Reader Reviews
Eh Joe (Duke of York's Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | A half hour that's worth more than a whole evening in most West End theatres. - 217.36.82.121) | 07 Jul 06 |
| It may only be 30 mins, but it is riveting from beginning to end. He might not speak a word, but Michael Gambon's every expression says more than words could. - 86.130.206.83) | 06 Jul 06 |
| It doesn't matter what the play "is supposed to be". The only thing that matters is does it work, and it does. Yes, £20 is a lot for 30 minutes of performance, but I left feeling dazed and wrung out, pretty much as I do after 3 hours of great opera (and try getting front dress circle for £20 at the ROH). The camera never leaves Gambon's face. The slightest movement is magnified. Beckett's language is cut like crystal. The words leave images in the mind as if one has seen and not just listened. Taken together, the sharp words and Gambon's expressive face, the effect is like a noose tightening around one's neck. The tension rises. By the end it is near unbearable. Risky, unusual, brave, a theatrical experience completely out of the ordinary - how often can you say that about something in the West End? - 80.177.89.146) | 04 Jul 06 |
| Of course, it would have been better to have had a full evening rather than just 30 minutes and, unless you got a discounted ticket, £20 is absurdly expensive. All tickets should be £10. However, I disagree completely with the review of the play. I found it utterly riveting. Gambon does a very great deal - he reacts to every single new revelation and this can hardly be easy when he has only his face to rely on. The conrast between the huge face which is projected onto the front cloth and the desparate figure of Joe is striking. Finally, there is the remarkable voice of Penelope Wilton who twists the knife of pain with terrible accuracy. Eceptionally moving. - 80.177.231.164) | 03 Jul 06 |
