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Post by Dave B on Jan 24, 2022 11:59:59 GMT
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Post by andrew on Jan 26, 2022 0:40:36 GMT
Caught this the other night. Managed to get a premium seat in the dress circle for £20 by booking a day seat direct with DMT. I only really went because I adore Stephanie, and I also decided to go last week because I saw the Giovanna was currently off due to an injury and I was hoping to see her understudy (alas, the night I went was Giovanna's first night back, complete with moon boot). Thought this was entirely mediocre and a story we've seen done much better so many times before. Stephanie was wonderful and I'm glad I went just to see her live. James was good, Elliot was fine, Giovanna matched my very, very low expectations. The jump scares between scenes made me roll my eyes - they were so cheap and unimaginative. Glad I went, but glad I didn't pay the full prices they're charging. Spotted the ending within the first 20 minutes or so
{Spoiler - click to view}
Instantly guessed it when the Alexa didn't respond for the first time. This felt like such an obvious giveaway to me I don't know how anyone could miss it! Then when the ending did come it just sort of fizzled out.
These were my feelings entirely. I honestly couldn't have been more underwhelmed if they'd tried. Every time someone mentions the show my blood pressure goes up. I'm flabbergasted by all positive reviews. It's been a difficult few months. |
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Post by asfound on Jan 26, 2022 19:06:44 GMT
I thought the first iteration of this was awful and exemplified all that is wrong with trying to do horror on the stage. Got dragged to the second and it was even worse somehow.
I felt like I was going mad when it got a standing ovation.
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Post by scarpia on Jan 26, 2022 20:42:32 GMT
This is worrying me slightly, going next week and on the basis of the strong reviews booked myself for the stalls! :/
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Post by properjob on Jan 26, 2022 21:22:35 GMT
Well I liked it when I saw it last week. Giovanna was wearing a foot brace but actually that works fine as she is playing a stressed new mother who isn't getting enough help from the baby's husbund who has been away so it just seems like one more thing she is dealing with. I guessed the thing early in the second half and was quite pleased with myself. Although that may have been influenced by this thread telling me there was something to work out. It was then enjoyable watching the rest of the play seeing if I was right. {Spoiler - click to view}
Seeing how they applied the rules that applied in world of the play about not touching any props The jump scare scene transition effects annoyed me at the time but in retrospect I think they were artistically justified. {Spoiler - click to view}
I think it was part of the deception suggesting this was a jump scare type show and a scary ghost will appear when in fact it was can you spot the twist type show. |
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Post by happytobehere on Jan 26, 2022 23:38:32 GMT
I really enjoyed it. I got spooked.
I don’t watch many things like this so I didn’t guess what was happening. I do think reading this thread will potentially damage your experience though because now you’re going to be approaching the show eager to try and ‘work it out’ rather than just enjoy it.
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Post by edi on Jan 27, 2022 21:10:23 GMT
Spotted the ending within the first 20 minutes or so
{Spoiler - click to view}
Instantly guessed it when the Alexa didn't respond for the first time. This felt like such an obvious giveaway to me I don't know how anyone could miss it! Then when the ending did come it just sort of fizzled out.
I didn't spot the ending because {Spoiler - click to view}
I expected the ghost story to be a red herring concealing a crime story, so my concentration was elsewhere |
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Post by westendboy on Feb 2, 2022 15:11:39 GMT
Saw this last night and I had a good time. Both James and Stephanie were the strongest in my opinion. Giovanna and Elliot were fine, but I felt they're performances were less naturalistic than the other two. James particularly surprised me with how good he was! I kind of wish I saw this with Lily Allen, so I could compare that cast with this one.
After a while, the jump scare scene transitions did get a bit old, but I got used to them.
I honestly didn't clock the twist, instead I assumed it would be something else.
But overall, a fun night at the Gielgud. It's not as clever as 'The Woman in Black' or 'Ghost Stories', but it did have it's chilling moments.
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Post by scarpia on Feb 3, 2022 11:13:52 GMT
I went last night and treated myself to front of the stalls with SOLT's New Year Sale. I really enjoyed it and shouldn't have worried. I liked the performances and found myself glued much of the time Elliot Cowan (who I haven't seen on stage since Streetcar at the Donmar), who was fascinating to watch.
All horrors have some clichés and this is no exception, but I liked the twist/gloss it gave on those and particularly liked the (admittedly not very subtle) social commentary beneath some of it.
The audience seemed to love it and were very engaged. It was quite a young audience too full of millennials and Gen-Z-ers and all of them seem to be delighted with having something 'real' in front of them rather than a digital screen. Lots of gasps/laughs etc.
I preferred this to Ghost Stories and would recommend.
