527 posts
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Post by danielwhit on Jul 14, 2016 16:52:57 GMT
It was a "cold flame" though, danielwhit. Guess you were not of the generation where teachers made you stick your hand in the Bunsen burner while it was yellow flames LOL. I wasn't, mind I worked in a school science department for a year not all that long ago! But surely in this generation of Health & Safety in the workplace they wouldn't be allowed to risk actors heading through fire every night on stage (the fire definitely subsided when actors were going through it!). |
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491 posts
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Post by djdan14 on Jul 14, 2016 17:38:02 GMT
They all wear capes and dangly clothing whilst going through, it struck me how quick the flame came back on each time. So surely something built in.
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71 posts
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Post by samjane92 on Jul 18, 2016 11:54:34 GMT
Seeing both parts this Saturday can't wait! Would I be right to think the 4th film would be the most important to watch before going? I read all the books just under a year ago and have seen the films various times but won't manage to watch all of the films in order before I go as planned. Would hate to have forgotten a part of the story that is crucial to the play.
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330 posts
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Post by charliec on Jul 18, 2016 11:55:19 GMT
Seeing both parts this Saturday can't wait! Would I be right to think the 4th film would be the most important to watch before going? I read all the books just under a year ago and have seen the films various times but won't manage to watch all of the films in order before I go as planned. Would hate to have forgotten a part of the story that is crucial to the play. Definitely 4th and 5th is probably useful too. |
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Post by Nelly on Jul 18, 2016 11:56:40 GMT
Seeing both parts this Saturday can't wait! Would I be right to think the 4th film would be the most important to watch before going? I read all the books just under a year ago and have seen the films various times but won't manage to watch all of the films in order before I go as planned. Would hate to have forgotten a part of the story that is crucial to the play. You'd be correct. I actually watched it a few days after I went as I thought it'd add a new dimension to it. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2016 12:12:56 GMT
I last read the books about 7 or 8 years ago, and I was never that fussed about the films. The play still made plenty of sense to me, regardless.
There were a couple of minor characters that got name-checked where I was maybe a bit, 'er, who?', but unless you're a completist sort of person, that really wouldn't matter, in terms of understanding the play.
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1,089 posts
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Post by andrew on Jul 18, 2016 21:28:23 GMT
If you choose to get the programme, it has a little runthrough of the seven books, and a glossary of characters and terms that will come up and what they're all about.
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194 posts
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Post by thebearofwestend on Jul 20, 2016 7:10:04 GMT
So what would you give this outta ten?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2016 8:02:33 GMT
So what would you give this outta ten? 12. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2016 10:19:32 GMT
For the stagecraft and most of the performances, an easy 10. For the writing and the other performances, I can't go much beyond 6 personally. Overall a highly respectable 9 (as the good performances don't completely cover the lesser ones but they certainly outweigh them) - not without its flaws but a damn fine piece of theatre.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2016 12:36:15 GMT
In total agreement with Baemax. I was very aware that I had my gripes about it, but overall, a smashing two nights out. Will definitely go back once it's bedded in a bit.
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1,089 posts
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Post by andrew on Jul 20, 2016 22:32:43 GMT
I think it's either a 7 or an 8 depending on how generous a mood I'm in.
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1 posts
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Post by timco on Jul 24, 2016 11:07:08 GMT
The visuals were beautiful, the script was bad. Imagine the disappointment from fans that can't see the show and buy the book.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2016 13:15:26 GMT
Saw both parts this week and it's clearly going to be a big hit. Audience reactions very strong (and very vocal).
Strongest parts for me are the characterisation of all the main players, through writing and performance. The script only suffers when it tries to explain too much. It's as though they felt they had to cater to the obsessives who pounce on anything unexplained. It slows the storytelling and isn't needed, so they should trim or cut it.
Overall though, a bargain and a pleasure to watch.
EDIT: oh yes, the design. It's fine; lighting, sound, design, set, FX and such are very good but nothing out of the ordinary. It's the characters that are king here.
