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Post by Jan on Apr 7, 2018 5:51:30 GMT
The reviews are so at odds with what we've said on here. What extras do the reviewers get? In the case of Mikey Billington what he has is an agenda - he’s been moaning loudly at the lack of classic revivals at NT so he’s hardly likely to complain about one elsewhere. Also his current bias against director’s theatre gets an airing. We can knock one star off his review based on that. He also overpraises any Pinter production and has assorted other biases, as we all do I suppose. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2018 8:30:14 GMT
They mostly already know the plays (if it’s a revival), so can better assign blame to either a flaw in the text or production.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2018 8:58:18 GMT
Newspaper critics are getting paid so a 3.5 hour play means overtime. Plus they get free drinks so missing last orders is not an issue.
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Post by drmaplewood on Apr 7, 2018 11:03:22 GMT
Got a klaxon ticket for this on Thursday (12th) that I’ll give away for free, if anyone wants it?
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Post by theatrelover123 on Apr 7, 2018 11:16:43 GMT
Got a klaxon ticket for this on Thursday (12th) that I’ll give away for free, if anyone wants it? I could be very interested in this if it’s available. Is it matinee or evening? Standing or seated? Would you not want anything for it? Thank you for the kind offer. |
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Post by Steve on Apr 7, 2018 11:20:36 GMT
The reviews are so at odds with what we've said on here. What extras do the reviewers get? If we suppose that critics are more refined than the general audience, more educated (at least with regards to theatre), and feel they have a mission to refine and educate the audience, then one can easily see where the critics will fall down hard and fail that audience, with regards to COMEDY. I know comedies can transmit enlightenment values, refine and educate, satirise and reveal, and whatnot, but first and foremost, they've GOT to make us laugh. At the interval, of the last preview, a number of audience members, including myself, had a chat. Two people to my left, one lady looked despairingly at me, and asked what i thought. I said "it's not funny, so it's tedious." She said "Thank God for that, I thought I was the only one," and promptly walked out. The two witty ladies to my immediate left also thought it wasn't funny, but decided to stay to see if things improved. They did. In front, a younger lady mournfully admitted she "hadn't been paying attention" in the first scene of the play, and now felt she couldn't understand anything.
To mis-paraphrase Shakespeare, the quality of laughter is "not strained, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven." Well, the audience all about me were clearly straining to laugh, desperate to get their money's worth. I myself am happy to laugh against the stream of an audience, even if I look silly doing it, but I just wasn't getting any comic surprises, being instead inundated with emotional subtleties from the actors. The result was muted and/or strained laughter all round. Thankfully, things improved in part 2.
Now critics will have seen previous revivals, whether it be Jeremy Northam playing Mirabel, or Maggie Smith playing Milliamant, Margaret Rutherford playing Lady Wishfort, or in Billington's case, Mrs. Bracegirdle premiering Millamant in 1700. So they know the plot, and the comic twists are pre-spoiled. Therefore, all they have left is to obsess over refinement and elevation.
This is why the critics tend to HAMMER an OTT comedy like "Ruthless," at the Arts Theatre, with two star reviews, while the paying audience is roaring with laughter. That is because for some critics, that audience is being debased by that low humour, rather than elevated, so the play needs to be spanked.
For me, much revived comedies can be great, even if I remember their twists, as long as unique actors create uniquely humorous characterisations of well-known parts, like Tamsin Greig, Tim McMullan and Daniel Rigby all managed in the National's uproarious Twelfth Night. There, director Simon Godwin put his audience first, and encouraged some truly wild and crazy and unique comedy characterisations that came way before all the refinement and elevation in the world. The only critic base enough to truly join his audience in their low appetites was Charles Spencer, but he's retired. Quentin Letts is base, but unfortunately he tows the Mail's party line of hating on everybody not like himself, so he is base in more ways than one. My feeling is that this production will be at it's best in the very last performance, when director James Macdonald's own refinement is forgotten by the actors, and they have been chasing laughs for a month, and have figured out how to get them.  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2018 16:58:47 GMT
Point very much taken about comedy, Steve (McDonald really us at his best elsewhere) but, regarding shows like Ruthless, revewers are reviewing the material not the audience response. I personally think that the Ruthless script is a shambles and any show that needs to use in references to get a laugh deserves to get hammered. Will it get laughs? Yes. Does that mean the show should be well reviewed? No. Will it be well received? By people who it is aimed at, yes, and they won’t care about the reviews anyway.
