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Post by bee on May 9, 2024 14:31:32 GMT
Is doing a scene outside the theatre going to be the new “immersive”? Possibly but of course it isn't new - wasn't the first scene of the NT Edward II in 2013 (John Heffernan/Joe Hill-Gibbins) done outdoors on the NT terrace and relayed by video to the audience ? I think you're right. Certainly quite a lot of the action was relayed on screens at the side of the stage. However my abiding memory of that show is the wonderful performance of Wee Jimmy Krankie as the future Edward III.
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Post by bee on May 8, 2024 7:07:53 GMT
Questors Theatre - The Slaves of Solitude
Back at Questors last night for this adaptation of a 1947 novel by Patrick Hamilton. It tells the story of Enid Roach, a single woman living in a boarding house just outside London during WW2.
This was OK. Initially I found it a bit dull. Some of the characters felt like stereotypes (especially the American soldiers) and the story also felt like the kind of thing we've seen before in dramas about the home front during WW2. The actors do a pretty good job however, so I eventually got drawn in and started to care. It's all pretty low key though, nothing especially dramatic happens,it's more of a snapshot of a few incidents in someone's life with a somewhat ambiguous ending.
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Post by bee on May 2, 2024 19:33:08 GMT
I also saw the Questors' Julius Caesar and enjoyed it. One thing I didn't understand was the significance of the schoolgirl being onstage throughout. I think she was reading a biography of Caesar and then occasionally playing a minor character. Can anyone shed any light on her purpose/significance? Not me, I was similarly perplexed by that. I've just had a quick scan of my programme and there's no hint in their either.
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Post by bee on May 2, 2024 6:38:27 GMT
Julius Caesar - Questors Theatre (Ealing) This is really quite good. It is better than the last RSC production of the play but that is not saying much. Set in 1930s Italy. Don’t be put off by the fact it appears to be amateur theatre, the venue and auditorium are fantastic, far better than most commercial venues, and the creatives and cast are mostly drama school trained professional or semi-professional well up to fringe standard. I saw this last night and also liked it. A brisk, solidly acted production. I only discovered Questors Theatre a couple of years ago in spite of living in the area for nearly 20 years now. I've been to a few productions since then and they have all been decently done, some better than others but as Jan says none would have looked out of place at one of the "proper" fringe venues. The venue is a 10 minute walk from Ealing Broadway station so worth checking them out if you live in West London.
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Post by bee on Apr 26, 2024 19:44:49 GMT
Dave B has posted a review in the "Please Post Your Review ...." thread over in General Chat.
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Post by bee on Apr 15, 2024 10:13:53 GMT
Show stop at todays show and a gasp in the audience as SJP looked worried, according to all that dazzles. I had the exact same at my show a few weeks ago, but with a loud thud in the audience as if someone had passed out. Did notice the savoy was a warm theatre. Does this happen a lot? When I went there was a show stop too (SJP look confused more than worried!) and they stretchered someone out. Before they could restart the show someone else collapsed! My companion and I agreed that if a third person went over we were leaving in case there was something in the air! Probably people finding out how much their partners paid for the tickets.
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Post by bee on Apr 11, 2024 16:59:52 GMT
For me (roughly in order): The Motive and The Cue Uncle Vanya (Orange Tree) A Mirror 1979 (Finborough)
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Post by bee on Apr 11, 2024 5:37:16 GMT
I saw this last night and would pretty much echo Steve's review above. Greg Hicks is very good but the story doesn't really draw you in emotionally. Possibly the fact most of it is just a dream - as opposed to A Christmas Carol, where the things Scrooge sees are real (after a fashion) - means it doesn't connect so much. Having said that the applause at the end was very enthusiastic with a couple of people on their feet, so maybe I'm just an old cynic.
I really liked the venue, comfy seats with loads of leg room, and a really good rake.
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Post by bee on Apr 2, 2024 8:28:16 GMT
I saw this last night. I had initially been put off by the high prices, but when they extended I caved and decided to go.
Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot. As others have said, it is a bit dated, but given that it explicity tells us the era in which it is set, that's fine. During the first act I did find myself sitting thinking "this isn't very funny", but it gradually became apparent that being funny wasn't the main point of the story so in an odd way I appreciated the earlier details of the story retrospectively.
