You can read the link to the review to know how the critics feel about the play. I confessed that just before the intermission a few quiet tears had rolled down my cheeks and Rebecca confessed that she had choked back a few sobs at the same moment. The play is insanely funny, the dialogue exquisitely fine tuned and the thematic material still relevant. A wonderful way to finish off the theatre in London this time.
Love,
Arta
p.s. from Rebecca....
 |
| scene from Pitmen Painters |
One of the great things about the show was the way it incorporated the art itself. Each time one of the guys did a painting, it would go up on the easel, and then they would all talk about it (perhaps 'critique' is a more accurate word). They projected a large version of the piece above the stage so you could really see the thing they were talking about. And the discussions about the paintings were hysterically funny (and sometimes moving to the point of tears).
But each painting, once discussed, stayed on stage (in The Hut where the men worked, just leaning against the walls). The layers of paintings built up over the play so that by the end of the thing, you felt so familiar with the paintings you had seen. I love this image from the play... it is one of the first paintings they did/talked about, and so i can't see the image without breaking into a smile.
At the end of the play, i was left thinking. I have started buying the CD for each musical we go to. My thinking is, "Hey... I am in London, and just paid to see a huge group of people come together to produce a moment of theatre.... why would I NOT get the CD?!" Each time the tunes come on at home, i am flung back to the space of the performance. So... after THIS show, I turned to Arta and said "I am sure there is no CD, but this play makes me want to buy a book of the paintings!" :-) and there is indeed such a book (available on amazon). If you want to read more on the painters themselves, you can follow this link
(and then click on 'About' or 'Artists' to see more). I am most definitely going to try and take my kids to this one!http://www.musicomh.com/theatre/pitmen_0508.htm
Rebecca and I sat left and a few rows from the front, that place where you look up at the stage, definitely a moment where the spit that comes from the mouths of the actors is reflected in the stage light, and a phenomenon that seems to disappear as the viewer seems to get moved right onto the stage in this play, sitting on one of the seats, critiquing the artwork along with this classic group of miners taking their first art class.
ReplyDeleteAt the break, Wyona and Greg, who were sitting back 10 rows, came forward so that we could talk about the play, all of us bubbling with comments. The first one from Wyona was, "Did you recognize anyone?"
We said, "Yes, Uncle Dave." There he was on stage -- his height, his mannerisms, his facial expressions, acting as the protagonist in the play. If ever Dave has a twin somewhere, it is the actor, Cox, who is his double somewhere else in the world.