1,465 posts
|
Post by foxa on Feb 24, 2023 21:31:42 GMT
|
|
854 posts
|
Post by bordeaux on Feb 24, 2023 22:27:00 GMT
Certainly. I remember seeing a production (presumably a touring one) in Richmond 20 or so years ago. Wish I could remember more about it! Even if it feels dated now it'll be a pleasant way of finding out what was popular in 1921 - and in this case what scandalised some theatre-goers.
|
|
1,316 posts
|
Post by tmesis on Feb 25, 2023 12:44:05 GMT
Already booked without knowing the cast so that’s a pleasant surprise. Let’s hope it’s as good as Arms and the Man.
|
|
|
Post by nottobe on Feb 25, 2023 13:28:14 GMT
Only last week I read Somerset Maugham's novel 'Theatre' on a whim and loved it! I would recommend it to all here, and now I am very interested in this.
|
|
4,658 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by Jan on May 5, 2023 12:54:35 GMT
This revival of a play by the currently unfashionable Somerset Maugham opens tonight. It will be interesting to see if interest in his work can be rekindled as it has been for Terence Rattigan over the past few years.
|
|
1,316 posts
|
Post by tmesis on May 5, 2023 12:59:56 GMT
Seeing this in three weeks. Very much looking forward to it.
|
|
|
Post by londonpostie on May 5, 2023 14:33:26 GMT
+ Jane Asher.
Curious about Tom Littler and the OT - he's come from the simpler set up at Jermyn Street. Are most/all productions at the OT in the round?
|
|
|
Post by alessia on May 5, 2023 14:37:29 GMT
I have seen two plays at OT and they were in the round.
|
|
4,658 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by Jan on May 5, 2023 14:46:41 GMT
+ Jane Asher. Curious about Tom Littler and the OT - he's come from the simpler set up at Jermyn Street. Are most/all productions at the OT in the round? OT is always in the round.
|
|
|
Post by londonpostie on May 5, 2023 14:50:23 GMT
Interesting. Thanks. Littler is a man with a very rounded cv (as in varied), you would think not accidentally.
|
|
4,658 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by Jan on May 5, 2023 15:16:11 GMT
Interesting. Thanks. Littler is a man with a very rounded cv (as in varied), you would think not accidentally. I'm expecting that under him the casting at the OT will become a bit more starry.
|
|
1,199 posts
|
Post by theatrefan77 on May 9, 2023 23:44:30 GMT
|
|
4,658 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by Jan on May 13, 2023 16:00:32 GMT
This is very good if you like this sort of thing. Nicholas le Prevost very amusing.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on May 14, 2023 8:48:14 GMT
I enjoyed it and being somewhat familiar with the play was surprised ( and pleased) that they've streamlined it a bit - eliminating a couple of characters and some needless chatter. It all sort of zips along at a nice pace. It catches fire when the three veteran actors share the stage together. It becomes an affectionate throwback to when "charm" was enough to sustain an evening. The one disappointment was the scenic design which, unusually for this type of play at the Orange Tree, looked cheap. The all-important chair was fine but the rest of the furniture looked dowdy and since the quality of the furnishings and tasteful decoration are often the subject of discussion in the play , it seemed odd. Still I had a good time.
|
|
4,658 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by Jan on May 15, 2023 6:29:30 GMT
... the rest of the furniture looked dowdy The trusty chaise longue has been deployed so often at the OT that there's no wonder it's looking dowdy. It's the perfect furniture item for in-the-round productions because it doesn't block the view of the front row when no-one is sitting on it. I struggle to think of a production there when it hasn't been pressed into service. I sort of agree that as the husband had an interest in interior design they might have made more effort with the set but spending more money on the actors instead has paid off here. Somerset Maugham, who was gay at a time it was illegal, was unhappily married to a wife who was an interior designer. As in the plays of Rattigan and Coward it is interesting to speculate on which relationships in the plays are really based on gay relationships and which characters in the plays are discretely signalled as being gay. I mean, the husband in this right ?
|
|
|
Post by adamkinsey on May 16, 2023 11:55:32 GMT
Agree with earlier comment about the furniture but, that aside, I think this is an excellent production. The cuts are well chosen and the casting is spot on with Clive Francis particularly on top form.
|
|
1,316 posts
|
Post by tmesis on May 27, 2023 5:51:54 GMT
I thought I might suffer a bit from overload of this type of play - I was there last night but the week before was The Vortex (Chichester) and the week before that Private Lives (Donmar.) But for me this was easily the most enjoyable of the three which is interesting as the two Cowards both took a bit of a ‘left field’ approach and this was more traditionally directed. I’ve only seen one other Maugham play - can’t remember what now but it was at Hampstead, but this was much more entertaining and I now hope they will revive more of this unfashionable author.
