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Post by partytentdown on Jan 29, 2016 14:20:16 GMT
Opens next week, starring Gemma Arterton, anyone seeing a preview?
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Post by Marwood on Jan 29, 2016 14:25:06 GMT
Going to see it on the Saturday, booked when tickets first went on sale but there seem to be a lot of discounts on offer at the moment so not expecting the theatre to be packed.
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Post by stanne on Jan 29, 2016 18:59:25 GMT
I'm seeing it in March (best check the date!) so I'd be grateful for any reviews....
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Post by Marwood on Feb 7, 2016 13:09:50 GMT
Saw this last night and really enjoyed it - a lot more singing than I was expecting (was there so much in the original Globe/Gugu Mbatha-Raw version?) and it was maybe a bit too long (2 hours 40 including the interval)
Gemma Arterton was great, she seemed to be really enjoying herself, big props to Michele Dotrice as well - not sure the dog was needed on stage, it seemed terrified (and I didn't need the stupid woman behind me going 'awww' in a dopey voice and woofing when she saw it either)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2016 14:56:49 GMT
I haven't seen the transfer but yes, there was a lot of singing when it was at the Globe.  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2016 23:33:09 GMT
I am so happy Gemma is back on the West End, completely underrated in Dagenham, glad she gets to show her talent once again. Cannot wait to go. |
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Post by Steve on Feb 10, 2016 11:17:59 GMT
This is a lovely entertainment, blending a lot of crowdpleasing genres, mostly of a traditionally distaff bent. Start with your prototype "Pretty Woman" Cinderella story, where a happy-go-lucky lady-of-the-night-turned-daytime-orange-seller turns straight back to the night when she realises the clientele is going to be exclusive and upmarket: namely the King of England. Make it a period piece with frocks. Add a slice of feminism by stripping out Pretty Woman's passivity and adding a winning feistiness and can-do agency to Cinderella's story. Add a slice of sex, by stripping out Pretty Woman's po-faced PG-rated conservatism, adding a distinctly Barbara Windsor - Sid James 12A-rated seaside-postcard sauciness. Add oodles of sing-song, with one song so catchy that even the grumpiest audience member will leave the show humming it's persistent refrain (which could have been written by Lionel Bart for Oliver but wasn't): "I can dance and I can sing! La la la la la la la!" Make it appeal to your audience, who love the theatre, by being about the love of the theatre. Capture the hazy glow of Red Velvet/Trelawny of the Wells nostalgia for loveable hammy posturing acting styles of the past: in particular, demonstrate how actors turned into hams, by using fans, to exaggerate their emotions on stage. Add a slice of Pythonesque camp by having a man-in-a-dress get flustered by the encroachment of women who want to take his dress away from him. Whip up all your frothy elements into a weighty "true story," so your audience can feel edified as well as entertained. And what have you got? A genius piece of no-holds barred entertainment from Jessica Swale that goes one better than "Shakespeare in Love" in giving an audience just what they want. Gemma Arterton is a perfect Nell, a reinvented "Pretty Woman," her poise and beauty counterpointed by her "Me and My Girl" low down lack of airs and graces. She is a saucier version of her feminist pioneer in "Made in Dagenham," a feisty feminist version of the young Barbara Windsor. King Charles II is played beautifully by David Sturzaker as a lusty loveable mischievous Sid James, a puppyish posturing puffed-up ball of conceit with a tender soft centre just waiting to be melted. Entertaining. 4 stars. PS: To compare this with the Globe production, it is a bit less funny, a bit more weighty. The loss of easily-pleased Groundlings makes the actors work harder for the laughs. Also, Gugu Mbatha-Raw's irrepressible Nell was such a force of nature that she simply punched the laughs out more effortlessly, whereas Arterton's more tearful tentative Nell brings more drama to the fore. The biggest difference is that at the Globe, Amanda Lawrence was so skilled at portraying someone with a size-zero-IQ (her startled bug-eyed cluelessness would slot perfectly into the Play-that-goes-Wrong ensemble) that all her antics were HYSTERICALLY funny, whereas Michele Dotrice's more motherly realistic performance doesn't lend itself quite as well to the laugh-out-loud business she is asked to engage in toward the end of the play. So more laughs at the Globe, more drama at the Apollo. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2016 13:10:32 GMT
Left this at the interval last night
Xmas was over a long time ago
I don't wish to see pantomime in February
I suppose it might appeal to people who find Keeping Up Appearances funny
Not my thing
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Post by partytentdown on Feb 10, 2016 13:31:37 GMT
Left this at the interval last night Xmas was over a long time ago I don't wish to see pantomime in February I suppose it might appeal to people who find Keeping Up Appearances funny Not my thing You're back |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2016 23:37:55 GMT
Nearly gave this a miss tonight on account of it being over two hours long and me having the worst cold since...oh, probably the cold I had three weeks ago.
However, I'm very glad I went. It really cheered me up! Laugh out loud funny, especially Nancy and Kynaston's antics, and the king was wonderful. Some touching observations about theatre (as well as some rather tart ones) went down predictably well with the crowd.
It felt like there were some issues with the comic timing in the first few minutes, but then it all seemed to run smoothly after that.
The dog seemed fine by curtain call, if a little manic on its first appearance (tail wagging all over the place). I don't know enough about doggy behaviour to tell if that meant it was happy or distressed, but I assume the trainers would get another dog if it was too freaked out by the public.
Costumes were lovely too. And my reduced seat in row W was a bargain - wasn't aware of missing any action at the top of the stage.
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Post by greenswan on Feb 12, 2016 6:21:03 GMT
I agree. I got lucky and bought a seat in Row A on the internet yesterday (17 instead of 15 pounds when bought online) but view was absolutely fine. The angle is quite steep though so it helps to be tallish.
