Good Morning, Lloydalists. We have a treat for you. Neither K or C were able to make a trip to see "Notes From Underground", however Cyrielle has been gracious enough to share her experience with everyone. Enjoy!
Hi there! If you follow me on Twitter and Facebook, you already know that I was at the late performance (9:15 PM) of Notes From Underground on October 10th at the Print Room (London). If not, well, you know now. So, here’s my review. That’s the first one I write (and English is not my mother-tongue), so please be clement.
My sister and I arrived at 8:30PM something in front of the Coronet, Notting Hill Gate. We hesitated to come inside, a bit afraid to disturb I don’t know who, but someone then get out of the old cinema. Few seconds later, we decided to come inside, and there, in my pretty dress, I felt like Rose Dewitt-Bukater when the doorman opened the door to her. Yeah, yeah. You come inside and you are in a little foyer. It’s circular, with a high ceiling. The decor is really pretty and you feel a bit like decades ago. Employees are smiling at you and there’s a little bar with drinks you can buy in an alcove. The lady at the desk took our reservations. A bit of anxiety when she seemed not to find our names on her paper (yep, not computer, but it’s charming like that), but, well, we had booked and paid two tickets so she just added a line at the end of her list and gave us our tickets. The tickets were really nice, there, I show you a pic:
Nice, isn’t it? Then, we climbed few stairs and we arrived in a circular corridor. We didn’t even see the entrance or something for the Print Room, the room where we’ll see the show. One way, you’re going to the ladies, the other, to the gents, back where we just came from, the foyer, but no indication for the stage. So we just sat on one of these pretty benches, the back of it was pieces of several chair. The guys there knew how to plant a decor, that’s certain!! The wait seemed so long and so short at the same time. You know, I was a bit nervous to see the play, to see Harry Lloyd for the first time. He is surely my favorite actor and well, you know. I already saw Tom Hiddleston with my sister in December for Coriolanus at the Donmar, but it didn’t feel the same as for Notes From Underground and Harry Lloyd.
Few minutes later, maybe fifteen minutes later, people were suddenly coming en masse from with end of the hallway to the gents, but, like me, you guess that all these persons were not at the bathroom, surely not the ladies. We waited again few minutes. 9:15 PM was coming little by little and then, we just stood with the others waiting. And it was it. The queue moved forward and followed. We went downstairs. Like in… the Underground. Yep. Nice, right ? Stairs and stairs and here we are. To the left, you’re going to the gents. To the right, just a door without a door (you know what I mean) with, above, few words : The Print Room - Notes From Underground. The walls were black. A narrow corridor. I felt a bit like in the Ghost Bus at Dublin or in the Dungeon at London, not knowing what was waiting for me at the end. But it was just a few stairs to climb. A lady at the top gathering the tickets (too bad, I wanted to keep mine!). I caught a glimpse of Harry not far. My sister and I gave our tickets to the lady and there. You could see Harry in front of you. Just few feet away. He was sat on an old armchair, looking at people with bright eyes, gesturing at them, inviting them to take place. There was less seats that in the Donmar. A hundred I’d say. My sister and I chose to sit in the front row but at the right (when you’re facing the stage, at Harry’s left then). The stage is made of books, lots of them. And there’s just the books, the chair, a lamp, a wall of sheets of paper and Harry. Nothing else. Few minutes went away. People quietened and Harry, with piercing eyes, waited again few seconds and started to speak: “I’m spiteful! I’m ill.” His voice high and clear in the small room. Powerful. Vibrant. Even for a French girl like me (even if I have to say that I understand pretty well spoken english), it was so simple to understand. Not because the word were simple, but because Harry articulate and speak very well. And then the play was starting.
