Vassa - Almeida

I agree with your friends. It was among the worst things I have ever seen on a London stage - utterly dreadful and singularly inept.

I like Gorky. I’ve seen a lot of his plays. But this does not sound like a promising production at all. So, what’s the running time ?

Thanks. 2:05. Can’t go wrong.

They told us 2 hours when we went in. The second section, after the interval, was much shorter than the first. I wouldn't say it was boring. That wasn't the issue. But I did wonder (I know unkindly) how badly Samantha Bond was injured to pull out or if she smelt a turkey. (I know, I know, she's a pro, she wouldn't, etc.) www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/samantha-bond-withdraw-vassa-almeida_50000.html

BTW, Almeida bar staff were helpful and charming as always.

O dear. Going on Saturday evening.

Waiting with interest to read what you think lynette as wondering whether to give up on this.

I saw this recently, but didn't hate it as much as most. It was somewhere between good and just OK.

It's an odd text to begin with: somehow, it's just... a whole lot of truly ugly characters condensed in one place, not a single one of them likeable, so there's not much to relate to. In addition, the production has a strangely detached feel to it as if the director wanted to make the staged version somehow, well, even more difficult to relate to than the text itself, as if she didn't want us to like her characters at all. Quite on the contrary, I think we were bound to be disgusted by them a little, ask ourselves what kind of horrible people these are and why are they like this. And do I/we resemble any of them at all?

Along similar lines, in terms of visual appeal, I also intensely disliked the stage design: having grown up in Eastern Europe under socialism, it was so reminiscent of the images of the (false) provincial luxury of my childhood (any high-level hotel basically had the same "look" back at home in the 80s) that it was simply devastatingly ugly to watch, everything rounded-up perfectly with the plastic flowers at the end. But, in terms of if it had achieved what the author had intended to, and created the desired atmosphere, I think it did. Whether I appreciate it or not is a whole different question.

I did, however, enjoy the performances: my impression was that they were a bit out there, kind of amateurish seeming on purpose, just like everything else is done in a similar tone. To create this almost unrealistic image of family mess and chaos, and an uncomfortable feeling of things literally falling apart and dying out, an illusion of one whole (in their own eyes) noble family vanishing, crumbling. (For instance, i thought Arthur Hughes was phenomenal as an utterly spineless, spoiled brat, blaming everything and everyone for his own lack of character and determination.) 

I would have been tempted to dismiss it, if it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't stop thinking about it the next morning. 

So yes, it is a curious one, definitely. Not something I'd tell people they had to go and see. But I somehow can't make myself to say it is bad, either, because I kind of feel that the ugliness of it is intentional. If that makes any sense at all. 

Definitely not my favourite Almeida production, though. 

They read the Board

Just back. It wasn’t that bad, sanddeep. It didn't make my limbs ache which something truly terrible does. But it wasn’t very good. It was played as a very black farce. It showed us a dysfunctional family but it ain’t no Succession! The writing was poor in places and the doors, in and out, go , go go etc was tedious. Most of the cast seemed uncomfortable to me. The best was Amber James who was tbh looking like she was auditioning for a proper play, ‘please someone spot me, I can actually act. ‘ She was trying to do something with the material. She is a very promising young actress and I hope this doesn’t put her back. It all had an amateur air about it.
Some did leave at the interval. The interval comes over an hour in and then after there is only half an hour so you might as well hang around for the end which was promising, like the beginning of a really good tv drama, the head of the house just dead and three women left, what will they do etc? Maybe he should have written a play from that point and ignored all the Gorky. The setting was odd, a clash between turn of the century pre Russian Revolution in costume and 30s styling and decor. The doors were ridiculous. I’m amazed nobody mentioned it in rehearsals. Some friends who we met there by coincidence actually liked it at all very much so there you are. But having seen Hansard and Lungs last week I think I know good drama when I see it and this wasn’t it.