SO here be my thoughts under a cut.

Spoiler

I will be honest, the subject matter flew right over my head as I have very little interest in political debates and current affairs. I was expecting to be bored out of my mind. Thankfully, the engaging performances kept me interested and some of the scenarios put forward did make a lot of sense to me. At times it was heavy going and at one point in the final scene I felt like the playwright had overplayed his hand (the exchange and examples were about five minutes too long and I got mentally lost and started drifting - so did my viewing companion) but I suppose a few well tuned football related jokes were good for audience members who were perhaps feeling a little alienated or drained by it.

I won't go on about the themes any more. They were kind of beyond me, really. So I will just talk about Damien's characters and performance.

His first character was very brief and my least favourite of the three. He was a workman from.Northern Ireland who came from a country in far worse shape and simply could not understand what the Brits had to complain about. He played it as tired and jaded and unwilling to engage - but melting a little at the end of it. He wasn't particularly pleasant, a man affected by his own situation. All to brief an appearance to get anything more than that really.

I must add he got changed at the right hand side of the stage and wandered back in topless all too briefly.

His next character proved that this man, whilst gorgeous and clear skinned and wonderful haired and blush cheeked, can be truly ugly. His racist hooligan Jason had the woman behind me gasping aloud in disgust. He was angry and volatile, a throwback from the old Chelsea Combat 18 days. Calling everyone 'c*nts' and screaming abuse at the telly. Of the 'immigrant took our job' mentality. His exchange with one of the other characters was disturbing and unpleasant. A truly ugly character. Was hard to take your eyes off him though. He filled the stage with vitriol and boldness. Ugliness. And the revenge that is afforded to him is brilliant. Though it comes with a price.

His final character was my favorite. Ray, a charismatic Irish protester for public opinion. In a mustard jumper, beanie hat and striped green socks he looked the part. His passionate, animated speech and behavior was engaging and proved why he was and should be 'the leader'. I liked Ray and his accent was just different enough to differentiate between his first character as well. A couple of people seemed to think it was the same person but Ray was impassioned and vocal whereas the other character was bitter. Angry. This character was clever with words and actions. He moved around the stage well. His views were somewhat relatable and his delivery was brilliant. This was his longest scene. Up until that point he hadn't really had a lot to do really.

I'm glad I went. He really is brilliant (as were two of the other performers and I still haven't decided who stood out the most, objectively speaking - the guy who played Ryan was excellent) but I could have done without the walk from Victoria Station because Sloane Square was closed. Especially with food poisoning. Was utterly exhausted when I got there and the theatre had nothing in the way of sweets. Alas.

But, all in all, it was worth the trek.

RougeSang wrote:

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SO here be my thoughts under a cut.

Spoiler

I will be honest, the subject matter flew right over my head as I have very little interest in political debates and current affairs. I was expecting to be bored out of my mind. Thankfully, the engaging performances kept me interested and some of the scenarios put forward did make a lot of sense to me. At times it was heavy going and at one point in the final scene I felt like the playwright had overplayed his hand (the exchange and examples were about five minutes too long and I got mentally lost and started drifting - so did my viewing companion) but I suppose a few well tuned football related jokes were good for audience members who were perhaps feeling a little alienated or drained by it.

I won't go on about the themes any more. They were kind of beyond me, really. So I will just talk about Damien's characters and performance.

His first character was very brief and my least favourite of the three. He was a workman from.Northern Ireland who came from a country in far worse shape and simply could not understand what the Brits had to complain about. He played it as tired and jaded and unwilling to engage - but melting a little at the end of it. He wasn't particularly pleasant, a man affected by his own situation. All to brief an appearance to get anything more than that really.

I must add he got changed at the right hand side of the stage and wandered back in topless all too briefly.

His next character proved that this man, whilst gorgeous and clear skinned and wonderful haired and blush cheeked, can be truly ugly. His racist hooligan Jason had the woman behind me gasping aloud in disgust. He was angry and volatile, a throwback from the old Chelsea Combat 18 days. Calling everyone 'c*nts' and screaming abuse at the telly. Of the 'immigrant took our job' mentality. His exchange with one of the other characters was disturbing and unpleasant. A truly ugly character. Was hard to take your eyes off him though. He filled the stage with vitriol and boldness. Ugliness. And the revenge that is afforded to him is brilliant. Though it comes with a price.

