I'd like to think there's a reason I haven't blogged the last three things I've seen other than laziness. Well, four actually. But even so...
RAM Showcase Concert - students, friend had a friend in, and it was long. Very long. As in it started at lunchtime and let out for dinner.
Casanova @ Kings Head - I hadn't planned on going to the aforementioned concert, and didn't know about it until about 90 minutes before it started. As such I hadn't done silly things like eat, grab water to take, etc. and the result was that I left quite tired and dehydrated with a killer low water/sugar headache. Needless to say that despite wolfing down a fast dinner in between events, I was in a far from useful state of mind and body as was my companion who hadn't slept the night before. The result? The first act felt like 120 minutes instead of 75 and we bolted rather than risk passing out. Were I alone I'd have likely toughed it out, but it's not fair to review a show in that condition, especially after just the first act. I'm going to try and make it back, but the next two weeks are solidly booked for me so we'll see...
Dick Whittington: Another Dick in City Hall @ Kings Head - A charity gig and one that is likely sold out for its second and third performances this Sunday. Despite being a song-free show this very (extremely) gay themed and political work made for some excellent adult panto with the right blend of sharp satire and crudeness. It was also pleasantly short - about 100 minutes including interval. Tickets are likely to be scarce or nonexistant for the last two performances this Sunday, but go if you can.
Avenue Q - I already saw the show in New York and avoided the London production due to the changes made (and subsequently put back into New York) and a dislike for the idea of a male Gary Coleman. What dragged me back, however, was having a friend in the cast making her debut as a cover. At least 20 of us showed up and it was a grand event, but I don't review shows with friends in.
And what's on the upcoming agenda? Next week looks to be a 5 show wonder with one show for official press, one by request of the press office, a return to AveQ, and two more! So much to see, and so little time.
On an unrelated subject, do any of the loyal (or disloyal) readers out there play City of Heroes? Other than the spambots, of course. It would be fun to have a theatre geek supergroup.
Showing posts with label Avenue Q. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Avenue Q. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Monday, 4 February 2008
THOUGHTS: "Angry Young Man"
(Time for catching up after a busy weekend.)
Ben Woolf's Angry Young Man is a slick, professional production about the British perception of Eastern European immigration. With four actors in identical suits splitting the roles, our hero (and I use the term loosely) Yuri comes to London to get a job as a surgeon, but through a set of unfortunate mishaps finds himself confronting skinheads, conspiracy theorists, and wishful leftists who claim to be sympathetically fighting for equality while really just as racist as those on the opposite side of parliament.
The play is distancing as Yuri is played by three actors, forcing the audience to engage the material intellectually rather than emotionally, though leaps in logic are required to navigate some large plot holes. The cast (all members of MahWaff Theatre Company) are solid, but the whole thing felt as thought it was running on auto-pilot.
As someone who has dealt with the "joys" of immigration, it's easy to sympathise with Yuri, but at the same time it's amazing how street-unwise this character can be and I found myself rather unaffected throughout. Someone complaining about "those damn immigrants", however, may take something away from this piece and feel-good types will be inspired to re-examine their perspectives, even for just a few minutes. It is unlikely, though, that Angry Young Man will cause said viewers to stop wishing their barrista at Costa would learn to speak goddamn English (perhaps a new line for Avenue Q playing up the road?).
Where: Trafalgar Studios 2
When: Closed
Cost: £15 Monday Eve., £18.50 all other performances
Concessions: N/A
------------------------
RZ Unofficial "Worth Paying": £10. Good but not great.
RZ Other Notes: Angry Young Man was originally going to be paired with another one-act from Woolf. but it was canceled due to massive cast illness - something not uncommon in the London theatre community this winter.
Ben Woolf's Angry Young Man is a slick, professional production about the British perception of Eastern European immigration. With four actors in identical suits splitting the roles, our hero (and I use the term loosely) Yuri comes to London to get a job as a surgeon, but through a set of unfortunate mishaps finds himself confronting skinheads, conspiracy theorists, and wishful leftists who claim to be sympathetically fighting for equality while really just as racist as those on the opposite side of parliament.
The play is distancing as Yuri is played by three actors, forcing the audience to engage the material intellectually rather than emotionally, though leaps in logic are required to navigate some large plot holes. The cast (all members of MahWaff Theatre Company) are solid, but the whole thing felt as thought it was running on auto-pilot.
As someone who has dealt with the "joys" of immigration, it's easy to sympathise with Yuri, but at the same time it's amazing how street-unwise this character can be and I found myself rather unaffected throughout. Someone complaining about "those damn immigrants", however, may take something away from this piece and feel-good types will be inspired to re-examine their perspectives, even for just a few minutes. It is unlikely, though, that Angry Young Man will cause said viewers to stop wishing their barrista at Costa would learn to speak goddamn English (perhaps a new line for Avenue Q playing up the road?).
Where: Trafalgar Studios 2
When: Closed
Cost: £15 Monday Eve., £18.50 all other performances
Concessions: N/A
------------------------
RZ Unofficial "Worth Paying": £10. Good but not great.
RZ Other Notes: Angry Young Man was originally going to be paired with another one-act from Woolf. but it was canceled due to massive cast illness - something not uncommon in the London theatre community this winter.
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