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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2020 17:27:57 GMT
Has anyone seen it, who knows the play? It appears from above that this is as Duerrenmatt wrote it (uneasy mix of comedy and seriousness, Claire sitting out act two as she waits at an elevated distance, the ‘town’ as a character with a large cast, act two and three seeing the inevitable corruption play out etc., etc.).
What has Kushner done? Anything new or changed? There must be something for it to have gained an hour or so!
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Post by nash16 on Feb 4, 2020 18:38:20 GMT
Any blood if it's a revenge play please? Zero blood. Blood zero. |
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Post by justsaying113 on Feb 4, 2020 18:38:28 GMT
No evening in the theatre should be four hours long!!!
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 5, 2020 14:11:06 GMT
I saw it on Moday too. Leslie Manville and Hugo Weaving (such a delight to meet V from V for Vendetta...) were great, but I agree that it is too long and I think that Kushner' adaptation adds unnecessary stuff (mostly about Greek mythology) and thus dilutes the sense of uneasiness that the original version has. I wonder why Kushner decided to change the setting to an American town but left all the other geographical references as in the original play (so going from Slurry to Hamburg is hardly something that seems logical and straighforward).
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Post by lynette on Feb 5, 2020 14:13:26 GMT
Late to the party but going soon so tell me if so looong what time does it end?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2020 14:36:12 GMT
Late to the party but going soon so tell me if so looong what time does it end? National’s website says it’s 3hr 40 now so will finish 10.40pm. I’m there tonight! |
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Post by MrBunbury on Feb 5, 2020 16:28:22 GMT
Late to the party but going soon so tell me if so looong what time does it end? Yes, on Monday it finished at 10,40 PM. Two intervals. |
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Post by theatrelover123 on Feb 5, 2020 22:13:24 GMT
How long is each interval, please?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2020 23:06:49 GMT
How long is each interval, please? First is 15/20 mins, the second is a 10 min ‘pause’. Came in at 3 hrs 45 tonight Saw it tonight, il write my thoughts tomorrow but if anyone is thinking of getting a credit note coz of the running time DON’T!!! It’s a wonderful treat! |
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Post by crabtree on Feb 5, 2020 23:21:52 GMT
Are yellow shoes and 'eunuchs' still involved?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2020 23:27:30 GMT
Are yellow shoes and 'eunuchs' still involved? Eunuchs deffo, not sure about yellow shoes so probably been cut |
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Post by theatrelover123 on Feb 6, 2020 0:09:18 GMT
How long is each interval, please? First is 15/20 mins, the second is a 10 min ‘pause’. Came in at 3 hrs 45 tonight Saw it tonight, il write my thoughts tomorrow but if anyone is thinking of getting a credit note coz of the running time DON’T!!! It’s a wonderful treat! So roughly 3 x 60-70 min blocks? Seems bearable. |
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Post by edi on Feb 6, 2020 7:07:53 GMT
When I went it was 1.15 20 break .40 20 min break 1.05 and finished at 3.40.
I religiously kept checking the timing
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Post by altamont on Feb 6, 2020 11:32:08 GMT
Alas I left at first interval last night - I didn't hate it, but just couldn't face two more hours and a very late journey home.
Lesley Manville and (especially) Hugo Weaving are very good and I would have liked to have seen how the action played out, but it wasn't holding my interest enough to justify my staying, especially given the general tone of the comments that I've read suggesting the first part is the best. Perhaps a stripped down production somewhere like the Almeida would have worked better for me.
My fault for not booking a matinee - and for forgetting how much I dislike the cavernous Olivier - even though I was in the 6th row of the stall, I still felt distant from the action. Heaven knows what it is like from the back of the gallery.
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Post by lynette on Feb 6, 2020 20:29:00 GMT
Thanks guys. 10.40 a bit of a heave ho but we are Manville fans so will prob see it through.
