404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Dec 21, 2018 13:23:40 GMT
Perhaps we can all pay for it to be staged there?? Theatre forum Angels 👼 T=given that in the programme for Hadestown the commercial producers solicited investment in future productions, I suppose anything is possible.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Dec 20, 2018 16:54:30 GMT
I too was at that matinee. The first half was rather dull and the second half rather crazy. I felt as if they now have the outline and a road map for a play and now they need someone with an ear for dialogue and brevity to sit down and write it. Because as it is, it just feels self-indulgent ( and at 2.5 hours it IS self-indulgent). I did enjoy the dig at "Company" and at the Literary Department of the National, but that too is self-indulgent. Ultimately I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. If you have a ticket, it's just wasted evening in the theatre but we all have them and that's fine with me. I just don't know what's going on at the National in general. The mish-mash of stuff on view is distressing. Why not send them your latest new play? Alas, for whatever reason, they're not fans of my plays - but at least they carry one of them in the bookshop.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Dec 20, 2018 11:36:48 GMT
I too was at that matinee. The first half was rather dull and the second half rather crazy. I felt as if they now have the outline and a road map for a play and now they need someone with an ear for dialogue and brevity to sit down and write it. Because as it is, it just feels self-indulgent ( and at 2.5 hours it IS self-indulgent). I did enjoy the dig at "Company" and at the Literary Department of the National, but that too is self-indulgent. Ultimately I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. If you have a ticket, it's just wasted evening in the theatre but we all have them and that's fine with me. I just don't know what's going on at the National in general. The mish-mash of stuff on view is distressing.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Dec 11, 2018 9:00:09 GMT
I caught this last night ( Monday ) and was more impressed by its themes and construction than its characters. The performances were all strong and the staging was at times taut and effective. The less effective bits - the natives screaming in the aisles etc. I'll not comment upon. The audience did stand up and cheer at the end though I don't really know know why. It's a solid ( if a bit too long) evening, but not so great as to warrant the standing o. I fear we're becoming a bit too much like the states in that regard. Let's have the courage to stay seated unless its exceptional. Ok?
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Dec 4, 2018 15:51:59 GMT
I saw this last week and retitled it "I'm Not Staying". This is a bad play, with unbelievable and unsympathetic characters . Caroline is told by another doctor that there is aman dripping in blood with severe injuries in the A & E and she continues to have a conversation with Sandy and then get his phone number. I guess she was out of class the day they taught the words: First Do No Harm.
The set is clearly part of the Nationa;s austerity budget for scenery and I felt while watching it I was seeing everyone's 5th choice for each of the actors. I'm a fan of David Hare's and have been for more decades than I care to remember but like many older playwrights he seems to have lost the fire that propelled him to the top of his profession. He's just marking time now with nothing really to inspire him.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Nov 6, 2018 17:23:04 GMT
The official but kind of sketchy Hadestown website (not part of the NT) has a Contact Us drop down that gives you an option to inquire about investing in in the show as well. I signed up for it (not that I'm cash rich, but just wanted to see how these things work) but never heard back. Out of curiosity, would someone be kind of enough to take a photo of the bio/email and send it to me please? Here you go:
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Nov 6, 2018 15:20:16 GMT
It's not the first time the Nash has received and presented a US production in its entirety, and it won't be the last, and it's not even something that's exclusive to Rufus Norris. Granted, we usually get the productions *after* the US run so this is unusual, but it's not unusual for being a production that didn't originate at the NT. That’s true but it’s the first time I’ve seen a solicitation for investment in a shows future, Disney, Rudin and Sonia Friedman are far more discreet about their involvement in enhancing shows at the National. This just sort of offended me.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Nov 6, 2018 12:33:51 GMT
I'm alicechallice and frankubelik and theatrefan77. I thought it was ok but at least half an hour too long, I liked the chorus better than the principals ( and when that happens a show is in trouble) I felt that there were a lot of recent musicals which could've been performed on that set: Girl from North Country, Once, Spring Awakening etc. I also felt there was a self-satisfied smugness about the show, the opening where Andre DeShields greets every member of the company - why? Or more realistically - why did it have to take so long? Every song was two to three verses too long as well - I wouldn't have minded but the lyrics were so enigmatic that the songs grew less and less interesting as the went along. Ultimately though I think the failing of the show is that for there failed to be any emotional connection to the characters largely because there were no real characters just archetypes. Also, did anyone notice how the commercial producers involved not only have bios in the programme but there's an e-mail address in case any of us are interested in investing in the future life of the show. Id Rufus turning the NT into a receiving house ?
