sky
Auditioning
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Post by sky on Apr 23, 2023 22:43:10 GMT
BLANCHE: The Life and Times of Tennessee Williams’s Greatest Creation is a new book out.
Here's a gift link to today's New York Times review of it as it might interest fans of this play. Thanks for recommending this! Unfortunately the link doesn't work but a quick google search brings it up, will be on my to-read list. Patsy Ferran's Blanche has changed the way I see her completely, I still can't get her stunning performance out of my mind. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2023 0:17:52 GMT
BLANCHE: The Life and Times of Tennessee Williams’s Greatest Creation is a new book out.
Here's a gift link to today's New York Times review of it as it might interest fans of this play. Thanks for recommending this! Unfortunately the link doesn't work but a quick google search brings it up, will be on my to-read list. Patsy Ferran's Blanche has changed the way I see her completely, I still can't get her stunning performance out of my mind. Sorry about that. Here is the link again: |
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4,805 posts
Member is Online
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Post by Mark on Apr 24, 2023 11:23:54 GMT
500 free tickets available for under 25s
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Post by jacob on Apr 25, 2023 16:41:48 GMT
SO close, sadly 264(out of 3500++!!!) in the queue for the free performance which would’ve meant that everyone so far would’ve secured 2 tickets each.. welp
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Post by warmington on Apr 25, 2023 18:01:26 GMT
My daughter was no 4259 in the queue at 5pm dead on. I went on after her and got no 703, still not any use though but interesting!
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Post by jacob on Apr 25, 2023 18:59:04 GMT
My daughter was no 4259 in the queue at 5pm dead on. I went on after her and got no 703, still not any use though but interesting! Yeah, they allocated you a random space regardless of what time you joined  had been on since 4, however asked a friend to try at 5 and got the low number. I can’t complain as I’ve already seen the play in it’s Almeida space but would’ve loved to be back |
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Post by blaxx on Apr 27, 2023 1:01:35 GMT
This is a random question, does anyone remember if all actors wear body mics?
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Post by theatregoer22 on Apr 28, 2023 17:51:40 GMT
Finally saw this yesterday. I went in fairly blind, having never seen a production of Streetcar before and having only glanced at the synophsis on Wikipedia. Instead it was Paul Mescal hype and seeing the rave reviews that made me want to grab a ticket.
Overall I'm pleased I went. Paul was good and Patsy Ferran tremendous, with the play being easy enough to follow until near the end (I had to look up the ending online). There were times, especially at the start of the play, that I couldn't hear the dialogue and I found the scenes without dialogue (where the actors seemingly danced around on stage) a bit too abstract for my liking. But overall a very solid watch. I just wish the queues for the ladies hadn't been so long and that they'd had chocolate ice cream left by the time I got to the ice cream vendor as I was properly miffed to miss out.
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Post by blaxx on Apr 28, 2023 18:32:15 GMT
Finally saw this yesterday. I went in fairly blind, having never seen a production of Streetcar before and having only glanced at the synophsis on Wikipedia. Instead it was Paul Mescal hype and seeing the rave reviews that made me want to grab a ticket. Overall I'm pleased I went. Paul was good and Patsy Ferran tremendous, with the play being easy enough to follow until near the end (I had to look up the ending online). There were times, especially at the start of the play, that I couldn't hear the dialogue and I found the scenes without dialogue (where the actors seemingly danced around on stage) a bit too abstract for my liking. But overall a very solid watch. I just wish the queues for the ladies hadn't been so long and that they'd had chocolate ice cream left by the time I got to the ice cream vendor as I was properly miffed to miss out. I think this answers my question about body mics  |
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Post by lonlad on Apr 28, 2023 23:08:26 GMT
>>I just wish the queues for the ladies hadn't been so long and that they'd had chocolate ice cream left by the time I got to the ice cream vendor as I was properly miffed to miss out.
I love that that was your takeaway from the experience :-)
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1,485 posts
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Post by mkb on Apr 28, 2023 23:24:18 GMT
It was the FOMO and seeing £200 seats drop to £85 that did it for me. And I wished it hadn't, as it fell way short of the hype.
Seeing the Thursday evening performance a week ago, I found myself yearning for the previous productions of a play I've never not enjoyed before.
