2,389 posts
|
Post by peggs on Aug 6, 2019 18:56:36 GMT
Thanks also xanderl - I’ve gone for a seat at the back of the dress circle, so there won’t be too many people to see me and wonder who the loony is with her hands over her eyes! ;-) They'll be quite used to it if they've experienced me with my eyes shut and fingers in my ears @jeanhunt  |
|
|
|
Post by orchidman on Aug 7, 2019 23:05:40 GMT
First half very slow, I think you could cut it from 90 minutes to 30 minutes without losing anything of importance. Second half much stronger but still too inconsequential, with Lia Williams the stand-out performer.
|
|
3,333 posts
|
Post by Dr Tom on Aug 8, 2019 8:39:08 GMT
Well, I want to say thanks to the staff at the Noël Coward Theatre. I had a mortifying experience yesterday, where, for the first time in many years of theatre going, my travel contingencies failed and I arrived three minutes late. The play had started on time. The staff were very pleasant and understanding, got me in minutes later and even found me a different seat where I could slip in quietly and didn't have to disrupt anyone. I still feel bad about the whole situation, but that support was greatly appreciated.
Putting that aside, Dress Circle Row E (slightly forward of my original seat) provided an excellent clear view. Probably better than the front Stalls, as the stage is high and extended with steps at the front. The sound was clear there too and the audience one of the better ones, with very little noise and movement (just a few phone checks).
This is a long play (3 hours 5 minutes, with just a 15 minute interval), so I can see why they start bang on time. I did see it around 15 years ago, but don't remember that much about it. I can't say it's a great play, I think it was of its time, but it was performed well, without overplaying the comedy. As with orchidman, Lia Williams was the stand-out performer for me too.
There were quite a few empty seats and I could easily have moved forward again if I so desired (but I was happy with the seat and the view). That's rather a shame, but it does mean that there are ticket deals available.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2019 11:51:29 GMT
This was a bit of a trial, to be brutally honest. Might have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been fighting a severe headache for most of the evening, but I doubt it. Some laughs (including some pretty inappropriate ones from the audience, I thought) and some lovely acting but, unusually for Tennessee Williams, too many characters were unlikeable for it to be worth your while spending 3 hours with them.
We had an understudy as Maxine last night. She looked utterly mortified when Clive Owen made a fuss of her at curtain call. She’d fluffed a few lines so maybe she felt bad about that, but she really needn’t have done - I thought she created a great character.
|
|
|
|
Post by knutinkerbell on Aug 10, 2019 11:59:05 GMT
Was there Thursday. Was a great experience. I booked stalls row D 14 and Row D 14 is the middle of the first Row at this production.
The seat was absulutely perfect, cause the set startet at my feet. So it was immersive theater and everything was clearly in View.
Clive Owen was sometimes really good, sometimes he couldn't handle the breakouts of his character. More like a child throwing things away than an man with real problems.
Lia Williams was great. It's her play and she delivers from the first second. When she came up the stairs from the ground, I was near to jump up and help her, cause she looked quite pale.
Cause I am a fan of Tenesse Williams plays, it was a save bank for me, to watch it. But unfortunately play was a bit weak where it needed nervous breakouts.
|
|
716 posts
|
Post by theatre-turtle on Aug 11, 2019 0:29:39 GMT
Really enjoyed this but was confused at the point of the Germans. They didn't seem to advance the plot at all and were just annoying every time they appeared.
|
|
|
|
Post by londonpostie on Aug 11, 2019 2:08:02 GMT
Maybe to give the piece a sense of time and place? Clumpy as hell in this production, imo.
|
|
5,142 posts
|
Post by TallPaul on Aug 11, 2019 12:12:22 GMT
Note - ends of D look through rails, not an issue for me, but some won't like it. Those years in Belmarsh weren't completely wasted then? 🙂 |
|
367 posts
|
Post by Jonnyboy on Aug 11, 2019 12:15:37 GMT
Thoroughly enjoyed this, this afternoon. Penelope Woodman is now word and move perfect and did well. The scene between Owen and Williams when he touches her face has to be one for the history books if you are in row D as I was. Note - ends of D look through rails, not an issue for me, but some won't like it. 4 stars from me, more on my site if you want it. Not obviously classic, but the more you think about it, the more you will get from it, I feel. Very encouraged to read this positive review, but I’m seeing it from the end of Row F! The entirety of the play won’t be through bars, will it?! |
|
|
|
Post by edi on Aug 13, 2019 6:04:10 GMT
I saw it last night and I have mixed feelings about it. I went in with very low expectations based on this forum and luckily I found the play much more engaging than I expected.