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Nov 4, 2018 7:33:44 GMT
I was completely new to the piece having never heard the score before so in echoing both Dawnstar and Robertb213's comments, the plot was all but lost on me. The narration was confusing she seemed to have altered between her own thoughts and elements of the plot. Also from where I was sitting, she was hidden behind her podium and that seemed quite odd. I thought it was rather wonderfully sung and if I single out Natasha Barnes it's only because, for me she possess that special spark of confidence and joy that the best of musical theatre performers have. I wish that the orchestra was better - perhaps a case of too little rehearsal. I'm sure the subsequent performances will be tighter and more assured. One caveat about the venue. The show was over, the houselights were up and yet the house staff prevented us from leaving for a minute or two - I'm sure there was a good reason but it did make for an unsafe crush at the exit and if one were the slightest bit claustrophobic it could prove disastrous.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Nov 2, 2018 12:23:54 GMT
I've heard Delfont, LW, Nederlander and Nimax are pretty good now. I'm glad to hear that things have changed. I still get angry when I think of the hoops I had to go through with ATG when I had bought the insurance, was knocked out with the flu and they demanded a note from my GP saying that I on that particular day I was unable to travel. I told them that I hadn't consulted a my GP but I have a drawer full of flu medicines to prove I wasn't lying. The response back was send us a picture and a copy of the reciepts and we'll look again at your situation. I did as they asked and 2 months later I received my refund. And with Delfont Mackintosh I attended a performance of Half a Sixpence which was halted about halfway through the first act - it took them about an hour before they cancelled the performance entirely. I called the next day about a refund and they said that since I was there on a front row day seat I wouldn't be able to get a refund but they were willing to exchange my ticket for another weeknight performance. I chose a date and while we were speaking went online to see how well sold the performance was and indeed the stalls were 1/3 sold, the dress circle the same and the Royal Circle was basically empty. The person said I'm seating you in the Royal Circle she told me the seat number and not only was it on the extreme side but it was marked "obstructed". I asked if she could do better than that. "You're lucky we're doing this." I explained that I really can't climb those stairs and that's why I often do a front row lottery. Her response was: Then that's what you'll have to do again. And she promptly refunded my money to my account - something which she had indicated she was unable to do because I was a 'day seat". Perhaps enough people complained that they all went on a customer relations training programme - because a ticket that the theatre chain doesn't sell is one less booking fee into their coffers which they don't share with the show.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Nov 1, 2018 9:17:19 GMT
The subsidized theatres such as the National , the Donmar, Almeida etc. are usually sympathetic and helpful. The chains - Delfont Mackintosh, Nimax and especially ATG are, excuse the expression - assholes. It's best to try and do it in person and hope for a human element.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Oct 30, 2018 11:40:55 GMT
I saw this last night and thought it was a first draft piece of crap that McDonough dug out of a desk drawer and gave to Hytner. It's a premise more than a play and not a really logical one. I'm not faulting the creatives except McDonough who must know it's not good and Hytner/Starr for producing it. They're batting average at the Bridge this year isn't very good - with Julius Caesar being the exception. I bought tickets to everything this year to be supportive of their new enterprise but this coming season? I'm simply going to wait.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Oct 28, 2018 7:08:18 GMT
I've always found Scott Alan's songs interchangeable, I hear one and think "oh its pretty good" and then three songs later I think: "Didn't they just sing this?" I can only take so much of his brooding self-indulgence. This show ain't "Songs for a New World" which is clearly what they were aiming for.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Oct 28, 2018 6:54:49 GMT
I went to this last night because I had to see what the fuss was about. I know I'm not the target audience but I'm an open-minded guy and a fan of Larry O'Keefe's work. The place was packed and CHF was out. But since I'm not a member of her cult, that really didn't matter to me. To put it simply, it's not my show. It's almost everything I hate about contemporary musical theatre. It's slap-dash and lazy in its construction, the physical production is cheap and ugly, the performances by and large are second rate ( seriously , I saw many of the performers when they were on stage but not the focus, looking out at the audience not at what they should have been looking at on stage - what sort of amateur behavior is this? ) There was one song that I felt "landed" properly 17 Again or whatever its called, the right song, in the right place with the right characters and their conflicting emotions. Everything else was a dire mess. I'm glad I went and was happy to see what the fuss was about but Christ what an awful show. Oh and as it is a Bill Kenwright show don't worry, it'll be back whenever a theatre needs a quick booking. Ugh!
