Reader Reviews
Cloud Nine (Almeida Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Dreadful. The acting, script and direction were all dire - the only thing to be said for it was the set! What on earth were the Almeida doing putting this on in the first place? Staggeringly over acted to the point of becoming a macabre pantomime. Surely black actors deserve to be given better material, which does not patronise or pigeon hole them, than this. And one other thing what was it with the clunky accents? It was an African 'ello 'ello. The incredibly slow response to applaud at the close of the first act tonight was a clear sign of what the audience thought of it. - rds | 21 May 10 |
| I'd hate to have the job of deciding what plays to revive - particularly ones from the last 50 years. It seems to me very difficult to predict what will still work X years later. There have been many recent successful examples at this theatre - Big White Fog and Awake and Sing this year alone - but I'm afraid, like the recent Rhinocerous and Arsonists at the Royal Court, this hasn't really stood the test of time. It's a play of its time and seeing it today it comes over as clumsy and lacking in subtlety. Probably worth a visit though if you're interested in the recent history and development of theatre - in fact, it's worth a visit to see James Fleet as a litle girl! - Gareth James | 04 Dec 07 |
| Rather tellingly there is a photograph in the program which shows Caryl Churchill, Max Stafford Clarke and Anthony Sher cavorting around in the Tower Theatre, Canonbury, during rehersals for Cloud Nine in 1978. The way we did in the seventies - MAN! It's a pretentious piece, not without humour though, and some big laughs even, but rather confused and dare I say twisted in the way playwrights thought they should write back in the seventies. It ain't only the old colonials on stage who show their age. Nevertheless there are some good performances from the uniformal talented cast. Thea Sharrock directs with panache, but why did she bother in the first place when there are so many better plays to revive than this old turkey? Come on Almeida - you can do better than this! - rds | 15 Nov 07 |
