Comments on: Review: Terminus – Peacock Theatre

By: Dermod

Dermod — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:21:04 +0000

Hi Steph,

No need to apologise for disagreeing with me! All comment is welcome here. The beauty of blogging is the conversation.

Dermod

By: Steph

Steph — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:59:15 +0000

You may be interested to learn that I had already bought my tickets for “Terminus” for it’s Edinburgh Festival run at the Traverse Theatre, when I stumbled across your review. My heart sank. Not only had I committed myself to the perfromance, but I had also bought tickets for 24 x 17-18 year old students. I felt they would think the whole thing pretentious and boring. I desperately tried to find more favourable reviews, but the passion of yours seemed to cancel any of the many “clever monologues” type reviews. So, I went to see it expecting to hate it. So it is with complete surprise, that I liked it and better still, all the students also raved about it. Indeed, even after a week of seeing many fantastic pieces of drama at the festival, for many of my students, “Terminus” was their highlight. I found the verse, gripping and intoxicating to listen to. The actors understood the rhythm and the lyricism of the language, it was hypnotic from beginning to end. The inter-weaving monologues were wonderfully played by the three performers and despite the lack of interaction between the characters, the intensity held our attention throughout. The actors used their faces, gestures and bodies with fantastic control and precision to create a really electrifying production. I’m sorry to disagree with you, but I felt after having read your review, someone needed to stand up for this extraordinary production. Having seen Conor McPherson’s “This Lime Tree Bower” with its similar structure and performance style (and really not enjoyed it), my liking for “Terminus” came as a complete revelation and surprise. I hope this blog might inspire others to go see it and make up their own mind, rather than be put off by this rather damning review.

By: ------

------ — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:42:52 +0000

I would like it if there was more ifo about the characters played, thier language etc…but all in all a good review.

By: Paul Broadway

Paul Broadway — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:50:47 +0000

Okay, maybe I was looking for somebody, anybody, else who might share my opinion on this ‘play’ and that’s how I find myself here, months later, still bitching about it.

Three people talking to an audience is not a play, it’s a lecture. However, the best lecturers understand the power of silence and allow for the occasional pause. Not so for Mr. O’Rowe (Golly was that a rhyme?) He simply showers us with language, a lot of which is anal DublinSpeak.

And enough with the product placement (In this case Lockets) which seems so essential to gutsy young hip Irish playwrights. Am I the only one bored stupid with coy references to Curly-Wurlies and Cadburys Twirls? We geddit. You’re a streetfighter with a sweet tooth.

Gotta go.

By: dots

dots — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 02:21:53 +0000

‘well directed in terms of delivery (direction)’ DOH!

By: dots

dots — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 02:18:54 +0000

just went to see this, mmmm…reminded me of ‘the port authority’ by conor mcpherson from the outset. i liked the writing, well directed in terms of delivery(direction) a useful advantage if one is both writ/dir.but it was implausible (the story) and that would be fine to suspend disbelief (especially when the worm demon turned up!), but then you could predict the story a mile off, i felt mark had just finished watching ‘being j malchovich(sic)’ when he wrote this. its got laughs and the time passes quickly! i have never reviewed anything in my life!!!
oh the acting was good…but monologues are easier fodder,aren’t they?

By: Dermod

Dermod — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 21:52:30 +0000

Cheers paddercorderoy, that’s very encouraging. Interesting article, I agree: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article1961473.ece

and http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article1961478.ece

By: paddercorduroy

paddercorduroy — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 11:54:30 +0000

Hey, I’m a freelance theatre director and just came about your blog by chance. Just want to say that’s some of the best reviewing I’ve read in a long time. Funny – I’d just read AA Gill on the Sunday Times site, with an article on how dull theatre reviewing is, and how that’s hurting London Theatre. I didn’t really understand what he meant til just now. I haven’t seen Terminus yet but I loved hearing such a passionate response, with clear analysis of a subjective reaction. It just gets you excited. Fair play. Keep doing it. Irish theatre needs you…

By: Alan

Alan — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:17:06 +0000

Very impressive review (although sometimes I have difficulty with clarity in some sentences). I have taken kind of a different spin on things to you, check out my review at http://alanmurrin.wordpress.com/review-terminus-peacock-theatre/
My page goes under the rather pretentious name of arts&lettersdublin but believe me it is still very much under construction. I don’t think the problem with the play is so much that we can’t determine the character’s motivations. In the world O’Rowe describes all sense seems to have gone out the window. Also, I don’t think that the idea of motivation is passé but that sometimes people do things out of sheer cruelty and misanthropy and this for a writer is the hardest thing of all to aritculate. Also, I read Susan Sontag’s ‘On interpretation’ quite recently. It is very interesting in that it challenges western notions of what a work of art should be and how it should be received. Give it a look if you haven’t already. Well done, again.

By: Omaniblog

Omaniblog — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:01:27 +0000

Dean,

I suspect I wouldn’t have enjoyed it either. But to the people who put it on, it was their art, their effort to achieve artistic expression. I suppose it is good for them to know that at least one person walked out saying that it was “utter rubbish”. That sort of feedback needs to be heard by the artist. But what I liked about Dermod’s reviewing was that he left me thinking that, even though, I probably wouldn’t like the production, I might go along to experience something I didn’t really enjoy. That discomfort might do me good, once and a while.
But obviously you felt a lot stronger than that, and I haven’t been tested.