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Post by alessia on Jun 27, 2022 10:01:22 GMT
Yes I don't think I have ever been at the Ambassador before, the Starry M was not there. Thank you for the tip
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639 posts
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Post by ncbears on Jun 27, 2022 10:25:37 GMT
Seeing mostly 3 Star reviews - and I can't really disagree. Harbour and Pullman and Henry are exceptional. The set is excellent. The revolve to start Act 2 was unexpected but welcome. Acts I and II are really separate plays. And I missed having Pullman for most of Act II. It's hard to write about the show without spoilers. This is not so much a "comedy" as a play with laugh lines. And I spent much of Act I wondering where the show was going. Rebeck's refusal to explain much - and willingness to obscure things - detracts. There are some very funny moments in Act I - and the build-up to the insanity of the end of Act I is welcome and a delight. But, both my bride and I really did not like Sinead Matthews as Pam. She just sucked the life out of Act II. I felt like she put everything into keeping an accent going (an accent, by the way, that is different than her brothers and father, so I don't know where she got it) and just had some exceedingly painful flat line readings. Everything was one note of near screaming and vileness. Pam does get a speech in Act II that is meant to, if not humanize her, at least provide some explanation for the venom. But, the moment doesn't hit. And since Act II revolves around Pam and her actions, Act II, to me, just doesn't work very well for the most part - whenever it is about her. Henry gets her emotional moments in Act II and the final Pullman/Harbour sequence work, but little worked for me with Pam. The play does seem to end abruptly, with almost every element of conflict left unresolved. But it really wouldn't take much, in my opinion, to make it a little more meaningful/logical. It still wouldn't fully resolve anything. {My Version of Final Moments}
At the end, as Michael walks away, Pam just quickly shouts at Michael "you're not going to get away with this" but what "this" is, is left vague. After Michael leaves, it seems to me that Pam should go to Daniel's body and find the deed that has been talked about throughout, read it, see that the property belongs to Michael and then with the deed in hand, deliver that last line. And in much angrier, resentful tone and a little sad as she realizes her machinations are too little and too late for her purposes And, Daniel's desires in Act II seem out of line with his actions in Act I. {Daniel Motivation}
He goes from denying he is dying throughout Act I to not only accepting he is dying but to want an immediate death? I didn't really get a sense of what changed for him. I wished Michael asked "why" and Daniel responded "I'm old, I'm sick, I have all of my kids back at home for once. What else do I have to live for?" or "Seeing all of my kids at home for once - what better reason to want to die?" or something like that. Pullman would have delivered such a line with intense sarcasm. Anyways, we are not sorry to have seen this, but can't really recommend it. There were some excellent and memorable performances, but the one key performance of Pam just sunk the show for me (and my bride). It was fun to be there for the "gala" opening performance, although being from the States, we didn't recognize any "celebrities" on the red carpet having their photos taken. Oh, yes, we were in Row H in the circle. Wouldn't not have wanted to be much higher as the rake is significant. But view was unimpeded and clear. Close enough to the stage to have clear view of faces and emotions. We had asked at the Box Office about rush ticket policies and the very nice gentleman told us that Sunday seats had opened up and offered us the Circle seats for 40 pounds each. Last row in the circle was priced at 25 pounds. From our vantage point, the stage did seem very high for the first few rows and there are actions at the back of the stage particular on the stairs that might be missed from being that close in Act I. |
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Post by orchidman on Jun 30, 2022 18:21:42 GMT
Very average play, don't even think about paying premium prices to see this
The characters are far too one-note and two-dimensional, just generally unambitious fare. Mildly amusing in places. Repetitive with a weak ending
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Post by alessia on Jul 3, 2022 5:23:10 GMT
I took advantage of TodayTix yesterday and got a Row B seat in the circle for the matinee, feeling quite lucky after reading comments here about best views. It was a near perfect seat except for the very narrow space for your legs. Thankfully I'm short so wasn't a problem for me.
I enjoyed the play very much, as everyone else has noted, the two main actors are both brilliant. the interview with Rebeck in the programme says that she pretty much wrote this with David Harbour's in mind and it really shows, he is so natural in it, completely in his element in every line he delivers. Bill Pullman is hilarious, and equally excellent.
In terms of the play itself: the first act was brilliant, entertaining, funny- the second act slows down and becomes darker. Some elements (main one being how the letter was brought into the story) didn't work for me, but overall it is very entertaining, not an amazing piece of theatre/writing, but because of the excellent performances, I'd definitely recommend it & the rush tickets are great value. Shame for the lady sat next to me, who slept all the way through, waking up for the interval and the final applause. I hope she didn't pay top price for her seat...
