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Post by Jan on Aug 31, 2022 6:47:07 GMT
Awful. 1*. I mean I already knew it was a terrible tin-eared version of the play so I can’t complain about that, and pretending they were a fringe production with the set was a minor irritation, but they made the cardinal sin of also being BORING and that is unforgivable. He’s not much of a director, though a first class producer.
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Post by kate8 on Aug 31, 2022 7:22:35 GMT
I didn’t enjoy this. It made a great play seem boring and self-indulgent. I think the set and the modernisation could have worked with a sharper adaptation and less ponderous direction. I quite liked the actors all being on stage throughout. But it was so slow, seemed like all apart from Indira Varma had been directed to speak in monotonous whispers. Why?
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Post by inthenose on Aug 31, 2022 14:11:02 GMT
Also 1*. I am not familiar with the play and don’t pretend to be an expert on “classics” but I really didn’t enjoy what I saw. I thought the acting was generally dreadful (and lazy) and for goodness sake put some shoes on. I’ve got a thing about bare feet as it is.
1* and Jamie Lloyd needs to get some new gimmicks, these are running exceedingly thin.
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Post by cavocado on Aug 31, 2022 17:40:44 GMT
I took a friend who'd never seen a Chekhov play before. I was explaining beforehand why I like Chekhov - his understanding of human fallibility and fragility, the characters who, despite being C19 Russian and often wealthy, are going through things that are often achingly familiar in modern life - boredom, feeling trapped, anguish over missed opportunities or mistakes, relationships with the wrong people, difficult families, failures to communicate, loneliness, etc.
Then we saw the play and I think my friend described it as self-absorbed, pretentious and boring. I couldn't disagree with that and I couldn't explain what Jamie Lloyd was trying to do with this. I felt like this production had taken all those themes and somehow managed to make them very unrelatable. I don't dislike modern versions, or minimal stageing, visible microphones, etc, if it serves the play well and shows us a different perspective. But in this production those things seemed to work against the material and create a barrier between audience and play.
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Post by Jan on Aug 31, 2022 19:45:53 GMT
Also 1*. I am not familiar with the play and don’t pretend to be an expert on “classics” but I really didn’t enjoy what I saw. I thought the acting was generally dreadful (and lazy) and for goodness sake put some shoes on. I’ve got a thing about bare feet as it is. 1* and Jamie Lloyd needs to get some new gimmicks, these are running exceedingly thin. The bare foot thing was a direct steal from Ivo Van Hove’s absolutely sensational production of “A View From The Bridge” except there it had a very clear subliminal purpose whereas here it was just a pointless gimmick. |
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Post by inthenose on Aug 31, 2022 22:53:41 GMT
Also 1*. I am not familiar with the play and don’t pretend to be an expert on “classics” but I really didn’t enjoy what I saw. I thought the acting was generally dreadful (and lazy) and for goodness sake put some shoes on. I’ve got a thing about bare feet as it is. 1* and Jamie Lloyd needs to get some new gimmicks, these are running exceedingly thin. The bare foot thing was a direct steal from Ivo Van Hove’s absolutely sensational production of “A View From The Bridge” except there it had a very clear subliminal purpose whereas here it was just a pointless gimmick. I don’t think I’ve seen a Lloyd directed show where bare feet aren’t included somewhere. Piaf, Evita, numerous plays… |
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Post by Jan on Sept 1, 2022 6:12:42 GMT
The bare foot thing was a direct steal from Ivo Van Hove’s absolutely sensational production of “A View From The Bridge” except there it had a very clear subliminal purpose whereas here it was just a pointless gimmick. I don’t think I’ve seen a Lloyd directed show where bare feet aren’t included somewhere. Piaf, Evita, numerous plays… The ones he directed in the Pinter season didn’t and nor did his very poor Richard III. Makes you wonder why sometimes he does it and sometimes not, what’s his thinking ? If it’s so great why not do it every time. |
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Post by alessia on Sept 1, 2022 9:27:38 GMT
Cyrano didn't feature bare feet either...was it directed or just produced by Lloyd?
