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Post by bee on Feb 26, 2023 16:37:33 GMT
This was excellent. A barnstorming performance by Sophie Okonedo ably supported by Ben Daniels. Really great stuff. This was my first trip to Sohoplace. I rather liked it. Comfortable seats with a good clear view (I was in the stalls, row B). Staff were pleasant and helpful. Does anyone know, is the current central stage configuration fixed or adjusted depending on the production?
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Post by bee on Feb 12, 2023 0:10:43 GMT
I thought this was dreadful. It did nothing to make you care about the characters. Actually, there were no actual characters, it was just a bunch of people on a stage saying stuff. As an earlier reviewer said, it felt like something that had been thrown together for the Edinburgh Fringe.
I genuinely think this could be the worst thing I've ever seen.
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Post by bee on Jan 2, 2023 15:06:47 GMT
Being someone who has the unfortunate combination of having long legs and being a bit on the chubby side, I almost always go for an end-of-row seat, usually in the stalls. The Theatremonkey website is an absolute godsend for me. I thoroughly recommend consulting it if you are similarly challenged. Actually it's worth checking even if you're normal-sized. Full of great advice on which are the value-for-money seats in each theatre.
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Post by bee on Dec 7, 2022 7:29:35 GMT
I saw this last weekend. Like everyone else I was surprised by the extent to which it was a serious performance of the story.
It reminded me of a bit of The Watsons, with a real story interspersed with 3rd/4th wall breaking. Occasionally the abrupt switches of tone were a little jarring, but on the whole it worked. There were a fair number of laugh out loud moments and the serious drama was performed really well - Jennifer Kirby in particular really stood out in those parts.
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Post by bee on Dec 3, 2022 18:09:16 GMT
I saw today's matinee of this. It was strange, pretty entertaining, occasionally funny (the bit about King Lear especially) and the actors all did a good job. However, like others on here I struggled to find any point to it and ended up a bit baffled really.
Small crowd in as well, less than half full.
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Post by bee on Nov 20, 2022 13:38:56 GMT
I saw this last night. To be honest I found it a bit dull. It's well done, I can't fault the acting. I think possibly it was because I knew from early on where it was going to end up. There were no surprises, and the stories of his relationships with his Jewish friend and the women in his life weren't interesting enough to hold my interest either.
In general I think stories involving the Nazis are hard to do without lapsing into cliche and stereotyping. I remember having similar thoughts about Leopoldstadt when I saw that. It's a subject matter that has been covered so many times before in so many mediums that, in my case at least, my brain sort of switches off.
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Post by bee on Nov 20, 2022 13:22:15 GMT
I saw this yesterday afternoon and thought it was excellent. Great acting from the three leads, and also from Michael Simkins as Vilhelm. For some reason I found the moment towards the end, when he found out his daughter had run off without saying goodbye, and he accepts it meekly, to be tremendously sad. The younger actors had less of an impact, but their scenes didn't really give them much opportunity. I'd agree with the general feeling here about about the modern update. I couldn't see why anyone would think it was necessary.
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Post by bee on Nov 6, 2022 15:43:00 GMT
I really enjoyed this. The first half was a bit patchy with lots of scenes which didn't entirely seem to fit together, but things seemed to coalesce nicely after the break and the ending was really moving.
It's a superb central performance by Theo Fraser Steele and the rest of the cast provide good support, with a special mention for Miles Molan in his professional debut.
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Post by bee on Oct 8, 2022 16:43:35 GMT
I saw today's matinee and liked it. It's not a great play but I thought the actors did well with what they had. Linda Marlowe in particular very impressive in a demanding role, especially for an 82 year old (I hope that doesn't sound too ageist).
I think if you've enjoyed any of Williams' other plays then there's a chance you'll get something from this.
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Post by bee on Sept 26, 2022 19:35:36 GMT
I struggled to get emotionally involved until right at the end I was wondering if the rain curtain is acting as an emotionally distancing 'moat'? And is that a deliberate distancing? That's an interesting thought. I don't know. It's a great looking effect, but I don't think it was ever used during any actual scenes, just at the start and when they were rearranging the stage between scenes. Since posting before I've been wondering if my lack of involvement was just a case of me knowing how things end for the "good" people in the play, and hence not wanting to invest too much in them to save myself some pain later. I suppose I'm still thinking about it two days later, so they must have been doing something right. Maybe it deserves 4 stars after all!
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Post by bee on Sept 25, 2022 13:12:38 GMT
I saw this yesterday. I would largely agree with Steve's detailed review above, though I didn't love it as much as him, maybe 3 stars from me. Not sure I can really explain why, because it's good, but I struggled to get emotionally involved until right at the end when Proctor was being asked to confess. That scene was brilliantly done by everybody involved. Up till that point I was appreciating the quality of it without caring all that much.
