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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2018 20:12:19 GMT
I find myself deliberately unfolding my arms if I’m close to the stage, just in case the cast see and get the wrong impression!
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Post by wickedgrin on Aug 13, 2018 23:29:28 GMT
"A bit of a rum do" this as they say in Yorkshire. More thoughts later...……..
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Post by Snciole on Aug 14, 2018 8:53:32 GMT
I fold my arms a lot, I am quite sensitive to cold so any air conditioning rarely feels comfortable to me if I have bare arms so this is the easiest way to keep warm. I also think it is a space thing and protects me from fellow audience members invading it too much
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Post by wickedgrin on Aug 14, 2018 16:56:30 GMT
"A bit of a rum do" this as they say in Yorkshire. More thoughts later...…….. So …. I know you have all been waiting with baited breath to hear my thoughts on this! No? Well, here they are anyway. A packed (very middle class) audience were full of anticipation before the play at attending a performance of a new Alan Bennett play. The first 15 minutes went very well with an attentive audience laughing in all the right places, although for me I was distinctly uncomfortable laughing at elderly people with incontinence issues (and my sense of humour is far from PC). Northern towns seemed to get big laughs for no apparent reason. I can assure readers that there is nothing remotely funny about Barnsley! The a lot of silence fell on the audience as the play began to meander. I felt this was due to the lack of pace and attack throughout. Old people can be slow, but other members of the cast seem to take a lead from this and a lack of a strong narrative drive. The man next but one to me fell asleep, woke up occasionally during the play, laughed loudly and then promptly nodded off again! A great ending to Act One though which sent the audience out to the interval happy. Act Two descended into lecturing and preaching with characters breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience which they found distinctly uncomfortable. "I don't need a lecture on immigration" said one lady on the way out! The applause was polite at the end (a few stood) but the mood had sank. Perhaps this was Bennetts intention? An impressive large luxury cast (who must be very grateful for the work) but I found it sad to see such people as Nicola Hughes (Caroline or Change, Porgy and Bess, The Color Purple, Ain't Misbehavin' and Blues in the Night) wasted in this with nothing to do. Amateur Dramatic Societies are going to love this play when it is released, I can see someone selling it to the play selection committee - "there are lots of parts for the elderly ladies of the group". Award winning Bob Crowley wasn't stretched with this set - simply sliding panels which moved rather quicker than the dialogue. Nick Hytner needed to inject some pace into the production and my heart went out to Arlene Phillips who had to get the elderly cast to move in some sort of synchronicity in the (too?) many musical interludes - a long way from her heyday choreographing Hot Gossip! How she must wish she was still on Strictly! But a lovely theatre in a splendid location with a fabulous view of Tower Bridge - very friendly staff and a short hop to London Bridge Station! Plus a centre stalls rush ticket for £20 - a bargain! Does the play get the wickedgrin recommend? No. |
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Post by sf on Aug 16, 2018 20:18:13 GMT
"I don't need a lecture on immigration" said one lady on the way out! If that was her reaction to the second act, actually, she probably really does need a lecture on immigration. And on a great deal else besides. |
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Post by sf on Aug 16, 2018 20:39:51 GMT
So... I saw this yesterday afternoon. I enjoyed it, the play itself is not without flaws, and it quickly became obvious why the reviews and the word-of-mouth on it are all over the place. The performances are excellent, and while the writing (as I said) is not without flaws, the Act One curtain is a knockout. At yesterday afternoon's performance, the role usually played by Jeff Rawle was played by Colin Haigh, and Mr. Haigh's role presumably was cut. There was no announcement before the show - no slip in the programme, no notice in the foyer, no audio announcement, nothing.
I'm afraid I find this unacceptable, and it leaves a rather nasty taste. It's not about wanting a refund or compensation or anything like that - it's live theatre performed by live human beings, and people get sick/injured/have family emergencies and are sometimes indisposed. Stuff happens, and that's why there are covers, although no understudies are listed anywhere in the programme. I just feel - quite strongly - that people deserve due credit for their work. If you weren't paying attention yesterday you'd have walked away from the theatre not knowing you'd seen Colin Haigh instead of Jeff Rawle (and not knowing that you'd seen the rest of the show's cast negotiate, I imagine, a number of tiny, imperceptible cuts around the character Mr. Haigh usually plays).
