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Post by andromedadench on Apr 26, 2018 21:37:14 GMT
Is Josefina really 54 years old as she looks amazing if she is? Quite possibly. I have a couple of former ballerinas in the family and those ladies are indestructible.
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Post by andromedadench on Apr 1, 2018 19:30:48 GMT
Saw this last night (friday). It came in at 3'15. Way of the World must have one of the most complicated plots and it takes a while to get your head around who is who and their relationships. I had to read the play for my English literature course at the uni, and all I remember of it is that I had to keep re-reading it as I couldn't grasp what was going on for the life of me. Eventually, it defeated me and I just gave up, hoping that, in the exam, I'd get a School for Scandal or The Rivals question instead.
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Post by andromedadench on Mar 16, 2018 14:19:57 GMT
Did a bit of googling and found this, from The Essential Theatre by Brockett and Ball. It concerns subsidised thetare practice of some, hopefully, more palatable countries.
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Post by andromedadench on Mar 16, 2018 13:25:11 GMT
Unless it's all just about profit and not about making culture available to everyone Could making theatre accessible to all in a country with a history of "controlled society" be as much about propaganda as artistic access, perhaps? I don't really get the question. Propaganda in what sense? How is making it possible for everyone to see a Tennessee Williams or a production of Fiddler on the Roof, propaganda? Theatre life in the socialist Yugoslavia was extremely rich with various theatres specializing in different repertories - from the classics to the modern American drama to musical theatre. It even spawned BITEF in 1967, so people could get a chance to see what was going on elsewhere in theatre world. They weren't staging pieces on how glorious the country or its system was, I think you underestimate people in ''controlled societies'' - we weren't some kind of brain-washed robots, state propaganda needed to be much subtler, just the way it is in ''free societies'', whatever those are. I genuinely fail to see anything sinister about the state allowing all its citizens to participate in the cultural life. In fact, having funds yet refusing to use them in such a way just so to make a bigger profit, is a sign of an unjust society. I'm not sure how the subsidised-theatre issue was dealt with in the Scandinavian model will have to look it up.
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Post by andromedadench on Mar 16, 2018 12:25:33 GMT
I found it all just a bit patronising. What is the obsession within certain quarters about 'the working class'? It is almost a fetishisation of a group. A group that is never really defined, a group that does not seem to be asked what it wants - as if 'the working class' could come up with a single response that was acceptable to everyone within that group that doesn't really exist as a homogenised entity. Yes, our theatre should reflect the whole range of life experience. Yes, our theatre should be accessible to all. But that is, in many ways, a pipe dream. Those on low and/or fixed incomes will always find paying to attend theatre of any sort a challenge. And there is no way that public subsidy could be used to really make theatre accessible to all.Is this actually more about the guilt of the privileged rather than anything else? Why is this so? How come it worked - and, for the most part, still does - in former socialist countries? In Yugoslavia, and even now in this skint raspberry-republic of Serbia, all theatre has always been publicly subsidised and, as such, accessible to all and catering to all. Uk is a much richer country than Yugoslavia ever was, so I genuinely don't get why more public subsidies are out of the question. Unless it's all just about profit and not about making culture available to everyone.
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Post by andromedadench on Mar 6, 2018 18:00:57 GMT
Really glad Lesley Joseph has been nominated for YF, I thought she was brilliant. But where's Clare Halse, indeed?
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Post by andromedadench on Mar 3, 2018 16:12:10 GMT
There is bad Then there is awful Then there is terrible Then you have Rufus Norris This utter pile of sh*te Has confirmed the man is incapable of directing anything The fact he can’t even offer a half decent Shakespeare and his lack of any experience with this playwright as a director Says it all In a way it’s good all these Macbeth’s have come along at the same time It will give the RSC a chance to shine with their version The concepts and staging of their production is quite quite something And let’s face it Their two leads really make Duff and Kinnear seem rather Insignificant If the arts media wanted any ammunition to mock and belittle Norris He has given it to them on a silver platter With a knife and fork ready to attack You need to pen a 2019 Edinburgh Fringe one man show called ''The Good, the Bad and the Rufus Norris''.
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Post by andromedadench on Mar 3, 2018 16:08:49 GMT
The Old Vic tour is great fun. I think I enjoyed it even more than the NT and Drury Lane ones.
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Post by andromedadench on Feb 25, 2018 16:23:35 GMT
I live some 1700 km to the south-east of central London, so I'd say my local London theatres are the Southwark Playhouse and the Menier, whereas the Almeida and The Hampstead are a bit further away from where I live.
