Julie, National Theatre, London, review: Vanessa Kirby shines, but the dramatic stakes are lowered in Polly Stenham's update of Strindberg The play looks at … Some sort of... Tory?” Yet they persist with their fantasies of flight to Cape Verde. I pick you up after your abortion,” says Kristina in that same speech. Review: Romeo and Juliet at the National Theatre There’s a lot of hugging in the National Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet. Vanessa Kirby is Crown jewel in lacklustre Julie, National Theatre, review 3 Save Vanessa Kirby and Eric Kofi-Abrefa Dominic Cavendish, Theatre Critic 8 … Julie – played by Vanessa Kirby – is a damaged rich kid who’s celebrating her 33rd birthday by throwing a thumping rave for a bunch of posing hedonists. To have the f***ing time.”. Kirby excels at playing this latest addition to the echt Stenham gallery: the posh lost soul wild child who is paying the penalties of privilege and personal trauma (the discovery of her mother’s dead body). And she gives Kristina a strong speech near the end about how the faux-chummy Julie has robbed her of that tiny bit of dignity that was all she possessed: “I don’t think you even knew I had it. Let’s get pagan”), initiating a power game with him that will lead to sex and a savage struggle to the death. I pick you up after your abortion,” says Kristina in that same speech. Strindberg set the play in a world of rigid class distinctions for which Stenham finds no exact equivalent: if today a fat cat’s daughter had sex with a chauffeur, it might lead to chit-chat on social media but would hardly provoke the participants into dreaming of taking flight. Mail on Sunday 'A superlative production. But, although the published version tells us that the play’s two servants are “first-generation economic or political immigrants”, the text itself gives us scant information about their backgrounds. Julie is at the Lyttelton at the National Theatre, London. Below them, in the chic open plan kitchen, the help – Jean (Eric Kofi Abrefa), the family’s Ghanaian chauffeur, and his fiancee Kristina (Thalissa Teixeira), the Brazilian maid – tidy up and hold fort. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith The coke-snorting Julie, in turmoil after a breakup with her partner, comes downstairs and demands a dance with Jean that, as in Strindberg, has disastrous results. Such has been the number of adaptations and revised versions of August Strindberg’s (1849-1912) Miss Julie that have been staged in recent years (for instance, the 2018 National Theatre… There’s a glamorous tenacity about Kofi Abrefa’s fine Jean who certainly has her number, telling Julie that “to torment yourself like this is a luxury. Lyttelton, LondonThe Crown’s Vanessa Kirby impresses but this updated version of the class-conscious tragedy is overblown, Last modified on Mon 11 Jan 2021 11.02 EST. ‘Over-choreographed rather than spontaneous’ … Julie. Stream review of Romeo & Juliet (William Shakespeare) from National Theatre and Sky Arts at Lyttelton Theatre (National Theatre) - reviewer: Philip Fisher British Theatre Guide News, reviews, features and podcast on theatre across the UK Set in a North London house bordering on Hampstead Heath, Julie at the National Theatre examines how class divisions and middle class ennui exist today and can result in similar tragic results. We’re in a mansion off Hampstead Heath. So no great taboo is broken here by her having sex with a black chauffeur. August Strindberg’s 1888 play “Miss Julie” is a staple of classic theatre. Julie review – Polly Stenham's modern take on Strindberg misses the mark ‘The characters confront each other across a space like the Grand Canyon’ … Vanessa Kirby and Eric Kofi Abrefa in … I laughed out loud when she put a stop to some unwelcome, conversational development with the vague, would-be seductive “it’s all a construct”. Julie is at The National’s Lyttleton Theatre until 8 September and will be broadcast live as part of NT Live to cinemas worldwide on 6 September Colin Morgan and … The play looks at the hypocrisies of middle class liberals in relation to the ill-paid immigrant work-force on whom their moneyed lives depend, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. ‘Both vindictive and helpless’ … Vanessa Kirby as Julie with Eric Kofi Abrefa as Jean. For those who are not subscribed to National Theatre at Home, War Horse will be made available on Sky Store from 21 It doesn’t offer her much room for manoeuvre and, as she has reconceived it, the dramatic stakes are lowered. Then Julie comes down and hauls John off to the dance (“It’s my birthday, it’s the solstice. Stenham’s solution is to substitute money for class: the gulf between Julie and Jean is here financial. It’s been over a