I enjoyed the first part very much. The characters were neither likable or relatable but their frustrations fitted the tropical atmosphere well. The set was brill and the sound effects worked. Going to the interval I was relieved and I thought it was a strong 4.
However the VERY long conversation between the 2 main characters at the second half of the second act after the break just slowed the play down too much for me. It just went on and on and I stopped caring. By the time grandpa"s moment came I just wanted it to end.
I am happy I saw it and I was pleasantly surprised but it's only a 3 from me.
|
|
1,046 posts
|
Post by jgblunners on Aug 16, 2019 22:38:03 GMT
Found this very enjoyable tonight - as others have said, not quite as focussed or nuanced as Williams' other work, but still has his magic of language to it. I personally found the second act far more engaging than the first. I couldn't warm to Anna Gunn or her character and I don't know whether it's the former or the latter that's to blame for that. Clive Owen was very good and could be the highlight of any other production, but next to Lia Williams all others fade away. This was the first time I've seen her perform and she had me completely transfixed. Her monologues and exchanges with Owen's character in act two were sublime. Julian Glover was brilliant in his smaller role and his delivery of the poem was fascinating and touching. The Finty Williams character and the Germans felt a little jarring but I can understand why they had to be included in the play. Brilliant direction and a wonderful design.
|
|
3,306 posts
|
Post by david on Aug 18, 2019 0:12:52 GMT
Was there last night thanks to the TT £15 ticket offer. An absolute bargain (sat in H14 of the Royal Circle) and definitely worth the time and money seeing this beautifully crafted production. The staging and light design for this production were top class in my opinion. As a big fan of Lia Williams, she delivered yet another fantastic performance and completely owned Act 2 for me. Clive Owen certainly impressed me over the 3hrs. I thought his portrayal of the Rev was very effective as his character spirals out of control. As for Julian Glover, he really did a great job and his scene at the end with Lia WIlliams was just heart breaking.
If I had any grumbles, it would be that I wished there had been maybe 2 short intervals rather than 1. At 90 mins for Act 1 and 80 mins for Act 2 it was tough going at times, particularly in what was a warm auditorium.
|
|
423 posts
|
Post by dlevi on Aug 21, 2019 21:43:18 GMT
I saw it this afternoon and while the first half was solid, if not inspired , the second act , after an unwieldy first 15 -20 minutes became rather wonderful when the scene between Clive Owen and Lia Williams commenced. Suddenly the production clicked into place and I found it quite moving. Mr Owen's performance was uneven until it got to hat scene, while Ms Williams was damned near perfect throughout. Totally worthwhile.
|
|
|
|
Post by sfsusan on Aug 24, 2019 11:41:30 GMT
This was really interesting for me. I'd recently seen the movie (introduced at the BFI with a panel discussion including Clive Owen), so I wondered how it would compare. The first half was fine, setting everything in place. At the interval, a teenaged girl behind me kept complaining that she didn't "get it"... why did everyone laugh at things this horrible rapist was saying and why was he the 'hero' of the play? Which afterward made me realize the character in the movie is completely different from the character in the play. {Spoiler - click to view}
In the second act of the play, the Rev. Shannon admits he pressures the young girls until they have sex with him (partially by shocking them off their foundations by taking them to truly seedy places). And then he actually hits them afterward (and sometimes before, I think I remember him saying). The movie character is much more 'sinned against than sinning', as the girl on the bus is shown as dressing and acting provocatively and pursuing him relentlessly. The girl in the play is hysterical and needy, which is played for comedy at first, but when you realize what he's done to her, becomes more realistic and disturbing. I, too, thought Lia Williams was great. It must be very hard to convey such a connection with Clive Owen's character without it appearing sexual on her part. I initially thought this was just ok, but if I'm still thinking of it nearly a week later, it's more than that. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2019 13:02:58 GMT
At the interval, a teenaged girl behind me kept complaining that she didn't "get it"... why did everyone laugh at things this horrible rapist was saying and why was he the 'hero' of the play I agree with the teenage girl 100%! I found the audience laughter unsettling at times. Is it really funny for a man to hit (underage) women as he faces up to the depths of his depravity after he has sex with them? Apparently some in West End audiences think it is. I’d genuinely love to know what it is that people who enjoyed/valued this found to admire in it. Frankly, I felt annoyed at being asked to spend an evening feeling sorry for this perv. I certainly didn’t waste any more of my time dwelling on it afterwards! |
