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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 22:23:02 GMT
I didn't mind the bath scene. "My boyfriend looked at me funny" is a slightly weird reason to go running to your dad in fear, it makes more sense that she be so shaken if he's snuck up on her in a totally vulnerable state in the bathroom.
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Post by Latecomer on Apr 9, 2017 7:15:42 GMT
I thought the bath scene was a master stroke...it made far more sense of Ophelia's descent and I didn't mind the nudity or think it was gratuitous!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2017 9:43:38 GMT
Only questionable: was the topless scene totally necessary? Don't think so. This is a "Just me" comment. I believe it's your honest comment but it's all about your personal "faces" reaction and ignores the dramatic reasons for the scene and even suggests that there aren't any! There's a reason for every aspect of this production. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2017 10:41:59 GMT
I'm a straight white male who knows very little about the latest feminist ideologies and I found the bathtub scene totally unnecessary/pervy/ridiculous. But this was only one of several moments in this production where I felt similarly bemused/perplexed/exasperated... You may not have realised but you've registered as female (that pink icon next to your details). I'm all for gender fluidity but just in case you didn't know (as it counters your post). |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2017 11:02:37 GMT
I'm a straight white male who knows very little about the latest feminist ideologies and I found the bathtub scene totally unnecessary/pervy/ridiculous. But this was only one of several moments in this production where I felt similarly bemused/perplexed/exasperated... You may not have realised but you've registered as female (that pink icon next to your details). I'm all for gender fluidity but just in case you didn't know (as it counters your post). Well, if I wrote it on an random forum, it must be true. My birthday also isn't on January 1st. And so ends my brief interaction with online forums. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2017 11:35:30 GMT
You may not have realised but you've registered as female (that pink icon next to your details). I'm all for gender fluidity but just in case you didn't know (as it counters your post). Well, if I wrote it on an random forum, it must be true. My birthday also isn't on January 1st. And so ends my brief interaction with online forums. Stick around, I noticed you were knew so didn't think you'd realised. |
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Post by peggs on Apr 9, 2017 18:03:49 GMT
Theatre monkey you mean I missed you at yesterdays matinee? And I had my badge on and everything.
Only saw this because of all the positive feedback on here as was taking a break from Andrew Scott after getting rather tired of a lot of a bit over the top manic characters. So pleased I did, I think that's probably the best production I've seen of hamlet taken as a whole. The woman were really strong in this for me, loved Juliet Stevenson's Gertrude, probably the best I've seen her and I actually liked Ophelia, I generally loath the character but this portrayal had not a bit of the wet weekend about her. I liked the decision to chose to show us that there had been a relationship there explicitly as it made everything else more painful after that as it all feel apart. I don't know if it was due to seeing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead two days before but I really liked the actress playing Guildenstern too, for once wasn't just a nobody that you forgot. The obvious and genuine affection felt between Peter Wright's Polonius and his children also paid off, I've also seen Polonius as a rather easy character to dislike, seemingly rather careless of his children's feelings but here it felt like seeing a real father and daughter relationship. And Andrew Scott, well not irritating at all, I appreciated the often quietness of his portrayal, the lines seemingly to come like they had just been thought of.
I obviously completly missed the 'bath scene' though, sat on far left side, what happened? I assumed Hamlet and come across Ophelia and been rather rough but am guessing he yanked her out of the bath? She did look damp now I think of it.
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Post by sondheimhats on Apr 9, 2017 18:13:56 GMT
I admit I'm also curious about this bath scene. I missed it as well. I knew vaguely what was happening, because I'm familiar with her speech in the following scene in which she describes that encounter. But I couldn't see any of it. What exactly does he do to her?
Also, I hate to ask this very crude question, but given the earlier conversation about onstage nudity, I can't stop myself from wondering: exactly how much of her is revealed during this bath scene?
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Post by peggs on Apr 9, 2017 18:31:37 GMT
Reading back through the thread now and wondering just how much I missed by not being able to see much in that middle section, missed most of the party (beginning) and end dancing.
This production definitely touches people though, in the 'am I a coward' soliloquy a member of the audience appeared to feel compelled to assure Hamlet that he was not, but then there was that other soliloquy where someone's phone went off......
