I really wasn't expecting, until last thing last night, to go to Bakersfield Mist tonight. But, you see, I let Time Out inspire me - and someone there must have finally seen this and liked it, and posted a review, because finally, there was the listing. I figure that's how they do it, and why the listings keep changing; I suppose that anything that's reviewed is listed higher. So I booked a ticket. There have been various deals for this show, but they all seem to involve top-price seats. I just wanted the cheapest deal I could get - as usual - so I booked with the show website, for the very back row, which is the only row with third-price tickets. I've been to the Duchess Theatre a couple of times before, and I know there isn't a bad seat in the house, so the back row was fine.
Of the options that Google Maps presented to me, I decided on the Piccadilly Line. However, I noticed a glitch - they had me disembark at Leicester Square, whereas I could see from the map that Covent Garden (which wasn't marked on the map, BTW!) was closer. So I reported it - bet they won't do anything. Anyway, I noted the walking route between Leicester Square and the theatre, for the return journey - Covent Garden is exit only for most of the year, as they replace the lifts.
The queue at the two working lifts was horrendous again. Some brave souls undertake the stairs - which the signs specifically warn you not to do except in case of emergency; it's 15 floors! Anyway, despite the crush, I made it out in five minutes. And although it's not that warm, it was a lovely, balmy evening. It's quite a while since I was in "Theatreland", as it says on the road signs around here, and it's always a shock to see just how close all the theatres are to each other - all those shows you see advertised, most of which are right around the corner, or across the road, from each other. Or a short walk away. Anyway, I was at the theatre in about five minutes, without rushing.
This is also one of the smaller theatres hereabouts, which is handy when it means fewer stairs to climb! And so I made my way right up to the very back row, where the first several seats were occupied, so I figured I was inside them and excused myself past them. When I finally got to the empty seats, I checked the seat number - and discovered mine was one of the occupied seats! Counting back, who had taken my seat but the fat lump of a man that could hardly be bothered to stand to let me pass. Well anyway, there was nobody in the centre - although it did eventually fill - and upon sitting, it occurred to me that this was a better seat - more central! Since all the seats past me were eventually taken, I must have ended up in his seat. So he gave up his seat, which was better - for what? So he didn't have to walk so far in?! Did he get tired and just plonk himself in the nearest available seat?! Fine, I ended up with the better deal. And there was nobody for two rows in front of me, so I had a terrific view.
So, this is a two-person play, advertised as 85 minutes but more like 75, without interval. Kathleen Turner - and I'd forgotten how deep her voice is! - plays a lady living in a trailer park, and desperate to prove that the painting she bought in a junk shop for $3 is actually a long-lost Jackson Pollock. Ian McDiarmid plays the hapless, and very English, art expert whom she's enlisted to verify that the painting is authentic.
It's a bravura performance. The suspension of disbelief required to believe that the stage is the living room of her trailer is a bit much - it's a bit large, is all, and the only other minor criticism I have is that he gets a bit too drunk a bit too quickly. Other than that, I really enjoyed it, and the performances are cracking. V enjoyable performance - recommended. Runs until 30 August.
With no interval, it was still daylight when we came out, and it was lovely to walk back past all the restaurants (nearly every building here that isn't a theatre is a restaurant or pub). Many have outdoor seating, and the pub crowds spilled out onto the pavement on this balmy evening. It's handy to go to things close to home, but it is great to get into town from time to time.
Speaking of which, I'll be doing a fair bit of travelling tomorrow, when I head to The Vibe on Brick Lane, to see Hard Façade in action again. And roll on Saturday, when I'll be heading to the Aldwych Theatre - just around the corner from the Duchess - for the matinee of Wolf Hall, based on the Booker-Prize-winning book by Hilary Mantel, staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company, and starring Jeremy Irons as Thomas Cromwell. O goodee, Tudor fiction! :-)
Showing posts with label Duchess Theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Duchess Theatre. Show all posts
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Monday, 3 February 2014
Plays: Not I, Footfalls, Rockaby
I've been looking forward to the Beckett trilogy since I heard it was on. Beckett is my favourite playwright, Not I is my favourite play. There are very few plays I would see more than once - I prefer not to repeat myself. There are fewer still that I would go out of my way to see. Anything by Beckett falls into this category, so when I heard these were showing - and knowing they booked out quickly the last time - I booked the same day.
So it was with some trepidation that I discovered I had to be home this evening for the engineer to come and see to our gas meter, which has been misbehaving. They couldn't give me an exact time, but my flatmate agreed to come home at such a time that I could be in time for my show. Still, the engineer arrived before my flatmate did, and I had to deal with him, then greet my flatmate and explain what was happening, while simultaneously trying to grab some dinner. So it was in something of a flap that I scurried into town, grateful that, for tonight at least, the Tubes are working.
