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Post by zahidf on Apr 20, 2023 10:13:53 GMT
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Post by starlight92 on Apr 20, 2023 11:45:00 GMT
Was looking at the content warnings and this one has me wondering where on earth it comes up! And if it's super graphic I wouldn't really want to see it. Will put it under a spoiler in case people don't want to know. {Spoiler - click to view}
Description of animal butchery and blood |
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2,480 posts
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Post by zahidf on Apr 20, 2023 12:27:34 GMT
Was looking at the content warnings and this one has me wondering where on earth it comes up! And if it's super graphic I wouldn't really want to see it. Will put it under a spoiler in case people don't want to know. {Spoiler - click to view}
Its all a monolouge: some of it is a little intense, but none of it is shown |
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245 posts
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Post by barelyathletic on Apr 20, 2023 15:58:33 GMT
It's a fantastic piece. Terrifically well written and performed. Seriously smart, totally hilarious and a must see.
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Post by alessia on Apr 20, 2023 16:04:38 GMT
booked - can't beat the count me in Bush tickets...even if I won't like it, at least it was just £12...
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245 posts
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Post by barelyathletic on Nov 16, 2023 12:01:58 GMT
A Five star rave from WOS and a strong four from the Evening Standard. Looks like I'm going to love this all over again later this month.  |
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Post by alessia on Nov 16, 2023 12:39:43 GMT
oh that is good, I am going to see this on Saturday! looks like it will be worth the trek, even if it is v short (my favourite type of play ahah)
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Post by Fleance on Nov 16, 2023 23:06:49 GMT
I enjoyed this immensely. There was certainly pathos, but I haven't laughed so much in the theater in a long time! Barnett is brilliant. I want to see more of Dos Santos' work.
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781 posts
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Post by rumbledoll on Nov 17, 2023 7:05:15 GMT
I saw the very first preview on Nov 10 and loved it! Been following Sam Barnett’s stage work over past 11 years and I don’t recall a single time he disappointed. He has a unique aura about him I can’t quite explain.. the radiance, the energy, the sort of irresistible magnetic field. Anyway, he is a very special performer for me and it’s so satisfying to see him shine in a one man play praised all around by audiences and critics alike.
I personally connect with the character a lot as I am no stranger to catastrophysing myself, I love how the stand up comic routine here blends with real life events he’s depicting and the laughs come easy to the point that it gets hysterical on many-many occasions. In more poignant moments of truth it doesn’t lose its weight or tension either.
It’s so fast paced and physically demanding, we talked after for a bit and Sam mentioned that in Edinburgh they were limited to 60 mins so he had to go even faster over almost the identical text! It’s hard to imagine, this. I hope the show has a smooth and ever successful run and maybe gets a life somewhere else. Congrats to Dos Santos once again, i’m rather curious what he’s up to next.
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Post by Dave B on Nov 18, 2023 8:42:19 GMT
Saw this during the week and loved it. Huge performance from a fab script, it felt so real. Like I immediately forgot I was watching an actor working from a script, both hilarious and hugely moving. Still thinking about it a few days later. Brilliant stuff.
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Post by alessia on Nov 18, 2023 16:00:26 GMT
I recommend this highly- can just add to the above reviews that it is really quite brilliant. Funny but poignant. Loved every minute- worth the long (my fault) journey.
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7,052 posts
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Post by Jon on Nov 18, 2023 16:09:04 GMT
I wonder if a West End run could happen, the Criterion or the Ambassadors would work.
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3,528 posts
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Post by Rory on Nov 18, 2023 17:08:32 GMT
I wonder if a West End run could happen, the Criterion or the Ambassadors would work. The Criterion appears free in January now, as will be the Trafalgar. |
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Post by dlevi on Nov 22, 2023 9:37:38 GMT
I saw this last week and thoroughly enjoyed it. I smiled more than I laughed which isn't a bad thing, but others were laughing out loud a little too much at stuff that was at best, amusing. However, there's no doubting Sam Barnett's bountiful skill and charm. Totally worthwhile.
