Reader Reviews
Edmond (Olivier (National Theatre), West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Kenneth Branagh is great in this play but it still has all the problems associated with Mamets writing, it is mysogenistic and racist and if this is meant to be ironic- making the audience laugh at themselves, then its just not clear enough, Terry King's fight sequences were appalling some of theworst I have ever seen, looked really staged and fake. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (82.35.62.168) | 30 Sep 03 |
| I have to admit I booked tickets for this play on the strength of Kenneth Brannagh - it wasn't until I got to the theatre did I consider its content... As a result , for the first time in a long time, I entered the theatre with no clue as to what I was about to see - it could have been Shakespeare, French mime, or cat suited roller-skaters - I really didn't know what I was about to experience. As a result I was able to react honestly to each and every emotion that this play produced. It was funny, and deeply shocking, offensive, and cosy. I love, love, loved it and I would recommend it to anyone not currently suffering from heart problems. Some amusement was generated off stage as I attended a matinee performance with the majority of the audience in the 70+ age bracket - either they had as much idea of the content as I did or the Branagh 'bits' was a draw to them as there wasn't a crackle of a barley sugar throughout... Wonderful Jen - USER: Whatsonstage.com (193.109.116.7) | 30 Sep 03 |
| This production has made up my mind, I much prefer Hytners more daring national theatre to Nunns rather safe one. They have another hit on their hands. Although the play is not Mamets best it is certainly a very interesting study of man entering new surroundings and the corruption of the modern world. The best thing about this is the direction by Edward Hall. He has created an amazing production that will stick in my mind for a very long time. I have seen two Ed Hall productions now and they have both been spectacular with brilliant acting. Branagh is extremely good as the lead, and I warmed to his performance very early on, the rest of the cast serve up great cameos. Nicholas Hytner must be very haooy at the moment, everything he is doing with the national seems to work. Go and visit the Theatre at the south bank! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.225.205.21) | 10 Sep 03 |
| You don't get many performances as good as this in a theatre-going lifetime. Branagh's Edmond sits alongside Sher's RIII, McKellern's RIII and Jacobi's Cyrano as something really special. The rest of the casting is pure luxury, with quality performers like Tony Haygarth and Harry Towb in small roles. The staging somehow manages to ensure that it doesn't look lost on the Olivier stage and maintaions the all-important pace of the play. Yet another triumph for the new regime at the RNT. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.211.104.43) | 10 Sep 03 |
| Good performance by Branagh, a stylish production but a silly play. Edmond's descent from Everyman to murderer is too fast, and the dialogue veered from short bursts of abuse to great wedges of stodgy rhetoric. I'm a fan of Mamet's plays but this was not hs best. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.225.131.65) | 12 Aug 03 |
| Powerful stuff. I read the script before seeing the production and couldn't find the humour, so I was quite surprised that the play contains more humourous moments than I'd realised. How much of that was nervous laughter, though, I'm not sure. It's a bit disconcerting when you hear laughter at some of the most shocking and unsettling moments... Kenneth Branagh gives a solid, convincing performance as Edmond, the businessman who's losing hope and lacking direction but finding peace in the most unlikely place. He is well-supported by the large, able cast. I take the point about the Olivier's size - could 'Edmond' have worked better in either of the other theatres? I suspect the Cottesloe would have created an unbelievably tense atmosphere. Andrew B - USER: Whatsonstage.com (193.130.127.205) | 31 Jul 03 |
| I have to agree with the plaudits rather than the brickbats - an epic powerhouse of a play, both shocking and humorous, with Branagh filling the Olivier with a bravura performance. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (82.43.172.252) | 29 Jul 03 |
| Don't think the last reviewer went to the same press night as I and all the critics did! The applause started muted, but only because we were all in shock - then there were loads of cheers and lots of people standing all over the auditorium. And as an American I can tell you that Branagh's accent was very nearly flawless. Much more importantly, I thought his performance was too - the man is just an extraordinary actor. I found the play raw, bleak and unsettling - a fascinating study of marginalisation and brutalisation. Frightening, and brave. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.122.210.185) | 21 Jul 03 |
| The whole play was ruined for me by the inadequacy of the central performance, which I found totally unconvincing and unengaging (and I saw it from the stalls, so I dread to think what it's like from the circle), delivered in an accent that is a disgrace to a professional actor with access to expert tuition. And as for "that" scene, how calculating can you get - first facing right then crossing the stage to give the other half of the auditorium their go. Is it coincidence that advance bookings were (allegedly) not that hot before word of this got out? As a member (no pun intended) of the press night audience I too am astounded at the critical acclaim for this performance. It certainly does not reflect the response at the individual curtain call that night - muted polite applause, then briefly a few mild whoops from a few in the circle and a solitary standing ovation from one person in the stalls. No "wasn't he good" discussion from anyone I heard on the way out - I was sure I had just witnessed a massive flop. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.79.22.158) | 19 Jul 03 |
| Wonderful, a must-see. Highly, oh-so-highly recommended for Branagh alone, despite the fact that the rest of the cast are weak and amateurish. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.104.103.201) | 19 Jul 03 |
| I will confess that if it weren't for Kenneth Branagh this play wouldn't exactly have been at the top of my 'to-see' list. I read the play to check it out and found it mildly intriguing. Nevertheless I went into the wonderful space that I found the Olivier theatre to be (I’d never been to the national before; newbie) with the hope that the play would be much better when dramatised. Well, I was half right. In a way it was better seeing it on stage. Edward Hall's directing was good and he dealt with the numerous short scenes. It is Edmond’s breakdown that is the most compelling of it all; from living an ‘ordinary’ life too a raging homicidal homophobic racist in course of one not-so short night, and then to be almost redeemed by all these things in the presence of all that he has previously censured. For me that’s when the play begins to progress towards some sort of universal truth. That leads me to the excellent performance from Nonso Anozie. His character represents everything that Edmond has previously tiraded against; he’s homosexual and black and ‘sodamised’ Edmond. And yet he seems to be exactly what Edmond needed. And the play ends with a sentimental goodnight kiss, which was rather virtuous in my opinion. I give this four for Kenneth Branagh and Nonso Anozie’s wonderful performances and ultimately the thought-provoking ending. As for the rest of cast in my opinion it was a “they tried there best” case. Not that any of them were incapable of wholesome performances they just didn’t have enough to work with. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.67.75) | 19 Jul 03 |
| Mamet at his most brutal but Branagh, who continues to show his amazing depth as a performer, is brilliant and this, despite the number the performers, is essentially a one man show. Nudity and harsh language may offend American viewers, but all in all, a spellbinding production. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (205.188.209.140) | 18 Jul 03 |
| An incredibly powerful performance from Kenneth Branagh as he shows Edmond's confusion and rage on his descent into the hellish side of Manhatten. Edward Hall's direction keeps things very tight even in the big space of the Olivier. If there's a problem, its with the play, not the players - too many characters given tiny appearances which means that they can't really establish themselves - they are there merely to illustrate Edmond for the most part. However, Nicola Walker is good. But it's Branagh's show, really. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.50.177.109) | 18 Jul 03 |
| I'm amazed at the critical plaudits Kenneth Branagh's been getting for this production - I thought it was one of the weakest leading performances I've seen lately. And his American accent was all over the place. Nonzo Anozie is brilliant, though, and the production's ok. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.152.122.162) | 18 Jul 03 |