Google Maps had me take the Tube to Covent Garden and walk from there. Not a hard walk if you know the area at all, and not a long one - turn right to Covent Garden Piazza, pass the entrance to the Opera House and take the next street on the left (Russell Street). Then take the second right onto Drury Lane, passing the Theatre Royal on the left. The Duchess Theatre is just a bit further on, on the right.
I pushed my way through the crowd to collect my ticket - the cheapest I found was on the uktheatretickets website. Lastminute was technically cheaper, but lost out with a higher booking fee. Anyway, for what I paid, I was informed I'd get a ticket in the last three rows of the dress circle, and so it proved - I was third row from the back. But there are no bad seats in this theatre, and the dress circle, for once, isn't too much of a climb. So all was well.
And so to the plays. Three one-woman short plays, running about an hour in total, in this case played by Lisa Dwan. Poor woman.. the first, Not I, is notoriously difficult, requiring, as it does, the woman taking part to appear as a disembodied mouth. This presents some staging difficulties - not only requiring the theatre to be totally dark for the duration, but also generally requiring the actor to be strapped into something to prevent anything moving but her head. Neither can she see anything, and generally, I believe, they also wear something to prevent them hearing anything. This play generally lasts between 12 and 15 minutes - she's famous for doing it in under 10. Which is no mean feat, considering that it involves a stream of consciousness, with rapid-fire words issuing from the illuminated mouth.
She played a blinder, I must say. The thing about this play is that it's nigh impossible to follow the whole script. Fair play to the performer! As a listener, your best bet is to alternate between listening to the words - which you can only realistically do for brief periods - and just listening to the babbling effect. As with many Beckett plays, there is much repetition anyway.
As for the staging, I was glad to see they didn't use an Auditor - a shadow figure that stands to the side, saying nothing, but gesturing a couple of times during the play. Beckett originally included one, but conceded that he couldn't find a good way of staging the Auditor. The theatre was gratifyingly dark and disorientating, and they did go the extra mile of turning off the exit signs (just for this one). Sadly, there was some light coming from the control room, or behind it, which was a real oversight.
After the briefest of breaks, this was followed by Footfalls, in which a woman paces up and down, having a conversation with her aged and sickly mother, who is never seen. As in the directions, the light is suitably creepy, and the performer looks ghostlike. A major contrast to the first play in presentation, but similarly deeply introspective.
Finally, we have Rockaby, in which an old woman rocks in a chair - the only prop onstage for the whole evening - while the script repeats, over and over, rhythmic as the rocking, describing her rocking and watching from her window. A study on loneliness.
Typically with Beckett, there's much more going on than you are likely to pick up on with one viewing: but I say, go, enjoy. This is a fantastic production, the acting is great, and at only an hour, it's a short - if not exactly light - introduction to Beckett. And I came out not even thinking in sentences, for, having seen what I had seen, I felt that I could not do language justice. Booking until the 15th, with seat prices reduced on the venue website.
Not having had enough Beckett, I've booked for Happy Days on Wednesday! A full-length play this time, about a woman buried in a pile of something that rises gradually and will eventually smother her. Surrounded by the contents of her handbag, and with nothing to get her out of her predicament, she receives no help from her husband (yes, this play has a second character!) Read into this what you will.
Should be an interesting journey - it's in the Young Vic, and there's a Tube strike! Still, they are supposed to be keeping some lines running a limited service, and I believe they're keeping the District and Jubilee lines, and Waterloo station, open, so that wouldn't be too bad. And I might get some practice tomorrow - there's a play, What the Women Did, at the Southwark Playhouse, that I might go to. And it's in the same area. So that would give me some practice.. if I decide I want the longish walk it would entail..
So it was with some trepidation that I discovered I had to be home this evening for the engineer to come and see to our gas meter, which has been misbehaving. They couldn't give me an exact time, but my flatmate agreed to come home at such a time that I could be in time for my show. Still, the engineer arrived before my flatmate did, and I had to deal with him, then greet my flatmate and explain what was happening, while simultaneously trying to grab some dinner. So it was in something of a flap that I scurried into town, grateful that, for tonight at least, the Tubes are working.
Google Maps had me take the Tube to Covent Garden and walk from there. Not a hard walk if you know the area at all, and not a long one - turn right to Covent Garden Piazza, pass the entrance to the Opera House and take the next street on the left (Russell Street). Then take the second right onto Drury Lane, passing the Theatre Royal on the left. The Duchess Theatre is just a bit further on, on the right.
