- I think this is the best placed face I can find to say how appalingly self obsessed and vulgar this piece of theatre was, all i can say is thank God for Teachers Preview Club and their prices as i would have been absolutly furious paying full price.

I got bored after 15 mins of seeing Binoche and Khan rubbing themselves up against a movable wall let alone 75mins of it - there was nothing new or original about this piece and I am fast loosing my Patience with a National Theatre pumping money into works devised and performed by Non nationals when we have many people whos talents get so overlooked who are homegrown!

I fast think its time for a readical overhaul of management is needed at the National if it is to survive and become a truely National Theatre (sorry for my rant)

I disagree - there were some sections of this show that I found moving and breathtaking. There were a few sequences which were indulgent or uninteresting but such flaws are almost unavoidable when you're creating such a risky piece I guess. I didn't love it but it was definitely worth seeing, I felt the whole thing was fired with the passion of its two performers for what they were creating, and Binoche's dancing was very impressive indeed.

I find your "Non nationals" thing a bit creepy. This show is co-produced by many different theatres so the money put into it by the National will only be a part of the total - hardly "pumping money" into the piece. And can you give other examples of the National "pumping money into works devised by Non nationals"?

I have to disagree too, I saw the "play" during the early previews and even if it had flaws, I thought it was a fascinating work mixing all kind of expressions, through dance, acting, talking, lights,, gorgeous music, etc...

Some moments were very intense, some very funny, some less interesting, but overall it's something I won't regret seeing, might even go see it again at the end of the run

And I think you're being pretty harsh with the NT thing, this show has been internationally sponsored and is the result of a big creative team from a lot of different places. I think it's fair to say it's great to see such a experimental work being brought to the audience in the best way possible.

Then again, I think not everyone will like it and it's fine, you can't always like everything, especially when dance is involved (see Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray, - which I personally loved - it was totally destroyed by the critics...).

It wasn't bad... in fact some parts (mainly the solo male dancing) were great... but on the whole it was a longish hour. I observed a few walkouts which I thought was an over dramatic response but then again I didn't pay for the ticket. If I'd coughed up £40 I might have been bit pooped.

Btw it isn't an NT production.

Non nationals? Can you explain

Khan is a UK citizen
Binoche is French and so both are part of the EU!
The NT season was sponsored and the budget is shared by 4 or 5 different producing theatres

I watched it on Friday the day after the rather informative BBC documentary
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00f246t

I found the piece incredibly moving and gripping, the mime sequences very moving and funny. The first 15 minutes appeared the strongest and then after that my mind did wander a little. The whole experience felt very personal and gripping. As a ‘proud spinster’ it made me even more so. My friend and I came out and talked about it for a good hour after – how often can you say that?

I found the set incredible and when Binoche delivered her monolgogue gripped to wall, feet dangling over the orchestra pit was a brilliant coup. I guess the image will stay for a long while. I was also very impressed with Khan’s monologue about him and the Mullah.

Khan did say in the documentary that it’s not quite there / something missing. I do agree with him and I feel it does need further work but it’s still a very good piece of theatre.

I know by writing non nations is appears that I am being racist/ or appear being a member of an outdated political party, what i meant was and perhaps it didn't come across the way i wanted it to - is that at the moment the 'bought in' shows at the national seem to miss the abundance of amazing theatre that is home grown with homegrown actors etc - it would be great to see companies like northern broadsides do a season at the national not american companies like steppenwolf.

For the national theatre to be a truly national theatre they need to encourage homegrown talent not ignore it, then they need to get the shows touring more and presented in areas that you cannot easily attend because you don't live within an hour of the NT.

At the moment I personally find the NT's programming a tad elitist and for the middle classes, and misses totally the point of being a National Theatre.

I urge you to watch (or at least skim through) the Imagine special about in-i with Akram Khan and Juliette Binoche.

SO MANY HIGHLIGHTS.

The writhing. The sweating. The grunting. The improv led by a black grandma in a wig who is clearly certifiable. The enacting of the comforting of a scared child who's praying for help. The weeping at childhood memories. The bust-up. The awkwardness of Nick Hytner when he goes to see an early rehearsal and realises what he's committed to be programmed in his theatre. The shameful gushing by Kylie Minogue. ALL OF IT.