The Antipodes Review National Theatre| CarenzaOnBooks

Taken from Google Images

Title- The Antipodes
Writer- Annie Baker
Theatre- Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre, London
Running Dates- final performance November 23rd
Running Times- approx 2 hours with no interval
Cast- Arthur Darvill, Conleth Hill, Imogen Doel and Bill Milner
Genre- New Writing
Rating- 4/5 stars

Plot

Following acclaimed runs of The Flick and John, Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Baker returns to the National Theatre with her latest extraordinary play. Their phones switched off, a group of people sit around a table telling, categorising and theorising stories. This is a world that is both familiar and fantastical. Their real purpose is never quite clear, but they continue on, searching for the monstrous. The Antipodes asks what value stories have for a world in crisis. ‘One of the freshest voices in American theatre.’ New York Times

Taken from the National Theatre Website 

Opinions

I'll be honest, before going to see it, I knew nothing about it. I only decided to go and see it because it Arthur Darvill in it and it sounded vaguely interesting. I don't think not knowing much about it impacted my viewing at all as it's the sort of play that you want to go into not knowing much about. 

If you are the type of person that is very invested in plots rather than characters, I would say this isn't the play for you. Personally, I go either way, as long as it's well written. I have a feeling that this play might be a marmite play, you either love it or you hate it. I feel that I fall into the former category. I heard a lot of people saying that they weren't the biggest fan of it due to the fact it didn't really tell a story, however, I also heard people saying they enjoyed the lack of structure. I'd like to see more plays like this as it was an enjoyable experience. 

I really enjoyed how it discussed the theme of writing and how to approach stories. I did agree with a lot of what was being said. It is hard to come up with new ideas when it feels like we are running out of ideas. Originally isn't what it used to be. I also found it a really interesting study on writers room and gender within them. The whole play has a cast of around ten, and only two of the actors are female. It was a well-written social piece and I would happily go see something similar to it again. 

One of the main things I enjoyed was how well acted it was. You got a very clear sense of what every character was like very quickly. For example, Arthur Darvill's character came across as a very stereotypical male who thinks they are the smartest person in the room. Through Darvill's performance, this came across very clearly to the audience. Usually with large ensemble casts, you can tell who is supposed to be the lead actor. But within this production, it felt very balanced. Each actor brought something to their character and it was a pleasant experience getting to watch them bring this play to life. 

Now that I've seen it, I would love to read the script. I would also love to see more of Annie Baker's plays as, like I've mentioned a million times, I really enjoyed this one. 

Carenza x  

Fleabag the Play Review| CarenzaOnBooks

Photo taken from Google

Title- Fleabag
Writer- Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Theatre- Wyndham's Theatre, London
Running Dates- last show on September 14th, broadcast live through NT Live on September 12th, encores expected 
Running Time- 65 mins with no interval
Cast- Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Genre- dark comedy
Rating- 5/5 stars

Plot

See the hilarious, award-winning, one-woman show that inspired the BBC’s hit TV series Fleabag, broadcast live to cinemas from London’s West End. 

Written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) and directed by Vicky Jones, Fleabag is a rip-roaring look at some sort of woman living her sort of life. 

Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose.

Playing to sold-out audiences in New York and London, don’t miss your chance to see this ‘legitimately hilarious show’ (New Yorker), broadcast live to a cinema near you.

Taken from National Theatre Website 

Opinions

I was already a huge fan of the TV show and was extremely lucky that the run of this show overlapped with my birthday, meaning I got tickets to see it the day after my birthday. I was very excited to go and see it. It did not disappoint.

Being in the same room as Phoebe Waller-Bridge, a woman who inspires me so much that I wrote one of my university assessed pieces about her, was a privilege. Getting to see her perform took my breath away. I will start this by saying that the play is very different from the show. As it was originally written for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, it has an abnormally short running time for a West End show. It gets going right away and you are immediately thrown into Fleabag's world. She is just as funny and unapologetically herself in the play as she is in the show.

The only downside of having seen the show first was that a lot of the jokes were the same and therefore didn't have quite the same effect on me as they did on people who hadn't seen the show. Also, the fourth wall element is very different in person. It still works wonderfully, you just don't get these cheeky glances from Fleabag that we do in the show. 

Waller-Bridge is a superb writer and keeps your attention for the whole time. The big revelations of the show shock you, to the point where one of them had the whole audience gasp. I've been in very few shows where they manage to achieve that. She keeps you on your toes the whole time, not quite sure which way the story's going to turn. 

I loved the minimalist setting and the use of voices through speakers. I think that a more elaborate set and production would have taken away the Fringe vibe that you get from the show. Waller-Bridge hardly leaves her chair, and if she does it's just for a few seconds at a time. 

I am so glad that I got to see this show and if you have a chance to go see it I would highly recommend. It is a very funny, dark comedy with lots of adult themes performed to perfection.