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Post by greatauntedna on Oct 9, 2024 15:46:21 GMT
I really enjoyed this this afternoon!
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546 posts
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Post by drmaplewood on Oct 11, 2024 13:52:20 GMT
Cancelled tonight due to cast illness.
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546 posts
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Post by drmaplewood on Oct 19, 2024 23:08:12 GMT
This is a really great production and does deserve to be seen by more people. I know Greenwich isn't "on the map" but a barely 1/4 full auditorium on a Saturday night is criminal.
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63 posts
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Post by pledge on Oct 20, 2024 8:54:43 GMT
Returned for a second viewing, and remain just as impressed by a) the play and b) PB's performance: the great speech about love near the end is thrilling. (However, I remain unconvinced by the recent additions to the script, which I don't think actually clarify anything.) Always thought this was an odd venue for the play - Greenwich has pretty much lost "its" audience from the days when it was a major producing house - and that's reflected in numbers, but don't let that put anyone off - would happily see it a third time if time/distance permitted...
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3,301 posts
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Post by david on Oct 23, 2024 17:21:36 GMT
Continuing my quest to see as many Dr Who’s on stage as possible, following my visit last night to see Dr number 13, after a trip along the space-time vortex this morning (or the DLR as it is known in London), I ended up in Greenwich to see Dr number 8 at this afternoon’s performance.
Having never seen a production of this play prior to tonight so I had no idea what to expect from this play from Jez Butterworth, but I thought that this one whilst being a complete mind-screw was a terrific thought provoking watch thanks to the efforts of both James Haddrell and his team as well as the cast for the entire 80 minute run-time. Having paid £33 for a seat in the central seating block, it was certainly money well spent in my opinion and the production certainly was of high standard in terms set, lighting and sound design that had a WE feel about it. Set designer Emily Bestow has done a fantastic job in creating the house design that fills the stage nicely and along with Henry Slater (lighting) and Julian Starr’s sound design really bring’s Butterworth’s atmospheric writing to life. The main cast of 3 (McGann, McLean and Ryan) are a really engaging watch. The production for me works well due to the understated performance from McGann who brings an air of mystery to the role and the two ladies balance his performance nicely as his 2 girlfriends.
As a piece of writing, this one written between the bigger beasts of Jerusalem and Ferryman, is a sharp contrast to these. The River certainly offers a more quieter reflective piece of writing that certainly doesn’t make for an easy watch as a viewer in trying to decipher the meaning of the text and the bolting on of the scenes at the start and end of the play offers little to provide any assistance in clarifying the text. I certainly found this play one offered no easy answers as to its meaning and I suspect it is one where different folk could offer different opinions as to its meaning. Whilst this can be frustrating walking out post show, at least it offers food for thought in post show discussions on the piece.
Overall, this afternoon was a worth while and thought provoking trip to Greenwich.
Rating - 3.5 ⭐️
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Post by billy on Oct 26, 2024 9:55:45 GMT
Continuing my quest to see as many Dr Who’s on stage as possible, following my visit last night to see Dr number 13, after a trip along the space-time vortex this morning (or the DLR as it is known in London), I ended up in Greenwich to see Dr number 8 at this afternoon’s performance. Glad I'm not the only one! On stage I've seen David Tennant (Much Ado 2011/Macbeth this December), Matt Smith (That Face 2008, before he was Who), Peter Capaldi (Constellations 2021) and Jodie Whittaker at The Duchess a few weeks back, I'll be watching The River tonight on a seatfiller offer which is a huge bargain but sad for everyone involved, I was genuinely stunned to see so many unsold seats for the final weekend. I also met Tom Baker at a signing way back in 2002, and Colin Baker was a contestant on a celebrity special of The Chase when I was in the audience for that about eight years back, so whether counting those as 'on stage' or not there's still quite a few to go. |
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3,301 posts
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Post by david on Oct 26, 2024 11:58:58 GMT
Continuing my quest to see as many Dr Who’s on stage as possible, following my visit last night to see Dr number 13, after a trip along the space-time vortex this morning (or the DLR as it is known in London), I ended up in Greenwich to see Dr number 8 at this afternoon’s performance. Glad I'm not the only one! On stage I've seen David Tennant (Much Ado 2011/Macbeth this December), Matt Smith (That Face 2008, before he was Who), Peter Capaldi (Constellations 2021) and Jodie Whittaker at The Duchess a few weeks back, I'll be watching The River tonight on a seatfiller offer which is a huge bargain but sad for everyone involved, I was genuinely stunned to see so many unsold seats for the final weekend. I also met Tom Baker at a signing way back in 2002, and Colin Baker was a contestant on a celebrity special of The Chase when I was in the audience for that about eight years back, so whether counting those as 'on stage' or not there's still quite a few to go. That’s an excellent collection! Getting to meet Tom Baker must have been great. An absolute legend in the show as well as his iconic appearance in Blackadder. For me so far it is Dr’s 5 and 8-13. Paul McGann is excellent in this. Definitely worth a watch. |
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898 posts
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Post by bordeaux on Oct 27, 2024 16:27:41 GMT
Intriguing but in the end too oblique, delicate and poetic (implausibly high-flown dialogue in parts) for me, I'm afraid. I prefer the bigger, fuller, louder Butterworth plays.
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Post by asfound on Oct 28, 2024 13:54:13 GMT
Saw the final performance. On a weekend I saw Giant and Fear of 13 this was by far my favourite. The second memorable production I've seen there after the Caryl Churchill trilogy a couple of years ago. Shame they can't seem to get people in, I think it's a great if slightly dilapidated little theatre.
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24 posts
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Post by scotty8692 on Oct 28, 2024 14:33:17 GMT
Definitely glad I made the journey down the river for this, if you'll forgive the pun. Enjoyed it as much as Jerusalem and The Ferryman which I've saw in recent years. Cast, staging, etc, were all great, and in a trip that also involved seeing Waiting For Godot and Giant, The River might have been my favourite theatrical experience. Disappointed that it didn't seem to attract great numbers during the run-feel like it deserved better, though the audience definitely appreciated seeing it on the night I was there.
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Post by badlydrawnhamster on Oct 29, 2024 23:57:07 GMT
Continuing my quest to see as many Dr Who’s on stage as possible, following my visit last night to see Dr number 13, after a trip along the space-time vortex this morning (or the DLR as it is known in London), I ended up in Greenwich to see Dr number 8 at this afternoon’s performance. I've loved Who since I was a small kid, yet in all of that time I've only ever seen Pertwee (The Who stage show), Davison (Kiss Me Kate at the Barbican) and McGann (The River) perform live and would love to see the others. It's just a matter of cost, I guess, but hopefully I'll see more over the next 365 days. |
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