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Oct 12, 2018 14:50:56 GMT
Though admittedly it doesn't sound like anyone in that thread has necessarily been to the Coliseum recently, so if they have dropped the water ban, they've done it very recently and very quietly. Which would be weird in itself; given how unpopular it was, you'd think they'd want to let people know they've reversed an unpopular decision. I had it on pretty good authority from someone rather high up at the ENO. I was there recently seeing Salome and didn't notice any confiscation going on, but that doesn't mean it wasn't happening.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Oct 12, 2018 7:54:19 GMT
I saw this last night and thought it was smashing! Maybe a bit too long but who cares, it's one of the most clear-headed productions of the play I've seen and all the acting was terrific. Simon Godwin can be great ( Strange Interlude) or downright awful ( Cherry Orchard in New York) but when he hits it right, it's something to celebrate. The physical production was also wonderful and great to see the Oliver drum being put to good use. This is the kind of production for which people go to the National from all over the world. Totally satisfying. Let's hope Rufus and the powers that be take note. So many of their other choices have been downright lousy.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Oct 12, 2018 7:40:43 GMT
I've been wanting this show to appear for what feels like forever - but a concert version at ENO with their ridiculous water policy and horrible ticket prices?! Just hope it inspires interest in the show so we get a proper production somewhere. And not forgetting building the set over the orchestra pit so folk in the not so cheap, cheap seats can’t see half the action Hey calm down everyone, sure the ticket prices are going to be high in the stalls, they're high everywhere else in town why shouldn't they be for the ENO? And that water policy has fallen by the wayside. It was there ( and will probably be there again) for Bat Out of Hell and the rock oriented shows because people came with water bottles full of gin and vodka. Why not focus on the fact that La Mancha has a great score and we'll be sure to get a full-throated powerful vocal performance of it? That's good news.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Oct 4, 2018 8:16:45 GMT
I caught yesterday's matinee of this, there were maybe 80 people in the stalls, I didn't look in the circle. I thought it was pretty awful. The play is certainly heavy-handed and the thought of a drinking game wherein we would take shots everytime someone said the word "Fox " got me through the proceedings. There was no tension and the set looked as if it were pulled from a warehouse two days earlier. I've liked the actors before and I'll like them again but they must be relieved that the play is closing early, it has to be disheartening to perform for a sparse and unenthusiastic audience.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Sept 30, 2018 9:28:59 GMT
I had no interest in this whatsoever but the notices were enthusiastic enough to make me think I should check it out. I'm glad I did. Parts of it were energetic and compelling, other parts were ( dramaturgically at least) amateurish. However, I'm not the target audience for this - I only vaguely knew what Grime was/is - so don't go by what I have to say.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Sept 25, 2018 9:52:56 GMT
There's an alternative reading of Evan's character that doesn't bode well with its fans, is that Evan is really a horrible, opportunistic liar and not just a victim of circumstance, and despite the damage he creates, all is magically forgiven by the play's conclusion. This has been problem with the show from the very beginning when I first saw it off-broadway. I love the score, the performances, the staging but I felt that the lack of real hurtful consequence to Evan's actions is just plain wrong. That said, 95% of my friends totally disagree with me. IFor what its worth, don't believe color-blind casting will change the show.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Sept 20, 2018 18:10:26 GMT
A sad afternoon. At least it was short. But Peter Brook in striving for simplicity has sucked all the oxygen out of the theatre. Oh well.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Sept 18, 2018 6:54:36 GMT
I saw this last night and had a good time, though it seems like it might be a cut extended monologue left over from "The Weir". Aside from Mr Coyle's command of the space and the play, I was most struck by how beautifully designed the evening is - the subtle lighting, the atmospheric sound and the haunted feeling of the environment itself. A totally worthwhile evening ( and in addition to the two chairs with coats on them which Mr Coyle uses, there were 5 empty seats ( in a room of 40 or so) ; So if you're inclined I think it might be possible to get in at the last minute or "day of". I'm glad I went.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Sept 14, 2018 14:09:52 GMT
She could do it all - drama, comedy, opera, musical comedy - there was nothing in the performing arts she couldn't do and she was a warm, generous human being off stage as well. RIP.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Sept 12, 2018 23:17:12 GMT
