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Post by orchidman on Jan 7, 2023 13:16:05 GMT
She doesn't look anything near 33 and even if she did a woman of 30 in 1947 was something different to a woman of 30 in 2023.
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Post by c4ndyc4ne on Jan 7, 2023 14:32:01 GMT
She doesn't look anything near 33 and even if she did a woman of 30 in 1947 was something different to a woman of 30 in 2023. enough people are so enamoured and intrigued by the intricacies of her performance that a simple thing like “oh she doesn’t look old enough” feels a bit trivial. And THAT of all the anachronisms of the production is the one you’re hung up on? Surely any suspension of disbelief that is instrumental to the theatrical experience can extend to a few years? |
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Post by NeilVHughes on Jan 7, 2023 14:48:31 GMT
Been thinking about this, there are roles defined by the actors and therefore our expectations of who went before and seems to be primarily female roles.
My initial reaction when Patsy was announced was positive as I have never been disappointed in any production she had been in, then the doubt that she could pull it off as she is not the usual type of actress cast. As expected she seems to be nailing it and really looking forward to seeing it next month.
Would Olivia Coleman ever be considered as Hedda? Could Andrew Scott play Falstaff? and would we be having a similar conversation?
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Post by theatrelover123 on Jan 7, 2023 17:12:16 GMT
She doesn't look anything near 33 and even if she did a woman of 30 in 1947 was something different to a woman of 30 in 2023. Sorry. Facts are facts. The reality is that she is not too young for the role. Fact. Whether she looks her age or not is not the argument. |
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Post by tmesis on Jan 7, 2023 18:23:04 GMT
Saw this at today’s matinee and was very impressed. I too was sceptical about Ferran but she was amazing and now, totally on top of the part. The rest of the cast are all terrific and I loved the simple, intense staging.
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Post by londonpostie on Jan 7, 2023 20:38:44 GMT
Ferran brings a different quality, one that largely transcends appearance and speaks to the nature of life and fates.
This is serious, adult art, not a 1980s Duran Duran pop video.
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Post by mjh on Jan 11, 2023 17:18:39 GMT
Anjana Vasan apparently “seriously ill” according to Rebecca Frecknell in pre-matinee speech today - understudy with script in hand went on.
This production is really not having the best of luck.
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Post by partytentdown on Jan 11, 2023 17:33:01 GMT
I saw it last night and she appeared to be fine - how worrying.
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Post by lonlad on Jan 11, 2023 18:20:23 GMT
Good god - and the new press night is tomorrow ......
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Post by n1david on Jan 11, 2023 18:59:10 GMT
This production is really not having the best of luck. A run of bad luck at the Almeida given they lost their closing nights of Spring Awakening and Tammy Faye... |
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Post by stevemar on Jan 11, 2023 19:57:00 GMT
This production is really not having the best of luck. A run of bad luck at the Almeida given they lost their closing nights of Spring Awakening and Tammy Faye... Yes, pretty bad luck, but maybe some of the critics have seen earlier performances even though their reviews are embargoed under after press night. In a way, the show is almost critic proof, but it would be good for further marketing etc. |
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jan 11, 2023 20:57:39 GMT
Anjana Vasan apparently “seriously ill” according to Rebecca Frecknell in pre-matinee speech today - understudy with script in hand went on. This production is really not having the best of luck. Oh no!! I thought she was wonderful. It feels like this production is doomed if they lose her too. |
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Post by jm25 on Jan 11, 2023 23:03:36 GMT
The director also made an announcement before the evening show. Only referenced Anjana Vasan being “ill” rather than “seriously ill” this time, so hopefully she’ll be feeling better and back before too long. I was disappointed not to see her but these things happen! The understudy only had 2 hours’ notice apparently, so fair play to her. She was holding the script but it wasn’t distracting.
As for the production - never studied it at school and my only experience with the play was seeing the film many years ago. Based on that admittedly limited exposure, I don’t love it as a text - but I thought this was a solid adaptation. Patsy Ferran was great and I was particularly impressed with Paul Mescal. Didn’t know he could be so scary!
Three stars from me.
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Post by MrBunbury on Jan 12, 2023 12:10:21 GMT
I saw it on Tuesday as well. I hope Anjana Vasan recovers soon and it is nothing serious.
I admit I had gone with some prejudice about the suitability of Patsy Ferran for the role of Blanche but her performance was just great and made my concerns vanish. She is really inhabiting the character and I remember a similar intensity (pardon the awkward comparison) when I saw Helen Mirren in "Phedra" at the NT years ago. The bare stage did not affect the credibility of the story, although I struggled a bit with imagining where the separation between the two rooms in Stanley and Stella's apartment was from time to time. My only reservation is that the rape scene is so subdued that I only understood it happened because I knew the story. A solid four star production: sometimes it is good to go with preconceptions so there can be nice surprises :-)
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Post by lonlad on Jan 12, 2023 23:30:23 GMT
Anjana was back on tonight and is tremendous. Very fine production though, interestingly, no standing ovation at the curtain call.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jan 12, 2023 23:57:28 GMT
So when is the press night?
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Post by lonlad on Jan 13, 2023 2:09:47 GMT
It just was. Early reviews are coming in .... 5 stars The Times, 4 stars The Telegraph
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Post by drmaplewood on Jan 13, 2023 10:17:08 GMT
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Post by Rory on Jan 13, 2023 10:34:51 GMT
Raves all round, it seems. Wonder what the transfer chances are with Mescal's availability?
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Post by stevemar on Jan 13, 2023 11:16:32 GMT
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Post by crowblack on Jan 13, 2023 12:33:00 GMT
I really do hope they record/stream this, as they did with Macbeth. I did manage to grab a couple of late release tickets but it looks like there are no trains running/timetabled on either date, and even if they are last minute timetabled there won't be advance lower prices. Avanti west coast is a sh**show even without the strikes.
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Post by alessia on Jan 13, 2023 12:40:44 GMT
I really hope nothing goes wrong tomorrow (after having my show cancelled twice before!!) as I so looking forward to seeing this...
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Post by emmy on Jan 13, 2023 14:27:09 GMT
Quite a few tickets just popped up for Monday/Tuesday next week if anyone's interested
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Post by Latecomer on Jan 13, 2023 15:09:09 GMT
I am quite sad to miss this…had tickets first Saturday of the year but couldn’t get to London because of train strikes  Not having a lot of luck with the Almeida as had tickets for the last day of Tammy Faye too! If anyone has a spare ticket Sat 28th, Wed 1st or Sat 4th matinees and would like to chat all things theatre then do let me know and will buy! I’m not hopeful, but just in case! |
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Post by jm25 on Jan 13, 2023 15:17:58 GMT
Quite a few tickets just popped up for Monday/Tuesday next week if anyone's interested Thank you! I was disappointed not to have seen Anjana this week so just booked and will hope she’s back for good now! It’ll be interesting to compare her performance to her understudy’s. As I was booking quite a lot of different tickets kept cropping up so there may yet be more released. |
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