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Post by aspieandy on Mar 3, 2024 14:54:22 GMT
17th April - 4th May
They have £10 secret seats - random, but I'll sit on an orange box for a tenner.
I trekked down there last year for View from the Bridge. It was surprisingly quick from Waterloo (on the return found the Victoria Line at Vauxhall better). Lovely theatre. Surrounded by major retail opportunities, for those so inclined.
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Post by QueerTheatre on Mar 4, 2024 13:33:25 GMT
Also going to Ally Pally for those interested in a more central (though equally awkwardly accessible!) venue
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Post by sf on Apr 20, 2024 19:53:17 GMT
It's worth the journey. I saw it this afternoon; it is very good indeed, and Geraldine Somerville is a fascinating Amanda. Tickets are not particularly expensive, and it is not at all difficult to get to.
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Post by clarefh on Apr 20, 2024 22:10:12 GMT
I saw this this evening and would also recommend it (from a £15 seat with a great view - pretty much any seat would be fine for this production I’d imagine).
Thought it was really well staged and acted. Geraldine Somerville was very good, and brought a relateable nuance to Amanda. It can be a tricky play, but the second half in particular was excellent, and I felt quite moved at the end.
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Post by clarefh on Apr 21, 2024 8:49:17 GMT
Should add it ran pretty much to time - so out at just past 10.
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Post by lt on Apr 21, 2024 10:59:16 GMT
Saw this last night and loved it, was completely absorbed in the production.
At first, I wasn't convinced by the mimimalist staging but quickly realised how brilliantly it worked with the play. All the cast were excellent, but Geraldine Somerville playing the mother, Amanda Wingfield, was exceptional, even bringing some humanity to the role.
The scenes between "the gentleman caller" and Laura were genuinely poignant and I found myself close to tears and I thought the dream sequence was beautiful played. But on this occasion I wasn't convinced by the colour blind casting. Zacchaeus Kayode who played the Irish caller was a terrific actor, but for the particular circumstances of this play, it did seem odd that race wasn't mentioned.
The Glass Menagerie is set in the southern US states in the 30s, when segregation was still in place including in the work place and schools. Black and white children even went to different schools and I would have thought it was unlikely that the son, Tom, would have worked alongside someone of another race. And for a southern belle like Amanda to find a black man on her doorstep and not comment, seems implausible. The history of segregration is an appalling one and I think that historical context is important, it's another restriction and narrowing in the constrained way the Wingfields live their lives.
My only minor criticism was the last ten minutes of the play and the end felt slightly weaker than the rest of the performance, but I don't know how much that is the play or this production. But overall, I thought this was terrific, I was slightly concerned that this might be languid and slow, but I was gripped throughout the production and would very definitely recommend seeing.
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Post by sf on Apr 21, 2024 12:49:10 GMT
The Glass Menagerie is set in the southern US states in the 30s, when segregation was still in place including in the work place and schools. Black and white children even went to different schools and I would have thought it was unlikely that the son, Tom, would have worked alongside someone of another race. In the 1930s, would Laura have used a Walkman to listen to Whitney Houston? |
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Post by lt on Apr 23, 2024 11:39:07 GMT
The Glass Menagerie is set in the southern US states in the 30s, when segregation was still in place including in the work place and schools. Black and white children even went to different schools and I would have thought it was unlikely that the son, Tom, would have worked alongside someone of another race. In the 1930s, would Laura have used a Walkman to listen to Whitney Houston? But those two things are surely entirely different? Whether Laura listens to a Walkman or records is merely an aesthetic choice, in the same way that the RSC may sometimes do a play in modern dress. Whereas ignoring a key social and racial factor, which helps contribute to the stifling, suffocating and rigid environment that the family lives in, seems to me a very different thing. |
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Post by sf on Apr 23, 2024 12:31:16 GMT
In the 1930s, would Laura have used a Walkman to listen to Whitney Houston? But those two things are surely entirely different? Whether Laura listens to a Walkman or records is merely an aesthetic choice, in the same way that the RSC may sometimes do a play in modern dress. Whereas ignoring a key social and racial factor, which helps contribute to the stifling, suffocating and rigid environment that the family lives in, seems to me a very different thing. Yes, that's exactly the answer I thought you'd give. So you can willingly suspend disbelief for a Walkman in place of a Victrola, but not for the colour of one actor's skin? The production isn't "ignoring a key social and racial factor". In a staging that is not anchored to a particular period, as this one isn't, what difference does it make if the production isn't cast entirely with white actors? |
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Post by dillan on Apr 23, 2024 12:55:21 GMT
Does anyone know what the £10 secret seats are like?
