The Play's The Thing- The Theatre Thread

[SiHart]

By contrast, a week on Tuesay we're off to see Peter Pan!

Si xx

[WhiteCrowNZ]

No doubt starring John Barrowman? He gets in everything you know!

Actually is that the one with Liz in it? I thought Ste had an aversion to Liz Slayden?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Wish they did a panto here with the cast of Outrageous Fortune - that would be fun.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

The play was good and interesting. Basically a slightly schizophrenic part. Hitler's secretary trying to come to terms between the kind old man she worked with, and the monstrous regime which seemed to happen to other people.

BTW is it wrong to find an actress quite sexy whilst she's impersonating Eva Braun?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Well last year we managed Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream and the Wolf's Lair on Adolf Hitlers secretary.

What highbrow theatre can Wellington tempt us with this year?

Pirates vs Ninjas!

I can't help but quote someone "Shakespeare was never like this!".

Yeah ...

A council meeting crossed with a celebrity death match, Pirates vs Ninjas centres around the emergency meeting of the Clans of Freedom. Humanities forces of freedom and anarchy are at war, and the Clans must unite together to defeat their foe. But will they be able to bury their own grievances to unite as allies?

The Pirate King is determined to have his bride, the Gypsy will have her revenge and the Ninja must face her destiny. Tempers will flair and blood will be spilt. Love and loyalty will be tested and most will fail.

Featuring a diverse team of hot local talent, amongst them acclaimed actor/director Sophie Roberts, New Zealand’s only professional Cambodian Actor Sarita So and award winning Magician Jarred Fell (voted Top Senior Magician in Australasia).

Fast paced and unrelenting, an hour of rich language, high passions and firebolt action. An epic scope with a cartoon twist.

Be prepared, vengence will rain.

It was kind of crap, but very fun. No plot to speak of, just a lot of character pieces, and some really well written dialogue, lots of gore (I mean it - if we'd been in the first rows we'd be splattered) and no survivors at the end!

Can't help but think it's what happened when a group of drama students get stoned and go "hey dude, wouldn't it be fun to have pirates vs ninjas ... and we could throw in a Maori, a Viking, a Gypsy, a Scot (named Trevor the Bastard), a Cowboy ... and a Bigfoot".

[Stuart Wallis]

They have nothing better to do in New Zealand...

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Hmmm - anyone heard of The Sound Of Silence the play?

Wellington has an arts festival on and this one caught my eye ... in fact I kind of desparately want to see it, though it looks one of those wierd theatre pieces you'd either love or hate. I mean it has no words to make things "interesting".



http://www.nzfestival.nzpost.co.nz/t...und-of-silence

Innovative director Alvis Hermanis captures the idealism and social utopia of the 60s in his latest theatrical offering, Sound of Silence. The award-winning director takes us on yet another exploration into new form, this time creating a play entirely without words and set instead to the soundtrack and narrative of flower power icons Simon and Garfunkel.

Winner of the Grand Prix at the 18th International Theatre Festival in Poland, Sound of Silence is the tale of 14 young Latvians who discover the intricacies of love and life after the cancellation of a Simon and Garfunkel concert. Swathed in colourful vintage, the young ensemble set the stage alight and deliver vibrant, almost Chaplinesque performances as they move along the road to self discovery.

Sound of Silence is a colourful, humorous, and exuberant portrayal of human existence. In harnessing the hope of a revolutionary generation and the music that started it all, Hermanis has transformed the minutiae of everyday life into a visually delectable, life-affirming celebration. An utterly charming and evocative step back in time.

Managed to find a couple of video links - it seems a long (3+ hour) play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbACPc6HVPc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVNYR...eature=related

It's on an international tour, so wondered if anyone had caught anything about it.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Worried I'm increasingly being sucked into stranger and wierder theatre.

[Darren]

Love Never Dies (The Phantom Of The Opera 2)


Possible Minor Spoilers

I saw one of the final previews on 4 March taking my mum out for a birthday treat. We were in the Stalls Row B 22-23, which were fantastic seats giving superb views almost putting us in the show, especially during the breathtaking projections.

Christine & Raoul and their son Gustave journey to Coney Island at the request of Mr Y to perform in his show and meet two old friends Madame Giry and Meg Giry. The reuniting of the main protagonists helps to ease the audience into a feeling of familiarity, although it soon becomes clear that the previous ten years have not been particularly kind. Raoul is now a debt ridden bully and Meg is the main singer at the Phantom's show, obsessively seeking his approval.
The Phantom's obsession with Christine is unabated and the point at which she discovers who Mr Y is, is very cleverly and subtlely realised. Obsession, betrayal, anger and love overwhelm our main characters, and this interplay between them is one of the shows strengths.