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Post by andrew on Feb 6, 2022 16:14:49 GMT
but I liked the twist/gloss it gave on those and particularly liked the (admittedly not very subtle) social commentary beneath some of it. Very genuinely how much social commentary do you think there was? What commentary was it? I just found so little in this, there was the faintest murmuring about gentrification and the vandalism of the traditional to suit contemporary tastes, but it was fleeting and more just a brief conversation than any actual commentary running through the piece. The denouement seemed to have nothing to do with it at all. Did I miss a large chunk of the point? |
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Post by scarpia on Feb 6, 2022 19:38:47 GMT
but I liked the twist/gloss it gave on those and particularly liked the (admittedly not very subtle) social commentary beneath some of it. Very genuinely how much social commentary do you think there was? What commentary was it? I just found so little in this, there was the faintest murmuring about gentrification and the vandalism of the traditional to suit contemporary tastes, but it was fleeting and more just a brief conversation than any actual commentary running through the piece. The denouement seemed to have nothing to do with it at all. Did I miss a large chunk of the point? I don't think there was much, but I don't think what you identified was fleeting. What you describe as the point about "gentrification and the vandalism of the traditional" I saw as a bit more profound than that. It was about the arrogance of dismissing ways of living and people's entire lives that have been built on, and into, the domestic space - with upper middle-class people going around criticising how people have lived for the last half century, sometimes in front of them, before buying them out and then destroying any trace of those lives in that space rather than respecting the social history that's intertwined with the space. I thought it was an interesting point and threaded well into the whole text rather than in occasional moments. |
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Post by fiyero on Feb 7, 2022 15:55:53 GMT
I loved this yesterday. Glad I went for a front stalls ticket as it meant I felt much more part of it. I won't say too much as I'm bound to include accidental spoilers but the cast were all great, as was the play. When it played its original season I assumed it was a gimmick but it isn't I hope this can tour with a suitable cast.
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Post by Dave B on Feb 9, 2022 23:01:56 GMT
Caught the matinee today (thanks again to thistimetomorrow for posting the day seat link a little while ago). Nice seat in row 4 in the stalls for £20 which actually turned out to be £10 because of DMT now easily accepting TheatreTokens online now. Stephanie Beatriz was fab and I'm quite happy just to have seen her (be still my beating heart). Thought James Buckley was pretty good, especially as the role developed and both Elliot Cowan and Giovanna Fletcher were fine. All appeared to be engaged and having fun and so
{Spoiler - click to view}Spotted the twist a bit in advance, kicking myself for missing the Alexa bit but it was the whiskey cup that twigged it for me. All in all, not such a great play but I'm glad I saw it.
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Post by Rory on Feb 14, 2022 17:18:20 GMT
Plans are obviously afoot.
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Post by Dave B on Feb 14, 2022 17:37:08 GMT
Well surely an announcement on Tuesday next week then if they have any sense; 2/2/22!
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Post by Jon on Feb 14, 2022 19:29:52 GMT
I assume it'll be a UK tour rather than a third West End run given the lack of available theatres at the moment.
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Post by Rory on Feb 16, 2022 10:02:13 GMT
It's going to the Criterion.
7th May - 4th Sept.
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Post by fiyero on Feb 16, 2022 12:42:10 GMT
It's going to the Criterion. 7th May - 4th Sept. Already on sale on the criterion theatre website. My friend who saw the first cast and I, who saw the second cast, are going together to see the third cast! |
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Post by pomegranate on Feb 16, 2022 14:15:49 GMT
This show must be one more theatre away from getting a free coffee!
Does anyone know the record of which show has transferred to different theatres the most amount of times?
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Post by Mark on Feb 16, 2022 14:48:36 GMT
This show must be one more theatre away from getting a free coffee! Does anyone know the record of which show has transferred to different theatres the most amount of times? I want to say 3 different theatres is the most I can think of. Avenue Q at Noel Coward, Gielgud then Wyndhams Mamma Mia at Prince Edward, Prince of Wales and Novello Glad to see this play having continued success. It stands up great on a second viewing and I might even be tempted to go back for a third. |
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Post by imstillhere on Feb 16, 2022 14:52:21 GMT
Lol will this mediocre show never die?
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Post by mattnyc on Feb 16, 2022 14:53:59 GMT
Lol will this mediocre show never die? Maybe it’s been dead the whole time…….. |
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Post by asfound on Feb 16, 2022 16:08:29 GMT
Lol will this mediocre show never die? I would say the power of mediocrity is what's sustaining it. |
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Post by sph on Feb 16, 2022 16:09:38 GMT
I think it does show that there's a big commercial market for new, modern plays with naturalistic settings. No "reimagining" or overly theatrical concepts or absolutely devastating subject matter. Makes for quite a nice evening's viewing.
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Post by fiyero on Feb 16, 2022 19:52:46 GMT
I enjoyed the play. Now we know how it goes we want to see it again to see what we missed (and will be really careful not to discuss it until afterwards!!)
I don’t think I’ll end up going a third time but am glad to have the chance for a revisit.
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