378 posts
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Post by Ade on Jun 9, 2016 21:50:58 GMT
parsley, you are wasted on here. Really. I can't comment on your comments about The Threepenny Opera, a piece close to my heart, and a production I am really looking forward to, but I find your posts SO entertaining now that I actually look forward to them. (I won't follow you; that would be going too far...) I sincerely hope you are writing in some shape or form, not just watching from the wings, as it were. Because you are worth it! I agree with the above completely. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2016 21:58:21 GMT
In fact this show is DEAR to me
At school we did a radically updated version
Causing much controversy
The whores hung about the school driveway as the patrons arrived and solicited themselves
They were given elaborate back stories as to how they ended up in their current fallen states
Mac and his gang had machine guns and the school armoury had provided them with blanks for a firing round during the squaddies song
There were some brutal killings and domestic violence shown
And a local BBC personage who used to do the regional news and was a parent had filmed segments which were broadcast periodically throughout the show as newsflashes
It was great!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2016 8:26:06 GMT
Who did you play, parsley?
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378 posts
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Post by Ade on Jun 11, 2016 10:14:49 GMT
Definitely wasn't mad about this. It was enjoyable enough but definitely preferred the first half to the second. Post-interval it just seemed clumsy and chaotic. For me, it suffered from the exact same problems that all Rufus Norris productions I've seen have. He seems to focus on a handle of moments and create nice visuals and staging and then not really bother about the rest of the play as long as the actors are on stage delivering their lines.
I actually also really disliked the use of the revolve (which for me is a rarity). Until that point the whole production had been in typical Brecht fashion doing everything to remind us this was a simple handcrafted experience, and the sudden appearance of a very technological way of bringing on the scene change felt very jarring. Essentially there was absolutely no need to use the lift other than the fact it was there and available.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2016 12:26:43 GMT
Who did you play, parsley? I did the stage management and sound |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2016 12:37:07 GMT
Who did you play, parsley? I did the stage management and sound Ahhh, I envisioned you playing Mackie Messer, with your cut-throat wit and your slashing comments, all delivered with your singular sense of charm!  |
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2,056 posts
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Post by Marwood on Jun 11, 2016 22:22:59 GMT
Saw this today, after having a few doubts in the first 10 minutes or so I'm glad I stuck with it and rather enjoyed it, while it was no masterpiece I certainly thought it was the best thing I've seen at the NT recently (and I am SO glad I swapped The Suicide for this).
I don't really know if Rory was the right man to play Mack (I thought his voice was OK, but not that strong, and it was hard to buy him as the type of man that all of the women would be lining up to get their hands on) but he had the charisma and just general...likeability to get him through. Maybe the whole 'patriots' plotline swung my opinions on this seeing this today and made it feel sort of topical, what with Trooping The Colour and the rest of what is going on this weekend but I thought it was good fun (I have next to no knowledge of Brecht so don't know if this production is sacrilegious in any way to the Brecht fanboys)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2016 22:43:51 GMT
What a waste of Kinnear. Who knew he could sing. I didn't get it, maybe I'm missing something but I stayed 'till the end. What an unsatisfactory ending. Nick Holder and Gwynne made it worth watching….just.
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371 posts
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Post by popcultureboy on Jun 18, 2016 8:28:50 GMT
I was so looking forward to this. Love Kinnear, Love Rosalie Craig and somehow managed to miss the fact that Hadyn Gwynne was in it until I picked up a cast list on the way in to the show. And I LOVE her too. So I thought I was in for a treat. Nope.
When people were singing, it was generally fine. But my GOD, the book scenes were absolute torture. TORTURE, I tells you. When Hadyn Gwynne came roaring on and then used a fire extinguisher as a vomit cannon, I was done with it. Every time someone sang, I would then think "ok, fine, it's good, they're good, maybe I can stay after all" but then they'd stop singing, start talking, and immediately I was all "nope, no way, where's my coat?"
So I left at the interval.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 8:59:03 GMT
Oh dear... a dud then? I was so looking forward to this. I'll know for myself in a couple of weeks...
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156 posts
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Post by meister on Jun 18, 2016 9:45:09 GMT
I too left at the interval. Not familiar with the show but it seemed an absolute mess and could not engage with it at all. Didn't care for any of the characters and there was no sense of place or context. I'm still underwhelmed by the new regime....
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 9:48:19 GMT
I really enjoyed it although wasn't convinced by Rory Kinnear.
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1,502 posts
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Post by foxa on Jun 18, 2016 16:34:03 GMT
Wow - this was the only thing I booked for at the National in the last booking period because I thought it would be surefire. Haven't seen it yet, but I'm getting worried. A trillion years ago, for some odd reason (complicated), the first play I ever saw on Broadway was Raul Julia in the Public Theatre production of 'Threepenny Opera' and I cannot tell you how fantastic and eye-opening that was - especially to someone who was as absolutely green as I was. It was inventive, extreme, decadent. There was this amazing, odd stylised dancing - for one bit, a man turned around and he had a monkey mask on the back of his head, with a chain around his neck, and he did this incredible, slinky, weird dance. Raul Julia was SO sexy, omni-sexy - and harsh and cruel and funny at the same time. I just stumbled out of theatre, having spent my time thinking there was nowhere else I would rather be.
So, yeah, I'm afraid I might be disappointed.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 16:46:50 GMT
This production is different but musically very strong. It'll be interesting to read your thoughts about it when you've seen it.
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330 posts
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Post by RedRose on Jun 18, 2016 23:59:19 GMT
Yes it is musically very strong! And the little band is extraordinary! I love the music! But this is not a Musical! Shame that 24 years ago the internet didn't exist as it does now, then I could show you my perfect version of it! In German! Much simpler! More spoken than professionally performed songs. This piece really loses a lot when performed in English. The hard German sound adds a lot!
