268 posts
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Post by jm25 on Oct 20, 2023 22:09:57 GMT
I think this is a play of two halves. Found the first half overly expository, slow and heavy-handed. But the second half had a lot more going for it and I found myself far more emotionally invested. Kristin Scott Thomas seemed to really settle into her performance in the second half too. There are echoes of Rebecca and more obviously Sunset Boulevard. However, in the case of the latter I’m not entirely sure that works in its favour - Sunset tells a similar(ish) story but in a far more compelling manner. A couple of parts also reminded me of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, not just in the use of fire to represent the stories and conviction burning inside these women, but also in the “jump scare” of a certain character’s arrival in the second half. It’s remarkable how much the dynamic of an all-female “safe space” can shift as soon as a man arrives. On balance I’d give this a generous three stars but I wouldn’t rush to see it again in its current form. Needs to be at least 20 minutes shorter and the writing needs to be sharpened.
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Post by jaggy on Oct 20, 2023 23:40:44 GMT
Wish I could say I loved this. The premise sounded interesting and I adore Kristin Scott Thomas. Unfortunately I found it to be sluggish, unfocused and too long. Ofc this is still in previews so I have to take that into account, however, it feels like this needs several more re-writes. I don't think I'm the only one who felt that as the audience seemed very restless. There were aspects of the play I admired like what becomes of Lily James' character - I could see a less "daring" play doing the opposite of what this one does. The problem is that I think only *some* of the parts are good. It's sometimes funny which is a surprise given the subject matter. I think the tone is a little all over the place with elements of satire, being a very serious drama about a serious topic and then a having a scene/ lines straight out of a farce. I'd have preferred if it choose to be a black, satirical comedy with farcical elements but with a message at its core. Idk if that was the aim. If it was I can't say they've succeeded. It just didn't gel. I thought Lily James was better in the second half. I've never been a fan of hers and always found her to be a weak actor but I thought she showcased her character's emotions in the second act really well. Kristin was very good as always. It was really lovely to see her onstage. I just wish I was seeing her in one of her past theatrical triumphs: Old Times, Betrayal, The Seagull, etc rather than this. Also {Spoiler - click to view} - they just have Thomas' character walk onstage... it's underwhelming. I'd think they'd give her character some kind of entrance after all the talk of her being this mysterious figure. Maybe they will after previews? I eagerly await to hear thoughts after previews are over to see whether they improve this.
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Post by parsley1 on Oct 21, 2023 8:12:25 GMT
Given the press night is early next week
I think it’s too late to rescue this bloated and overwrought play
The running time is far too long
I cannot see why or how this made it straight to the WE
And I sometimes wish SF would exercise some better judgment with a case of quality over quantity
We must note that as the play itself is basically sold out it is already a success and therefore critical opinion is perhaps irrelevant
But having seen The Village Bike and Linda at the RC
What disappointed me most was that the playwright has neither developed or matured in her writing
In fact I think this is a regressive piece of writing in so many ways
I have never heard so many negative comments from audience members around me both during the interval and at the end
Most criticism was directed at the unbelievable character portrayed on stage and the poor material the actors had to work with
Lily James is quite excellent despite all but I don’t quite know either she or KST wanted to appear in this
The show does capture the frustrations of a working woman and mother with the challenges of careers and family
It also did explore the issues around childbirth being a traumatic experience sharply
And there are several excellent scenes and exchanges here
But it’s not good enough to redeem the bloated padded play
The ending and outcome is probably inevitable but it also drains the audience of any passion or fire and I ended up hating all the characters
To me there is also a repetition in the subject matter Penelope Skinner presents on stage in her work
Not in a good way but in a “samey” manner
This is further reflected in her BBC drama which is currently on iPlayer
It’s a great shame this play quotes the term “#meetoo” so many times
Yet a valuable opportunity to explore and deconstruct is totally wasted for an play filled with cliched and ridiculous characters
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Post by A.Ham on Oct 21, 2023 14:51:51 GMT
Noticed they’ve released tickets in the dress circle boxes for a few dates next week - has anyone sat here (for this or previous productions) and can say what the view’s like please?
