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Post by theatrefan77 on Jan 26, 2020 0:18:32 GMT
I was there this afternoon too. Great view from the front row. Disappointed that Cecilia Noble was off but her understudy did a decent enough job. Overall I enjoyed it but it is around 20 minutes too long, a couple of times the play seems to go round in circles getting nowhere, but then it gets better again. It's very well acted. Great set, costumes and sound designed. It's still in previews and with a little bit of trimming before the opening night this has the potential to become a great play. Just my two cents It's out of previews now I think. Press night was a couple of days ago I believe. Ooops! I didn't realised it had opened this week. Thanks for pointing it out. Will have to check the reviews. I guess no changes will be made then, which is a pity. Still a good night at the theatre. Sometimes it reminded me a bit of The Crucible and Twelve Angry Men
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Post by crowblack on Jan 26, 2020 10:42:52 GMT
I guess no changes will be made then, which is a pity. I saw Mosquitoes in a late preview and there had already been changes from the published text (as you'd expect). On a return visit a few weeks later in the run, end of August, I spotted Lucy Kirkwood in the building, and there had yet more changes - it played more obviously as a comedy - so it seems she goes on revising.
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 26, 2020 12:05:02 GMT
Is there any absurd puppetry in this production? Not unless a child on wires counts. Is it an actual child or a blue or yellow scarf wrapped around a cabbage with a handle on the back of its head?
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Post by juicy_but_terribly_drab on Jan 26, 2020 12:08:14 GMT
Not unless a child on wires counts. Is it an actual child or a blue or yellow scarf wrapped around a cabbage with a handle on the back of its head? An actual one thankfully.
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 26, 2020 12:20:32 GMT
Is it an actual child or a blue or yellow scarf wrapped around a cabbage with a handle on the back of its head? An actual one thankfully. YAAAAASSSS! This play sounds fascinating to me, I will have to pop along once I get rid of this horrid cold x
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Post by crowblack on Jan 26, 2020 13:38:30 GMT
Good interview with Kirkwood on Front Row (BBC sounds/iplayer, 17 Jan). I think this is going to be NT-Lived so I will try to see it again through that.
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 26, 2020 14:01:12 GMT
Good interview with Kirkwood on Front Row (BBC sounds/iplayer, 17 Jan). I think this is going to be NT-Lived so I will try to see it again through that. It's being NT-Lived on May 21st x
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Post by crowblack on Jan 26, 2020 14:30:42 GMT
It's being NT-Lived on May 21st x Yes, I'll defo see it again through that. It's messy and frustrating but, having slept on it, I did love it. There were a lot of unexpected similarities/parallels with Mosquitoes, a play which I really loved, though the friends I saw it with didn't: they found it too overstuffed, but I really enjoyed unpacking it, and I'm doing the same with this.
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Post by johnnyutah on Jan 27, 2020 21:30:27 GMT
I saw this on Saturday and found it beguiling. This felt far more sophisticated than her first National bow. Despite its much talked about length, it moves along at a pleasing clip due to the leanness of the writing. It's a distinct departure from Kirkwood's celebrated previous offerings. The two or three person sparring has now been amplified into a sinuous ensemble that crucially never descends into witless noise. Each character has a unique voice and a clear motivation. Along with her trademark witticisms are passages of lyrical mysticism reminiscent of Jez Butterworth. The cast in this visually ravishing production are uniformly sublime. James MacDonald elegantly conveys the both the humour and gravity of the task these women are forced to endure.
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Post by crowblack on Jan 27, 2020 23:25:20 GMT
If you're quick, 2hrs 54 mins in on today's BBC Breakfast is Maxine Peake talking about the play - it goes off iplayer tomorrow morning though!
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Post by intoanewlife on Jan 29, 2020 12:21:52 GMT
Theres a few front block £15/£20 tickets for this available at the moment.
GO!
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Post by intoanewlife on Feb 3, 2020 16:59:58 GMT
More 15/20 quid tickets on sale for the next week or so x
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Post by tmesis on Feb 4, 2020 0:19:23 GMT
Vicky Pollard meets The Archers stretched out to interminable length.
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Post by nash16 on Feb 4, 2020 1:23:14 GMT
Vicky Pollard meets The Archers stretched out to interminable length. Haha, that was brilliant. I long for you to see The Visit soon and give us a similar review. I think you’ll have fun.
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Post by crowblack on Feb 4, 2020 9:50:04 GMT
Vicky Pollard meets The Archers I don't agree - I really enjoyed this, more so looking back on it - but in her radio 4 interview she says Mumsnet was an inspiration.
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Post by tmesis on Feb 4, 2020 15:25:08 GMT
Vicky Pollard meets The Archers stretched out to interminable length. Haha, that was brilliant. I long for you to see The Visit soon and give us a similar review. I think you’ll have fun. Actually I'm seeing it on Friday but don't fear Kushner's prolixity. He's always engaged me in the past, throughout both parts of Angels and The Homosexual's Guide.
