[applesarenice]

I couldn't see a thread for this anywhere, which I found a little surprising. Saw this last night, and was very impressed. Thought-provoking in its examination of the different ways grief and guilt affect people and quite bleak in its exposition of the vindictiveness of small-town mentalities, it looks superb with a great set, and an impressive number of villagers pitching in at key moments.

It almost started off badly with Michael Attenborough coming on first to explaind that Joseph Millson was suffering from a bad cough/cold but that he was soldiering on bravely regardless, which we were all very grateful for, and I have to say I don't think I would have noticed he was ill, he covered it very well. Laura Donnelly was also superb, I wish I'd seen her Juliet at the Open Air Theatre last year now. It was also the night with the Q&A session at the end which is always good fun, but I did not have the balls to ask a question this time!

[AnnieInTheStalls]

I saw this a week or so ago, and didn't post because I couldn't think of anything to say about it. The staging was very cleverly done, and questions of guilt and hypocrisy were interestingly explored. But it was one of those "frankly, who cares" sort of things for me.

The people I went with thought it was better than I did, indeed much better than the previous "When the Rain Stops Falling", which I'd adored, and they'd thought was a by-the-numbers student play.

Annie

[Carlos]

I was very surprised myself that there was no thread on this play. I liked it immensely. Thought the acting and the staging were excellent. I was fascinated by Thomas' journey, the gradual process through which the station master, an almost mechanical soul, verging on psychopathy, regains his humanity through guilt. Laura Donnely, as Anna, the girl who triggers the process, displays an incredible mix of strength and fragility that gives her character a special human dimension. The production seems to have pleased most reviewers. I wish I could have been at the Q&A. I probably wouldn't have had the courage to ask any questions either, but would love to hear what the others had to say...

I couldn't see a thread for this anywhere, which I found a little surprising. Saw this last night, and was very impressed. Thought-provoking in its examination of the different ways grief and guilt affect people and quite bleak in its exposition of the vindictiveness of small-town mentalities, it looks superb with a great set, and an impressive number of villagers pitching in at key moments.

It almost started off badly with Michael Attenborough coming on first to explaind that Joseph Millson was suffering from a bad cough/cold but that he was soldiering on bravely regardless, which we were all very grateful for, and I have to say I don't think I would have noticed he was ill, he covered it very well. Laura Donnelly was also superb, I wish I'd seen her Juliet at the Open Air Theatre last year now. It was also the night with the Q&A session at the end which is always good fun, but I did not have the balls to ask a question this time!

[Lynette]

Seeing this tomorrow, will post asap

[Trev]

I was very surprised myself that there was no thread on this play. I liked it immensely. Thought the acting and the staging were excellent. I was fascinated by Thomas' journey, the gradual process through which the station master, an almost mechanical soul, verging on psychopathy, regains his humanity through guilt. Laura Donnely, as Anna, the girl who triggers the process, displays an incredible mix of strength and fragility that gives her character a special human dimension. The production seems to have pleased most reviewers. I wish I could have been at the Q&A. I probably wouldn't have had the courage to ask any questions either, but would love to hear what the others had to say...

I was at a performance with a chat from the director and Christopher Hampton and was surprised that no-one mentioned J.B. Priestley as I was reminded of much of his work by this play. I did enjoy the performance but I am afraid I have my usual beef about accents (how can family members in a close knit community have such varying accents?) MacDonald did mention that they were keen to avoid setting it in a recognisable location and that the casting was done with this in mind but I do find it jarring and another hurdle to jump before suspending my disbelief.

[Lynette]

Yes, Trev, the accents were irritating - the girl was Irish for goodness sake! I thought actors did accents at college.

However, that apart, a very interesting play: I loved the first half, the idea of the guy getting away with it as it were but then I thought we entered B movie territory. But I can see why they chose to do it - it does raise qs about responsibility and morality and it does give us one of the best evocations of small town mentality and prejudice in the 30s.

The production was excellent - real classy Almeida style: the set was remarkable - they did away with the stage and had a moving platform. When you think what they did and how clever it was, without being in any way pretentious and then you remember [ or I do anyway] those silly blocks at the Courtyard for The Drunks..well, it just makes me mad. Mind you, for once I was glad not to be in the front row and suffer the smoke which evoked the passing trains.

Spotted Clare Higgins in the cafe beforehand and Claire Bloom!

[Alexandra]

"the girl was Irish for goodness sake! I thought actors did accents at college."

Not Irish? Outrageous. And what accent would you have had them do - German? Hungarian? Can we not get over the idea that people have to speak with the same accent, especially where they are not speaking the character's language? I know what you're going to say, that you want consistent accents even when they're actually German; but if you just relax about it, Trev, you'll find you don't, or you barely, notice. I honestly don't.

[Trev]

"the girl was Irish for goodness sake! I thought actors did accents at college."

Not Irish? Outrageous. And what accent would you have had them do - German? Hungarian? Can we not get over the idea that people have to speak with the same accent, especially where they are not speaking the character's language? I know what you're going to say, that you want consistent accents even when they're actually German; but if you just relax about it, Trev, you'll find you don't, or you barely, notice. I honestly don't.

Decades of relaxing hasn't made this problem go away.

When I attend a performance I want to be transported - anywhere I don't care, but preferably to the realms envisaged by the playwright or director. It is difficult when in this instance I wish to be observing a small town in Germany but I cannot fully engage, because I am wondering why the daughter (who it is implied) has lived in the same town as her parents all her life has an accent from hundreds of miles away from those of her parents? We have had this thread before and no amount of coaxing is going to help with what I consider a "problem". Before anybody asks - I can't ever remember having a problem with colour blind casting - just accents!

[AnnieInTheStalls]

I'm a bit with Trev and Lynette on the accents. I did notice, and it becomes rather distracting. I think the Irish girl's boyfriend was Welsh. They wouldn't have allowed it in Geilgud's day! I assume it's because they don't want to force everyone to RP and thus be accused of anti-regional bias. Perhaps they should all talk like Herr Flick.

[applesarenice]

Someone asked the question about accents at the Q&A, and the response was more or less along the lines of what AnnieInTheStalls said, they felt that by all going to RP, they were creating an issue about class which they wanted to avoid. Personally, I have to say it didn't bother me as it made the play more universal, so whilst it was ostensibly set in 30s Germany, the issues it raised and the behaviour we saw could have happened anywhere and anytime.

I'd hoped to see what the West End Whingers made of it, what with pints being downed on stage and live tuba playing!!