546 posts
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Post by drmaplewood on Sept 24, 2019 9:09:57 GMT
Really enjoyed this last night - want to parrot the praise for Imp which I found pretty devastating. Well worth catching.
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Post by Forrest on Sept 25, 2019 22:52:33 GMT
I finally saw this on Monday, and absolutely loved it. (And then came back home and - also finally - read Steve's fantastic comments about it, because I was terrified of unintentional spoilers prior to seeing it, and have been eyeing that post for too long but was afraid to read it.) [There might be some indirect spoilers below.] Kill is the absolute highlight for me. Not only because it is simply amazingly written - I bought a copy of the text and cannot stop going through it; the opening few lines summarise so beautifully my feelings towards the irrationality of our need to believe in something and hold on to it, so often simply to justify the wrongs of our doings - but also because I absolutely loved how it was performed. Saying that Mothersdale's performance was quite divine seems an aptly horrible pun (please forgive me for that  ), but I am honestly convinced he would have no problem making an ingredients label (to borrow an idea from Imp) sound exciting and smart and humorous if someone gave it to him to read on stage. The other plays got better and better one after the other. Glass was lovely, but I didn't feel it was elaborate enough, like it was put out before it fully developed. But the young cast did a lovely job of performing it. Bluebeard's Friends was both funny and uncomfortable because it was so relatable, with Churchill introducing plenty of elements of contemporary society and life into the mix. The discussions revolving around the question if the women married for the castle and what the surviving bride will do with it now - were both funny and tragical to hear, because they hit the nail on the head in terms of how society still thinks and talks about women. (There's always that hint of the question if whatever bad happens is - at least a tiny bit - their own fault. Could it be that the women married for the wealth, purposefully oblivious to his flaws?) The discussions about the sister in law and the media and the possible business venture based on the dresses were just as superb. Imp - aside from what Steve already wrote which described it so perfectly that I literally have nothing to add - was also incredibly heartwarming and endearing. Overall, the more I think about it, the more amazing I am finding Churchill's writing. And I have the feeling that I'll just keep discovering more and more brilliant things in it in days to come since I can't let go of it. My impression was that Churchill wanted to hold a mirror to us and let us see ourselves today, reflected in the same stories, beliefs and narratives we have been telling (ourselves) for years and years, centuries and centuries, having learned nothing (or very little) in the process. Perhaps I am wrong. But she also does this (particularly in Imp) in a way that is humorous and full of exchanges that are gentle and kind and wonderful and contradict everything that is wrong with the world. You're not fixing me.You're not broken.
EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention, and that would really be unfair, is the cast. I enjoyed every single performance, but Mothersdale and Jones were the absolute standouts for me. I hate ranking the things I see in any particular order, but this is definitely among the theatre highlights of my year. Seeing it again this Saturday, and am really looking forward to it. |
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Post by bordeaux on Sept 26, 2019 6:52:18 GMT
Lovely to read these reviews, which suggest that it will a much longer life than its surprisingly brief stint this autumn?
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1,133 posts
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Post by Stephen on Sept 26, 2019 10:12:08 GMT
Yep. Five stars in The Stage and Evening standard. Four from the Guardian and a surprisingly well constructed review I thought.
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Post by Forrest on Sept 27, 2019 9:41:32 GMT
steve, I giggled a little at your comment about The Guardian review but have to agree: Billington and I often disagree completely, but this time I thought he'd done a really fine job. I must say I enjoyed seeing all the dates (aside from the matinees) sell out almost instantly after the reviews came out, truly well deserved. bordeaux, I wish your optimism was merited but not really sure if that will be possible: since Jones will move onto 'Uncle Vanya', which kicks-off in January, it's really a question of when they would do it. But fingers crossed, i think it deserves a longer run. Four days after seeing the production I still can't stop thinking about it. Admittedly, I'm mostly completely smitten by Churchill's writing. {Spoiler - click to view}
I particularly keep going back to the text for Kill.
GODS We take this small box and shut the furies up in it, they're furious and can't get out, they say let us out and we'll be kind. We gods can do that sometimes, quieten the furies, we can't do everything, we don't exist, people make us up, they make up the furies and how they bite.
This might, in my humble opinion, just be one of the best things anyone has ever written - capturing one of the grandest elements of the madness of humanity so vividly in a few, seemingly simple, lines. We create gods, we ascribe them with meanings and desires and wraths... And then we let them control us, forgetting where they came from, in an endless cycle of (self-)destruction. We need them to justify the worst and the most irrational of our actions. Incredibly poignant and powerful writing.
