35 replies to this topic

[young offender]

Still no news on casting for Josie Rourke’s next show at the Donmar? It’s only two months from opening. She assembled a strong team for The Recruiting Officer, so perhaps she’s keeping some spectacular signings under her hat.

I’m thinking Clive Owen, Ewan McGregor and David Tennant as the three deluded patients, and Judi Dench as Fraulein Doktor von Zahnd.

[Lynette]

Ha ha but why not?

[Marius Pontmercy]

According to Baz in the Daily Mail rehearsals start the week after next, and the cast is (or should that be includes? don't know the play) Miranda Raison, Sophie Thompson, John Heffernan, Paul Bhattacharjee and Justin Salinger.

[Latecomer]

Oeer...what fun! I think I am in love with John Heffernan so that should do fine!

[Polly1]

If anyone's interested, there are good stalls seats available for 27th June and circle for lots of other dates. Really looking forward to this (strange, I know...)

[Lady Nijo]

REALLY want to see this! Haven't been to the Donmar in ages. *shame*

[foxa]

Saw a preview tonight - really disappointing.  Bad enough that the person I brought said it had 'put him off theatre' for a while.   Miranda Raison is always watchable and Joanna Brookes, who I've not seen before, seemed to be onto something.  For the first three minutes I thought - ah, theatre of the absurd, bit ominous, this could be interesting and then....it just wasn't.  It was slow, a bit under-cast, overly worthy.  It would momentarily splutter into life and then fizzle out again.  Added to this four people in the row in front of us got sprayed with orange juice (inadvertently) and the front of house response at the interval was pretty off-hand ('It will wash out.')  On the way out, the mood was subdued with some dissatisfied mutterings. Even when the plays are dodgy at the Donmar, the acting is usually first-rate, but that wasn't the case in this instance (again, with all the usual, it was a preview caveats.)  I'm not really sure why the play was put on.

This is the first show I've seen under the new directorship, so I'm hoping this was just  a bad night and not a sign of things to come.

[Weez]

How funny! I was there tonight, and the first thing I did upon getting home was immediately book to see it again. It's a weird one, and I did notice empty seats at the interval, but I loved it. How on earth does John Heffernan keep getting better and better when he was already so good to begin with?

[foxa]

That is funny, Weez.  Absolutely opposite reaction here, but I can see from a previous poster that Heffernan has his fans.

[Honoured Guest]

Has Jack Thorne written a Skins / Shameless version, or is it a more standard translation? When I heard this announced, I was intrigued because I expected a vivid contemporary spin on the original play, which I would be strongly attracted to, but I admit I haven't booked because I have an aversion to this sort of European play of this period - I'm put off by what Foxa describes favourably as "theatre of the absurd, bit ominous".