Gus Flannagan – Google

My partner and I went to see the play in Birmingham on 10th February 2024. Dubbed "The Most Terrifying Live Theatre Experience in The World" we were really looking forward to it. It's not actually scary at all. In fact it's incredibly boring. It's quite a cheap, amateurish production consisting of a cast of 2 and pretty rubbish stage props. We left after the first half and went home, neither of us could bear to sit through any more of this utter drivel. I can't understand for the life of me why there are so many positive reviews. Edit: Given there are so many 5 star reviews and also so many 1 star reviews, I'm wondering if there are 2 completely separate productions with the same name, a brilliant scary one and a dull, boring one. I definitely saw the latter.

I enjoyed some aspects of the film. All the acting was very good. I liked the filming style with the very precise camera angles. The music was very effective at building tension. However, what this film lacked was direction and purpose; it just didn't go anywhere. I was constantly wondering what was going on. As the film progressed, it transpired what was actually going on wasn't anything profound. The ending is incredibly underwhelming. It's as disappointing as a joke without a punchline. You just think, "Really? Is that it? All that, for that?"

Some of the reviews were really negative, which I find very surprising. It's a brilliant album, with so much variation in styles, not least because it contains plenty of songs penned by each member. Mustafa is a great opener, a fusion of rock and mock Indian. The closing track More of that Jazz showcases Taylor's best ever lead vocals. Many great songs in between (Leaving Home Ain't Easy is a gem). The only bad thing about the album is the poor sound quality, it sounds a bit tinny and slightly low-fi, not really on a par with most music made in the 70s.The drums occasionally get washed out in the mix and theres a bit too much compression in places. But the artistry and performance of the band is second to none and thoroughly enjoyable.

I enjoyed the main plot and I thought Benedict Cumberbatch was a convincing actor. To my English ears his American accent sounded authentic (I know it's not very convincing to Americans). I felt the hallucinations of Eric (the big blue monster) were unnecessary, it would've worked better without that. The same can be said for the subplot involving the character who died of Aids. It was so irrelevant to the main plot that it almost reduced the series to a soap opera. Also, it was weird that so many characters were gay - Michael, Lennie, Costello, Gator. Doesn't float my boat but hey ho, I still enjoyed the main story.

It reminds me of those old detective series from the 80s, the ones I used to love when I was a kid. But I'm not a kid anymore and it all feels a bit childish. Some of the actors are quite amateurish too. I gave it a go but it's not my thing. I think I'd have enjoyed this series when I was 10. I'm giving it 3 stars because it has it's positives. The setting is good, the story is potentially good. It's just a bit simplistic and low brow.