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Post by David J on Mar 25, 2017 21:07:35 GMT
Sigh
I'm not a fan of this play but this production feels middling at best
Again it feels safe, and whilst the actors are delivering the lines eloquently they're lacking drive all round
Seriously Andrew Woodall is outshining everybody as Enobarbus. He's acting his socks off even in the background
I've yet to feel real chemistry between Antony Byrne and Josette Simon as the titular characters in the opening scenes. And Josette doesn't take full advantage of the potential comedy with the messenger
There are a few bright spark including David Burnett as Pompey, Will Bliss as the soothsayer, Patrick Drury as Lepidus and Anthony ofoegbu as Diomedus
But otherwise this is just bland
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Post by crabtree on Mar 25, 2017 22:19:56 GMT
i'm surprised they have started with the two Roman plays as very literal productions. Ant and Cleo can be a tremendous play (if only directors were brave enough to cut some of the chaps chatting). When Cleo is on, it is amazing writing. Janet Suzman was remarkable as was Mark Rylance.
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Post by David J on Mar 25, 2017 23:28:41 GMT
I find the play too long myself, and that it doesn't know what it wants to be. A romantic tragedy or a political play. My favorite production though would be the Jonathan Munby version at the Globe, with Eve Best and Clive Wood.
Damn it, the Roman Season should have been a breath of fresh air from Gregory Doran's recent uninspired direction, but I'm already half way through this and I'd swear this has his hand all over this.
I've seen some creative work from Angus Jackson (Don Quixote, King Lear with Frank Langella) and Iqbal Khan (Othello, Much ado about nothing), and yet none of that comes through in Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.
God I hate to think what Blanche McIntyre and David Troughton's Titus Andronicus is going to be like.
Going up to watch the main house productions in Stratford seems less and less appetizing each year. Except the Swan productions remain the most creative and interesting, and a trip to the archive during the day means that I get to see some fabulous productions from days gone by. This week has included two Twelfth Nights (1983 with Zoe Wanamaker, 1994 with Desmond Barrit), the 2001 Romeo and Juliet with David Tennant, 1988 Richard III with Anton Lesser, and even bits of Les Miserables back in 1985 at the Barbican. The roman season so far doesn't even hold a candle to those productions.
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Post by David J on Mar 25, 2017 23:40:21 GMT
And just to go back to the messenger scene, I could have sworn they tried to bring in the missing levity by having this random person carrying fishing rods walk into the scene causing this awkward silence. And it was an excuse for Cleopatra to fling something at the messenger
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Post by cirque on Mar 26, 2017 8:39:38 GMT
David J seems to sum up my feelings......it is as though Greg's overall bland and costume approach infects the whole.There must be a set of guidelines laid out for directors/designers to follow.Its easy to moan about RSC but I really am feeling angry that a company that should be leading the way in innovative readings of the plays has fallen so far into the bland and uninteresting.Much preaching about education...about access.....about how great they are but not reflected on stages at all.A little mischief in TOP but who wants mischief.....please RSC examine how Shakespeare is being rethought everywhere and start hooking the most exciting directors who dare to be brave and,yes,may be better than Mr D. As I said I am now feeling angry at continually finding trips to RSC dull even.....worthy.
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Post by joem on Mar 26, 2017 9:28:53 GMT
The Alan Rickman/Helen Mirren production was one of the most excruciating things I've ever seen in a theatre.
