Skin Tight - park theatre

ChangN4N6 · August 2013

Has anyone seen this show? Apparently lots of nudity so not sure if to go with Jonty and her mum. Let me know if you've seen it. Chang

harpistic · August 2013

I've just read through four or five reviews, and none mention nudity.

rainbow_carnage · August 2013

Awful script. Competent choreography and direction. The five-star reviews are from people who didn't understand the play, but felt like they should have. The girl is naked the last five minutes of the play.

Sutent · August 2013

I watched it. I didnt quite understand it. Its is very complicated. Nudity at the end only

rainbow_carnage · August 2013

It's not complicated. It's just bad.

ChangN4N6 · August 2013

Some of the reviews are very good but it does sound a bit deep for me. Chang

Arkady · August 2013

I thought it was brilliant. In what way was the script bad?

hlossi · August 2013

I saw it last week and i really enjoyed it.<div>The script has room for interpretation and i found it very real. I was very engaged and i wasn't bored at all bearing in mind there are just 2 people on stage without much action. I wasn't blown away but i thought it was good!</div>

ChangN4N6 · August 2013

Look at this ppl. http://vimeo.com/m/43490989 Looks spooky. Chang

cristo · August 2013

A friend of mind saw it - said it was very intense but very good. I'd say go and see it for yourself and make your own mind up.

rainbow_carnage · August 2013

It's pretentious shite. I saw over 150 plays last year and read another 200+ scripts. The one thing I look for in a play is a trace of original thought. I can forgive under-developed characters, unbelievable scenarios, clunky dialogue... just about anything as long as there's a hint of something new. You don't have to redefine a genre. Just have something to say. A new idea. A new way of looking at an old thing. A new way of expressing a common emotion. If you can't do that, then why the hell are you wasting my time? This play isn't deep. It's pretentious. The script veers from annoyingly cryptic to utterly predictable. The writer withholds information from the audience, which is fine - that's what keeps you interested. But he does it in such a clumsy way that you know he's doing it. In the next scene, he does the opposite. He sets up a revelation that you can see a mile off. It's the sort of thing that should have been smoothed out by the third or fourth draft. And, after all that, the writer has nothing to say. Those of you who saw the play - what did you think it was about?

krappyrubsnif · August 2013

Someone once told me that an awful script or a really distressingly bad bit of playwriting is known to the people who read plays for theatre companies as a 'Dangerous Toilet'. Apparently there was an especially pretentious play script from a sub-Samuel Beckett wannabe doing the rounds, that featured people getting locked in the lavatory. I wonder if that still applies?

ChangN4N6 · August 2013

I went . It was a long hour. Good actors doing lots of physical stuff which was impressive. Story/ relationships not credible IMHO . Nudity 2 short. Don't think pretentious tho, just trying (2 hard ) to be poetic. I did wonder tho (shoot me down) if this had been a black rather than NZ couple if ppl would see more in it and be less critical. Just a thought. Chang

rainbow_carnage · August 2013

@krappyrubsnif - Ha! I don't know that one, but I wouldn't be surprised. @ChangN4N6 - I didn't know it was set in NZ until I read it on the back of the leaflet after the show. I don't think it would make a difference. Bad writing is bad writing. It doesn't help that there was zero chemistry between the actors. Did anyone buy that they were life-long lovers? To end on a positive note, I did enjoy the choreography, especially the scene with the knife. And that the play is watchable, despite the lousy script, is a credit to the director.

Arkady · August 2013

I think they mentioned that the town was 'Salisbury' so I had assumed Rhodesia. I'm useless at this sort of criticism, but I picked out two, overlapping themes. Without wishing to spoil the play, one theme was the surveying of a long relationship, and all of the pleasure, pain and pent-up anger that went with it. The other (and this was more opaque) appeared to be the relationship between sex and violence. I didn't quite understand what they were doing - though it made for some astonishing choreography - but every sex scene was portrayed either as a physical fight or a weird knife-dance, etc. I thought that the 'soldier visits prostitute' bit spoke to this too. So I didn't fully understand it, but I thought it was great. Has anyone seen Daytona? Contemplating going

krappyrubsnif · August 2013

Daytona = v good indeed. You won't be baffled by any of it..

miss annie · August 2013

@rainbow_carnage Did you ever see Someone To Watch Over Me? Best thing I've ever seen on stage. I reckon it would play brilliantly at the Park. You have my sympathies, must be exhausting sitting through that many plays and scripts. What percentage are any good?

