Theatre - anything on worth seeing?

[Bellenden Belle]

Enda Walsh's The Walworth Farce at the NT's Cottlesloe is well worth a look ... it's been a while since I shed a quiet tear in a theatre.

And it's darn funny too.

[bawdy-nan]

august: osage county is the best thingi've seen in ages - day seats available

[PeckhamRose]

Old Vic Dancing at Lughnasa

GREAT reviews.

THE most BORING piece of theatre I have seen in ages. A group of women talk about stuff in their small Irish community in 1936 and how life is changing.

There: just saved you a ton of money.

[bawdy-nan]

burnt by the sun - very good

god of carnage - very French

[ThinLizzy]

I've just bought tickets for Waiting for Godot in June -- should be excellent with Ian McClellan and Patrick Steward...

[woofmarkthedog]

Full house

[Marmora Man]

PeckhamRose Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Old Vic Dancing at Lughnasa

> GREAT reviews.

> THE most BORING piece of theatre I have seen in

> ages. A group of women talk about stuff in their

> small Irish community in 1936 and how life is

> changing.

>

> There: just saved you a ton of money.

B*****. Mrs MM and I are going tonight on the basis of the great reviews and having missed it first time around.

[hilili]

I went to see Impropera at the Leicester square Theatre, really funny and clever. Improvised with suggestions from the audience, and you don't have to know opera.

[Ladygooner]

On The Waterfront is wondeful - starring Steven Berkoff.

Also recommend English People Very nice at the National.

Saw Dancing at Lughnasa a few years back - won't be going again, not even to see Andrea Corre

[giggirl]

Phedre at the National Theatre with Helen Mirren. Tickets available now but it will sell out so if you want to go don't put off booking.

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

[PeckhamRose]

MADAME DE SADE

OK so this is an incredibly wordy play where not much happens at all; they just talk a lot about the Marquis.

Six female actors being "his" mum, wife, wife's sister, the maid and the wife's mate, and the other mate who's a whore.

It was written by a Japanese male who, I would suggest, realised he had written such sh!te but not before it was published and so he killed himself.

The fact that this play was all about women talking about what was happening, and not actually DOING anything, says a lot about what a lot of men think of a lot of women, and mirrors the drama series vs drama serial thing, but that's not for here.

So it is very wordy. And four of the six actresses did not bother - once they had learned their lines - to think about really adding character. Only with Frances Barber and Deborah Findley did you really see the fun and the true characters the author was trying to create. Everyone else - including Dame Judi Dench's understudy (DJ had twisted her ankle tho I read a review saying she was basically being M in costume) were given characters to be - but I have attended rehearsed readings where more imaginative acting was witnessed.

Got my tickets last June I did. :(

I'm editing this because I just realised my review of Dancing at Lughnasa said the same thing.

So I realise the theme. I need theatre that is more than people - even just women - talking about stuff and not DOING anything. But it was the (lack of) acting that really tired me. At least in Dancing at Lughnasa the acting was great.

[giggirl]

Interesting review PR. Did you ever see the Faith Healer, also a Brien Friel play? Another play with people sitting round talking and not doing - but it somehow works. I'm very sad about Madame de Sade. I have tickets for May. Perhaps I'll sell them on ebay (to someone who hasn't read the reviews, obvioulsy).

[bawdy-nan]

Madame de Sade feels as though the ladies of cranford have wandered into a bdsm online forum. looks gorgeous however.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

MM, what did you think of Dancing? I've been tempted but PR's review put me off.

[PeckhamRose]

Oh don't pay any attention to me, everyone else thought Dancing at Lughnasa was fab.

And so it was, if you like good actresses talking animatedly about stuff.

The BDSM discussions in Mme de Sade were not even that very interesting!

There's only one set, and only one of the actresses changes costume, to become a nun.

The only prop is Frances Barber's whip, and she doesn't even use it on anyone!

It's one and three quarter hours without a break.

It is, in and of itself, a torture. And you pay for it.

I tell ya, I'll stop now.

[PeckhamRose]

Entertaining Mr Sloane.

FABULOUS.

Ends 11th April.

And despite what the news said, Matthew Horne was still not well enough to appear tonight.

(My luck! Judi did not appear at Madame de Sade, either!)

Unlike the understudy for DJudi, however, Mathew Horne's understudy was brilliant. Mind you, the play is actor proof.

