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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2016 13:07:54 GMT
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Post by rumbledoll on Oct 7, 2016 13:12:10 GMT
Yep. This kinda threw me off the sride this morning... Since winter is an awful timing.. But for Geoffrey I will probablt figure smth out.. Sophie Rundel will be amazing too!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2016 13:14:48 GMT
This is just a great cast all round, I am EXTREMELY excited!
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Post by Jan on Oct 7, 2016 13:16:05 GMT
Bit surprising, the Early Chekov play he wasn't in at NT. Is Howard Davies still directing this after his illness ?
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Post by mallardo on Oct 7, 2016 13:38:44 GMT
Very strange programming. Is this for people who can't get enough of Platonov?
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Post by rumbledoll on Oct 7, 2016 13:47:13 GMT
Agree... Something's wrong with this year in London theatres. I'm personally rather sick of Chekhov but I can't get enough of Mr Streatfeild that's the truth of it  |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2016 13:58:27 GMT
I'm always amused when people say Platonov is rarely performed, 'cos when you look into it and realise how many other names it's performed under, it's far less rarely performed than people would have you believe!
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Post by peggs on Oct 7, 2016 19:29:00 GMT
Oh darn it, I had just reconciled myself to not seeing this. It better not snow this winter.
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Post by Jan on Oct 8, 2016 8:22:10 GMT
I'm always amused when people say Platonov is rarely performed, 'cos when you look into it and realise how many other names it's performed under, it's far less rarely performed than people would have you believe! Correct. Let's have The Wood Demon for as change. |
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Post by addictedtotheatre on Oct 8, 2016 9:30:33 GMT
Ah, its not just me then that thinks he's devastatingly attractive. Saw him this week in 'Ivanov', and as I was in row A I got to gaze upon his loveliness close up. Sigh. I did have trouble concentrating on anything else. He plays a character unhappy about something - was it his wife? |
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Post by martin1965 on Oct 8, 2016 11:22:56 GMT
This casting seems very odd following the NT triple header! Crikey agreeing with the Janmeister!! Lets have the Wood Demon😉
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Post by nash16 on Oct 26, 2016 1:25:00 GMT
So sad to hear about Howard Davies passing. Jonathan Kent must be helming solely on this now.
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Post by Jan on Oct 26, 2016 2:32:26 GMT
So sad to hear about Howard Davies passing. Jonathan Kent must be helming solely on this now. Should have a separate thread on Davies. Kent directing this is bizarre, he's just directed the play at NT (even though it was a different version). |
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Post by lynette on Oct 26, 2016 15:01:12 GMT
So sad to hear about Howard Davies passing. Jonathan Kent must be helming solely on this now. Should have a separate thread on Davies. Kent directing this is bizarre, he's just directed the play at NT (even though it was a different version). Should be good then. V sad Davies has died. Loved all his work. |
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Post by rumbledoll on Dec 2, 2016 21:05:00 GMT
Anyone going shortly? (previews started tonight I believe..) Can't wait to hear some reviews for this!  (esp from ones who also saw Platonov at Chichester/NT). |
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Post by lynette on Dec 2, 2016 21:06:28 GMT
Yep, going on 17 th.
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Post by showgirl on Dec 3, 2016 10:31:26 GMT
Going early Jan - train drivers' strike permitting, so possibly not - damn!
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Post by RudyGrey on Dec 3, 2016 10:51:44 GMT
We were there yesterday and found the production in excellent shape for a first preview. Jonathan Kent sat to the side in the Stalls, notepad at hand, quiet and smiling, chatting to staff and audience during the intermission.
The first half was well acted and spoken at fast pace, but left us somewhat baffled at who's who. The story drags a bit and left us at loss for where it's going. (We hadn't seen the NT Chechovs and weren't familiar with the play.) Kudos for the atmospheric set design and lighting.
After the intermission, an impressive set piece sets off a very farcical and manic second half. Set at moonlight, with the whole ensemble drenched in vodka, Platonov grows increasingly, tragicomically desperate. Helplessly chased by four women, through a hilarious series of drunk confusion scenes, the tragic finale feels inevitable, nearly comical still.
Geoffrey Streatfeild's magnetic, most impressive Platonov, is strongly supported by a unanimously excellent cast. A special nod to Michael Frayn's lucid translation, too. After a brisk two and a half hours, we traveled home very satisfied.
PS: First time to the Hampstead Theatre, we were impressed by the nice, modern auditorium too!
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Post by jason71 on Dec 3, 2016 11:06:34 GMT
What was the running time?
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Post by RudyGrey on Dec 3, 2016 11:09:37 GMT
The Hampstead Theatre email we'd received beforehand said 2:20, but I didn't double check time until we were on the tube, around 10pm.
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Post by RudyGrey on Dec 3, 2016 11:40:08 GMT
@theatremonkey: Not sure how to write a spoiler alinea, so I'll keep my reply very general ;-)
Yep, your description sounds almost exactly like what we saw: very surprising and impressive. Made us wonder how on earth they made this swift set change!
Btw, we sat centrally on row A (12&13), which felt like prime seats.
The low stage and ample legroom allowed for a perfect view, without any neck ache.
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Post by Michael on Dec 3, 2016 12:22:26 GMT
@theatremonkey: Not sure how to write a spoiler alinea, so I'll keep my reply very general ;-) Simply put your text between spoiler tags: (spoiler)Text(/spoiler) (replace round with square brackets) |
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Post by Jan on Dec 3, 2016 12:53:06 GMT
Going on 19th. Saw the recent NT Platonov, the Almeida Plantonov with the same text in 2001, and the original NT Wild Honey with McKellen in 1984, so several points of reference. |
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Post by RudyGrey on Dec 3, 2016 14:52:39 GMT
Okay, below's a try with the spoiler tags. Warning: if it were me, I wouldn't want to know about this effect before I see the production. (Can the moderators please help out, in case the spoiler thingy fails?) When we entered the auditorium after intermission, out of nowhere, there was this lifesize, massive steel & wood railway, running diagonally across the stage, right into the stage right audience. The scene starts with abundant smoke and very realistic sounds, effects and lights of an approaching train. Quite unnerving for the people sitting in the front row, to the right of me. A couple of scenes later, the tracks are "rolled" to the back for a scene or two inside Platonov's house. Then they appear again for a gripping final image, which I really won't spoil... But people who know the text, can probably guess already?
Strangely, theatremonkey's comment triggered a very distant memory, that I might have actually seen that very same production in the Lyttleton. Must have been in the mid-90s, right? Ouch, makes me feel old now, especially with such forgetfulness...
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Post by RudyGrey on Dec 3, 2016 14:57:02 GMT
Strangely, theatremonkey's comment triggered a very distant memory, that I might have actually seen that very same production in the Lyttleton. Must have been in the mid-90s, right? Ouch, makes me feel old now, especially with such forgetfulness...
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(esp from ones who also saw Platonov at Chichester/NT). 
