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Post by Being Alive on Jan 21, 2023 0:15:55 GMT
Abbington did not take well the Fiona Mountfords review, nor to the one in Time Out, so much so that she (rather embarrassingly) called them out on it on Twitter.
Love, it's art, not everyone's gonna like it. That's the beauty of it. Now, get over yourself...
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Post by Jon on Jan 21, 2023 1:05:27 GMT
Abbington did not take well the Fiona Mountfords review, nor to the one in Time Out, so much so that she (rather embarrassingly) called them out on it on Twitter. Love, it's art, not everyone's gonna like it. That's the beauty of it. Now, get over yourself... I like Amanda Abbington but she really should give social media a break.
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Post by alicechallice on Jan 21, 2023 10:17:09 GMT
Abbington did not take well the Fiona Mountfords review, nor to the one in Time Out, so much so that she (rather embarrassingly) called them out on it on Twitter. Love, it's art, not everyone's gonna like it. That's the beauty of it. Now, get over yourself... I like Amanda Abbington but she really should give social media a break. On the Facebook page for the show, she’ll keep commenting on other people’s posts, answering questions etc. Mainly positive stuff but it’s a bit cringe.
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Post by Marwood on Jan 21, 2023 13:15:41 GMT
Both of the reviews she’s taken offence at are both pretty much exactly what I thought of the play though: it just wasn’t funny and the whole plot doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny.
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Post by mkb on Jan 21, 2023 15:13:46 GMT
... the whole plot doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny. In that case, I'd avoid any of Shakespeare's comedies if I were you!
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Post by Rory on Jan 21, 2023 16:34:21 GMT
Well I'm really looking forward to seeing this the first chance I get!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jan 22, 2023 9:50:56 GMT
A reminder: People can go to her socials and find out for themselves what Frances Barber believes. I don’t think it’s necessary to read it here as interpreted by other people. Let’s get back to discussing the play please.
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Post by londonpostie on Jan 22, 2023 10:54:13 GMT
Be careful, the BBC revealed pretty well the entire plot in the radio review I heard. Maybe three sentences spoken, and done before I was aware of how much was being said. No warnings, just .. everything. Pathetic.
Slightly restricted Stalls seats were £21 earlier in the week (a little side of stage)
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Post by drowseychap on Jan 22, 2023 12:37:08 GMT
Just saw mark gattis on Sunday brunch channel 4 the trailer they played gave a lot away Also spoke about new play he’s directing in brum at the Rep the way old friends do
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Post by greenandbrownandblue on Jan 22, 2023 22:17:32 GMT
Any recommendations on the best restricted view seats for this? Am currently trying to pick between C22 stalls (£30), G2 stalls (£20) and C9 circle (£30).
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 23, 2023 11:44:48 GMT
I found it incredibly dull, cliched and unimaginative. Like an BBC 80's sitcom updated to 2022.
Expected FAR more from Steven Moffat - something darker or at the very least multi-layered.
Still, it seemed to have the chattering classes cackling around the auditorium, so it seems it's hit it's market...
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 23, 2023 11:48:15 GMT
Disappointed by this tonight. Not many belly laughs from me and not from around the audience (Monday night?). Some leavers at the interval. Thought it was all well-acted in the context of what was asked of the performers but it was all very one-note. Very broad but no depth. The show's pedigree would sell tickets in London but I don't think it will stand up to review. Maybe enough fans of the creative team to sell it. Some specific thoughts When I say one-note, for example I'd have liked to see some darkness in Frances Barber's character, to give some sense about whether she was a murderer rather than just the Internet reports.. Everyone played things essentially the same way through, with the exception of the kids who go through this amazing transformation within 6 days (or, for us, in a 20 minute interval). There's no demonstration or explanation of the amazing skills of FB's character, we are asked to take on trust and I couldn't buy it. I could see this worked up into a 6x30 sitcom, but as a play where I was keen to laugh but also see real people on stage, I was severely disappointed. Couldn't agree more with this. It really left you wanting. Some people left at the interval yesterday too.
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Post by Mark on Jan 24, 2023 22:55:32 GMT
With a new show now scheduled for September (Unbelievable, Derren Brown involved), do we think this may extend through summer?
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Post by talkingheads on Jan 25, 2023 8:42:34 GMT
Both of the reviews she’s taken offence at are both pretty much exactly what I thought of the play though: it just wasn’t funny and the whole plot doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny. I'd say that it's pretty black and white as to whether a comedy is funny - when I went, the theatre was rocking with laughter. As for scrutiny, well, I can't imagine many farces hold up to much scrutiny if you held them to real life rules, but then it wouldn't be a very fun night at the theatre!
