294 posts
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Post by dani on Oct 8, 2017 14:04:50 GMT
I have booked for this new play by Chris Thompson. I thought his last play Albion was a very brave attempt to write about alienated white working-class people and the far right. It was a mess, but it was an ambitious mess. I see Mike Bartlett has now written a play called Albion too.
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546 posts
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Post by drmaplewood on Oct 10, 2017 10:35:23 GMT
I caught this at the Crucible in Sheffield and it was excellent. Very strong performances and left with lots to think about. Hope it gets bums on seats at the Bush as it deserves it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2017 21:31:22 GMT
I caught this at the Crucible in Sheffield and it was excellent. Very strong performances and left with lots to think about. Hope it gets bums on seats at the Bush as it deserves it. Totally agree! !saw this tonight and thought it was excellent. Probably my favourite play this year along with Barbershop Chronicles. It puts you through the emotional wringer but is not hysterical in the way that I found Yerma. It is a complex and intelligent play with fantastic performances. Hope the reviews are good. Try to get hold of a ticket. |
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3,558 posts
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Post by showgirl on Oct 21, 2017 4:05:46 GMT
Going next week. Happened today to see a review which gave this only 3 stars but the Sheffield reviews had already persuaded me and it's often those productions which are good but flawed which provide the most food for thought afterwards.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2017 10:13:17 GMT
Going next week. Happened today to see a review which gave this only 3 stars but the Sheffield reviews had already persuaded me and it's often those productions which are good but flawed which provide the most food for thought afterwards. Where was this review? Am interested to read it. I honestly think that audiences are going to love this play no matter what snooty critics say. Hope it sells out. |
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3,558 posts
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Post by showgirl on Oct 21, 2017 11:28:13 GMT
On The Public Reviews - sorry, can't post link from mobile. But it wasn't snooty; simply saying the play wasn't perfect and there's bound to be a range of reactions.
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3,558 posts
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Post by showgirl on Oct 27, 2017 4:41:06 GMT
Having now seen this, primed with a selection of views, it absolutely lived up to my expectations and I agree with Lyn Gardner, who started her Guardian review by saying:
"A play can be thoroughly enjoyable even if its plot and the way its characters behave don’t quite stack up."
She goes on to explain this and to repeat it at the end, presumably because she wants to emphasise both aspects:
"The play, like its characters, is flawed, but it’s watchable and (has) a fine cast."
So yes, I think she was completely correct on both counts and I'd have loved a Q and A with the cast - and writer and director - to try to explore these issues tactfully(!), but I certainly enjoyed it and would recommend it with these caveats. It was enthusiastically received by a respectable but far-from-full house, so I hope it gets more support as the run continues.
Btw, for anyone interested: I booked one of the Bush's new "Count Me In" seats, which are cheaper (£10, so a steal for something this engaging and thought-provoking) and allocated by the theatre on the day. But as anyone who knows the venue will agree, there are no bad seats there and all are close to the action.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2017 9:27:56 GMT
I was up and down about this
It is well worth seeing
But I found the couple very melodramatic
And even the surrogate friend
Like they were 3 panto characters
However I loved the mother and solicitor (played by the same actress) and the Judge
And the second scene is tense and I was on edge
There is some amazing acting
And very true comments in the play
It’s mixed with too much melodrama
And none of the characters demonstrate any appropriate parenting skills
But I do agree that it’s a more human play
Then Yerma
And it raises some
Brave questions
I didn’t like the dancing scene
It was too long
And annoying
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2017 11:52:19 GMT
Well. I was emotionally drained. It's a very interesting premise and tries to address lots of issues (some more successfully than others) and you do go through the wringer but I'm not sure I was altogether happy with the denouement (ooh, get me going all continental) which I think was mainly because the main character of Daniel so unlikeable (to be honest none of them are particularly likeable). Having said that James Lance plays him extremely well. So well in fact that I caught myself siding with him at unexpected moments before snapping out of it again. You can see in his hands how such a manipulative bully gets by. He works for TFL too, no wonder they're always striking if they're all like him. Joshua Silver is just smashing, has lovely hair and wears a very nice snug pair of trousers which was delightful on a Saturday afternoon. He can squeeze my rubber duck anytime. Oooh matron.
Loved Donna Berlin as the Judge but I very much doubt that they are really that pithy, throwing out one-liners like she's at the Edinburgh Festival. Joanna Bacon was also great, simply for the fact that she made me absolutely hate her two characters. She seemed so smiley at the curtain call too.
And Joshua Silver is either a real Jessie J fan or he's been doing a lot of practice.
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167 posts
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Post by cherokee on Nov 8, 2017 19:01:17 GMT
I'd be interested in seeing this, but I spent an excruciating evening at the Donmar a few years ago watching Pirandello's Henry IV, because the frequency of James Lance's hissy 'S' hit my nerves like nails down a blackboard. I couldn't put myself through that again no matter what!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 0:49:30 GMT
Tickets are slashed to £5 as part of offers
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 13:03:06 GMT
Tickets are slashed to £5 as part of offers Where can I find said offers? |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 13:08:22 GMT
Tickets are slashed to £5 as part of offers Where can I find said offers? Dear monkey has on website Under offers |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2017 13:19:54 GMT
Where can I find said offers? Dear monkey has on website Under offers Thank you :-) |
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1,345 posts
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Post by tmesis on Nov 11, 2017 23:57:02 GMT
The play divides into three very well contrasted scenes - the last scene is quite short so I think it would be better with no interval, producing a 100 minute drama. It's a bit melodramatic and some of the characterisation doesn't ring true but it's a fine, if flawed drama, that kept me engrossed all the way through. The last scene was particularly well played and quite moving. Definitely recommended.
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