The Last Review of Eddie and a lot more

Hi folks: first of all this is the last review for you to peruse. Now the question is, not to be or not to be, but the reason I put the reviews up warts and all in the first place.

A lot of friends, some who invested in the crowd funding, wanted to see them and I thought it a good way to show them off as they're not bad. Nobody going mad over them but you can see they are, more or less, the same.

But what would happen if they were really terrible? Well the first thing would be I wouldn't give the reviewer free tickets to anything else – that's if there ever is anything else but would I show them off?

Peter O'Toole had the worst notices ever when he did a tour of Macbeth – awful they were so he made the theatre post them outside for everybody to see; used them in advertising and let everybody know. And the result: a huge hit; it was hard to get a ticket the whole things was a huge success; even went to Broadway.

Another play, a musical this time, was slated by the critics; another worst notices ever situation. The director called the Box Office to see how bad the ticket sales were on the second day, as he was going to make arrangements to close the show.

He was told by the box office that the queues were around the block; they had sold out many months ahead. The show: Le Miserables. Twenty odd years later it is still running.

When I first went to Edinburgh with my Irish Show I had a problem with my guitar just as the first night was about to open: I lost my capo and had to use one which would not hold the strings down. The reviewer said I would make a fortune as I would appeal to the old and middle aged but that it was the worst guitar playing he had heard.

I saw him before the notice came out, at a party, and he said he loved the show and thought it would go far – then I saw the worst guitar notice. And guess what I did: I told the theatre to put the worst guitar notice at the front of the theatre; and the result? You guessed; nobody came – I wasn't Peter O'Toole.

Also the fact that my family show was booked in to the 11.30 PM slot. Needless to say I didn't end up there at any of the other Edinburgh visits and they only charged me one week's theatre rent.

That show I had stop every night whilst the cannons fired at the tattoo which was taking place in Edinburgh Castle close by.

My favourite review for Eddie was the first; the first one I posted on here: she seemed to have it down to a tee; she spotted the Irish bits and called my final song Joycian which, to a James Joyce fan, is the highest piece of praise to have – even though the song wasn't by the Genius Jim.

So here is the final review. It won't make any difference to my play. I have received an enquiry about taking the play to America; if that works out I will take it to Santa Monica Playhouse too and then . . . who knows? Let's see if I have to raise any money for it and a lot of other bits and pieces and odds and sods and stress and mayhem – who knows?

This is from AYoungerTheatre.com

Review: The Two Sides of Eddie Ramone, Jermyn Street Theatre

By James Bell on July 27, 2016 in Theatre

The Two Sides of Eddie Ramone, is as the title might suggest, a play built on conflict and tension. We see the titular character (played by Chris Sullivan), a formerly popular comedian now consigned to the cruise ship circuit, switch between his interior and exterior facing selves. And, alongside the play’s only other character, his daughter Katie (Shian Denovan), the piece sets up a fraught mirroring of recollections and intentions. Notwithstanding some flaws, the show is a thoughtful look how we build our realities and sense of self.

The subject matter is fiercely interior. The action opens on Eddie rattling through his tired stage performance when he suddenly finds he is having an out of body experience. This capitulates him inside his own head, where he starts to ruminate on his career and family relationships and builds a stylised life story constructed through his curated memories. It is striking that, even during his deepest ruminations, he is still performing to the audience, never quite able to let go of his on stage persona.

Later in the play his daughter joins him and adds her own clashing counter narrative, gradually unpicking the version of events that Eddie has built up in the first act. It is a deft manoeuvre from Sullivan, who also wrote and directed the show, and leaves the audience revising their interpretation to the very end. However some aspects feel a tad convenient and the narrative, trying to pack too much in, verges close to being implausible. The strong performances from Sullivan and Denovan, though, are able to paper over any cracks in the premise’s believability.

Eddie is of Irish descent and the work’s concerns are, too, staunchly in the Irish dramatic tradition. Catholicism, guilt, abuse, alcoholism and fear death are all writ large. The vision and thematic reach are grand in their scope, but there are some aspects of the execution which mean it falls short of its ambition. As the work unfolds entirely as a recollection, its main means of storytelling is through anecdote. These sometimes meander and run away with themselves and you catch yourself wondering what the point of all this exposition is, as it often adds little to the narrative thrust.

Despite a few unanswered questions, The Two Sides of Eddie Ramone’s chief interest is in its thoughtful character studies by the two performers. If you can overlook a few bizarre moments, it’s worth a look for their evocation of a troubled father-daughter relationship and the new light shed on it when it is remembered and retold.

The Two Sides of Eddie Ramone is playing Jermyn Street Theatre until 30 July. For more information and tickets, see the Jermyn Street Theatre website.