Synopsis It's London, 1726, and Mrs Tull's got problems. The whores are giving her a hard time, a man in a dress is looking for a job, her husband has a roving eye, and the apprentice boy keeps disappearing on midnight walks. Meanwhile in 2001, a group of wealthy gay men are preparing for a raunchy party. Mother Clap's Molly House, a black comedy with songs, is a celebration of of the diversity of human sexuality, an exploration of our need to form families, and a fascinating insight into a hidden chapter in London's history. Please note - Contains language and scenes which some people may find offensive. World Premiere. Platform - Nicholas Hytner and Mark Ravenhill talk about the production on Sep 3 at 18:00.
Dates: Opens 04 September 2001. Aug 22,23,24,25,27,28,29,30 Sep 1m,1,3,5,12,13,14,15m,15,21,22m,22,24,25,28,29m,29,Oct 1,26,27m,27,29,30m,30,Nov 8,9,10m,10,12,13m,13,22,23,24m,24 Eve 19:30, Mat 14:15, Sep 4 19:00
I wanted to be challenged by this play but left the theatre feeling very disappointed and confused.The first 45 minutes was a waste of time and could have been dramatized in a five minute introduction for the lead characters.The playwright never got around to explaining what a Molly House was and the reasons for their popularity.The last twenty minutes of Act 1 was truly amazing--a hilarious over the top fantasy sequence that only hinted at what could have been.The depiction of gay life in the 1980's was realistic but they were never tied into the earlier time period. Ambitious and interesting.At the same time it only hinted at what could have been.Did I miss something? - USER: Whatsonstage.com
04 Sep 01
Went to the last preview at the National of this new play. I thought the play was first class - I can see it upsetting the "trad crowd" but what a cast. Dash, run, to the box office and get your ticket now.......This is what the National should be staging and not MFL and the like. - USER: Whatsonstage.com
04 Sep 01
This play is a disgrace. It is poorly written with paper-thin characters, negligible psychology and manages to be both offensive and dull at the same time. What few ideas it has (homosexuality vs transvestitism, the perils of sexual overindulgence) are lost in the playwright's overwhelming desire to shock. Repetitive use of swear words, cross-dressing, endless simulations of sexual intercourse (joyless of course), all the ingredients to grab a headline in the Daily Mail. If this had been a production at say, the Drill Hall, it would have not been so bad, but for it to be performed at our national theatre with all the care, attention and budget that that implies is a terrible waste of time and (taxpayers) money. And before you dismiss this review as being written by some thin-lipped puritan, I count myself as a happy member of the subculture shown in the play. I object to this play's inhumanity to its characters, its grotesque 'humour', and it's sheer lack of joy.
Watching this play as one of the least enjoyable theatrical experiences I have experienced. - USER: Whatsonstage.com
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