The second and third acts were more straightforwardly funny and enjoyable with both leads doing a great job.
In summary, a really good night out (thankfully given the price of the tickets).
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Post by bee on Mar 31, 2024 19:08:43 GMT
I literally bumped into Gordon Ramsey in WH Smiths at Glasgow Airport a few years ago.
I mean, it wasn't especially awkward, we both said "oh, sorry" simultaneously and went on our way, but it's my only real encounter with a proper celebrity so I figured I'd take the opportunity to tell folks about it on here.
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Post by bee on Mar 25, 2024 17:46:01 GMT
I'm going but not till mid-May.
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Post by bee on Mar 24, 2024 9:57:01 GMT
I saw yesterday's matinee of this. I really loved it, it might be the best Chekov production I've ever seen. I'd agree with the previous reviewers who picked out Madeleine Gray, she was spectacular - the final speech in particular was heartbreaking - but really the whole cast was fantastic. A great production.
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Post by bee on Mar 22, 2024 11:24:57 GMT
I was about to post that I saw it quite recently at the Old Vic with Kenneth Cranham and Rosamund Pike. Upon Googling the production I find that it was in 2007! I feel so old.
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Post by bee on Mar 20, 2024 15:32:35 GMT
The bar's completely shut at the moment. You enter the theatre via a door on the right-hand side of the building (if approaching from Earls Court tube station). From there, head upstairs for the box office and theatre, downstairs for the toilets.
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Post by bee on Mar 17, 2024 14:57:59 GMT
I tend to buy my tickets well in advance so reviews are almost never a factor for me.
I don't know if there's any single factor. The director can be a important for me, but more in the sense of there are some directors I avoid because I've seen enough of their work to know I don't like their style.
The play itself is the most important thing I guess, if it's a lesser known work by one of the great writers (Ibsen, Chekhov etc.), I'll almost certainly go for that even if I know nothing else about it. If it's a new play the subject matter is important, and it can also make a difference where it's being produced. I'm more likely to take a punt on something at one of the fringe theatres (with cheaper tickets) than if it's in the West End.
The actors involved don't matter so much - often I'll have bought my ticket before the cast has been announced - but I am a bit of a sucker for a star name if I haven't seen them before.
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Post by bee on Mar 17, 2024 13:23:14 GMT
This is a short (80 mins) two-hander about a middle-aged couple's deteriorating relationship during the Covid lockdown.
For the first half of this I was thinking it was a bit of a dud. The bickering between the husband and wife wasn't especially funny or entertaining, and was interspersed with scenes of them getting drunk together or just watching TV in silence. It was all just a bit too dull.
It did get a lot better in the second half as things took a nastier, and then a sadder turn. The ending was really quite moving.
Well acted by the two leads especially Kacey Ainsworth as Anne.
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Post by bee on Mar 16, 2024 17:37:44 GMT
Saw this afternoon's performance. I had a ticket for this at The Almeida but missed it due to a work trip, so glad to get the chance to catch it now. I thought it was fantastic. This sort of subject matter has been covered many times before, and to be frank this doesn't say much that hasn't been said already, but I still thought it was a great bit of theatre, engrossing and often very funny. My first time seeing JLM and he was a joy to watch.
I was worried about the 2 hours without a break but the seats at the Trafalgar Theatre are great, very comfortable with loads of leg room. If this had been at the old Trafalgar Studios it would've been torture.
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Post by bee on Mar 14, 2024 14:37:50 GMT
Thanks for the heads up. Just bought a ticket. While I was on I also got a ticket for The Government Inspector, which they are doing in May/June.
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Post by bee on Mar 6, 2024 6:30:18 GMT
Edward Bond has died at 89. Personally I can only remember seeing two of his plays, The Sea (with Eileen Atkins and David Haig) and Bingo (with Patrick Stewart and Richard McCabe). Both were OK, and featured some great performances, but also had a lot of heavy-handed preaching. Looking at his Wikipedia, he certainly seems to have had a bit of a tempestuous career.
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Post by bee on Feb 25, 2024 12:10:33 GMT
I saw this yesterday. I guess it probably helps going in with low expectations, but I actually thought this wasn't so bad. As has already been said, there's not lot goes on for the first two-thirds or so, in a sense the same course of events get repeated a number of times, but I can't say I was bored. I thought the acting was generally of a high standard with Ella Schrey-Yeats chewing the scenery pretty impressively as Janet. Eventually a bit of back story emerges and we get an explanation for why Maurice is so interested in the case, but unfortunately there's no real resolution, it just sort of ends.
