[savethekakapo]

Has anyone else seen it and did you like it?

[nlc]

Has anyone else seen it and did you like it?

I saw this last weekend and enjoyed it not having seen the film Lantana or heard much about the play before. The cast are all superb, particularly John Simm and Lucy Cohu and there are sections where the several characters speak at once or finish one another's lines but it was all seamless.

The second act was incredibly intense and my heart was racing when I left the theatre.

I thought the use of lighting and the stage was also really impressive for such a small space. It felt really intimate.

Unfortunately the performance was marred by a drunken couple in front of me, worthy of the badly behaved audiences thread and the man appeared totally confused when the characters change after the interval. Honestly if he'd paid attention it was obvious who they were but we all got to hear his partner explain what was going on and this happened throughout despite being told to shut up.

I got cheap tickets and was happy but I think some of the view might be restricted if you were very much at the side of the circle rather than the stalls.

[armadillo]

Even if you have seen Lantana, I don't think it would spoil it as the film only uses part of the play. I thought it was excellent - the overlapping dialogue sequence is very clevery done (and must be very tricky for the actors) and the different roles are very clearly distinguished. All the cast are very good indeed though Kerry Fox was the stand-out for me.

[Trev]

Saw it last night and was very impressed. As with Andrew Bovell's previous play 'When the rain stops falling' you need to engage brain to follow the story but structurally this is less complex and easier to navigate. Fans of Lantana will be confused by the first two scenes (I wondered whether a different play was the source material for that movie) but through storytelling in the first act and excellent acting in the second we are deep in Lantana-land. Lucy Cohu is amazing in two different parts and the key moment of revelation in the discussion between Leon and Knox is chilling to the bone (no spoilers here). All in all an excellent theatrical experience and highly reommended, even to thi=ose who have not seen the movie.

Although enjoying it, I did feel as if it were two plays bolted on to one another. The first half of the first half felt like a rather annoying Stoppard play and then within one line (as far as I was concerned) the play switched into life. I did wonder if the flatness of the delivery in the first act was simply actors having to pace themselves or a directorial thing? Either way I was beginning to think I don't like these people and I may not stay to see if they all die in the end, but very glad I did. Having said that, I enjoyed When The Rain Stops Falling much more, and Lantana very much more.

[popcultureboy]

I saw this on Monday night and I really enjoyed it. However, I am so glad I read some reviews of the 2000 Hampstead Theatre production before I went in. The opening scene is very clever, very well written and must be a nightmare for the actors, but it can be very alienating for an audience, I feel.

Performance wise, I thought John Simm was fine, though awfully quiet. Lucy Cohu was shaky in the first act (though her delivery of "and four, well it comes after three" made me laugh out loud), but in the second act I thought she was just glorious. Ian Hart's accent wandered all over the place and he seemed the least assured of the four. Kerry Fox absolutely steals the show, she's just incredible. Particularly her huge monologue at the end of the first act. It's worth seeing just for her. I wonder what the reviews will make of it.

[applesarenice]

I have to agree with the above poster who said that this is a play where you do have to concentrate and pay close attention, but for me it was totally worth it. The links between the two halves are there, and I suspect my knowledge of Lantana probably helped a little, but I did think it hung together well as a play.

The synced dialogue scene was awesome, my first time seeing something like that done on stage, and I was very impressed.

Lucy Cohu was the standout for me, totally heartbreaking in the second act.

I've written more on my blog here http://oughttobeclowns.blogspot.com/2009/0...in-tongues.html please do take a look! ;-)

[The Suburbanite]

Hmmm... wasn't planning to see it, mainly as I found Lantana tedious and bafflingly overpraised. But if it's actually not much like the film, maybe I'll give it a go.

[Bryan99]

hhmm - yeah - the synced dialogue was awesome but when it went into the second scene you were starting to think "oh no - is it all going to be like this?" not good

an uneven evening that might "even out" as time goes on - it remains, for me, a strange choice for reviving - even with such a top notch cast. when i say "top notch" i mean that Ms Fox was absolutely stunning and Mr Simm has moments of outstanding brilliance and moments of terrible banality. strange

worth it, at the least, to have some "proper" drama in the west end

[macca]

I saw this last night and was entranced by the whole experience. I was surprised by how often I laughed, sometimes too knowingly for my own good, and I didn't find it at all hard to follow.

All four performances were of a very high standard. This is the first time I've encountered Lucy Cohu and I was very impressed - especially in the second half. I've been a fan of Kerry Fox since seeing the film An Angel at My Table and she did not disappoint this evening, although at times I found her a little shouty. The men can be equally praised: no-one does scary like Ian Hart and I engaged most with John Simm when wearing the baseball cap.

A must see show and I'm already planning a second outing.