Dr Strangelove - Coogan / Iannucci - BGET - Feb

I'm tempted to go to this. Intrigued!

Insane prices for this in London - I'm heading at the end of the month as mate over there wants to go, will report back.

I imagine a Dress Circle seat will be best, given the circular war room set in the second half. I'd say the effects will be stellar and it has a cracking soundtrack. Have no idea how they're going to pull off four parts played by Coogan.

Only beef with Bord Gais (and also National Concert Hall) is you can't bring booze in, even in plastic/cardboard. Having a quiet few at a Saturday matinee in the West End is legendary - why can we not be trusted over here? Nanny state madness.

OK so I saw this Saturday night in the Noel Coward Theatre London with a capacity of 872 compared to Bord Gais at 2111.

I was front row sold as restricted but it was actually great with only one or two scenes where all characters on stage couldn't be seen. Bord Gais should have better sightlines overall and a larger stage.

I've very mixed feelings about this show. Unless you're down the front the dialogue was delivered quite quietly from the back of the stage and I had to strain to hear sometimes (a recent hearing test said perfect so that's not the issue!). The script and performances are more akin to a BBC or old style Channel 4 sketch show rather than the stately sinister comedy of the Kubrick movie, and most of the lines just aren't that funny (which I know is subjective).

Steve Coogan's four character changes were very impressive admittedly (although he looks more like Andy Warhol in that wheelchair than Peter Sellers). The Jack D Ripper character whoever played him took a Leslie Nielsen/Hogan's Heroes/Bilko approach rather than the stern fear inducing original portrayal by Sterling Hayden.

The visuals were good with a LED circular light over the war room table like you see in the movie, but unfortunately this production for me just didn't capture that 1960s cold war paranoia vibe that fuels the black comedy of the original script.

I'm really not too sure how this is going to fare in the vastness of the Bord Gais to be honest.

No it was about three weeks in.