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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2016 9:18:47 GMT
Her surname is Margolyes, pronounced Mar-go-lees.
She resembles gargoyles but doesn't rhyme with them.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2016 11:49:07 GMT
Second greatest playwright after Shakespeare. The thing is, though, that he's the Jane Austen of playwrights, brilliant at universalising a very particular society. Vanya, Three Sisters, Seagull and Cherry Orchard are masterpieces but also interesting to see the other two. Not an Ivanov fan, though. Dudn't find Parsley but did see Miriam Margoyles for the umpteenth time. Ibsen is better. I've seen Margiyles several time too in the audience for things. I also used to live next door to her. For me Ibsen manipulates the characters too much to enable his message, occasionally a director gets through that but I feel like I am being preached at. |
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Post by Jan on Jul 31, 2016 13:38:55 GMT
Ibsen is better. I've seen Margiyles several time too in the audience for things. I also used to live next door to her. For me Ibsen manipulates the characters too much to enable his message, occasionally a director gets through that but I feel like I am being preached at. Ibsen's great plays are more diverse (and numerous) though. Some can be preachy melodramas but not all. I'd contend The Wild Duck is more of a "Chekhov" piece but written a decade before The Seagull. And just as an example An Enemy of the People can be a far more visceral theatrical experience than anything in Chekhov. |
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Post by kathryn on Jul 31, 2016 17:07:15 GMT
Saw Ivanov last week. Have to agree the Donmar/Branagh version was better, but we still quite enjoyed it, even though the main character was incredibly unsympathetic.
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Post by joem on Aug 3, 2016 21:42:43 GMT
Went to see Platonov today - the only Chekhov play I didn't know. Surprisingly funny, screwball comedy you would almost say, even if it's ending wouldn't match this description.
Beautifully staged. Directed with great panache I thought. Very pacey and, after the awkward first few minutes where lots of characters appear on stage quite quickly and it's difficult to work out who's who and how they are related, really zips along. James McCardle as the eponymous anti-hero and Nina Sosanya as the liberated widow probably steal the acting honours.
May I suggest Ibsen v Chekhov merits its own thread? The Battle of the Fathers of Modern Drama? I know where I stand on this one.
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Post by lynette on Aug 5, 2016 10:32:28 GMT
Chekhov v Ibsen. Can't have one without the other.
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 10, 2016 22:17:32 GMT
Saw it as a threee-play-day on August, 3 (front row, dead center - how lucky is that?) Didn't feel nothing like a press night - such warm welcomes, stading ovation and the entire cast and crew at the curtain call after Seagull!
I found this experience fascinating - a bit tiring and overwhelming as it is but a great idea as these plays explore the similar topics and shared cast (which could not be better!) is a gem as you see them change in redically different characters in course of 1,5 hours.
Platonov (especially Act 1) is a joy, getting a bit more melodramatic as you wish for towards the end - a lot cut out from the original text and rightfully so - nobody needs these extra 12 unnecessary characters. It gets clumsy at times as Chekhov is only finding his voice as this point but still very strong piece of writing. James McArdle found a perfect pitch for his part which is likable and unlikable at the same time. Female support is all good.
Ivanov was probably my favourite. Geoffrey Streatfeild. Blimey. What a powerful performsnce! I felt absolutely exhasted by the end of it so i can't even begin to imagine the effort put into fleshing this charater out 'cause it might be the most difficult and controversial of the bunch. Tatally compelling and disturbingly beautiful. Loved how physical (body language spot on) and nuanced it was. Some funny bits too, ever briefly elevated to farce.
You can see how the writing has grown over the years with The Seagull full of meaty interesting charaters. Anna Chancellor is hilarious to say the least and they form a great comedy couple with Geoffrey Streatfeild who became the different person altogether since we last saw him. Amazing delivery by Olivia Vinall at the end - never saw it played that fierce. The other standout for me was Nina Sosanya (who was in the first two shows).
Set is gorgeous an evocative of the quiet countryside at home. I don't know it if have to be fully-blood Russian to tuly appreciate these productions (not the biggest fan of Chekhov and it is hardly done with so much humour here which is a shame) but I felt in love with them. When it's staged as it is - not a dusty period Eastern drama but a study in tortured youth and human banality which is ever relavant it shines.
