I'm back! Things I've seen from August 2012

As the title suggests; I'm back! After a long time away I have decided to start posting again. Due to a large work load, my theatre-going was put on hold and so after august I didn't see a lot of things which meant that I stopped posting reviews. So, to make up for lost time, I though I would quickly compile a list of things I have seen from then till now...


The Last of the Haussmans (National Theatre) - Funny, moving and brilliantly acted with a script that lacked a touch of originality. Helen McCrory was on top form and gave the best performance I believe she has ever given. ****

Timon of Athens (National Theatre) - A Shakespeare I was completely unfamiliar with. Although Hytner's production was fairly safe, the relocating to modern day did help lift the play's themes of money and hypocrisy to the surface. Great central performances and set in the second half. ****

Richard III (Globe) - Mark Rylance gave a highly original and comedic take on one of Shakespeare's greatest villains. An assured production, which rarely disappointed. ****

Twelfth Night (Globe) - A comedic tour de force, this production was one of my highlights of last year's theatre offerings. Paul Chahidi gave the best performance of Maria I have ever seen, and Stephen Fry's Malvolio perfectly blended humour with tragedy. *****

The River (Royal Court) - Haunting, mesmerising, subtle, beautiful. The battle to get tickets was certainly worth it. *****

Julius Caesar (Donmar Warehouse) - In a year of great all-male Shakespearean productions, it was refreshing to see an all-female production of Shakespeare's bloodiest play. The concept wasn't the strongest and lost its way half way through. However, the set, lighting, sound and performances redeemed it and helped produce a production that will most definitely be remembered in year to come. ****

Written On Skin (Royal Opera House) - A stunning production directed by Katie Mitchell of a stunning score and libretto. An opera truly for now. A triumph in every sense. *****

The Physicists - Donmar Warehouse

When Josie Rourke announced her first season as Artistic Director of the Donmar, Freidrich Durrenmatt's absurdest play The Physicists caught my attention for a number of reasons. Both playwright and play I was unfamiliar with and the premise sounded intriguing - three physicists locked in a sanatorium with a political backdrop of the cold war and a murder. What more could you want from a play (especially when housed in a small theatre like the Donmar)?
The premise is simple enough to start. Without giving too much away, the play opens with a bang as we are greeted with the dead body of a nurse, dressed in all white to match the clinical feel of the set. From here we are introduced to many characters, both sane and insane.
My main problem with Rourke's production was not the play (albeit some lines felt out of place), nor was it any of the technicals, instead my main problem was with John Heffernan as Mobias. As what is arguably the main role I would have expected a more solid performance, one which did not feel strained and out of place like Heffernan's did. In one particular scene in the first act, Heffernan as Mobias goes insane and accordingly frantically falls about the set - his acting in this scene seemed highly forced and awkward, never did I believe that what I was seeing was anything more than just a piece of acting in a play. However, the other performances were truly great such as Sophie Thompson as the frightful Doctor and Justin Salinger as Newton.
The play takes many interesting twists and turns, thus keeping the audience engaged and there are also some very funny moments. The ending is a real visual treat and the play to me felt relevant in light of recent scientific advancement, although it did feel more like a piece of fun theatre than anything else which left me leaving slighly underwhelmed.
The Physicists definitely deservs three stars as it is a good piece of theatre which is well directed, visualised and performed (except Heffernan). Four stars feels like a slight push for something which may slip into the back of my mind soon, although I would reccomend it to those who enjoy a good, solid production.

Michael Grandage talk - National Theatre

Yesterday (13/04/12) I went to the Michael Grandage platform at the National Theatre in which he talked about his decade at the Donmar and the book of the same name which will soon come out.
The Michael Grandage talk was my first platform at the National which is surprising as most of the productions I see are there, but anyway it was a very insightful 45 minutes in which we were given a great insight into some of his productions and his overall experience in turning the Donmar into a powerhouse of theatre. Some of the highlights were as follow:

• Frost/Nixon was apparently a difficult experience due to there being a fare few egos involved.
• Jonathan Groff will be taking Eddie Redmayne's place in the LA production of RED - Alfred Molina will be returning.
• Grandage told us that he doesn't do read-throughs due to the actor's being at different places in terms of performance.
• He likes to use more abstract sets due to his upbringing in Cornwall as he continually saw figures against the landscape - he also wittingly added that some actors find this hard as they love props, continuing to tell us that Derek Jacobi loves a good prop.

I really wanted to ask if the reports of him directing Ben Whishaw and Judi Dench is a new John Logan play were true, but felt that it would put him on the spot. Nevertheless, the talk made for a great evening and I would heavily recommend the NT platforms.