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4 posts
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Post by nevervane on Jul 3, 2022 11:49:58 GMT
I actually really liked Mad House, I thought the writing in the opening scene was a bit OTT, like you can really tell an American wrote it if that makes sense. But, once that settled down, the acting was incredible and I got really into it. I didn't mind the change of pace in the second half as much as others seem to, the play is about the family dynamic and how that's impacted Michael so it makes sense to explore the sibling relationships. I found myself really emotionally invested by the end.
I sat in row F of the dress, the first row of the "back half" of the circle and it's fast becoming my favourite place to sit in the Ambassadors. Great view, extra leg room, and those seats are often a lot cheaper than a few rows further forward.
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Post by alessia on Jul 3, 2022 17:24:37 GMT
I know what you mean (like an American wrote it). For me this play was a bit like watching a good American film- very entertaining, not nuanced but never boring, with good pace and funny dialogue. I had forgotten I'd been at the Ambassadors once before, to see Kunene and the King. I was in the stalls then. I had forgotten how tiny this theatre is!
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315 posts
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Post by jm25 on Jul 7, 2022 22:09:04 GMT
Pretty unremarkable. The humour in the first half didn’t do much for me and on balance I preferred the second half. However, any hint at nuance felt drowned out by all the shouting. Wasn’t the level I’d have pitched the performance at.
Harbour and Pullman definitely the two standouts (hardly a surprise); wasn’t hugely impressed by the rest of the cast.
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1,088 posts
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Post by andrew on Jul 14, 2022 17:06:49 GMT
Fairly disappointing I thought. It's just a comedy, it has nothing more to say. There are opportunities for things to be explored, but as others point out there just ends up being a lot of shouting. The sister character was awful, and really symbolised how lacking in nuance or interestingness this play is. It's sort of funny at points, but not funny enough, it's well-acted, but not well-acted enough. I would skip this.
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Post by mattnyc on Jul 17, 2022 19:39:17 GMT
I saw this today and mostly really enjoyed it. The actress playing Pam is just one of the most unlikable characters I’ve ever seen on stage me not in a way where you can enjoy watching her nastiness. I just felt “gross” watching her. As for her accent, it was…not very good. I just could hear her trying to be American and she tried so hard that it didn’t come across at all. It was very very strange. As for the play itself, Harbour is perfection as is Pullman and Akiya Henry especially. Lots of laughs and even a few tears.
As for the ending, though. It was a tad predictable to me until the very last second and when the lights went out someone very loudly said “WHAT?” and I completely agree. I’m going to need someone to really explain to me how that’s a good way to end this play.
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Post by hadeswasking on Jul 19, 2022 19:58:09 GMT
Saw this not too long ago. I feel like I have to split this up into the 2 acts as they are so dramatically different.
Act 1 -
More comedic than I was expecting. I didn't know a lot going into this but it felt really well-written and I started to grow an attachment to some of the characters. The set looks great and love the way it transforms in Act 2. David Harbour does an excellent job in this Act, with the main standout being Bill Pullman.
Act 2 -
This is where I started to like things less. I felt the shift in tone wasn't too jarring but this act felt a little too long. Things start to get repetitive. The Pam character ends up hindering the story the most. She felt more like a cartoon character, which is fine but this didn't fit the tone whatsoever. I still enjoyed the dynamic between the other characters, so whenever Pam is not in the scene I feel like it picks up where Act 1 left off.
If you can get a rush ticket, It's definitely worth spending your time paying this show a visit.
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520 posts
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Post by theatreliker on Aug 18, 2022 21:35:30 GMT
Anyone know what's going in after this?
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3,577 posts
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Post by Rory on Aug 24, 2022 16:34:38 GMT
Anyone know what's going in after this? It's closing for refurbishment for around 12 - 14 weeks apparently. |
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3,577 posts
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Post by Rory on Aug 24, 2022 23:01:08 GMT
My guess is that it will re-open with Operation Mincemeat.
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Post by hadeswasking on Aug 25, 2022 10:05:27 GMT
My guess is that it will re-open with Operation Mincemeat. Please! What a brilliant show. |
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1,127 posts
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Aug 28, 2022 22:19:59 GMT
Oof, I don’t know if I’m getting crotchety in my old age because I seem to have hated a lot of shows lately, but I really did not like this.