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Post by andromedadench on Feb 15, 2018 23:34:40 GMT
Oh no... I knew they'd cast it properly now that I'm not able to go and see it *violent sobbing*
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Post by andromedadench on Feb 14, 2018 23:36:22 GMT
Daniel Evans directed a great production of this at Sheffield in 2010. The cast featured Daniel Crossley as Bill, Jemima Rooper as Sally and Miriam Margolyes as the Duchess. Rumour has it that Damien Lewis had been slated to star as Bill but they couldn't get the dates to work. That was a wonderful production, indeed. I do hope this one turns out to be at least as good and that, unlike the unlucky 2010 one, eventually makes its way to the WE.
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Post by andromedadench on Jan 2, 2018 23:10:09 GMT
I do wonder if those who saw Follies were expecting something like 42nd Street or Gyspy 2.0 which Follies isn't and never can be. Since you mention it, I don't take issue with the NT's production, I just thought I'd like the show itself much more than I did (I'd never seen it before). As it turns out, it's not one of my favourite Sondheims. Yet it did have some lovely moments and I wish i could have seen it once more to clarify what it was exactly that bothered me.
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Post by andromedadench on Jan 2, 2018 21:04:04 GMT
I'd also expected much more from Follies than what I eventually walked away with. And it's not that I didn't like it - I did - but it definitely wasn't the unforgettable theatrical experience I had expected. The shows that received unanimous praise yet were not to my personal taste, were The Ferryman and Half a Sixpence.
The most pleasant surprise for me was 42nd Street. I thought it would be naff and boring, which just goes to show how much my general MT knowledge leaves to be desired. Young Frankestein seems a little divisive, I thought it was a brilliant production of a very good show.
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Post by andromedadench on Dec 29, 2017 17:18:13 GMT
At the beginning of the year, it looked like I wouldn't get to see any UK theatre productions, so I'm just happy I eventually did see a dozen or so shows in and around London. The ones I loved have been: 42nd Street Young Frankestein A Little Night Music (at the Watermill) Hamlet The ones I also loved but not as passionately as the previous: Follies Loot Jesus Christ Superstar Venus in Fur The one I'm not so sure about: The Ferryman The one I could have lived without/the one upstaged by the venue's ladies' toilets: Young Marx I'd just like to add a 'Special Thanks' section to this post, as my 2017 UK theatre adventures wouldn't have been possible or at least wouldn't have been half as fun without the help and kindness of our own @theatremonkey , mallardo and Stasia . And other board members' tips and head ups. So, thank you all.
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Post by andromedadench on Dec 26, 2017 12:50:24 GMT
I saw the first preview without knowing much about the show (other than it was an 80s WE hit and, for some reason, I thought it was a musical) and found it hugely entertaining. Both the show itself and this production in particular are totally bonkers. I was seated next to an incredibly stylish lady with the most infectious laugh, only to find out during the interval that she was the director - she clearly had a great time, too. I felt the second act could have been a bit shorter, but also thought that the nutty, panto-inspired everything-blind casting worked great.
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Post by andromedadench on Dec 26, 2017 12:35:49 GMT
It isn't really that long since we had a huge choice of excellent plays and quality musicals which were 'events' in themselves because they had relatively short runs. The problem now is just how many WE theatres are effectively lost to the likes of Phantom, Lion King, Les Mis, Wicked, Thriller, etc. It has become a different landscape than it was 25 years ago and both Disney and the jukebox musical are largely to blame for that. Less risks are taken (which makes it great when The Goat, The Mentor and the like are staged), and as prices rise, the WE moves more towards tourist audiences. True. Like any other commercial enterprise, WE moves in any direction profit points to. It must have always been this way, but this process seems to have significantly sped up in recent years and has thus become even more glaringly obvious. I'm just an occasional tourist and yet, even I can tell how much Covent Garden and Soho have changed since, say, 2013, which was, I believe, when the last remnants of little independent shops/cafes/snack bars (Food for Thought, The Stockpot, Beetroot are the ones I remember) disappeared to be replaced with chain shops/restaurants. My dad used to visit London quite often between the early 70s and early 90s, and when he returned in 2008, he couldn't recognise anything. Earlier this year I saw a notice in Lower Marsh, another relatively centrally located hub of independent shops, calling the residents to protest the closing of shops planned by the multi-national company that's bought the area for re-development. There's also a lovely website on various independent, family-owned cafes in central London, that popped up during the 50s with the tide of Italian immigration, and survived until early 2000s, when they were wiped out by raised rents and replaced by chain outlets. And most of these places actually had their loyal clientele who chose to spend their money there, but it's obviously still far less money than can be made by much bigger number of people who prefer the chains. In the same manner, less commercial (original, risky or dark) shows will still attract a fair deal of theatre-goers, but they'll never be able to compete profit-wise with the safe crowd-pleasers. Anyway, what I was trying to say before I strayed away from my initial line of thought, is that I do agree that WE is getting more clogged by money-spinners of lower artistic value, but considering the bigger picture, it's par for the course. On one hand, ever growing mass tourism brings London insane revenues, and on the other, it is detrimental to the city's uniqueness and character. Or maybe I'm wrong? Actual Londoners probably have a clearer picture.
