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Post by Snciole on Mar 3, 2024 13:41:29 GMT
I thought this was dull and if there had been an interval I would have left.
There is nowhere for anyone to go performance wise. It all feels one note. The ending, which is the most interesting part still fails to be very interesting. The premise doesn't work in this space, either there is a sense of danger or there isn't? I am reluctant to spoil but equally don't think there is much to spoil. I suspect the perceived star power of JLM saw this transfer but it is star that is fading.
It seems to be selling quite poorly. We were upgraded to some rows near the front of the circle.
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Post by Snciole on Dec 22, 2021 14:33:37 GMT
The sad thing is that even without the various problems it would probably still be mess. Craig feels miscast, the Norris lyrics are so bad and it just isn't sure of itself. It looks great at times but as much as I admire the NT for being experimental at this time but for the sake of their finances they should have just shoved on War Horse or Curious Incident... again.
I am not surprised the NT Live has been cancelled. I am not sure who the audience for this is now, let alone in March and if it comes back in any form I will be amazed. I am not sure this is worth anyone's time.
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Post by Snciole on Jul 16, 2020 19:49:47 GMT
Local lockdown is a real threat. It is clear theatre, on the whole has given up on London but all the hope for the regions (who have suffered major losses) may also go with this plan. What other options do they have if a second wave however localised looms large.
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Post by Snciole on Jun 30, 2020 20:28:41 GMT
I have mixed feelings about drive-in performances. On one hand, it is an innovative way of social distancing and ensuring that performances can continue but the policy for many years has been to abandon cars, make learning to drive a very expensive pastime and the general expense of running a car as off putting as policy.
The environmental concerns are obvious but as someone who has often complained about how inaccessible theatre is before lockdown I think it will be even worse afterwards if it is limited to seasonal performances to people with access to cars.
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Post by Snciole on Apr 24, 2020 14:12:42 GMT
I have said this elsewhere but big theatres will be fine; if they don't have the cash reserves then they will have the support of generous benefactors. We are already seeing big names and big shows get announced, primarily for advance sales, but this won't end in 2021. It cannot. I think it might 2023-2024 before we go back to schedule expected. There won't be the time or interest for experiments and I suspect any inroads regarding theatre diversity from who is on the stage to who is in the audience will all but disappear temporarily.
A lot of theatres won't come back from this, particularly fringe and pub theatres. They cannot attract the names and shows to build up cash flow and if they rely on donations then this could change artistic policy.
I think social distancing will be enforced through fewer tickets at higher prices
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Post by Snciole on Apr 24, 2020 14:03:05 GMT
I think the doubts worked better on TV than on stage (I stubbornly voted Guilty because I think they were as dodgy and desperate as hell but there is reasonable doubt) as it felt contrived on stage. I find Graham can be subtle and classy and the production was not that. I think if seeds of doubt/guilt had been better sown throughout the production I would have enjoyed it more but Graham clearly thinks they are not guilty and that overwhelms the production.
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Post by Snciole on Apr 2, 2020 16:05:46 GMT
I think, at the risk of being crude, a lot of organisations are covering their arse. Exploiting the hope to prop up cash flow will become common. ATG have just rescheduled Adam Buxton's tour until end of August, which seems very optimistic but better than not sitting on a pile of cash.
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Post by Snciole on Apr 1, 2020 14:38:18 GMT
See, I'm the opposite Snciole - I am really missing being part of an audience and will be back as soon as they open. Actually, I am missing crowds and people and noise and buzz in general - it's brought home to me why I choose to live in a busy city. I'm personally less worried about catching anything though from a societal point of view I obviously agree with actions to prevent transmission and protect the more vulnerable, and I'm not complacent about the risks. I suspect a lot of people will be like me and will be gagging to get into pubs, restaurants, theatres, etc as soon as they open again. I'd be surprised if the NT just announced closure to 30 June randomly - it's presumably based on the advice they are getting from Govt. But that could obviously change since the whole situation is very unpredictable. I have also had my pessimistic moments about any semblance of normality returning until spring next year. But equally the science is moving fast, so better treatments are likely to be around soon even if a vaccine is 12 months away. Basically - who knows?? I get that but I think there will be a lot of scepticism about Government advice about when we can go back (When, how long for, what volume etc) as I felt they really effed up between 13-16 March. It was messy and confused when the advice should have been based on countries that were having major epidemics, not treating it like chicken pox. Will people ever feel truly safe or will Coronavirus become like a cold, an inconvenience but not life threatening. I will be honest I am missing my friends and eating out far more than theatre and personally I was exhausting myself covering and seeing as much I was (for blog and for my own pleasure) perhaps because I saw so much in short spaces of time I am not finding myself missing it and enjoying lockdown. Theatre streams are great but I am not sure they are for me and what I enjoy about theatre. I will be back but will I need to see as much as I was before? Probably not. As I said the big names and theatres will be fine but I think this will change the theatre landscape nationally, particularly pub theatres that will have the double whammy of losing pub and theatre revenue. Will people want to see more in smaller spaces or support larger productions? I think a June reopening is far too optimistic and probably about cash flow rather than improvement in the situation for most spaces. I am increasingly seeing events cancelled into July and August now.
