Phaedra - National Theatre - Review with photos of a story of forbidden love

Рет қаралды 4,155

Жыл бұрын

Simon Stone's new version of the story of forbidden love previously told by Euripides, Seneca and Racine is a mix of comedy and tragedy. The script and the acting are great, says reviewer Paul Seven Lewis, so what was it he didn't like?
Janet McTeer leads an excellent cast that includes Assaad Bouab, Mackenzie Davis (making an impressive theatrical debut), Paul Chahidi, John Macmillan and Akiya Henry.
Written and directed by Simon Stone with set design by Chloe Lamford and Sound by Stefan Gregory.
Phaedra can be seen at the National Theatre until 8 April 2023.
Paul received a review ticket from the producer
Follow Theatre.Reviews on Mastodon, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
Read reviews at theatre.reviews

Пікірлер: 20

@ryebread9299 11 ай бұрын

Absolutely adored this production

@postmanpat2964 Жыл бұрын

Can't wait to see it!

@reburner8602 Жыл бұрын

Sort of agree about the uprights but I liked the revolving box. I did not have the same view as you about the scene changes. I found them a welcome break from the fast paced emotional activity of the play and, as you said, the music was wonderful. Thanks for the review.

@TheatreReviewsWithPaulSeven Жыл бұрын

It’s very interesting that you found the scene changes helpful in slowing the pace. Because I felt they disrupted the pace, it didn’t occur to me that the slow scene changes might have been deliberate. I too liked the revolve, especially its use at the end when Helen began to run. It was only because the review was getting a bit long that I didn’t mention its effectiveness.

@mimiluluXx Жыл бұрын

thanks for this paul, i saw the play earlier this month with my a-level drama class and i have to write about it in detail for my exam, i quickly forget moments and storylines of plays i've seen so this review will be so helpful for my studies :)

@TheatreReviewsWithPaulSeven Жыл бұрын

Good luck in your exam.

@mariaclarke2018 Жыл бұрын

Brilliant review and I loved it to.

@TheatreReviewsWithPaulSeven Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@PrivatePrivate-so4if 6 ай бұрын

A superb review. The play is terrific and the cast too. I thought the idea of the set was also clever but certain aspects were distracting. The box wasn’t the problem but there were too many uprights. Yes, they obscured the actors and the ludicrous time taken to change scenes was appalling. Sets should enhance productions not drag them to a tedious stop. It seems that there were too many inexperienced technical people working on this production and this undercut both the script and the actors.

@TheatreReviewsWithPaulSeven 6 ай бұрын

Yes, such a good production but spoiled, for me, but the elongated scene changes.

@marilubambi66 Жыл бұрын

I haven't seen it but the review is 5 stars!

@TheatreReviewsWithPaulSeven Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@alioscopy-glasses-free-3D Жыл бұрын

An excellent review, Paul, but I actually liked the staging… for me, it gave an almost voyeuristic sense of watching the lives of others! Also, I'm in agreement with another comment left on here… I did not find the blackouts to be too long, and I thought the voice-overs & projections of translated text during these set-changes were very engaging. When you started your review by saying that there was one thing you didn't like, I wondered if it was going to be the same as my 'one thing'. For me, all of the cast were brilliant - particularly Janet McTeer - but I've seen other death & suicide scenes handled better than in this production. I really don't think it needs to be anywhere near as graphic - it's like they included this last scene to gain notoriety for the play. In addition, it means that Janet McTeer, bizarrely, takes her final applause covered in fake blood, and looking like she's just escaped from a zombie film!!

@TheatreReviewsWithPaulSeven Жыл бұрын

‘Voyeuristic’ is a spot-on description of the effect of the glass box. I just didn’t like the way the uprights blocked the view. Like you, I liked the extracts from the father’s letter. It was the extended blackouts during which only music played that I felt disrupted the rhythm of the play. The ending certainly didn’t provide the dramatic climax that was probably intended. It wasn’t shocking enough to achieve notoriety, and I simply didn’t believe she would commit suicide. The empty misty setting indicated that she had nothing left materially and that she was spiritually lost, but (and maybe I missed some clues) my impression was that she was too self centred to be overwhelmed by guilt. No doubt things were different in Ancient Greece but these days, when a politician’s personal life and public image are shattered, they write a cathartic book and go on I’m A Celebrity! But yes, an extraordinary performance by Janet McTeer.

@fletcherwilliams5947 Жыл бұрын

The review is probably better acted and emoted than the actual play 😂 brilliant

@TheatreReviewsWithPaulSeven Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@andrewstorm8240 Жыл бұрын

Have you seen guys and dolls?

@TheatreReviewsWithPaulSeven Жыл бұрын

I had booked to see it last Saturday then I got COVID. Now I can’t see it until 7 April. Disappointing and frustrating since the word so far is, it’s very good. Have you seen it?

@andrewstorm8240 Жыл бұрын

@@TheatreReviewsWithPaulSeven sorry to hear - hopefully recover soon. Yes best staging I’ve seen

@TheatreReviewsWithPaulSeven Жыл бұрын

@@andrewstorm8240 Thank you. I feel worse after hearing from you how good it is.