Mescal was good, but I didn't buy Ferran's Dubois at all. I've visited the Deep South often. Even in modern times, one is struck by the calm, unhurried pace of life, that manifests itself best in the drawl of the heavy local accents. In hot, clammy homes without AC, nothing is rushed, but the hospitality is second to none. Ferran's frenetic behaviour and hurried speech in an accent that sounded misplaced, did not feel right.
The bare, square stage, raised to the point that meant my third-row seat was slightly restricted in view, added nothing and made me wonder where my exorbitant ticket fee had gone. Just when I thought I understood where the room boundaries and entrances were, a character would step through a wall.
The rain, barely used, was a pointless extravagance, and I loathed the cacophony from the drumkit that put me in mind of the over-rated movie Whiplash, and sounded like nothing I have heard in New Orleans.
This was all style over substance for me, and I was sad to be so disappointed.
Two stars.
Act 1: 19:35-20:54
Act 2: 21:18-22:12
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5,906 posts
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Post by mrbarnaby on Apr 29, 2023 6:26:59 GMT
It was the FOMO and seeing £200 seats drop to £85 that did it for me. And I wished it hadn't, as it fell way short of the hype. Seeing the Thursday evening performance a week ago, I found myself yearning for the previous productions of a play I've never not enjoyed before. Mescal was good, but I didn't buy Ferran's Dubois at all. I've visited the Deep South often. Even in modern times, one is struck by the calm, unhurried pace of life, that manifests itself best in the drawl of the heavy local accents. In hot, clammy homes without AC, nothing is rushed, but the hospitality is second to none. Ferran's frenetic behaviour and hurried speech in an accent that sounded misplaced, did not feel right. The bare, square stage, raised to the point that meant my third-row seat was slightly restricted in view, added nothing and made me wonder where my exorbitant ticket fee had gone. Just when I thought I understood where the room boundaries and entrances were, a character would step through a wall. The rain, barely used, was a pointless extravagance, and I loathed the cacophony from the drumkit that put me in mind of the over-rated movie Whiplash, and sounded like nothing I have heard in New Orleans. This was all style over substance for me, and I was sad to be so disappointed. Two stars. Act 1: 19:35-20:54 Act 2: 21:18-22:12 You’re quite literal aren’t you? |
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Post by starlight92 on Apr 29, 2023 7:23:41 GMT
Finally saw this yesterday. I went in fairly blind, having never seen a production of Streetcar before and having only glanced at the synophsis on Wikipedia. Instead it was Paul Mescal hype and seeing the rave reviews that made me want to grab a ticket. Overall I'm pleased I went. Paul was good and Patsy Ferran tremendous, with the play being easy enough to follow until near the end (I had to look up the ending online). There were times, especially at the start of the play, that I couldn't hear the dialogue and I found the scenes without dialogue (where the actors seemingly danced around on stage) a bit too abstract for my liking. But overall a very solid watch. I just wish the queues for the ladies hadn't been so long and that they'd had chocolate ice cream left by the time I got to the ice cream vendor as I was properly miffed to miss out. You could have done the at seat order thing, I may have ordered some chocolate ice cream to my seat whilst sat on the loo 😆 It was £5 for a small pot of ice cream though!! As if the ticket prices weren't exorbitant enough... |
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Post by theatregoer22 on Apr 29, 2023 8:22:23 GMT
>>I just wish the queues for the ladies hadn't been so long and that they'd had chocolate ice cream left by the time I got to the ice cream vendor as I was properly miffed to miss out. I love that that was your takeaway from the experience :-) Haha! Thankfully it wasn't all of it, but it's been my thing to get a chocolate ice-cream in the interval of two act performances since I was a child, so the evening doesn't feel complete without one. As for the toilet queues, it's just a pain spending so long in them when you need to go! |
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Post by theatregoer22 on Apr 29, 2023 8:23:22 GMT
Finally saw this yesterday. I went in fairly blind, having never seen a production of Streetcar before and having only glanced at the synophsis on Wikipedia. Instead it was Paul Mescal hype and seeing the rave reviews that made me want to grab a ticket. Overall I'm pleased I went. Paul was good and Patsy Ferran tremendous, with the play being easy enough to follow until near the end (I had to look up the ending online). There were times, especially at the start of the play, that I couldn't hear the dialogue and I found the scenes without dialogue (where the actors seemingly danced around on stage) a bit too abstract for my liking. But overall a very solid watch. I just wish the queues for the ladies hadn't been so long and that they'd had chocolate ice cream left by the time I got to the ice cream vendor as I was properly miffed to miss out. You could have done the at seat order thing, I may have ordered some chocolate ice cream to my seat whilst sat on the loo 😆 It was £5 for a small pot of ice cream though!! As if the ticket prices weren't exorbitant enough... Oh wow, £5 is a lot. It's been £3.50 at every other theatre I've been to recently. Had no idea about the seat order thing though. |
