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Synopsis Midnight's Children is a complex work combining three main tales: the turbulent history of twentieth-century India, Pakistan and Bangladesh: the saga of a Muslim family: the story of one man, Saleem Sinai, whose telepathic powers allow him to communicate with other children born at the stroke of midnight on August 15 1947.
This was a show that promised much but failed to deliver - or, to be more accurate, delivered rather a lot more than was necessary. At around 3.5 hours in length, this is longer than an average Bollywood movie, which it at times resembled. I enjoyed the first half, which made good use of stage setting, the screen hanging at the back which was projected with various visuals, the music, and so on. But in my opinion the second half let the whole thing down. It dragged on interminably, it descended into mad fantasy - what was going on? who were the moth-eaten circus/performer people? what did that have to do with the development of the plot? As buttocks became more and more numb, the storyline became more and more protracted and diverged ever further from the essential thread. The stage adaptors should have cut much of this second half material and left the play at 2.5 hours maximum - for me, all the interest that had been built up in the first act was completely demolished by the time I left the theatre at the end of the turgid second act, and I went away thinking how much more pleasant my evening would have been if I'd decided to leave the theatre at the midway point. I'm not sure if the indulgence and silliness and fantasy overload in the second half is present in the book, too - but either way, I don't think the RSC have done themselves any favours by keeping it in. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.217.253.5)
17 Feb 03
We laughed and laughed, and three days later, we still cannot stop thinking about it. Great! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.194.86.61)
05 Feb 03
An important work, and it's as long as it deserves to be for an epic about the history of India - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.194.86.61)
05 Feb 03
I agree with Terri that this is an important production. In parts it excells. It very well captures the humour of the novel, Tim Supple's direction develops a clear enough narrative strand, however, the first half is a lot clearer than the second. On the whole the show is quick fire and never stops in its tracks, however, so much happens in the second half that this somewhat marrs the otherwise clear narrative. Zubin Varla must be congratulted for his outstanding performance and it is refreshing to see such a young, talented, predominantely Asian cast on the West End Stage. While the show is not altogether another Nicholas Nickelby, the RSC must be congratulated for its daring in producing this show, a refreshing alternative to the current West End fare. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (172.183.101.76)
01 Feb 03
I got my Mum tickets as a present. I wish I hadn't. Too bad for words. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.172)
31 Jan 03
Overblown, ill-conceived and in need of very large pruning shears. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.49.106.203)
31 Jan 03
Fabulous!. Funny, sexy and intelligent. It's about time we had meaningful theatre the takes risks and has something to say. Tour de Force acting and a slick able direction are a superb icing on a rich and generous cake. If you're into My Fair Lady, this is not the play for you. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.194.86.61)
30 Jan 03
There is something magnificent about Midnight’s Children. It’s in the hypnotic language, the witty dialogue but above all from the magical and complex story that is India. This is Goodness Gracious Me, and Dr Faustus rolled into one. Ever wondered how the India of Ghandi come to slaughter fifty thousand people in Ahmadabad last year? Ever walked through Calcutta looking at open sewers, the starving sick, the racism,the police brutality and wondered where the Mughal Empire went, then you need to see Midnight’s Children. From the hilarious first scene where the young doctor Azam asks his bride to move her legs for him in bed and she abandons her bridal bed shouting “none of your foreign ways husband or no husband, I’m not a moving woman” you know you are in for a treat. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.194.86.61)
30 Jan 03
Firstly MUCH too long - the last 30-40 minutes became unbearable. There were some good ideas in it and the mix of film and live action was a clever idea and if done with more finesse could have been great, but unfortunately it was too confusing. In fact the whole thing was too confusing and I was surprised to find the actors were all professionals as the whole production seemed rather amateurish. I would not damn it quite altogether though as I think there were some good ideas and cut by half and rethought it might possibly be a good show. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (213.123.48.145)
27 Jan 03
Midnight's Children is a totally different experience to the staged drama we
take for granted. It flows more like an interesting documentary. I haven't
read any of Rushdie's books but I took interest in the play because the
crits all said how difficult it would be to bring to the stage. If you don't
know, in short, it is an account of the life of one of the children born on
the stroke of midnight when India became independent and Pakistan was created.
I saw the preview on 22 Jan. Previews by their nature mean the production is still in
a state of flux, which is just as well as I have two issues about the
production which may well have been identified by Salman if he was sitting in the
audience as someone observed: greater clarification of the children being
born with enhanced senses at the beginning is required, as is a cut in the
middle of act two. My friends and I got lost at this point, picking it up
again once the jungle scene had passed -perhaps it wasn't needed - and the
play came round in full circle very cleverly.
What's good is that the script IS well-written; it flows; it is funny and
the audience I witnessed did pick up on the humour.But we also listened.
There is a lot to listen to but it isn't as wordy or as long as some
Shakespeare productions can be. The screens are a good vehicle; like Pathe
news reels, they condense complex political issues into soundbites, intended
to give a flavour of events influencing the Midnight's Children - and I
guess it is that which would be so time consuming, not to say difficult, to
bring to the stage using dramatic personnae.
Zubin Varla is on stage the whole time yet his energy isn't lacking. The cast look at ease in their roles
and I don't think there is a weak link. This 'Booker of Bookers' might not
be your cup of tea, but reading the reviews on here that have come before,
anyone would think it was worse than Romeo and Juliet the Musical! It's a refreshing change from the formulaic drama currently available - Go see. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (80.193.222.20)
See also The Pit. Opened 1982. The Barbican is home to the internationally acclaimed bite programme, featuring a diverse range of the most exciting new theatre, dance and music from around the world. Bite has established firm relationships with leading international artists and its impressive list of Artistic Associates includes; Deborah Warner, Michael Clark Company, Cheek by Jowl, Fabulous Beast and Afroreggae UK Partnership. Whilst continuing to support the work of established companies, bite seeks to enable young and emerging artists to present work at the Barbican. Recent bite seasons have included music from the favelas of Rio, Shakespeare from Japan, an Icelandic Peer Gynt, puppetry from Canada, traditional dance from Cambodia and cabaret from South London. Bite work extends beyond the 1166-seat Barbican Theatre and the 200-seat Pit into non-traditional spaces, often blurring the boundaries between performer and audience and enabling an even greater number of people to enjoy its programme.
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