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Post by Snciole on Apr 1, 2020 13:32:55 GMT
I think any re-openings won't be until autumn at the earliest and even then it will be limited to the bigger theatres, who might have had a buffer/generous donors.
At the risk of sounding really morbid I think 2020 might be a write-off for the theatre industry and a lot of theatres, particularly fringe in big cities, will not come back. I also think we need to look at what audiences attitudes will be after weeks or months in lockdown. I love theatre but this whole incident has made me question whether I need to be in crowded spaces as often as I am.
On the other hand, there will still be productions I want to see but this is such an unprecedented event who knows if it will ever return to normal.
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Post by Snciole on Jan 14, 2020 20:42:35 GMT
You don't mean it was your first visit Snciole? Would have thought you of all people would have seen it in the last 2 years? As for whether they bring the show back at all next year, who knows - but if they do, I agree he's a hard act to follow. So my partner hates A Christmas Carol and I try not to see too many of them during the festive period (one of my friends and bloggers is a superfan so if any review opportunities come up I send her) . Whilst I do like Rhys Ifans and Stephen Tomkinson I would quite like to marry Paterson Joseph so that swung it for me.
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Post by Snciole on Jan 14, 2020 20:40:26 GMT
I think I might react like the old black woman. What a queen.
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Post by Snciole on Jan 14, 2020 19:09:26 GMT
I was in tears. I thought this was just lovely. Great performances, a more in depth look at what made Scrooge the man he was and his regrets. I started crying at the line "I don't want him to become me" and didn't stop. It is a lovely show and intrigued who they bring in next year. I thought Paterson Joseph was perfect.
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Post by Snciole on Jan 14, 2020 18:22:22 GMT
Er... Have any people of colour on here seen this. I am going on Saturday and the spoilers for the end sound very intriguing. As a light skinned person of colour it all sounds like it will create havoc and judgement.
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Post by Snciole on Oct 22, 2019 15:53:58 GMT
Southwark Playhouse artistic director: Thirsty people will be delighted to hear Waterloo East Theatre has revived this. I am off to the press night tonight. Even the production photos were so explicit I had to close my email at work.
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Post by Snciole on Oct 16, 2019 16:04:55 GMT
I’ve used the Go! Shuttle service from JFK to get into the main city for both my trips. A great service (and fairly cheap) and a nice way to see the city suburbs before you get dropped off at your hotel. Thanks for this tip. I've resigned myself to getting a flat rate cab but this is a good alternative.
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Brexit
Oct 15, 2019 18:29:43 GMT
Post by Snciole on Oct 15, 2019 18:29:43 GMT
Anyone off to the march on Saturday? I will be wearing my Buffet B*tch against Brexit t-shirt.
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Post by Snciole on Oct 15, 2019 18:24:36 GMT
I am staying with a friend over 4 July weekend (do let me know your immersive tips; I have only planned on going to a Golden Girls drag show) in an AirBnB in Hells Kitchen/Mid-Manhatten so if hotels are expensive then it might be worth staying in an AirBnB for a couple weeks (my friend is doing a two week holiday)
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Post by Snciole on Oct 11, 2019 15:06:54 GMT
I forgot to mention one weird thing when we were waiting to get into the movie at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square. Mr Foxa had a small unopened bottle of red wine in his bag and at the bag check they made him open it and take a sip from it to prove it wasn't acid. So that was new. Ha! This reminds of me my paranoia when I saw you and Mr Foxa at the Royal Court with my wine. I hope he drank it from the bottle during the screening.
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Post by Snciole on Oct 11, 2019 14:51:07 GMT
Perhaps they will bring back toilet attendants. What a joy! I love those gruntled old ladies they have in some quite remote toilet facilities on mainland Europe ( is that what we are calling it now, by the way, don’t want to offend our EU friends?). It would actually solve the whole shebang to have attendants. No perverted behaviours. Loos clean and paper plentiful. Help if poorly. And a whole raft of employment. It would be like being in a nightclub toilet. I better get a lollipop or I might do a Cheryl Cole
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Post by Snciole on Oct 7, 2019 16:03:51 GMT
It's so basic. You can only do 'gender neutral' if they're all cubicles. Otherwise what you have is in effect men's and ladies with confusing signage. If I was a transman or transwoman would I want to go into a space where their might be groups of men. Women can hostile but the issue of safety will always come down to women (cis or otherwise) feeling vulnerable in male spaces. The most offensive thing is that the Old Vic should have raised money for a neutral space, not for women's toilets. The reports from the Old Vic suggest the toilet issues are as bad as they ever were.
