Whilst the issues of length and the ending not really working still remain, there were some definite changes for the better to this since the first time I saw it on Wednesday. There were a handful of lines that were entirely new (I certainly had no recollection of hearing them during the WIP), some lines had been folded back in, some had been taken out (admittedly some of these might have just been as a result of forgetting them from one show to the next).
What is clear having now seen the finished show twice is that there’s 90 minutes of brilliant material here, and about 30 that don’t quite work, or just aren’t needed. It’s clear the ending is being reworked slightly as the circumstances of why it’s happening and when he realises it are a little different (trying not to make it so much of a mystery definitely improves things and makes it a little more believable). It also highlights to me how reviews really are crap – especially when done based on the opening night.
It’s going to be interesting to see how things change over the rest of the run.
Show 2019.002 ★