433 posts
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Post by DuchessConstance on May 31, 2016 14:23:12 GMT
This sounds awful now But I do love Ben Miles Can you tell me the ending please As a hidden spoiler Thanks British couple (who now have kids) sell the villa for a fortune and buy a nice cottage in Cornwall. Then cry because buying it cheap in the first place was morally wrong, even though they apparently have no problem with making a hefty profit on it. American couple act drunk and obnoxious, fight over Chilean politics and Miles' character's involvement in evil US government dealings, Nixon's character screams at them to get out. Miles sez "is it 'cos I never f****d you?" then goes and grabs and snogs her husband ("but I still ain't a queer!"). End of friendship. Random black-clad crone wanders in and sits down at their dining table, turns out is flashback to Maria being told "never sell the house" by her Ya-ya. Oh and the funniest bit in the entire play is the knowledge that somewhere are printed the stage directions, "angrily throws salad back into salad bowl." Having said that, Steve's thoughtful as always post has sort of made me re-think the play, because I didn't look at it as a relationship drama. I'm not sold on it but I can see that perspective.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2016 16:03:39 GMT
Sounds like it's veering towards so bad it's good territory- am looking forward to it!
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Post by peelee on May 31, 2016 16:55:27 GMT
"Returning to the topic - anyone seen this apart from Mister I-Hate-Everything? I fancy it because of Sam Crane & Ben Miles and 20 quid front row Friday Rush seats but it if proves to be that awful by everyone I might give it a miss.. Not too many days in London to spare and so much I want to see!" — wrote rumbledoll It's not awful at all, rumbledoll, though if your spare days are few then please note that, at present, tickets look a little more available from mid-July. I'd booked because when early this year I had read of it being set "..on a Greek island in April 1967" I had an inkling of what the author might deal with and also the year and month set off memories of those times. In the foreground on stage, a domestic setting where a holiday villa and sea view inspire love and longing in one couple, while for its Greek owners their longing is eventually confronted by necessity. Other holidaymakers, or rather US international travellers, represent a link to what is in process and presumably seething in the background. Two links here, a quirky, personal one by a fellow who seems to know the country, and a Wiki link to events in Greece (that the play does not spell out about this troubled Eden). The closest to any consideration of that, is a fascinating article about Chile in the 1970s by Latin American specialist Arturo Valenzuela, in the theatre programme, Chile being a parallel on another continent to what Greece had undergone and, incidentally, involving Chicago School economist Milton Friedman (whose nostrums also made themselves felt in 1980s Britain): www.ahistoryofgreece.com/junta.htmen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_military_junta_of_1967–74But you have to read around for this, well away from the play, to the extent you are at all curious about the background and why Harvey (Ben Miles) is so influential in the unfolding of this story. He was the only one of the excellent cast I recognised, though I realised later I had seen Elizabeth McGovern in US films years ago. It was lovely to hear Greek spoken on stage, the play a reminder too of Greece's current state. There is the authenticity of the writer's connections to the land of his birth, and presumably heartfelt thoughts about times past, present and what the future there could hold for the Greek people. All of these events, influences and concerns bubble away behind this apparently idyllic scene, and they present the audience with plenty to think about. While democracy and Greece and theatre and Greece eventually surface, the play has echoes too of Greek myth — so that it is like watching something that is at once very old, yet timeless and contemporary. It's really rather good: a lovely piece of writing, the cast plays it well, the production is lovely to look at, and it is worth seeing.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jun 1, 2016 21:57:55 GMT
Parsley... Moves Like a Panther I can't agree with that "you've paid so do what you like" attitude: everyone else has paid too and there is no need to disturb them. I can't believe that the realization that a play is intolerable comes on that suddenly- surely it's possible to wait for a convenient break between scenes before leaving? I have sometimes made a judgement call and not returned after the interval- Elaine Paige's 'Anything Goes' springs to mind when I realized I was at a party that everyone else seemed to love whilst I was just getting increasingly irritated. I also left halfway through Judi Dench's 'The Seagull'- I don't think anything at all had happened by the time I left- dull, dull, dull! I also left the infamous Day Lewis 'Hamlet'- just before he did apparently. I usually always leave at the interval Very rarely during the show only in exceptional cases And even then during scene change To be honest The row can manage It's hardly a major drama I usually go alone Take no bags And agile and slender And so slim people don't even need to stand up to let me paSs
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Jun 1, 2016 22:33:50 GMT
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885 posts
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Post by lonlad on Jun 1, 2016 22:41:31 GMT
Very accurate and fair review though I suspect other critics may be kinder. Saw it tonight and my God, what an unholy mess -- Ben Miles does what he can to hold it together but none of the themes cohere and what Chile has to do with anything is anyone's guess - besides setting up one of the funniest onstage puns in some while. Too bad Campbell can't make the Greek characters in any way interesting: he includes them in the action and then makes them pawns within an increasingly preposterous plot.