Littler has put together an absolutely tip top cast with the three ‘old lags’ - Le Prevost, Francis and Asher on sparkling form.
|
|
1,465 posts
|
Post by foxa on May 27, 2023 11:52:55 GMT
Also loved the beautiful bias cut dresses.
A very enjoyable evening - and as I didn't know the play at all everything came as a great surprise to me!
|
|
158 posts
|
Post by bee on May 29, 2023 9:57:39 GMT
I would agree with most of what has been already said. It's very nicely done. The veteran actors get most of the laughs, but the whole cast does a great job. A really satisfying and enjoyable evening.
|
|
|
Post by capybara on Jun 2, 2023 9:07:35 GMT
Saw this last night. Appreciated the years of acting experience on stage but, to be honest, it wasn’t really my sort of thing.
I can see why others will have enjoyed it though.
|
|
1,179 posts
|
Post by joem on Jun 3, 2023 0:24:33 GMT
... the rest of the furniture looked dowdy The trusty chaise longue has been deployed so often at the OT that there's no wonder it's looking dowdy. It's the perfect furniture item for in-the-round productions because it doesn't block the view of the front row when no-one is sitting on it. I struggle to think of a production there when it hasn't been pressed into service. I sort of agree that as the husband had an interest in interior design they might have made more effort with the set but spending more money on the actors instead has paid off here. Somerset Maugham, who was gay at a time it was illegal, was unhappily married to a wife who was an interior designer. As in the plays of Rattigan and Coward it is interesting to speculate on which relationships in the plays are really based on gay relationships and which characters in the plays are discretely signalled as being gay. I mean, the husband in this right ? I don't remember the chaise longue in "The Misfortune of the English" or "Two Billion Beats"......
|
|
|
Post by kate8 on Jun 3, 2023 11:23:59 GMT
I saw this on Tuesday. A good production and performances, but an average play I thought, or maybe just not my kind of thing. I particularly liked Clive Francis. Jane Asher was off, replaced very ably by Miranda Foster with script in hand. A nice gesture from the theatre was an email the next day offering a chance to stream the show for free to see JA's performance.
|
|
4,658 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by Jan on Jun 3, 2023 12:07:07 GMT
The trusty chaise longue has been deployed so often at the OT that there's no wonder it's looking dowdy. It's the perfect furniture item for in-the-round productions because it doesn't block the view of the front row when no-one is sitting on it. I struggle to think of a production there when it hasn't been pressed into service. I sort of agree that as the husband had an interest in interior design they might have made more effort with the set but spending more money on the actors instead has paid off here. Somerset Maugham, who was gay at a time it was illegal, was unhappily married to a wife who was an interior designer. As in the plays of Rattigan and Coward it is interesting to speculate on which relationships in the plays are really based on gay relationships and which characters in the plays are discretely signalled as being gay. I mean, the husband in this right ? I don't remember the chaise longue in "The Misfortune of the English" or "Two Billion Beats"...... I imagine. I never go to new plays either at the OT or anywhere else - they never much bothered with them at the OT in the more distant past.
|
|
1,179 posts
|
Post by joem on Jun 3, 2023 22:51:40 GMT
I concur with earlier posts. This is a bit creaky plot-wise (its concerns and scandals would barely raise an eyebrow nowadays) but it is well done and passes the times pleasantly enough. Some witty lines and good sparring between Clive (Clive Francis) and Hugh (Nicholas le Prevost) as they revive their ancient rivalry - wronged husband v Lothario - over Kitty (Jane Asher) who is very good as the aged belle of the ball. You can see why references are made to Wilde and Coward, but Maugham is better at witty than gritty.
