38 replies to this topic

[Randy Nundlall]

I am a regular theatre-goer. On average I see two productions a week. Last Thursday, I saw a fantastic production, "Action", at the Michael Frayn studio of the Hampstead theatre. It included two commedies, "A Plan of Action" by Philip Ayckbourn and "Melody" by Deirdre Kinahan. Clara Armand's direction provided an extremely moving and wonderfully orchestrated take on the maze of relationships that shaped the lives of six characters. The performance flowed at breakneck momentum. It was hysterically funny and heart-warming to watch how teenagers Tabitha (Natalie Jacobs) and Liam (Daniel Tayler-Smith) disguised themselves as a French Cabaret singer and an Italian toyboy in order to make their parents (Victor Perez) and (Esther Ajumobi) put love before the cynicisms of daily blinkerdness and how receptionist Kathleen (Fionnuala Lynch) and computer engineer Mr Kane (Victor Perez) fell in love while sharing a sandwich.
Oh guys! The experience of watching "Action" was unique! It's light and funny, yet insightful and moving...

Randy Nundlall

[Roneyh]

'Action' is a must see theatre production. Clara Armand's direction blends realism with captivating choreography. The production grabs you in the first few seconds and keeps you involved throughout. It's very dynamic and moving. Love and jealousy are at the root of this double bill and will keep you guessing as to who will find true love. The first play, 'A Plan of Action' by Philip Ayckbourn, takes us into the world of urban family life: a mother and father as a couple want to be together, but their children have other plans. Victor Perez as the father and Natalie Jacobs as Tabitha, the daughter of the woman he loves, give outstanding performances. In the second play, 'Melody' by Deirdre Kinahan, Fionnuala Lynch gives a memorable performance of a secretary who finds unexpected happiness with a likeminded fan of classical music. 'Melody' delves into the real world of human relationships and shows that people often overlook what's right beside them.


Roney Henderson

[daveevans]

I don't know how much you watch theatre, Willbill, but I totally disagree with you. I found 'Action' a truly unforgettable production, combining the astonishing skills of the actors with a captivating visual spectacle. The production was very well directed and acted. I truly rate it among the best ten productions I have watched in the past two years. The production was highly professional. I particularly liked how comedy was alternated by dramatic moments. The auditorium was packed, but you could hear a pin drop in the dramatic moments and there were gusts of laughter in the comedic scenes. This production was eventful, moving and entertaining.
I wish you good luck for future castings Bill if any, but don't despair if you are not to busy. This would give you time to read a couple of books.

[Job]

I love these schill threads (my new favourite word after reading an online newspaper article about it earlier today). It's like the politicians - they just don't get it, do they? Loads of fun for the rest of us though.  

Job

[meerkat]

I love these schill threads (my new favourite word after reading an online newspaper article about it earlier today). It's like the politicians - they just don't get it, do they? Loads of fun for the rest of us though.

Job

I agree-Do they think we are complete idiots? Randy registers and posts about Action and signs his name bottom left ( which very few posters ever do)- then surprise surprise the next member to register Roney also posts about Action and signs his name bottom left. What are the chances that consecutive members will post about the same topic in the same way--- squillions to one.
The trouble is it does make you not trust their review so it backfires.
It then muddies the waters for genuine reviews cos you have to prefix it -" I am not related to the cast, crew etc or an investor" and it gets tiresome.


What really makes me annoyed though is 525 people have read his 2 phoney reviews when 35 have looked at mine about Blink- and I honestly would like some more details.

[Matthew Winn]

I agree-Do they think we are complete idiots?

It reminds me of the early days of the Web, when there would be loads of people popping up saying "I've just found this fantastic website www.whatever.com and I had to share it with you", only they'd be posting from an email address with the same domain as the website and honestly seemed to think that nobody would notice. I find it wonderfully counterproductive, because the message it sends is "What I'm pushing is so abysmally bad there's not a single person who genuinely liked it, so I have to make one up".

But at the same time it's also a little sad, because we don't mind people posting a single "I'm involved in this show, why don't you come and see it" article, and if they do it means that audience members who have seen the show have an inside contact they can discuss things with.

It then muddies the waters for genuine reviews cos you have to prefix it -" I am not related to the cast, crew etc or an investor" and it gets tiresome.

It's usually fairly clear which ones are genuine, even when the poster is actually connected with the show. In particular, registered posters who have been around for a while are trustworthy because most shills lack the smarts to plan ahead. They also lack the smarts to realise that in the real world, when you discover something you like and want to share it then you share it with people you know. You don't track down hundreds of complete strangers you've never spoken to before and pass the message on to them.

[Job]

But at the same time it's also a little sad, because we don't mind people posting a single "I'm involved in this show, why don't you come and see it" article, and if they do it means that audience members who have seen the show have an inside contact they can discuss things with.

How true. I've always been happy to read an honest plug on this board. Why not, after all? It's hard enough to get audiences to sample new work as it is.

It's the idiots who think we're idiots who damage their own case and deserve ridicule and empty houses. There've been a few of those here recently.

Job

[daveevans]

How true. I've always been happy to read an honest plug on this board. Why not, after all? It's hard enough to get audiences to sample new work as it is.

It's the idiots who think we're idiots who damage their own case and deserve ridicule and empty houses. There've been a few of those here recently.

Job

Calm down and chill out, Job! You obviously have so much hollow time, that you can post your messages at 8am on a Saturday... Chill out! There'll always be the successful ones, and the ones like yourself. Wouldn't it be better for you if you sat on your three letters and began creating your own stuff, rather than getting green with jealousy for others' success?! Your case is really sad. If you cannot put up with other people's success, you might end up flipping.
Dave Evans, writer