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423 posts
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Post by dlevi on Sept 27, 2019 10:49:42 GMT
I saw this yesterday afternoon and while ( as usual with Ms Churchill) I found some of the writing elusive - I was never bored and more often than not intrigued by what I was watching. Meticulously directed and designed, I think it will prove to be one of the theatrical highlights of the year. And isn't tit thrilling that at 81 Ms Churchill is still experimenting and challenging audiences, rather than resting on her laurels and going from revival to revival of her work.
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1,083 posts
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Post by andrew on Sept 27, 2019 13:23:22 GMT
Can I ask - did anyone see a show where the juggler does not drop the clubs? A few times?
This isn't criticism of the skill of the performer, but speaking to someone who saw the show on a different night we wondered if this is a rehearsed and scripted part of the performance, rather than an accident...
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1,133 posts
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Post by Stephen on Sept 27, 2019 13:46:27 GMT
Can I ask - did anyone see a show where the juggler does not drop the clubs? A few times? This isn't criticism of the skill of the performer, but speaking to someone who saw the show on a different night we wondered if this is a rehearsed and scripted part of the performance, rather than an accident... Not rehearsed or scripted as it didn't happen when I saw it on the final preview before press night. Unless of course they were trying different things still. Glad this was so well reviewed. I thought it was a fantastic evening. |
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Post by foxa on Sept 27, 2019 14:02:34 GMT
The juggler dropped the clubs a couple of times when we saw it, but handled quite charmingly.
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1,120 posts
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Sept 27, 2019 14:32:51 GMT
No dropping when I saw it, but I think the second circus act exited prematurely as her act was substantially shorter than the juggler and was followed by about five minutes of staring at an empty stage.
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Post by Forrest on Sept 27, 2019 14:35:57 GMT
The juggler dropped the clubs a couple of times when we saw it, but handled quite charmingly. Same, I believe, on the evening when I saw it (which was last Monday). I'll keep an eye on the juggler tomorrow night. |
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423 posts
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Post by dlevi on Sept 28, 2019 18:13:28 GMT
The Juggler didn't drop them at my performance. She was great.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2019 6:46:59 GMT
Great set of plays. I liked the way they were all thematically linked and built on each other. Enjoyed the circus acts too, a couple of dropped bats by the juggler last night. Sat in row A, which is the second row - no problems with the view despite the raised platforms, and the lighting effects and blackouts worked well even close up. Quite stressful watching the acrobat that close up! Excellent cast. I didn't actually realise till the curtain call that Niamh was one of the girls in Glass. Surprised me incidentally that the circus performers didn't get a curtain call. I'd remembered that one of the plays was a suprise addition when Churchill sent a fourth one to the Royal Court - I assumed this was one of the shorter pieces but actually it was "Imp" that was the late addition - royalcourttheatre.com/caryl-churchills-fourth-play-imp-announced/Would have been a very short evening without "Imp" although I remember a few years ago she had two new short plays in quick succession which were done separately rather than as a double bill. |
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Post by Latecomer on Sept 29, 2019 10:36:15 GMT
Loved this. Enjoyed the mesmerising entertainments between the pieces...I could have watched the patterns that juggler made all day! I also liked the plays. Wasn’t the set great? Imaginative and minimalistic all in one. Great lighting. And beautiful acting....in the last piece you had to really believe in the characters or the whole piece would have seemed daft and they completely nailed it. I cannot imagine that this could have been done better by other actors. Atmospheric and intriguing. So glad I went to see it.
Was also amused talking to another audience member afterwards that they had not got a single one of the literary references but still loved it, so this works on many levels...when I started watching theatre 10 or so years ago I wouldn’t have either! Churchill at her most playful. Difficult to chose a favourite, they are all quite different and the sum of the whole is lovely!