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Oct 23, 2023 22:30:58 GMT
Very lucky to have won the lottery for this today. Didn't think I'd be able to get to see the show given the extortionate prices, but I am glad I paid no more than £30 for it. It was fairly interesting and the actors were good (big fan of James Corrigan), but I mostly agree with the comments above about the tone being kind of all over the place, the scene changes dragging and the the two halves being somewhat different. {Spoiler - click to view} I definitely thought the set up was very Sunset Boulevard-esque so I kept waiting for the husband character to get killed in the second half lol. I really thought they were going to poison him or push him off a cliff or have the bird cage fall on top of him. Also, I did not understand the purpose of the final scene in Act 1 at all. Can someone maybe explain if they have more context? Why do we need to see her spilling tea over herself and then accidentally enacting a Play that goes wrong scene?
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Post by parsley1 on Oct 23, 2023 22:39:43 GMT
Very lucky to have won the lottery for this today. Didn't think I'd be able to get to see the show given the extortionate prices, but I am glad I paid no more than £30 for it. It was fairly interesting and the actors were good (big fan of James Corrigan), but I mostly agree with the comments above about the tone being kind of all over the place, the scene changes dragging and the the two halves being somewhat different. {Spoiler - click to view} I definitely thought the set up was very Sunset Boulevard-esque so I kept waiting for the husband character to get killed in the second half lol. I really thought they were going to poison him or push him off a cliff or have the bird cage fall on top of him. Also, I did not understand the purpose of the final scene in Act 1 at all. Can someone maybe explain if they have more context? Why do we need to see her spilling tea over herself and then accidentally enacting a Play that goes wrong scene? The top prices for this after dynamic systems kicked in are sky high I feel sorry for those who have forked out over £100 for KST As you eloquently say The tone and themes are all over the place It’s such a clumsy piece of writing The irony is that the play has been in gestation for 8 years
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4,599 posts
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Post by Mark on Oct 23, 2023 22:42:53 GMT
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214 posts
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Post by frankubelik on Oct 24, 2023 6:10:34 GMT
Oh dear, really couldn't see the point of this at all. I wonder whether the two excellent leading ladies read the play before accepting.......very disappointing.
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Post by A.Ham on Oct 24, 2023 6:48:59 GMT
Does the lottery allow you to buy ‘up to’ 2 tickets if you win, or 2 and only 2?
Tempted to try for the day I have a standing ticket booked but I’d only want one seat so don’t want to have to pay for two!
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Oct 24, 2023 8:23:06 GMT
where abouts were your lottery tickets? Ours were stalls row L, but the person at the box office said there were normally only 6 lottery tickets per show located in the front row and yesterday there was just some kind of promotional deal so there were lots more winners located throughout than just the front row.
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Oct 24, 2023 8:23:30 GMT
Does the lottery allow you to buy ‘up to’ 2 tickets if you win, or 2 and only 2? Tempted to try for the day I have a standing ticket booked but I’d only want one seat so don’t want to have to pay for two! you can enter the lottery for only 1 ticket if you only want 1!
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al
Auditioning
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Post by al on Oct 24, 2023 14:16:44 GMT
Front row for next week on sale.
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Post by bgarde on Oct 24, 2023 16:47:38 GMT
Front row for next week on sale. Thank you. Was able to get a front row for £38. Was very intrigued by this (and what a title!) but was disappointed by the exorbitant prices. Willing to risk it for KST despite the word of mouth!
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Post by A.Ham on Oct 24, 2023 18:21:00 GMT
Thank you al. Front row booked for mid-Nov for £42.50. That's a palatable price for a seat for this, and I can deal with a bit of 'looking up' at that price.
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996 posts
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Post by nash16 on Oct 24, 2023 21:47:44 GMT
Oh dear. How was this allowed to be staged? It’s not ready. Script or performances. Probably because of the script. There’s about 11 plates spinning and all of them crash to the ground long before the end. Paid for Balcony, so that’s the only relief. It didn’t seem to have a focus, and the Doon/Lily scenes seemed from a different play entirely. Stunned that Ian Rickson directed this. It’s baggy, slow, and wondering. And Kristin Scott Thomas (although very funny in her “monologue” looks lost. Oh for the Pinters she did to return. Imagine paying through the nose for this. Press Night tomorrow. Yikes.