They solicited feedback on my visit so I've raised the issue in an email; given that I'd already tweeted them about it - a simple inquiry as to why there was no announcement, I didn't use words like 'unacceptable' - and they completely ignored it, I won't be holding my breath for a response. My guess is they didn't announce it because they didn't want to also have to announce (or let people put two and two together and figure out) that they were cutting Mr. Haigh's regular role, and that we would therefore not quite be getting the complete text.
It'll be interesting to watch the NT Live broadcast - which I probably wouldn't have bothered doing having already seen the play in the theatre - to compare the two performances. As I said, Mr. Haigh was very good, and you'd never have guessed you were watching an understudy... which is the problem. His work should have been acknowledged properly, and it wasn't.
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Post by sf on Aug 17, 2018 17:58:36 GMT
...and the Bridge responded to the email (they didn't spell-check the response, but never mind), and they inform me that they did put signs in the foyer. I arrived twenty minutes before the show began, went to the ticket desk, walked around the foyer, used the bathroom, waited a few minutes in the lower lobby before I went into the auditorium, and there were no signs visible in any of those places announcing the appearance of an understudy. If there were signs, they were not designed to be seen (far be it from me to accuse anyone of telling porkies, but I would put money on there having not been any signs at all). As I said, it's not about not seeing the regular actor play the role - it's simply that people should be given due credit for their work.
(And - a related rant - there is very little I find more disproportionately irritating than organisations who, in response to a mild criticism in feedback they solicited, apologise for my feelings - "I'm sorry you felt that way" - instead of taking responsibility for their error and promising to correct the behaviour in future. When I rule the universe, that kind of awful bland corporate insincerity will be a punishable offence. It's hideous and condescending and invariably leads me to draw unflattering conclusions about the organisation responsible for it and their attitude towards their customers/clients.)
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Post by cherokee on Aug 18, 2018 7:56:14 GMT
I agree that when understudies go on there should be an announcement and signs in the foyer. However, having seen the show, Colin Haigh is a non-speaking character who appears as part of the ensemble of elderly patients, so you won't have missed any of the text, and the only change would have been one less 'body' in those group scenes.
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Post by sf on Aug 18, 2018 15:01:32 GMT
I agree that when understudies go on there should be an announcement and signs in the foyer. However, having seen the show, Colin Haigh is a non-speaking character who appears as part of the ensemble of elderly patients, so you won't have missed any of the text, and the only change would have been one less 'body' in those group scenes.
All the more reason to give him proper credit when he goes on as one of the leads, then! He was excellent.
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Post by Marwood on Aug 18, 2018 15:51:45 GMT
From what I remember, notices about understudies etc. are stuck on the right hand wall right at the back of the foyer level (someone was not on when I went to see Julius Caesar there).
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2018 13:38:07 GMT
Saw it last night and I enjoyed it a lot but was also quite moved by parts so if it. The front row is good value at now £15 as you only miss peoples feet or them being blocked occasionally. As others have said the play isn’t perfect but has nice witty dialogue along with very good performances. I really liked Deborah Findlay as the nurse and thought she was brilliant , I also really liked Simon Williamson and Jeff Rawle. One thing I would also like to mention is that I found the way elderly people and the mental health of them was handled very sensitively and realistically compared to other shows I have seen and helped add to the reality of some of it.
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Post by sf on Aug 24, 2018 17:05:13 GMT
Response to feedback. Colour me very, very unimpressed - as far as I know this doesn't break any Equity rules in this country (it would in the US), but it's lazy and thoroughly disrespectful to both the audience and the actors, and there's no excuse for it. 
(One more time - I am absolutely not complaining that I saw an understudy. He gave an excellent performance, he deserved proper credit for it, and he didn't get it.)
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Post by wickedgrin on Aug 24, 2018 20:08:20 GMT
(One more time - I am absolutely not complaining that I saw an understudy. He gave an excellent performance, he deserved proper credit for it, and he didn't get it.) Yes, especially if it happened "very last-minute"! |
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Post by NeilVHughes on Aug 25, 2018 19:31:53 GMT
Good news on the seating, less so on the Production.
