Wednesday 22 November 2017
Moved on
Not that I expect anyone is still reading this, but I have moved and can now be found writing at FlyAway - please come and follow me there x
Tuesday 26 April 2016
'People, Places and Things', Tuesday 19th April 2016
You can't have missed the hype on this one unless you've been living under a rock, right?? Well actually, it hadn't really registered on my radar until my friend J went a few weeks ago and raved about it, so I dragged our other friend R along to it. On the night we went, Denise Gough had just recently won the Olivier award for best actress and the theatre was packed. Without any doubt, she more than delivered. The raw, edgy quality she brought to the role was what made the whole play. I was on tenterhooks watching to see if she would manage to battle her demons and beat her addictions. I work with people with addictions often and she portrayed the awful conflicting emotions so well that I really found myself rooting for her, a level of engagement which theatre rarely brings out in me. The supporting cast were also excellent, in particular Barbara Marten playing her mum/therapist.
There are certainly difficult, messy, emotional bits and you probably need to be careful if you're squeamish (apparently people have been known to faint...) but it's one of the most thought-provoking pieces of theatre I've seen for a long time and will stay with you long after you've left the theatre. You may well find that your preconceptions about addiction, addicts and mental illness are challenged (mine were).
Overall: Believe the hype. Go now.
There are certainly difficult, messy, emotional bits and you probably need to be careful if you're squeamish (apparently people have been known to faint...) but it's one of the most thought-provoking pieces of theatre I've seen for a long time and will stay with you long after you've left the theatre. You may well find that your preconceptions about addiction, addicts and mental illness are challenged (mine were).
Overall: Believe the hype. Go now.
'Reasons to be Happy', Friday 18th March 2016
The Hampstead Theatre is basically my 'local' theatre as I live less than 5mins away (don't stalk me plsthanx). It's a great little theatre and I generally see everything they do because I love them being there and want to support them. Luckily, there have been a couple of misses but far more hits. This one was definitely a hit. 'Reasons to be Happy' is a play looking at relationships, how people interact and the choices they make. It focuses on four characters whose lives are intertwined in various ways. We see the main character being presented with options and watch him making his decisions- it often seems like obvious what he should do and when he doesn't make those choices it's frustrating- a true sign for me that a play has drawn me in! The two female characters were flawed enough to make them believable but what I really liked was the interaction between the two of them which hit exactly the right level of female solidarity without being overly sugary.
Overall: a sharp observational comedy with two exceptional female characters.
Overall: a sharp observational comedy with two exceptional female characters.
'The End of Longing', Thursday 17th March 2016
Full disclosure - I absolutely loved 'Friends'. Still do in fact - I have all 10 series on DVD and am currently working through them again as my other half never saw them the first time round (I KNOW) and they're still just as funny. They're part of my psyche - friends and I will still say to each other 'I'm FINE!!! I'm going to make MARGARITAS!' or 'Stop cleansing my aura' or...
Ahem. I digress. So seeing a play that was billed as 'Friends for grown ups' was obviously a must-do. My friend S and his partner were visiting London and wanted to go to the theatre and luckily when I told them about this they were very up for it (I'd probably have made them go anyway actually).
Matthew Perry stars as himself. Well - I suppose I'm not meant to say that but he basically plays a character struggling with alcohol addiction -which if you know anything about Matthew Perry is likely to be at least semiautobiographical. And he certainly brings a real edge to the character (I deal with alcoholics quite a lot in my real job and certain aspects of Perry's character rang very true). Certain others did not- his openness about and acceptance of his drinking was surprising but did help move the plot along. His love interest, the prostitute was excellent as a strong, feisty female who finds herself surprised by the depth of her feelings. The other couple were by contrast extremely dull and clearly only there to provide the 'link' between Perry and his love interest. Every time the action was on them I found myself waiting for the scene to change.
Perry plays for big laughs, often leaving a line hanging until he gets the response he wants, but with a fanbase like his that's not surprising. And mostly it delivered. It's just a shame because it COULD have been so much more.
Overall: worth a shot if you're a 'Friends' fan, but don't expect Friends-level humour.
Ahem. I digress. So seeing a play that was billed as 'Friends for grown ups' was obviously a must-do. My friend S and his partner were visiting London and wanted to go to the theatre and luckily when I told them about this they were very up for it (I'd probably have made them go anyway actually).
Matthew Perry stars as himself. Well - I suppose I'm not meant to say that but he basically plays a character struggling with alcohol addiction -which if you know anything about Matthew Perry is likely to be at least semiautobiographical. And he certainly brings a real edge to the character (I deal with alcoholics quite a lot in my real job and certain aspects of Perry's character rang very true). Certain others did not- his openness about and acceptance of his drinking was surprising but did help move the plot along. His love interest, the prostitute was excellent as a strong, feisty female who finds herself surprised by the depth of her feelings. The other couple were by contrast extremely dull and clearly only there to provide the 'link' between Perry and his love interest. Every time the action was on them I found myself waiting for the scene to change.
Perry plays for big laughs, often leaving a line hanging until he gets the response he wants, but with a fanbase like his that's not surprising. And mostly it delivered. It's just a shame because it COULD have been so much more.