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Post by Jan on Sept 1, 2022 15:17:42 GMT
Cyrano didn't feature bare feet either...was it directed or just produced by Lloyd? Directed. It’s inexplicable isn’t it - why for this play but not for that ? They never try any of this stuff with Pinter plays - setting it out of period, non-naturalistic costumes and sets, rewrites and updating, gender swaps, bare feet. What makes Pinter sacrosanct but Chekhov isn’t ? Pinter’s literary executors I suppose. |
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Post by alessia on Sept 1, 2022 16:09:05 GMT
I think bare feet for Cyrano would have been dangerous lol. Lots of scenes of men huddling, fighting and cheering, they would have risked stepping on each other's feet...
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Post by Mark on Sept 3, 2022 18:15:23 GMT
Saw the matinee today and didn’t dislike it like many of the above posters. I had no prior knowledge of the play and actually really liked the dialogue and play. I do think though I would have enjoyed a fully realised production more - seemed rather pretentious and “drama school” at times.
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Post by sweets7 on Sept 3, 2022 20:00:32 GMT
Saw the matinee today and rather liked it. I have seen so many versions of Chekov from traditional, to semi traditional with modern dress but this obviously moves more modern with the language. I thought actually the actors had to do a lot with their voice because there were no other tricks available to them. I quite liked that. I did thing first half went on a little too long as ai was getting fiddly and tired toward half time. Front of house staff were lovely and I saw people bringing bunches of flowers the front of staff was taking. Presumably for Emilia, who really did a fine job. I wouldn’t want to see a lot of plays done like this but for this production I liked it. Indira Varma was very good without any of that elaborate costuming that most women who play Her or Ranevskaya have. Liked the guy playing Trigorin.
A lovely day out.
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Post by tal on Sept 8, 2022 12:23:35 GMT
This was probably my least favorite Lloyd production so far. I thought it was very one note, and if the rest of the cast were at the same level of Indira Varma this would have been so much better.
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Post by welcometodreamland on Dec 11, 2022 20:36:25 GMT
Saw the NT Live of this in the cinema today and for me...it was...ok.
Just ok. And this coming from someone who has never seen a Chekov play before in my life and went into this simply because of Emilia Clarke. It works. Star leads definitely sell tickets. Especially for less known plays.
THE PROS
- Indira Varma is the best of the ten, excellent performance
- Emilia Clarke, very sweet and easy role for her West End debut (now for something more daring)
- Robert Glenister, underrated actor in a small role
THE CONS
- Lack of staging, wasn't a fan of the miniminalist style and thus had me confused as to where they were location wise (again - never seen a Chekov play)
- Actors not leaving the stage therefore making it difficult to know who is in what scene
- Dry story that isn't that engaging at times nor compelling.
So yeah, was what it was. So-so.
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Post by vernongersh on Dec 12, 2022 1:32:09 GMT
As much as I Loved Cyrano - truly a theatrical highlight - I was so incredibly bored by this production seeing it live that I cannot even fathom what the experience was like watching it in a Cinema.
Agree fully about Indira Varma - she is outstanding and eveytime she was on the mic the play, for those moments, became entertaining
I just got tickets to see Lloyd's production of A Doll's House. I still think he is a genius and I've never seen A Doll's House
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Post by alessia on Dec 12, 2022 13:46:27 GMT
As much as I Loved Cyrano - truly a theatrical highlight - I was so incredibly bored by this production seeing it live that I cannot even fathom what the experience was like watching it in a Cinema. Agree fully about Indira Varma - she is outstanding and eveytime she was on the mic the play, for those moments, became entertaining I just got tickets to see Lloyd's production of A Doll's House. I still think he is a genius and I've never seen A Doll's House I agree - Cyrano amazing, I saw it at cinema and then live when it was brought back. Seagull was underwhelming as I was expecting a lot after Cyrano. |
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