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1,485 posts
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Post by mkb on Apr 29, 2023 10:31:51 GMT
You’re quite literal aren’t you? I can do abstract as well as anyone, but it has to resonate. This didn't for me. |
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1,485 posts
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Post by mkb on Apr 29, 2023 10:37:39 GMT
Oh wow, £5 is a lot. It's been £3.50 at every other theatre I've been to recently. Had no idea about the seat order thing though. They're always some horrid affair too, full of guar gum or xanthan gum. The Birmingham Rep used to do a delicious, locally-made one with no emulsifiers or preservatives, but, like all good things, it came to an end. |
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Post by blaxx on Apr 29, 2023 18:14:05 GMT
You’re quite literal aren’t you? I can do abstract as well as anyone, but it has to resonate. This didn't Well it is a Frecknall directed production. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2023 18:50:55 GMT
I took Ferran's frenetic nature to be a reflection of her internal mental state and not a reflection on the more languid pace we generally would expect from a Southern belle.
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372 posts
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Post by sam22 on May 3, 2023 19:32:25 GMT
Finally saw this on Saturday. Really enjoyed it but, for me, I preferred the Young Vic version in 2014 with Gillian Anderson. I thought Paul Mescal was good but not brilliant.
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Post by standingo on May 3, 2023 21:49:23 GMT
So I did decide to part with my two tickets for Saturday evening. The logistics of coronation were too stressful.
If anyone wants them, please see noticeboard.
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15 posts
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Post by robwilton on May 5, 2023 16:12:22 GMT
I'm pleased for anyone who enjoyed this production, but for me, it didn't work at all. I saw the show on Thursday 4th May, from a seat in the penultimate row of the Phoenix Dress Circle. The production, made for the 325-seat Almeida, has been dumped down in the 1028-seat Phoenix Theatre, with no allowances made for the change of venue: the set is pretending to be in the Almeida, and so are the actors - the result is that the performances are not projected out into the far-larger auditorium. A great deal of the dialogue is simply inaudible, a problem confirmed by those sitting around me, and not helped by the frequent, infuriating drumming.
Perhaps I would have enjoyed show better at the Almeida? It's certainly been very much hyped: leading man popular from TV and film, leading lady drafted in at the very last minute, fashionable director etc.
But two problems make me doubt this. First, the production is by Rebecca "LOOK AT ME, I'M THE DIRECTOR" Frecknall (whose unforgivable mangling of 'Three Sisters' four years ago lingers long and malodorously in the memory). Here, any sense of the febrile New Orleans French Quarter has been totally expunged, the claustrophobia of Stella and Stanley's two-room apartment is not even suggested (quite the contrary in fact), the rape scene is mishandled to the point of inexplicability - and so on.
And second, two very accomplished young actors are fundamentally miscast: the sweet Paul Mescal is anything but "a total pig of a man without sensitivity or grace of any kind." And the delightful Patsy Ferran can give no hint of a middle-aged woman masquerading as a young girl.
Perhaps I'm too demanding? But when I go to see a much-hyped and highly-priced show, like Blanche DuBois, "I want magic"...
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Post by theatrelover97 on May 17, 2023 13:28:43 GMT
I went to this last month and what a great show it was through I am not the greatest fan of minimalistic staging.
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902 posts
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Post by bordeaux on May 17, 2023 15:21:34 GMT
Rebecca Frecknall will be directing a modern version of Miss Julie at the ITA in Amsterdam, which used to be Ivo van Hove's theatre, next February. Someone needs to be offering her work over here.
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Post by standingo on May 17, 2023 15:47:12 GMT
Is there any buzz of an afterlife for this production? Another transfer? NY? Was it Filmed? I know he's pretty booked for the foreseeable future but it seems like one of the buzziest productions in some time.
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had been on since 4, however asked a friend to try at 5 and got the low number. I can’t complain as I’ve already seen the play in it’s Almeida space but would’ve loved to be back 