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Post by Steve on Apr 23, 2024 14:12:58 GMT
Does anyone know what the £10 secret seats are like? At the Saturday matinee, I got Row B of the Stalls, which was very good. What you get will be entirely dependent on what's not sold. This is SUCH a good production of the play, and in all honesty, I'd have been happy with any seat to see such a magical show. The spare set, the evocative music, the brilliant acting, all work to create such a dreamy mood that I was absolutely carried away with it. Often with this play, the second half is great, but the first half just isn't. Here, the whole piece works, making for peak Tennessee Williams, in my opinion, delicate and deeply moving. Some spoilers follow. . . From the moment Kasper Hilton-Hilles's Tennessee Williams avatar, Tom, took the stage with the famous line that he had "tricks" in his pocket, gesturing to a giant neon "Paradise" sign, spinning above him, we got all the "truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion" we could wish for. The spinning sign is nowhere near as obtrusive as when directors spin the actual stage, and it creates a kind of hypnotic atmosphere conducive to a memory play, even as it refers to the Paradise Club next to where Tom and his family live. As the narrator, Hilton-Hille really captivates, capturing the wistful, yearning, mournful, elegaic mood, which subtle background music enhances greatly. This is the second play I've seen in which Hilton-Hille has to deal with a smothering mother, after "That Face" at the Orange Tree, and he's been brilliant in both. But it's Geraldine Somerville who really makes the difference here. Her character can be so affected, you stop believing in her, but Somerville does here what Patsy Ferran did for Blanche Dubois, making Amanda Wingfield feel three dimensional, her tender and delusional sides understated and in balance. The play is all about her, before the interval, and it's so well done that I really cared about both her and her relationships with her 2 children. The part after the interval, the part with the Gentleman Caller, that part of the play always works in my experience, because it's just such a poignant scene so vividly written, but with a first half that actually works as well, the whole play feels like one great heartbreaking magic trick perfectly executed by 4 wonderful actors and a wonderful director. My only objection to this production is Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time" butting it's head in. That song is like a brash Eighties Bull smashing it's way into a delicate China Shop of timeless soothing mood music. I get that the song represents a potential for escape, but this feels more like Simpson and Bruckheimer booted the director and hired Tony Scott for one scene. I wondered if Elbow's "One Day Like This" might be better, avoiding the Eighties (which we understood to be cheesy even in the Eighties lol). But realistically, if they'd have chosen something more Thirties, like "Over The Rainbow," I think that would have had the requisite politeness not to disturb the magnificent melancholy illusion of the production. From Row B, I particularly loved the Jonquil Flowers and Glass Figures placed around the stage at a certain point, which I imagined that Amanda and Laura Wingfield must have placed there personally, to ward off evil spirits the way witches surround a room with salt. Anyway, as I said, for me this is peak Tennessee Williams, bar one song choice, which wasn't to my taste. 4 and a half stars of magic from me.  |
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Post by max on May 1, 2024 22:35:04 GMT
This was pretty marvellous. When Tom, our narrator, describes the light shining through his sister's glass animals as like "a shattered rainbow" it also describes this delicate up-close memory play of recalled shards of glass and light. Atri Banerjee's direction refracts the play further than usual, including one scene played twice, a circular stage nodding to Greek drama, an extended dance sequence, and a lot of loosened naturalism as figures perform the memories Tom conjures
I really enjoyed the performances, and it was a very appreciative audience. Not well sold though; I'll put something about how The Rose could be better supported by its local council & TFL in the General area of the board.
