Reader Reviews
Mrs Affleck (Cottesloe (National Theatre), West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Oh dear what a very long boring night. The updating simply doesn't work and the contemporary references just get silly. The filmic direction is badly misconceived and I agree with David Baxter, that Ms Elliott should concentrate more on the text, and also stop trying to outdo that other (more talanted) lady director. I also hugely enjoyed the set change in the interval but what a clunky hassle it was, you'd think the design could have been a lot simpler and consequently, perhaps, more effective. The actors all worked very hard. - joesmith | 14 Feb 09 |
| I concur with David Baxter on this and on Harper Regan too - but am I missing something? NO. I sat out the interval enjoying the props men change the scenery, best part of the production, before heading off into the night not willing to waste anymore time on this flat and uninspiring production. Credit must go to the two boys on last night, Friday the 6th of Feb, who left the adults looking distinctly out of their depth. Marianne Elliott directs it with all the flair of a geography teacher and Samuel Adamson's script is a lack luster travesty of its Ibsen pretensions. Don't waste your time unless you enjoy watching scenery being dismantled? - rds | 07 Feb 09 |
| The early preview I saw was promising so hopefully it'll improve; I thought the spirit of the original was well preserved but then that made me wonder, why bother with the update? But,as has been said, my main gripe would be with the staging. It's always nice to see the Cottesloe reconfigured from end-stage, but it quickly became apparent that the long, T-shaped traverse space was badly under-utilised. It makes sitting in certain parts of the auditorium a bit tiresome. - Sycamore Flint | 30 Jan 09 |
| Marianne Elliott and Samuel Adamson joined forces for a brilliant Pillars of the Community but Mrs Affleck is a comparative disappointment. The adaptation of Ibsen's Little Eyolf as a post-war English drama adds nothing to the original and this is the worst use of the Cottesloe that I have experienced. The seats are configured around an elongated rectangle, consequently much of the play is performed at the far end of the room with the actors having their backs to large portions of the audience. The play is rescued from tedium by Ibsen's intriguing story, but one dreadfully clumsy time-shift in Act Two caused unneccessary confusion and hinted at a cause of a tragic death that I am sure Ibsen did not envisage. There are excellent performances from Naomi Frederick and Clair Skinner as the spoilt and unfeelig Rita Affleck but they are not helped by Angus Wright's colourless monotone. After last year's dreadful Harper Regan I fear Marianne Elliott is becoming too reliant on gimmicks rather than the brilliant highlighting of text and performances that made her such a compelling director. - David Baxter | 29 Jan 09 |
| I haven't seen Ibsen's original, so I don't know whether it's the play, the adaptation or the production - but this just doesn't work. As much as I like both Claire Skinner and Angus Wright, there is no chemistry between them so you can't believe in them or care about their plight, which leaves a gaping hole in the heart of the play. Disappointing. - Gareth James | 29 Jan 09 |
| A play of two halves! The first is at times very funny in an arch 50s sort of way while the second half is much more bleak as the central couple grapple with the loss of their son and their own dysfunctionality. Terrific performances, particularly from Claire Skinner and the young boy Wesley Nelson. Not a cheery night but well worth seeing for quality perfomamnces. If I had one quibble, it would be to question the necessity of such a vast stage which wasn't really used to its greatest advantage. - Patrick Wallesey | 28 Jan 09 |
| This was the worst performance i have ever seen at the national, oh, maybe the 5 wives of whatever pinder excluded. what utter tosh - AF | 28 Jan 09 |
| Makes me dispair of ever setting foot in a theatre again. - LLK | 28 Jan 09 |