The set design is wonderful. It retains some of the simplicity of the original, but replacies the gothic with the grotesque. The Phantoms new lair, high above ground being the best, a feast for the eyes. The music score is of course enchanting, although the main tune Love Never Dies is not as haunting or dominating as The Phantom of the Opera which always seemed to connect with the show and viewer better. 'Til I hear You Sing Again is, in my opinion, far more beautiful.And speaking of which, Beautiful performed by Phantom and Gustave is an absolute rock yer socks off belter!


Love Never Dies has a lot to live up to, and just fails to do so. At least when compared to it's big brother still going strong at Her Majesty's. And to be honest you can't help comparing a little. The biggest concern for me was that the Phantom's immense menace has dispersed and he doesn't engender the same level of fear in the characters or audience as before. Raoul isn't handled very well in the second Act. Events which during the first Act, build up the tension and suspense don't quite carry through to the end, and the finale isn't as heart pounding as perhaps it should be.

However, sequels are rarely as good as the originals, and if you keep that in mind, you will adore Love Never Dies. Ramin Karimloo is sensational as the Phantom with a powerful voice. Sierra Boggis' Christine is gorgeous and enchanting. Joseph Millson gives us a more arrogant, swaggering Raoul and is very good.

On it's own, Love Never Dies is another masterpiece from Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Compared to the original it's a slightly flawed masterpiece. But in my opinion, required viewing and worth every penny.

8/10

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Thanks for the review - interesting!

I did end up going to see the Sound of Silence, which was brilliant ...

They say that communication is 90% non-verbal. They also say a picture tells a thousand words.

So why was I concerned about going to see a 3 hour play, where none of the actors said a single word? Thanks to some excellent direction and acting, it what was going on was always crystal clear.

The Sound of Silence by Alvis Hermanis was a play about 14 young Latvians in 60s Communism. They are going on about their lives, growing from young adults, whilst from over the border somewhere they get occasional snatches of Western music, which always mesmerise them.

The story itself was a series of set pieces, with each threaded together forming an increasing theme of maturity. Childhood playing with toys, worries about first kisses, spin-the-bottle, getting drunk/stoned, falling in love, getting married, sex and sexuality, adultery and the follow on fear, parenthood, death. A lot to cram in but it does it well.

By keeping the characters silent, they kind of retain an innocence and likeability. For instance, there's Beehive Girl, who throughout the play it's obvious she fancies Glasses Man, who ends up marrying Glasses Girl. But on the night of their wedding, Beehive Girl kind of lures Glasses Man away, sneaking into his room, and leaving a trail of flower petals, which he follows into her room. Then the next morning, when he wakes up, he is trying to desperately cover up what's happened, and get her dressed and out. And the whole thing kind of remains kind of charming and funny.

In a proper talking play though, she'd be whining on and on about how she fancies him, and the whole thing handled in a hamfisted Eastender/soap plot kind of way.

Some of the more striking imagery of the play though were the following scenes which are still dancing around my head ...

* early on a middle aged woman brings back a young man for obvious sexual purposes. But he's nervous, and kind of regresses, starting to play with a toy car. Eventually he starts running it up her body, and she gets an obvious sexual thrill from it, with it running with each move to more sexual areas, eventually running up her skirt.

* an odd but nice touch. There are a lot of actors on stage at any one point. But early on during the "falling in love" phase, in the background there are two people reading books next to each other. Over several minutes, they slowly reach for each other's hands, never flinching from their books, in a kind of illicent but tender holding hands. It was a small background piece, but I found really moving.

* two girls are about to make out with their love interests. When the guys aren't looking, they both don rabbit masks, which is a bit disturbing and wierd - even wierder, the guys then snog the mask. The girls then pull off the mask, and pretend nothing has happened, confusing their love interests.

* throughout the play there are attempts to listen to the music of Simon and Garfunkel. The characters build makeshift radios at first, but then find a tranquil passion through all kinds of everyday objects, hearing music through books

* in one scene, a guy goes around with a radio whilst everyone is sleeping. He gets bits of reception. He finds the closer he is to a girl, the stronger it is. He finds the best reception is if he touches her with his aerial. And he slowly starts to caress her with the aerial, at first just her leg, then exploring her, sliding it over her breasts. She wakes up shocked at first. At this point he's got his radio at his groin, and it looks like a comical penis extension. She grabs it, and puts the aerial between her legs, pulling him towards her. Nuff said.

