What more can I say than I fell asleep in all three acts?
I have seen and enjoyed this play before but for some reason this production did not work for me. I definitely did not like the set and felt it was getting in the way of the actors and the action.
A very good cast, including Tara Rosling, the understudy for Laurie Paton as Lady Utterwood, who stepped in without missing a beat,could not salvage a rather boring and pedantic play. Benedict Campbell was great as the beleaguered Boss Manganese. Michael Ball was suitably gruff as Captain Shotover.
But the play does prove that Shaw knew Nothing about women and even less about the relationships between men and women.
For some reason I got this play mixed up with Misalliance and kept waiting for the Aviatrix.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, I was mostly focused on the set - which is not a good thing to say about a production. I don't know what Leslie Frankish was thinking about. She got obsessed with the ship thing and ended up with a set that had actors scurrying around various obstacles to get in position for their next lines. It is quite a surprise coming from such an experienced designer.
No complaints about the cast really, Ball was particularly good, Evan Willis was a bit invisible, but overall a workman-like production. One I'll quickly forget, though.
PS: I like the name "Boss Manganese" - I am sure Shaw would have used it if he'd thought of it!
I pad can take the credit for manganese.
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