Sunday 30 June 2013

Theatre Bingeing...

This month, I've seen quite a lot of stuff at the theatre. I saw Viva Forever, A Chorus Line, Merrily We Roll Along, The Cripple of Inishmaan and Much Ado About Nothing...the latter was actually at the cinema...but it's Shakespeare, so still counts, right?

The reason I saw Viva Forever was out of curiosity, more than anything - I got a great ticket for £20 - fab! I was OK, but the lack of story made it pretty boring, if you want to hear about its misgivings, I wrote a mini review about it here. At the other end of the spectrum that day, was A Chorus Line, which quite frankly, made Viva look like a school play. But the saddest part is, shortly after, ACL announced it's closing! So sad.

Merrily was without a doubt the highlight of the month. It was glorious. The acting was so good. I was really taken with Josephina Gabrielle's portrayal of Gussie, the way she seemed to get more innocent and quieter throughout the show really was awesome to see...well crafted character acting. If you don't know what it's about, you'll see why that's so fascinating to watch.

Inishmaan was very good. Everyone has gone nuts over Daniel Radcliffe, but to be honest, I just didn't get him. His irish accent wobbled on a few occasions, and there was something weirdly introvert about the way he took the scene in his hotel room, where he kept coughing. It was like he forgot he was in a theatre. I don't know. Don't get me wrong though, he was good, I just don't get what all the fuss is about.

Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing was fantastic though. An understated movie. Filmed over 12 days at Whedon's house and featuring familiar faces, for all Angel fans. The black and white tone gave this film a simple and classy edge. I really enjoyed it, and can't wait to get it on DVD.

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