[cha003]

Has anyone seen this yet? A small group of us went last night, one of whom had seen Punchdrunk's Faust, and I'd love to hear other people's thoughts...

[Job]

Has anyone seen this yet? A small group of us went last night, one of whom had seen Punchdrunk's Faust, and I'd love to hear other people's thoughts...

Why not start by telling us yours?

Job

[josh]

I've seen it - it's great, isn't it? Not quite the perfection of Faust, but that would be impossible!

[cha003]

I guess I've been playing poker too long and was waiting to see what the other person did first ...

I thought the setting was wonderful, incredibly evocative and very spooky at times. I split up from my friends quite early on as I'd been told you have a more interesting experience that way, and I did indeed see some things that they didn't. I got danced with and told a story at the same time, with only one or two other people in the room, and got given a cloak for free, along with a kiss from a rather cute young man. The entertainment in the bar area was great fun, too.

But I was left strangely unmoved by the experience. Someone on a theatre blog site described it as wandering around at a wedding of someone you don't know very well which really summed it up for me. I adored the detail, and thought the performers were uniformly watchable, but because there wasn't any kind of storyline at all (and I'm not usually someone who needs everything spelt out), I felt oddly unengaged.

Having said that, I did enjoy the novelty of the experience and it was definitely an eye opener to be masked and feeling able to go up to anyone or poke around any of the rooms. And the music at the party afterwards made even my usually not to be dragged to the dancefloor partner dance!

Recommended as a visual spectacle and a very interesting psychological exercise, I would say. Then again, that could be me not giving in, or not immersing myself properly, I don't know. Or just bad luck at always seeming to arrive at rooms just as they emptied, not sure.

That's really why I'd like to hear other people's thoughts. I heard such rave reports of Faust that I couldn't miss this one when it came up, but although I had a good time and was quite "buzzy" at the end of the evening, I wouldn't rave about it.

[josh]

I guess I've been playing poker too long and was waiting to see what the other person did first ...

I thought the setting was wonderful, incredibly evocative and very spooky at times. I split up from my friends quite early on as I'd been told you have a more interesting experience that way, and I did indeed see some things that they didn't. I got danced with and told a story at the same time, with only one or two other people in the room, and got given a cloak for free, along with a kiss from a rather cute young man. The entertainment in the bar area was great fun, too.

But I was left strangely unmoved by the experience. Someone on a theatre blog site described it as wandering around at a wedding of someone you don't know very well which really summed it up for me. I adored the detail, and thought the performers were uniformly watchable, but because there wasn't any kind of storyline at all (and I'm not usually someone who needs everything spelt out), I felt oddly unengaged.

Having said that, I did enjoy the novelty of the experience and it was definitely an eye opener to be masked and feeling able to go up to anyone or poke around any of the rooms. And the music at the party afterwards made even my usually not to be dragged to the dancefloor partner dance!

Recommended as a visual spectacle and a very interesting psychological exercise, I would say. Then again, that could be me not giving in, or not immersing myself properly, I don't know. Or just bad luck at always seeming to arrive at rooms just as they emptied, not sure.

That's really why I'd like to hear other people's thoughts. I heard such rave reports of Faust that I couldn't miss this one when it came up, but although I had a good time and was quite "buzzy" at the end of the evening, I wouldn't rave about it.

I agree with most of what you say. The storyline is deliberately much more disjoined than Faust's, where it was still confusing but it was possible to catch the overall narrative. That is just impossible with this show, and I can how that frustrates some people.


The thing is Faust was literally the most wonderful thing ever...the combination of the performers, the story, the electric atmosphere created in that amazing amazing building...this show could never be as good. I understand how you would come out of this show not feeling the need to rave, but no one came out of Faust feeling like that.


I am looking forward to revisiting this show a few times to dig deeper into both the narrative(s) and the building itself, which I found near-impossible to navigate the first time around.

[Alexandra]

"I understand how you would come out of this show not feeling the need to rave, but no one came out of Faust feeling like that. "

I did, Josh. I know you thought it was the most wonderful thing ever staged in the history of theatre because you've said so several times! and I'm very pleased you had such a good time. I found it original and interesting and well worth seeing for that (and for the impressive acrobatics at the end), but ultimately more about style than substance and not entirely satisfying - in fact, more or less what cha says about this one.

[Cardinal Pirelli]

Well I saw Faust six times and, after one viewing, I preferred MOTRD and that was always going to be difficult.

Why? I didn't feel as though I had to try and follow one story and, because the others didn't it wasn't a case of overcrowded scenes. The design was simply astonishing, more detailed than Faust to a very large degree. The atmosphere it created, together with the greater use of dialogue and the extremes of emotion on display was oppressive and gripping I felt. The music and effects were more integrated (I noted bits of Satie and Vaughan Williams among others) and also of a piece.

Some may find a lack of one story line confusing, I found it to be the biggest improvement on Faust.

SPOILER SPOILER-
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The resting place of the Music Hall was much more effective and central than the Faust bar, the sense that there was warmth and safety and outside lay danger and death. Two scenes particularly gave me the chills, one where I was at the top of the marble staircase watching the cast process up as if raised from the dead and in one of the vaults where a woman (I don't know how) managed to cram herself into a metal box (as a lifeless body) only to re-emerge as the living dead. I knew the House of Usher story and that helped to anchor me, as did a vague knowledge of gothic literature and abnormal psychological states.

Phew. I'm seeing it again next week (with a group this time) and am taking a few more groups later than that. If you get a sense of Poe before going (especially 'House of Usher' and 'MOTRD' itself) and (as I say) gothic literature that would be useful but the main thing you need to know before going in is that you don't have to decode a story. If you try to then you will be frustrated and disengaged.

The one thing that needs to be redone - the ending dance was too long and the final 'act' too far away from some of the audience, I suppose you also need to know what that last section represents to round off the evening as well.

[josh]

Loved this last Saturday. But of course when I met up with my partner we'd both seen different scenes. Any tips on the best place to start? Or the best character to follow?
(BIT OF A SPOILER...)
What happens to Roderick Usher ("Mr Smith") after he's dragged out of the theatre when the mindreading goes wrong? The bowler hatted ones stop you following them backstage.
And I wanted to catch the girl who climbs out of the crypt. How early does that happen? And did anyone find the secret bar? Am going again in December and thought it would be fun to hit the stuff I missed.

Where is the mindreading? Is it in the bar thing? The Palais Royal?

Yes, I also want to find the secret bar. Argh!