Overall: worth a shot if you're a 'Friends' fan, but don't expect Friends-level humour.
'Bad Jews', Wednesday 16th March 2016
So you know that a play called 'Bad Jews' will be absolutely riddled with racial stereotypes. But I must admit I really like that kind of humour- one of my favourite TV programmes of all time is 'Goodness Gracious Me', the Indian stereotyping is SPOT ON. So - while admittedly I'm not Jewish- when my Jewish friend J asked if I (and another non-Jewish friend R) wanted to come and see 'Bad Jews' naturally the answer could only be a resounding yes. Racial stereotyping and cringeworthy humour?! Yes please!
And I really enjoyed the play. The plot does require you to have a little understanding of Jewish cultures and customs (or in my case have a Jewish friend sitting next to you who can explain in a whisper what's going on, and what a 'chai' means) but the characters are instantly relatable. Daphna is feisty, argumentative and desperately needs to be proved right, about everything it would seem. Yet there's a vulnerable streak that means you can't completely hate her, and the actress playing her (Jenna Augen) brought this out beautifully. Liam is a little selfish, wanting to have his cake and eat it too. He can appreciate what his grandfather suffered in the name of Judaism but doesn't want to be defined by Judaism himself and to have a partner from outside the faith- the adorable, ditsy, a little-too-saccharine-coated Melody (who was as much, if not more, of her own sort of stereotype as the Jewish characters). Younger brother Jonah wants to keep out of it and not get involved but finally the end of the story reveals to us how he really has his own demons to fight.
There is some bad language in this play so fair enough, if you are a really religious or prudish person you won't like it. I swear loads so it didn't bother me but it didn't surprise me that some people were leaving early because of it. The play is about young people and I thought it was a good representation of how most young people talk.
Overall: enjoyable, relatable and find a Jewish friend to take along for the jokes!
And I really enjoyed the play. The plot does require you to have a little understanding of Jewish cultures and customs (or in my case have a Jewish friend sitting next to you who can explain in a whisper what's going on, and what a 'chai' means) but the characters are instantly relatable. Daphna is feisty, argumentative and desperately needs to be proved right, about everything it would seem. Yet there's a vulnerable streak that means you can't completely hate her, and the actress playing her (Jenna Augen) brought this out beautifully. Liam is a little selfish, wanting to have his cake and eat it too. He can appreciate what his grandfather suffered in the name of Judaism but doesn't want to be defined by Judaism himself and to have a partner from outside the faith- the adorable, ditsy, a little-too-saccharine-coated Melody (who was as much, if not more, of her own sort of stereotype as the Jewish characters). Younger brother Jonah wants to keep out of it and not get involved but finally the end of the story reveals to us how he really has his own demons to fight.
There is some bad language in this play so fair enough, if you are a really religious or prudish person you won't like it. I swear loads so it didn't bother me but it didn't surprise me that some people were leaving early because of it. The play is about young people and I thought it was a good representation of how most young people talk.
Overall: enjoyable, relatable and find a Jewish friend to take along for the jokes!
'The Maids', Tuesday 1st March 2016
My other half is a huge fan of 'Fresh Meat'. I think it's just OK, not being such a huge fan of 'cringey' comedy (I can only watch 'The Inbetweeners' from between my fingers. Appropriate given its name). So when I heard that Vod from 'Fresh Meat' (or rather Zawe Ashton) was starring in a psychological thriller at Trafalgar Studios, I knew he'd be up for it.
Initial visual impressions are striking with a white backdrop strewn with blood-red rose petals. The stage is very clever- totally minimalistic but things 'pop out' of it. The atmosphere is sinister from the very beginning and the interaction between all three actresses is very intense.
Initial visual impressions are striking with a white backdrop strewn with blood-red rose petals. The stage is very clever- totally minimalistic but things 'pop out' of it. The atmosphere is sinister from the very beginning and the interaction between all three actresses is very intense.
Ashton was certainly a far cry from her 'Fresh Meat' character and I thought she was very strong in her role. The other two actresses (apparently both well known from 'Orange is the new Black' and 'Downton Abbey') were also superb. The racial undertones however, were hard to watch and ultimately I wasn't sure what I really got from the play.
Overall: Great cast, but the play itself- didn't love it.
Friday 18 March 2016
Hello
Hi there. I'm Anita and I'm a roving Londoner who enjoys experiencing the brightest and best of what London culture and entertainment has to offer. And I decided since I'm lucky enough to get to enjoy it then perhaps I should share some of it -especially since it might help me remember all the stuff I do which, *cough*, even I sometimes forget!
So this is just my little record of what I've done and where I've been. In case you were wondering, I'm completely independent -I work in a field totally unrelated to theatre/culture/arts and I get no financial remuneration whatsoever for writing this blog. I pay for all my tickets myself (yes, it does get expensive sometimes!) So what you read here is my own unbiased opinion. Take it or leave it! ;)
So this is just my little record of what I've done and where I've been. In case you were wondering, I'm completely independent -I work in a field totally unrelated to theatre/culture/arts and I get no financial remuneration whatsoever for writing this blog. I pay for all my tickets myself (yes, it does get expensive sometimes!) So what you read here is my own unbiased opinion. Take it or leave it! ;)
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