His final character was my favorite. Ray, a charismatic Irish protester for public opinion. In a mustard jumper, beanie hat and striped green socks he looked the part. His passionate, animated speech and behavior was engaging and proved why he was and should be 'the leader'. I liked Ray and his accent was just different enough to differentiate between his first character as well. A couple of people seemed to think it was the same person but Ray was impassioned and vocal whereas the other character was bitter. Angry. This character was clever with words and actions. He moved around the stage well. His views were somewhat relatable and his delivery was brilliant. This was his longest scene. Up until that point he hadn't really had a lot to do really.

I'm glad I went. He really is brilliant (as were two of the other performers and I still haven't decided who stood out the most, objectively speaking - the guy who played Ryan was excellent) but I could have done without the walk from Victoria Station because Sloane Square was closed. Especially with food poisoning. Was utterly exhausted when I got there and the theatre had nothing in the way of sweets. Alas.

But, all in all, it was worth the trek.

 

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 wow Rougesang, thank you so so much for such a detailed insight, i really feel like a vicarously experienced Damiens' characters a little on reading. Really glad you were well enough to go in the end.

(changing on stage? topless? oh my...)

Shall enjoy reading this again and again

Londonlaura wrote:

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domino wrote:

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Hi Laura,


Good to hear that Damien gets to flex his acting muscles with three characters, very different from each other and roles he has played before. playing a racist cockney must have been a real challenge, and to watch that as well? How did that work? if you can say without giving away spoilers, was it a number of sketches? and costume changes off stage? were there costumes? we know it was sans decor so i have been intrigued about this from the start. It sounds as if it was not a long play, but very intense?

thank you for giving Damien the cards from the forum, how was that part? it sounds like he received lots of lovely things - he is spoilt by us fans! lol!

wow he kept all his costumes except the tweed suit? lucky man! he got his domino too as mentioned on the Q&A on the Being Human blog. wonder if they have plans for the tweed suit.....

It must have been wonderful meeting the other cast members too, Meera Syal is an actor I admire, I was so excited to hear that Damien was going to be appearing in the same play.

Lovely autograph , well thank goodness he had more than 3 lines in the play!

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 Damien said thank you for the cards.  Theres' a photo of me giving them to him. Still don't know about the flowers.  I hope he tweets & let's us know. 

I reckon the tweed suit is so iconic with Hal and Being Human that the BBC are keeping it. I wouldn't be surprised if BBC Wales are going to have a Being Human exhibition or it'll appear in a costume exhibition at the V & A.  They've got that Dr Who exhibition in Cardiff Bay at the moment haven't they?

The 3 characters are in 3 seperate scenes.  It's interesting that the actors themselves actually change the props for each scene. It was strange at first to see them changing and sitting at the side of the stage watching each others' scenes but you got used to it. i do admit I did watch Damien sitting at the side of the stage watching the acting in the centre of the stage - but I am seeing it 3 times so I have plenty of time to see everything. (Might even see it a 4th time if Brookesey  & Trevor decide to go again! he he)

I hope to chat to the other actors next time.  They did look amused when they saw us standing there waiting for Damien. Most of them smoke too, so were still there watching when Damien came out.  When they started to leave for the bar, Damien was talking to Brookesey so I called out to them. "We loved you too, honest. We loved eveyone in the play"  I did go a bit fan-girly when Meera Syal was on the same tube as us. I told her I'm coming again, so she said "good, I'll see you then".

 

 

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 Aw that's good to hear, thanks again for delivering Laura! go team! Did Damien read the cards here and then? naughty boy, one was for his birthday! I bet he's gettig used to our cards by now and is all nonchalant about it, ha ha! the fowers were deffo delivered to the Royal Court to him, it would be unlikely if he did not recieve them Perhaps he didn't appreciate the banana theme! lol!

A Being Human exhibition? that would be just perfect wouldn't it? and that would be the most iconic of all Hals' costumes. 

I am so intrigued by this idea of a deconstructed stage, where there are no props, or the actors move the props themselves, and the actors change on the side of the stage. it seems a very immediate way of bringing something alive. (getting to ogle Damien while he's not actually in a scene must be an addeed bonus!)