I assume that, like Chekhov’s gun, this would not go undeployed by the night’s end — perhaps I and the other packet minions would be required to stand at the side of the stage and issue bubbles while Neo and Trinity kissed — but no. It was just one loose end amongst a rat king of loose ends.”
Like all great reviewers who wish to stay on the right side of hard working performers and their respective press officers, Sophie Atkinson damns with faint praise. She makes “Free Your Mind” sound like a long Sunday morning in an Evangelical congregation, assembled in an industrial shed, and lavished with a large budget by a shadowy cult leader. And there are ‘human statues’ for god’s sake: ‘You’d take a picture of this poor woman, mounted to the wall like antlers in a stately home, and her eyes would be flicking frantically about behind those same sunglasses every twenty-something in the White Hotel now wears.’
I haven’t seen the show yet, I don’t think….but Matrix-like (or do I mean Minority Report?) I might just have experienced it enough not to bother.
"Like all great reviewers who wish to stay on the right side of hard working performers and their respective press officers, Sophie Atkinson damns with faint praise." — hahaha, brilliant. At this point, I'm only writing reviews for your reviews of my reviews!
I have so many thoughts about the launch but the main thing I’m going to say is that to see something like this created and debuted in Manchester is undoubtedly a massive deal.
The most important thing now is making sure everybody in that room convinces enough of their non arty friends to come along and witness the spectacle.
Oh yeah, absolutely. Think with such an enormous building that's had so much public funding, you want as many people as possible visiting it and giving their input — it shouldn't be a niche venue that only appeals to a tiny slice of the population.
I remember going to see the Matrix when it came out in late 90s. I sat through the whole thing without having a clue what it was all about, and I still don't know what it's all about to this day. I don't know if this immediately marks me out as the child who says the Emperor's stark naked, or whether it just makes me look dim-witted and uncool. Either way, I'll be giving this Aviva Studios offering a miss as it sounds even more off the wall than I thought the film was .
I always enjoy Sophie's reviews though, they're witty and informative.
Having seen it I genuinely think this is something that even somebody with minimal appetite for this sort of thing could go and enjoy. Don’t try and understand what’s happening or connect it to any sort of plot, just let it wash over you.
Thanks for your well thought critique of the show. It sounds visually impressive and very avant garde. Behind all the hype and expense of Aviva and Factory, it has to deliver amazing arts experiences to a wide and substantial audience. I hope this show achieves that.
I’ve been to a few MIF shows all wonderful but I could have watched them in a more comfortable setting in the Lowry! So the MIF programme has to be different.
The first MIF performance I went to in the Aviva theatre the audience could distinctly hear music from the stage outside. I wasn’t impressed for £242 million!
Thanks for reading Cath! Yeah, completely agree that the MIF programme faces the challenge of commissioning work that's a good fit for the space, and as you say, being different to something you'd see at the Lowry.
Not sure why at the opening of a fantastic new Manchester Institution you would be so offended at a 5 minute nod to its Manc roots! Not so baffling really using Allan Turing to open the show, when the Matrix coding is clearly linked with his genius decoding triumphs. We also certainly weren't "constantly encouraged to get drinks" and every theatre I've ever been to tries to make me buy a drinks package. Finally, its so enourmous you got vertigo. Really 🤣 !!! Whether you liked the show or not is your choice but this review sounds very much like you were desperate not to.
Hey Dave, thanks for your comment. I’m not sure “offended”’s the right word — more a bit weary, I guess? I don’t know how you see it, but for me, the 5 min video misses the point a bit. The reason Joy Division et al were amazing was because they were trying to do something new. If we really wanted to celebrate Manchester’s inspiring artistic past, we wouldn’t be so nostalgic — artists and bands etc would all try and do something completely new, too! It reminds me a bit of going to Rome and chatting to an architecture student there. I thought it would be amazing for him to live somewhere with so many beautiful buildings, but he pointed out that it was hard to build anywhere — he found it demoralising, everywhere was being specially preserved because of its historical importance. City pride’s well and good — but making space for the new is crucial if you want a thriving creative scene (which, given your excitement about the “fantastic new Manchester institution”, I guess you do, too?).
Interesting what you say about “every theatre I’ve ever been to tries to make me buy a drinks package” — I haven’t experienced that before, but as your point about you not having been prompted to buy drinks suggests, there are obviously limits on reviews — my review’s obviously based on my own subjective experience, I’m not some sort of all-seeing authority.
But I’d push back on your last point, that you think I was desperate not to like the show — I’ve tried to be fair here, to include the positive testimony of other audience members and to be very clear that my own opinion wasn’t the majority (as well as bigging up the dance scenes).
Hi Sophie. I entirely respect that you write the review you think the show deserves, but please don't pretend it's balanced. Both times you refer to the audience liking it you call them evangelical and yourself a bad seed for not sharing their view. If you are now trying to say there was no sub text there you aren't giving the Mill readers the respect they deserve. It's good that there are different perspectives but please own it. For reference, the Opera House, The Palace theatre and The Lowry, the areas three other main theatres, offer a drinks package with every ticket. Perhaps for the press it comes free with your invitation. Kidding! 😄
I assume that, like Chekhov’s gun, this would not go undeployed by the night’s end — perhaps I and the other packet minions would be required to stand at the side of the stage and issue bubbles while Neo and Trinity kissed — but no. It was just one loose end amongst a rat king of loose ends.”