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Post by Jan on Mar 26, 2017 10:56:18 GMT
The Alan Rickman/Helen Mirren production was one of the most excruciating things I've ever seen in a theatre. There were reasons for that. One was Rickman took the role at very short notice. The other was the director was almost bullied into doing it because they could find literally no one else to direct it. It is interesting that Simon Godwin's RSC debut a few years ago with Two Gents was very highly praised and reviewed and then the next thing we know he's the NT's house Shakespeare director (Twelfth Night, A&C), one wonders why exactly Doran failed (or didn't try) to retain him at the RSC. |
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Post by David J on Mar 26, 2017 11:36:02 GMT
He did the African Hamlet last year
The only gem on the main stage in 2016
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Post by Jan on Mar 26, 2017 12:03:26 GMT
He did the African Hamlet last year The only gem on the main stage in 2016 Yes I had forgotten that. Maybe significant that neither of his productions got a London transfer despite being highly praised. It is very odd that two different directors have started the Roman season with plays directed in the Doran style. I assume Doran specified the staging concept in advance (as he did for the Much Ado/Loves Labours productions). |
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Post by martin1965 on Mar 26, 2017 13:32:17 GMT
He did the African Hamlet last year The only gem on the main stage in 2016 Yes I had forgotten that. Maybe significant that neither of his productions got a London transfer despite being highly praised. It is very odd that two different directors have started the Roman season with plays directed in the Doran style. I assume Doran specified the staging concept in advance (as he did for the Much Ado/Loves Labours productions). You putting conspiracy theories forward now Jan? Doran obviously doesnt like the team of associates way of working. Fair enough, the board presumably appointed him on that basis. Will be interesting if Jackson comes back, i liked JC. |
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Post by Jan on Mar 26, 2017 13:37:28 GMT
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Post by Jan on Mar 26, 2017 13:37:39 GMT
Yes I had forgotten that. Maybe significant that neither of his productions got a London transfer despite being highly praised. It is very odd that two different directors have started the Roman season with plays directed in the Doran style. I assume Doran specified the staging concept in advance (as he did for the Much Ado/Loves Labours productions). You putting conspiracy theories forward now Jan? Doran obviously doesnt like the team of associates way of working. Fair enough, the board presumably appointed him on that basis. Will be interesting if Jackson comes back, i liked JC. Maybe. I'm suggesting that the entire Roman Shakespeare season is merely a warm up for the Cicero plays Doran is direction, which will of course be staged in Sword 'n' Sandals format. |
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Post by martin1965 on Mar 26, 2017 13:57:59 GMT
Maybe indeed. I dont know these books at all so havent booked. He is clearly hoping for a Wolf Hall style hit. Hmmmm
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Post by Jan on Mar 27, 2017 6:44:27 GMT
I find the play too long myself, Me too. It should stop when Antony dies, not meander on for another 45 minutes. The fact those 45 minutes feature the least amusing Clown in Shakespeare (quite a boast) does not help. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2017 8:05:31 GMT
I remember with some fondness the Chichester transfer of the Liverpool production which, thanks to a strong Cleopatra and Octavius (and a horrendously old-fashioned declamatory Antony), really amped up in quality once the old bore popped his clogs. It is a very strange play though, Cleopatra is Shakespeare's largest female part and she lives an entire act longer than Antony, yet he STILL has more lines than she does. And he really is a crushing bore in the wrong hands.
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Post by theatremad on Mar 30, 2017 14:24:37 GMT
Another cracking upgrade for tonight from restricted view Upper Circle to Circle B row central. Deffo worth doing.
Apparently though it says upgrade to next ticket price tier, they will upgrade to higher if theatre is quiet.
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Post by theatremad on Mar 31, 2017 8:36:21 GMT
OK first things first this isn't a bad production it's just not a great one, and I agree with reviewers saying Caesar is better.
It doesn't look cheap or under rehearsed or anything it just drags and Josette Simon's 'accent' is plain annoying, at first I thought she might have been taking her cue from the line about squeaking Cleopatras playing their story but then discounted it not long after..
The shared set works well in both and some nice touches such as the statue so prominent in Caesar is used again albeit smaller.
Best performance for me is Octavius Caesar who is quieter and more subdued than some I've seen but all the better for it. Music is fantastic too, so different from the normal RSC fare.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Mar 31, 2017 12:06:17 GMT
The Alan Rickman/Helen Mirren production was one of the most excruciating things I've ever seen in a theatre. There were reasons for that. One was Rickman took the role at very short notice. The other was the director was almost bullied into doing it because they could find literally no one else to direct it. It is interesting that Simon Godwin's RSC debut a few years ago with Two Gents was very highly praised and reviewed and then the next thing we know he's the NT's house Shakespeare director (Twelfth Night, A&C), one wonders why exactly Doran failed (or didn't try) to retain him at the RSC. Ha! He wants to run the NT. Don't think he'd stay in Stratford. |
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Post by lynette on Apr 15, 2017 18:48:45 GMT
First off, good set if a bit retro like a set you might have seen at the old theatre, nice ships, columns and upsy downsy, lighting and costume and music by Laura Mvula. There are no naked knobbly knees and Cleo's wardrobe is v effective. Secondly, it doesn't meander on. After the shambles that Antony's suicide becomes, we get the brilliantly staged and efficient death of Cleo who outsmarts Octavius. The end of this play is one of Shakespeaere's masterpiece set pieces..