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Post by andromedadench on Dec 23, 2017 0:34:21 GMT
Wish I had been there - urban exploring for theatre-lovers. Do I think it's a particularly rational thing to do? No. Would I do it given a chance? In a heartbeat. I just wouldn't post a public account of it as getting security people in trouble is not OK. But I do love this part:
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Post by andromedadench on Dec 15, 2017 19:39:59 GMT
All my intricate thoughts and feelings about this show can be summed up by quoting a lady seated next to me, who before taking off at the interval, turned to her friend and sighed: My God, wasn't this awful! (I stayed, so I'd just like to add that the second part was just as awful.) However, I give the ladies' toilets 6*, I even took some pictures, that's how glorious they are.
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Post by andromedadench on Dec 15, 2017 19:06:30 GMT
Anyone seen this yet? (The theme tune was not written for the TV adaptation - it is taken from A Carol Symphony by Victor Hely-Hutchinson. But it is one of the best choices ever for a theme tune. It is the very epitome of Christmas to me) I saw one of the early previews. I wasn't familiar with either the book or the Tv show and went only because I wanted to finally visit the Wilton's, so I had no idea what to expect. And to be frank, I'm not sure what I think of the show as a whole. Visually, it was stunning. The use of light, animations, puppetry and movement choreography were all extremely clever and made for some truly beautiful but also charming and funny moments. However, those moments would get lost among the longer, seemingly unnecessary parts with superfluous dialogues that didn't further action in any way or, when trying to be humorous, fell flat due to the lack of pace. As I don't know the original material I've no idea what should have been done differently except that I'd have trimmed the text significantly, taken out the parts that clog the flow and kill the pace, and even taken out some characters that feel superfluous. Interestingly, the two major female characters, a goodie (well, mostly) and a baddie, dominate all their male peers on their respective sides of good and evil. Each of them is more daring, energetic and competent than any of the males they're dealing with, and even at one point they recognise each other as such. I doubt this was a part of the book, yet it doesn't feel forced. But the show does drag on and feels boring for the most part. I'm not sure if it's entirely up to the not-so-good stage adaptation of the book or if the staging itself plays some part in it. Then again, there are really well staged parts, so it's all a very mixed bag. I'm not familiar with the actors playing the children, but they were all great. So, I'm not sure I'd recommend this, but perhaps it has undergone some tweaking in the meantime. I hope it has, as it's obvious that lots of effort has been put into it and there are some excellent moments and ideas swallowed by the cumbersome and confusing storyline. I'd give the production 5* for the visual impression and atmosphere, and 2* for the writing/staging. I'd love to hear what people who saw it later in the run thought of it.
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Post by andromedadench on Dec 15, 2017 18:32:54 GMT
On one hand, I do get the misgivings (to put it mildly) most of you have about Chicago's return, but on the other, I hope I'll get to see it again as it's both a wonderful show and a wonderful production when cast properly.
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Post by andromedadench on Nov 16, 2017 11:52:41 GMT
Here's a little secret about the Donmar Warehouse standing spaces - they don't actually mind if you go to the side and stand next to B13 or B34. You just have to be behind the railing, next to the pillar, and not standing on any stairs. If you're short, it makes a WORLD of difference to the visibility. The only snag is that when they come up just before curtain to gather a few lucky standees to be seated in empty stalls seats, you're too far away to get involved with that. www.theatremonkey.com/DONMARstalls.htmThank you SO much for this tip! As I can't plan my trips that much in advance, the Donmar always turns out to be sold out and these tickets are my only realistic option.
