Post by kryz1000 on Aug 21, 2019 7:08:18 GMT
Saw this last night. Theatre quite full including some rather dressy 'date night types' (which feels, for some reason, worthy of comment).
Anyhow, it felt to me as if many reviews might have been written before the reviewers had seen it. The 'too soon' brigade breaking cover and virtue signalling like fury.
It's far from great but it's certainly not 'one star' fare. It's *very* David Mamet - in your face, shouty, speechy, sweary and provocative. But surely the point of the laughs is that they catch in your throat. That you laugh, indeed, with shock and horror. That you're manipulated into feeling conflicted and confused. And in many respects it works on that level.
I thought the first half ratcheted up the tension really effectively and the situation that it portrayed was horrifyingly believable. In the interval you were left saying that this 'now needs to go somewhere' and, indeed, it did. The consequences were explored, if surreally.
On a downside it felt under-directed. JM's speeches often lacked cadence. The 'flow' of the whole piece could have benefitted from a bit of punctuation and emphasis. The end just.....arrived. You almost felt as if the cast could have got together after DM had left town and sorted it out amongst themselves.
For me - an interesting and intriguing three and a half stars.
Anyhow, it felt to me as if many reviews might have been written before the reviewers had seen it. The 'too soon' brigade breaking cover and virtue signalling like fury.
It's far from great but it's certainly not 'one star' fare. It's *very* David Mamet - in your face, shouty, speechy, sweary and provocative. But surely the point of the laughs is that they catch in your throat. That you laugh, indeed, with shock and horror. That you're manipulated into feeling conflicted and confused. And in many respects it works on that level.
I thought the first half ratcheted up the tension really effectively and the situation that it portrayed was horrifyingly believable. In the interval you were left saying that this 'now needs to go somewhere' and, indeed, it did. The consequences were explored, if surreally.
On a downside it felt under-directed. JM's speeches often lacked cadence. The 'flow' of the whole piece could have benefitted from a bit of punctuation and emphasis. The end just.....arrived. You almost felt as if the cast could have got together after DM had left town and sorted it out amongst themselves.
For me - an interesting and intriguing three and a half stars.