I enjoyed this, the pace didn't flag and it was clear in the storytelling. One detail was lacking for me: the suggestion that Antony marry Octavia is a put up job and here it wasn't suggested. Otherwise some lovely details and as said above a convincing Enobarbus and I liked Octavius and Agrippa. Ant and Cleo probably one of the best pairings I've seen. Maybe I've missed the best or it is yet to come. I think this is a difficult play to get right.
One thing I would like to mention: we get a very brief glimpse of a naked Cleo as she robes for her death, all v tasteful and I have no objection as long as the actor is happy. But in the opening scenes in the Roman bath house we have men in towels. Excuse me? I don't think Roman men had a problem with nakedness in their bath houses and it was an opportunity to do something, ahem, with the character of Octavius. So why the naked Cleo and why not the naked anyone else? Espesh as Octavius looked, from what I could see, that he had spent time in the gym and had something to show us. Ahem again.
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Post by nash16 on Apr 15, 2017 23:14:29 GMT
First off, good set if a bit retro like a set you might have seen at the old theatre, nice ships, columns and upsy downsy, lighting and costume and music by Laura Mvula. There are no naked knobbly knees and Cleo's wardrobe is v effective. Secondly, it doesn't meander on. After the shambles that Antony's suicide becomes, we get the brilliantly staged and efficient death of Cleo who outsmarts Octavius. The end of this play is one of Shakespeaere's masterpiece set pieces.. I enjoyed this, the pace didn't flag and it was clear in the storytelling. One detail was lacking for me: the suggestion that Antony marry Octavia is a put up job and here it wasn't suggested. Otherwise some lovely details and as said above a convincing Enobarbus and I liked Octavius and Agrippa. Ant and Cleo probably one of the best pairings I've seen. Maybe I've missed the best or it is yet to come. I think this is a difficult play to get right. One thing I would like to mention: we get a very brief glimpse of a naked Cleo as she robes for her death, all v tasteful and I have no objection as long as the actor is happy. But in the opening scenes in the Roman bath house we have men in towels. Excuse me? I don't think Roman men had a problem with nakedness in their bath houses and it was an opportunity to do something, ahem, with the character of Octavius. So why the naked Cleo and why not the naked anyone else? Espesh as Octavius looked, from what I could see, that he had spent time in the gym and had something to show us. Ahem again. You're forgetting Lynette that some men get down the gym to get ripped to compensate for lacking in another, ahem, area... When suggested in rehearsals, said actors therefore do not wish to remove said towel. Sometimes the buff upper body is the main, ahem, attraction. A revival of Privates on Parade and/or My Night With Reg (with Donmar willies!) for Lynette ASAP! |
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Post by loureviews on Apr 16, 2017 7:09:40 GMT
I've booked cheap tickets for this and Caesar when they move to the Barbican.
Has to be third time lucky surely after suffering the Rickman-Mirren debacle at the NT and Alan Bates' appalling Antony with Frances de La Tour's excellent Cleo years ago at the RSC.
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Post by skullion on Nov 20, 2017 20:36:16 GMT
This is a bit of a weird question but hopefully someone who has seen this version can help. I booked to see this at the Barbican without taking my ridiculous phobia of snakes into account. Being the sort of moron I am, I also booked a front row seat because why wouldn't you go for the front row for a play that features the thing you are most afraid of in the world!
So my question is, is the asp featured in this visible, and if it is, how realistic are we talking? To give some context, I can't even see a photo of one without getting fairly freaked out. Any replies would be appreciated.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2017 21:35:08 GMT
I can't remember how realistic it looked but it's a rubber snake which Josette Simon does her best to wiggle around so it looks alive. The biting happens inside her clothing so you don't see that
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2017 0:22:56 GMT
Is Ant the one on our left?
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Post by Jan on Nov 21, 2017 6:54:56 GMT
I remember with some fondness the Chichester transfer of the Liverpool production which, thanks to a strong Cleopatra and Octavius (and a horrendously old-fashioned declamatory Antony), really amped up in quality once the old bore popped his clogs. It is a very strange play though, Cleopatra is Shakespeare's largest female part and she lives an entire act longer than Antony, yet he STILL has more lines than she does. And he really is a crushing bore in the wrong hands. Despite the length of the part it is traditionally extremely hard to persuade any high-profile actor to play it - partly no doubt because it is Cleopatra's play and Antony disappears way before the end. Paul Scofield turned it down several times for example and McKellen/Jacobi and a host of high-profile others never played it. |
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