Two weeks ago, I saw a play in London. A play that I loved in script form. The Cripple of Inishmaan. By a writer I love. Mr Martin bleak as you like McDonagh. Featuring a cast - a lead actor at least - I should've loved. Daniel Radcliffe stars. Saw him in Equus. And obviously Those films. And he's brilliant. And a stellar production company. Michael Grandage. He knows what he's doing, right?
I arrived at the theatre half sick with excitement. It began. And set, acting, sound, lights, all excellent. Spot on. Perfectly timed. Perfectly thoughtful. Perfectly heartfelt. Perfectly brilliant.
But it didn't clutch at my heart in quite the way that I expect from something that proper enchants seduces enthralls me.
Last night.
Let The Right One In.
Tiny (relatively) theatre. Dundee. A Local (and I use the word advisedly) Production. The National Theatre of Scotland. A script they nurtured into existence, based on a film, albeit an exquisite film. About vampires. An inauspicious start.
The whole endeavour - return train, theatre ticket, lovely Thai tea, interval ice-cream, couple of taxis - probably cost about as much as the ticket alone for the London show.
And the show. The show plucked up my heart like a daffodil (for Alex) and I was lost. Within the - there wasn't even a lights up moment. The set was just there - opening beautifully choreographed and utterly innocuous scene.
I won't say anything much more about it in case Ross is reading. (SJ, DG, JGH, I'd love to compare notes.) But the set wasn't just marvellous. It was marvellous in four different ways. Gorgeous choreography. (Steven Hoggett, if you're free in the autumn, I'm doing JC??) Perfect acting. Well done, oh so well done to the wee girl. You are the actor I would oh so like to be. The music. A symphony.
It was spine-chillingly heart-racingly breath-holdingly lovely.
John Tiffany. Man alive, we'll miss you. Will you come back and guest direct..?
Last night was a night where the theatre scoops you up, whisks you along on a magical marvellous sleigh ride and puts you down gently at the end with some of the White Queen's special Turkish delight, wishing it would start all over again.
Two weeks ago was "just" a really great show.
Well done, NTS, John, Steven, wee girl, little Oskar, set designer, lighting designer, music man. You do Scotland very very proud.
I arrived at the theatre half sick with excitement. It began. And set, acting, sound, lights, all excellent. Spot on. Perfectly timed. Perfectly thoughtful. Perfectly heartfelt. Perfectly brilliant.
But it didn't clutch at my heart in quite the way that I expect from something that proper enchants seduces enthralls me.
Last night.
Let The Right One In.
Tiny (relatively) theatre. Dundee. A Local (and I use the word advisedly) Production. The National Theatre of Scotland. A script they nurtured into existence, based on a film, albeit an exquisite film. About vampires. An inauspicious start.
The whole endeavour - return train, theatre ticket, lovely Thai tea, interval ice-cream, couple of taxis - probably cost about as much as the ticket alone for the London show.
And the show. The show plucked up my heart like a daffodil (for Alex) and I was lost. Within the - there wasn't even a lights up moment. The set was just there - opening beautifully choreographed and utterly innocuous scene.
I won't say anything much more about it in case Ross is reading. (SJ, DG, JGH, I'd love to compare notes.) But the set wasn't just marvellous. It was marvellous in four different ways. Gorgeous choreography. (Steven Hoggett, if you're free in the autumn, I'm doing JC??) Perfect acting. Well done, oh so well done to the wee girl. You are the actor I would oh so like to be. The music. A symphony.
It was spine-chillingly heart-racingly breath-holdingly lovely.
John Tiffany. Man alive, we'll miss you. Will you come back and guest direct..?
Last night was a night where the theatre scoops you up, whisks you along on a magical marvellous sleigh ride and puts you down gently at the end with some of the White Queen's special Turkish delight, wishing it would start all over again.
Two weeks ago was "just" a really great show.
Well done, NTS, John, Steven, wee girl, little Oskar, set designer, lighting designer, music man. You do Scotland very very proud.
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