Travel, Theatre, Music, Cricket, Tennis, Writing, Life
The programmes hadn’t arrived, so (most unusually for the Donmar) we got a simple black and white printed A4 foldy. Standards.
The play was very good indeed, though, as was the cast. The usual high production values for the Donmar too.
A bit slow, but then this IS a 19th century Russian story and it IS Brian Friel, whom we like very much, btw.
The critics on the whole shared our enjoyment of it – click here for a link to reviews.
In short, this was a good’n.
A weird and dark play about an extreme capitalist. We like Dennis Kelly’s plays – they are always entertaining with dark twists and lots to think about. This one was no exception.
Writing up this play now (march 2018), in our Brexit/Trump infused society, the play seems very relevant and prescient.
The fine actor Tom Brooke seems to thrive on Dennis Kelly plays. Actually the whole cast was good. I think this was our first sighting of Ned Bennett’s work as a director (assisting Vicky Featherstone on this one) – our next sighting being the tremendous Pomona at the Orange Tree – even weirder:
Pomona by Alistair McDowall, Orange Tree Theatre, 15 November 2014
The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas certainly kept me and Janie entertained during and debating afterwards.
Click here for a link to the Royal Court resource for this play/production.
Below is the trailer vid, which is intriguing but not illuminating:
Below is an interview with Vicky Featherstone and Dennis Kelly:
This one divided the critics. Click here for a search term that finds the reviews.
This one was a real disappointment to us.
We had absolutely loved That Face, Polly Stenham’s first play:
That Face, Polly Stenham, Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 19 May 2007
We even quite liked Tusk Tusk, her second – although we felt she hadn’t really moved on, we allowed for that “awkward second piece” syndrome:
Tusk Tusk by Polly Stenham, Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 28 March 2009
Now, after nearly four more years, her third, No Quarter. Here is the Royal Court resource for this piece.
Again an upper-middle class drawing room drama – even less promising than the second.
We were at a preview. There was Polly, socialising with her friends and relations, who were there to make sure that the preview was well received by the audience…
…it all seemed aa shame and a waste of talent to us. Perhaps Polly was honing her skills for a TV writing career that will be far more lucrative than the stage…and perhaps to that end she is succeeding.
Here is a link to a search term that finds the (mostly indifferent) reviews.
Indifference summed it up for us too. It was entertaining, there were good lines and vignettes in it. If this had been a young writer’s first play we would have oozed about a promising writer. But this piece was a waste of Polly Stenham’s talent and the talent on show with cast and crew too.
A pity.