This might be Mike Leigh’s most widely respected films, and while I enjoyed it, I place it nowhere near the top of his resume.
It is certainly watchable and droll (and loaded with ‘that guys’ – Lucius Vorenus! GOLLUM!) but other than showing us what fun it is to be in the theater, I found it a wee bit pointless. And shapeless.
Funny, though, and certainly worth your time, but hardly the masterpiece I was expecting. (Stick with The Last Metro for backstage drama.)