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2017 19:05:08 GMT
I admit I'm also curious about this bath scene. I missed it as well. I knew vaguely what was happening, because I'm familiar with her speech in the following scene in which she describes that encounter. But I couldn't see any of it. What exactly does he do to her? Also, I hate to ask this very crude question, but given the earlier conversation about onstage nudity, I can't stop myself from wondering: exactly how much of her is revealed during this bath scene? I think the fashionable term is "side boob". ;-) Though it may vary from show to show of course; live performance being what it is. Hamlet reaches into the bath and grabs her arm, as I recall. She sort of half-raises and twists her upper body in response (I assume trying to pull away from him, but what I noticed more than the toplessness was how sinewy the actress's arm was - at that point all I was thinking was that she'd have given Scott a run for his money in any arm-wrestling competition!). |
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Post by popcultureboy on Apr 9, 2017 21:38:45 GMT
We're really going to start taking this to task for a 15 second scene in a bath tub where you don't see anything explicit? Let's not forget that Angus Wright paraded around buck naked in Oresteia as well, so Icke is relatively equal opportunities on the exposed flesh front.
Has anyone else noticed that Brown Findlay has a really bruised leg in the post bath scene though? Can only assume she's really not holding back when she's punching herself in the mad scene....
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Post by sondheimhats on Apr 9, 2017 21:41:47 GMT
Has anyone else noticed that Brown Findlay has a really bruised leg in the post bath scene though? Can only assume she's really not holding back when she's punching herself in the mad scene.... No, they are fake bruises. I asked her after the performance whether they were real bruises or not, and she said they were just make-up. (though it only just occurred to me that she might have been fibbing, but I doubt it.) |
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Post by Latecomer on Apr 10, 2017 6:20:55 GMT
Has anyone else noticed that Brown Findlay has a really bruised leg in the post bath scene though? Can only assume she's really not holding back when she's punching herself in the mad scene.... No, they are fake bruises. I asked her after the performance whether they were real bruises or not, and she said they were just make-up. (though it only just occurred to me that she might have been fibbing, but I doubt it.) I thought they were bruises because Hamlet had assaulted her......that was my immediate assumption at the time.... |
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Post by tink on Apr 10, 2017 14:17:23 GMT
People have mentioned £10 and £15 dress circle tickets but whenever I look they are all £60... Does my inability to find the £15 tix just mean that they've all gone now? I've seen it twice and am going again but if there are £15 tix... well, I'm sure I could manage a 4th  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2017 16:05:22 GMT
I'm still cogitating about this as well. My first reaction when I got to the theatre was - SEATS! It's 1000% more enjoyable not being bounced about by the person sitting next to you, so thank you Almeida!
Overall I really thought this was a brilliant production and truly illuminating and communicative - like a lot of people, I really feel like I got insights into the play that I've never had before. All of the main characters felt like real, rounded, relatable people; I actually liked the fact that Claudius was a bit bland because he was human rather than the panto villain he sometimes becomes. And the relationship between him and Gertrude felt real and affectionate - a lot of productions show it as being primarily about sex and/or power, and I liked that there was clearly more to it than that in this production (or at least the first three quarters of it). Amongst a lot of lovely touches I particularly liked the two times that Hamlet tried to hold his parents hands together - again, just a human, understandable gesture that communicated a lot very directly.
A few very very minor quibbles that in no way undermine the overall brilliance:
Mumbling - seriously, I was on row F and I struggled to hear some of the actors - it felt like the idea that truthful acting is non-projecting acting had infiltrated this production a bit.
Andrew Scott - overall absolutely excellent and I loved what he did with so much of it; but by the end, I did think his performance was becoming a bit one-note. I didn't feel as touched by his death as I have in other productions - but that might have been the length and the limits of my concentration as much as anything.
Having said that, although it is long I never felt like it dragged and my concentration didn't really falter. It's such a good, involving production that the length is non-painful and totally forgivable!
