Theatre Review: Underneath the Lintel

[kangeiko]

Do you want the long story or the short story? No spoilers, just awesomeness.

Short story - this play is AMAZING. Go see it immediately, if not sooner.

Long story -
I was a little nervous going in, because I didn't know what to expect. I've seen some good one-man plays before, but I've also seen some absolute travesties. athena25, queenspanky, wingsmith and myself had just finished a lovely lunch at Belgo Centraal - their Stop the Clock mussels, which made our two-course meal with glass of wine a mere £10 per head - and we were fed and happy. And then we went into the theatre, and I was immediately struck by how small it was. I mean, we're talking Donmar-small. We were in the stalls, so there were people above us, obviously, but we couldn't see them. All we saw was this spartan stage, and Richard.

And he - man. He blew us all away. First off, his Dutch accent was spot on. Second, he - I don't even have words for his performance. I went there with these ideas in my head of Toby, live and in concert - so to speak - but by two minutes in, I wasn't watching Toby. I wasn't listening to Toby. It was The Librarian, and it was heart-breaking.

This play made me laugh and made me cry. It made me squeal with joy and hug my scarf for comfort. It took me in and convinced me of this man, this librarian on a quest, seeking miracles, and it made me feel for him in a way I wouldn't have thought was possible. See, this is the thing - Richard Schiff was amazing, but it wasn't just Richard's doing. The play is amazing, so much so that even I, as a theatre lay-person - nothing more than an enthusiast - could see why he'd fallen in love with it.

When we exited the performance, queenspanky was in tears, athena25 was still clapping, wingsmith was frantically scouring my programme to see how he could get his hands on a copy of the play, and I was practically hyper-ventilating.

Long story short? All four of us loved it. All four of us are going to see it again, and bringing all of our friends.

GO SEE THIS PLAY. NOW.

Comments

[justdreaming88.livejournal.com]

I loved it too :D did you on the 9th? Which showing? I was at the 19.45 :D

[kangeiko]

Me too!! A whole bunch of us were in the stalls, row J, right in the middle... we were the loud ones that were on our feet at the end. *g* God, that's weird - small world, yeah? :)

[justdreaming88.livejournal.com]

Woman with dark hair? Another with a poka dot/spotty back pack?

I was wearing a grey coat and jeans, with a woman who was in a greeny/blue coat. Well she was my mum, not a stranger :P

[kangeiko]

Nope... lessee...

1. guy with blonde hair, early twenties - wingsmith.
2. v. tall girl, short dark hair, brown coat, mid-twenties - athena25.
3. girl with mid-length dark hair, black coat and blue beret, mid-twenties - me.
4. girl with long black hair and red coat, mid-twenties - queenspanky.

Damnation. Oh, well. *g* Are you based in London, or did you come down for the show? 'Cause we're all going to see it again, for the 27th Feb Q&A...

[justdreaming88.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Don't remember lol.

I'm in Leicestershire, I came down to see it :) I really want to go again but I'm broke :(

[kangeiko]

*commiserates*

[justdreaming88.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I want to though *sigh*

[justdreaming88.livejournal.com]

http://teungawaka2003.livejournal.com/46581.html

[phla.livejournal.com]

I have a copy. It's in this house.

...I can't find it.

It's in an anthology, but it does exist.