Watched 'The Recruiting Officer' (+Q&A session with the cast) at the Donmar Warehouse this Monday, the first production under the wings of its new Artistic director Josie Rourke. There has been much praise in the media about this production, and in my opinion it certainly lived up to the hype!

This was the most feel-good show I've seen for ages, but without loosing any of its more grave themes surrounding the cruelty of recruitment process in the era. (This was best demonstrated by the ending scene in which, whilst the rich main characters with powdered faces rejoice in their wedding plans and happy endings, the five naive young musicians -who are tricked by the cunning recruiting officers throughout the course of the play & are forced out of their lives to go into the army-  one by one put down their instruments, salute with a solemn air, and disappear into the light.) There was just such a good combination of humour and drama overall that one could not help but fall in love with it all!

Popular periodic plays almost always carry ridiculous, overdramatic, and often politically incorrect plots (the older the worse), and it is easy to get a bit carried away with the exaggerated characters. This play was a triumphant example of how charming and tasteful a play can be even with the central roles almost entirely made up of a bunch of frauds or fools, powdered faces with plumped up costumes, and even a cross-dressing heiress heroine (a originally charming plot that's become excruciatingly distasteful due to its 'trendiness' of late which lead it being overused to the core... just look at all the Korean dramas lol). 

There was a significant involvement of fork music intertwined with the storyline, and happening at every scene change. One should praise the director & the composer for having used it so neatly and effectively to create the right atmosphere, humour and perfect PACE, without letting the whole thing turn into a musical. Fork music seems to be a big trend in the music scene right now and I've been to several concerts already, the latest being Dizraeli and the Small Gods'. And I loved the use of music in this play. So ingeniously routined. OH I LOVED THE MUSIC.

If this still does not sound like enough reason to see the play (I think they just extended their run because it was so popular), just look at the casting list and you will recognise many familiar names, including: 

The AMAZING Mark Gatiss (co-writer & role of Mycroft from BBC's 'Sherlock'... seriously, this guy can do anything) as the hilarious powdered pomp! (ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ마이크로프트 자기가 쓰고 자기가 연기하는거 보고도 느꼈지만 이아저씨 뭔가 똘기있음 완전 귀여움ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ)

As soon as he popped out onto the stage and went 'Ma Dear', everyone just burst into laughter. Ah, the atmosphere was so good.. The woman sitting next to me had such jolly laugh that it made me happy too!:-) 

Whom you sit next to in a theatre is a BIG matter, I've discovered over the years..... They make so much difference.

Mackenzie Crook! (From PoC, although you wouldn't need me telling you... He's got such a distinctive appearance) 

It was quite sweet how awkward he was at the Q&A session (and yet he came! I think that tells a lot about him) and how he got the inspiration for the demon puppet from his little son and actually made the puppet himself! 

A true artist, indeed:-) And definitely a very serious one.

...근데 아자씨 역시 당신은 해적이나 사기꾼이나 집시 역할이 걍 천직인거 같아여...ㅋㅋㅋ

I think I fell in love with all of them by the end of the first act!:-)