I was not disappointed by this but it is a bit too big at many places. But Rory is excellent in it!
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Jun 19, 2016 20:57:50 GMT
For some reason I was surprised by how much singing there was in this, you'd have thought the title was something of a give away!
I found this somewhat mixed, I zoned out a bit at times, think perhaps actually it was the singing, not due to quality of it but I slightly lose focus and would prefer them to be speaking lines so figure that's me for plays over musicals. But loved the staging, all the visible stage hands and props etc. after Lynette's approval of the revolve I think I had unreasonably hopes of it doing something impossible like taking off but yeah that lifting set worked for me and don't think i've seen anything recently with so much on and off and lowering of bits so it was nice to see. Now ready the comments I agree that not sure that Kinnear has something that would make these women fall for him physically but physiologically it made sense to me, he was threatening, the kind of guy who would casually knife someone, had a dominating stage presence and loved his voice. I was third row and his staring eyes where really quite disconcerting. Would probably have to come down on the side of those who found Craig a bit bland, lovely singing voice and liked the portrayal of a Polly that much more than some naive seduced girl but not enough fire for me I think. Ably supported elsewhere by as strong case, really liked Sharon Small, i assumed the singing was deliberately a bit rough round the edges for the character.
Pretty sure most people came back after the interval though goodness people are slow getting to their seats aren't they, wandering in drink in hand so it all goes up late, was on a rush for the only train so was clock watching big time and was my excuse for inadvertently kicking the man behind me as a did a mad scramble over my seat (sat in front of that middle aisle) as i ran for it at the end but everyone seemed loudly clapping.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2016 14:59:59 GMT
Ended up seeing this the other day, thought it was absolutely bonkers but not that bad! Not great either, a bit slow or unclear in places but it was fun.
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34 posts
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Post by Jasmine on Jun 22, 2016 8:48:20 GMT
Enjoyed this very much. Loved the use of the revolve and paper scaffold sets. Hugely entertaining, a factor which sometimes gets lost amidst all the po-faced Brechtian theory (I recently studied Life of Galileo for uni and much preferred The Threepenny Opera).
PS - didn't find Rosalie Craig bland in the slightest. That high note was wow!
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633 posts
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Post by jek on Jun 22, 2016 9:13:15 GMT
We went on the NT costume tour before seeing this. It is someone's job to score the paper in the scaffold before each performance to make sure that it breaks easily on impact with the actor! Pretty essential job.
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1,502 posts
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Post by foxa on Jun 24, 2016 18:18:50 GMT
Hoping this is bonkers enough to hold my attention tonight.
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1,502 posts
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Post by foxa on Jun 25, 2016 19:33:12 GMT
Most interesting moment and biggest laugh of the evening: After the interval, Kinnear came on stage and looked around the audience: 'So you came back. You didn't have to. You could have chosen to leave. But instead you remain.' Then he launched into the song about money.
Mixed bag of a production. At first I thought what's everyone talking about? This is going to be great, but then it sort of fell apart.
Pluses: I liked some of the silent movie references like when Jenny was singing and Macheath was high up on those stairs, beautifully lit doing sort of romantic hero moves. And the homage to Buster Keaton. The music is good and the band was well-used. And who can resist a suspended moon?
Not so hot: the version - so crudely sexual that it seemed to change the musical into something else (and a lot of the sexual stuff is about bums, so I suppose that is a plus or a minus depending on you.) I came out wondering what the message was supposed to be (fair question with Brecht.) I had thought it had more to do with ££/corruption but no? Was it about discovering your sexual identity (Peachum in drag,Polly's journey from drab to red boots, Macheath with everyone) or something like that?
My husband delivered a big annoyed rant about it: 'Why is it in period 1920s period costumes? It's not a museum piece, etc.' But I didn't mind that (his rant or the costumes.) Though I thought he had a point when he said 'And the boots, what was with that? Brecht didn't write 'Kinky Boots.'
The theatre was full and I wasn't aware of any leavers (as it were.)
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2,744 posts
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Post by n1david on Jun 25, 2016 21:35:14 GMT
Most interesting moment and biggest laugh of the evening: After the interval, Kinnear came on stage and looked around the audience: 'So you came back. You didn't have to. You could have chosen to leave. But instead you remain.' Then he launched into the song about money. Someone else mentioned this in a tweet last night, but this wasn't a line added post-referendum, it was in the show I saw a couple of weeks ago... |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2016 21:38:34 GMT
I'm reading "The Rest is Noise" at the moment which makes interesting comparisons between this and Show Boat which were written two years apart
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1,502 posts
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Post by foxa on Jun 25, 2016 21:42:06 GMT
Most interesting moment and biggest laugh of the evening: After the interval, Kinnear came on stage and looked around the audience: 'So you came back. You didn't have to. You could have chosen to leave. But instead you remain.' Then he launched into the song about money. Someone else mentioned this in a tweet last night, but this wasn't a line added post-referendum, it was in the show I saw a couple of weeks ago... That's interesting - did the audience react as if it was a referendum moment a few weeks ago? It felt really pointed last night. |
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2,744 posts
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Post by n1david on Jun 25, 2016 21:47:26 GMT
Someone else mentioned this in a tweet last night, but this wasn't a line added post-referendum, it was in the show I saw a couple of weeks ago... That's interesting - did the audience react as if it was a referendum moment a few weeks ago? It felt really pointed last night. I didn't get that interpretation from it when I saw it - it felt like an odd line and got a few mild laughs but almost certainly not the effect it must have had last night! |
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