Will definitely stay in my memory and I would happily see it again if a ticket became available - though I suspect that's unlikely.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2017 16:48:52 GMT
People have mentioned £10 and £15 dress circle tickets but whenever I look they are all £60... Does my inability to find the £15 tix just mean that they've all gone now? I've seen it twice and am going again but if there are £15 tix... well, I'm sure I could manage a 4th I had a look on the ATG Tickets site for a couple of random dates - didn't see any £15 tickets in the stalls or dress circle left, but there are plenty of decent £25 seats in the stalls left and £15 seats in the upper circle |
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Post by tink on Apr 10, 2017 17:04:50 GMT
People have mentioned £10 and £15 dress circle tickets but whenever I look they are all £60... Does my inability to find the £15 tix just mean that they've all gone now? I've seen it twice and am going again but if there are £15 tix... well, I'm sure I could manage a 4th I had a look on the ATG Tickets site for a couple of random dates - didn't see any £15 tickets in the stalls or dress circle left, but there are plenty of decent £25 seats in the stalls left and £15 seats in the upper circle Thank you! I'll have a look at the upper circle - much appreciated! Save |
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Post by peggs on Apr 10, 2017 19:51:52 GMT
Me too! I was in the back corner of the stalls, so where were you, peggs? Still digesting this whole production. Oddly annoyed at myself that I never saw the Hamlet and Polonius families as "mirrors" of each other - the fates of the offspring the result of different parenting, the parable that neglect breeds misery for others, not just your own. Even more angry looking back, when I consider that pile we were all fed at the Barbican. THIS production should have been the one everybody was in line for in that way. Don't know if I want to see another Hamlet for a good while now, as the mark is now above even the Daniel Day Lewis famed NT version for me. Far left of stalls flat against the stage hence I missed some of the central back stuff. I don't think I've fully felt the importance of family in Hamlet before and yes Polonius' family was such an important part of that. Agree this was a much more illuminating production for me than the Barbican one. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2017 19:53:43 GMT
I have another question about this production. When hamlet is dragging the body of polonious is the curtain meant to be pulled down as when I saw a preview Andrew and Juliet both looked at each other oddly and I don't know if it was intentional but now looking back I think it was as as they didn't use the curtains for the rest. SO is it planned?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2017 9:21:50 GMT
Re: curtain, I think so- it certainly came down when I saw it 2 weeks ago and he used it as a means to drag Polonius (probably needed as Scott is comparatively small)
I also missed a fair bit by being on the extreme sides, so I'm excited to see it front on in the transfer...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2017 11:13:44 GMT
Does Juliet Stevenson walk into the door every night too? There's a scene (can't remember which one, I think I was dozing off) where she leaves through the glass door at the far end of the stage and I could swear that she walked into it. I heard a thump and I believe a little whimper from her as she rubbed her forehead.
Of course it could be one of those pesky artistic decisions.
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Post by theatremadness on Apr 11, 2017 12:20:54 GMT
Going tonight, with huge thanks to the Almeida for their 'Hamlet For Free' scheme! My very first Hamlet - excited, of course, as this seems to be a good first one to experience (with many other 'traditional' productions available to watch should I feel the need) but also slight nervousness at being prepared to take it all in!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2017 12:25:14 GMT
Going tonight, with huge thanks to the Almeida for their 'Hamlet For Free' scheme! My very first Hamlet - excited, of course, as this seems to be a good first one to experience (with many other 'traditional' productions available to watch should I feel the need) but also slight nervousness at being prepared to take it all in! Have fun! it's a really accessible production, but it might make you feel better to refresh yourself by reading a quick summary before you go (I still do this with a lot of Shakespeare plays to avoid spending act 1 in a state of 'wait is this the one with the thing or the other one with the thing') but it's not a difficult production to get 'into' so I hope you really love it!
I also love they are giving so many people a chance to experience possibly their first Hamlet/Shakespeare for free too!
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Post by talkstageytome on Apr 11, 2017 13:03:33 GMT
Aghhh the horror, I've got a job interview tomorrow and have to give up my 'Hamlet For Free' ticket. Sigh, I was so smug when I got it, and annoyingly if itd have been any other day / time I'd have still been able to go! 😱 seduced by the ease of a matinee... nevermind, I suppose I'll have to book for the transfer instead, although I was SO looking forward to going tomorrow.
I'll be living vicariously through you guys'reviews for now...
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Post by alexandra on Apr 11, 2017 13:40:13 GMT
Aghhh the horror, I've got a job interview tomorrow and have to give up my 'Hamlet For Free' ticket. Sigh, I was so smug when I got it, and annoyingly if itd have been any other day / time I'd have still been able to go! 😱 seduced by the ease of a matinee... nevermind, I suppose I'll have to book for the transfer instead, although I was SO looking forward to going tomorrow. I'll be living vicariously through you guys'reviews for now... Bad luck. Hope you get the job. |
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