Reader Reviews
On the Third Day - The Play's the Thing (The Ambassadors Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Based on the TV series and the press reviews, I really wasn't looking forward to this - even at just a fiver for a ticket. Admittedly some of the dialogue needs more work but the story is genuinely involving, even if the concept of Mike actually being Jesus (?) is barking mad. There were times when I wondered if Kate Betts relly knew where the plot was heading but reassuringly the ending was quite moving with loose ends tied up satifactorily. All credit to Sonia Friedman, not just for the original idea, but for giving this play such a big production with excellent use of sound and video. However, I do feel it would have been even more effective if edited down to a one-act piece in a smaller space such as the Donmar. Finally, during the very beief curtain call Maxine Peake looked slightly embarressed by the whole thing. She needn't - the response from the audience (albeit quite sparce) was appreciative, her performance was excellent and I've seen far worse recently by so-called great writers; remember Romance, The God of Hell or The Cut? This is far superior to any of those train wrecks. - 62.6.139.13) | 07 Jul 06 |
| Not the best play I've seen, but by no means the worst; I've seen some shameful productions written by established playwrights. For a first try, this had a lot to recommend it, some genuinely comic moments (not, sadly, in my view the Elvis impersonator, though my friends were amused by that... I was just embarrassed), and some emotional scenes. The superb acting made the most of the rather patchy script which would, I think, have been better served by a smaller theatre without the high expectations of the West End. I think Kate Betts could have a great future, but needs more practice, preferably (for her sake) away from intrusive reality television. Not bad for a first effort. - 86.138.59.197) | 06 Jul 06 |
| I agree that MC has been very harsh with his one star. I appreciate that the exceptional production values and excellent acting paper over the cracks of a mediocre play, but it held my atention from start to finish. I did find the (intentional?) ambiguity of the story somewhat pompous, and the play would proabbly have been served better in a smaller production in smaller space. However, Sonia Friedman has really focused our minds on the lack of new writing in the West End, and for that her experiment is worthwhile. - 86.130.206.83) | 05 Jul 06 |
| This play is very ambiguous, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions on several aspects (is he really Jesus? Is the whole thing in Claire's head? Just how incestuous was her relationship with her brother?), and I believe it is for this reason that the critics have been overly harsh. They clearly expected not to enjoy the play when they arrived - most critics seem to cultivate artistic snobbery, pouring praise on several productions I have found predictable and have been positively bored watching, and slating productions that I have found to be very interesting, exciting and innovative in their approaches. 'On the Third Day' is one of these productions, which I enjoyed tremendously, for the very reason that it was so different from anything else you see in the West End and, despite the reality TV aspect, it appeared to be far less commercially manufactured than most of the big shows. The set was well thought out, providing an easy way to transform the space between planetarium, apartment, and underground caves without too much hassle (though perhaps a few too many times). The use of Christian iconography was also strong, particularly in the foot washing scene and the last supper episode at the end of the play. The links between Robbie and his dark underground 'Hell' contrasted sharply with Claire's obsession with the starry 'Heaven', and the use of predominantly black and white costumes furthered this idea of darkness and light, and Jesus' attempts to bring their dark past out of them in order to cleanse their sins and bring them to the light. In my interpretation, Mike was not Jesus, yet he played at being Jesus (hence Betts' original working title 'Playing Jesus'), finding pleasure in resolving the problems of others and purging their emotions to the point that they could be forgiven for their past sins. In my opinion, this was a strong play, especially for a first-time writer, although it did seem rather that she had been forced to leave behind the initial 'Is he really Jesus or not?' storyline in favour of exploring big issues such as incest and self-harm, as a vehicle for making a play big enough for production in a West End theatre. All in all, a show I would definitely recommend to anyone who is utterly bored with the predictability and commercialism of most West End theatre. - 81.79.72.222) | 03 Jul 06 |
| The critics really have sharpened their knives on this one! I think they've been a bit over harsh: Kate Betts clearly has a good ear for naturalistic comic dialogue, and one of the play's central premises (what would you do if somebody you knew claimed to be Jesus?!) is certainly intriguing. On the down side, some of the serious writing tends towards the bad side of soap operatic, and the construction of the piece is messy. Nonetheless, Robert Delamare's stylish production (beautifully designed by Mark Thompson) is top class, and the cast are all brilliant. Maxine Peake's troubled Claire is a genuinely touching, technically superb performance full of passion, guts and fire. Am sure Betts is very grateful to all involved! Although the play has its longeurs, it isn't the disaster many critics have suggested. I realise that the point of this being on is the TV programme, but it is still a bit frustrating that all this money and talent has been lavished on this while playwrights like Laura Wade and Chloe Moss have yet to make their West End debuts. - 195.82.123.181) | 30 Jun 06 |
| It doesn't quite hang together but for a first try it's certainly a lot more enjoyable than some plays that the "big" names have given us in recent years. The main review seems to have missed the point about the guilt of killing the father having driven a 12 year ld girl into her own world that she still can't escape at 30. Elvis gets all the laughs but at the wrong time, thats an Act 1 character and gags but at totally the wrong time of the play. One author in search of an ending. - 194.223.152.82) | 29 Jun 06 |
| The sequence of events in the play gave the impression to me of being almost entirely in the head of the main character (superbly played by Maxine Peake). Unable to sustain a relationship with anyone due to her incestuous and religious experiences as a child, she fantasises that a man she meets in a bar is Jesus - then tells herself that, of course, he can't be. Because of her troubled relationship with her brother, he also appears in her dream, mixed with the man, Mike, and finally with Elvis. So typical of a dream's inconsequence, I am suprised that so few seem to have seen the play in this way. The "last supper" scene in the restaurant was a powerful image, but I felt that the end was muddled. and the author had perhaps not been given her head by the production advisors. Technically complex, the staging was rather "bitty", while the planetarium sequences seemed to go nowhere, and added nothing to the piece. Possibly last minute cuts were to blame? There were very good performances all round, and the obvious desire of all the actors to do their utmost to make the play a success was palpable. A promising debut for Kate Betts, but this was not really a West End production - it would do well in a studio venue. She has an ear for dialogue and the play moved at a good pace. I look forward to more from her in future. - 194.75.225.62) | 24 Jun 06 |
| coveneys overly harsh I think... the play is a bit all over the place but there are some really good scenes and its lifted immersurably by an outstanding central performance by the godly (!) Paul Hilton - what an actor - 80.229.45.194) | 23 Jun 06 |
| I'm very suspicious of the TV gameshow approach to this play and also towards how much the author actually contributed (a very "collaborative effort, I suspect) but I think Michael Coveney's 1 star review is harsh. It's not a great play but it's not a bad one. I saw 6 new plays last year - 3 were much better than this and 3 were much worse. That makes it about average. I give it 3 stars (2 for achievement and another 1 for effort). I did find it tedious and obvious at times but also quite bold and showing visual flair. I'd really like to be supportive towards the play, and the effort to give new work a higher profile, but the background to the production makes it difficult. I hope that Kate Betts (and all the other writers in the contest who are serious about playwriting) get the opportunity to learn the craft in a more appropriate environment. And I do hope that On the Third Day gets a decent run. If you can get a good ticket deal, go and see it. - 217.36.82.121) | 23 Jun 06 |