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Post by parsley1 on Oct 24, 2023 22:01:06 GMT
Oh dear. How was this allowed to be staged? It’s not ready. Script or performances. Probably because of the script. There’s about 11 plates spinning and all of them crash to the ground long before the end. Paid for Balcony, so that’s the only relief. It didn’t seem to have a focus, and the Doon/Lily scenes seemed from a different play entirely. Stunned that Ian Rickson directed this. It’s baggy, slow, and wondering. And Kristin Scott Thomas (although very funny in her “monologue” looks lost. Oh for the Pinters she did to return. Imagine paying through the nose for this. Press Night tomorrow. Yikes. Partly we are all guilty As we both booked and paid to go and see it Hence facilitating poor quality material The playwrights previous works onstage are just as patchy I think paying audiences Particularly those in the WE should take some responsibility towards what they are enabling Does anyone write to the producer or director or playwright to feedback? It is particularly symptomatic in the WE over the last year there have been several dreadful plays all of which have attracted leading or famous actors And done good box office numbers The issue will go on People book ahead for new plays It’s the risk
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3,105 posts
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Post by Rory on Oct 24, 2023 22:07:40 GMT
Ah balls, I've paid full whack for this.
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996 posts
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Post by nash16 on Oct 24, 2023 22:42:28 GMT
We booked up to see it in the hope it was going to be great. We can’t be “guilty” when we don’t know the quality of the play or performances, as it’s a brand new production and play. They are the guilty party. But yes; maybe an email to Sonia to say “WTAF was that?”. Oh dear. How was this allowed to be staged? It’s not ready. Script or performances. Probably because of the script. There’s about 11 plates spinning and all of them crash to the ground long before the end. Paid for Balcony, so that’s the only relief. It didn’t seem to have a focus, and the Doon/Lily scenes seemed from a different play entirely. Stunned that Ian Rickson directed this. It’s baggy, slow, and wondering. And Kristin Scott Thomas (although very funny in her “monologue” looks lost. Oh for the Pinters she did to return. Imagine paying through the nose for this. Press Night tomorrow. Yikes. Partly we are all guilty As we both booked and paid to go and see it Hence facilitating poor quality material The playwrights previous works onstage are just as patchy I think paying audiences Particularly those in the WE should take some responsibility towards what they are enabling Does anyone write to the producer or director or playwright to feedback? It is particularly symptomatic in the WE over the last year there have been several dreadful plays all of which have attracted leading or famous actors And done good box office numbers The issue will go on People book ahead for new plays It’s the risk
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996 posts
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Post by nash16 on Oct 24, 2023 22:43:20 GMT
Can you return it for credit and book a cheaper one? (Or avoid…) Ah balls, I've paid full whack for this.
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Post by amyja89 on Oct 24, 2023 22:48:07 GMT
Sounds like my instincts were right on Monday night, had the opportunity to see this or Sondheim's Old Friends and chose Old Friends at around 7:10pm. Looks like Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga gave me a better time than KST and Lily James would have!
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Post by parsley1 on Oct 24, 2023 22:48:57 GMT
We booked up to see it in the hope it was going to be great. We can’t be “guilty” when we don’t know the quality of the play or performances, as it’s a brand new production and play. They are the guilty party. But yes; maybe an email to Sonia to say “WTAF was that?”. Partly we are all guilty As we both booked and paid to go and see it Hence facilitating poor quality material The playwrights previous works onstage are just as patchy I think paying audiences Particularly those in the WE should take some responsibility towards what they are enabling Does anyone write to the producer or director or playwright to feedback? It is particularly symptomatic in the WE over the last year there have been several dreadful plays all of which have attracted leading or famous actors And done good box office numbers The issue will go on People book ahead for new plays It’s the risk Yes and I also do this and not being contrary or difficult And we ALL get caught out And don’t want to go around thinking everything will be rubbish and being so cynical! But it’s a cause to reflect especially when it comes to the WE and there is so much great theatre elsewhere for much less Royal court, almeida, Donmar, NT I have become ruthless with WE now
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Post by parsley1 on Oct 24, 2023 22:50:27 GMT
We booked up to see it in the hope it was going to be great. We can’t be “guilty” when we don’t know the quality of the play or performances, as it’s a brand new production and play. They are the guilty party. But yes; maybe an email to Sonia to say “WTAF was that?”. Yes and I also do this and not being contrary or difficult And we ALL get caught out And don’t want to go around thinking everything will be rubbish and being so cynical! But it’s a cause to reflect especially when it comes to the WE and there is so much great theatre elsewhere for much less Royal court, almeida, Donmar, NT I have become ruthless with WE now It is (or used to be) particularly exceptional to premiere a new play direct into the WE… Generally for me it raises suspicion 😂 And I sorry you didn’t enjoy it It is a very very long painful evening disjointed Did you find the husband particularly unrealistic may I ask? Do men behave like this pantomime storybook baddie?
