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Post by talkstageytome on Apr 11, 2017 13:44:23 GMT
Ahh thank you! 😊
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Post by theatremadness on Apr 11, 2017 13:49:35 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!
Thank you!! I think I may well just do that. Luckily I saw R&G are Dead recently, so certain plot-points are especially prominent  but a grasp on a complete summary fresh in my mind will certainly help, fab advice! I hope I do too - on paper there's no reason not to: Andrew Scott & Shakespeare, so I'm game! haha |
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Post by talkstageytome on Apr 11, 2017 23:00:30 GMT
Ahaha, perhaps, at least then my sacrifice wouldn't have been in vain!
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Post by theatremadness on Apr 12, 2017 10:15:26 GMT
Wow. Wow. WOW. This was simply extraordinary. The best part of four hours just flew by. As I mentioned above, my first Hamlet, but my 3rd professional Shakespearean production and easily my favourite so far by a mile (though I am seeing NT's Twelfth Night next Tues!). The use of the text and the interpretation by the cast & director were stunning. Not a bad link in the cast, I would say, and it was a nice mix of a more colloquial command of the language, and a very traditional one. I thought Peter Wight's Polonius was a wonderful man of caring and love, with wonderful comic timing, exacerbated by his life slowly slipping away from him, until, of course, it does in a much more physically gruesome manner. His children, Luke Thompson as Laertes and Jessica Brown Findlay as Ophelia, had that unbreakable sibling bond in life and in death, that had obviously come from their doting father, and all anger they had still very clearly came from that place of love. Angus Wright's stoic and poised Claudius, giving his guilty conscience a real platform to shine, was a perfect match for Juliet Stevenson's breathtaking and highly emotional Gertrude, who really comes into her own in "Act 3", making the ultimate sacrifice for her son, which turns out to be a fruitless task. Amidst all the commotion of the fencing, the look she gives Hamlet when she knows she is going to die was heart-breaking, and certainly had me welling up. Having recently seen Rozencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead at The Old Vic, the choice to have them male & female respectively was a wonderful touch - not least to then have them in a relationship, possibly a childhood romance from their school days? When Hamlet tells Guildenstern he loved her, it adds a touch of poignancy to their relationship - not to mention with Rozencrantz, too; a little bit of romantic competition, a conquest Hamlet failed to win? Though he flits between love and love-not with Ophelia, does Hamlet ever really 'love' anyone? And, of course, Andrew Scott as Hamlet himself. Speaking with such natural command of the language, it's as if I were speaking to my friends on any normal day. His grief strikes him down as a one-note Hamlet for the very first portion of his first soliloquy and then - out of nowhere - he is dead-pan hilarious. He is excruciatingly pained. He is as mad as a box of frogs. You do see a glimpse of his Moriarty in his madness as Hamlet, but you love that. It makes it all the more exciting and threatening (and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny) - because that's what he is so damn good at. He is, really, a thoroughly unlikable character, but what shines through is the humanity Scott gives him. You forgot he is a prince, once heir to the throne. He is a human - and this is my favourite aspect of this production. Never once do you feel that 'you are watching SHAKESPEARE', or more specifically, 'you are watching HAMLET'. It is simply, 'you are watching a play'. And what a play it is! When Scott delivers his many soliloquies, you never feel he is talking AT you. It's always TO you, like your favourite teacher or lecturer, giving you another of your favourite lessons. Favourite because you hang off every word, you are scared to even cough or blink should you miss a hand gesture, a raised eyebrow, a hilarious turn of phrase or a devastating realisation. It's also wonderfully directed, with a great use of modern technology in my opinion, and some wonderful choices to bring the text bang up to date - without having to change a word. {Spoiler - click to view}
And to cap it off, a really glorious ending where each person slain surrenders their watch to the ghost of the murdered King, as if he is the keeper of time and they know full well that their time is up. Apart from Hamlet, of course, whose time could well and truly have been up the moment he spoke to the ghost of his father, and from that point maybe his father wore his son's watch, being the subconscious for all of Hamlet's actions, waiting for the inevitable moment they would be reunited again. It's accessible, yes, but never once dumbed-down. A deafening reception from the young audience, all granted free entry thanks to the Almedia and Hamlet For Free, greeted the brilliant cast on their arrival for their bow. An unmissable production. |
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Post by peggs on Apr 12, 2017 10:42:22 GMT
Never once do you feel that 'you are watching SHAKESPEARE', or more specifically, 'you are watching HAMLET'. It is simply, 'you are watching a play'. |
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Post by peggs on Apr 12, 2017 10:46:31 GMT
Far left of stalls flat against the stage hence I missed some of the central back stuff. Ah, first, thanks for the "heads up" on the view from those seats - think I'll stick to the centre back in that case, LOL. And no wonder we didn't meet, as apart from when they first open the house, I always use the back exit to the street at the interval and to leave Yes for this production probably the back would have been better, I think the stage was bought forward a bit for this production, several of the ends of the side rows have gone/seats didn't actually fold down due to the projecting stage - I sat at the other far side for Oresteia and it was fine. For me suspect the other side would have been better as more of the actors I wanted to watch seem to face that one when doing a one on one speech. Another time perhaps theatremonkey though in my head I imagine everyone looks like their pictures so in that case you're probably safe from me ever spotting you  |
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Post by emilytemple on Apr 13, 2017 17:50:06 GMT
I look up at ATG tickets and find 3 options. N7 in stalls and 21D or 20C in upper at harold pinter theatre
All for £28.50 (25+Transaction Fee). As for i understand i should take N7 but it's worth in this price? (people said take it but when is abut 15)
I know plane tickets will cost me a fortune and I would love to see this but i need spend less at t. ticket
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 18:04:06 GMT
Definitely N7 rather than the upper circle. Seatplan.com has a photo from the seat - seatplan.com/london/harold-pinter-theatre/#seat-14840/ - you can see the pillar on the left of the photo. Cuts off the extreme side of the stage but move your head and you have no problem. |
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Post by emilytemple on Apr 13, 2017 19:30:48 GMT
Done |
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Post by Rory on Apr 24, 2017 9:50:12 GMT
The excellent Irish actress Derbhle Crotty is taking over from Juliet Stevenson as Gertrude from 4 July.
