It would do the staff of Trafalgar Studios well to hand out orders of pancakes at performances of Ciaran McConville’s new play Snowbound - there’s simply too much syrup on stage for them to do anything else.
This isn’t to say that the RZ finds syrup bad - he’s quite fond of maple, boysenberry, and chocolate. However, Snowbound reads like the lighter side of Lifetime movies - the ones without domestic abuse. We’ve got the mentally challenged little brother, the selfless caretaker, the dead parents, the career-minded sister, the estranged marriage between family friends and the “make ‘em suffer more” tragedy at the start of the second act. Through all of this the audience is assaulted with enough videos and discussions on the nature, wonders, and pains of love to cause cavities.
The design, a cluttered wall of black and white family photos with blank price tags serves to distort the film-within-the-play on love, and for some reason the legendary red benches of Studio 2 (aka the only comfortable bench seats in London) are covered in white drop cloths, presumably to hammer home the winter imagery. The cast of seven are decent enough for the material, but none of them will take home an Olivier.
The RZ also wishes to call out the promotions staff for using pull quotes related to McConville’s prior works - and not always with full details on the placards and show posters.
There’s certainly an audience for this sort of material, but the RZ isn’t it and found himself wanting to pull a de Jongh and catch a short nap but managed to stay awake through the evening. For those big on “inspiring” works (and the RZ uses the term loosely), Snowbound is a must-see. For the more cynical looking to take in a bit of family drama, wait for August: Osage County or Next to Normal to transfer.
Where: Trafalgar Studios 2
When: M-Sa @ 19:45, Th/Sa @ 15:00 until 19 April.
How Much: £24
Concessions: Monday performances for £15, check re: seniors/students.
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RZ Unofficial Worth Paying: £10 (TKTS for Mondays). Decent performances and a professional if not amazing script.
RZ Other Notes: Avoid seats A14-20 as you are likely to get stepped on/have someone’s arse in your face/have a light glaring in your eyes in this area. The RZ recommends ordering interval drinks in advance from the foyer bar as Dealers Choice has a simultaneous interval and the bars get insane. It *is* worth using the loo, however, if only to watch first timers struggle to comprehend the Dyson Airblades. Whingers take note, there is much alcohol consumed onstage along with some utterly nasty (read: stereotypically British) looking pasta.
Showing posts with label Dyson Airblade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dyson Airblade. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Monday, 11 February 2008
REVIEW: "Sweet William"
There are two kinds of theatre fans in this world: those who are fans of Shakespeare and those who do not exist in the eyes of the former. Indeed, how could one fail to be charmed by the language, the sweeping epics, and the legacy left behind by the Bard? To be completely honest, the RZ finds it pretty easy. He would rather sit through a repeat visit to An Audience with the Mafia than go to a production of Shakespeare, and the only time he has ever found himself engaged at all by the master was watching Slings & Arrows - and even then it was the acting and the set-up rather than the words which blew him away.
That said, classical actor Michael Pennington had an entirely different and wholehearted appreciation for the man, leading him to devise and perform the new one-man show Sweet William, now running at the home of the Dyson Airblades...er...Trafalgar 2.
Pennington’s tale is an intertwined blend of his own life and experience with the material with that of Shakespeare’s. From his first visit to Macbeth to forming a politically charged troupe, Pennington relates to and through the great texts, coming in and out of characters related to the times and events in the discussed lives.
And that’s about it, really. It’s hard to go into great detail about such a simple show, other than to point out that it’s obvious from beginning to end how passionate Pennington is about his source material. Despite his age, he maintains an approachable warmth and vigour through two acts with only a chair to accompany him.
And because there’s so little to comment on, it’s a rather easy judgement to call to make. Shakespeare enthusiasts will feel at home with this production, and while non-enthusiasts are unlikely to be converted (the RZ wasn’t), it’s a more entertaining lecture than the far more sensationalised pap mentioned above.
Both groups, however, should be outraged at the Ambassador Theatre Group for having the gall to charge £27.50 for this production. One man, a chair, and a single lighting preset doth not such a high price justify, and as one of the RZ’s companions pointed out, one could see a musical for that (or two or three fringe productions elsewhere). The show is touring, however, and will undoubtedly be cheaper at the Kingston Rose or Greenwich Theatre (it’s playing one of them....)
Where: Trafalgar Studios 2
When: M-Sa @ 19:45, Th/Sa @ 15:00 until 16 Feb.
How Much: £20 Mon. Eve, £27.50 all other performances
Concessions: Book by phone and mention “ATG Email Offer” to get £20 tickets. Students and usual suspects can likely get day seats as well.
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RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £12.50. It would be worth top price at a smaller venue with a more reasonable price.
RZ Other Notes: Readers who have not seen the brilliance that is Slings & Arrows (a Canadian TV series about a Shakespeare festival) are deprived and should rush to the nearest R1 DVD store of their choice to pick up the new and highly affordable boxset. Also, both of the RZ’s companions commented on Trafalgar’s use of Dyson Airblade hand driers, officially making Trafalgar Studios the trendy place to use the loo in the West End.
That said, classical actor Michael Pennington had an entirely different and wholehearted appreciation for the man, leading him to devise and perform the new one-man show Sweet William, now running at the home of the Dyson Airblades...er...Trafalgar 2.
Pennington’s tale is an intertwined blend of his own life and experience with the material with that of Shakespeare’s. From his first visit to Macbeth to forming a politically charged troupe, Pennington relates to and through the great texts, coming in and out of characters related to the times and events in the discussed lives.
And that’s about it, really. It’s hard to go into great detail about such a simple show, other than to point out that it’s obvious from beginning to end how passionate Pennington is about his source material. Despite his age, he maintains an approachable warmth and vigour through two acts with only a chair to accompany him.
And because there’s so little to comment on, it’s a rather easy judgement to call to make. Shakespeare enthusiasts will feel at home with this production, and while non-enthusiasts are unlikely to be converted (the RZ wasn’t), it’s a more entertaining lecture than the far more sensationalised pap mentioned above.
Both groups, however, should be outraged at the Ambassador Theatre Group for having the gall to charge £27.50 for this production. One man, a chair, and a single lighting preset doth not such a high price justify, and as one of the RZ’s companions pointed out, one could see a musical for that (or two or three fringe productions elsewhere). The show is touring, however, and will undoubtedly be cheaper at the Kingston Rose or Greenwich Theatre (it’s playing one of them....)
Where: Trafalgar Studios 2
When: M-Sa @ 19:45, Th/Sa @ 15:00 until 16 Feb.
How Much: £20 Mon. Eve, £27.50 all other performances
Concessions: Book by phone and mention “ATG Email Offer” to get £20 tickets. Students and usual suspects can likely get day seats as well.
----------------------
RZ Unofficial “Worth Paying”: £12.50. It would be worth top price at a smaller venue with a more reasonable price.
RZ Other Notes: Readers who have not seen the brilliance that is Slings & Arrows (a Canadian TV series about a Shakespeare festival) are deprived and should rush to the nearest R1 DVD store of their choice to pick up the new and highly affordable boxset. Also, both of the RZ’s companions commented on Trafalgar’s use of Dyson Airblade hand driers, officially making Trafalgar Studios the trendy place to use the loo in the West End.
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