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Post by jason71 on Sept 11, 2017 11:42:15 GMT
Has anybody seen this play before? Will anybody be going to watch the above production?
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Post by bee on Sept 11, 2017 14:47:53 GMT
I'm going. I haven't seen it before and to be honest was unaware of it's existence until this production was announced.
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Post by Jan on Sept 11, 2017 15:07:05 GMT
I saw the 1986 John Caird RSC production of it at the Barbican, strongly cast with Brian Cox. Not much good. Since then I've stopped seeing anything by the old windbag Shaw. Might work better in the smaller space of the Orange Tree I suppose.
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3,558 posts
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Post by showgirl on Sept 11, 2017 15:58:06 GMT
I'm interested in anything by Shaw that I haven't already seen, but when I read the description it sounded a bit strange so I'm waiting for reviews before risking it.
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1,119 posts
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Post by martin1965 on Sept 11, 2017 17:25:55 GMT
Love Shaw! V excited when this was announced, booked for 16/12 as pre xmas treat for self. Rare outing so worth catching😊
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2017 17:29:44 GMT
Not at all helpful but I also saw the RSC production in the Barbican Theatre and can't now remember anything about it or how I felt about it at the time.
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Post by Jan on Sept 11, 2017 19:21:18 GMT
Not at all helpful but I also saw the RSC production in the Barbican Theatre and can't now remember anything about it or how I felt about it at the time. It was not memorable. A sort of country house comedy almost like Wodehouse but without the style or humour and added political lectures. Richard McCabe was in it too and was rather good. They did give it a big production which may not have helped, I seem to remember a plane or plane crash in it ?
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Post by oxfordsimon on Sept 11, 2017 19:31:45 GMT
For those with an aversion to Shaw, you should brace yourself for 2020 when he falls out of copyright... you will be tripping over productions left, right and centre.
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Post by dave72 on Sept 12, 2017 3:10:09 GMT
Based on the New York production I saw in 1981 (and still vividly remember), it's a delightful play. An underwear manufacturer and his eccentric family meet a Polish aviatrix who crash-lands her airplane in their greenhouse. It's like "Heartbreak House" but really funny.
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Post by Jan on Sept 12, 2017 5:49:54 GMT
For those with an aversion to Shaw, you should brace yourself for 2020 when he falls out of copyright... you will be tripping over productions left, right and centre. Oh God - thanks for the warning - the thought of another London production of Androcles and the Lion is grim. Just incidentally do you know how much money this will save producers ?
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Post by oxfordsimon on Sept 12, 2017 9:02:55 GMT
For those with an aversion to Shaw, you should brace yourself for 2020 when he falls out of copyright... you will be tripping over productions left, right and centre. Oh God - thanks for the warning - the thought of another London production of Androcles and the Lion is grim. Just incidentally do you know how much money this will save producers ? I have never looked into the cost of professional rights for Shaw. But you can bet it will be enough to tempt them.
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1,119 posts
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Post by martin1965 on Sept 12, 2017 10:40:35 GMT
For those with an aversion to Shaw, you should brace yourself for 2020 when he falls out of copyright... you will be tripping over productions left, right and centre. Oh God - thanks for the warning - the thought of another London production of Androcles and the Lion is grim. Just incidentally do you know how much money this will save producers ? Another? When was it last done? Ive seen the film.
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Post by Jan on Sept 12, 2017 11:39:16 GMT
Oh God - thanks for the warning - the thought of another London production of Androcles and the Lion is grim. Just incidentally do you know how much money this will save producers ? Another? When was it last done? Ive seen the film. Billy Connolly did it in the West End years ago as far as I can recall.
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1,119 posts
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Post by martin1965 on Sept 12, 2017 13:59:32 GMT
Another? When was it last done? Ive seen the film. Billy Connolly did it in the West End years ago as far as I can recall. Did he? Oh ok. Im hoping Dromgoole's Classic Spring season does well coz its Shaw next😊
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1,119 posts
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Post by martin1965 on Dec 16, 2017 17:39:45 GMT
Saw todays mat. Good performances (well apart from one), really enjoyed it, v funny. Martin Jarvis and Rosalind Ayres sat behind, Paul Chahidi was in the Circle. Recommended.
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1,861 posts
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Post by NeilVHughes on Jan 7, 2018 0:18:38 GMT
Really enjoyed this tonight and as martin1965 says it is very funny.
Everything expected of Shaw, verbosity, class distinctions, solialism in a comedy of sexual politics
Theatre 2018 off to a very good start, Orange Tree Theatre is one of if not the best small Theatre in London, productions have been consistently good for the past few years.
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3,558 posts
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Post by showgirl on Jan 12, 2018 11:35:35 GMT
I saw this yesterday and had really been looking forward to it, but didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. I can't fault the acting or production; rather, it was the play itself, I think, which whilst typical of Shaw in the respects listed by @neilvhughes above, isn't one of his best. Only to be expected, really, or it would be revived more often but I was glad of the chance to see at last a play by Shaw new to me, and all the more so at the Orange Tree, which is still one of my favourite venues even if the programming is no longer much to my taste.
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Post by dave72 on Jan 12, 2018 12:22:15 GMT
I saw this last night with my students, and we thought it was extraordinary. A really fine production, well-acted across the board, beautifully timed and paced. In my view, it's one of Shaw's plays that holds up best--wonderfully entertaining, and still politically relevant (read Elinor Cook's essay in the programme). So glad to have the chance to see it.
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Post by mallardo on Jan 21, 2018 8:23:07 GMT
I saw the final matinee yesterday and agree wholeheartedly with dave72 - a wonderful play that not only holds up but feels pertinent to everything that's going on right now. Shaw always amazes me - no one has ever written smarter, funnier dialogue. The audience was in stitches throughout. And a great cast, as usual at the Orange Tree. Perfection across the board.
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1,119 posts
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Post by martin1965 on Jan 21, 2018 18:48:09 GMT
Hope Dromgoole gets his Shaw WE season following the Wilde. There are a few of his that deserve a revival.
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Post by perfectspy on Jan 23, 2018 22:49:37 GMT
I can’t get enough of Shaw plays. I wish the Orange Tree would produce more, though too be fair I’ve seen three here already. A very funny play in which the audience enjoyed. I love his writing with strong female roles and hints of socialism throughout.
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1,119 posts
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Post by martin1965 on Jan 24, 2018 6:24:16 GMT
Me too! Even though he is still widely revived he isnt considered "cool" the NT ignored him for years. Roll on the Dromgoole season!
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Post by Jan on Jan 24, 2018 7:08:32 GMT
Me too! Even though he is still widely revived he isnt considered "cool" the NT ignored him for years. Roll on the Dromgoole season! It is true Shaw has been under-represented in the NT repertoire compared with Sir David Hare for example. I recall when Hytner staged "Man and Superman" in 2015 he said something like "just because I think he's a boring old windbag doesn't mean we shouldn't so his plays".
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Post by martin1965 on Jan 24, 2018 7:20:38 GMT
Yes i recall thinking that was an extraordinary comment from the AD if the National Theatre.
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Post by jasper on Jan 24, 2018 8:15:32 GMT
If you are keen on Shaw there is still time to catch Heartbreak House at the Union Theatre. It is on until 3 Feb.
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