I pushed my way through the crowd to collect my ticket - the cheapest I found was on the uktheatretickets website. Lastminute was technically cheaper, but lost out with a higher booking fee. Anyway, for what I paid, I was informed I'd get a ticket in the last three rows of the dress circle, and so it proved - I was third row from the back. But there are no bad seats in this theatre, and the dress circle, for once, isn't too much of a climb. So all was well.
And so to the plays. Three one-woman short plays, running about an hour in total, in this case played by Lisa Dwan. Poor woman.. the first, Not I, is notoriously difficult, requiring, as it does, the woman taking part to appear as a disembodied mouth. This presents some staging difficulties - not only requiring the theatre to be totally dark for the duration, but also generally requiring the actor to be strapped into something to prevent anything moving but her head. Neither can she see anything, and generally, I believe, they also wear something to prevent them hearing anything. This play generally lasts between 12 and 15 minutes - she's famous for doing it in under 10. Which is no mean feat, considering that it involves a stream of consciousness, with rapid-fire words issuing from the illuminated mouth.
She played a blinder, I must say. The thing about this play is that it's nigh impossible to follow the whole script. Fair play to the performer! As a listener, your best bet is to alternate between listening to the words - which you can only realistically do for brief periods - and just listening to the babbling effect. As with many Beckett plays, there is much repetition anyway.
As for the staging, I was glad to see they didn't use an Auditor - a shadow figure that stands to the side, saying nothing, but gesturing a couple of times during the play. Beckett originally included one, but conceded that he couldn't find a good way of staging the Auditor. The theatre was gratifyingly dark and disorientating, and they did go the extra mile of turning off the exit signs (just for this one). Sadly, there was some light coming from the control room, or behind it, which was a real oversight.
After the briefest of breaks, this was followed by Footfalls, in which a woman paces up and down, having a conversation with her aged and sickly mother, who is never seen. As in the directions, the light is suitably creepy, and the performer looks ghostlike. A major contrast to the first play in presentation, but similarly deeply introspective.
Finally, we have Rockaby, in which an old woman rocks in a chair - the only prop onstage for the whole evening - while the script repeats, over and over, rhythmic as the rocking, describing her rocking and watching from her window. A study on loneliness.
Typically with Beckett, there's much more going on than you are likely to pick up on with one viewing: but I say, go, enjoy. This is a fantastic production, the acting is great, and at only an hour, it's a short - if not exactly light - introduction to Beckett. And I came out not even thinking in sentences, for, having seen what I had seen, I felt that I could not do language justice. Booking until the 15th, with seat prices reduced on the venue website.
Not having had enough Beckett, I've booked for Happy Days on Wednesday! A full-length play this time, about a woman buried in a pile of something that rises gradually and will eventually smother her. Surrounded by the contents of her handbag, and with nothing to get her out of her predicament, she receives no help from her husband (yes, this play has a second character!) Read into this what you will.
Should be an interesting journey - it's in the Young Vic, and there's a Tube strike! Still, they are supposed to be keeping some lines running a limited service, and I believe they're keeping the District and Jubilee lines, and Waterloo station, open, so that wouldn't be too bad. And I might get some practice tomorrow - there's a play, What the Women Did, at the Southwark Playhouse, that I might go to. And it's in the same area. So that would give me some practice.. if I decide I want the longish walk it would entail..
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
The cheapest venue for tickets for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, in the Duchess Theatre, was, as so often before, lastminute.com. Bless their little hearts.. you see, they charge according to the section of the theatre that you book for, but then they leave it up to the theatre to decide where to actually put you. And if it happens that that part of the theatre is undersubscribed, they're likely to upgrade you. And so it came to pass that, this evening, having booked to sit in the rafters, at the back of the dress circle, I found myself instead handed a ticket for an aisle seat in Row D of the stalls. Fourth row from the stage. V nice indeed! And that means that I paid £22 for a ticket that would have cost over £40 from lastminute.com, or perhaps up to £65 from the venue itself. Tip: always book the cheapest ticket that would be acceptable to you. They're also more likely to be upgraded..
Many of the actors double as musicians for the start of the show. Now, this is a gangster play that rapidly morphs into a satire on the rise of Hitler. Written by Brecht in 1941, as they say, it would have been incendiary if it had been performed at the time, but actually didn't receive an airing until 1958. All the characters and scenes are based on actual events - see the Wikipedia article, cited at the top of this blog, for further details.