Imelda Staunton is excellent. There may be a few tickets left. We had 2nd row from back and heard every word!

[indiepanda]

I saw Oliver last week and would really recommend it, brilliant cast and the sets were amazing, never seen anything to touch them.

[Ladygooner]

Have tried 3 times to get tickets for Mr Sloane at Leic Sq half price ticket booth but no luck! In its stead I have seen On The Waterfront, Three Days of Rain and View From a Bridge - all were excellent and highly recommended

[ThinLizzy]

Anyone else going to see Waiting for Godot? I got tickets for June and I can't wait :)

[giggirl]

I'm a huge fan of the Donmar and am posting the autumn/winter season here because it looks amazing as always.

Dear Friend,

We are delighted to let you know about the autumn/winter Donmar season, which we are announcing today.

? A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE by Tennessee Williams, directed by Rob Ashford

A cast that includes Jack Ashton, Elliot Cowan, Barnaby Kay, Rachel Weisz and Ruth Wilson will perform in Tennessee Williams' wonderful play, which confirmed his reputation as one of the greatest American playwrights, winning him a Pulitzer Prize.

? LIFE IS A DREAM by Pedro Calderon de la Barca, in a new version by Helen Edmundson, directed by Jonathan Munby

A cast that will include Dominic West will bring to life a classic play from the Spanish Golden Age ? a richly poetic, epic masterpiece which explores illusion, reality, fate and destiny set against the backdrop of a mythical kingdom.

? RED by John Logan, directed by Michael Grandage

A two-man cast of Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne star in the World Premi?re of a moving and compelling account of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century ? Mark Rothko ? whose struggle to accept his growing riches and praise became his ultimate undoing.

Booking for friends goes on sale on the 11th May and I would urge you to consider becoming a member - it only costs about ?40 a year and the theatre is so small that many performances sell out before they get to public booking. Phone 0207 845 5815 for membership.*

For the cynics; NO, I don't work for the Donmar.

[giggirl]

I'm a huge fan of the Donmar and am posting the autumn/winter season here because it looks amazing as always.

Dear Friend,

We are delighted to let you know about the autumn/winter Donmar season, which we are announcing today.

? A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE by Tennessee Williams, directed by Rob Ashford

A cast that includes Jack Ashton, Elliot Cowan, Barnaby Kay, Rachel Weisz and Ruth Wilson will perform in Tennessee Williams' wonderful play, which confirmed his reputation as one of the greatest American playwrights, winning him a Pulitzer Prize.

? LIFE IS A DREAM by Pedro Calderon de la Barca, in a new version by Helen Edmundson, directed by Jonathan Munby

A cast that will include Dominic West will bring to life a classic play from the Spanish Golden Age ? a richly poetic, epic masterpiece which explores illusion, reality, fate and destiny set against the backdrop of a mythical kingdom.

? RED by John Logan, directed by Michael Grandage

A two-man cast of Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne star in the World Premi?re of a moving and compelling account of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century ? Mark Rothko ? whose struggle to accept his growing riches and praise became his ultimate undoing.

Booking for friends goes on sale on the 11th May and I would urge you to consider becoming a member - it only costs about ?40 a year and the theatre is so small that many performances sell out before they get to public booking. Phone 0207 845 5815 for membership.*

For the cynics; NO, I don't work for the Donmar.

[PeckhamRose]

Oooh thanks there giggirl!

[PeckhamRose]

Oooh thanks there giggirl!

[PeckhamRose]

Leicester Square Theatre: the Afterlife of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.

This show is on Tuesdays in May at 8.00pm and I saw the first show tonight.

It is the funniest show I have seen in years. The 2 actors who play Cook and Moore, with the 3rd actor playing about 5 other characters including a brilliant Leonard Rossiter, Frankie Howard, Peter Sellers and others just never let up and were totally utterly convincing, but the play itself (written by two of the cast) was a scream of an idea.

Oh God that was such a funny night. Enjoy.

Oooh and I see the exquisite Sandra Bernhard is also on end of May. Must get tickets for her, too. Saw her years ago and she is soooo dark and fabulous.

[RosieH]

ThinLizzy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Anyone else going to see Waiting for Godot? I got

> tickets for June and I can't wait :)

Also got tickets for June and very excited. Except now I have a chance for a holiday at the same time... what to do, what to do?