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Post by nash16 on Feb 4, 2020 18:36:35 GMT
Haha, that was brilliant. I long for you to see The Visit soon and give us a similar review. I think you’ll have fun. Actually I'm seeing it on Friday but don't fear Kushner's prolixity. He's always engaged me in the past, throughout both parts of Angels and The Homosexual's Guide. Just wait for this one.....
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Post by peelee on Feb 4, 2020 19:22:48 GMT
An intelligent play, good to look at, with other design features enhancing the audience experience. Good writing, memorable characters, thanks to the writer and the actors who generally perform the play well. It was nice to see a production really occupy the National Theatre stage, in this case the Lyttelton, where other flimsier things have sometimes struggled in that respect.
However, it's clearly not for people who want something lighter, shorter, and that won't ask more concentration of them than they are prepared to give. It's a production with ideas, wit, serious argument, and plenty of life. I saw it on press night and hope that it was shortened even by 10-20 minutes to really grab everybody who buys a ticket. Two weeks later, though, the play is still lodged in my consciousness, so vivid an experience was it for the two of us. Well done, the National!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2020 17:13:30 GMT
What’s the running time on this now? The National’s website is unhelpfully saying TBC.
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Post by showgirl on Feb 9, 2020 18:54:51 GMT
When I look it says 2 h 45 and has for some time. Maybe there was a glitch when you checked?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2020 19:41:38 GMT
When I look it says 2 h 45 and has for some time. Maybe there was a glitch when you checked? [ I think i might have been looking at a cached page on my phone! thanks For the reply
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Post by tmesis on Feb 9, 2020 19:41:47 GMT
When I look it says 2 h 45 and has for some time. Maybe there was a glitch when you checked? That's about right for when I saw it a week ago - although it seems much longer...
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Post by dave72 on Feb 9, 2020 20:46:46 GMT
I thought it seemed much shorter.
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Post by showgirl on Feb 10, 2020 4:33:36 GMT
Apologies: just checked again and it clearly says 2 h 50 (so only 5 mins more); I had confused this with another play I'm hoping to see and for which I also need a matinee due to the length.
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Post by zahidf on Feb 12, 2020 10:17:38 GMT
I thought this was ace overall. Could have done with around 10 mins cut, but really liked it otherwise
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Post by Forrest on Feb 13, 2020 18:04:27 GMT
I finally saw this on Tuesday and thought it was terrific! It is one of those plays that seem to have gotten everything just right. It looks like the Lyttelton is frozen in time and in a Vermeer painting (I know that's about 100 years off, period-wise, but it was my first association when I saw the set), the acting is impeccable, the pace is just right, there are enough small twists to keep it interesting, it is both smart and sprinkled with moments of humour, it is so beautifully directed...
But my favourite thing about it is that it manages to be such a wonderfully feminist play without falling into the trap of lining up perfect, strong female characters, that no woman can really live up to. It is delightful because it lets its characters be so imperfect - it lets women be these odd creatures who fight and resent and hate and argue and bicker and are sweaty and dirty and weak, and poorly educated but opinionated, and mislead and snobby... As we are, all of that. Different. But it also highlights how the nasty men's world in which they don't own their bodies or their lives or their destinies or make the rules can act as a catalyst for them to bond when necessary, even when it - to them - seems impossible. Kirkwood is truly a remarkable writer. (Please excuse the incoherent swooning, but I absolutely loved this.)
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Post by theatre241 on Feb 24, 2020 13:11:07 GMT
Has anyone sat front row for This? They’re released some £15 for this week and I’m wondering whether or not to go front row or row D,
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Post by l0islane on Feb 24, 2020 13:21:12 GMT
Has anyone sat front row for This? They’re released some £15 for this week and I’m wondering whether or not to go front row or row D, Yeah I sat front row, the only issues were straining my neck in one scene to look up and very bright lights at one point which I found almost blinding (although this may be the same from a few rows back!). I'd probably pick row D to be honest (if they are the same price).
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Post by edi on Feb 24, 2020 18:22:26 GMT
Has anyone sat front row for This? They’re released some £15 for this week and I’m wondering whether or not to go front row or row D, Yeah I sat front row, the only issues were straining my neck in one scene to look up and very bright lights at one point which I found almost blinding (although this may be the same from a few rows back!). I'd probably pick row D to be honest (if they are the same price). Thanks for the heads up for the £15 tickets. They released some for March, too, and at the end I picked the front row vs row D. There is something special about sitting front row especially that I often end up with giants in front of me.
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Post by cartoonman on Feb 26, 2020 10:56:25 GMT
Saw it last night and agree with Samuelwhiskers. The play is good but could be great with some cuts. Minimalist but good set. Accents fairly OK. My family is from North Essex . A few lapses in to Joe Grundy speak. A few words I couldn't make out. That's from row B. No idea what the yellow child was about nor the Kate Bush song.It was well s ung but not needed. Cast excellent. I think it might be best if the cast spoke in normal voices. I know actor's can do accents but I have heard some rubbish in other plays.
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