The play opens with a jazz band, in a speakeasy setting of Chicago of the 1930s. We are introduced to the main characters, and soon launched into the story of Arturo Ui, the gangster who wants to control the cauliflower trade in Chicago. But that's just the start.. Henry Goodman is terrific as the title character, who starts as a figure of fun and becomes something much more sinister. The action propels us to the final scene, which is closer than any of us would like to be to a Nuremberg rally, with an enormous podium, huge banners unfurled at the sides, and heavies stationed strategically around the theatre, clapping at the appropriate moments and intimidating the audience into feeling they should do the same.
And the last lines of the play are stunning. "Do not rejoice in his defeat, you men. For though the world has stood up and stopped the bastard, the bitch that bore him is in heat again." I had no problem giving this a standing ovation, and I'm very glad I got to see it. Highly recommended - runs until Dec 7.
Right! Back to a film for tomorrow night - feels like a safer proposition! Blue Jasmine, at last - the new Woody Allen that isn't like a Woody Allen, apparently. A reviewer said that all you have to do to see how good Cate Blanchett is in the part is to imagine anyone else in it. She plays the neurotic character, with Alec Baldwin as her ex-husband and Peter Sarsgaard as the new love in her life. I've booked plays for Friday and Saturday - Land of our Fathers, set in a coal mine, is Friday's. I would've booked it for Thursday, but it was sold out.. and Saturday's is Scenes from a Marriage. 'Tis very annoying - there was a Time Out offer for it, advertised as late as last Saturday, but the offer was sold out today and the cheapest place to get a ticket was from the venue website. Maybe it got a good review in the Friday papers. It's at the St James Theatre, which is the one where I always get an aisle seat because I find the legroom slightly cramped. I always book the back row, and always get moved down towards the front because the place is half empty. We shall see what happens on Saturday..
Many of the actors double as musicians for the start of the show. Now, this is a gangster play that rapidly morphs into a satire on the rise of Hitler. Written by Brecht in 1941, as they say, it would have been incendiary if it had been performed at the time, but actually didn't receive an airing until 1958. All the characters and scenes are based on actual events - see the Wikipedia article, cited at the top of this blog, for further details.
The play opens with a jazz band, in a speakeasy setting of Chicago of the 1930s. We are introduced to the main characters, and soon launched into the story of Arturo Ui, the gangster who wants to control the cauliflower trade in Chicago. But that's just the start.. Henry Goodman is terrific as the title character, who starts as a figure of fun and becomes something much more sinister. The action propels us to the final scene, which is closer than any of us would like to be to a Nuremberg rally, with an enormous podium, huge banners unfurled at the sides, and heavies stationed strategically around the theatre, clapping at the appropriate moments and intimidating the audience into feeling they should do the same.
And the last lines of the play are stunning. "Do not rejoice in his defeat, you men. For though the world has stood up and stopped the bastard, the bitch that bore him is in heat again." I had no problem giving this a standing ovation, and I'm very glad I got to see it. Highly recommended - runs until Dec 7.
Right! Back to a film for tomorrow night - feels like a safer proposition! Blue Jasmine, at last - the new Woody Allen that isn't like a Woody Allen, apparently. A reviewer said that all you have to do to see how good Cate Blanchett is in the part is to imagine anyone else in it. She plays the neurotic character, with Alec Baldwin as her ex-husband and Peter Sarsgaard as the new love in her life. I've booked plays for Friday and Saturday - Land of our Fathers, set in a coal mine, is Friday's. I would've booked it for Thursday, but it was sold out.. and Saturday's is Scenes from a Marriage. 'Tis very annoying - there was a Time Out offer for it, advertised as late as last Saturday, but the offer was sold out today and the cheapest place to get a ticket was from the venue website. Maybe it got a good review in the Friday papers. It's at the St James Theatre, which is the one where I always get an aisle seat because I find the legroom slightly cramped. I always book the back row, and always get moved down towards the front because the place is half empty. We shall see what happens on Saturday..
Friday, 30 August 2013
Fences
Last night, I went to see Fences, with Lenny Henry, at the Duchess Theatre, Aldwych. This was a new theatre for me, so I looked up Google Maps to see how to get there. Even not having been there, before, I could see they were directing me wrong - they had the right destination, but not the fastest way to get there. Anyway, I've been to the Strand before, so I figured it out.
When I came onto the Strand, mind you, I got a bit lost - but not for long, and soon found the theatre. And immediately got lost again. The lobby was crowded, and the only signs I could see were for the stalls, to the left, and the dress circle, to the right. No sign of the box office. Which turned out to be in the middle, directly opposite the door - but the place was so crowded I hadn't seen it, and there was no sign. Anyway.