The cast were all excellent, but a stand out for me was Fisayo Akinade as Reverend Hale, his transition from smooth confidence in the earlier scenes to horror and regret in the second half was well done.
No idea what the rain effect was for. It seemed a bit pointless and meant a lot of mopping at the front of the stage for no obvious reason.
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Post by bee on Sept 19, 2022 9:06:59 GMT
I've given up on House of the Dragon. I see The Guardian have run a piece about it being very dull and sadly I have to agree, as do most of the comments underneath. I wonder if it will get a second series? I've watched some of The Rings of Power and it's good, though having characters who are immortal in a prequel does rather undermine the feeling of jeopardy and surprise. It's aimed at a younger / family audience and most of the characters are engaging. I'm enjoying The Rings of Power as well, though at the moment I find the Harfoot storyline to be a bit dull. Other than that it's been great. Visually it's stunning.
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Post by bee on Jun 24, 2022 13:21:24 GMT
I really like the stalls seats. A decent gap between the seats and they actually swivel somewhat so you can angle the seat so you are facing the stage even with a side-on seat.
The floor (arena) seats are OK as well from what I remember, but I'd avoid the circle seats if you're above average height. I'm 6 ft tall and found those horribly lacking in leg room.
I've never been in any of the box seats so can't comment on those.
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Post by bee on Sept 5, 2021 16:10:43 GMT
I didn’t like this. It felt dated and the characters were like crude stereotypes. I also found the style of it, with the characters continually interrupting each other, really irritating. In the first act especially, I was desperate for someone to be allowed to finish a sentence.
Having said that, Jonathan Slinger and Rosie Sheehy were acting their hearts out up there and in an odd way I was able to enjoy their performances while wishing they were in a better play. They both seemed to be struggling to pull themselves together at the end when taking their bows.
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Post by bee on Sept 5, 2021 16:08:33 GMT
I saw this on Saturday. I’d go along with the general mood here I think. It’s OK, really well acted but a bit dry. I would maybe single out Pravessh Rana as Frederick, all smiles and charm but with a rather sinister undertone, obviously enjoying Carl’s discomfort as he agonises over each response when they are talking.
To be honest, for all the banging on about the meaning and importance of music, the line which stayed with me afterwards was when Anna (Racheal Ofori) said “I can’t remember when I wasn’t pregnant”, it was a real cry of despair.
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Post by bee on Jul 29, 2021 16:09:24 GMT
I would agree with most of the above, though I'd maybe give it three stars rather than two (out of five I mean). This is a lot more "out there" than I would have expected from a Tennessee Williams play, but the actors managed to make it pretty absorbing. I was grateful that they decided to switch between English and American accents for the play and play-within-a-play parts, I might have struggled to follow where we were otherwise.
Like mkb though, I haven't the foggiest idea as to what the ultimate point of it all was.
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Post by bee on Jul 19, 2021 10:46:39 GMT
Bradley Cooper is probably the biggest "star" I've seen in the theatre. In terms of pop/rock possibly Freddie Mercury or Bruce Sprinsteen. I've seen The Rolling Stones but that was in the middle of a field and they were a good 100 yards away so I'm not sure that counts. As well as the above I was reminded this morning that I have actually seen Johnny Depp on stage, not acting but with the The Hollywood Vampires, the rock band he has with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry (Aerosmith guitarist).
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Post by bee on Jul 13, 2021 19:49:49 GMT
Bradley Cooper is probably the biggest "star" I've seen in the theatre. In terms of pop/rock possibly Freddie Mercury or Bruce Sprinsteen. I've seen The Rolling Stones but that was in the middle of a field and they were a good 100 yards away so I'm not sure that counts.
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Post by bee on Jul 11, 2021 12:18:46 GMT
I saw this in Friday and would more or less agree with all of the above. This is a lot of fun, the actors seemed to be enjoying themselves and the audience lapped it up. A really good night out.
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Post by bee on Jul 11, 2021 12:11:55 GMT
I saw this on Saturday. It's a spellbinding performance by Lisa Dwan. I'm usually not overly effected by theatre performances, but I found the second part really quite distressing. Remarkable stuff.
This was my first trip to Riverside Studios and I'd agree with others about the uncomfortable seats, but other than that it seems like a nice venue with pleasant staff. I thought the flat floor might be a problem when I sat down and found myself behind a fairly tall bloke but the stage was high enough for it not to be an issue..