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Post by max on May 1, 2024 23:10:42 GMT
Does anyone know what the £10 secret seats are like? Mine was bang in the centre of the Stalls, 7th row. A seat usually valued at £45. But it's a very inclusive auditorium - you'd be fine anywhere. |
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Post by clarefh on May 2, 2024 6:13:22 GMT
. Not well sold though; I'll put something about how The Rose could be better supported by its local council & TFL in the General area of the board. That’s such a shame. This has really stayed with me and I think I loved it even more on reflection. If you can get to Waterloo it isn’t a difficult theatre to get to either - also super friendly. |
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Post by max on May 2, 2024 6:21:38 GMT
. Not well sold though; I'll put something about how The Rose could be better supported by its local council & TFL in the General area of the board. That’s such a shame. This has really stayed with me and I think I loved it even more on reflection. If you can get to Waterloo it isn’t a difficult theatre to get to either - also super friendly. Agreed - get to Waterloo or Vauxhall, and mainline train is about 25 mins. I think on this particular show they may have split the London audience, as it's also playing Alexandra Palace in mid May. The first performances at that venue have seats at £27 and it's sold really well, if the seatplan is an indication (after that the prices shoot up). I like the auditorium relationship to the stage at Rose Kingston, so preferred to see it there. |
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Post by clarefh on May 2, 2024 6:25:42 GMT
That’s such a shame. This has really stayed with me and I think I loved it even more on reflection. If you can get to Waterloo it isn’t a difficult theatre to get to either - also super friendly. Agreed - get to Waterloo or Vauxhall, and mainline train is about 25 mins. I think on this particular show they may have split the London audience, as it's also playing Alexandra Palace in mid May. The first performances at that venue have seats at £27 and it's sold really well, if the seatplan is an indication (after that the prices shoot up). I like the auditorium relationship to the stage at Rose Kingston, so preferred to see it there. Yes you could be right re the audience. It’s also not entirely the Rose’s usual fare? I often think that’s maybe a bit of an issue as it doesn’t have a strong identity particularly as a theatre, but I get that’s tricky with its location plus relative proximity to Orange Tree in Richmond I guess maybe? I really like it as a venue though! |
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Post by showgirl on May 2, 2024 14:59:28 GMT
Didn't book for this as previous experience of TW plays made me swear "never again"; I couldn't even sit through the whole of the last one I attempted to see, which I think was (Orpheus Descending?) at the Menier. But the reviews for this are so good that I'm wondering whether a quality production would win me over, or whether it's really the plays themselves which are simply never going to be for me. They all seem to have in common an assortment of characters whose lives are disappointing or disastrous and who spend several hours wringing their hands over their unavoidable fate without anything ever happening. No-one else can answer my question for me unless there happens to be someone who felt the same but was then converted by this production.
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Post by alicechallice on May 2, 2024 15:20:47 GMT
Didn't book for this as previous experience of TW plays made me swear "never again"; I couldn't even sit through the whole of the last one I attempted to see, which I think was (Orpheus Descending?) at the Menier. But the reviews for this are so good that I'm wondering whether a quality production would win me over, or whether it's really the plays themselves which are simply never going to be for me. They all seem to have in common an assortment of characters whose lives are disappointing or disastrous and who spend several hours wringing their hands over their unavoidable fate without anything ever happening. No-one else can answer my question for me unless there happens to be someone who felt the same but was then converted by this production. Orpheus Descending is by Eugene O'Neill. |
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Post by lt on May 2, 2024 15:42:12 GMT
Didn't book for this as previous experience of TW plays made me swear "never again"; I couldn't even sit through the whole of the last one I attempted to see, which I think was (Orpheus Descending?) at the Menier. But the reviews for this are so good that I'm wondering whether a quality production would win me over, or whether it's really the plays themselves which are simply never going to be for me. They all seem to have in common an assortment of characters whose lives are disappointing or disastrous and who spend several hours wringing their hands over their unavoidable fate without anything ever happening. No-one else can answer my question for me unless there happens to be someone who felt the same but was then converted by this production. I wasn't desperately keen to see this because I was concerned it was going to be slow and languid, and I might be a bit bored. But I am so glad I did see it, because I loved it! (My review is on this site). So while my previous experience of TW was probably not quite as negative as yours, I was a bit resistant.