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Post by andromedadench on Nov 16, 2017 11:28:50 GMT
I'm open to any other suggestions or recommendations. Not afraid of off west end/fringe theatre either, plays or musicals. Couple of additional suggestions: "The Lady From the Sea" at the Donmar (mixed reviews here but I thought it was great). £10 standing tickets released at 10:00 daily. If there are free seats the ushers will upgrade standing customers to the available seats. "The Slaves of Solitude" at Hampstead theatre. (Tickets much cheaper for matinees than for evenings) For what it's worth - I wouldn't recommend the Donmar's standing tickets to anyone who's not quite tall as the seats right in front of you are raised and if you're unlucky enough to end up with someone tallish sitting in front of you, you won't get to see much of the show. I'm a 5'3'' midget, but I was under the impression that even an average height wouldn't have helped me much. And I second/third/forth etc. all the 42nd Street recs!
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Post by andromedadench on Nov 14, 2017 16:14:59 GMT
Can you bring your own foldable camping chair? Those seem to be staple pieces of equipment for people dayseating for standing opera tickets in Vienna. The first time I saw it I found it funny, but after several hours of queuing on my feet and then another couple of hours watching the opera on my feet, I realised why so many people use them.
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Post by andromedadench on Nov 11, 2017 19:01:24 GMT
Other touristy London activities I've particularly enjoyed (off the top of my head): - walk along the Regents canal, usually between Little Venice/the Regent's Park and Camden Lock - walk along the Thames in Chiswick and Hammersmith or in Wapping and Limehouse - a visit to Highgate cemetery (both the guided tour around the West part and the free visit to the East part); other 6 big Victorian cemeteries like Kensal Green, Brompton, Abney Park etc. are all amusingly gothic (and free to visit) - getting lost in/around the Barbican. It's one of my favourite places in London. Just make sure to allow for plenty of time to find your bearings. The only place in London I've found more impossible to find my way out of is V&A - they seem to have entire floors that disappear and re-materialise again - but I also recommend their theatre section - Saturday/Sunday markets even though they've become more or less uniform. If you happen to be in Greenwich on a Saturday, do pop down to Deptford, their flea market is quite a sight to behold. Broadway Market (also on the Regent's canal) is quite nice, too. The top part of the Portobello market can be somewhat interesting - aside from the Skygarden, the top-floor bar at the Tate modern also has a nice view over the river and the city, and so does the One New Change building/shopping centre near St Paul's. So do various parks and hilltops around London - Alexandra Palace, Richmond Park and various parks across South London - Roof Gardens rooftop bar on Kensington High Street is fun and free to visit during the daytime Probably a million things more I can't think of at the moment. You'll have to go back for repeat visits (and so will I). In addition to thatremonkey's, the websites I've found useful are londonist.com, hidden-london.com, www.secret-london.co.uk, www.visitlondon.com and www.coolplaces.co.uk
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Post by andromedadench on Nov 11, 2017 16:20:51 GMT
Xanderl Thank you for your suggestions and tips. Yes, I wanted to see Follies but tickets are a problem. Don't have an American Express. I recently downloaded the TodayTix app but it keeps giving me bad seats for advance purchase, last row of the stalls for several shows. Maybe closer to the date or on the day better seats become available? The £10 off is great though! Try NT's Friday Rush tickets. I'm sure you can find all the details on the NT's site, but essentially you need to log on the Friday before the week you're interested in, at 13.00 British time, and then swiftly snatch a £15 ticket. Also, I'm not from London, but I don't think you should really worry about venturing away from WE in the evenings. Menier Chocolate Factory is an intimate MT venue, and they'll be showing Barnum. Not sure what the Almeida or the Hamstead Theatre will have on during your stay, but both are lovely venues, too. As a fellow tourist, I'd suggest exploring as much as you can, since there's always something interesting to bump into. Oh, and go see a panto if you haven't before, as that's something you can't see on Broadway. The British forum-members are better qualified to suggest which one sounds the best this year, I've only been to the Hackney Empire's one, and I thoroughly loved the experience (plus, it's another pretty off-WE venue).
