Ooh, I had a trigger word - let me see if I can try again:

If anyone's interested the friend who came with me to see the play has put her thoughts up on her bl*og. I'm afraid she's rather more crit*ical than me - I don't disagree with any of her points, but I didn't get quite such a g*ut neg*ative reaction that she did.
There are heavy plot sp*oilers there though, so avoid if you want to be fresh when you see it.

It's here:

www*rocketleafsalad*blogspot*com

Mrs R,

Don't fret just yet - have a gander at my website and see if I am dealing with the issues that you thought of.

I'm a firm believer that great minds DON'T think alike... They think differently... Take a skeg and see if it unrinates on your military assembly.

Ooh, I shall do just that. Where do I go to?

Google my forum name and you'll find the site. Then click on plays and select Denim...

Clicking on the PDF symbol will take you into the first act.

I'd be interested in what you think!

Gosh, Mrs R! Did you and your friends see the same play?

Only kidding. You seem to maybe have been a bit kind and she's maybe been a bit harsh? Is the truth somewhere in the middle perhaps?

Just read the link you sent Mrs R...

Blinking Flip!

Ouch! And three wammies in the first scene?

Please tell me there is a middle road here - surley SF hasn't landed a pup that large... Surley not...

Hey Adman,

Yeah, I think that's a fair assessment. Like I said, I don't disagree per sea with any of her critisisms (she's utterly spot on with most) but I did try to focus on some of the play's good points as well. It could be I tried too hard.

Damn... What are the papers going to say?

Out of interest - my wife has just read the blog.

waiving for a second any dramatic critique, and just looking at it factually, may I pass on her comment verbatim?

"It sounds vile. What's the matter with these people? Are they all sick? I only go to the theatre to get away from this sort of cr4p on the television!"

Having read mrs_racie's friends blog i now want to go and see it! This could have a real kitch appeal.

quote:

Having read mrs_racie's friends blog i now want to go and see it!

Having read mrs_racie's friends blog i now want to see it go!

In memory of Neil Pearson.

What a shocker! Adman, Jay and Playfull jumping on any excuse to trash the play! I'm so surprised at this turn of events given their open-mindedness all along! Come on, you guys! Could you just play against type for a day or so? I don't think any of the three of you would go see the play in a million years if you hadn't competed for it.

What was the last professionally produced new play you did see?

Or how about this one: can you name a new play that appeared on the London stage in the last six months without the aid of the internet?

Even rocket leaf salad acknowledged that the play had good moments and that the playwright was a good writer.

I will say that the random Elvis sighting was first used, to my knowledge, in Steve Martin's play Picasso at the Lapin Agile. A little deus ex machina, but I guess if you have Jesus wandering around, you have different standards.

OK, let's hear your thoughts about this play compared to other new writing in London. Hmm? You boys have anything to say?

Just read "rocketleafsalad's review.

I still think I'll wait until I've seen programme #4 of TPTT, before I make up my mind as to whether
I want to see the winner...in the past we've all said we would go and watch whoever's play emerged.

Blood and gore reminds me that the "Globe" has "Titus Andonicus"- a play I've never seen preformed live...I may go and see that.

Swan v disapointed in your post, where have i trashed the play? I have repeatedly wished all well and stated that i would reserve any opinion on the play/author untill i had seen it. Which I had actually booked to do, but the performance was cancelled.

Can i suggest that the selection of theatre you have withing easy reach is a little different to we country folk. I booked the afternoon off work to visit TPTT and would not have got home untill gone 2AM. We cannot just pop to the west end on a whim.

quote:

I don't think any of the three of you would go see the play in a million years if you hadn't competed for it.

Swan - you're absolutely right. From everything I've seen and read I wouldn't give it houseroom. I've never said I would. Why are you surprised? Do you really think that many people would go after Mrs R's review, and that of her friend?

Why are you so keen to defend it so stoically? You want my opinion - which I'd give whether I had competed in this or not?

