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Yes, there are some references, including 'Bob' making an entrance, but it's disappointing that UC is down-rated by those who see it as a Blackadder series.
The dialogue is tight and fast-paced, makes great play with the absurdities of A level study and intersects with several historical and modern day themes, particularly as Southern Rail which is hilarious.
The cast are all excellent, whether playing straight or hamming it up. David Mitchel is a real surprise and Mark Heap is delightfully awful as the nasty, conniving, petulant, supercilious Robert Greene. However, Gemma Whelan is simply superb. She switches acting mode with incredible ease, delivers lines with extraordinary dexterity and pace and is captivating when reciting verse.
The live audience obviously enjoy the performances most heartily and the actors deftly weave around the spontaneous guffawing, This only adds to the timing and pace of the acting.
Ben Elton has done his homework and ought to get an armful of awards for it.
Please don't compare this to Blackadder. Take it as an intelligent, well acted farcical mickey take of Shakespeare and you'll get it. A first class production.
score 10/10
garyhbradley 3 February 2019
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw4623128/ |
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27-12-2020 11:18:02