The two little kids are quite sweet, though. Maybe one day they will be stars.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 22:42:21 GMT
4 stars from the Arts Desk
But some people are happy to wear Primark and give that 4 stars as well
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 22:43:31 GMT
Very accurate and fair review though I suspect other critics may be kinder. Saw it tonight and my God, what an unholy mess -- Ben Miles does what he can to hold it together but none of the themes cohere and what Chile has to do with anything is anyone's guess - besides setting up one of the funniest onstage puns in some while. Too bad Campbell can't make the Greek characters in any way interesting: he includes them in the action and then makes them pawns within an increasingly preposterous plot. The two little kids are quite sweet, though. Maybe one day they will be stars. But they will put your play on at the NT If you are in bed with a director
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Post by bellboard27 on Jun 1, 2016 22:44:25 GMT
Looks like Fiona Mountford will give it a positive review "a palpable hit" "a super ....new play", given her Twitter reaction
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 22:49:18 GMT
Looks like Fiona Mountford will give it a positive review "a palpable hit" "a super ....new play", given her Twitter reaction Look at Fiona Mountfords Twitter picture How many stars would you award that dress?
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1,465 posts
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Post by foxa on Jun 1, 2016 22:57:30 GMT
I don't know why but this line from the Telegraph review made me laugh out loud: 'with sweet but uncomfortable-making support from a pair of child-actors in skimpy beach-wear.'
Whatever was going on?
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885 posts
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Post by lonlad on Jun 1, 2016 23:08:21 GMT
Mountford was chattering away with one of the creatives at the interval --- of course she also gave 4 stars to the abysmal SIDEWAYS which tells you everything you need to know.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2016 23:09:30 GMT
I don't know why but this line from the Telegraph review made me laugh out loud: 'with sweet but uncomfortable-making support from a pair of child-actors in skimpy beach-wear.' Whatever was going on? 2 children dancing on stage In swimwear
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1,209 posts
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Post by Steve on Jun 1, 2016 23:40:41 GMT
I don't know why but this line from the Telegraph review made me laugh out loud: 'with sweet but uncomfortable-making support from a pair of child-actors in skimpy beach-wear.' Whatever was going on? Two children, a boy and a girl, are in beach-wear, as are Pippa Nixon, Sam Crane and Ben Miles. Ben Miles' character takes them to the beach (offstage), brings them back, they join Ben Miles' Greek dance, as does everyone except Pippa Nixon. There was nothing disturbing. If this is what it takes to disturb, then all public beaches and swimming pools should be shut down instantly lol.
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Post by showgirl on Jun 2, 2016 4:53:48 GMT
I hesitate to comment after the latest posts but I was also there last night and for all the faults others perceive, I did enjoy this and whilst the PN audience is untypical, the general reaction seemed positive. Yes, maybe the author should have written a different play or none and I could quibble with the plot in part but even if it is flawed, I had a good time overall and am sure plenty of others will, too. If that makes me a Philistine in the eyes of some here, so be it - but it seems to have worked in my favour if so!
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Post by bellboard27 on Jun 2, 2016 6:50:12 GMT
Some results in:
Telegraph: 2 stars Daily Mail: 2 stars Time Out: 2 stars The Times: 4 stars
Further late results awaited!
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Post by showgirl on Jun 2, 2016 7:38:48 GMT
And we know that the Standard has given it 4. So maybe a Marmite play?
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Post by n1david on Jun 2, 2016 7:52:00 GMT
I think a Marmite play requires 1* and 5* reviews. This is like that weak summer version of Marmite that came out a few years ago.
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Post by showgirl on Jun 2, 2016 8:14:13 GMT
I think a Marmite play requires 1* and 5* reviews. This is like that weak summer version of Marmite that came out a few years ago. Ah, I see. British Theatre Guide seems to like it but they don't use a star system. A theatre blogger I follow has also given it 4 stars, so by my calculation that's more or less a 50/50 split between 2 and 4 stars. Wonder if anyone will give it 3?!
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Post by bellboard27 on Jun 2, 2016 8:28:20 GMT
I think a Marmite play requires 1* and 5* reviews. This is like that weak summer version of Marmite that came out a few years ago.
Or a Gentleman's Relish of a play?
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Post by showgirl on Jun 2, 2016 8:32:19 GMT
I think a Marmite play requires 1* and 5* reviews. This is like that weak summer version of Marmite that came out a few years ago.
Or a Gentleman's Relish of a play?
I know you're joking but do you realise that so far, it's actually the ladies who seem to like it more? Not exclusively but definitely a trend, so I wonder if there is a gender divide here?
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Post by Steve on Jun 2, 2016 8:44:14 GMT
Or a Gentleman's Relish of a play?
I know you're joking but do you realise that so far, it's actually the ladies who seem to like it more? Not exclusively but definitely a trend, so I wonder if there is a gender divide here? Proud to be a lady for the day. That he which hath no stomach for this play, Let him depart; his passport shall be made, And refunds minus 2 pounds put into his purse; We would not watch in that man's company That fears his fellowship to philistine with us. This day is call'd the feast of Campbell. Showgirl the Queen, Fiona, Peelee and Steve, We few, we happy few, we band of sisters.
