helene...helene...helene...!

DETROIT AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE

ONE OF THE STRANGEST PLAYS I HAVE EVER SEEN, SHARED MANY A SHOCKED FACES WITH THE WOMAN ON MY LEFT BUT STRANGE IS BY NO MEANS A BAD THING! IN FACT IN THIS CASE ITS DAMN FINE THING.

I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU SEE THIS PLAY IF YOU REVEL IN AWKWARDNESS AS I DO. IT HAS A BIT OF A MARMITE VIBE, SOME PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE LOOKED UNAMUSED AND BORING WHEREAS OTHER, BETTER PEOPLE RELISHED IN WILD LAUGHTER. (THE MAN IN THE FRONT ROW, LEFT OF THE STAGE WINNING GOLD!)  

THE STORY FOCUSES ON NEIGHBOURS, TWO COUPLES ONE OF WHICH HAS JUST MOVED IN. THE COUPLES ARE AT EITHER END OF THE SPECTRUM, ONE IS A MARRIED, MIDDLE CLASS, CONSERVATIVE COUPLE AND THE OTHER IS A JUST MOVED IN, USED TO SHOT HEROINE KIND OF COUPLE. DESPITE THEIR DIFFERENCES THEY HAVE A SORT OF INFINITE BOND THAT IS REALLY SWEET TO WITNESS AT TIMES, A BIT LIKE SIBLINGS THAT DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON WITH ONE ANOTHER. 

DETROIT IS A PLAY THAT MAKES YOU LEAVE WITH A FISH SLAPPED FACE, DOUBTING WHETHER THAT REALLY DID JUST HAPPENED. SOME POINTS IN THE PLAY REMINDED ME OF KNOCKED UP OR SUPERBAD AND THESE MOMENTS WERE BRILLIANT, THEY WOULD HAVE PROBABLY WORKED BETTER IN THE FILM BUT THE FACT I WAS WITNESSING THEM WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE NATIONAL THEATRE JUST MADE ME LOVE IT EVEN MORE! 

I WOULD REALLY RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO SEE SOME GOOD CONTEMPORARY WRITING AND THEATRE.

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MISTERMAN AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE

TO BEGIN WITH I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO MISS THIS PLAY. FOR SOME REASON I WAS RUNNING RIDICULOUSLY LATE, SO MUCH SO THAT ON THE TUBE JOURNEY THERE I DECIDED IT WOULD BE BEST TO PREPARE FOR THE DISAPPOINT BY VISUALISING BEING DENIED ENTRY TO THE PLAY I ENVISIONED TO BE ONE OF THOSE 'ONCE IN A LIFETIME' THINGS. SURPRISINGLY THIS DID NOT HELP ME BUT RUNNING DID.


LIKE MOST PEOPLE APPROACHING MISTERMAN I WASN'T TOTALLY SURE WHAT TO EXPECT. I KNEW IT WAS A ONE MAN SHOW STARRING CILLIAN MURPHY AND I HAD HEARD THERE WOULD BE IMPRESSIONS AND HAD BEEN TOLD NOT TO GET A FRONT ROW SEET IF YOU VALUED YOUR CLOTHES AND YOUR FACE, SO I SETTLED FOR SECOND ROW.


IN THE COMMENCING SCENE OF THE PLAY I CAME TO UNDERSTAND THE WARNINGS PASSED ONTO ME AS A PIECE OF BROKEN CASSETTE PLAYER FLEW INTO THE FACE OF THE MAN IN FRONT, NOW I WAS THANKFUL THAT UNLIKE THE MAN I HAD FRIENDS THAT LIKED ME ENOUGH TO WARN ME. THE OPENING SCENE WASN'T QUITE WHAT I HAD EXPECTED, CILLIAN MURPHY HAMMERING A CASSETTE PLAYER TO DEATH AND TAPING STUFFED BEARS OVER HIS EARS. YES, THIS PLAY IS FUNNY! IN FACT ITS FILLED WITH SOME EXCELLENT BLACK HUMOUR, ITS ONLY IN BETWEEN THE GAGS THAT YOU GLIMPSE THE THREAT OF TRAGEDY.