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754 posts
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Post by Latecomer on Jul 24, 2016 14:53:59 GMT
I have been thinking about this a lot since I saw it all in one day. I had SUCH fun and there were moments where I gasped with surprise and delight (dementors anyone?!) I thought the story was very simple but worked as the characters were developed very well and very quickly, so you believed the strife between Harry and his son and that son would want to do something a bit wild. Loved, just loved Scorpius and the interplay between Malfoy and Harry as it developed. The first part was full of WOW magic and great fun at meeting all the characters we knew so well but enjoyed the second half as it really developed the father son storyline so well...ended up having a little weep when Harry was watching his parents. Was more emotional as had read books to children when they were little (until they read them themselves from book 3 onwards) and their father sometimes found fatherhood a bit of a puzzle as he'd not had a father at home when he grew up! Theatre is great sometimes at uncovering things in your own life! Got tickets for both girls in the Friday Forty and they have gone today...front row next to the isle so just hoping Voldemort doesn't get them!  Why is it good? It doesn't ruin the books...and that's no mean feat! It feels like theatre....not a film, or a book and with all the swirling of cloaks and movement it really feels pacy. It realised, rather corny though it seems, that JK is saying it's all about friendship and love! Criticisms.....it's all a bit male.....the women are a bit incidental most of the time. Shame as in the original Hermione always saved the day. Despite having a female character to hang out with Albus and Scorpius she feels rather thinly drawn...and is not scary enough at the end. Hermione sometimes mumbles her words. But these are small points. The whole day out is a tribute to the time and trouble they have taken with this! It could so easily have been terrible but it's GREAT! |
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1,089 posts
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Post by andrew on Jul 24, 2016 22:03:52 GMT
It does feel like a bit of a boys adventure at times I agree, but I quite liked it. I guess not everything has to be gender balanced although you'd expect JKR to go for that sort of thing. At least she made a woman Minister for Magic, and I think looking back Hermione was my overall favourite character to watch on the stage.
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93 posts
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Post by avenueqresident on Jul 25, 2016 8:38:40 GMT
Loved how they did the apparating. The force and speed they went at, wonder if they had a slide of some sort situated behind the fireplace?
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1,089 posts
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Post by andrew on Jul 26, 2016 0:45:54 GMT
Interestingly reading the Guardian article there is a backhand comment that Albus and Scorpius were a little more than friends. Whilst I would've been over the moon at a gay romance being flung unexpectedly to the fore of a Harry Potter story I didn't pick up on that at all. Wondering if anyone else feels that the portrayal is that of best friendship only or am I being naive?
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2,705 posts
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Post by viserys on Jul 26, 2016 5:09:01 GMT
That commenet threw me too. I didn't get that sense at all either. Some people like to read something "more" into everything they see. As if the concept of plain, strong, good friendship can't exist.
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Post by CBP1 on Jul 26, 2016 9:01:47 GMT
I had a moment in Part 1 where I thought that was where they might be going but I quickly concluded that was more me being hopeful than anything deliberate.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2016 9:07:56 GMT
Quite a lot of best-friendships, especially in fiction, can easily come off as very homoromantic. I could've seen it go either way and would have been fine either way. But the characters are quite young and have a lot of plot on their plates, so it wasn't really necessary to explore it in either direction tbh.
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527 posts
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Post by danielwhit on Jul 26, 2016 12:07:26 GMT
Maybe for the next pair of plays..
To be honest, they are both clearly straight or at least bisexual (seeing as Scorpius was flying around Rose like a moth to a flame and Albus clearly had a thing for the "older woman"). As soon as those two things came into play, I couldn't really see them exploring any homosexuality in those characters.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2016 13:17:48 GMT
I picked up on it pretty quickly, tbh. I was watching the show thinking, 'how nice they're not making it a Thing, that Must Be Dealt With, in the story' - would be nice to think the Potter-sphere was continuing to lead the way in respect of 'people are just people and relationships are just relationships, let's let everyone just get on with it'.
So you could've knocked me over with a feather when Scorpius showed such a huge interest in Rose at the end!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2016 18:13:16 GMT
Loved how they did the apparating. The force and speed they went at, wonder if they had a slide of some sort situated behind the fireplace? It's flu-powder, you muggle! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2016 23:04:43 GMT
Floo powder.
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