A bit like the book, you can separate it in two parts: when the Underground Man is alone, and when he is with others. Except Harry is always alone on stage. Not to write here again all the story and all the play, but the Man was in his underground for years now, thinking about himself, about society. This spiteful society. This spiteful self. He is a kind of masochist, but so proud of himself, so sure of his own intelligence, placing him above all the others but at the same time so far from them. I can sometimes relate with him you know. When all the others around you don’t have the same level of education or culture, you feel so alone. You want to befriend with them nonetheless but they seem to perceive you as less than them because you don’t have a exuberant life, because you prefer spending your week-ends in book than outside partying hard. You want to go outside with people like them. Oh you dearly want it. But you end just in your chair, reading a book or writing. The Underground Man is like that. He wants to socialize and not to. He wants a lot of things but moves backward each time and each time. He plans so much things, dreaming of them continuously. But the world is not like he’s imaging it, not like in the books. “This is no time for thinking, this is reality!” And Harry plays it so well. It was such a powerful performance. You can’t help wanting to answer his questions. It’s so unsettling to watch him in the eyes, his finger pointing right at you for long long seconds and not be able to tell him “No. No, you’re not wrong”. He has such a powerful glance, it shakes you right into your bones and your core. His despair and him always moving backward makes you laugh often. It makes you hurt sometimes. The play unfolds bits by bits and you don’t see the time pass. And then, Harry takes place again on his chair. He drapes himself again with this black clothing and salutes people, invites them to take place. He bends and says again “I’m spiteful ! I’m ill.” and the light goes off. Everyone applauded.
This play was so powerful. Harry Lloyd was just perfect for this role you know. Spiteful man. Hopeful man. Insect. Mouse. He was all of that and so much more. It was incredible. So… mesmerizing. I read the book few months ago, in English, and I have to say that this performance, this amazing performance, helped me to better understand it. To better feel it. Everyone applauded. A thunderous applause. He saluted the public, went out of the room, came back again, and went again. People stood and went out too, talking about this spectacular play. My sister and I waited a bit in the foyer, talking with other audience members, with employees. I asked one of them if Harry will be doing some signing later, or something. The employee just told me with a smile that he would be there in a few minutes. We were just a few to wait him : a lady (Harry went away with her after seeing us, so I guess it was a friend or a family member), a young man and just my sister and me. Indeed, he came to the foyer just fifteen minutes later. My sister and I were ready to wait so much more than that. We had, in front of the Donmar, to wait for Tom Hiddleston (who just stayed 20 minutes and didn’t even see a quarter of all the people there that night) and the others. But Harry was there so soon. My legs were shaking a bit (xD). He was just so kind and so sweet. He signed my program and spoke few words in French when he heard my name (Cyrielle, typically French, right?) and asked how it was spelled. And he was so surprised and so happy when my sister gave him a drawing that she made of him (his Underground Man self). His face enlightened when he saw it and showed it to the lady. And he took few pictures with me and my sister. And then he thanked us once more and get out with the lady, back home I guess. And I now have dreams in my head for a long time, thanks to that awesome yet so humble man.
So, even if you don’t know the man, didn’t read the book, just go and see Notes From Underground. It’s such a powerful play. You just can’t get out and not think about you, the society around you. It is mind-blowing.
Thank you Cyrielle for sharing this with all of us! From those of us who were unable to attend, we appreciate that you were kind enough to let us in on your experience. On her tumblr this review is also available in French. All pictures belong to Cyrielle Bandura. Feel free to leave her a comment here, on twitter @Alandrel or on her personal tumblr http://daylightress.tumblr.com/post/99801932231.
Edited to add some links to other reviews.
http://www.theweek.co.uk/theatre/60825/notes-from-underground-reviews-of-dazzling-solo-show#ixzz3G2EpCzdX
http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/reviews/notes-from-underground-print-room_36053.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_name=09oct2014
http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/notes-from-underground-print-room--theatre-review-9784629.html
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/stage/theatre/article4231734.ece
http://www.offwestend.com/index.php/plays/view/12189
http://trendfem.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/harry-lloyd-notes-from-underground.html
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