Seeing it in a few weeks time, expectations reduced, £15 not that great an investment even if I come away disappointed, going through a phase where I enjoy the less favourably reviewed and been disappointed by the popular ones so who knows.
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Post by showgirl on Aug 25, 2018 20:30:53 GMT
Good news on the seating, less so on the Production. Seeing it in a few weeks time, expectations reduced, £15 not that great an investment even if I come away disappointed, going through a phase where I enjoy the less favourably reviewed and been disappointed by the popular ones so who knows. My sentiments exactly; also, some productions improve as the run continues and I must be seeing it near the end. Plus I'm going to the matinee so if this disappoints, there's always hope for the evening. |
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Post by altamont on Aug 26, 2018 12:43:03 GMT
Thought this was perfectly fine yesterday afternoon - yes, Bennett is perhaps a bit scattergun in his targets, and some of the characters are closer to caricatures, but both Mrs A and I (who have had parents going through the care system in recent years) had much to think about afterwards. It is worth reading his introduction to the play in the programme - gives a lot of useful context to the play and his way of writing. Simon Williams in particular is a joy to watch as he reacts to what's going on around him.
And if only I'd known - but somewhere in the ten or so sets to our left in row A was TheatreMonkey!
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Post by lynette on Aug 26, 2018 16:01:59 GMT
We need hats, not badges.
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Post by peggs on Aug 26, 2018 18:59:19 GMT
We need hats, not badges. And large, distinctive ones at that, obviously we would take them off for all performances  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2018 9:36:46 GMT
We need hats, not badges. Does anyone still wear a hat? I'll drink to that. |
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Post by andrew on Aug 27, 2018 10:40:52 GMT
We need hats, not badges. Does anyone still wear a hat? I'll drink to that.  |
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Post by showgirl on Aug 27, 2018 13:06:09 GMT
And there I was, thinking we could co-opt @ryan as our style consultant - talk of a debonair devil, etc...
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Post by lynette on Aug 27, 2018 14:14:16 GMT
Hats v. in, I’m told.
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Post by peggs on Aug 27, 2018 14:39:37 GMT
We need hats, not badges. Does anyone still wear a hat? I'll drink to that. Yes if it's cold, raining, very sunny or windy so my hair needs controlling which works out as quite often really. |
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Post by Dr Tom on Aug 30, 2018 7:59:45 GMT
First time at the Bridge Theatre last night. My main impression with the clientele, it's a theatre intended for those who find the National Theatre too downmarket.
Sat in the Stalls towards the rear (rush ticket). It's a good view due to the rake and you could hear most of the cast. Only thing that put me off was the strong BO from the chap sitting next to me, but that isn't the fault of the theatre.
I thought this was excellent. A very sharply observed black comedy and it was incredible to think there was an all star cast hidden away with such tiny roles.
Some very witty lines, even if many of the audience clearly only picked up on the "let's laugh at the funny old people dancing". I thought the plot was rather predictable, but there was a big gasp at the Act One reveal (a rather slow continued gasp as the penny dropped and people stopped laughing), so it worked. And being predictable doesn't stop it having a good book.
The use of music and the discussion about how this gets through to dementia sufferers was clever. I'm sure lots of people have experience of this from their own friends and relatives.
And the whole social commentary on public sector targets and the compromises needed to meet them just works. I can see this easily becoming a set text at GCSE.
This may not be the most commercially successful Bennett. I can't see it performing so well internationally (even in the time of Trump, would Americans get the subtleties?) and it may date quickly. But it is an excellent play for now. And, as I think someone mentioned earlier in the thread, amateur theatre groups will have a ball putting this on and giving some interesting parts to members of their company who are usually neglected (perhaps like patients themselves).
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Post by peggs on Aug 30, 2018 16:35:51 GMT
First time at the Bridge Theatre last night. My main impression with the clientele, it's a theatre intended for those who find the National Theatre too downmarket. are usually neglected. They must sigh when I rock up with my rucsac and plastic mac then. |
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