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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2017 9:20:03 GMT
Oooh, old people need love too! Everyone's favourite OAP*, Sheila Hancock will be starring in 'Harold and Maude' at the Charing Cross Theatre from February 2018. Sam Taylor-Johnson was probably asked to direct but didn't want to do something so autobiographical*. Two tickets for Keeley Hawes please.* one of these statements is probably not entirely true. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 15:50:28 GMT
Oooh, full casting announced for this one. Alas, Keeley Hawes' name is nowhere to be seen. Does Anyone Know Morse Code?
Joining La Hancock as Maude is Bill Milner as Harold. Now if you don't know Bill Milner. He is the star of the delightful film 'Son of Rambow'. 'Harold & Maude' is about an old woman and a young man. La Hancock is old. Bill Milner is young.  |
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Post by robertb213 on Jan 16, 2018 18:58:02 GMT
Looking forward to seeing this, the film is such a weird little treasure!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 20:36:12 GMT
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Post by popcultureboy on Jan 16, 2018 22:21:15 GMT
Is this 100% definitely the play and not the musical?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 23:14:27 GMT
I saw Rebecca Caine tweeting about being in "yet another straight play", so unless she's been massively misinformed...
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Post by popcultureboy on Jan 16, 2018 23:17:49 GMT
Fair enough.
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Feb 19, 2018 22:35:47 GMT
Saw this tonight in its first preview. It was... fine. It's oddly lifeless and felt like a long two hours. The second half is better than the disjointed and slow first half, and it does suffer from the twin Charing Cross curse of actor/musicians and performers pushing bits of scenery about.
That said, it has some lovely moments, and some quite funny ones (it's all a bit 'gentle humour' though, and probably not quite as funny as it thinks it is). Sheila Hancock and Bill Milner both give excellent performances though, and Rebecca Caine is brilliant.
The ending was touching, but overall it was all a bit flat for me, both in the actual experience and the final impression - a bit 'what's the point?'
2.5 stars.
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Post by robertb213 on Feb 19, 2018 23:08:19 GMT
Quite interested in seeing this - how did it compare to the film? That isn't a laugh a minute I suppose but it's endearing in a quietly awkward kinda way 😁
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Feb 20, 2018 9:31:25 GMT
I've never seen the film, so can't comment on that, I'm afraid.
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Post by dlevi on Feb 20, 2018 9:59:39 GMT
I remember seeing the film when it first came out and loving it. I then saw the play some years later on broadway and thinking that it just felt... dated. And years after that I saw the musical version at the Papermill Playhouse which re-confirmed my feeling that the material is very much of its (original) time. Or maybe now that I'm closer to Maude's age than Harold's it will prove itself more relevant?
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Post by wickedgrin on Mar 9, 2018 11:23:39 GMT
Apparently Sheila Hancock is leaving the production at the end of March and Linda Marlowe takes over from the 2nd April. Very odd, as this is only a 3 month run anyway and this wasn't announced at the start.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2018 10:01:37 GMT
Well. I just thought it was delightful. Sheila Hancock is obviously the star and gets the showier part but Bill Milner is the standout for me. He blooms and blossoms throughout the play like a little flower and he's just glorious as is Rebecca Caine (almost stealing the show) as his mother. Their reactions to each other at Harold's various dices with death are joyous. The opening scene is fabulous and there's a scene with . . {Maude in Taiwan}
. . a bomb and a cupboard that I laughed at for ages. There's an ensemble always onstage who play various instruments and other characters and while actor/musician usually strikes fear into my heart, on this occasion I thought it really worked and there's always a place for a gong in any West End show as far as I am concerned. Samuel Townsend in particular stands out, not only because he's dressed as a NY cop (one of my favourite emergency services) but also for his magnificent seal impression which I defy anyone not to enjoy. AND it's got the most inventive staging of telephone conversations I've seen. Yes, it's dated and a strange little piece but the end pays off beautifully and it brought a tear to my glass eye. Oh and if you love a bit of a yodel, you're in for a treat. Keeley Hawes was obviously in last night too as La Hancock received a ripple of entrance applause from a solitary person which was nice. And this is true too. I know. I was there! She kept hold of them brilliantly though. She's a class act. |
