Kill to get a ticket
I think it's fairly well established that I don't often go to the theatre. I've found myself getting into musicals these past couple of years, mostly because they're such good value for money, but the actual stage play remains something of a mystery to me. I realise I must come across as a philistine, but I do prefer filmed drama, as it's finished, it's complete, it's finite. I've been to the theatre a couple of times and although I enjoyed the very act of being there (hardened by the determination to appreciate something that costs so much), I found I couldn't connect with the action, perhaps because of faraway seats, or an underpowered performance. With all that said, I'm prepared to occasionally shell out to see some famous people walking about and talking on stage. The God Of Carnage, written by Yasmina Reza and, like her previous hit Art, translated from the French by Christopher Hampton, is star-studded: Ralph Fiennes, Janet McTeer, Tamsin Greig and Ken Stott. What a bill! Call me shallow, but that's four good reasons to leave the house. Thus it was that I found myself at the Gielgud on Saturday, in the same room as these talented people. At home, the Sky+ was even recording Tamsin Greig in Love Soup while I watched her act for real, right there.
It's one of those plays that takes place in real time, with no interval, in one room. Quite a different experience from, say ... searches for comparison from limited repertoire of theatre experiences ... Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman, with Brian Denney at the Lyric in 2005, which was as much a spectacle of set design as of acting. With God Of Carnage, you're right there in the living room of a posh French couple, McTeer and Stott, their vast coffee table groaning under the conspicuous display a number of art books; Fiennes and Greig have called round to discuss the unfortunate violent altercation that has taken place between their two sons, in which two teeth were knocked out. It begins in perfect genteel fashion, with all four polite and positive in the belief that they are civilised enough to work this out. Needless to say, the summit descends, via coffee and rum and tulips and home truths, into shouting chaos. It's a comedy, in that it makes you laugh (especially Fiennes, whose lawyer, constantly on the mobile, echoed Reginald Perrin - I've always said that he was born to play Leonard Rossiter in a biopic!), but it's more satire than farce, despite outbreaks of physical interaction, including a very convincing vomiting incident, and violence of their own.
I've never seen Art, so I don't know if it was the same, but keeping the settings, names and cultural references Parisian is odd at first - they're called Alain and Veronique and they eat clafoutis, a type of French tart/flan - but it makes sense in the end, as this is specifically about the French middle classes, who, luckily, seem not so different from the English middle classes. (I've read a couple of fanciful reviews which suggested the play could be viewed as an allegory for the situation in the Middle East, and/or America's failure to apologise for invading Iraq, which could be bollocks.) It's about 90 minutes long, and does become quite a trial as order breaks down, and then breaks down a bit more, and then a bit more, but the end result is a stinging rebuke to those who seek to dress themselves in a veneer of respectability by having art books lying around and caring about Darfur. I read that the playwright doesn't write her plays as comedy, but that's how they come out, either in performance or translation. I can see that.
Anyway, bottom line: I enjoyed the experience. I've seen Ralph Fiennes and Ken Stott live.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 2:20 PM
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I saw God of Carnage last week and I loved it. Especially its savagery about the types of people that probably made up about half the audience.
Did the audience on Saturday gasp with shock when the other, more shocking, 'c-word' was used?
My problem with the theatre is that it's hot, cramped and hard to hear and see what's going on unless you're near the front, in which case you crick your neck with all that craning.
That said, I've had some enjoyable experiences, but it's not cheap, I don't like musicals and everything else either sounds dull or is the hottest ticket in town so I don't get round to going.
I think the last time I went was about two years ago, but I can't remember what it was.
Living in London, people always say how much they love having all these theatres on their doorstep, but aside from some diehard work colleagues and high-culture vulture friends, who really goes who lives here? Straw poll!
That said, it's nice to know you can go if you want to. If I was stuck in Cromer or Truro I'd probably pine for it.
I enjoyed it too, Andrew; I was there on the first night (get me!) when the pressure was really on as the power failed, and the performances really rocked. I didn't expect Ralph Fiennes to be such an adept comic, either.
You weren't at Bafta's Peep Show preview last night were you? In the first episode of the fab new much-better-than-their-sketch-show series Mark and Jeremy find themselves on a double date in a fringey pub theatre and their response is pretty much identical to your general view of theatre – why pay more than the cost of a cinema ticket to perch on uncomfortable seats for two hours watching a bunch of unknowns when you could be at home on your sofa watching Pacino and DeNiro in Heat.
I missed the c-word, Chatterbox!
The trouble with London theatres, particularly in Shaftesbury Avenue, is that they are all so old. This means no leg room (people were much shorter 150 years ago), usually one tiny toilet, and terrible sightlines so lots of people with restricted views.
Also the tickets are so dear, as are the interval drinks, that it's really a very expensive night out. Actually, in the case of Art, not a whole night out at all as it lasted all of 50 minutes!
On the whole, give me a DVD and a take-away.
John
This year I saw the most amazing piece of theatre I have ever seen in my life and i've seen a lot. "Black Watch" is on tour just now and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
You won't be disappointed.
Tour dates: http://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/content/default.asp?page=home_showBlackwatch
Paul
Being in Hull, we have a decent theatrical output (New Theatre and Hull Truck) but the sole speech-only play I've been to in the last decade was The New Statesman, sometime last summer. And it was brilliant.
Musicals I've attended, largely because the wife adores them. Blood Brothers was terrific, for example.
I came to London a few years back to attend a recording of Have I Got News For You. While I was at LWT, the wife went to watch Michael Ball in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Everybody happy.
I'd watch the Rossiter biopic, on stage or screen!
andrew
London theatres are overpriced and overpopulated.
next time you are in northampton - check out the royal theatre. Not the Derngate, the old theatre. A) it's small and beautiful and B) some of the productions are very good (some are rubbish though)
it may even persuade you to write a stageplay...
Why, over the end credits of Love Soup, doesn't the BBC continuity announcer say "Tamsin Greig is currently appearing in God of Carnage at The Geilgud Theatre, London"? They don't do that any more, do they? I miss all it.
That would be London-centric though, wouldn't it? The bane of our lives, BA. If she was appearing in Carlisle or Kings Lynn, would they mention it then?
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