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Post by n1david on May 6, 2017 9:41:45 GMT
Surely this role of the Headmaster in Forty Years On is one which is open to being played in the way that Richard Wilson is doing, script-in-hand, as far as I understand? It is OK a lot of the time, but there are times when the headmaster is supposed to react to events, or for example take prayers, when it's inappropriate for him to be striding across the stage reading from a prompt card. |
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Post by wickedgrin on May 6, 2017 9:58:49 GMT
Yes, the idea that a long standing headmaster would not know the prayers was especially noticeable! Admittedly at the first preview performance RW seemed to know very little of the script at all.
I just think there comes a time when actors have to accept that stage performance is too demanding for them and restrict themselves to TV, Film and Radio where short takes and retakes are possible. This would satisfy their love of performing but save themselves (and us) the agonies of drying on stage!
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Post by Jan on May 6, 2017 12:42:38 GMT
I am surprised at Evans casting him in the first place - it can only be based on his idea of what might be box office in Chichester and I think if so that underestimates the audience there. Probably it's based on friendship, love and respect. Richard Wilson was an associate director at Sheffield Theatres under Daniel Evans, throughout his artistic directorship, and he directed several new and contemporary plays for him, most recently the critically and popularly triumphant world premiere of Richard Bean's The Nap in the Crucible Theatre last year. All the more strange he would suddenly cast him as an actor then, something I don't think he ever did at Sheffield. |
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2017 13:19:39 GMT
All the more strange he would suddenly cast him as an actor then, something I don't think he ever did at Sheffield. He's unable to direct now. |
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Post by Jan on May 6, 2017 17:08:51 GMT
All the more strange he would suddenly cast him as an actor then, something I don't think he ever did at Sheffield. He's unable to direct now. He's unable to act too |
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2017 18:30:24 GMT
He's unable to direct now. He's unable to act too But can he still get hard (water in his area)? |
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364 posts
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Post by dazzerlump on May 7, 2017 10:28:03 GMT
aww 40 years on, I didn't know Chichester was doing this! I was in an excellent production of this at the west Yorkshire Playhouse in the 90's
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471 posts
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Post by mistressjojo on May 8, 2017 6:28:16 GMT
Probably it's based on friendship, love and respect. Richard Wilson was an associate director at Sheffield Theatres under Daniel Evans, throughout his artistic directorship, and he directed several new and contemporary plays for him, most recently the critically and popularly triumphant world premiere of Richard Bean's The Nap in the Crucible Theatre last year. All the more strange he would suddenly cast him as an actor then, something I don't think he ever did at Sheffield. If you listen to the latest series of RW's (unreliable) memoirs on the radio , he talks about his short term memory problems since his heart attack. It's obviously played up for the comedy aspect, but it does feature Evans and him discussing what he can do in the theatre ( not Lear!) and a very funny scene involving voice over work. |
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Post by junet on May 18, 2017 0:50:56 GMT
Saw this tonight, not my cup of tea I'm afraid. Nothing to do with the cast who were all very good, Richard Wilson was alright, but I found it all very confusing. If we hadn't had such a long journey to get there I'm not sure we would have stayed for the second half.
Having said that the rest of the audience seemed to have loved it, very loud applause and cheering at the end.
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Post by Phantom of London on May 20, 2017 17:44:00 GMT
I thought this was hideous.
Paid all that money + travel to watch Richard Wilson read a script!
1 Star.
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Post by Jan on May 20, 2017 18:00:30 GMT
I thought this was hideous. Paid all that money + travel to watch Richard Wilson read a script! 1 Star. I feel your pain. Quite a disgrace this was put on at all. |
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Post by CG on the loose on May 21, 2017 10:13:32 GMT
Just to buck the trend, I saw this yesterday and loved it  |
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Post by highonahill on May 23, 2017 19:05:36 GMT
*disclaimer - my son was part of the community ensemble... no bias intended*
Just wanted to add my thoughts on this production, which I had booked to see because my son was part of the community ensemble.
I actually ended up seeing this 5 times; every time I saw something different, learnt something new and appreciated Alan Bennett's wit, Daniel Evans' staging and the individual actors' delivery in a fresh way. I enjoyed the play on the first viewing, but I admit it wasn't until the second and subsequent visits that certain things became obvious, which perhaps just reflects the difference in the era the play is set and the characters even further back in history it talks about and my own age (!). The actors playing the teachers and older pupils (8 incredible actor-musicians) were superb.
If anyone is interested, the audio of the pre-show talk is now posted on Chichester Festival Theatre's YouTube account and goes some way to explain the decision to work with RW as the Headmaster, following his heart attack & fall last year (specifically from 20 mins in). .
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