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Post by stevej678 on Jan 23, 2018 10:18:02 GMT
Interestingly, the two moments which David Benedict can't decide between as "the production's nadir", Jennifer Saunders' song and Kevin Bishop's Lord Darlington striking a pose in front of a portrait of himself, both had the audience roaring with laughter at the Saturday matinee, probably more so than anything else in the play!
Kathy Burke's done a great job with this. It's an excellent cast, with a nicely judged performance from Grace Molony in the titular role at the centre of it all. Glad to see generally positive (if three star) reviews elsewhere. Quentin Letts is his usual contradictory self - criticising the performances of the "patchy cast", then showering the actors in all of the leading roles with praise!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2018 10:27:56 GMT
Interestingly, the two moments which David Benedict can't decide between as "the production's nadir", Jennifer Saunders' song and Kevin Bishop's Lord Darlington striking a pose in front of a portrait of himself, both had the audience roaring with laughter at the Saturday matinee, probably more so than anything else in the play! Kathy Burke's done a great job with this. It's an excellent cast, with a nicely judged performance from Grace Molony in the titular role at the centre of it all. Glad to see generally positive (if three star) reviews elsewhere. Quentin Letts is his usual contradictory self - criticising the performances of the "patchy cast", then showering the actors in all of the leading roles with praise! Hey I didn't say he was right....
(I haven't seen it I have zero opinion!)
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Post by stevej678 on Jan 23, 2018 10:45:55 GMT
Hey I didn't say he was right.... (I haven't seen it I have zero opinion!) Oh I know, I just think that (based on the response the scenes he's slating received on Saturday) his thoughts on the production as a whole are out of step with what a lot of the audience will think. I guess it's an abridged version and one which is played for laughs perhaps more than purists might like, but I think that the majority of the audience going to see an Oscar Wilde comedy, directed by Kathy Burke and starring Jennifer Saunders, will expect that and lap it up. I certainly thoroughly enjoyed it! At least I now know how danieljohnson14 felt when the Big Fish reviews came rolling in!  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2018 11:10:16 GMT
Hey I didn't say he was right.... (I haven't seen it I have zero opinion!) Oh I know, I just think that (based on the response the scenes he's slating received on Saturday) his thoughts on the production as a whole are out of step with what a lot of the audience will think. I guess it's an abridged version and one which is played for laughs perhaps more than purists might like, but I think that the majority of the audience going to see an Oscar Wilde comedy, directed by Kathy Burke and starring Jennifer Saunders, will expect that and lap it up. I certainly thoroughly enjoyed it! At least I now know how danieljohnson14 felt when the Big Fish reviews came rolling in! Still pissed about those reviews. |
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Post by lonlad on Jan 23, 2018 12:14:34 GMT
BIG FISH was infinitely better than LWF --- David B's review was spot on. Would have been nice if Kathy Burke actually trusted the play, or even seemed to like it. Neither is in evidence, alas.
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Post by mallardo on Jan 27, 2018 15:19:32 GMT
Lady Windermere's Fan, like other Wilde dramas, is a play of two halves, the second compensating (for the most part) for the first. Like A Woman Of No Importance, the leading lady doesn't appear until the second scene but unlike AWONI this doesn't really lift the play. That doesn't happen until after the interval when the contrivances Wilde has set in motion suddenly bear fruit and erupt into compelling theatre. Why Wilde should be so diffident about setting up his plot is hard to discern but, whatever the case, the play features some of the baldest expository scenes ever - characters simply turning to the audience to tell us what's happening in soliloquies that feel retrogressive at best.
Which is a shame because the play is full of interesting ideas, especially with regard to gender equality and a woman's role in society, that resonate more than ever just at the moment. And the aforementioned leading lady, the protagonist, Mrs. Erlynne, is a wonderfully complex and contradictory character, fascinating in her ability to make her way in the world while placing herself well beyond the bounds of what passes for morality. She seems so modern. And she is expertly played by Samantha Spiro who is always comfortably the centre of attention and, in key moments, carries the play on her shoulders.
There are two other strong female characters: Lady Windermere herself, a young wife not as fragile as she seems, brought nicely to life by Grace Molony, and The Duchess of Berwick, a slightly grotesque Lady Bracknell-like figure played to the hilt by Jennifer Saunders. If the Duchess more than somewhat resembles Edina Monsoon at a costume ball it's all to the good. All of her scenes are in the play's drab first half and what life they have is mainly down to her. The audience was in hysterics with every twitch of her eyebrows.