Audience seemed to like it, enthusiastic applause at the end.
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Post by bee on Feb 19, 2024 22:31:51 GMT
There's the Coronet in Notting Hill. Not sure if it counts as being in Kensington but it's not too far away. They seem to have moved away from "normal" theatre in recent years though, concentrating more on dance and poetry.
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Post by bee on Feb 11, 2024 18:58:27 GMT
Saw this yesterday. Thought it was marvellous, really quite exhilarating at times.
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Post by bee on Feb 11, 2024 0:32:56 GMT
This is quite an odd adaptation of the Jane Austen story, carried off with lots of energy and commitment by the three-person cast. It's not really a spoof but there are lots of funny moments and many of the characters are played so as to be ridiculous stereotypes. In a way it reminded me somewhat of The Tragedy of Madame Bovary from Jermyn Street last year.
It does have one particular plot twist which isn't in the book, and which leads to a couple of quite poignant scenes, and I found the ending a bit confusing. On the whole though, I enjoyed it. Three and a half to four stars from me.
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Post by bee on Jan 24, 2024 11:44:01 GMT
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Post by bee on Jan 15, 2024 23:50:34 GMT
Martin Jarvis was in the row in front of me at The Homecoming tonight.
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Post by bee on Jan 15, 2024 23:48:11 GMT
I really struggled with this. The characters' behaviour is so strange, and the dialogue between them so bizarre, that none of it feels even close to being real. Thus it was hard for me to care at all.
It might be me though, I don't think I really "get" Pinter.
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Post by bee on Jan 13, 2024 23:33:37 GMT
I thought this was marvellous. A brisk run through a short but important episode in Canadian history, really well played by a three person cast. Samantha Coughlan in particular was brilliant in a number of different roles. I suppose in a way the screens providing the background context were a bit of a cop out, it should be the playwrights job to include all of that within the text, but I suspect that would have led to a much longer, duller play.
4, maybe even 4.5 stars from me.
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Post by bee on Jan 7, 2024 12:07:45 GMT
I saw yesterday's matinee. There's much to admire in this, the staging is great and the actors give heartfelt, powerful performances. However I never really found myself caring all that much. Zula and Viktor aren't very likeable, and we only get hints about their back-stories to help explain why they are such flawed people. A shame really, like I say so much of it is really good.
Musically I felt it was a bit of a non-event. The songs are fine as far as they go but they're not especially memorable. I'd also agree with those who have said that this isn't really a musical, it's more a play with songs.
Like others I did think the amount of smoking on stage was excessive. I know the play covers a time period when almost everybody smoked but I think we can sort of take that as a given, we don't need to see it. Having said thatI can't say it especially caused me an issue with coughing ot whatever, possibly it's more of a problem for people upstairs?
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Post by bee on Jan 7, 2024 10:54:54 GMT
Saw this yesterday, and I thought the acting was great, especially from Nancy Carroll in her double role, and some scenes worked extremely well. But the play never quite came together as a whole. It kept cutting between Cambridge and Prague, and the Cambridge characters frankly aren't all that interesting, while the Prague scenes are full of references to Czech politics of the 1960s-1980s that Stoppard doesn't stop to explain to the audience. I feel like Stoppard wanted to make a play of ideas, with Czech dissident Jan and his Cambridge mentor Marxist historian Max as the two main poles in a dialectic. But Max is so obviously a pompous creep--probably more so than Stoppard realizes--that it's hard to take any of his ideas seriously. I saw this last night and prefab's review pretty much sums up my feelings about it. The actors are all fine, but the play itself just isn't very good. The Prague based scenes are interesting and you start to care about what happens there, but everyone in Cambridge comes across as pretentious and spoilt, especially Max, who is just awful really. I couldn't really see the point of all the Syd Barrett related stuff either, it didn't have any real relevance to the main story, it felt like it was just padding out the text.
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Post by bee on Dec 31, 2023 0:26:39 GMT
I saw this tonight and would agree with the general opinion on here. It's great fun and a brilliant night out.
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