to see (at least in the source material) what the ending was supposed to be.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jun 23, 2019 14:33:59 GMT
Anyone know the running time?
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Post by n1david on Jun 23, 2019 15:28:12 GMT
Anyone know the running time? Act 1 is around 50 minutes, the interval is 15, and the second act is an hour so out by around 9.40pm.
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Post by a12la on Jun 24, 2019 21:03:42 GMT
Definitely agree with you about the ending. It didn’t appear to be very clear how the whole thing was wrapped up or what it signified. As you say, hopefully it’s something to work on in upcoming days. I had a quick look at the film synopsis on my way home, and it was interesting to see (at least in the source material) what the ending was supposed to be. It was just as ambiguous as it was in the film. I'm not sure how to do a spoiler tag on here so I won't elaborate, but I think it was just as clear as they ended it to be. Also the fact that Max didn't come out at the curtain call absolutely ruined the whole experience (I kid but I did miss him).
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Post by Stephen on Jun 25, 2019 17:21:22 GMT
Warning of sudden loud noises. I’ll wait for someone here to report on that before I book!
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Post by Rory on Jun 25, 2019 18:03:26 GMT
I don't remember anything being particularly loud, do you andrew?
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Post by a12la on Jun 26, 2019 13:11:55 GMT
I don't remember anything being particularly loud, do you andrew? The ending?
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Post by Rory on Jun 26, 2019 14:32:48 GMT
Yes, a bit I suppose.
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Post by andrew on Jun 27, 2019 0:00:14 GMT
Re: the noise
{Spoiler - click to view} The ending fits into the "jump scare" type of bang in my view. And in general, it is just quite a loud production, there's a lot of apocalyptic music and banging beats, at least from my perspective in the circle.
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Post by sfsusan on Jun 28, 2019 21:57:40 GMT
I have a feeling I'll remember this for a long time. It's the kind of play you want to go somewhere and talk about afterward. Lots of plays have 'dramatic tension'... this just had tension. Pulse-racing, breath-holding tension. Even when a couple of developments were well-telegraphed, knowing what was going to happen didn't lessen the dread or the impact. A note on the loud noises and the end: {Spoiler - click to view} Some of it is loud, rhythmic stomping (like amplified Maori haka). There are some amplified door-slamming effects, but they're not scary or super-loud, just sudden.
And there's a single, loud noise at the end (but you can tell it's coming and stick your fingers in your ears).
As far as the end, I don't know if they've changed it, but I thought it was clear 'what' happened, just not 'who'.
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Post by juicy_but_terribly_drab on Jul 2, 2019 21:28:25 GMT
Saw this yesterday for £5 with a few friends and we all thought it was really good. Fantastic acting all round and special praise must be given to the child actors who were extremely impressive (and the dog!!). It was very intense but I thought the ending was a little anti-climactic. {Spoiler - click to view} I interpreted the ending as simply representing his paranoia after the whole affair showing that this hunt would have a lasting effect on him, similar to how it would have a lasting effect on people's perception of him as seen by the mother watching him with suspicion despite having had his name cleared. I also was a little disappointed with how the climax was concluded as it was all a little too conveniently timed but that was only a minor complaint and definitely did not hinder the overall experience in any way.
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Post by jgblunners on Jul 7, 2019 10:54:31 GMT
Saw this on Tuesday and was very impressed - the Almeida does atmospheric theatre very well. Menzies and the children were all brilliant. Act Two gets very tense and I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of it. I agree with juicy_but_terribly_drab on the interpretation of the final moments - having never seen the film I didn't know what was going to happen but that final scene was very thought-provoking.
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Post by dlevi on Jul 15, 2019 7:38:11 GMT
I wish I agreed with all of you. While the production itself was of a high standard I rather hated the play and the evening. My major problem with it was that its one of those plays where all that needs to happen is for the characters to allow "the accused" of finishing a sentence. Because no one in the play actually listens to anyone else I felt as if Mr Farr - usually a fine dramatist - didn't really address honestly the issues of the play ( a crowd mentality, the power of a lie etc.) . And while Es Devlin's set is at first rather wonderful, after a while it's magic wore off for me.
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Post by londonpostie on Jul 15, 2019 8:05:26 GMT
The 2012 Danish film was also captivating. I'd like to see this and while agreeing the accusation itself is a mechanism not the story, it's still very uncomfortable in other ways.
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Post by showgirl on Jul 21, 2019 14:44:34 GMT
I found this very impressive yesterday though it felt longer than it was, possibly because it was both so intense and tense. Not having seen the film I had no idea what to expect though I too have since been wondering about the ending. Not the kind of play you can look forward to or enjoy but imo well worth seeing - and a bargain at only £10 for a not-very-restricted-view seat.
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Post by n1david on Jul 25, 2019 23:02:37 GMT
I thought this was very good tonight, very tight production, great acting. This was one of the few plays I see where I thought there wasn't a wasted minute. There was a Q&A tonight after the show which dwelt on the ending to some extent (and some of the other issues addressed above) I liked the ending, my interpretation was that the person in the house was the person that Lucas would always be looking over his shoulder for, and would that person have a gun? Others in the audience treated it much more literally, and there was a view that Lucas had positioned himself to be shot by his son. One person in the Q&A described the ending as "crass" which I thought was wrong.
The response from Tobias Menzies was... the ending is intended to be ambiguous. He said that they had played with a number of different endings in previews, some of them more literal, but had settled on the ambiguous one and let audiences interpret what was going on. The story is a difficult one, and giving it a neat ending might give audiences a more satisfactory ending than the story deserved.
The subject also came up about why Lucas didn't defend himself more vigorously. The interpretation put on this was that if Lucas defended himself very strongly, the focus and attention moves to the child and whether or not she was lying, and Lucas felt uncomfortable making this into a he-said-she-said situation where there is an existing social dynamic. I'm not sure I quite buy in to that, but it is the case that Lucas knew the child from a baby and may have thought that there was a resolution that didn't involve confrontation (as it turned out, a little too neatly) But I thought this was another strong production at the Almeida - I really like what they're doing here, I don't love or even like everything, but I think it's an engaging programme.
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