Superb, understated performance from the chaise longue. Is it not time was nominated for an Olivier in a supporting role?
|
|
|
Post by alessia on Jun 4, 2023 5:46:13 GMT
Went yesterday evening with a friend - we both felt that the acting was really good, especially the three older people. The storyline neither of us thought was particularly interesting or had much depth of meaning, but in all it was a pleasant evening out, with some laughs along the way. The show was interrupted half way through the first act by a member of the audience feeling unwell. It all restarted in ten minutes and went smoothly on. I hope the lady in question is ok!
|
|
1,357 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by Dave B on Jun 15, 2023 8:37:39 GMT
Finally made it out to OT to see this last night. As a frequent flyer at OT I knew the chaise longue would set a usual high standard and I was hoping that the rest of the cast could keep up and pleasingly they were all great. It was very funny with strong work from all the cast, even in their little reactions and the moments where they are on-lookers to the action, and a lovely tension or sizzling chemistry between 'em throughout.
There is a piece in the programme talking about Tom Littler directing in the round, or more so him being less use to it. I think it showed just a little, the cast were slightly more static than the OT normally manages, I saw more backs than usual. Impressively for a show in the 6th or 7th week, Littler was there and still taking notes and out talking to people at the interval.
I'm excited about my membership and the coming year. We moved a short while ago, about 10 miles further away from OT but fast trains get me there in 25 minutes compared to the almost hour when I was a lot closer.
|
|
3,478 posts
|
Post by showgirl on Jun 18, 2023 3:43:22 GMT
I enjoyed this yesterday after a longer wait than expected both to see it (had to move my booking back 6 weeks to accommodate physio appointments) and then to enter the auditorium which, for an unannounced reason, was opened very late and inevitably delayed the start of the performance.
As I'd never had the opportunity to see this play but had enjoyed a production of another of Somerset Maugham's plays at CFT, I was looking forward to this anyway and more so once the reviews were so positive. Also, whilst I'd never book (or, with a few exceptions) avoid doing so due to any particular members of the cast, I was delighted to be seeing Nicholas Le Prevost once more as he's one of my favourite actors but not surprisingly, does less theatre now.
Others have said that the whole cast was great and I agree but yes, there was definitely an extra frisson during the scenes involving 2 or 3 of the more senior actors, ie Jane Asher, Clive Francis and Nicholas Le Prevost; I don't know how they have the stamina to carry on doing it, but I'm so glad that they do.
Imo not a great play but hugely enhanced by the production and cast.
A small beef however about lack of audience management by front of house: as it was a matinee and the auditorium was opened late, a long queue of restive and not-very-mobile people had built up and it took AGES for everyone to enter and at the interval and again at the end, everyone else was held up by a man sitting by the exit who clearly had an impairment but managed to launch himself into the gangway and block this for everyone else, then hover there, presumably recouping his strength before inching his way up and out. Why on earth don't FOH staff identify people clearly needing assistance and help them into their seats earlier and again at the interval and end? It can't be pleasant for those concerned to be aware that everyone else is jammed up behind them and people who need to escape swiftly to catch an infrequent train are thwarted.
Exactly the same thing happens at Guildford, where of course all the audience members in wheelchairs or using sticks book seats by the side exit to the street, then completely block this at the interval and end. I've seen this so much better managed elsewhere and for everyone: for instance, at Hampstead Downstairs, ushers escort those with impairments into the auditorium first and wait until they are seated before opening it for others. Surely this is preferable for all, allowing those needing help to be in a relaxed mood ready to enjoy the performance itself and avoiding unnecessary delays?
|
|
4,658 posts
Member is Online
|
Post by Jan on Jun 18, 2023 9:54:28 GMT
They have elaborate plans at the OT to completely rebuild and extend the entire front of house area with a new entrance at ground level so if that ever happens it will improve access.
|
|
|
Post by jr on Jun 19, 2023 7:59:37 GMT
I am sorry I missed this. Booked twice and had to cancel due to train strikes and other commitments. Not sure if it could have a life somewhere else.
|
|
507 posts
|
Post by jampot on Aug 4, 2023 9:23:44 GMT
Going to Bath in January...
|
|