Reader Reviews
Speed-the-Plow (Old Vic Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Irritating and dull. The odd line sparkles but every character seems so insular and glib. Very disappointing. - addicted to theatre | 20 Apr 10 |
| Joesmith must have been day dreaming? Goldblum & Spacey were magnificent. Spacey in particular, in exquiste manic mode, gave out enough energy to light a small town so gawd knows what his carbon footprint must be like? lol! Perhaps, Laura Michelle Kelly could have produced something more interesting in her character, but maybe Matthew Wachus didn't want it that way? In anyway it didn't detract for me from the two star performers and an absolutely terrific one too from Spacey, one that will linger long in the mind. A not unsurprising sold out run that won't disappoint the punters. - rds | 23 Mar 08 |
| Goldblum's mugging and dire attempts at upstaging and corpsing are a disgrace. This from someone who teaches acting. Mary Poppins is miscast and the show is entirely saved by Spacey's titanic attempts to hold it all together.Well done Kev! You get all the stars. - Joesmith | 04 Mar 08 |
| Tour de force performances from Spacey and Goldblum. Not so sure about Laura Michelle Kelly, Fight for a ticket!! - David | 18 Feb 08 |
| Even with all the interviews, reviews and buzz that there was to read for the past few weeks, I still wasn't sufficiently prepared for these exhilirating performances. Enigmatic yet forceful. Charming but rough. Probably was partially autobiographical for them but still very imaginative and creative. Spacey and Goldblum are magical together -- it was a brilliant pairing. An unforgettable night and one of the most exciting theater experiences ever had. These guys can challenge themselves to do anything and I couldn't admire them more. I didn't want it to end and I could have sat there for another show before going home. - Abigail Fox | 17 Feb 08 |
| Even with all the interviews, reviews and buzz that there was to read for the past few weeks, I still wasn't sufficiently prepared for these exhilirating performances. Enigmatic yet forceful. Charming but rough. Probably was partially autobiographical for them but still very imaginative and creative. Spacey and Goldblum are magical together -- it was a brilliant pairing. An unforgettable night and one of the most exciting theater experiences ever had. These guys can challenge themselves to do anything and I couldn't admire them more. I didn't want it to end and I could have sat there for another show before going home. - Abigail Fox | 17 Feb 08 |
| Speed-the-Plow benefits hugely from two towering performances from the principals. Jeff Goldblum is initially cocksure in his new promoted role but brilliantly conveys his insecurities and doubt about whether he should now be making "good" movies. Kevin Spacey has no such doubts and is wired to a dangerous frenzy. He also points up how inadequate Christian Slater was in Spacey's role in Swimming With Sharks. This is a much better play about Hollywood but the quality of the performances and the brilliance of the rapid-fire dialogue cannot disguise the fact that Mamet does not have anything new to say about the movie business. Also: it only last 90 minutes, is a midweek matinee too much to ask for? - David Baxter | 14 Feb 08 |
| What is it with musical actresses transferring to plays? I agree with the other comments here, Laura Michelle Kelly's stiffness was highlighted by the fluency between Jeff Goldblum and Kevin Spacey. Like Janie Dee in Shadowlands, she seemed hampered by a fake American accent. Surely there must be better actresses who could have fitted between the two stars more comfortably? - Sue Stanley | 14 Feb 08 |
| Goldblum and Spacey are fantastic, but the play sags severely in Act 2. (In fact I'd be tempted to cut it completely and go straight from Act 1 to Act 3.) Laura Michelle Kelly is bland and utterly overwhelmed by her co-stars. Her voice is so unappealing I rapidly switched off whenever she spoke: it was rather like the teacher in "Snoopy". Still, 4 stars just on the strength of two out of three wonderfully charismatic performances. - Quentin | 13 Feb 08 |
| The high score is really for the acting abilities of Goldblum and Spacey. Their machine-gun delivery is exhilerating to witness and will not be easy to forget. Goldblum has great comic timing and has charisma oozing from his pores,while spacey plays the funny, edgy, sometimes scary character that we have seen many times on screen. A truly great combination that leaves you wanting more. The down points would have to be the second act that is between Goldblum and Kelly. First of all, Kelly seems to be in awe of her situation of being on stage with two seasoned actors. She's supposed to be seducing Goldblum, but she doesn't convey that at all. Secondly, the book that just has to be made into a film due to its shear greatness, sounds just plain dull and there are lots of quotes from this book that are confusing to say the least. So, would I recommend you go see this play? Yes, but only for the acting masterclass of the two leads, if not the story itself. - Peter Daly | 13 Feb 08 |
| Superb - the contrast between the tall, poised Jeff Goldblum and a jumpy ever-moving Spacey was excellent. The speech was so fast - each talking over each other yet the audience picking up every clever nuance. I didn't want it to end - and what a surprising last scene. - Jenny Hornsey | 10 Feb 08 |
| Superb - the contrast between the tall, poised Jeff Goldblum and a jumpy ever-moving Spacey was excellent. The speech was so fast - each talking over each other yet the audience picking up every clever nuance. I didn't want it to end - and what a surprising last scene. - Jenny Hornsey | 10 Feb 08 |
| Superb - the contrast between the tall, poised Jeff Goldblum and a jumpy ever-moving Spacey was excellent. The speech was so fast - each talking over each other yet the audience picking up every clever nuance. I didn't want it to end - and what a surprising last scene. - Jenny Hornsey | 10 Feb 08 |
| A few weeks ago I was in despair that the many young people in the audience for Absurd Person Singular would be put off theatre for life by that museum piece. Last night at the Old Vic I felt the exact opposite. Again, many young people in the audience - no doubt thanks to the Old Vic's generous young person's pricing - but this time likely to be converted to live theatre for life. This isn't Mamet's best play, but in the hands of director Matthew Warchus and this cast of three it feels like it. The realistic dialogue in this satire on Hollywood overlaps and crackles like gunfire. Rarely do you see a partnership so electrifying as Spacey and Goldblum. They generated an atmosphere in the theatre that resulted in roars, gasps and outbreaks of spontaneous applause. No doubt the critics will think differently, but there can be no doubt what the audience thinks - terrific. - Gareth James | 06 Feb 08 |
| Saw this on its first night (1st Feb) and was very impressed. Jeff Goldblum is excellent (though maybe a little too charming and likeable to be a Hollywood producer) while Spacey is his usual outstanding self as a nervy and sweating subordinate. My only issue is with Laura Michelle Kelly who doesn't seem to read the text as fluently. Anyway, well worth seeing. - addicted to theatre | 02 Feb 08 |
