There’s another review in the Sunday Times (London)
I’ve capped it due to the paywall, but you may not want to read it. Remember that Quentin Letts was the nut who said of The Crucible that Armitage was rolling his eyes as if searching for crumbs in his eyebrows. This review is mostly “it wasn’t the Uncle Vanya I would have staged” and “I want into Aimee Lou Woods’ pants.”
I mean, Servetus is rolling her eyes and doesn’t have crumbs in her eyebrows.
Me + Richard Armitage 
Thanks for capping Servetus. It looks like ‘one of the characters’ got off quite lightly this time with Letts’s infatuation with Aimee Lou Woods (whose earnestness irritated the bejesus out of me in that tiny interview clip I saw of her ).
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Maybe I’ll write more about this eventually (I’m so short on time), but Wood is not anywhere near the level of skill in her craft (I won’t say talent at this point; she’s young) than the rest of the cast. It doesn’t help her own lack of subtlety that the part is not well written or that casting a beautiful person as someone who repeatedly proclaims how ugly she is was a stupid move for purposes of a believable play (I assume this happened because she has a hit tv show and will draw a younger audience). However the only reason I can conceive that she’s getting so much praise is that she’s young, beautiful and white. It really bothers me when people, or rather MEN, like Letts practically parade that out there and then act as if it’s some kind of objective judgment on reality. If I had to summarize this review I’d say “reviewing with his dick.”
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Also ignoring Rosalind Eleazar in this review, those words are crumbs, pretty much says ‘I will hide my prejudice by not saying anything else about how she plays her part.’
Other critics wrote more fully about her approach to Yelana and all he has is ‘sultry.’
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(hence my remark about Wood being white). In general I would say that most of the reviewers of this play did not actually see what Wood (or to some extent Eleazar) did. They had their opinions fixed before they started watching.
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Nothing like confirmation bias at work.
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yeah — it’s a kind of a central point for Wagner in his landmark (I won’t say “famous”) essay “Judaism in Music” — Jews can be talented and cultured but can never produce the deep experiences we expect from art. Not that I’d expect Letts to know this.
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Wait! Wagner? Ride of the Valkyries Wagner? Bugs Bunny introduced me to him, but his operas never struck me as deep. Also it’s hard not visualizing Bugs Bunny in blonde braids.
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Yes, that Wagner. His work was thought at the time to be particularly dramatic, emotional, and deep.
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Perfect summary. Letts is an odious man. It’s interesting seeing the different slants and fixations that the press reviewers have. The Daily Mail’s (yuck) Patrick Marmion was in rapture about Rosalind Eleazar’s performance.
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more like review by a dick in his case (still not going to read his tosh)
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I know actors alter their appearances but it amuses me about the casting process for roles where a character is unattractive. ‘Plain person wanted etc’. Does the lucky actor whoop with delight when they get the role.or feel insulted?
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Whoa, this critic has a little something against Sonia Friedman. Also, I see what you mean about Aimee Wood, praising her for bringing humanity yet ‘all over bite and doleful gawking.’ In some circles it’s called ‘negging.’
I just finished season 2 of Sex Education and she takes the bubblehead trope and turns it on its head. Also helps to have good writing as a foundation. She’s just getting started.
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It really doesn’t help that what he says about Friedman falls completely within the realm of anti-Semitic tropes (“Jews are tacky”). Like, fine, you don’t like Friedman productions, that’s your privilege, but that doesn’t make this kind of speech okay.
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That I did not know. Still icky.
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Quentin Letts is a self satisfied waspish little man who thinks he is just sooo clever. I suspect he has small man syndrome. I take anything he writes with a bucket of salt.
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I can’t believe he’s less than a decade older than I am. I would have guessed from his writing that he’s nearing retirement age.
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According to wikipedia, racist statements about the accents used in a play have also been standard fare for him in the past. This is one of the most insidious aspects of prejudice, I find — how it prevents us from ever seeing anything new or different.
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What play did that reviewer watch???? Ok, I admit to APM kicking in as soon as he omitted Richard Armitage in his list of “quite a cast”, but the way he praises Wood to the skies really makes me wonder whether he watched an entirely different play…
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well, not mentioning his name as the character who blew the raspberries (a funny moment) was probably intended as condemnation of the severest sort — I can’t even remember who he is. But I’m pretty sure Lett watched the version of the play in his mind where Wood gave him a lap dance.
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It almost feels as if he had an agenda – or at least a bias against RA.
Actually, scratch the “if”. He definitely has some sort of issue with RA. I just googled his Crucible review. Made me gag tbh. I mean, that play was widely recognised as a masterful interpretation, and RA got a Olivier nomination out of it. And this Letts guy writes this: “Talking of voices, Mr Armitage’s is unexpectedly weak, echoey, croaky. It is not the voice you expect from such a beefcake. He also has a habit of raising his gaze towards the top of his skull, as though searching for crumbs in his eyebrows.” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2680061/The-incredible-hunk-casts-spell-QUENTIN-LETTS-reviews-The-Crucible-Londons-Old-Vic.html Alright, mate, I can’t take your opinion seriously.
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yeah, I wrote a long spoof about it at the time.
Letts is probably jealous.
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Oh, yes, I remember that now!
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First thing I thought.
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Ditto. Why did he leave Richard’s name out? He has something against the English?
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Thanks for the completeness 🙂 But personally i won’t dignify this knob head with reading his writings. He’s been out of line more than once recently and deserves to encounter these chaps down a dark alley 😉 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-49176525
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And Letts true to form here: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/stage/2018/apr/08/daily-mail-quentin-letts-accused-of-racist-attitude-in-theatre-review
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