The tv programme, dialogue, synopsis and reviews I've read suggests it to be pretentious, unpleasant, contrived balderdash and claptrap of the first water.

I don't believe it will have a hope of surviving its thirteen week run. If nothing else, I believe the critics will slay it - if the tv programme doesn't do it for them.

Okay?

Now - ask me if it's unripe fruit?

No - my only grudge here is, as I've always said, with certain elements of the selection procedure as I see them emerging from the tv programme.

The last shows I saw in the West End were The Lion King and Humble Boy. I live about 150 miles away and don't get to London much anyway, but when I do I'm with family - so anything like Shopping & F*cking is out anyway (not that I'd be interested in that, either, having read the synopsis).

I go to my local theatres as a member of the audience about 4 times a year, but see shows as crew or FOH maybe another 4 times. Of that, about 1/3 is new work.

BTW on a different issue i used the term sour grapes earlier in this thread and it posted ok.

I think that Nottinghamshire is further from London than Gloucestershire.

I calculate, Playfull would have made a 250+ mile round trip,if the play had not been cancelled.

I stand, humbled, by such committment. It takes me a real effort of will, to make the twenty minute journey to the West End.

Swann, we Metrotypes don't know how lucky we are (except when our council tax is hiked up to pay for Ken's Olympic Extravaganza.)

quote:

Swann, we Metrotypes don't know how lucky we are

Yeah, Lewes, we envy you. I agree 100%.

Except we Cotswoldites know what the colour green looks like. And we don't have to breath air by the visible slice. And we can park, anywhere, within 1 minute walking of our destination without paying £10. And we don't have to smell other people's armpits on our trains. And our homes don't cost the equivalent of a small African country's national debt. And we don't have to pretend to be multiracial and multicultural. And we don't have to pay £3 a pint for our beer. And we don't have to put up with Polish immigrants washing our windscreensd at every other set of traffic lights. And we don't have congestion charges. And we don't have congestion. And we don't have the M25. And we don't have bl00dy elevator music. And we don't have to live with the risk of bumping into Boris Johnson. And we don't have horse sh1t all over some of our major roads from the Horseguards. And we don't have fat female American tourists getting in the way all the time saying 'Grab a picture honey' to their fat husbands. And we don't have Soho. And we don't have taxi drivers who say 'I ain't going South of Cheltenham this time of night Guv', and who don't have change or a receipt pad.

And in the event of a terrorist or state enemy attack Bourton On The Water is not a SL1A target!

And our squirrels are cute, friendly, nonantagonistic creatures that bring us the morning papers, feed the dog, mow the lawn and drive us home when we're p1ssed!

Come on people, I live in Stoke-on-Trent.

That said, we have wonderful public transport and a bizarre amount of theatres...

quote:

That said, we have wonderful public transport and a bizarre amount of theatres

Or an amount of bizarre theatres?

I went to Stoke once.

It was closed.

For the record, I said:

quote:

Please tell me there is a middle road here

I've even said that I couldn't voice a couple of my concerns without seeing it. I also said that I wonder what the papers will say.

So how have I slammed it? I haven't seen it.

I've voiced a few concerns - but I have been very careful not to slag of writing that I have not read, or a performance that I have not seen.

Adders, we have green here in London, they're called parks.

Oh, and I must stick up for Boris Johnson; no less than twice I have seen Boris stop his cycle at traffic lights/pedestrian crossing- which in London is a rare sight.

The only good squirrels are red, British and live on the Isle of Wight.

quote:

and live on the Isle of Wight

Go on then! Dump your vermin on me then!

The vermin are the illegal immigrants (North American- sorry Swann) grey squirrels.

The red squirrels on the Isle of Wight are the threatened British species. Who are protected, gentle, and timid creatures. And not terribly interested in procreation.

One final point concerning the winning play:
I guess after next Saturday (24th June); the papers will be free to review the play- without spoiling the enjoyment of those who don't know or wish to know the outcome?