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Post by lichtie on Apr 7, 2018 17:16:34 GMT
Just saw this. The odd comic moments were welcome, because otherwise it was very hard to follow. I have to confess to dozing during some of the wordier, less amusing bits. I think the previous comment about most of the actors playing it too straight was spot on.
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Post by dani on Apr 8, 2018 11:58:05 GMT
The ES review says "it seems hard to justify what’s essentially a frothy entertainment lasting well over three hours" and mentions that some performances "are rather guarded, and that’s a feature of a production that often feels careful and discreet, allowing the actors to lose sight of the fact that they’re in a comedy".
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Post by drmaplewood on Apr 11, 2018 14:58:45 GMT
E mail from Donmar saying tomorrow evening has been cancelled, assume tonight is too.
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Post by mcdowell on Apr 11, 2018 14:59:09 GMT
Unfortunately, Donmar have cancelled tonight’s performance of this and apparently had to cancel last night’s performance as well. Disappointed as I had tickets for tonight and was looking forward to giving this a shot. How could one not with the warm reviews it received here? In truth, the positive press reviews versus the reactions here have made me very curious. I am familiar with the play so don't know how much that will factor into my reaction to this production's take on it.
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Post by MrBunbury on Apr 11, 2018 15:37:23 GMT
I had a ticket for tonight as well. Quite disappointing but at least I am in London. I hope there were not people travelling to the Donmar from outside London just to see the play because the email came quite late.
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Post by bellboard27 on Apr 11, 2018 16:02:09 GMT
Several performances cancelled. I had seat for Saturday evening and visited box office as I was passing and got seat for a couple of weeks time. Bit mysterious when asked why cancellations. Might be illness but a bit coy about it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2018 16:34:21 GMT
Which performances are cancelled? Nothing on their twitter feed or the website about this!
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Post by bellboard27 on Apr 11, 2018 16:45:00 GMT
Yesterday, tonight, tomorrow and Saturday evening at least cancelled.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2018 16:46:43 GMT
Thanks!
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Post by jasper on Apr 11, 2018 17:21:54 GMT
Saturday matinee is cancelled as well. No reason given.
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Post by foxa on Apr 11, 2018 17:23:15 GMT
Yes, I had tickets for Friday night and got an email this afternoon saying it was cancelled and they would be in touch later to see if I wanted a refund or new tickets. But all a bit mysterious.
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Post by foxa on Apr 11, 2018 19:23:12 GMT
Yeah - it's a bit weird - usually they say cast indisposition or whatever. Given they seem to know they are going to be off 5 days or so, I wonder if they are rehearsing someone new into a major role. Twitter is very silent about it. Given they are cancelling so many perfs I think they would probably have difficulties if everyone wanted an exchange rather than a refund. I may go for the refund.
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Post by peggs on Apr 11, 2018 20:09:06 GMT
What would we do without board tip offs. I'm not until the following sat so will watch and wait now.
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Post by mistressjojo on Apr 12, 2018 10:45:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2018 10:51:50 GMT
Oh god, how awful. He was no age at all.  |
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Post by drmaplewood on Apr 12, 2018 10:53:46 GMT
f***, that's awful.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2018 11:24:23 GMT
Yes, that's horrible news. I can understand now why they've been in a bit of disarray about announcing the cancellations - must have been very shocking for everyone at the Donmar.
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Post by Snciole on Apr 12, 2018 12:35:33 GMT
How horrible for everyone. I think as a production you can prepare for most unexpected events but this is something you don't even want to consider. What a painfully young age and my thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.
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