1,863 posts
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Post by NeilVHughes on Jun 12, 2021 8:02:51 GMT
A play that deals with archetypes rather than characters which is obvious in the title with hindsight.
Prior to the interval a character piece, powerful only rather superficial as we see the actions as individualistic as the characters straddle being black and ‘middle class’ in 70’s Britain.
After the interval it becomes a completely different beast.
It becomes extremely dark, the exploitation of one of the characters becomes uncomfortable and there were walk outs as the menace and exploitation increased, it was only after the penny dropped that the piece really came together and is easily missed if you think of it solely as a character piece, colonialism in all its ‘glory’ in a Chelsea flat.
A brave piece to open up with, definitely not a light and frothy feel good play.
The bar is open beforehand and during the interval, the COVID restrictions are as expected these days, as long as you have your e-ticket and COVID app at hand it does not really impinge on the experience and is just the new normal.
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Post by orchidman on Jun 14, 2021 15:55:41 GMT
Probably the worst play I've seen since that Cate Blanchett mess at the Dorfman.
Third rate Pinter directed by someone using Robert Icke techniques without a clear understanding of them or the text.
Just wildly incompetent all round, couldn't begin to list the inadequacies and things that didn't work. People weren't leaving because they were uncomfortable, they were leaving because they were bored.
On this evidence the work of Alfred Fagon has not, as in the narrative that is being pushed, been unfairly overlooked but deservedly forgotten.
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Post by max on Jun 14, 2021 20:42:02 GMT
Ah that's said to hear. It's on my list to see. I find with Fagon's work that if you dot in at any moment in the text it feels great, but across the whole the structure can meander, and the themes not evolve but instead get a bit circular.
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5,707 posts
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Post by lynette on Jun 14, 2021 22:24:57 GMT
A play that deals with archetypes rather than characters which is obvious in the title with hindsight. Prior to the interval a character piece, powerful only rather superficial as we see the actions as individualistic as the characters straddle being black and ‘middle class’ in 70’s Britain. After the interval it becomes a completely different beast. It becomes extremely dark, the exploitation of one of the characters becomes uncomfortable and there were walk outs as the menace and exploitation increased, it was only after the penny dropped that the piece really came together and is easily missed if you think of it solely as a character piece, colonialism in all its ‘glory’ in a Chelsea flat. A brave piece to open up with, definitely not a light and frothy feel good play. The bar is open beforehand and during the interval, the COVID restrictions are as expected these days, as long as you have your e-ticket and COVID app at hand it does not really impinge on the experience and is just the new normal. “A brave piece” O Neil, 😂 |
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Post by cavocado on Jun 16, 2021 8:15:06 GMT
I'm seeing this in a couple of weeks. I saw the reviews were mixed, and I think reviewers are being a little more charitable than normal at the moment. I tried to get hold of a copy of the script to try and understand the play better before going, but secondhand copies are £15 plus - not sure I want to spend that much when I only booked the ticket out of vague interest, desperation to see anything at all, and because the theatre is easy for me to get to.
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1,865 posts
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Post by Dave B on Jun 30, 2021 9:25:02 GMT
Suppose to have been going next week. Oh well. Hope whomever gets well soon.
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Post by cavocado on Jun 30, 2021 11:00:10 GMT
I had tickets for next week too. Heartbreaking for Hampstead Theatre having to close their re-opening show, especially after The Dumb Waiter closed early too. I hope the injured cast member recovers soon.
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3,578 posts
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Post by showgirl on Jun 30, 2021 14:31:38 GMT
It is awful for the theatre and cast but having sat through the whole of this (the second half only in desperation as I had nowhere else to go and then a wait for my evening booking), I would be putting it mildly if I said it might not be entirely bad news for those who won't now see it.
This was my one of my first trips back to the theatre since the autumn and I was so looking forward to it, but it was one of my worst experiences at the theatre ever. The cast were fantastic; I couldn't fault them but the play itself was absolutely diabolical, to the extent that I have no idea why it should have been staged in the first place or revived - especially now of all times.
I would have loved to leave at the interval (and to escape being kippered by the constant smoking on stage which permeated the entire stalls and probably the circle too) but having spent the interval frantically trying to find a film to see instead and drawn a blank, I returned reluctantly. Plus my hopes that the play I was due to see in the evening would make up for it (rave reviews and sold out when it premiered last year) were dashed: it was equally ghastly in a different way but this time I left as discreetly as possible after about 30 minutes. There was no interval for this one so no better opportunity to escape.
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5,707 posts
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Post by lynette on Jul 2, 2021 10:37:14 GMT
Teeny conspiracy I’ve read: they are using injury as excuse because of so many complaints. Any comments?
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Post by londonpostie on Jul 2, 2021 22:53:33 GMT
I did think that but then I also thought we've all had enough of death for a while. Who knows.
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3,349 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Jul 3, 2021 0:05:02 GMT
It is a shame for everyone involved. It was being heavily discounted through some of the lesser known channels, so it may actually have worked out cheaper to close it early than keep it running (to add to the conspiracy theories).
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1,865 posts
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Post by Dave B on Jul 3, 2021 10:06:54 GMT
Refund back on my card straight away which was efficient.
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584 posts
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Post by princeton on Jul 3, 2021 10:54:39 GMT
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5,707 posts
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Post by lynette on Jul 3, 2021 13:22:46 GMT
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