year since the National Theatre opened its doors for patrons, and so for the past 12 months, the magic of the stage has been experienced through TV and computer screens. Exhilarating.' Home/Drama/ Julie – National Theatre, London Drama London Review West End Julie – National Theatre, London The Reviews Hub - London 09/06/2018 3 … She’s clearly knackered; he illicitly samples a bottle of his boss’s Chateau Latour. Julie | On stage at the National Theatre 'Packs an emotional punch. Julie, National Theatre review - vacuous and unilluminating Vanessa Kirby leads superfluous update that is a lot more Stenham than Strindberg by Matt Wolf Saturday, 09 June 2018 The cast of the National Theatre production: Julie. Down in the kitchen her father’s black chauffeur, Jean, who has been deputed to keep an eye on proceedings, passes the time with his Brazilian fiancee, Kristina. Available at least until 10 January 2022. Julie is at the Lyttelton at the National Theatre, London, until 8 September. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here . Watch this video and more on National Theatre at Home Watch this video and more on National Theatre at Home Subscribe Learn More Already subscribed? Fortunately, the acting is good. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Review of Vanessa Kirby in Julie by Polly Stenham at the National Theatre, directed by Carrie Cracknell, designed by Tom Scutt. ‘The characters confront each other across a space like the Grand Canyon’ … Vanessa Kirby and Eric Kofi Abrefa in Julie at the National Theatre. Kirby catches perfectly the idea of Julie as a damaged, overgrown child torn between total dependence on others and suspicion that she is seen as a moneybox anyone can shake and rattle. August Strindberg's Miss Julie finds a new home in contemporary London, as Carrie Cracknell (The Deep Blue Sea) directs a cast including Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) and Eric Kofi Abrefa (The Amen Corner). T he National Theatre’s first foray into film-making is a very different proposition to an NT Live recording. Julie is at the National Theatre from 31 st May until 4 th August 2018. A production from National Theatre. Romeo and Juliet, National Theatre online review - a triumphant hybrid Simon Godwin's debut film is part dressed-down rehearsal, part cinematic flourish Living Newspaper, Edition 3, Royal Court online review – bleak news, sharp words Third instalment of the irreverent series takes on Boris, star signs, and casual sexism Review: National Theatre’s Julie Provides a Fascinating Glimpse Into the Talents of Golden Globe Nominee Vanessa Kirby By Guest Author on March 5, 2021 • ( Leave a comment ) Image Courtesy National Theatre at Home. Review: Julie, National Theatre An elegant and occasionally startling adaptation, Julie at the National Theatre is anchored by mesmerising performances from Vanessa Kirby and Thalissa Teixeira “If anyone has had anyone, I’ve had you “ Patrick Marber’s After Miss Julie relocated the action to the night of Labour’s election victory in 1945. Stenham’s answer is to hint that Jean wants to get his hands on Julie’s wealth, but that merely turns him into a cynical opportunist. BWW Review: JULIE, National Theatre by Marianka Swain Jun. Jessica Wretlind 18th June 2018 Reviews Jessica Wretlind reviews Julie, a new adaptation of Miss Julie by Polly Stenham now playing at the National Theatre. In this version, Julie is a trustafarian who is still living at home with her wealthy papa, popping Xanax, snorting cocaine, and evidently not leading a terribly sheltered life – “I hold your hair up when you’re sick. Kirby manages to make her both vindictive and helpless, and when she asks “Am I insane?” it is with genuine pathos. It says a lot for Kirby that her portrayal survives this “inventive” directorial flourish. Time Out August Strindberg's Miss Julie finds a new home in contemporary London, Carrie Cracknell (The Deep Blue Sea) directs a cast including Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) and Eric Kofi Abrefa (The Amen Corner). Box office: 020-7452 300. 'Julie': Theater Review 11:51 AM PDT 6/8/2018 by Demetrios Matheou FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Richard H Smith Technicolor tragedy. Directed by Carrie Cracknell, Matthew Amos. Carrie Cracknell’s production of this 80 minute piece is surprisingly low on sexual tension, though, and it makes some bad misjudgements. Review: Julie (National Theatre) Vanessa Kirby stars in Polly Stenham's reworking of August Strindberg's Miss Julie Time and time again, we see delicately lit close-ups of hands on shoulders, around necks, clutching backs. Available at least until 10 January 2022. But this collaboration between the National Theatre and Sky Arts would be exceptional in any circumstances. In Strindberg’s 1888 original, a count’s daughter fatally seduces her father’s valet. In Stenham’s version we are in modern London, where Julie, the 33-year-old daughter of a rich tycoon, is having a wild birthday bash in her dad’s townhouse. Here the play has to occupy a big theatre. Romeo and Juliet National Theatre review: Heartfelt and profoundly sad | Evening Standard That I need it.”