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546 posts
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Post by drmaplewood on Dec 12, 2023 11:08:48 GMT
£15 offer on TodayTix today.
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Post by QueerTheatre on Dec 12, 2023 16:57:39 GMT
I went in with high expectations that this did not meet. It wasn't very funny, and it wasn't very dark - despite promising both.
It was an amusing enough hour, but i didn't quite get the 'point' of it? Why this story? Why now?
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781 posts
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Post by rumbledoll on Dec 13, 2023 8:29:07 GMT
I went in with high expectations that this did not meet. It wasn't very funny, and it wasn't very dark - despite promising both. It was an amusing enough hour, but i didn't quite get the 'point' of it? Why this story? Why now? Well, I believe it's highly relatable in terms of insecurity, hiding behind masks, even on a larger scale the anxiety for the future to come.. Very topical. Even wrapped up in a form of a specific community of a sort I as a heterosexual female was able to connect to it big time. |
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Post by andbingowashisname on Dec 13, 2023 10:46:38 GMT
I went in with high expectations that this did not meet. It wasn't very funny, and it wasn't very dark - despite promising both. It was an amusing enough hour, but i didn't quite get the 'point' of it? Why this story? Why now? “Why this story? Why now?” Do you work for the Arts Council? 🤪 |
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Post by merrilywereadalong on Dec 14, 2023 14:43:26 GMT
I'm glad I'm not the only one who found this amusing, but nothing substantial.
And not that it needs to be. I enjoyed my hour with the character, a few good laughs...but I wouldn't have wanted to pay more than say £15-25 for this
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Post by Oobi on Dec 15, 2023 0:44:49 GMT
I saw this a few days ago and thought it was terrific. It's a cutting, succinct script; the thematic lines it draws are just clear enough to be appreciated on a first viewing but hazy enough to provoke further reflection.
In response to QueerTheatre's confusion, I think the story is broadly trying to comment on the way in which comedy is used as a defense mechanism in a cruel, unfair world. Especially in modern Britain, we have a predilection toward satire and irony that sometimes undermines the seriousness of our problems both on the personal and national level.
The Comedian loves the American but also sees him as a threat. The American forces him to be open and honest in ways he's never been before. The drive to make the American laugh isn't murder; it's self-harm. It's a refusal to accept that such emotional sincerity could truly exist, and an impulse to return to the risk-free, plausibly deniable domain of humor. Which is why it's so f***ing tragic (and so f***ing perfect) that at the precise moment he finally overcomes that impulse and professes his true feelings, the subsequent tragedy pushes him right back to where he started. This recontextualizes the entire play as a blown-up version of the "cumming blood" line, simultaneously acknowledging trauma while trivializing it for mass consumption.
God, what a perfect ending. Leaves you wanting both everything and nothing at the same time.
I agree with the sentiment that it's not quite as funny as it could be. The marketing really pushes the "LAUGHS EVERY MINUTE" angle, while the play itself leans harder on morbid satire.
9/10.
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Dec 18, 2023 4:51:58 GMT
I liked this a lot. Been wanting to see Samuel Barnett on stage for a while and glad I managed to catch him in this. Think Oobi pretty much captures everything I wanted to say, great review!
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Post by mkb on Dec 30, 2023 19:48:32 GMT
I saw this on 13 December. While I'm a fan of Samuel Barnett, I'm not sure he fully convinced as a stand-up comedian. Maybe a bad one?
Ironically, writer Marcelo Dos Santos is more serious here and less funny than in Backstairs Billy. His observations on the neuroses of the gay man provide a brief but mildy entertaining hour, but overall I felt a little short changed. If it were half of two one-act plays, I might have been more forgiving.
Three stars.
One act: 19:42-20:43
(Auditorium not opened until 19:32, no explanation, no apology)
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