Well I spent every evening of last week’s sun bunking down in the theatre, fortunately it was all good stuff. This uber sold-out run of Complicite’s Master & Margarita was beautiful. I’ve read a lot of reviews who felt the cat was a little too restrained but it seemed pretty slutty to me. And that the visual effect was simply too OTT. Fortunately theatre companies do demonstrate a little more restraint with the projection lark these days. But Complicite didn’t hold back and served up a sublime visual feast. And yes, the acting was great. It’s not as if it was ever going to be an easy or laid back production, zig-zagging across centuries and between good v evil. I wish I’d gone to the US ambassador’s Spring Festival Ball in 1935. Sounds right up my street and was the direct inspiration for Bulgakov’s Walpurgis ball scene where Margarita passes over to the dark side.
It was well over 3 hours long, and I am normally averse to anything elongated. But I coped! Time flies when you’re having fun…
Barbican, super sold out but returns likely on the day
