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Post by Jan on Mar 14, 2024 7:21:38 GMT
Just a heads up for those who might be interested that the great Greg Hicks is doing a one-man show at the Marylebone Theatre based on a Dostoyevsky short story. 21 Mar - 20 Apr. www.marylebonetheatre.com/I've never heard of this theatre - has anyone been ? |
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Post by bordeaux on Mar 14, 2024 12:59:20 GMT
It feels a bit like a very nice school theatre, to be frank, but it seems to be going from strength to strength. I saw The White Factory there last autumn, a contemporary Russian play about the Lodz ghetto, which was a very powerful evening.
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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 Dave B on Mar 14, 2024 14:57:59 GMT
I like it. It is a comfortable space with a decent rake. I suspect most seats are good. I've been there for The White Factory and The Dry House and thought both were good. I've got this and The Government Inspector on my possible list.
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Post by cavocado on Apr 4, 2024 9:57:13 GMT
Has anyone seen this yet? I'm thinking of booking...
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Post by Steve on Apr 4, 2024 12:30:17 GMT
Has anyone seen this yet? I'm thinking of booking... I saw it yesterday matinee and felt Greg Hicks was very good, the adaptation perfectly adequate but its Dostoyevsky that didn't really do it for me. Some spoilers follow. . . Dostoyevsky's story bears some similarities with Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol:" both are about an unbearable misanthropic grump who goes on a journey of self-discovery and gets the feels. Both are attempts to convince us that humanity is worth it. But where Dickens does drama (going to war with ghosts and the actual past), Dostoyevsky does dreams: the grump in this story dreams of a utopia which proves the potential of humanity to him, with some surprises along the way. Anyway, I did not end up with that warm feeling about humanity that would prove to me the play worked. There isn't enough drama in a dream and some of the dream actually works against its own thesis. By contrast, every year at the Old Vic, as some old grumpy actor starts doing good deeds, actors tinkle beautiful bells, kids shriek as fake snow drops on their heads, I get a brief warm feeling that all is well with humanity despite the endless crappy news bulletins that usually suggest the opposite. I thought Greg Hicks did mighty work bringing Dostoyevsky's dream (adapted to the London of now) to life, going through myriad mood states of the dream, but I wished he was bringing his skills to the Old Vic this Christmas instead lol. Probably just me. 3 stars.  |
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Post by lynette on Apr 4, 2024 12:42:04 GMT
Greg Hicks - I wondered where he had gone. I think he likes the smaller, more intimate venues. Brilliant actor.
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Post by Jan on Apr 4, 2024 13:28:45 GMT
Greg Hicks - I wondered where he had gone. I think he likes the smaller, more intimate venues. Brilliant actor. He was in Ghosts at the SWP immediately before this. For someone who has played King Lear for the RSC among many other leading roles at RSC and NT he seems to get overlooked for high-profile roles these days, or maybe he prefers smaller venues like you say. A few years ago he was electrifying as Richard III at the Arcola. |
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Post by cavocado on Apr 4, 2024 13:43:32 GMT
Thanks Jan. It sounds interesting enough, and Greg Hicks is always worth seeing (I agree, he'd be a great Scrooge). I have read a few Dostoyevsky novels, but don't know this story, so I will probably book. |
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Post by ladidah on Apr 4, 2024 14:49:49 GMT
Btw - I saw this reduced on Central Tix |
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Post by Jan on Apr 4, 2024 20:07:54 GMT
Btw - I saw this reduced on Central Tix Yes, their pricing was very optimistic, north of £40 for a 75 minute one-man show in an obscure venue. |
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Post by lynette on Apr 4, 2024 21:17:14 GMT
Greg Hicks - I wondered where he had gone. I think he likes the smaller, more intimate venues. Brilliant actor. He was in Ghosts at the SWP immediately before this. For someone who has played King Lear for the RSC among many other leading roles at RSC and NT he seems to get overlooked for high-profile roles these days, or maybe he prefers smaller venues like you say. A few years ago he was electrifying as Richard III at the Arcola. Yes, I was trying to remember where that was. He was wonderful. Back in the days when you could park outside the Arcola! Maybe you still can. |
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Post by ladidah on Apr 5, 2024 12:44:55 GMT
Btw - I saw this reduced on Central Tix Yes, their pricing was very optimistic, north of £40 for a 75 minute one-man show in an obscure venue. My view said free, but just 6.50 admin charge |
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Post by Fleance on Apr 5, 2024 18:49:24 GMT
One of the most thrilling performances/productions I've ever seen was at the National in 1983: John Fowles's adaptation of Alfred de Musset's Lorenzaccio, with Greg Hicks in the title role.