CILLIAN MURPHY'S PERFORMANCE IN MISTERMAN IS STAGGERING. HE RUNS AROUNG THE ENOROMOUS STAGE WITH THE ENERGY OF A SMALL BOY. HE TOTALLY ENGROSSES THE AUDIENCE INTO HIS STRANGE UNSETTLING WORLD. AFTER WATCHING THIS MAN FOR ONE AND HALF HOURS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO EMPATHISE WITH HIM, HE COULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING AND I WOULD HAVE FOUND OF WAY OF SYMPATHISING. IT WAS SCAREY HOW MUCH I ENDED UP CARING FOR THE CHARACTER AND I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE, EVEN THE TOUGH MAN IN FRONT OF ME THAT HAD BEEN BOMBARDED BY SHRAPNEL WAS CRYING. THE WHOLE AUDIENCE WAS TENSE AND SILENT.


THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PERFORMANCES I HAVE EVER SEEN AND IF YOU PASSED UP THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THIS PLAY THEN YOU SHOULD KICK YOURSELF IN THE FACE BECAUSE THIS IS IN ALL HONESTY IS A MUST SEE!


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ANTIGONE

HAVING JUST RETURNED FROM MY THEATRE WATCH FOR THE NIGHT I THOUGHT I'D DO A QUICK REVIEW. 

ANTIGONE BEGINS WITH A GREAT OPENING SCENE THAT REALY THROWS YOU IN WITHOUT ANY WARNING. UNFORTUNATELY THIS SCENE IS FOLLOWED BY TWO VERY DULL ONES THAT DON'T QUITE WORK AS THEIR PURPOSE SERVES TO KEEP YOU UP TO DATE WITH THE PLOT AND NOTHING ELSE. THE SECOND OF THESE SCENES PRESENTS THE INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON AS CREON. I BELIEVE ECCLESTON IS AN EXCELLANT ACTOR BUT HAVING NEVER SEEN HIM ON STAGE I WAS TOTALLY UNAWARE THAT HE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO STAGE PRESENCE. HE DELIVERS HIS LINES PLAINLY AND IS COMPLETELY OVERSHADOWED BY ALL THE OTHER ACTORS, EVEN THE ONES WITH MINOR ROLES. THE BIGGEST SHADOW HOWEVER BELONGS TO JODIE WHITTAKER WHO PLAYS THE PART OF ANITGONE BRILLIANTLY AND I MIGHT EVEN GO SO FAR AS SAYING SHE SAVES THE PLAY. UNLUCKILY FOR ECCLESTON WHITTAKER DOES EVERYTHING THAT HE DOESN'T, HER VOICE QUIVERS WITH REAL EMOTION, SHE FORCES YOU TO HEAR HER AND EMPATHISE WITH HER, SHE IS IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE. ANOTHER FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE IS GIVEN BY JAMIE BALLARD IN THE ROLE OF THE BLIND PROPHET TEIRESIAS. BALLARD PLAYS UP TO THE CLICHE OF THE DISFIGURED PROPHET, TWITCHING, HUNCHED AND VULNERABLE ONLY TO SHATTER THIS IN AN OUTBURST OF ANGER. THIS CHANGE IN CHARACTER SHOOK ME TO MY CORE, THE HAIRS MY NECK STOOD ON END, TEIRESIAS WAS A BAD ASS AND KING CREON WAS GETTING SERVED!  

THIS PLAY IS VERY ENTERTAINING AND THE SET IS AWESOME, REMINISCENT OF THE GOOD SEASONS OF LOST OR A NOT SO PERFECT MAD MEN OFFICE. MOST OF THE ACTING IS FANTASTIC AND THE ADAPTATION OF ANTIGONE ONTO STAGE IS VERY WELL DONE. IT PAINS ME TO SAY THAT THE ONLY THING THAT LETS IT DOWN IS CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON, BUT EVEN SO I WOULD WATCH IT AGAIN AND I KNOW I WOULD STILL ENJOY IT. 

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