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Post by Steve on Jun 2, 2016 9:00:47 GMT
Each to their own, but the strain in the reviews which are angry about this play not being about the EU and the Euro, are missing the mark I think.
Letts says "for a new play on this subject to fail even once to mention the European Union and the damage it has done to Greece – causing far worse misery and exploitation than anything shown here: that just seems perverse, if not downright craven;"
Cavendish says "Given its many, Hydra-headed woes, Greece should be fertile territory for dramatists at the moment, but there have been slim pickings. Could it be that playwrights here are reluctant to grasp the nettle of the EU and the stinging failures of the Euro? Are they so used to having a go at the old easy scapegoats like capitalism, nationalism and US imperialism that they’re bereft of ideas?"
If being angry about what the play is NOT about is a reason to downgrade to 2 stars, that's a little harsh. That's like a Shakespearean contemporary saying of Hamlet: "Shakespeare's lack of topicality reveals itself in his refusal to deal with Denmark's economic crisis, farmers brought low by new taxes, brought about by the King's feckless war with Sweden. Instead, he wallows in the redundant and obvious family squabbles of the Dark Ages."
This play ends in the mid seventies, so it isn't about Greece squandering borrowed money on the Olympics in 2004, and being unable to weather the financial crisis brought about by fraudulent bankers in 2007 because they were unable to devalue their currency, due to hitching themselves to the Euro in 2002. It can't be, and isn't, about those things.
It is about how some liberal do-gooders profess to care about things, that when tested, they really don't care about. If Quentin Letts thought about it, he'd realise he actually agrees with Campbell lol.
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Post by kathryn on Jun 2, 2016 9:23:53 GMT
Each to their own, but the strain in the reviews which are angry about this play not being about the EU and the Euro, are missing the mark I think. .... It is about how some liberal do-gooders profess to care about things, that when tested, they really don't care about. If Quentin Letts thought about it, he'd realise he actually agrees with Campbell lol. This makes me wonder - I know some film critics will re-watch films they originally hated years later, and reassess them, realising that their review was more about their expectations of the film than the film itself - do you think theatre critics ever do the same? It's harder to revisit theatre, obviously, especially when a play wasn't well-received, but do critics ever re-read their original reviews and go 'what was I thinking?!' I recall some very sniffy responses to the Donmar's all-female Julius Caesar, for example, especially when it was first announced, but by the time Henry IV came around everyone seemed to have agreed that the JC was wonderful and all-female casts an excellent idea, and to have suffered a bout of amnesia about their original response to it.
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Post by mallardo on Jun 2, 2016 9:46:46 GMT
There are people on this board (and I may be one of them) who suffer periodic bouts of amnesia where their reviews are concerned.
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Post by DuchessConstance on Jun 2, 2016 11:00:02 GMT
I don't know why but this line from the Telegraph review made me laugh out loud: 'with sweet but uncomfortable-making support from a pair of child-actors in skimpy beach-wear.' Whatever was going on? The little girl is in a too-small bikini which when she sat down showed, well it gave her a "builder's bum." Perfectly innocent of course but seeing it on stage, just because we're so aware of such issues (The Nether) was slightly surprising.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2016 11:49:53 GMT
I don't know why but this line from the Telegraph review made me laugh out loud: 'with sweet but uncomfortable-making support from a pair of child-actors in skimpy beach-wear.' Whatever was going on? The little girl is in a too-small bikini which when she sat down showed, well it gave her a "builder's bum." Perfectly innocent of course but seeing it on stage, just because we're so aware of such issues (The Nether) was slightly surprising. Very surprised about that, I'd have thought theatres would be hyper-aware of the fit of any and all clothing on child actors, just so that such things wouldn't happen. Surely a one-piece would have been a better option?
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Post by bellboard27 on Jun 2, 2016 14:28:32 GMT
More reviews:
Indy: 3 stars WOS: 3 stars Eve Std: 2 stars (HH) The Stage: 2 stars
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Post by showgirl on Jun 2, 2016 14:58:19 GMT
Now looking not so much like a Marmite play as a real melange!
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Post by peggs on Jun 2, 2016 19:32:30 GMT
I hesitate to comment after the latest posts but I was also there last night and for all the faults others perceive, I did enjoy this and whilst the PN audience is untypical, the general reaction seemed positive. Yes, maybe the author should have written a different play or none and I could quibble with the plot in part but even if it is flawed, I had a good time overall and am sure plenty of others will, too. If that makes me a Philistine in the eyes of some here, so be it - but it seems to have worked in my favour if so! Oh I hope to like it on the basis that I have a ticket, am hoping it's that old lower expectations to rock bottom and then be pleasantly surprised or at least not terribly disappointed.
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