Untitled Fuc* M*ss S**gon Play - REX Manchester / Young Vic

[Rory]

Probably unrelated to this play but an email has issued from the Young Vic advising of exciting news tomorrow at 12pm.

[showgirl]

Jul 17, 2023 7:53:28 GMT og said:

Jul 17, 2023 3:34:46 GMT showgirl said:

The title certainly isn't great (too long as well as the awkward word), but it's more the format which is currently causing me to hesitate as from the comments above (and reviews online), I can't make sense of it and don't want to end up seeing it and still being none the wiser, so frustrated at wasting precious time I could have used to see something else.

What about the 'format' is causing hesitation?

Well, as you've helpfully suggested that this isn't aimed at the "concession crowd", maybe I should simply stay in my theatrical lane and stick to fodder more suitable for seniors - whatever that might be.

[BurlyBeaR]

Jul 17, 2023 7:54:42 GMT og said:

Jul 16, 2023 20:16:00 GMT crowblack said:

Title maybe putting off an older crowd?

Im not necessarily sure it's aimed at the concession crowd, so wouldn't worry about that.

Concessions usually applying to the younger, the older, the students, the disadvantaged, the less able…

Ok. 

[oxfordsimon]

Jul 17, 2023 17:03:00 GMT Rory said:

Probably unrelated to this play but an email has issued from the Young Vic advising of exciting news tomorrow at 12pm.

We get to see:

MEO

and

AND

as well as the back of the picture frame. I hope it isn't yet another R&J

The world really doesn't need any more productions of that for a while

[og]

gee some people are just vying for conflict all the time arent they.

winging because they dont like the title. 
winging because they dont like the format.
without even having seen it.

This play is trying to stand up for a marginalised community. 
Go see it. Give it a chance. Open your mind. Learn something. Be challenged.

Or stay comfortably ignorant. Your choice.

[showgirl]

Not sure whereabouts in my post I was whingeing about any of the things you suggest. Several of us have commented on the perhaps awkward/confusing/unhelpful title, so I put my hand up to being amongst them.

I have not complained about the format as I've yet to see the play; what I did say was that it was unclear to me what to expect and that from experience, I prefer not to be equally clueless by the time I've seen a production. Some of us here have limited time and other resources and don't want to waste those on something which might prove unedifying - and it's perfectly normal to ask all sorts of questions about productions in general of those who have seen them, eg running time, whether there's any audience participation, etc.

So thank you for your own helpful responses to my points and for informing me that I am "comfortably ignorant"; at least I've learned something, as you advise.

[mrnutz]

Jul 17, 2023 19:06:52 GMT oxfordsimon said:

Jul 17, 2023 17:03:00 GMT Rory said:

Probably unrelated to this play but an email has issued from the Young Vic advising of exciting news tomorrow at 12pm.

We get to see:

MEO

and

AND

as well as the back of the picture frame. I hope it isn't yet another R&J

The world really doesn't need any more productions of that for a while

Because of the way the letter curves it could be 'MEC'

[crowblack]

Jul 17, 2023 19:22:00 GMT og said:

gee some people are just vying for conflict all the time arent they.

winging because they dont like the title. 
winging because they dont like the format.
without even having seen it.

This play is trying to stand up for a marginalised community. 
Go see it. Give it a chance. Open your mind. Learn something. Be challenged.

Or stay comfortably ignorant. Your choice.

I'm not whingeing about the title. As a sometime writer myself I am curious about its impact. It's an unusual, very atypical, spiky title - very noticeable but also potentially offputting to some. In my experience, the more youth-oriented or punky plays at the RX are staged in the studio space which it easily packs out. I'd like to see it but my health isn't good at the moment and a combi of that plus the shocking state of public transport (had several experiences pre lockdown of trains home from mancs being cancelled) means I haven't managed to make it to any of the shows I've booked since lockdown ended, when I used to see several plays a month. 

[ThereWillBeSun]

Booked a matinee for this one! As soon as it was announced looked really cool. Having to be a lot more choosey in what I am seeing as relocated now. Mei Mac is an added bonus, she's brilliant.

[shakeel]

Oof. First half of this is pretty good and funny; second half does the thing way too many American plays about race do — spend an hour lecturing you on a point that takes about 2 minutes to understand. A shame, because the point would have been made much more effectively if it just ended after the first “act”.

[nottobe]

Caught this tonight as was intrigued and was really not my cup of tea. After 15 minutes I was wanting to leave and if it was easier or there was an interval I would have.

I just did not find it funny at all and did not laugh once. The respective nature also became tedious and it felt like what it was saying wasn't worth the runntime.

