Reader Reviews
Love's Labour's Lost (Olivier (National Theatre), West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Blimey! To quote Jonathan Ross, "Sweet baby Moses in a basket!" To quote Armado, "Heavy, dull and slow." To quote Holofernes, "This is not generous, not gentle, not humble." (Holofernes was talking about the audience - I am talking about this production, which bears little relation to Shakespeare's sparkling comedy.) - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.50.13) | 12 Mar 03 |
| This was a wonderfully evocative production, and turns the ambiguous ending into quite a sad one which actually had us still talking about it nearly two hours later. Joseph Fiennes was marvellously witty, we loved his portrayal of Berowne although the other gentlemen were rather overshadowed by him (but then they're overshadowded by Berowne's character as much as by Joseph Fiennes' acting). Young Fiennes in the big theatre, senior Fiennes in the little theatre, what a month we've had. Thanks, National Theatre! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.50.179.251) | 08 Mar 03 |
| I usually love this play - seen it several times at the RSC and have no problem with Edwardian or even Weimar type settings. However, apart from Simon Day and Olivia Williams, I thought performances were extremely average. The pace was truly awful - Shakespearian comedy is not meant to be played like Chekhov! It was boring, the friends I went with found it boring and I thought this was an appalling drop in Trevor Nunn's standards. To be honest, I thought it had the hallmark of a de-mob happy director leaving, who should certainly have done better by letting Anything Goes be his National swansong. Don't bother going to this! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (217.206.120.227) | 07 Mar 03 |
| Wow. I was most impressed by Joseph Fiennes as Berowne - actually, the whole cast (especially Simon Day, Philip Voss and Olivia Williams) was superb - and the lighting and idyllic woodland stage set everything off perfectly. At almost three hours long, it's a bit bum-numbing but there's much to lighten it, especially Simon Day's prim king, Joseph Fiennes in the tree and the fake Muscovites. The low-point: a mobile going off just as John Barrowman launched into his love sonnet. He shot a brief disapproving glance in the phone's direction and you could tell the audience was astonished that some complete idiot had not turned their phone off. My advice to that person - 'stay at home and watch a video, and don't bother us again.' - USER: Whatsonstage.com (193.130.127.205) | 06 Mar 03 |
| Hey folks (and I mean two of you below who have added a P.S. to your review and voted twice), you have upset the average rating and lowered it to 2.8 whereas it should be 3.13! I guess the best I can do is add five stars myself to try to raise the rating to nearer its correct number. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.30.138.5) | 06 Mar 03 |
| Hey folks (and I mean two of you below who have added a P.S. to your review and voted twice), you have upset the average rating and lowered it to 2.8 whereas it should be 3.13! I guess the best I can do is add five stars myself to try to raise the rating to nearer its correct number. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.30.138.5) | 06 Mar 03 |
| Sorry folks - just to clarify the previous review - I DON'T ( obviously!! ) mean Branagh's pitiable film, I mean his performance as Berowne onstage some years ago. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.50.13) | 02 Mar 03 |
| To the person staggered by my so-called "vitriolic" review: no, I have nothing against updating. One of the finest productions of The Merchant of Venice updated the play to a 1980s City dealing floor and featured Owen Teale as Bassanio, offering Gratiano a Marks and Spencer dish with the words "Here I have a dish of doves". Hilarious! Teale also starred in a superior RSC update of LLL some years ago. And then there was Branagh's....wonderful. But this was truly misconceived and did not respect the original - re-assigning lines, etc. However, well done Fiennes et al - the acting is good. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.50.13) | 02 Mar 03 |
| Truly splendid production which gives us back Joseph Fiennes. Welcome back to where he should be. Likewise Philip Voss. But the production is a truly team effort. Best of all - Trevor Nunn has finallt realised that there is an audience on three sides in the Olivier. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.50.13) | 01 Mar 03 |
| Excellent and thought provoking production; the WW1 framing worked very well, IMO, and the actors were, in the main, spot on. Joseph Fiennes was marvellous, especially up the tree listening to his three companions - a hoot! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (212.50.181.58) | 27 Feb 03 |
| "Pardon; error", to quote Armado. Typo in my previous review: "The words of Mercury are HASH [yes, intended] after the songs of Apollo". - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.50.13) | 27 Feb 03 |
| Disappointing for anyone who has seen this silver comedy to find it so leadenly rendered. Indeed, "the words of Mercury are HASH [Shakespeare, updated by ME] after the song fo Apollo". - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.93.50.13) | 27 Feb 03 |
| Slow. No life. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (163.119.205.210) | 27 Feb 03 |
| I'm staggered by the vitriolic review given by the last theatregoer. I thoroughly enjoyed this production and thought it was incredibly inventive. Yes, okay, it borders on Love's Labour's Lost - The Musical" but this is only right given the brave ensemble cross-casting with Anything Goes and, in my opinion, makes the piece very fresh and accessible. Goodness, if Shakespeare is never to be tampered with, you'd have to dispense with the vast majority of productions. The shock would be if directors didn't try to view his work in a new light after 400-odd years of bzillions of productions! I think the good reviews for Nunn's Laboor are very well deserved. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.193.222.20) | 25 Feb 03 |
| The travesty of Sir Trevor Nunn's "production" of LLL at the NT is only exceed by the obsequiousness of theatre critics! Most papers have awarded this 3-4 stars, either out of appreciation for Nunn's genius (unquestioned, based on his record), OR, like the Whatsonstage reviewer, saying "best to get past" the ghastliness of the concept. From the outset, with deafening bombs, flashes, and the ack-ack of WWI gunfire, with the last line of the play delivered by the WRONG character and Berowne ostensibly dying onstage (never in Shakespeare's original) we know ourselves to be in the updater's territory. Vanity is piled upon vanity with nary a thought for author or audience. Why don't directors simply re-write the play, and just put "based on"? It would be more appropriate. Actors playing Berowne, the King of Navarre, the Princess of France acquit themselves well. Armado is not funny enough because the production doesn't accomodate it. A dismal ending to a glorious career - and one that first-time viewers of LLL are best advised to avoid. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.86.174.205) | 25 Feb 03 |
| Went to see this last night and was impressed. After bad memeories of the Brannagh film I was worried...as the story doeas wander a little.Set was great. Cast impressive. Definately recommend it. Audience very quiet though which did spoil it. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.38.157.58) | 21 Feb 03 |