I have to agree, the play was kind of tipping over into panto a bit every once in a while and you can see which parts would have worked better in the globe.
But I would strongly recommend to go. I laughed more than at The Play that Goes Wrong and it does have quite a few pointed things to say about theatre, women's roles (and austerity). So I had an all around good evening.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Feb 13, 2016 9:33:45 GMT
Fabulous reviews for Arterton.. Maybe this will see her make the Best Actress noms for the Oliviers?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2016 14:19:55 GMT
If it does get her a nom, it will be great to see her recieve two noms, in two consecutive years, in both leading actress catagories (Musical for Dagenham, Play for this)
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Post by David J on Feb 13, 2016 18:03:27 GMT
Really enjoyed this
A real comedic, historic drama. Gemma Arteton and the cast act their socks off.
And this could easily have been a history retelling with some laughs in it, yet lacking in heart. Yet it sticks to the point, which is Nell Gwynn, sprinkles in touches of historical, cultural, and social commentary here and there, and still finds time to put in some poignant moments
And to top it all off it is a fun time for all. |
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Post by raiseitup on Feb 15, 2016 11:55:15 GMT
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Post by Peach on Feb 16, 2016 15:05:11 GMT
I loved it! Thought Gemma did a wonderful job taking over from Gugu, and I liked Michele Dotrice as Nancy even though I'd thought no one could be as funny as Amanda Lawrence.
It does lose a little bit without the Globe audience but still cracking good fun.
Gemma made eye contact with me several times in my second row stalls seat. I'm now considering asking her to run away with me.
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Post by jasmineneroli on Feb 18, 2016 19:10:16 GMT
Has anyone tried dayseating for this yet? Hoping to at the weekend.
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Post by alexandra on Feb 23, 2016 11:16:53 GMT
Great fun apart from the audience: specifically, an idiot in the front row who left his glass on stage, and two overlaughers at the end of the first and second rows who laughed extremely loudly and entirely mirthlessly at everything Arterton said. I was sitting behind and slightly to the side of one, and was fascinated by him - he would gurn and guffaw at maximum volume for several seconds, and then immediately his face went back to resting, in a way it just doesn't do if your laugh is natural.
So I was a bit distracted (and I was not alone judging by the numerous hard stares in their direction, which sadly did no good) but it was otherwise very enjoyable, especially the second half, and Arterton and Dotrice were a delight. Lovely costumes.
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Post by mallardo on Feb 27, 2016 18:17:07 GMT
Caught the matinee today from a front row day seat - great view at a great price - and had Gemma Arterton playing her big scenes right above me, so no complaints here. As always she was totally wonderful and got to show off her singing chops once more which was great. Nell has to carry the show and she did it with ease. Kudos too to David Sturzaker as the hedonist with a heart King Charles. He and Arterton had genuine chemistry.
The play itself was a bit hit and miss for me but was clever and energetic and never less than entertaining. I'm not normally a fan of historical drama/comedy but Jessica Swale made this one work despite cramming a lot of incident into a lot of years. It's miles better than that other recent look at the fun and foibles of London theatre in centuries gone by, Mr. Foote's Other Leg.
It looked to be pretty much a full house and the audience was loving it. Go for it. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2016 9:24:28 GMT
OMGosh. This is just one of the most gloriously delightful evenings at the theatre in a long time. I adored every single second of it. It's funny, camp, bawdy and because pretty much everyone is so loveable it's also really rather touching at the end. The script is hilarious and the songs are terrific. The cast is uniformly brilliant and they all get their moment to shine but special praise for Michele Dotrice (Nancy), Greg Haiste (Edward Kynaston) and David Sturzaker (Charles II). In particular, why Haiste and Sturzaker were not Olivier nominated in the Supporting Actor category is an absolute scandal and Sturzaker's chemistry with Gemma Arterton is a beautiful thing of glory.
But oh, Gemma Arterton. She is beyond magnificent in this and would absolutely deserve the Olivier. She's just glorious - trafficstoppingly beautiful, funny, sexy and heartbreakingly tender and with an indefinable star quality that means you can't take your eyes off her and yet she's so generous to the rest of the cast. She's so natural that it seems like she's making it up on the spot. I truly believe that in time she could become one of our absolute great stage actresses.
Plus you get the cutest little spaniel in the world. It's a must see.
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Post by foxa on Mar 1, 2016 10:10:55 GMT
I saw this at the Globe and really enjoyed it then. But you make me want to see it again. I absolutely agree that the supporting cast was superb - I thought Sturzaker was really something. (I think the best supporting role Olivier nominations were the most misguided - no Johnny Flynn either.)
And, well, the dog! I wonder if they have the same very excitable pup who was so delighted to be on stage?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2016 21:10:15 GMT
The trailer has been released, it does look great fun! |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2016 9:51:32 GMT
Oh, if you think it looks fun from the trailer you should go DJ14! If you liked Gemma Arterton in 'Made in Dagenham', you'll love her in this. She's sensational.
Also, I haven't seen a stage looking as beautifully at home in a theatre for a long time either.
And the dog is cute.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2016 11:52:08 GMT
Oh, if you think it looks fun from the trailer you should go DJ14! If you liked Gemma Arterton in 'Made in Dagenham', you'll love her in this. She's sensational. Also, I haven't seen a stage looking as beautifully at home in a theatre for a long time either. And the dog is cute. I am going the first week of April I think, I really loved her in Made in Dagenham, massively underrated!
I am much excited to see it
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2016 14:48:19 GMT
It's a shame it can't extend at all considering the Olivier nominations and good reviews from audience members. How is it selling?
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