The fact that Saunders' character doesn't return after the interval means that a kind of music hall number has been inserted for her to cover the set change between scenes three and four - and she is genuinely hilarious doing it. No, Wilde wouldn't have liked it but thank god for it.
The many male characters of the piece are not as well realized or as well played. Only Joshua James as the rigidly well meaning Lord Windermere manages to make a positive impression.
Kathy Burke's production is hit and miss. Strong in the strong scenes but not strong where the play needs a director's help. Hit and miss pretty much sums it up for me - with enough good things to make it an entertaining evening.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2018 14:00:09 GMT
Well. I just loved 'Lady Windermere's Fanny'. What a smashing show, a lovely entertaining visit to the theatre. AND from a quick glance around the audience, I think we were the youngest ones there which is always nice.
Jennifer Saunders is glorious. If you've seen her wondrous performance in the classic F&S show 'Let Them Eat Cake' you've practically seen this performance here but she does it all so well, from the raise of her eyebrow, the double takes through to the sending the ends of her mumbled lines out into ether. You do miss her very much in the second half except for a musical performance between scenes which pretty much steals the entire show. Samantha Spiro acts everyone else off the stage and looks gorgeous with a capital GORGEOUS, especially in a long black dress and I also found a moustachioed Kevin Bishop rather foxy as Lord Darlington. Scene stealing duties also comes from David O'Reilly as Cecil but the whole cast are terrific.
Some lovely frocks, a bunch of laughs (on and off stage) and a delightful glass of wine before the show (and cocktails after). I was just . . . wait for it . . . wilde about it. J'approve.
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Post by Stephen on Feb 9, 2018 2:47:43 GMT
What a lovely afternoon seeing "Lady Windermere's Fan" It's rather lovely. I laughed a lot and really had a tear in the final act and closing moments. Saunders delivers her musical interlude with such comic flair as only she could! BRAVA!
The only bizarre thing was the other musical excerpts? Were they produced on Sibelius this morning? The electronic drums seemed out of place and unnecessary. Who really cares though? It's a great afternoon of comedy with a lot of heart at the end.
I also didn't realise how nice the Vaudeville is to see a play. Wasn't full in the Dress Circle this afternoon so box office kindly moved us down into the centre from the rear left (offered better views of all the fans)
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Post by showgirl on Feb 11, 2018 5:53:36 GMT
A little late to add my vote for an individual thread for each play in this season (still time, as the current production runs for a while and is followed by another), but I think that would be helpful.
So, I day-seated for the matinee yesterday and if anyone else is thinking of day-seating, note that on a 2-show day, the matinee seems both by far the more popular time and therefore also the performance with far more limited availability. There seems to be no system for the location of day seats (eg not front row): yesterday there were just 4 in the back row of the dress circle and half a dozen in the back row (S) of the stalls. I was 3rd in the queue but as the 2 people ahead each wanted 2 matinee tickets and the box office assistant told them the dress circle seats were better, they booked those, leaving me with the rear stalls. It was absolutely fine but I've never sat so far back before and I do like to feel more connected to the action. However, as TM notes, the seats in the rows nearest the rear do have the old curved backs rather than the straight type in the other rows.
I enjoyed the play and thought Jennifer Saunders (whom I'd never seen on tv or stage and only once that I recall in a film) was great. It wasn't a uniformly perfect cast (in particular, Joshua James as Lord Windermere seemed completely miscast and was far too feeble and soppy; I couldn't imagine Lady Windermere ever having fallen for him - or, for that matter, anyone else ever doing so), but the production was pretty enjoyable on the whole and I was surprised by the duration of the applause and the number of curtain calls (3).
I may not bother to see the next 2 Wildes in this season as to me they are even more familiar than the current production, but if I do, I'll aim to day-seat for a midweek matinee, not a Saturday.
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 14, 2018 23:25:42 GMT
Another tick for the Dominic Dromgoole’s season, this one got the juices flowing for me, more so in Act 2. The protagonist Grace Molony was superb and I did say the juices flow more in the second part, for no other reason than you had Samantha Spiro appeared. Jennnifer Saunders who was all but absent from act 2, except a stifle band for a scene change was alright, without blowing me away. Kevin Bishop and Joshua James appeared a bit too wet.
Now looking forward to An Ideal Husband.
4 Stars
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Post by oxfordsimon on Feb 15, 2018 23:52:33 GMT
Frances Barber for Mrs Cheveley in An Ideal Husband.