And of course you are right the characters have disappointing and disastrous lives, but I did feel that things did happen and I was completely engaged through the production. You could always get a secret ticket for £10 at the Rose Theatre, Kingston. You get allocated your ticket location on the day of performance. And pretty much whereever you sit in the theatre you have a good view, so it wouldn't be too much of a risk!
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Post by lt on May 2, 2024 15:46:47 GMT
Didn't book for this as previous experience of TW plays made me swear "never again"; I couldn't even sit through the whole of the last one I attempted to see, which I think was (Orpheus Descending?) at the Menier. But the reviews for this are so good that I'm wondering whether a quality production would win me over, or whether it's really the plays themselves which are simply never going to be for me. They all seem to have in common an assortment of characters whose lives are disappointing or disastrous and who spend several hours wringing their hands over their unavoidable fate without anything ever happening. No-one else can answer my question for me unless there happens to be someone who felt the same but was then converted by this production. Orpheus Descending is by Eugene O'Neill. Don't think it is? |
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Post by alicechallice on May 2, 2024 16:38:49 GMT
Orpheus Descending is by Eugene O'Neill. Don't think it is? Of course, apologies! For some reason, I always mix 'Orpheus Descending' up with 'Mourning Becomes Electra' (O'Neill). I lay the blame with Helen Mirren for appearing in both in the early 00's. |
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Post by showgirl on May 3, 2024 3:09:18 GMT
Well whoever wrote it (which seems now to have been resolved), I watched the trailer on the Rose website & thought it was awful: people don't behave or speak like that, which is always a major issue for me with plays - I need something plausible & realistic.
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Post by max on May 3, 2024 6:40:33 GMT
Well whoever wrote it (which seems now to have been resolved), I watched the trailer on the Rose website & thought it was awful: people don't behave or speak like that, which is always a major issue for me with plays - I need something plausible & realistic. We're in Tom's mind as he conjures memories. Depending on your taste that may allow the style - the sort of delerium and heightened yearning, dreaming and falling short Williams is known for. Tom uses direct address to the audience, and even talks about "the play"; he feels like a stage manager of his own memories. If you're not keen on people stepping to the side and doing some lines on a microphone this may annoy (it's becoming a bit common as a directors' trick) - though here it's mainly used for phone calls, so can be seen as within Tom's play style. I'm not sure this one's going to win your love! I fully bought the behaviour and speech as real and heartfelt, but you've got to get drawn in first. Good the trailer is actual footage anyway. Most trailers seem to be adverts that don't let you see the play (or they give visuals only) - probably because they can't draw us in first, which is risky for them. |
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Post by Steve on May 3, 2024 7:54:48 GMT
I need something plausible & realistic. Tennessee Williams's way of writing may just be too la-di-da and poetic for your tastes.
Some spoilery comments follow. . .
But when it comes to "plausible and realistic," this is his most real play, in that it is autobiographical to a massive degree, features places he actually lived in, and the characters are reflections of his own mother and sister, and his guilt about his sister (sometime after the events of this play, after he left this stifling home for broader artistic pastures, she was lobotomised) never left him.
This play is a confession of real guilt, the guilt of someone who leaves people behind, but also, massive love for his sister and mother, who he may not have been able to live with at the time, but who he has immortalised lovingly, with all their frailties and flaws, along with his own confession of his own frailties and flaws, forever.
This version of the play doesn't egg up the mannerisms of the mother, which is why the first half feels less fake (actors and audiences love playing up the whole flighty, bonkers thing, but Geraldine Somerville doesn't) than usual. The dreaminess of the play, I feel, reflects his own endless musings about his family, and his role in his family, and that is a "plausible and real" description of how the mind works, at least how Tennessee Williams's mind worked anyway lol.
If you do see this, and don't like it, then you know for sure that this play will never be your thing.  |
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