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Post by Snciole on Sept 24, 2019 17:25:11 GMT
I know you're trying to be funny, but that's not. I laughed out loud I thought the same watching it. Why is nobody bothered about this missing boy? Why didn't they check his documents when starting the job (I cannot even go to an interview without bringing my passport) In all seriousness this is pretty poor. Kimberley Walsh is the saving grace because she can sing, act and is very charming but Jay is really struggling to connect with audience, Wendy Peters shouldn't be playing the mother of a newborn baby and thank the lord for Matthew Kelly; one of the UK's finest actors.
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Post by Snciole on Sept 18, 2019 14:16:30 GMT
My memory was that it was cut for the RC Downstairs runs but was in place during the original upstairs run. I am assuming it was still. Place during its Abbey Theatre and Belfast runs.
I think a lot of black theatre writers voiced their discomfort (Spoiler: it is supposed to be uncomfortable) and as a person of colour it still has an impact. I do think Ireland was justified in using it but I can see why Royal Court, particularly post its Town Halls had to consider the impact on the audience.
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Post by Snciole on Sept 18, 2019 9:35:11 GMT
The role of the psychologist was pretty thankless, but nonetheless I thought the performance here was the weak link. I never bought into her as a character, it was just an actress on stage saying her lines.
The original production upstairs has the electrifying Wunmi Mosaku, who has rightly gone to bigger and better things. There was a lot of tension between her and Rea. When he calls her the n-word and she calls him Irish both seem just as shocking in the context. I agree the actress in the main run just didn't get nuance of that complex relationship.
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Post by Snciole on Sept 18, 2019 9:33:03 GMT
He is 73 in October as well. I think this role would be the end of many much younger actors.
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Post by Snciole on Sept 11, 2019 11:37:29 GMT
I think the marketing for Charing Cross Theatre is just very poor. It is not a venue whose output I check (unlike Fairfield Halls, New Wimbledon Theatre or even the Nash). To go from a pub theatre studio to a large space is a great opportunity but not without the support of the venue.
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Post by Snciole on Sept 5, 2019 15:56:37 GMT
Alex Jennings as Britten in The Habit of Art (which was not a good play) was an emotional tour de force; I love a proper snotty crying performance. I am cheap. {Spoiler - click to view} I think Diana saw herself as a very liberal and open woman. I expect she was just naive to the fact that could happen in her house. I found that aspect very moving. I think the son didn't care if his father accepted him (he brushes off the prostitute incident) but he must have been so hurt by his mother's reaction.
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Post by Snciole on Sept 5, 2019 11:39:56 GMT
It is also set only 21 years from homosexuality becoming legal so anyone born in 1967 would have always know homosexuality to be legal and were hitting the homosexual age of consent themselves. As the play points out social attitudes towards homosexuality were as they were when it was a criminal offence. I barked laughing at Robin's ignorant comment about "Uncle John living a lonely life with just his china" but for many homosexual man they just didn't/couldn't settle down or if they did they did it very privately. {Spoiler - click to view} There is also a bit that touches on transvestites/transgender (It isn't clear if their son wears Diana's dress for pleasure or due to his identity). Even the liberal Diana is repulsed by this and I thought it was an interesting comment on feminist attitudes to gender and gender expectations.
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Post by Snciole on Sept 2, 2019 20:48:18 GMT
I think Fein could have encompassed a range of men; Weinstein, Cosby, Hitchcock, Roger Ailes etc but Mamet is one lazy man so we just get a verbatim story of what has been in the news. He should have just called it "Watch Me Shower: The Harvey Weinstein Story"
Untouchable; though a documentary, showed Weinstein's MO, showed the people who did and didn't stand up to him, the relationship with his brother (who was a sociable man, with friends and hobbies outside the industry) whereas Weinstein's who purpose was about sex and power.
None of this is in Bitter Wheat.
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Post by Snciole on Aug 29, 2019 18:08:17 GMT
This is a really strong work for a debut. A traditional play about conservative values. How incredible is Duncan, who I have never seen on the stage before? I also enjoyed Jennings but I found it hard to believe two such sexy people were not having sex with each other.
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Post by Snciole on Aug 14, 2019 20:51:57 GMT
Right side facing the stage so could see Sharon and the band (there are worse sights. She's a babe) but I missed a lot and I couldn't connect with the show at all. There is no acknowledgement from Kiln how bad these seats are at all.
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