. I can imagine her writing a wonderfully abrasive play of her own on that subject. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? In this highly anticipated adaptation of Miss Julie, Polly Steinheim reimagines August Strindberg’s 19th century classic for 2018. With Steven Bush, Tom Kelsey, Vanessa Kirby, Eric Kofi-Abrefa. Carrie Cracknell’s production and Tom Scutt’s design are similarly overblown. Yaël Farber’s Mies Julie set the story in a post-apartheid South Africa still simmering with racial and class tensions. Eric Kofi Abrefa is not helped by Jean’s lack of a backstory but conveys the character’s mix of attraction and repulsion towards the unstable Julie, and Thalissa Teixeira lends Kristina an unusual sexual vibrancy. Floating around barefoot, she’s brilliant at the accents of off-hand entitlement and those scraps of fashionable knowledge that are like an airily waved fag. 8, 2018 Polly Stenham's updating of Strindberg's Miss Julie moves the action to contemporary London, and … The pet canary in the Magimix, for example – a bird that makes not a peep of protest when Julie obeys Jean and pops it into the blender. The play has such a clear plot, it … Simon Godwin reduces Romeo and Juliet to an hour and a half for the National Theatre’s cool new production, broadcast on Sky Arts. In the National Theatre of London Live’s latest offering at the Sierra Cinemas this past Thursday evening, Wild and newly single, Julie throws a late night party, which rapidly descends into a savage fight for survival. By placing Miss Julie, Strindberg’s 19th century tragedy of infidelity and indulgence, at a sweaty, upmarket house party in London, Polly Stenham has made a class Review - Julie starring Vanessa Kirby is a 'play for the younger generation' at the National Theatre from LondonTheatre.co.uk There’s an increasingly desperate edge to her search for pleasure as, fresh from a breakup, she flings herself into this wild, comfortless cavorting. Polly Stenham is not the first dramatist to update Strindberg’s Miss Julie. These actors do sterling work but in Stenham’s version I never felt that the tragic outcome was dictated by an inexorable dramatic force. In this version, Julie is a trustafarian who is still living at home with her wealthy papa, popping Xanax, snorting cocaine, and evidently not leading a terribly sheltered life – “I hold your hair up when you’re sick. Kirby excels at playing this latest addition to the, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Julie, review: Vanessa Kirby shines in Polly Stenham's update, Booking.com promo: 10% extra with Level 1 Genius membership, Use this Debenhams discount and save up to 70% on men's lines - Spring offer, Exclusive Ideal World promo code: 20% saving on fitness, Receive a £2 AliExpress promo code with the official App, Up to 25% Argos dicount on Bosch gardening tools. Put simply, the crisis in Stenham’s version seems disproportionate to the events. In general, though, I was left puzzled by her use of Miss Julie as a template. It doesn’t offer her much room for manoeuvre and, as she has reconceived it, the dramatic stakes are lowered. Until 8 September (nationaltheatre.org.uk), Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Vanessa Kirky as Julie and the Cast of Julie at the National Theatre. Review: National Theatre Live Julie A contemporary take on Strindberg's classic, written and directed by women. Vanessa Kirby is magnetic as Julie.' The resulting red liquid looks like the basis of a new cocktail (a Canary Wharf, perhaps)? This leads to awkward transitions from the upstairs party to the downstairs kitchen, where the characters confront each other across a space like the Grand Canyon. Polly Stenham’s update shifts Strindberg’s explosive play about class and sex from nineteenth century Sweden to contemporary London. Suits me. Both these versions gave the play a strong political context signally lacking in Stenham’s version, which, although well acted – not least by The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby – doesn’t make total sense. You wonder why Jean would want to run off with an employer who insultingly tells him that “You’re sticking the maid”. Eric Kofi Abrefa and Vanessa Kirby in 'Julie', My Name is Lucy Barton, review: Laura Linney is luminous, In general, though, I was left puzzled by her use of.