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Jan 26, 2023 14:21:12 GMT
I know this has been getting pretty good reviews, especially about the comedy, but tbh I don't think it's nearly as funny as people are making it out to be. The humour is very one note - it's essentially the same 2 hour long gag with an interval in the middle and although the occasional joke is funnier than the rest, they're all quite samey. I was entertained, don't get me wrong, but I was never belly laughing. I was at most smiling at some of the jokes (although I really wasn't a fan of the fart/poop jokes). Frances Barber's Elsa character was so grating, and I know that's the point, but it was not massively fun to sit through her screeching. I preferred the scenes with Peter/Debbie/The Neighbour or the kids.
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Post by mrnutz on Jan 26, 2023 16:59:55 GMT
I know this has been getting pretty good reviews, especially about the comedy, but tbh I don't think it's nearly as funny as people are making it out to be. The humour is very one note - it's essentially the same 2 hour long gag with an interval in the middle and although the occasional joke is funnier than the rest, they're all quite samey. I was entertained, don't get me wrong, but I was never belly laughing. I was at most smiling at some of the jokes (although I really wasn't a fan of the fart/poop jokes). Frances Barber's Elsa character was so grating, and I know that's the point, but it was not massively fun to sit through her screeching. I preferred the scenes with Peter/Debbie/The Neighbour or the kids. These were pretty much my thoughts when I saw it in Chichester. The neighbour scenes were the highlight for me.
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Post by zahidf on Jan 26, 2023 22:20:56 GMT
I thought this was a lot of fun, Great performance from reece shearsmith, but it was a bill silly plot wise.
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Post by zahidf on Jan 26, 2023 22:21:08 GMT
A poll on this maybe?
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jan 26, 2023 22:46:28 GMT
Poll added
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Post by Jon on Jan 27, 2023 22:40:14 GMT
Saw this tonight and it was the tonic I needed for a Friday Night. Funny throughout and great performances from the cast but the standout was Frances Barber as Elsa and Reece Shearsmith as Peter. Packed tonight and it's safe to say, a hit.
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Post by matty on Jan 29, 2023 18:02:52 GMT
Really enjoyed this when I saw it in Chichester, so took my other half along today. Sat in row B in the stalls (thanks OLT sale) and we were both laughing throughout. Someone above compared it to My Family and I totally agree (Reece Shearsmith could easily be replaced with Robert Lindsey) and I think that's part of why this will do well with British audiences.
Amanda Abbingdon was out today, but her understudy did a great job. I loved Reece Shearsmith and Frances Barber, but the whole cast was fun to watch.
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Post by dlevi on Jan 29, 2023 22:53:44 GMT
Ok, it's not a good play but that doesn't mean I didn't laugh an awful lot. I thought Reece Shearsmith was terrific with some blissful comic timing. Frances Barber was a bit much ( though she was supposed to be) be - she's not inherently funny so the performance for me wasn't great - but everyone else was fine and the two kids were even better than that. It's a 2023 version of 70's West End comedy. I think ( and hope) it'll run based on the names involved as well as the laugh quotient.
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Post by Peter on Feb 1, 2023 17:23:31 GMT
Performances cancelled until Saturday due to cast illness
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 4, 2023 21:52:25 GMT
Had been weighing up whether to see this because I love Reece, Steven and Mark but abhor Frances’s opinions. Decided the best thing to do is the same thing I did when I won the Harry Potter lottery recently and go for it but also donate the cost of my ticket to a trans charity.
Glad I decided to do it (and was able to separate the art from the artist for a couple of hours) as I really enjoyed it! Maybe not quite as many belly laughs as others around me, but I was entertained throughout and thought Reece in particular was excellent.
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Post by G on Feb 5, 2023 17:41:50 GMT
Had been weighing up whether to see this because I love Reece, Steven and Mark but abhor Frances’s opinions. Decided the best thing to do is the same thing I did when I won the Harry Potter lottery recently and go for it but also donate the cost of my ticket to a trans charity. Glad I decided to do it (and was able to separate the art from the artist for a couple of hours) as I really enjoyed it! Maybe not quite as many belly laughs as others around me, but I was entertained throughout and thought Reece in particular was excellent. That seems such a good idea. Thanks for sharing it.
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