Like all great reviewers who wish to stay on the right side of hard working performers and their respective press officers, Sophie Atkinson damns with faint praise. She makes “Free Your Mind” sound like a long Sunday morning in an Evangelical congregation, assembled in an industrial shed, and lavished with a large budget by a shadowy cult leader. And there are ‘human statues’ for god’s sake: ‘You’d take a picture of this poor woman, mounted to the wall like antlers in a stately home, and her eyes would be flicking frantically about behind those same sunglasses every twenty-something in the White Hotel now wears.’
I haven’t seen the show yet, I don’t think….but Matrix-like (or do I mean Minority Report?) I might just have experienced it enough not to bother.
"Like all great reviewers who wish to stay on the right side of hard working performers and their respective press officers, Sophie Atkinson damns with faint praise." — hahaha, brilliant. At this point, I'm only writing reviews for your reviews of my reviews!
Anytime soon Sophie, the +1 will be a given.
I have so many thoughts about the launch but the main thing I’m going to say is that to see something like this created and debuted in Manchester is undoubtedly a massive deal.
The most important thing now is making sure everybody in that room convinces enough of their non arty friends to come along and witness the spectacle.
Oh yeah, absolutely. Think with such an enormous building that's had so much public funding, you want as many people as possible visiting it and giving their input — it shouldn't be a niche venue that only appeals to a tiny slice of the population.
I remember going to see the Matrix when it came out in late 90s. I sat through the whole thing without having a clue what it was all about, and I still don't know what it's all about to this day. I don't know if this immediately marks me out as the child who says the Emperor's stark naked, or whether it just makes me look dim-witted and uncool. Either way, I'll be giving this Aviva Studios offering a miss as it sounds even more off the wall than I thought the film was .
I always enjoy Sophie's reviews though, they're witty and informative.
Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated. And yeah, it's a fairly convoluted plot, so fair enough really!
Having seen it I genuinely think this is something that even somebody with minimal appetite for this sort of thing could go and enjoy. Don’t try and understand what’s happening or connect it to any sort of plot, just let it wash over you.
I just remember how bored I was by the film, which I suppose is what's put me off. My husband might be interested though, it's more his cup of tea.
Thanks for your well thought critique of the show. It sounds visually impressive and very avant garde. Behind all the hype and expense of Aviva and Factory, it has to deliver amazing arts experiences to a wide and substantial audience. I hope this show achieves that.
I’ve been to a few MIF shows all wonderful but I could have watched them in a more comfortable setting in the Lowry! So the MIF programme has to be different.
The first MIF performance I went to in the Aviva theatre the audience could distinctly hear music from the stage outside. I wasn’t impressed for £242 million!
Thanks for reading Cath! Yeah, completely agree that the MIF programme faces the challenge of commissioning work that's a good fit for the space, and as you say, being different to something you'd see at the Lowry.
Not sure why at the opening of a fantastic new Manchester Institution you would be so offended at a 5 minute nod to its Manc roots! Not so baffling really using Allan Turing to open the show, when the Matrix coding is clearly linked with his genius decoding triumphs. We also certainly weren't "constantly encouraged to get drinks" and every theatre I've ever been to tries to make me buy a drinks package. Finally, its so enourmous you got vertigo. Really 🤣 !!! Whether you liked the show or not is your choice but this review sounds very much like you were desperate not to.
Hey Dave, thanks for your comment. I’m not sure “offended”’s the right word — more a bit weary, I guess? I don’t know how you see it, but for me, the 5 min video misses the point a bit. The reason Joy Division et al were amazing was because they were trying to do something new. If we really wanted to celebrate Manchester’s inspiring artistic past, we wouldn’t be so nostalgic — artists and bands etc would all try and do something completely new, too! It reminds me a bit of going to Rome and chatting to an architecture student there. I thought it would be amazing for him to live somewhere with so many beautiful buildings, but he pointed out that it was hard to build anywhere — he found it demoralising, everywhere was being specially preserved because of its historical importance. City pride’s well and good — but making space for the new is crucial if you want a thriving creative scene (which, given your excitement about the “fantastic new Manchester institution”, I guess you do, too?).
Interesting what you say about “every theatre I’ve ever been to tries to make me buy a drinks package” — I haven’t experienced that before, but as your point about you not having been prompted to buy drinks suggests, there are obviously limits on reviews — my review’s obviously based on my own subjective experience, I’m not some sort of all-seeing authority.
But I’d push back on your last point, that you think I was desperate not to like the show — I’ve tried to be fair here, to include the positive testimony of other audience members and to be very clear that my own opinion wasn’t the majority (as well as bigging up the dance scenes).
Hi Sophie. I entirely respect that you write the review you think the show deserves, but please don't pretend it's balanced. Both times you refer to the audience liking it you call them evangelical and yourself a bad seed for not sharing their view. If you are now trying to say there was no sub text there you aren't giving the Mill readers the respect they deserve. It's good that there are different perspectives but please own it. For reference, the Opera House, The Palace theatre and The Lowry, the areas three other main theatres, offer a drinks package with every ticket. Perhaps for the press it comes free with your invitation. Kidding! 😄
A bit long, rambling (like a lot of Mill articles) and inconsequential. Sorry!