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Post by Forrest on Sept 29, 2019 10:50:24 GMT
Xanderl, we sat quite close last night then, I was B8 (the one who couldn't stop giggling, sat in front of the guy in row C who also couldn't stop giggling/laughing - sorry about that, hope it wasn't annoying). I somehow enjoyed last's night's performance even more than the one I saw on Monday. Perhaps because there was no element of surprise, as I had an idea of what was coming and could relax knowing I wouldn't miss anything, but it also seemed like the cast were more relaxed in their roles. Everyone was excellent, and I'm definitely adding Patrick McNamee to my list of standouts: although short, his was the most endearing performance on both evenings. My friend and I ended up sitting next to all of the younger cast members in the bar after the performance, with Toby Jones constantly walking past our table, and then we bumped into Sule Rimi, Tom Mothersdale (together) and Louisa Harland (alone) on our way out (and there we were, thinking we were the last two people in the bar). Didn't tell anyone how fantastic they were, it seemed a bit silly in the moment, now kind of regretting it because I really thought they should have gotten some praise for the performances. (I seem to have a thing for awkwardly bumping into people at the Royal Court: Caryl Churchill ran straight into me on Monday. Of course, I was quite ladylike and avoided loudly proclaiming how amazing I think she is. 
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2019 11:08:01 GMT
Xanderl, we sat quite close last night then, I was B8 (the one who couldn't stop giggling, sat in front of the guy in row C who also couldn't stop giggling/laughing - sorry about that, hope it wasn't annoying). Yes, quite close - I was A15 so further to the left than you were. Only annoying people were the older couple at the end of my row who kept chatting during the scene changes in "Imp"! I do enjoy lurking in the Royal Court bar after the evening performance when the cast wander in! |
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Post by Forrest on Sept 29, 2019 12:42:28 GMT
Yes, quite close - I was A15 so further to the left than you were. Only annoying people were the older couple at the end of my row who kept chatting during the scene changes in "Imp"! I do enjoy lurking in the Royal Court bar after the evening performance when the cast wander in! A14 was my seat the other night. Great view, although row B was slightly better. I'm pretty short-sighted, so I try to go for the front rows whenever I can. I'm not much of a post-show lurker, to be honest, I'm way too shy for that. Plus, I always think to myself - it's been a long day for them too, and what I consider magic they consider a job, so I'd better not disturb. Clearly I'll never be proper stage door fan material. |
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Post by peelee on Oct 1, 2019 16:11:53 GMT
Looking forward to seeing this programme in a few days. I've not always understood Caryl Churchill plays, though have enjoyed a number of them, so hope I can understand and appreciate these.
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Post by londonpostie on Oct 2, 2019 22:12:57 GMT
Juggler Report: not a night to remember.
In other news: can't add anything to the above . Returning next week - the second viewing is always so much more relaxed for me - and look forward to delving deeper. Found Bluebeard the more elusive. Those slips are killing me, though.
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Post by theatrelover123 on Oct 2, 2019 22:41:33 GMT
Juggler Report: not a night to remember. In other news: can't add anything to the above . Returning next week - the second viewing is always so much more relaxed for me - and look forward to delving deeper. Found Bluebeard the more elusive. Those slips are killing me, though. Blimey. You're just wearing a slip when you go to the theatre?! Doesn't seem like suitable attire. Are you not cold?  |
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Post by NeilVHughes on Oct 5, 2019 21:37:23 GMT
Frailty creates entities defending atrocities normalised as horror ceding impotence to imagination.
Most excellent, mythical storytelling,
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Post by londonpostie on Oct 6, 2019 10:01:15 GMT
As mentioned, it was also nice to see Billington working for his stipend
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Post by Polly1 on Oct 6, 2019 15:01:37 GMT
This would have been a very disappointing evening if it had not included Imp. Deborah Findlay is a National Treasure. Brilliantly naturalistic writing (of course, but it is really difficult to write for older people without cliche).
Juggler dropped clubs 3 times tonight, acrobat was boring. Caryl Churchill was in the bar with a big group but I didn't see her in the audience.
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Post by MrBunbury on Oct 7, 2019 11:41:39 GMT
I really liked this! Probably the most interesting work from Churchill I have seen (I haven't seen much of hers though). I would struggle to pick a favourite among the four short plays but they work really well together. As usual Deborah Findlay is amazing.
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Post by bingomatic on Oct 8, 2019 13:58:26 GMT
Did they change juggler ? Reviews I've seen refer to a female in polka dots. Unless my eyesight is failing more than expected last night's (Monday 7th) was a male.
Still considering the play so that's probably a good thing, I definitely didn't get all the references but it was entertaining throughout.
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), but I am honestly convinced he would have no problem making an ingredients label (to borrow an idea from Imp) sound exciting and smart and humorous if someone gave it to him to read on stage.
