Sat 15th June - 2pm Matinee Performance
Noel Coward Theatre - £10 ticket, £4 ProgrammeI had a few reasons for wanting to see this show:
- £10 tickets
- I had seen and enjoyed Privates on Parade which was the first show in the Michael Grandage Season at the Noel Coward theatre (Unfortunately I missed out on seeing Peter and Alice
- I was intrigued to see Daniel Radcliffe in a live performance
The Cripple of Innishmann is still quite early in its 12 week run and with a name like Daniel Radcliffe in it, the place was sold out. I ended up with a standing ticket which really wasn't too bad and I watched most of the show sitting on the side steps anyway :P
The set for the show was reasonably simplistic. It was a three sectioned set on a rotating stage, one side was the shop owned by the Billy's (Radcliffe) Aunts, another was a bed chamber belonging to the mother of the towns gossip monger/a lodging house in Hollywood and the third was used as the towns makeshift theatre/a beach where boats were launched from. The lighting was naturalistic and remained partially dimmed for the beginning of transitions then moved into blackout.
The Cripple of Innishmann is a Dark comedy or a Tragi-comedy. Although it had me laughing a lot throughout there was a lot of darker material which quite often left me silent and solemn. The cast did a terrific job with the Irish accent which they maintained throughout.
Billy's two aunts were a splendid duo who's interactions were highly comedic. Billy's Love Helen was a sprightly lass who you couldn't help falling in love with, despite her putting on a tough exterior, breaking eggs, punching people and fecking all through her dialogue. Your heart breaks for her a little as her softer side is glimpsed briefly in the Bittersweet final scene. The rest of the cast were also superb and likable characters despite all their obvious flaws.
Then of course there was Radcliffe as Billy. I could see Billy being an extremely difficult role to play and Radcliffe pulled it off Magnificently! Billy is a cripple, though the reasons for this are not expressed within the play it is know he has been this way from birth. Radcliff with the help of a movement specialist worked through the text to get as much in the was of details as they could and decided that Cerebral Palsy fitted the symptoms best (Info given in programme). Daniel donned a locked leg and a hand clutched close to his chest which he maintained throughout, the realism of his movements is difficult to express though suffice to say it was superbly done and if it wasn't a well known actor I think you could easily have though they had typecast the role.
All-in-All a superb show, which I would recommend going to see if you are able before it closes on the 31st August 2013.
The set for the show was reasonably simplistic. It was a three sectioned set on a rotating stage, one side was the shop owned by the Billy's (Radcliffe) Aunts, another was a bed chamber belonging to the mother of the towns gossip monger/a lodging house in Hollywood and the third was used as the towns makeshift theatre/a beach where boats were launched from. The lighting was naturalistic and remained partially dimmed for the beginning of transitions then moved into blackout.
The Cripple of Innishmann is a Dark comedy or a Tragi-comedy. Although it had me laughing a lot throughout there was a lot of darker material which quite often left me silent and solemn. The cast did a terrific job with the Irish accent which they maintained throughout.
Billy's two aunts were a splendid duo who's interactions were highly comedic. Billy's Love Helen was a sprightly lass who you couldn't help falling in love with, despite her putting on a tough exterior, breaking eggs, punching people and fecking all through her dialogue. Your heart breaks for her a little as her softer side is glimpsed briefly in the Bittersweet final scene. The rest of the cast were also superb and likable characters despite all their obvious flaws.
Then of course there was Radcliffe as Billy. I could see Billy being an extremely difficult role to play and Radcliffe pulled it off Magnificently! Billy is a cripple, though the reasons for this are not expressed within the play it is know he has been this way from birth. Radcliff with the help of a movement specialist worked through the text to get as much in the was of details as they could and decided that Cerebral Palsy fitted the symptoms best (Info given in programme). Daniel donned a locked leg and a hand clutched close to his chest which he maintained throughout, the realism of his movements is difficult to express though suffice to say it was superbly done and if it wasn't a well known actor I think you could easily have though they had typecast the role.
All-in-All a superb show, which I would recommend going to see if you are able before it closes on the 31st August 2013.
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