And yes, agree that Chekhov is a bot like Shakespeare in a way you can interpret his characters in a million various ways and make them extremely personal still stay truthful to the text.
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Post by vdcni on Aug 11, 2016 7:22:17 GMT
I have 2 tickets to the three show day on 3rd September B17-B18.
Anyone have similar tickets for a later 3 show day they wouldn't mind swapping as I can no longer make it?
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Post by martin1965 on Aug 11, 2016 7:56:09 GMT
Have come late to this thread. I saw these in Chichester at a trilogy saturday and have to say loved it! Olivia Vinall is luminous and is goung to be a huge star. The whole experience was fab. U agree with others that the fact the NT has imported them shows them up.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 14:17:16 GMT
Just enjoying some meatballs after seeing 'Platonov'. Loved it. Throw in Brian Rix and a few slamming doors and it would be perfect.
James McArdle is glorious as Platonov. He manages to make someone who is a bit of a douchebag entirely likeable. It's a really fabulous performance. Olivier nomination please.
Great supporting cast especially Nina Sosanya (now *there* is a Hester Collyer I'd like to see), Joshua James and a fabulously prissy Mark Donald as Kiril.
But really Rufus. 11.45am start? I *ask* you.
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 13, 2016 14:29:19 GMT
Ryan, probably by the end of it all you will be glad for an early start. We really NEED this 1,5 break between each )
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 13, 2016 14:32:33 GMT
And if there's still ANY award with The Best Ensemble Cast nod, Young Chekhov season most certainly should have one.
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Post by lynette on Aug 13, 2016 14:54:40 GMT
I'm doing the three in a day soon..any recommendations on eating, pacing, jelly baby quota?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2016 15:14:34 GMT
I'm doing the three in a day soon..any recommendations on eating, pacing, jelly baby quota? Leave before the seagull |
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 13, 2016 15:15:04 GMT
I'm doing the three in a day soon..any recommendations on eating, pacing, jelly baby quota?
I'd say be prepared that entire downstairs space (Kitchen) is busy since everyone hang out there (including actors, which is a nice bonus) so if you'd like a place to eat there - be quick. I image House is also pretty much full but not sure - not for fancy food myself. 15min Queue to ice-cream/ pizza van outside too.
I'd recommend to get as much fresh air as possible - times really does fly in between shows. As I found Ivanov emotionally draining first 40 mins after I just wanted to get me a gun.. but I managed to recover before The Seagull which I most happy about as it's glorious.
Have fun! 
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Post by harry on Aug 13, 2016 22:38:09 GMT
Just back from this. I saw the 3 play day in Chichester last year and loved it so I was excited to see it again here in London. It survives more than intact and in fact replacing Sam West (who's never yet been my cup of tea in anything I've seen him in) with Geoffrey Streatfield has elevated Ivanov to almost the superlative level of the other two. Platonov is still an intensely enjoyable unwieldy messy thing, Ivanov remains the darkest (figuratively and literally) of the triptych beginning bleak and getting bleaker. And in The Seagull we see how Chekhov has honed his craft to create an astonishingly assured and direct piece of writing, bursting with ideas. It is fizzing with tension without resorting to the noisy melodrama of Platonov, melancholy and affecting without the unremitting depression of Ivanov.
The Olivier works so well with the production and it feels more intimate than it did in Chichester despite the Oliver being of comparable size.
The one mistake is to squidge up the timings so the breaks between shows are shorter. At Chichester there were long lunch and dinner breaks giving plenty of time to wander out, find some food and mull things through. Here you get About 80min between each, and if you want to eat in any of the NTs own restaurants you need to book because everything was unsurprisingly rammed full of people. Both the Terrace and House were fully booked when I checked earlier in the week and The Green Room (where I ended up booking) was turning away anyone without a reservation. The whole day just felt ever so slightly too compact for me - I'd much rather start at 10:30 and let it breathe a bit more.
But all in all an unmissable treat.
