Saturday 22nd November: Aida @ ENO, 7.30pm, Balcony
Originally supposed to be The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes at Wilton's Music Hall, I then decided that the thought of Aida seemed more appealing. Also I had been on a rather nice exclusive backstage tour in the afternoon and seen some of the set for this, and also for Riders to the Sea, which I was going to miss.
A mixed bag here, the sets were very interesting, bit like an accident with a kid's paint box, but at least an Egyptian feel to them. The singing was at times inaudible over the orchestra, but I this may have been due to the seats.
Saturday 29th November: Matinee - August: Osage Country (NT Lyttelton, Circle J10) and Evening - Boris Godunov (ENO, Upper Circle, D4)
August is one of the greatest shows I have had the luck of seeing, living up to every critic under the sun's reviews, and leaving me reeling from it even 2 days later. The set is extraordinary and the acting is superb. Also a very interesting comparison with T S Eliot's The Family Reunion. I will write a separate blog on this.
Boris was worth seeing for the chorus singing their hearts out, and for the performances of the principles bar Peter Rose in the lead role, who did not convince me. Plus Tim Albery's staging was minimal and failed to make an impact on me.
Monday 1 December 2008
Wednesday 12 November 2008
A Midsummer Night's Dream/Filter Twelth Night
Friday 7th November 2009: A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelth Night, Courtyard Theatre
A long night, but more than worth it. I had seen the production of Dream in 2005, and though the revival has changed the original production and it had been recast. With Brummie mechanicals, slightly scary fairies and a magical use of the language, with very little set to speak of.
Coming back in at 11pm, Filter Twelth Night was a complete change from Dream. The stage being a mess of cables, and an anarchic sense of what the play this made for a great late night show, though shamefully one night only. For example, the late night drunken scene between Maria and the two nights, involved take-away pizza, tequila shots and some strange ball throwing, though it took the mind away from Shakespeare's, it did not ruin the text.
Next: Possibly Enjoy. On 22nd November, will be a backstage tour at ENO to report on, and the RSC's The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes at Wilton's Music Hall
A long night, but more than worth it. I had seen the production of Dream in 2005, and though the revival has changed the original production and it had been recast. With Brummie mechanicals, slightly scary fairies and a magical use of the language, with very little set to speak of.
Coming back in at 11pm, Filter Twelth Night was a complete change from Dream. The stage being a mess of cables, and an anarchic sense of what the play this made for a great late night show, though shamefully one night only. For example, the late night drunken scene between Maria and the two nights, involved take-away pizza, tequila shots and some strange ball throwing, though it took the mind away from Shakespeare's, it did not ruin the text.
Next: Possibly Enjoy. On 22nd November, will be a backstage tour at ENO to report on, and the RSC's The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes at Wilton's Music Hall
Monday 27 October 2008
Hamlet and Privates on Parade
Another couple of shows to update on.
Friday 24th October: Hamlet @ Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
This was a repeat visit to this particular show, an event which proved to be worth every penny as Patrick Stewart's performance as Claudius had vastly improved from when I had seen it in July.
I still have reservations about some of the decisions made by Doran, as to cuts and placement of the interval, but overall the show works a treat. With exceptional performances by David Tennant and Penny Downie. Also the most credible Ophelia I have seen for a long time.
Saturday 25th October: Privates on Parade @ Birmingham Rep Theatre
Knowing that this had first performed by the RSC in the 1977, I wanted to go to see what the fuss had been about, and have to say I can see why this is such a popular show. The current production is a co-operative effort between West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Rep.
Played on an open stage, there are times when I had wished for more dialogue and more of the background, but overall this is a sharp and astute production of a play that is richly layered.
Well worth a visit
Friday 24th October: Hamlet @ Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
This was a repeat visit to this particular show, an event which proved to be worth every penny as Patrick Stewart's performance as Claudius had vastly improved from when I had seen it in July.