ChangN4N6 · August 2013

The panto looks good and is more up my street. Look forward to seeing u there as Sleeping beauty!! Seriously this will be excellent . Chang

rainbow_carnage · August 2013

@miss annie - I guess that depends on how narrowly you want to define the term 'good'. In an average month, there are one or two that I would recommend to others, but I wouldn't necessary describe them as good plays. There are maybe two or three a year that are memorable. So yeah, not a lot. More often than not, I leave at the interval. I'm afraid I haven't seen Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, but I've read the script.

miss annie · August 2013

It was outstanding - Aiden Gillan, David Threlfall and Jonny Lee Miller at. The Almeida years ago. It really has stayed with me. Have you seen anything amazing this year?

harpistic · August 2013

Have you seen Chimerica?

rainbow_carnage · August 2013

@miss annie - Nothing mind-blowing, but there are a few shows that I'd definitely recommend. Of the things that are still playing, I really enjoyed A Season in the Congo at the Young Vic. Punchdrunk's The Drowned Man is well worth experiencing. It's not a play, but really good fun. Got a free drink and a kiss from a cute blonde dancer, which is always a bonus. I'm not a fan of Ibsen, but The Young Vic's production of A Doll's House is magnificent. It's transferring to the Duke of York's. None of these are the sort of productions I'll remember in 10 years' time, but I'm glad I saw them. @harpistic - I'm afraid not. We had tickets to see it at the Almeida, but couldn't make it. Unfortunately, I can't afford to see it at West End prices.

Donna · August 2013

Totally agree with comments. It was terrible. Really boring, and rubbish dialogue, and unrealistic. And not clever, just pretentious, and made no sense. They were supposed to be old and still in love. The writer had clearly never met an old person who had married the love of their life. My grandparents were married for 60+ years and told each other how much they loved each other every night, quoting Shakespeare, toasting each other, they were amazing. They died within 36 hours of each other, and they were buried at the same time in the same grave. This play didn't evoke any of the kind of love and passion they felt for one another at the end of their lives. Cant believe it got such good reviews and fooled me into going. Boo! First play at park90 and I will be wanting rainbow carnage's review of the next one before I go back... Let us know what you think of thark. All of the park200 productions I've been to (all three so far!) I've really enjoyed,

krappyrubsnif · August 2013

@rainbow_carnage Have you seen the Globe Theatre's Macbeth? I know the Globe has a mixed reputation and often feels very amateur, but I do like the venue. And some recent shows have been outstanding.

krappyrubsnif · August 2013

_

miss annie · August 2013

We went to see their touring production of Hamlet last year, it was brilliant. Would have been even better had it not been the day before the Olympic opening ceremony with sodding helicopters buzzing overhead every five minutes.

Mirandola · August 2013

Donna - thank you for that story.

Marquis · August 2013

rainbow_carnage - thanks for those comments. I have been thinking about going to see A Season in the Congo for a while and will certainly do so now. Also agree re Punchdrunk (but can't see what's so bad generally about Ibsen). You should post regular updates here! Do you have a blog or the like?

rainbow_carnage · August 2013

@Donna - That's a lovely story about your grandparents. I couldn't agree more with your assessment of Skin Tight. Never for a moment did I believe that the two people on that stage were the love of each other's lives. @krappyrubsnif - I'm afraid not. I haven't been to the Globe in ages. The last time I went was to a midnight matinee of... I want to say King Lear, but I'm not certain. Either way, I fell asleep during the fact act and left in the interval. But that probably had more to do with the fact that I'm too old to watch a play at 2 a.m. than with that specific production. @Marquis - No blog, sorry. But yes, you should definitely see A Season in the Congo. As for Ibsen, I just never got into any of his plays. I think it has to do with the female characters. They sound like they were written by a man who found women annoying. I love Chekhov, though.

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Skin Tight - park theatre

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