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Post by Hana PlaysAndParasols on Aug 13, 2016 23:22:01 GMT
Just came back as well it was just heaven! I loved how the casting drew paralels between the characters in the plays and pretty much everyone was amazing. I really appreciated the adaptations, especially with Platonov - he made unbearably long conversations of the original into hilarious scenes. I am still devastated from The Seagull's ending by the way (and I've seen a lot of versions where I didn't really care to be honest). The Olivier works so well with the production and it feels more intimate than it did in Chichester despite the Oliver being of comparable size. That's interesting, what would you say was the reason? Did they make any changes in the design? |
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Post by harry on Aug 13, 2016 23:52:06 GMT
That's interesting, what would you say was the reason? Did they make any changes in the design? No noticible changes. The seating goes further round the sides in Chichester and the stage is hexagonal rather than curved but the design is basically identical. I don't remember anyone splashing the front row in Chichester in Ivanov (or that the water ran all the way round the front of the stage but that very well may have been there and I've just forgotten) I can't quite put my finger on it but I just feel the Festival Theatre somehow makes you feel miles from the stage even when you're in the front stalls. It's a mess of an auditorium which has the bizarre and frustrating quirk where all the seats look across the stage at an angle rather than pointing at it! |
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Post by lynette on Aug 14, 2016 20:05:09 GMT
HanaP&P - I'm always devastated by the end of The Seagull.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2016 22:30:19 GMT
HanaP&P - I'm always devastated by the end of The Seagull. Oh dear, whereas I positively welcomed it, I'm afraid. I was so bored at this, I actually found myself wishing I'd taken the bullet for the seabird in part 1. |
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Post by lynette on Aug 15, 2016 17:50:06 GMT
HanaP&P - I'm always devastated by the end of The Seagull. Oh dear, whereas I positively welcomed it, I'm afraid. I was so bored at this, I actually found myself wishing I'd taken the bullet for the seabird in part 1. Did you see Simon Russell Beale do the ending, Jean? A while back, never to be forgotten, heartbreaking stuff. |
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 15, 2016 18:07:10 GMT
Oh dear, whereas I positively welcomed it, I'm afraid. I was so bored at this, I actually found myself wishing I'd taken the bullet for the seabird in part 1. Did you see Simon Russell Beale do the ending, Jean? A while back, never to be forgotten, heartbreaking stuff.
How was it different please? To be honest, from the text, the way t's written it's unclear whether Konstantin doing it as a hasty decision or is it rational. I loved how it this production it's obvious that his suicide is not an act of mementum madness - he is both preparing for it and prepared.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2016 18:53:27 GMT
Did you see Simon Russell Beale do the ending, Jean? A while back, never to be forgotten, heartbreaking stuff.
How was it different please? To be honest, from the text, the way t's written it's unclear whether Konstantin doing it as a hasty decision or is it rational. I loved how it this production it's obvious that his suicide is not an act of mementum madness - he is both preparing for it and prepared.
I was prepared for it practically the minute he walked on stage. It was the two hours of utter tedium in between that almost made me weep. And no, unfortunately I missed SRB's take on it. I think it's possible Chekhov just isn't for me. Uncle Vanya has never really grabbed me either. (Though I did like Amanda Hale very much in the otherwise weak St James' version.) I'll see how I fare with Ivanov and Platonov though. Got the tickets, might as well give it a chance! |
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Post by lynette on Aug 15, 2016 18:56:10 GMT
Ok Jean, compare notes later. I'm doing the all three on one day...
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 15, 2016 19:16:13 GMT
How was it different please? To be honest, from the text, the way t's written it's unclear whether Konstantin doing it as a hasty decision or is it rational. I loved how it this production it's obvious that his suicide is not an act of mementum madness - he is both preparing for it and prepared.
I was prepared for it practically the minute he walked on stage. It was the two hours of utter tedium in between that almost made me weep. And no, unfortunately I missed SRB's take on it. I think it's possible Chekhov just isn't for me. Uncle Vanya has never really grabbed me either. (Though I did like Amanda Hale very much in the otherwise weak St James' version.) I'll see how I fare with Ivanov and Platonov though. Got the tickets, might as well give it a chance!
Well.. Chekhov is like that. There's always a gunshot to look forward to and it's easy to calculate the victum. For me it's more about the smaller things in the relationships that really get under my skin and make me think. Or feel. Or both if production is good.
Just out of curiousity - have you seen the recent Days & Night film as a sort of re-imagined The Seagull with Mark Rylance and Ben Whishaw? I fell in love with it at instant even though I know I migh be in the minority as it was a big BO flop..
Anyway, hope you'll enjoy the other two! Looking forward to your feedback
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