The acting is great, but there’s just no plot at all. It’s like watching a particularly plot-lite episode of Frasier if Frasier was working class and Martin was a dick. The dialogue is funny enough but very sitcom.
The transphobic rant in the opening scene was deeply uncomfortable. I don’t care that Harbour’s character rebuts it with “don’t be mean to the nice trans people” it’s still exploiting trans people and transphobia for a cheap laugh.
The scene with the girls was one of the most misogynistic and gratuitous things I’ve ever seen on stage. Female characters as literal sex objects. Yes it’s supposed to be an insight into the character who picks up the girls but that could have been achieved without the play grinding to a halt entirely so we can watch five minutes of scantily clad girls twerking. Are they supposed to be sex workers who are paid to be there? I didn’t get that sense. Does the writer really believe teenage girls just go around giving free lap dances and asking for breast gropes from every single man they come across?
Left at the interval so perhaps the second half is better, but the poor writing and one dimensional female characters made this unwatchable for me.
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Post by zephyrus on Aug 29, 2022 10:19:43 GMT
Oof, I don’t know if I’m getting crotchety in my old age because I seem to have hated a lot of shows lately, but I really did not like this. The acting is great, but there’s just no plot at all. It’s like watching a particularly plot-lite episode of Frasier if Frasier was working class and Martin was a dick. The dialogue is funny enough but very sitcom. The transphobic rant in the opening scene was deeply uncomfortable. I don’t care that Harbour’s character rebuts it with “don’t be mean to the nice trans people” it’s still exploiting trans people and transphobia for a cheap laugh. The scene with the girls was one of the most misogynistic and gratuitous things I’ve ever seen on stage. Female characters as literal sex objects. Yes it’s supposed to be an insight into the character who picks up the girls but that could have been achieved without the play grinding to a halt entirely so we can watch five minutes of scantily clad girls twerking. Are they supposed to be sex workers who are paid to be there? I didn’t get that sense. Does the writer really believe teenage girls just go around giving free lap dances and asking for breast gropes from every single man they come across? Left at the interval so perhaps the second half is better, but the poor writing and one dimensional female characters made this unwatchable for me. In the second act - and I'm not suggesting here for one minute that you should have stayed, because I'd happily have left at the interval myself - you do learn that the girls are sex workers who are being paid to be there. (Just to answer your question!) I'm in total agreement with this review. I thought it was a pretty weak play, unconvincing, tiresome - the longer it limped on, the more annoyed it made me feel. It got a bafflingly positive reaction from the audience at the end - an enthusiastic standing ovation, if you please, which made me even more irritated, because I actually felt it was one of the worst things I've seen for months. |
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195 posts
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Post by tal on Sept 8, 2022 12:20:12 GMT
Oof, I don’t know if I’m getting crotchety in my old age because I seem to have hated a lot of shows lately, but I really did not like this. The acting is great, but there’s just no plot at all. It’s like watching a particularly plot-lite episode of Frasier if Frasier was working class and Martin was a dick. The dialogue is funny enough but very sitcom. The transphobic rant in the opening scene was deeply uncomfortable. I don’t care that Harbour’s character rebuts it with “don’t be mean to the nice trans people” it’s still exploiting trans people and transphobia for a cheap laugh. The scene with the girls was one of the most misogynistic and gratuitous things I’ve ever seen on stage. Female characters as literal sex objects. Yes it’s supposed to be an insight into the character who picks up the girls but that could have been achieved without the play grinding to a halt entirely so we can watch five minutes of scantily clad girls twerking. Are they supposed to be sex workers who are paid to be there? I didn’t get that sense. Does the writer really believe teenage girls just go around giving free lap dances and asking for breast gropes from every single man they come across? Left at the interval so perhaps the second half is better, but the poor writing and one dimensional female characters made this unwatchable for me. In the second act - and I'm not suggesting here for one minute that you should have stayed, because I'd happily have left at the interval myself - you do learn that the girls are sex workers who are being paid to be there. (Just to answer your question!) I'm in total agreement with this review. I thought it was a pretty weak play, unconvincing, tiresome - the longer it limped on, the more annoyed it made me feel. It got a bafflingly positive reaction from the audience at the end - an enthusiastic standing ovation, if you please, which made me even more irritated, because I actually felt it was one of the worst things I've seen for months. I do think it gets better in the second act. I don't think this was perfect, but I did enjoy it overall, and the emotional conversation between Akiya Henry and David Harbour in the second act was a highlight for me. |
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