* and in the final scene, the only way to listen to music is a large bath, which everyone takes turns putting their head under. Until eventually one person puts their head in, and ends up horribly still, and it becomes apparent that they've died. It's a very shocking scene, more for the reactions.

An absolutely genius play. The actors were all Latvian, but their body language translates to any foreigner.

Would definitely see again.

NZ Herald review:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz-arts-fe...ectid=10628240

[Ralph]

I saw the Lion King in London last December - it was great fun - the costumes are excellent, very imaginative. I ought to go to the Theatre more often.

[MacNimon]

I'm glad you enjoyed The Lion King, Ralph. We saw A Christmas Carol when we were down in November, it was amazing...very atmospheric and, like you say, imaginitive. Great stuff, and it's something that we should try to do more often. I'd love to see The Woman In Black sometime when I'm in London.

[SiHart]

The Woman in Black is fantastic Kenny. Very creepy and atmospheric!

Si xx

[Alex]

This sounds fantastic...

POWER OF THREE: Love, War and Death
Play One: Love, Question Mark

"Man cannot stand too much reality" – T.S. Eliot/Carl Jung

A local Nigerian chief with eighty-six wives was warned by the government that if he didn’t cut it down to three he would risk execution.

Michael Smith, estate agent (retired), is not in this league. A widower, he’s looking forward to his daily crossword and the occasional trip to the library, when all at once he is shaken to his foundations by a happening - a vision - on a bus.

Disturbed and anxious, he’s waiting for the outcome of an impulse. Perhaps sticking a pin in a list to find a partner is not such a crazy idea? Then there’s a knock at the door...

Writer-director Robert Gillespie explores the curious gap between what we say we want and what we actually do.

http://www.janenightwork.com/index.php

Of course I'm being completely impartial here, and have no vested interest!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I hear the stage management in that play is excellent!

[Alex]

If they don't mention it in all the reviews I will be appalled!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Is it a two hander play?

[Alex]

It is, which is a rather heavy load for the actors involved, but two weeks in and it's really coming together and I think it's a fascinating piece. We're just hoping the press agree with us, as the reviews will be what bring in the audiences...

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Fingers crossed. Although it's a wierd feeling when I've done stage management. You set the stage for everything to happen, but it's out of your hands whether the actual play is any good.

[Rob McCow]

It was Mum's birthday in the week and the family went out to see a play called 'Into The Woods' - an open-air performance in Regent's Park. It was pretty good.

The open-air theatre is impressive, it very much reminded me of the Roman theatre for plays that they have in Pompeii. It has a similar radial layout that makes it easy to see from wherever you're sitting. It's so much better than the standard English theatre, with it's tiers and corners where you can get restricted view all too easily. The legroom was reasonable too, though the seats were a little damp. It had been tipping down all day!

When the play first started and all the characters came on stage to SING~! in their EXTRAVAGANT COSTUMES~! I thought it was going to be f***ing awful. Fortunately it started making sense after that. It was a very good production of an average play. Into The Woods is about fairytales, but it didn't say much beyond 'Be careful what you wish for you might get it' and 'There's no such thing as a happy ending'.

The premise is that a little boy in the woods is telling himself fairytales, except he mashes them all together so Cinderella meets Rapunzel and the whole Kingdom is threatened by the Giant's wife from Jack and the Beanstalk. The Giant's wife was brilliantly realised, with a pair of enormous hands either side of the stage and a head made up of lights, umbrellas and a big straw nose peeking over the top of the set.

An impressive show, we'll have to see if we can go to more at Regent's Park!

[SiHart]

We went to our local theatre (10 minutes wlak from home) to see Simon Ward and Susan Panhaligon in The Madness of King George last night. It was superb. It was a simple but ingenious production of Alan Bennett's play and the acting was skillful and in the case of Simon Ward who played King George pretty much perfect.
I was surprised at how relevent parts of the play seemed- especially the bits about Government spending. It all seemed quite pertinent at the moment.

Si xx

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I remember Susan Penhaligon being really hot in a lot of 70s dramas. Is she still smokin', or has time taken it's toll?

[Rob McCow]

She's not smokin', but I reckon she's good on her age. Distinguished, perhaps.

[SiHart]

Went to see an interesting play this week- Me, As A Penguin. Dealt very sensitively with depression, dealing with becoming a parent and knitting and penguins. It was rather good, very amusing and quite quirky. Lovely