Tag: Gregory Doran

The Giant by Antony Sher, Hampstead Theatre, 2 November 2007

On paper, this appeared to be a seriously hot ticket. So seriously hot we booked to see the first Friday preview. Antony Sher wrote it, Greg Doran directed it, Roger Allam starred in it…

…what’s not to like?

Well, in truth we didn’t like it at all. The plot revolves around the Florentine story of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo competing for the same sculpture commission. The play might have been fine art’s equivalent of Amadeus – I suspect that’s what Sher had in mind, but we found the piece laboured, pretentious and dull.

We didn’t stick around after the interval for the second half of the play.

The reviews were not so special:

Mahler’s Conversion by Ronald Harwood, Aldwych Theatre, 22 September 2001

Oh dear.

I was usually really partial to a bit of Tony Sher, but all I wrote in my log for this one was:

Dire.

I’m also partial to a bit of Mahler, so the subject matter should have pleased me. I suspect that Janie and I were like minded on this, as I tend to record a difference of opinion.

I must declare that we saw a preview, but I find it hard to believe that “dire” was rescued between preview and press night.

Let’s see what the experts thought.

Here’s the Guardian’s review of reviews. Not great, as I believe the system for this is out of 10:

Mahler Review of Reviews Guardian Mahler Review of Reviews Guardian 13 Oct 2001 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

A rare two stars only from our friend Michael Billington:

Mahler Billington Guardian Mahler Billington Guardian 3 Oct 2001 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Charles Spencer also didn’t like it:

4 Oct 2001 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Nicholas de Jongh in the Standard gave it the dreaded blob.

3 Oct 2001 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

My preview assessment – “dire” – seems to have summed it up in few but effective word(s).

Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Young Vic Theatre, 3 June 2000

This was a great production. I recall gently persuading Janie to see Macbeth again – she’s no fan of Shakespeare and felt that she had “done” Macbeth when seeing the 1994 Jacobi version.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Barbican Theatre, 19 February 1994

It was the pull of Tony Sher and Harriet Walter that won Janie round, firstly to attending and in the end to admitting what a fabulous production this production at The Young Vic was. It was fast, it was furious, it was very memorable. Greg Doran knows a thing or two about doing Shakespeare.

The Theatricalia entry reminds me that the 2000 version was an RSC touring production that started at the Swan in late 1999 and ended up at The Young Vic in mid 2000.

Here’s Charles Spencer’s review from the Swan:

Macbeth Spencer Telegraph

Article from 18 Nov 1999 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England)

While Spencer gushed, Susannah Clapp really raved about it in the Observer:

Macbeth Clapp Observer

Article from 21 Nov 1999 The Observer (London, Greater London, England)

Paul Taylor also spoke very highly of it in The Independent:

Macbeth Taylor Independent

Article from 17 Nov 1999 The Independent (London, Greater London, England)

Here’s Nicholas de Jongh’s take on the production, once it landed at The Young Vic:

Macbeth de Jongh Standard

Article from 28 Apr 2000 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England)

Is the ultimate accolade five stars from our friend, Michael Billington?

Macbeth Billington Guardian

Article from 17 Nov 1999 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England)

Of course not – the ultimate accolade is Janie admitting that this was an exciting, jaw-dropping production of a play she didn’t much like.