[Being Alive]

Went to see it.
Found it pretty tedious.
There was about 10 good minutes about 2/3 of the way through.
If there'd been an interval I'd have left.

[Rory]

Sept 26, 2023 20:54:08 GMT Being Alive said:

Went to see it.
Found it pretty tedious.
There was about 10 good minutes about 2/3 of the way through.
If there'd been an interval I'd have left.

That seems to be the general consensus, unfortunately.

[Being Alive]

It just didn't feel like it had anything to say, other than a provocative title.

And I really don't get the Mei Mac hype - I found her incredible tedious in Totoro, and fairly annoying here

[colelarson]

Saw this today and enjoyed the first 2 cycles of Kim's tales then it did get a bit tedious with the repeating loops. I think there could have been more to the play as it does tackle some huge concepts, there is some witty writing but almost feels unfinished.

There were a few people who had fallen asleep and quite a few left as soon as it was over rather than applaud the actors.

Rochelle Rose was great as the narrator she did catch my attention with perfect comic timing and clear diction telling us what was going on.

Staging was good in the round. Cast were talented and can't complain too much for £12!

Music played before the show started was some awesome tunes and people were bopping along!

[ThereWillBeSun]

Saw this recently and when the Young Vic announced their season, this was the play which I really wanted to book for.

I really enjoyed it. The only thing I think could have been cut was that speech towards the end. It dragged and dragged and dragged. I think the point could have been made in half the time and still have commanded attention.

The set was well executed but the poor stage management team did have their work cut out, didn’t seem the easiest to manoeuvre. At one point it got stuck.

Performances all brilliant (I’m personally a fan of Mei Mac!) however the narrator stole the show - would always book for anything she’s in now, based on her performance.

So glad I managed to catch this.

[foxa]

I thought the first 15=20 minutes of this were really great - like ThereWillBeSun, loved the Narrator, found it visually interesting and funny - and then,IMO,it lost its way. So much repetition, so many fiddly set changes, so many monologues.I brought a friend who said that she was willing it to end. But quite enthusiastic curtain call.

[Steve]

This was ok.

The deconstruction of "Madam Butterfly" and "South Pacific" was great fun, and Rochelle Rose was a fantastic narrator, making hay out of every line, but this got repetitive fast, and "Fairview," at this same address, covered similar ground so much more incisively.

Some spoilers follow. . .

I loved the in-your-face title, but seeing the actual play, it felt a bit disingenuous, as it didn't really have much to say about the Engineer, who is the quintessential character in "Miss Saigon," with the other characters having been cribbed from Madam Butterfly. This is far closer to being "Untitled F--k Madam Butterfly" than the title used.

Further, "Fairview" played this same address not so long ago, and every chapter (it was in 3 segments) of that was an absolute revelation for me. The final chapter of Fairview forms the conclusion of this play, done here with less drama and bite,

SPOILER: Click to show

whereby the lead character gains a consciousness of the racism going on around them, and strikes back.

The opening was reasonably funny, and superbly caustic, but when the play (deliberately) started repeating itself, once again, it again felt a little disingenuous, in that it seemed to imply that there were tons of shows using these same racist tropes, but then didn't name most of them.

It has always struck me that the absolute lack of representation for Asian characters of all backgrounds, in Western entertainment in all media, has been a terrible problem, but watching this, you'd believe that there were countless such shows, albeit inadvertently racist ones. Thus, the show seems to distract from a greater problem by pointing out a different one.

Also missing from the show is any consideration of how popular Asian shows of many backgrounds are now with Western audiences. From Japanese animes and movies (eg Death Note, the whole Miyazaki oeuvre) to South Korean TV series (eg Squid Game, All of Us are Dead), Western audiences are absolutely loving such shows. To what degree does this amount to representation? The lack of any such consideration makes the play feel a little dated.

I would have found it interesting to know how Western financiers, like Netflix, influence the content of Eastern shows like Squid Game, whether such influence is good or bad or negligible? But this show is more interested in critiquing product of the past than speaking to now.

Also, although I found it very amusing, I wondered whether the persistent skewering of white women in this show (Jennifer Kirby's smug babysnatching villain got the biggest boos the night I saw it) was almost letting white men off the hook lol (though Tom Weston-Jones's mashed up nonsense talk was acidly funny).

Anyway, the show's first half hour hits hard, and Rochelle Rose is a charismatic star! 3 and a half stars from me.

[sf]

Saw it tonight (and bought the script on the way out).

I loved it. It's a very clever, very angry, VERY funny deconstruction of the impact a century of unthinking Orientalism in popular culture has had on Asian-Americans and they way they are perceived by (white) society. The last third of the play could use a little tightening (and lose a few minutes), but overall, for me, it absolutely worked. And the performances are spot-on.