Saw this tonight and quite enjoyed it. It's messy and clearly needs cutting ( especially the second act which could've ended at any point ) but Natasha Barnes is terrific as is the band and the overall production. I hope it finds an audience during its brief run. But with Sylvia and Six also playing it seems like audiences have too many choices for proto-feminist rock musicals all of which owe a considerable debt ( creatively and commercially) to Hamilton.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Sept 1, 2018 16:37:37 GMT
I was gonna say, if you write off plays based purely on Parsley not liking them, you would have a fairly small number of things you could see each year... Andrew I don't write off plays that quickly, but frankly of my theatre savvy friends in the states and the number of awards the play has received, as well as the fairly healthy Broadway run and the rare national tour for a straight play(in the states) I was simply surprised at how much some of the folks on here hated the evening. To each his own. Hopefully this cast is simply getting used to a different audience response than what they are used to and have been calibrating their performances to this foreign environment.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Sept 1, 2018 8:46:49 GMT
I haven't seen the play over here, but I did see it in NYC twice - the first time off-Broadway and the second time on Broadway, I loved it both times, actually much more the second time and I was so pleased to see they were bringing over the great entire original cast. I haven't booked in to see it at Hampstead yet, but I'm wondering if this is one of those times where a very American play simply doesn't translate for British audiences. In the same way there are lots of British plays which Americans don't "get". In reference to some of the comments here about Thanksgiving dinner (i.e. Hours to prepare and minutes to consume) that's always been the case. The day is all about the preparation and the aftermath - that's the family time. I'm not saying that in The Humans that this is a realistic depiction of that Yank ritual but it's closer to realism than you think. And as for going out to eat on Thanksgiving, that isn't an option for this family. The point of all of them gathering in the new not yet ready house, is that they couple want to welcome them into their home, not go out to eat. It's not about the meal, it's about taking care of one's family in one's own home. I'm sorry that it seems the play hasn't transferred here successfully.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Aug 31, 2018 5:54:55 GMT
I saw this tonight and despite the fact that I found some of the didacticism over-written and the running time a bit too long, I loved it - a lot ! And the stomping screaming and cheering ovation at the end was something rather amazing. More than a 10 actor Hamlet or a star-driven Othello , this play and this production embodied what I hope will be Michelle Terry's bold and inclusive tenure at the Globe. The performances were more often than not delightful; the rambunctiousness of the direction was contagious without being obnoxious and as a call to arms for equality and respect, it gives "The Jungle" a run for its money. I really think this is one of the best and most exhilarating plays of the year andin a year that includes The Inheritance, The Jungle, Fun Home and Home, I'm Darling - that's saying something. If the Globe doesn't bring it back next year it's only because it will already be playing in the West End. Joyful!
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Aug 30, 2018 7:17:58 GMT
I've loved both episodes. Performances, direction and the ongoing anxiety and suspense. Not since the first two seasons of Spooks have I been this impressed! Let's hope they keep up the pace and the detail. Knowing Mercurio's work though I'm pretty sure they will.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Aug 30, 2018 7:13:26 GMT
For reasons to complex to explain I had to be out of the house all day and into the night, so I bit the bullet and saw it all and I have to say it was everything I feared.
I think the play was so busy trying not be boring that it ended up being merely cheeky and superficial. Other than McCabe, Kloska a few others, the performances were all strictly B or less. And while I appreciated the challenges that Anthony Ward faced in designing this epic play, I felt that the set looked as if it were for an awards ceremony in ancient Rome and the costumes were drab and pulled from stock. And speaking of stock Paul Englishby's incidental music sounds as if it came from an old generic music library on LP. All of this of course lands at the feet of Gregory Doran who seems to be doing his best to lower the standards of the RSC with each passing play. While I think the audience enjoyed part one by the end of Part Two almost a third of the stalls seemed to be empty. And that usual exhilarating feeling after a 7 hour epic was noticeably lacking.
|
|
404 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Aug 22, 2018 17:07:42 GMT
Well I admire Foxa's fortitude, I bailed at the interval as did quite a few others. This was as dull a play as I've seen in recent years and there was some serious line flubbing going on to the point f Ms Asante saying something to the effect of "WHAT are you trying to tell me?" . I'm not sure what Ms Hannam contributed to the evening to give her this special award and production, given the deadly pace, the odd design, the cliche-ridden sound effects and well, sorry - the choice of play. Was this produced under Kwame's watch or David's.? As far as I'm concerned it was a waste of my time and theirs.
|
|