Much as I like her, she is really a bit too mature for the role.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Feb 15, 2018 23:54:51 GMT
Frances Barber for Mrs Cheveley in An Ideal Husband. Much as I like her, she is really a bit too mature for the role. Particularly with Freddie Fox as Lord Goring! |
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Post by mistressjojo on Feb 16, 2018 2:37:46 GMT
Frances Barber for Mrs Cheveley in An Ideal Husband. Much as I like her, she is really a bit too mature for the role. Particularly with Freddie Fox as Lord Goring! I'm glad it's not just me that thought this! Considering he is 28 (and Goring admits to being more than 30 ) and she is well...considerably more than 28! And they were meant to have been engaged? |
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Post by martin1965 on Feb 16, 2018 11:19:53 GMT
Particularly with Freddie Fox as Lord Goring! I'm glad it's not just me that thought this! Considering he is 28 (and Goring admits to being more than 30 ) and she is well...considerably more than 28! And they were meant to have been engaged? Some odd casting here! |
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Post by nash16 on Feb 16, 2018 22:28:26 GMT
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Post by alicechallice on Feb 17, 2018 13:55:23 GMT
Edward Fox played the same role in Chichester in 2014.
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Post by vdcni on Feb 25, 2018 8:09:12 GMT
Well Lady Windermeres Fan is a bit of a mess. I still enjoyed it but it was a bit all over the place.
The first half never really takes flight though thankfully Saunders keeps it alive with good support from the actors in smaller roles like Joseph Marcel and Matthew Darcy. Grace Molony does her best but neither Joshua James or Kevin Bishop give her much support. James is too wet and Bishop too indifferent to make any impact so you can't see why she would be interested in either.
Thankfully things perk up in the second half with Spiro and Molony's scene the highlight and even if Saunders song adds to the confused tone it's undeniably entertaining. The final scene isn't quite as strong thanks to James but overall it's a decent night out.
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Post by mistressjojo on Mar 14, 2018 1:59:51 GMT
Not even the addition of Nathaniel Parker and Susan Hampshire to this oddly cast thing can tempt me to part with money. |
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Post by Distant Dreamer... on Apr 5, 2018 9:50:02 GMT
Has anyone heard anything about the casting for The Importance of Being Earnest? It's only in a few months time and given the fact there have been many revivals of this play in recent years (including one currently on UK tour) surely they will need a big name to make this sell?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2018 9:57:49 GMT
They have a big name to make it sell, it's "Earnest". I hope they cast a slightly younger Lady Bracknell than usual; as the mother of the unmarried Gwendolen, there's no reason why she shouldn't be in her 50s (or even 40s?) rather than scooting off into her 70s...
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Post by TallPaul on Apr 5, 2018 12:17:19 GMT
They have a big name to make it sell, it's "Earnest". I hope they cast a slightly younger Lady Bracknell than usual; as the mother of the unmarried Gwendolen, there's no reason why she shouldn't be in her 50s (or even 40s?) rather than scooting off into her 70s... That's Tibidabo out of the running then! Shame, really, as I'd love to hear her "handbag" in her most stern school teacher voice. |
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Post by Tibidabo on Apr 5, 2018 12:21:49 GMT
They have a big name to make it sell, it's "Earnest". I hope they cast a slightly younger Lady Bracknell than usual; as the mother of the unmarried Gwendolen, there's no reason why she shouldn't be in her 50s (or even 40s?) rather than scooting off into her 70s... That's Tibidabo out of the running then! Shame, really, as I'd love to hear her "handbag" in her most stern school teacher voice. That's rich.....coming from someone who's recently double-dipped themselves in Tango. (FYI I do a good haaaandbaaaaaaaAAAAg, even if I do say so myself.) |
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Post by lynette on Apr 5, 2018 16:46:57 GMT
Hope they do it properlike with no changes of gender and updating to a post apocalyptic Scotland ( you know what I mean)
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Post by lynette on Apr 5, 2018 16:47:49 GMT
They have a big name to make it sell, it's "Earnest". I hope they cast a slightly younger Lady Bracknell than usual; as the mother of the unmarried Gwendolen, there's no reason why she shouldn't be in her 50s (or even 40s?) rather than scooting off into her 70s... A slightly flirty Lady B who thinks she still has a chance might be v funny. |
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Post by alicechallice on Apr 5, 2018 21:17:56 GMT
They have a big name to make it sell, it's "Earnest". I hope they cast a slightly younger Lady Bracknell than usual; as the mother of the unmarried Gwendolen, there's no reason why she shouldn't be in her 50s (or even 40s?) rather than scooting off into her 70s... A slightly flirty Lady B who thinks she still has a chance might be v funny. @ryan? |
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