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Post by jasper on Mar 15, 2018 12:04:32 GMT
Well. I just thought it was delightful. Sheila Hancock is obviously the star and gets the showier part but Bill Milner is the standout for me. He blooms and blossoms throughout the play like a little flower and he's just glorious as is Rebecca Caine (almost stealing the show) as his mother. Their reactions to each other at Harold's various dices with death are joyous. The opening scene is fabulous and there's a scene with . . {Maude in Taiwan}
. . a bomb and a cupboard that I laughed at for ages. There's an ensemble always onstage who play various instruments and other characters and while actor/musician usually strikes fear into my heart, on this occasion I thought it really worked and there's always a place for a gong in any West End show as far as I am concerned. Samuel Townsend in particular stands out, not only because he's dressed as a NY cop (one of my favourite emergency services) but also for his magnificent seal impression which I defy anyone not to enjoy. AND it's got the most inventive staging of telephone conversations I've seen. Yes, it's dated and a strange little piece but the end pays off beautifully and it brought a tear to my glass eye. Oh and if you love a bit of a yodel, you're in for a treat. Keeley Hawes was obviously in last night too as La Hancock received a ripple of entrance applause from a solitary person which was nice. And this is true too. I know. I was there! She kept hold of them brilliantly though. She's a class act. Is the maid in the play or did she come free with the pearls? Why did the maid not take the photo? What is the use of having a maid and tidying up yourself? Makes me think of the Sondheim song Everybody Ought to have a Maid. Mind you with a room that size she will not have much to do. Nice kettle. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2018 13:09:59 GMT
]And this is true too. I know. I was there! She kept hold of them brilliantly though. She's a class act. So, Ryan, have you ever seen a pearl necklace mishap handled with greater aplomb? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2018 13:15:27 GMT
Is the maid in the play or did she come free with the pearls? Why did the maid not take the photo? What is the use of having a maid and tidying up yourself? Makes me think of the Sondheim song Everybody Ought to have a Maid. Mind you with a room that size she will not have much to do. Nice kettle. The maid comes with the play. I don't think she comes with the pearls. I get the sense that she isn't a real maid which is why she's rubbish at tidying up. Perhaps Rebecca doesn't like anyone else touching her things, especially her pearl necklace, so she'd rather take the photograph herself. She's very modern. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2018 13:17:39 GMT
So, Ryan, have you ever seen a pearl necklace mishap handled with greater aplomb? Not since an incident with a certain Prime Minister and Deputy back in 2013 that I am legally bound from not being able to discuss further. |
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Post by Tibidabo on Mar 15, 2018 17:38:51 GMT
Keeley Hawes was obviously in last night too as La Hancock received a ripple of entrance applause from a solitary person which was nice. I saw that thing (Barking in Essex) where Madame Hancock bullied Dame-to-be Keeley. (Allegedly.) I remember thinking how rushed the whole thing felt and there was definitely a weird atmosphere - people making their exits almost before they'd got their lines out. The thing that really stayed with me though was that I'd become fixated on Keeley's gorgeous sandals. After the final bow when the curtain came down I remember seeing those sandals rush away before the curtain hit the floor. She was in one heck of a hurry. Not sure I'd want to see Ms Hancock in anything now, though she was bloody good as Martin Kemp's mother back in the day. |
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Post by robertb213 on Mar 17, 2018 18:22:08 GMT
Saw this today, overall very good. Sheila was on good form, she did go wrong a handful of times but covered it up quickly enough, and even with the fluffs she's still mesmerising. It's an odd little play but strangely charming and inventively directed. Shame to see the house half empty but people were on their feet at the end which made up for it 😁
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2018 13:17:46 GMT
Apparently Sheila Hancock is leaving the production at the end of March and Linda Marlowe takes over from the 2nd April. Very odd, as this is only a 3 month run anyway and this wasn't announced at the start. I noticed today that Bill Millner has also left to be replaced by Patrick Walshe McBride. |
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