For once, lastminute.com didn't give me a front row seat! I was in the dress circle. Ah well. It wasn't far to climb - this isn't a big theatre. And I was well impressed - the theatre decor is spartan, in comparison with some other West End theatres, but the legroom is fine, the seats comfortable (a relief after the Scoop!), and, as far as I could tell, the view is excellent from all seats.
So, this is one of those plays set in the United States, in the period after the Second World War, among the black community. Uh-huh. My, but I've seen so many of these - and maybe that was the problem. It's basically good, and Lenny Henry plays a blinder - hasn't he come a long way since his days as a comedian! - but it left me pretty cold. I found it interesting, but the ending, in particular, perplexed me - Gabe, the main character's brother, who seems to have suffered brain damage in the war, spends several minutes doing a crazy dance centre stage, with all the other characters watching from the edge. Great. Sorry, I thought it was much too drawn-out. I get the message that was being conveyed, but was relieved when the lights went down. And duly unimpressed by the standing ovation that was happening around me. Well, as I say, it is well done in general - could just do with a trim. Booking up to the 14th September.
Afterwards, I felt like a bite to eat. Handily, there were three restaurants right across the road - an Indian, a Thai, and a Pizza Express. I didn't fancy pizza, and the Thai seemed to be closed, so I headed for the Indian, Sitar. It was nearly deserted, but there was a steady trickle of customers when I was there. The food was good, but the portions unusually small for an Indian. Well, given that I can't usually finish my portions in an Indian, that works quite well for me, but others might have an issue. They're very artistic with what they do give you:
My only complaint is with the naan bread, which is very burnt on the underside. If you go here, I wouldn't recommend that.
Back to Ireland for the weekend. I'm going to see Plein Soleil on Monday, in the Odeon in town, and for Tuesday I've booked what will probably be my last cheap theatre ticket as part of lastminute.com's Theatre Fortnight - I'm going to see Home, at the Shed, at the National Theatre. I've never been to a show in the Shed before, although I've passed it. And I thought I could hardly beat an official ticket price of £20, but lastminute.com turned up trumps again and I got it for £12. If you're planning to go to the theatre in London - run, book with lastminute.com before it's too late!
When I came onto the Strand, mind you, I got a bit lost - but not for long, and soon found the theatre. And immediately got lost again. The lobby was crowded, and the only signs I could see were for the stalls, to the left, and the dress circle, to the right. No sign of the box office. Which turned out to be in the middle, directly opposite the door - but the place was so crowded I hadn't seen it, and there was no sign. Anyway.
For once, lastminute.com didn't give me a front row seat! I was in the dress circle. Ah well. It wasn't far to climb - this isn't a big theatre. And I was well impressed - the theatre decor is spartan, in comparison with some other West End theatres, but the legroom is fine, the seats comfortable (a relief after the Scoop!), and, as far as I could tell, the view is excellent from all seats.
So, this is one of those plays set in the United States, in the period after the Second World War, among the black community. Uh-huh. My, but I've seen so many of these - and maybe that was the problem. It's basically good, and Lenny Henry plays a blinder - hasn't he come a long way since his days as a comedian! - but it left me pretty cold. I found it interesting, but the ending, in particular, perplexed me - Gabe, the main character's brother, who seems to have suffered brain damage in the war, spends several minutes doing a crazy dance centre stage, with all the other characters watching from the edge. Great. Sorry, I thought it was much too drawn-out. I get the message that was being conveyed, but was relieved when the lights went down. And duly unimpressed by the standing ovation that was happening around me. Well, as I say, it is well done in general - could just do with a trim. Booking up to the 14th September.
Afterwards, I felt like a bite to eat. Handily, there were three restaurants right across the road - an Indian, a Thai, and a Pizza Express. I didn't fancy pizza, and the Thai seemed to be closed, so I headed for the Indian, Sitar. It was nearly deserted, but there was a steady trickle of customers when I was there. The food was good, but the portions unusually small for an Indian. Well, given that I can't usually finish my portions in an Indian, that works quite well for me, but others might have an issue. They're very artistic with what they do give you:
My only complaint is with the naan bread, which is very burnt on the underside. If you go here, I wouldn't recommend that.
Back to Ireland for the weekend. I'm going to see Plein Soleil on Monday, in the Odeon in town, and for Tuesday I've booked what will probably be my last cheap theatre ticket as part of lastminute.com's Theatre Fortnight - I'm going to see Home, at the Shed, at the National Theatre. I've never been to a show in the Shed before, although I've passed it. And I thought I could hardly beat an official ticket price of £20, but lastminute.com turned up trumps again and I got it for £12. If you're planning to go to the theatre in London - run, book with lastminute.com before it's too late!
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