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Post by Jan on Apr 5, 2024 19:57:46 GMT
One of the most thrilling performances/productions I've ever seen was at the National in 1983: John Fowles's adaptation of Alfred de Musset's Lorenzaccio, with Greg Hicks in the title role. Yes I saw that too. All the NT stalwarts of the time we’re in it: Greg Hicks, Michael Bryant, James Hayes and Basil Henson. |
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Post by Fleance on Apr 6, 2024 2:51:28 GMT
One of the most thrilling performances/productions I've ever seen was at the National in 1983: John Fowles's adaptation of Alfred de Musset's Lorenzaccio, with Greg Hicks in the title role. Yes I saw that too. All the NT stalwarts of the time were in it: Greg Hicks, Michael Bryant, James Hayes and Basil Henson. And Nicholas Selby. In those days, I felt cheated if I went to the NT and didn't see Selby in some bit part, e.g. coming on as the King of Spain at the end of The Mayor of Zalamea. |
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Post by lt on Apr 10, 2024 8:19:45 GMT
Having seen this last night thought it was very weak, poorly scripted and acted. Don't know if Greg Hicks was having a poor night, but audience pretty subdued. I saw Faith Healer only a couple of weeks ago, which contained brilliant monologues, which I think -for me anyway - underlined the weakness of last night's one man show.
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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 kate8 on Apr 11, 2024 15:21:24 GMT
I agree with bee - Greg Hicks was very good but I found it hard to care about his character’s journey and all the semi-mystical stuff. Re the Christmas Carol comparison, Scrooge is the bad guy in a world of mostly good people, so we really want him to reform and join them. In this it’s a fairly grim setting and Hicks‘ character is asking us to love our neighbours and not judge them, even if they are violent and corrupt. I was sitting there feeling that it’s a nice sentiment, but actually we should be very angry about the state of our world. Telling us to chill out and love everyone seemed a bit quaint. Maybe it would have worked better if they’d kept the original setting and let us decide what meaning we can take into our own lives. |
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Post by Jan on Apr 17, 2024 6:34:16 GMT
This is very average. It doesn't really suit Greg Hicks whose forte is austere unsympathetic characters. The main problem though is the adaptation by the director Laurence Boswell. While the plot of the original short story is followed closely the Guardianista updating is trite and the resulting text is full of student politics clichés. The messaging in the play actually seems explicitly Christian but that went entirely unremarked.
I'm not sure why directors think they can dispense with the services of a playwright as if it's not a special skill - Trevor Nunn's version of Uncle Vanya was the weakest thing about that production.
It works the other way round too though, Harold Pinter was an indifferent director (one actor complained that "He only directs the person who is speaking") and Sir David Hare was the worst director of Shakespeare the NT have ever employed.
I liked the venue itself - I hope they succeed.
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Post by lt on Apr 17, 2024 8:57:41 GMT
This is very average. It doesn't really suit Greg Hicks whose forte is austere unsympathetic characters. The main problem though is the adaptation by the director Laurence Boswell. While the plot of the original short story is followed closely the Guardianista updating is trite and the resulting text is full of student politics clichés. The messaging in the play actually seems explicitly Christian but that went entirely unremarked. I'm not sure why directors think they can dispense with the services of a playwright as if it's not a special skill - Trevor Nunn's version of Uncle Vanya was the weakest thing about that production. It works the other way round too though, Harold Pinter was an indifferent director (one actor complained that "He only directs the person who is speaking") and Sir David Hare was the worst director of Shakespeare the NT have ever employed. I liked the venue itself - I hope they succeed. I so agree, I don't really understand the positive reviews some critics have given it. Lloyd Evans in The Spectator was vkeen and The Arts Desk gave it a 4 star review. |
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