Loved this version of the Pirendello classic. Very original how the whole play is structured and a real breath of fresh air for the West End. Go see.

Agreed. I saw it at Chichester and thought it was excellent. I was particularly impressed by Ian McDiarmid as the Father. If you're not sure about whether to go or not - GO!

Although if you're going for Ian McDiarmid, wait until after the weekend and pray he gets better quickly.

I saw the play in Chichester and despite coming home in a lot of mental pain, I simply HAD to see it in London just to see how it translated. I'm... incredibly pleased at how it translated. For me, it worked a lot better on a second play-through, and is there ANYTHING as funny as

SPOILER-ME-DO!

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someone saying they must get ticket for the David Tennant Hamlet on the very same weekend that production sold out within a matter of hours? I think not.

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END SPOILER!

There was this rather nice article about it in the Independent the other day as well:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertai...ain-930522.html

I was particularly struck by the optimistic tone of this article, and it literally set me off into a giddy glee. The West End is GOOD for plays right now. :3

I too would recommend this production and version MOST highly. It's going to continue to grow as I'm sure it already has. The gut-wrenching confusion and pain of the second act is almost painful to watch and once first night nerves (I was there on press night) settle down in some quarters it's going to be awesome! Ian M is stunning - absolutely unbeatable. The end of Part One is terrific. There are few occasions (Albee's "The Goat" at the Almeida was another notable occasion) where you're literally sitting there with your mouth wide open - this is definitely one of them. The "liberties" that have been taken in Part Two are ingenious. The writer/director team should be SOOO proud and pleased with this - it's stunning, clever, entertaining and thought provoking (yes - your head really does hurt as you try to piece it all together). Go!

I saw it Wednesday 17th evening - first performance with Stephen Crane. My advice is to wait until Mr McDiarmid has returned, or until the understudy has at least learned his words.

Agreed. He certainly hadn't learned them the following night either. Poor thing - I feel rather sorry for him. Even when he could remember them he was struggling just to get through the piece. But the audience have paid full price...

The theatre spokesperson said they hoped Ian McDiarmid would return to performances Monday evening (tonight). Does anyone know if he did?

He did indeed return on Monday, looks like they've changed some of the blocking, but other than that it was still a great show

Could you please give us more of an idea of what's been changed? I've seen this production and am going again and was wondering what changes you meant more specifically.
Thanks alot!

What have they replaced 'The Music Man' sequence with? Les Mis is next door isn't it?!

Barricades, man. Barricades.

See, I was thinking they might just cut that entire sequence out. But they didn't. They did indeed update it to what is local to the Gielgud, and we're NOT talking 'Rain Man'.

Have to agree that this is totally worthwhile. I thought that the first scene with the family where they were simply trying to catch everyone up on their back story was a little long and repetitive, but the second scene (the original act 2) was superb, and nobody does intervals quite like Rupert Goold. Act 2 (the original act 3 plus a whole new epilogue) was even better and, for me, added much more meat to the philosophy than is in the original text. Funny, scary and distressing, it's not necessarily fun, but it is a great experience. Not quite as good as the magnificent Macbeth which took the same slot last year, but well worth a trip anyway.

Seeing it at Chichester was an incredible experience, and I cannot stop thinking about it. Ian M is an amazing actor, but then so are all the others in the cast. And it must have been one of the most technically brilliant productions I have ever seen. However, it is not an easy play to watch or even, at times, to understand, and I have come across some people who hated it.

Incidentally, I wonder why another great production that was on at Chichester this summer, Collaboration, is not going into the West End. The audience, mostly in tears at the end, cheered and gave it a well-deserved standing ovation.