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996 posts
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Post by nash16 on Oct 24, 2023 23:01:20 GMT
I don’t want to get into “spoiler” territory (mainly because I still don’t know how to do the Spoiler thing on here, haha), but I was in awe of how that actor managed to deliver any of his lines and make them sound remotely natural or logical. I felt the script actually made him look bad as an actor, let alone a character, in the first half. He seemed better in the second, even though none of what occurred was remotely believable. Pantomime baddie is the right description. It’s only been an hour, but even recalling it now is painful. And anger inducing. And they’re stuck in it until Christmas. Flip. Yes and I also do this and not being contrary or difficult And we ALL get caught out And don’t want to go around thinking everything will be rubbish and being so cynical! But it’s a cause to reflect especially when it comes to the WE and there is so much great theatre elsewhere for much less Royal court, almeida, Donmar, NT I have become ruthless with WE now It is (or used to be) particularly exceptional to premiere a new play direct into the WE… Generally for me it raises suspicion 😂 And I sorry you didn’t enjoy it It is a very very long painful evening disjointed Did you find the husband particularly unrealistic may I ask? Do men behave like this pantomime storybook baddie?
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Post by parsley1 on Oct 24, 2023 23:17:09 GMT
I don’t want to get into “spoiler” territory (mainly because I still don’t know how to do the Spoiler thing on here, haha), but I was in awe of how that actor managed to deliver any of his lines and make them sound remotely natural or logical. I felt the script actually made him look bad as an actor, let alone a character, in the first half. He seemed better in the second, even though none of what occurred was remotely believable. Pantomime baddie is the right description. It’s only been an hour, but even recalling it now is painful. And anger inducing. And they’re stuck in it until Christmas. Flip. It is (or used to be) particularly exceptional to premiere a new play direct into the WE… Generally for me it raises suspicion 😂 And I sorry you didn’t enjoy it It is a very very long painful evening disjointed Did you find the husband particularly unrealistic may I ask? Do men behave like this pantomime storybook baddie? I feel your pain Had a second cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows in your honour
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1,392 posts
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Post by Dave B on Oct 25, 2023 13:00:27 GMT
£15 tickets for tonight. I imagine these will go fast
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3,105 posts
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Post by Rory on Oct 25, 2023 22:13:06 GMT
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Post by amyja89 on Oct 25, 2023 22:30:11 GMT
Seems like a rather kind if not unremarkable review compared to the opinions on here and most of what I've been seeing on Twitter!
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3,105 posts
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Post by Rory on Oct 25, 2023 23:30:45 GMT
Oh Lord, 1* in The Times
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888 posts
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Post by lonlad on Oct 25, 2023 23:32:01 GMT
Utterly excruciating. By the third hour, you really don't know where to look - the stage not being an option.
Does Sonia Friedman Productions have NO dramaturgs -- was Ian Rickson asleep?
1 star in The Times 2 stars in The Arts Desk 3 stars in The Mail and Telegraph tho' the Mail one certainly reads like a 2 star
Oh well
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Post by parsley1 on Oct 25, 2023 23:43:35 GMT
Utterly excruciating. By the third hour, you really don't know where to look - the stage not being an option. Does Sonia Friedman Productions have NO dramaturgs -- was Ian Rickson asleep? 1 star in The Times 2 stars in The Arts Desk 3 stars in The Mail and Telegraph tho' the Mail one certainly reads like a 2 star Oh well The Times hits the nail on the head with the word “Bizarre” And TBH we are crediting SF and Ian Rickson and KST with too much honour All three have been involved in a fair amount of rubbish during their careers KST is really no Cate Blanchett in the first place But most importantly it’s a nice reality check for Penelope Skinner It only strengthens the case for staging well thought out revivals in the mainstream WE There is a good argument that there are many many excellent plays already in existence If the choice is a revival of one of those Or a piece of crappy new writing I know which one I will choose every time Had this been staged at the RC I wonder if we on the forum would be kinder to it
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