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Post by barrowside on Apr 24, 2017 16:16:42 GMT
Very interesting choice (mind you she is only about 10 years older than Andrew).
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Post by alnoor on May 8, 2017 13:21:32 GMT
I had noticed and wondered why Elliot Barnes-Worell was no longer in this production for the transfer.
Almeida website now confirms he will be in Against at the Almeida with Ben Wishaw.
How tough will have been the decision? To stay or not to stay?
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2017 13:27:26 GMT
I do like Elliot Barnes-Worrell but I have to say I'm more excited to see what Joshua Higgott brings to Horatio than I would be to see Barnes-Worrell do it again.
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Post by nash16 on May 8, 2017 23:12:41 GMT
I had noticed and wondered why Elliot Barnes-Worell was no longer in this production for the transfer. Almeida website now confirms he will be in Against at the Almeida with Ben Wishaw. How tough will have been the decision? To stay or not to stay? I think staying in a near 4hr play over the whole of the summer, or a short play and short run with Wishaw would have been a no brainier to him. The cast must be bored already sitting backstage in Hamlet. |
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Post by cherokee on May 9, 2017 7:03:27 GMT
Along with Angus Wright, I found Barnes-Worell gave the weakest performance in Hamlet, so maybe he wasn't given the option! (Although why the Almeida would promptly hire him again is a mystery.)
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Post by crowblack on May 9, 2017 11:40:53 GMT
Along with Angus Wright, I found Barnes-Worell gave the weakest performance in Hamlet I agree, I thought both were weak points - I saw a preview and thought maybe they'd improve but judging by comments I've read it doesn't sound like it. I don't like criticising individuals but when you've got leads as powerful as Andrew Scott and Juliet Stevenson it's a shame and they were one of the reasons I found the production uneven. |
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Post by sherriebythesea on Jun 13, 2017 16:35:08 GMT
The excellent Irish actress Derbhle Crotty is taking over from Juliet Stevenson as Gertrude from 4 July. Drat, I was really looking forward to seeing Juliet Stevenson. |
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Post by theatrelover123 on Jun 13, 2017 20:32:46 GMT
The excellent Irish actress Derbhle Crotty is taking over from Juliet Stevenson as Gertrude from 4 July. Drat, I was really looking forward to seeing Juliet Stevenson. To be fair, if you've seen one JS performance you've seen them all  |
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Post by crowblack on Jun 16, 2017 20:20:34 GMT
The transfer seems to be getting better reviews than the Almeida version - five stars across the board. I saw a later preview and thought Scott was brilliant, but wasn't keen on every aspect of the production. Is it better all round now? I'd like to see it again but doubt I'll get the chance (wish they'd record it!).
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Post by dave72 on Jun 17, 2017 1:02:13 GMT
The transfer seems to be getting better reviews than the Almeida version - five stars across the board. I saw a later preview and thought Scott was brilliant, but wasn't keen on every aspect of the production. Is it better all round now? I'd like to see it again but doubt I'll get the chance (wish they'd record it!). It's wonderful, one of the best Hamlets I've seen, original and deeply affecting. But I didn't see it at the Almeida, so can't compare. |
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Post by nash16 on Jun 17, 2017 10:00:45 GMT
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Post by crowblack on Jun 17, 2017 11:39:43 GMT
You might find similar feelings to your own Yes, I think it nails it - he was spellbinding and Ophelia moved me to tears, some five star performances in there, but maybe a three star production as a whole (that 'stars' thing's very clunky, though - always reminds me of junior school!) |
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Post by crowblack on Jun 17, 2017 11:42:43 GMT
Btw, I had a front row side seat at the Almeida - knees practically touching the low stage - so no sound issues from where I was.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 13:02:22 GMT
I'm wanting to see the matinee of it tommorow but will not be able to day seat and wanted to get good or hopefully front row seats as I had not great ones at the almeida and was wondering if anyon knew how easy it is to get the under £30 for under 30s tickets and where about are they in the theatre or if they may have day seats left but know there are rush tickets but am not putting hope into getting the,
Thanks Rob
ps-does anyone know maybe the actual phone number to contact that heater as i just ended up speaking to someone from atg which wasn't as helpful
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 13:13:11 GMT
Have you heard of the Project Management Triangle? Basically the three points are Fast, Cheap, and Good, and you can only pick two. If you want something good and cheap, you have to be willing to wait. If you want something cheap and fast, it's not going to be great. If you want something fast and good, you have to be willing to pay. I fear this triangle may well apply to theatre tickets too.
That said, there are (as you've pointed out) the options for rush tickets and the under-30 ones (not sure where they are but suspect they'll be scattered around the auditorium rather than pre-put aside), so not all hope is lost, and it's so near the beginning of the run that hopefully there'll be time on another day if you have a go at both of these options tomorrow and neither comes to fruition. Unhelpfully, I haven't heard any reports on how well either option works yet myself...
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but a grasp on a complete summary fresh in my mind will certainly help, fab advice! I hope I do too - on paper there's no reason not to: Andrew Scott & Shakespeare, so I'm game! haha
