[TheatreMadGoer]

Just got back from having seen first preview of this.

Bare stage with animations/projections, nearly no props bar a couple of chairs and a table, and the stage stripped so the back scenic door and sides are visible.

I would not say that this is Hare at his best, there are at times too much waffle and not much substance, and the fish dinner scene at the end could have been cut down to a couple of lines.

Not sure if I liked the idea of Anthony Calf as Hare himself, little too conceited, as is more a story of his so called research, rather than a play.

It is set up much as The Permanent Way was with verbatim drama.

Though losing my wallet 5 minutes before it started did make for an interesting panic (I did get it back), I would recommend this one.

Also interested to see what anyone else made of it? And if they kept the scripts from off sale till after the show like they did tonight, at the "author's request"

[Lynette]

Well tried TMG but unconvincing as a recommendation. It sounds dire. But let's hear from others.

[TheatreMadGoer]

Agreed Lynette, was written early this morning, which didn't help matters.

Would still say is worth seeing.

Oh well back to sunny Oxford and lectures.

[paultheatre]

Not sure if I liked the idea of Anthony Calf as Hare himself, little too conceited, as is more a story of his so called research, rather than a play.

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! What a surprise! Well, if he can't be in front of a lecturn spouting it out, why not put yourself IN the play as a character. Hilarious. Should have guessed this was coming as the sub heading to the play also tries to remind of his great Hare-yness! Being the writer is never enough... Dear me...

[Nicola]

Only second preview tonight, I think, so some raggedness - especially towards the end when lines got a bit shaky and it tailed off leaving the audience feeling "Oh! Has it finished?" at the very end.

But overall I thought it was thought-provoking and cleverly done. I thought I was a clever-clogs and knew all about the whole thing and I definitely learnt something and the cab ride back with the family was hot with debate!

[nlc]

I wouldn't recommend this at all. If you want to understand what happened and learn the view points of the major players involved watch the BBC "The love of money" series which explains EVERYTHING.

If you want to watch panto with "What's an economic slump?" audience "It's behind you!!" (yes this pretty much did happen) then go and see this. It features annoymous treasury officials, unamed industrialists giving their point of view and some of the technical side didn't make sense.

At the risk of being accused of being boring, they harp on about Black-Scholes and Monte Carlo valuations screaming - "why didn't they look at their balance sheets" Those models and the outcome they generate have got NOTHING to do with the credit crunch. I felt I was sitting in a terrible lecture where Hare was trying to blind you with science but really there's no science to it.

All you need to know is people borrowed money, bankers made money selling this debt, when it came time to collect the debt noone knew who it belonged to or where to get it from and the borrowers couldn't pay it back anyway. That's what it's all about!

There is a lot of moralising to do with few people still earning the highest salaries and controlling the wealth of the country. I don't agree with that but it's hardly a new and controversial statement is it?? A few people have controlled the wealth of the country since time began!

I think it tries to make the message that everyone thought greed was good, now we all think greed is bad and greedy bankers are the reason we're all in the mess we are. That really is too simple a view though.

I would stay at home and watch the documentary for free.