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Post by bee on May 8, 2021 12:41:00 GMT
The main website still shows The Tempest for 10th Sep - 9th Oct, and Relatively Speaking for 14th Oct - 13th Nov. Tickets "On Sale Soon".
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Post by bee on Oct 22, 2020 18:53:13 GMT
I saw Betrayal today. I have only seen one Pinter before, No Man's Land with Michael Gambon in 2008, and that rather scared me off of Pinter (it baffled me frankly). But, given the current lack of anything else to go and see, I thought I would have another bash and am happy to report that this was excellent. It's a first rate cast and the reverse chronology of the play works really well as we see the jaded, not very likeable people we see at the start gradually become more sympathetic and, in an odd way, innocent at the end. Thoroughly recommended and I have now signed up for Dumb Waiter at Hampstead in December.
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Post by bee on Jul 16, 2020 16:06:19 GMT
Did anyone see the live performance of the production that was screened over the weekend? It looks one of the most lavish recent productions from the RSC, though their Love's Labours/Much ado were also visually spectacular. I do love the staging tricks they can do with a thrust stage. I was fascinated by the actual physics and mechanics or the water trough/canal and the lifts that rose out of it. This must have been a hell of a show to turn around in two hours. Tempest at the Almedia. An on-stage pool completely surrounded by the stage. On his first entrance - well into the play - Ariel burst up from underwater right from the centre of it. Brilliant effect. Did you see the RSC Twelfth Night at The Roundhouse a few years ago (Jonathan Slinger as Malvolio)? It started in a similar way. Viola emerged from a pool at the front of the stage. No idea how she got in there, unless she'd been concealed there for the half-hour or so between the doors opening and the start of the play. Gave everyone a bit of a fright!
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Post by bee on Jan 26, 2020 13:23:06 GMT
There used to be hairdressers near me called Julius Scissors.
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Post by bee on Jan 13, 2020 18:43:06 GMT
I first saw Rush at the Glasgow Apollo in 1979, and from then on saw them pretty much every time they came to the UK, the last time being 2013 at The O2. Really knocked me for six when I saw this on Twitter on Friday night. I had no idea he was Ill. A great drummer and an intelligent, thoughtful lyricist, who had to deal with a lot of personal tragedy (his daughter and and wife died within a few months of each other a some time ago). The biographical movie "Beyond the Lighted Stage" which came out a few years ago was a great insight into the history of a band who all seemed to remain friends throughout their career. No dramas or egos, just a nice group of guys who enjoyed creating music together.
RIP Neal and thanks for all the great music and memories.
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Post by bee on Nov 2, 2017 21:39:49 GMT
Were there full houses for the Roman plays in Stratford ? I received lots of cheap offers for them. I’m assuming they won’t have sold well at the Barbican so I can pick up cheap tickets. It seems like a bit of a chore to see them based on lacklustre reviews but Coriolanus and Titus are produced infrequently enough to make it worthwhile. I saw Titus and Coriolanus, both on Saturdays evenings, and would say they were both about three-quarters full.
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Post by bee on Oct 30, 2017 11:37:49 GMT
I saw this on Saturday, and pretty much agree with what’s been said so far. Fairly mundane Wilde-by-numbers stuff at the start, with the usual one-liners being passed back and forth without generating a great deal of laughter, then Eve Best shows up and all of a sudden you’re in a proper, serious drama. She is glorious really, and the exchanges between her and Dominic Rowan are brilliant, vicious stuff. The rest of the cast are decent enough, but the play seems a bit over-populated with peripheral characters that don’t do a whole lot. In general though, definitely worth a visit to see one of our…erm….best actresses at the top of her game.
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Post by bee on Oct 9, 2017 14:29:21 GMT
In general this was decently acted but it all felt a bit tired. At least two of the modern Shakespeare cliches mentioned in the “ban hoodies” thread were in evidence – lots of hugging soldiers and of course the plebians all swanning about in hoodies and baseball caps. Visually I felt like I’d seen it all before.
It must be hard work playing a character who is almost always enraged about something, and Sope Dirusu wasn’t bad by any means but after a while I was sort of no longer listening to him, all I was hearing was more shouting. The other actors had more chance to be subtle and Haydn Gwynne and Paul Jesson were good as Volumnia and Menenius respectively.
Not really recommended I’m afraid.
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Post by bee on Sept 12, 2017 6:00:59 GMT
Not sure what would be left if they took all that stuff away. A 24-hour news channel?
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Post by bee on Sept 11, 2017 14:47:53 GMT
I'm going. I haven't seen it before and to be honest was unaware of it's existence until this production was announced.
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