|
|
|
Post by londonpostie on Aug 24, 2019 18:29:52 GMT
God I love Tennessee Williams  |
|
|
|
Post by sfsusan on Aug 24, 2019 18:30:41 GMT
At the interval, a teenaged girl behind me kept complaining that she didn't "get it"... why did everyone laugh at things this horrible rapist was saying and why was he the 'hero' of the play I agree with the teenage girl 100%! I found the audience laughter unsettling at times. Is it really funny for a man to hit (underage) women as he faces up to the depths of his depravity after he has sex with them? Apparently some in West End audiences think it is. I’d genuinely love to know what it is that people who enjoyed/valued this found to admire in it. Frankly, I felt annoyed at being asked to spend an evening feeling sorry for this perv. I certainly didn’t waste any more of my time dwelling on it afterwards! I think most of the laughter came in the first act... once more details were revealed about how evil he was, I think there were far fewer jokey lines in the script and much less laughter at his behavior. The focus shifts to "can he be rehabilitated...?" (although why we should care at that point is a perfectly valid question). I did appreciate that the normal coda to that question "... by the love of a good woman" is flipped into something else here, at least in his relationship with Miss Jelkes. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2019 19:37:25 GMT
Thanks sfsusan and theatremonkey.
I’d agree with you on the acting - eg even though I thought Owen’s character was a waste of space, that certainly had nothing to do with his acting.
And yes... perhaps I just found the Rev so despicable I wasn’t much bothered about the possibility of him finding redemption! Jelkes was such an annoying, wiffly woman I couldn’t be bothered with her story either.
I think the only character I found truly fascinating was Julian Glover’s - a supposedly second-rate poet striving to write something of great beauty. But he didn’t really have that much to do.
Ordinarily I love Tennessee Williams’ writing, but for me there was just nothing here to rival, say, the grit of Maggie the Cat or vulnerability of Laura - with the result that it all felt pretty pointless to me.
|
|
g3
Auditioning
|
Post by g3 on Aug 25, 2019 0:33:40 GMT
Saw half of this today (mat). The last time I fell asleep in a theatre I was hung over while watching The Wind in The Willows - The Musical, with the kids. In that instance I'd been out till the wee small hours the night before. However, last night I got a solid eight, and yet both the wife and I were nodding after an hour. Suffice to say we did not stick around after the intermission.
What a bloody mess - I could write an essay on how poor it is. A terrible play (narrative anyone?), admittedly well produced, and with strong female performances, but dialled in by one who shall not be named (American? English? Pick one, mate!)
It MAY have been relevant at some point in the past, but what on earth possessed them to put this on now?
Very disappointed.
|
|
1,281 posts
|
Post by theatrefan77 on Aug 25, 2019 11:39:13 GMT
I loved this. For me it's an excellent production of a great play.
Tennessee Williams was clearly a very tormented man. Depression and loneliness were topics he dealt with in most of his plays and The Night of the Iguana is not exception to that. It is of course difficult to sympathise with the characters but I find them fascinating especially the three leads.
Love the way in which Williams explore the moral values of disgraced Reverend Shannon, wonderfully played by Clive Owen. Lia Williams is excellent as Hannah and delivers one of my favourite lines during a heartbreaking conversation with Shannon: 'Nothing human disgusts me, Mr. Shannon, unless it's unkind, violent'. Also great is Anna Gunn as hotel keeper Maxine.
I remember enjoying the 2005 production very much too. It had great performances by Woody Harrelson and Clare Higgins. Unfortunately Jenny Seagrove was miscast as Hannah, she was too young for the part and her acting was very bland which was a pity.
Can't fault any of the performances in the current production. They were all top notch. The set and lighting design are also wonderful.
4 stars
|
|
|
|
Post by londonpostie on Aug 25, 2019 12:01:07 GMT
It's definitely one of the more intriguing triangles. How time and the scars of life changes us all!
|
|
904 posts
|
Post by lonlad on Aug 25, 2019 14:40:40 GMT
It's a gorgeous production of one of Williams's most personal and probing plays and the only one where he grants a male character the sort of neurasthenia he ordinarily reserves for his central women. The four leads are all excellent, each in his/her own way and yet all fully complementary.
|
|
|
|
Post by londonpostie on Aug 25, 2019 19:34:19 GMT
From the 'they don't make em like that anymore' department:
|
|
