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Post by peggs on Oct 13, 2019 15:42:48 GMT
Big tick from me. I've not seen Lindsay Duncan on stage before and she was just magnificent, ably matched by Alex Jennings. This felt very national theatre and I mean that in a good way rather than some of the madness that seems to have come it' way recently. Would rather like to read the script, there's some great lines and almost found myself nostalgic for when fairy bottles looked all original white and green.
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3,578 posts
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Post by showgirl on Oct 14, 2019 5:58:44 GMT
Day seats and returns are an option as we know, but in case anyone is interested, I will be returning a £15 front stalls (row D) ticket for the evening performance on Wednesday 30 October. After weeks of checking for returns, I managed to get two singles on separate evenings for myself and OH and I'm still going on another day but my OH is no longer able to attend. I know the Box Office will take it back anyway but mentioning it here first. Will also post on the notice board. (I don't have the physical ticket so no issue with collection if I let the NT know someone else is using it.)
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Post by londonpostie on Oct 14, 2019 10:55:18 GMT
This felt very national theatre and I mean that in a good way rather than some of the madness that seems to have come it' way recently. Quoted for the chuckle - so true! |
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Post by londonpostie on Oct 15, 2019 16:40:23 GMT
Picked up so many titbits today from 'Exploring Hansard' which took place at the NT from 10:30 'til 16:00 - a group of perhaps 30 of us in interview-led discussions with a range of those involved including Simon Woods, an associate director, set creators, the stage manager and both understudies. There was also a tour of the stage itslef where you literally mingled around the scullery, etc. I particularly enjoyed resting in Ms Duncan's armchair and staring out into the surprisingly intimate Lyttleton. Woods contributed many interesting bits, including that he began by writing dialogue in which the couple were angry at each other, but he had no idea why at that point. The whole S28 angle emerged later. I was *surprised*. There are still - now very tired looking - script prompts from the previews cellotaped in the sink. Also the sticky-outy part of the stage contracts every night so they can get the fire curtain in place. That was contentious when it came to costing the production.
There are a number of letters scattered around the stage addressed to one or the other, some on the mantlepiece for example. The stamps are authentic for 1988.
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Post by djdan14 on Nov 7, 2019 8:18:15 GMT
Don’t forget this is on NTlive tonight! Looking forward to it.
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Post by dannimaria on Nov 8, 2019 9:06:34 GMT
I was at The National last night to see this. I thought it was fantastically done, the time flew and the when the end came I was really moved by the whole story. My only niggle was that I struggled to hear Lindsay Duncan at times and I was in the stalls.
Oh, and the Tw*t 3 rows behind me who shouted out VOTE LABOUR at the end and ruined the whole moment.
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Post by vickyg on Nov 8, 2019 9:20:18 GMT
I was at one of the NT Live venues (The Kiln in Kilburn) last night that lost connection half way through. A shame as it was heading in an ominous direction but I sort of feel that I can just read about the ending as I've seen the 'style' of the play and I wasn't so engrossed that I would see it again from the beginning. Very clever though in the way it was historic but so depressingly relevant.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2019 17:52:13 GMT
I was at The National last night to see this. I thought it was fantastically done, the time flew and the when the end came I was really moved by the whole story. My only niggle was that I struggled to hear Lindsay Duncan at times and I was in the stalls. Oh, and the Tw*t 3 rows behind me who shouted out VOTE LABOUR at the end and ruined the whole moment. Yes, I could cheerfully have brained the ‘Vote Labour’ person, and not because of their voting preference - what a graceless nitwit. Lindsay Duncan’s throat sounded bad at points last night - I wondered if she had a cold. (Maybe I reaped the benefits of cinematic sound because, while I could hear her voice was going, I didn’t have any problems actually hearing her.) For me, two of what you might call the ‘twists’ were pretty obvious from the outset, so the play felt a bit slow (though I enjoyed the sarky jibes the couple were making at each other). However, when the ‘reveals’ finally came I found them surprisingly powerful. But that’s great acting for you, I suppose! {Spoiler - click to view}
Not for the first time, I found myself musing on how actors cry so prettily. The minute Jennings was off, half the cinema audience joined him - though a darn sight less quietly! |
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Post by johnnyutah on Nov 9, 2019 10:23:15 GMT
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Post by londonpostie on Nov 9, 2019 10:43:09 GMT
However, when the ‘reveals’ finally came I found them surprisingly powerful. But that’s great acting for you, I suppose! Great acting but also towards the end of a run they've had sensory feedback eight times a week from the audience and they listen very carefully - by now, they know exactly how to rinse every ounce out of the script with pauses, emphases, body language, etc. As a pair they've found the right rhythms, tones, etc. Its tempting to see the close-up film version just to understand the development better  |
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Post by Polly1 on Nov 23, 2019 21:00:44 GMT
I haven't seen the play and doubt I will (not my kind of thing at all) but I've seen/heard a few reviews mentioning how 'resonant with today ' a line about Old Etonians is - but the Thatcher / Major era wasn't dominated by Old Etonians in the way current politics is. Went to an encore screening today which I thoroughly enjoyed. Re. the above comment ,the introductory film said ,in Thatcher's 1988 cabinet, something like 21 of 28 were public school educated - ok not all Old Etonians but enough to make the point. Jennings was marvellous. |
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Post by crowblack on Nov 23, 2019 22:19:18 GMT
Re. the above comment ,the introductory film said ,in Thatcher's 1988 cabinet, something like 21 of 28 were public school educated - ok not all Old Etonians but enough to make the point. I'd imagine if they asked the same of theatremakers, on and off stage, in the present day the statistic would be similar, with private or those posh-postcode state schools like Holland Park. |
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Post by lynette on Nov 23, 2019 23:49:07 GMT
I thought Thatcher had fewer Etonians than May or Boris. Frankly, pretty terrible whatever.
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Post by emsworthian on Nov 24, 2019 8:16:14 GMT
I thought Thatcher had fewer Etonians than May or Boris. Frankly, pretty terrible whatever. Wasn't the quote at the time that there were more old Estonians in Thatcher's cabinet than old Etonians? |
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