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Post by partytentdown on Feb 6, 2020 22:45:21 GMT
Brief show stop near the end tonight c/o the drum revolve (which was making some ominous metallic crunching noises a few times throughout).
Overall I enjoyed though it could do with some trimming. Some parts are very self indulgent, particularly towards the end. The intervals/breaks do help in making it feel manageable.
It's a great example of the NT throwing everything at a show... Big budget, big cast, very flashy.
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Post by drmaplewood on Feb 6, 2020 23:37:29 GMT
Was there tonight too - agree with a lot of what has been said. Was fully on board at the second interval but act 3 drags it down a fair bit and really needs some cuts. LM is great but missed her a lot in the latter stages where she wasn't around
3hr 35 tonight. Jude Law spotted in the stalls.
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Post by johnnyutah on Feb 7, 2020 20:04:15 GMT
I was also there last night and found it thoroughly engaging. At no time did I feel it was over indulgent or belaboured its themes. The dialogue is quintessentially Kushner. Acid remarks punctuating rural mores and sanctimony. It's a witty essay on the price of debt. Whether its money or a moral grievance there's a price for its restitution. My companion felt the first third was a little stilted. By contrast, I felt it moved at a pleasing clip, an enormous cast were swiftly introduced and left a lasting impression. Lesley Manville's performance is world weary ennui personified. She lights up the stage to the extent you're a time impatiently waiting for her to return. Hugo Weaving, in a necessarily less showy role, is her match as the bluff disappointed romantic Alfred. If you're umming and ahhing over the running time, don't let it be a consideration. Two world class performers at the top of their game doesn't happen that often on the Southbank.
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Post by tmesis on Feb 8, 2020 11:58:45 GMT
I was a little unsure about my response to this during the first act. It was interesting but the characters and the 'set up ' of the story wasn't drawing me in as have other examples of Kushner's work I've seen. That all changed in Acts 2 and 3 where his sheer theatrical flair pulls the whole thing together. Unlike others, for me, Act 3 was the best bit, helped by being staged by Herrin in a really effective way. The ending was genuinely powerful.
Some tip-top performances from Manville, Weaving and Kestelman and a fabulously played, Miles Davis influenced, jazz score adds immeasurable to the atmosphere. It was also great to see the full resources of The Olivier deployed. The cash has been splashed unlike many recent productions which have looked pretty cheapskate.
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Post by crabtree on Feb 10, 2020 14:44:38 GMT
Oh I keep harping on about the Kander and ebb version, which is so deliciously strange and absurd - and only 90 minutes I think, without an interval?
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Post by Fleance on Feb 10, 2020 15:07:02 GMT
Oh I keep harping on about the Kander and ebb version, which is so deliciously strange and absurd - and only 90 minutes I think, without an interval? Approx. 100 minutes, no interval. Thought it was much better than the reviews indicated. |
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Post by intoanewlife on Feb 10, 2020 18:27:08 GMT
FINALLY a £15 matinee came up for this...unfortunately it's the same day I have the Welkin in the evening.
My back is gonna be toast!
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Post by intoanewlife on Feb 10, 2020 20:50:10 GMT
FINALLY a £15 matinee came up for this...unfortunately it's the same day I have the Welkin in the evening. My back is gonna be toast! So is your physio's when she falls asleep on her Mauritius sunbed... LOL Both are front row so I can lean forward a bit without annoying anyone and have some legroom at least. |
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Feb 11, 2020 9:32:04 GMT
Website says 3 hours 30 minutes now.
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Post by lonlad on Feb 13, 2020 0:35:30 GMT
3 hrs 35 tonight and not good, alas: tonally uncertain, not especially well acted, overlong for what it has to say, and overproduced (the famous drum revolves delivers - wait for it - a denuded forest: whee-hah!) Hopes were high that this might transfer to Broadway (at a cost of a zillion dollars given the huge and largely underused cast) but no way is this going anywhere.
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