I still have reservations about some of the decisions made by Doran, as to cuts and placement of the interval, but overall the show works a treat. With exceptional performances by David Tennant and Penny Downie. Also the most credible Ophelia I have seen for a long time.
Saturday 25th October: Privates on Parade @ Birmingham Rep Theatre
Knowing that this had first performed by the RSC in the 1977, I wanted to go to see what the fuss had been about, and have to say I can see why this is such a popular show. The current production is a co-operative effort between West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Rep.
Played on an open stage, there are times when I had wished for more dialogue and more of the background, but overall this is a sharp and astute production of a play that is richly layered.
Well worth a visit
Thursday 23 October 2008
Continuation of 1st blog entry
To bring up to date from last saturday.
Saturday 18th October: John Webster's The White Devil @ Menier Chocolate Factory, London
Though rarely performed I first saw this play done by the RSC in the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1996, and having been only marginally impressed by that production was curious to see how it came out in a different show.
Sat on either side of a traverse stage, the audience were treated to a series of filmic scenes in modern dress which took the play at a fair old speed, but let the language still come through, and the story be clear. The violence and madness which are so essential to the play were played straight and were genuinely shocking, especially the madness of the mother played excellently by Sandra Voe.
Special mention must also go to Louis Hilyer and Claire Price as brother and sister, especially to Price for her mesmerising performance in the trial scene.
Saturday 4th and Tuesday 21st October: Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost @ Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
The reason for seeing this show twice, apart from the fact it is a gem of a production was that the second visit was to see the understudy matinee.
The first performance was the high calibre cast version with David Tennant shining through as Berowne on stage, and with a tight ensemble around him. The show is set on the Hamlet stage, but a large tree has renched its way through the floor and glass sherds are hanging from the flies, looking like leaves off trees and leaves from books at the same time.
The production plays the texts for laughs, and though Oliver Ford Davies and Jim Hooper have the most complex text to work with they manage at times to get the most laughs. The ladies look sumptous and the men look wonderful in their period costumes. Special mention must go to Jaquenetta who steals the show with some suggestive churning.
The understudy matinee gave those that have been in the shadows a chance to shine, so David Tennant ended up playing Forester and Marcade, and the person who had been playing Longaville played Berowne, with Longaville/Dumaine being covered by the same actor, along with Jaquenetta/Rosaline and Maria/Katherine being played by the same actresses respectively.
There are going to be similar chances to watch the understudies at work next year, an event I cannot recommend highly enough.
Looking forward
What I am hoping to post blogs about over the next few months:
October:
Friday 24th: Hamlet @ Courtyard Theatre
Saturday 25th: Privates on Parade @ Birmingham Rep
November:
Friday 7th: A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelth Night @ Courtyard
Saturday 22nd: The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes @ Wilton's Music Hall
Saturday 29th: Boris Godunov @ ENO and hopefully Oedipus @ NT
December:
Saturday 13th: War Horse @ NT Olivier, and either The Pride @ Royal Court or Cordelia's Dream @ Wilton's Music Hall
January:
Saturday 3rd: Twelth Night @ Wyndhams and The Family Reunion @ Donmar Warehouse
Saturday 10th: Gethsamene @ NT Cottesloe
February:
Saturday 7th: Mrs Affleck @ NT Cottesloe and The Magic Flute @ ENO
March:
Friday 13th: His Dark Materials Part 1 @ Birmingham Rep
Friday 20th: His Dark Materials Part 2 @ Birmingham Rep
April:
Saturday 4th: Madame de Sade @ Wyndhams
July:
Saturday 4th: Hamlet @ Wyndhams and Madame Butterfly @ ENO
A few of these aren't definite but will keep updated on what I have booked.
Any comments please do not hesitate to contact me.
Greg
Saturday 18th October: John Webster's The White Devil @ Menier Chocolate Factory, London
Though rarely performed I first saw this play done by the RSC in the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1996, and having been only marginally impressed by that production was curious to see how it came out in a different show.