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Post by andromedadench on Nov 10, 2017 21:34:24 GMT
I think the issue with this, as with much of Brecht, is the production decisions. I can certainly see how Mother Courage could drive an audience mad. However, earlier this year I went to a production by Fourth Monkey. It was interactive and quite a lot of fun. This is my experience, too. I've seen a couple of great productions of Brecht, Mother Courage included, and then, I've seen some duds, Mother Courage included. (none in London/ UK theatres, though)
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Post by andromedadench on Oct 26, 2017 21:42:54 GMT
Average, but worthwhile. The sort of cold clever effective procedural you expect from Agatha Christie, lacking the overblown camp that keeps her watchable on the telly, but with a hugely impressive "set" that feels just like the Old Bailey, and a warm inviting central performance from David Yelland. Some spoilers follow. . . Don't be fooled by the 1957 movie or the 2016 Boxing Day BBC adaptation. Those are far superior works, which, while embracing Christie's genius for plotting, are vastly enhanced by the work of other brilliant writers:- (1) The 1957 movie is a comedy, by Billy Wilder, who molds Christie's decent, but vacant, underwritten barrister, Sir Wilfrid Robarts (played by Charles Laughton), into an irascible self-destructive fury, constantly trying to kill himself with booze and smokes, while he tries to evade the watchful eye of his ever-present nursemaid (played hilariously by Laughton's own wife, Elsa Lanchester). Everything good about the movie comes from Wilder; (2) The 2016 BBC two-parter is an all-encompassing drama about the dark side of capitalism and the hopeless romanticism that allows us to survive it, which I consider to be the best work of the superb tv writer (And Then there were None, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, the Death of Dirty Den in Eastenders) and sometime playwright, Sarah Phelps. This adaptation, based not on Christie's play, but on an earlier short story by Christie, retains that story's less-sanitised plot elements, and adds to them a frame all of Phelp's own creation, that sees Toby Jones's solicitor as a Winston Smith type romantic, dreaming his way through a hellish capitalist cityscape. This is an immense work, brilliantly conceived, acted, involving and desperately meaningful and moving. Strip Wilder and Phelps out of these works, and the humanity evaporates away. Christie's play, as is, is cold compelling plotting, and that's all. Luckily, the play has a magnificent setting in London County Hall, which feels just like the Old Bailey, and it also has two notable performances, one of enigmatic charm by Jack McMullen as the Accused, and one that exudes an endearing goodness and decency, by David Yelland. For the set and for Yelland, I enjoyed myself, but I prefer my Christie laced with the humanity of other better writers. 3 stars for the play. 4 stars for the Wilder movie. 5 stars for the Phelps tv adapation. Nb: Other than Christie's plotting, another commonality between all versions of this story (and Brexit) is that many English people are depicted as having enormous prejudice against "foreigners." Thank you SO MUCH for the heads up about the 2016 BBC version and Sarah Phelps. I have always loved Wilder's version, but now I really need to see the TV one.
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Post by andromedadench on Oct 26, 2017 21:36:44 GMT
Did this today. Don't wanf to spoil it for anyone so no details. It's not Punchdrunk's best work but it's a great concept and we had a good time. We finished after about 4.5 hours - I think they have cut it down a bit during the first few previews. There is a lot of walking and some running. And some very typical Punchdrunk touches. Also, it's definitely not for anyone who isn't up for interacting with performers. I thought there was nothing I wouldn't do to experience a theatre show that sounds interesting enough, but I just realised there is. My life has a strict no running policy. On the other hand, a show that pisses off at least one bratty critic, gets instant 5 stars from me. Thank you, Punchdrunk.
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Post by andromedadench on Oct 14, 2017 0:09:40 GMT
A person who wakes suddenly may say something not realising where they were and Peter would have been diagnosed with dementia when it happened. I don't remember ever witnessing someone wander onstage, but this reminded me that I did see someone fall asleep onstage. During a performance of La boheme at the Belgrade Opera, the curtain rose before the final act only to reveal someone tucked up and blissfully asleep in what was supposed to be Mimi's (still empty) sick-bed. Suddenly, startled by the orchestra or by the prompter who'd finally noticed her from the wings, the singer playing Musetta wakes up, sits upright with a look of total shock and disbelief, climbs out of the bed and stumbles offstage. It was quite bemusing, but I shrugged it off as a weird bit of stage directing. Only later did a friend who worked backstage tell me that what happened was that the singer was pregnant and prone to falling asleep between the calls. During the interval, she decided to take a brief nap in the bed, and the stage hands didn't notice her when they rotated the set for the final act. (In fairness, she's a diminutive woman)
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Post by andromedadench on Oct 13, 2017 23:16:51 GMT
do Trafalgar Studios normally do day seats Totally depends on the show. My guess is that todaytix could well do something - and there are two rows not on sale yet down at the front. Muchas gracias once again, senor TM!
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