The Theatre

[Alex]

I've fairly mixed experiences with going to see plays at the theatre. I think my problem with it is that if you go and see something really bad, it can be just horrendous, stuck there for 3 hours and unable to escape (or unwilling, especially if you've paid 40 for the pleasure of doing so), and quite possibly the dullest way to spend an evening.

On the other hand, it can be fairly wonderous, especially if the actors are having one of those nights where they're clearly loving performing in the role, the script shines and sparkles, the directions tight and ever so effective, and it costs less than a week's shopping(!).

Plays I've loved and have come out buzzing and all excited about include the RSC's 1994/5 adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which starred Desmond Barrat as Bottom, and was just magical. It was a simple effect, but having loads of wires with light bulbs at the end of them all over the stage really created an 'otherworld' feeling to the play.

Avenue Q was a really fun musical, it's the muppety sweary one, but it's actually all rather sweet (bar one scene perhaps!), and actually has quite an intelligent message behind it all. Plus the songs are really fantastic too.

And Sweet Phoebe, a play I saw a pre-fame Cate Blanchett in, in 1995, was bloomin' hilarious and yet oddly touching too. It's all about a couple dog-sitting, and just a two hander, but the script and performances were fantastic, and I remember coming out of it in just such a great mood, having felt I'd seen something really special that night.

On the downside, Sexual Peversity In Chicago seemed pointless, making all men out to be chauvanistic idiots, and the women lost and confused. Plus Matthew Perry SHOUTED ALL HIS LINES IN A REALLY ANNOYING WAY whilst Minnie Driver just looked bored throughout.

Mark Ravenhill's Shopping and ******** was supposed to be this exciting examination in to taboo subjects, but I thought it was painfully done, all rather tedious, the characters were unlikeable and the dialogue was painful.

And one (am-dram) play I saw about the Irish Potato famine was painfully awful, I had to stay as a friend of a friend was in it, but the whole play seemed to consist of lines like "We've got no potatoes." "No Potatos?" "No. No. Potatoes." "But how can we live without potatoes?" and was so bad I almost lost my sanity during it.

So, what are your thoughts and feelings on the theatre? And what are the best plays you've seen? And what were the worst?

[Si Hunt]

We rarely get round to going to the theatre, but we went a few months ago and said we should go more often! It was fab, a play set in an actors retirement home starring Gordon Kaye, Brian Cant, Dora Bryan (sadly not appearing but she had an Anna Wing-like stand-in), Ken Morley and many others. I hope we go again soon.

Si.

[WileyKat]

I'm interested in what particular part of Friends gave you the impression that Matthew Perry was a good actor? :P

Anyway, I love going to the theatre. And I'd recommend the Travelex 10 UKP tickets at the National to anyone and everyone.

Good things I've seen :-

Othello, with Ian McKellan, Willard White, Imogen Stubbs.
The Wars of The Roses - seven history plays in a weekend, with Michael Pennington starring in several.
The Day I Stood Still - a play by Kevin Elyot, a bit weird but very touching.
Stones In His Pockets.

Less good things

Playing With Trains - Pennington again, and a play by Stephen Poliakoff. Great first half, rather fell apart in the second.
See How They Run - an am-dram production in Ross-on-Wye. Very funny in places, but ruined by an appalling lead actress.

[Mike Saville]

I love a well polished play or opera, and think there is no better way to spend an evening. Tosca was one of the best evenings of my life that didn't involve taking clothes off... in fact, even including those that do. Amateur dramatics are hysterically funny when they're not supposed to be, and I have been asked to leave once because my laughter became uncontrollable.

Really badly acted farces really leave me cold too, although being a resident of Scarborough, I was priveleged enough to see a number of Alan Aykbourn's premieres, which was always a jolly night out.

[Alex]

I'm interested in what particular part of Friends gave you the impression that Matthew Perry was a good actor? :P

Well yeah. But I didn't think he'd be as abysmal as he was...If it hadn't been for Hank Azaria, the play would have seemed really am-dram!!

[Dave Lewis]

I remember back in my glory days and was a bit of a thesp, going to the theatre was great fun. Once, the gang were seeing a play with Simon Callow in at the Haymarket in Leicester, and were also attending a workshop with the 'great' man the day before.

The workshop was a terrible disaster from the moment Simon asked who had actually seen the play (which was mainly rubbish, from what I recall).


SC: "How many of you have seen the play? Just raise your hands, who's seen it? Fifteen of you...? Ten? Five? Three? TWO? ONE??!? NONE???"?"

The reason why nobody answered in the affirmative was because, of course, the majority of us weren't seeing it 'till the following day. Callow was aghast, and said there was "no bloody point" in doing the workshop if we hadn't seen the play and stormed off.