Sat on either side of a traverse stage, the audience were treated to a series of filmic scenes in modern dress which took the play at a fair old speed, but let the language still come through, and the story be clear. The violence and madness which are so essential to the play were played straight and were genuinely shocking, especially the madness of the mother played excellently by Sandra Voe.
Special mention must also go to Louis Hilyer and Claire Price as brother and sister, especially to Price for her mesmerising performance in the trial scene.
Saturday 4th and Tuesday 21st October: Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost @ Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
The reason for seeing this show twice, apart from the fact it is a gem of a production was that the second visit was to see the understudy matinee.
The first performance was the high calibre cast version with David Tennant shining through as Berowne on stage, and with a tight ensemble around him. The show is set on the Hamlet stage, but a large tree has renched its way through the floor and glass sherds are hanging from the flies, looking like leaves off trees and leaves from books at the same time.
The production plays the texts for laughs, and though Oliver Ford Davies and Jim Hooper have the most complex text to work with they manage at times to get the most laughs. The ladies look sumptous and the men look wonderful in their period costumes. Special mention must go to Jaquenetta who steals the show with some suggestive churning.
The understudy matinee gave those that have been in the shadows a chance to shine, so David Tennant ended up playing Forester and Marcade, and the person who had been playing Longaville played Berowne, with Longaville/Dumaine being covered by the same actor, along with Jaquenetta/Rosaline and Maria/Katherine being played by the same actresses respectively.
There are going to be similar chances to watch the understudies at work next year, an event I cannot recommend highly enough.
Looking forward
What I am hoping to post blogs about over the next few months:
October:
Friday 24th: Hamlet @ Courtyard Theatre
Saturday 25th: Privates on Parade @ Birmingham Rep
November:
Friday 7th: A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelth Night @ Courtyard
Saturday 22nd: The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes @ Wilton's Music Hall
Saturday 29th: Boris Godunov @ ENO and hopefully Oedipus @ NT
December:
Saturday 13th: War Horse @ NT Olivier, and either The Pride @ Royal Court or Cordelia's Dream @ Wilton's Music Hall
January:
Saturday 3rd: Twelth Night @ Wyndhams and The Family Reunion @ Donmar Warehouse
Saturday 10th: Gethsamene @ NT Cottesloe
February:
Saturday 7th: Mrs Affleck @ NT Cottesloe and The Magic Flute @ ENO
March:
Friday 13th: His Dark Materials Part 1 @ Birmingham Rep
Friday 20th: His Dark Materials Part 2 @ Birmingham Rep
April:
Saturday 4th: Madame de Sade @ Wyndhams
July:
Saturday 4th: Hamlet @ Wyndhams and Madame Butterfly @ ENO
A few of these aren't definite but will keep updated on what I have booked.
Any comments please do not hesitate to contact me.
Greg
Tennant, Devils and many other things
First of all a bit of an introduction to me. I'm 28, and have been going to the theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon since I was 8, and since then have added many other theatres to my list. The purpose of the blog is to have a moan, write some reviews and post any news from the grapevine.
Theatres and companies that will be covered:
RSC: Courtyard Theatre and when it re-opens the RST and Swan
National Theatre: Olivier, Lyttelton and Cottesloe
Shakespeare's Globe
ENO
Royal Court Theatre
Almeida
Donmar Warehouse
West End (though this will be the rarest of all)
Nottingham Playhouse
Wolverhampton Grand
Birmingham Rep
Birmingham Hippodrome
Any comments please let me know
Theatres and companies that will be covered:
RSC: Courtyard Theatre and when it re-opens the RST and Swan
National Theatre: Olivier, Lyttelton and Cottesloe
Shakespeare's Globe
ENO
Royal Court Theatre
Almeida
Donmar Warehouse
West End (though this will be the rarest of all)
Nottingham Playhouse
Wolverhampton Grand
Birmingham Rep
Birmingham Hippodrome
Any comments please let me know
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