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Post by cirque on Apr 17, 2023 20:52:34 GMT
Christmas directed by Justin Audibett
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Post by asps2017 on Apr 17, 2023 20:55:52 GMT
The RSC normally put on something a bit different. The Magician’s elephant, Boy in the dress are recent productions that come to mind. Even Matilda was originally over Christmas in Stratford. Well last year was at least the third time they staged this particular production of Christmas Carol... I hope for something different Was that after the magicians elephant? |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Apr 17, 2023 22:14:50 GMT
Yes. It was the second revival of this particular adaptation by David Edgar
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Post by theatrenerd on Apr 17, 2023 23:58:53 GMT
I don't think the Christmas production (and the rest of the inaugural Autumn season) will be announced until Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey take over in June will it?
Whilst A Christmas Carol is a sell out and in my opinion a great production, it would also be good to see something new.
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353 posts
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Post by cirque on Apr 18, 2023 9:00:08 GMT
As far as I understand Winter is planned by EW and the first season of new AD's will not be until next summer.
EW planned through until March.
Thats my understanding.
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Post by cavocado on Apr 18, 2023 9:31:07 GMT
I was intrigued by the pre-publicity for the forthcoming RSC "As You Like It" which was along the lines "a company of veteran RSC actors perform one of Shakespeare’s most joyous tales". It implied it would be framed as a group of old actors from a previous production reassembling and remembering that production. I like these sort of meta-theatrical framing devices. However now I read that Rosalind will be played by Geraldine James (72) who has never performed with the RSC before. Why is that ? Couldn't they find a single former-RSC actress who could have done it ? Agree that Geraldine James wouldn't be top of my list of Shakespeare veterans, but I like the sound of this production and have booked for it. I hope there will be some decent RSC alumni in the rest of the cast. |
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Post by lynette on Apr 23, 2023 22:59:22 GMT
So Cymbeline. Pack an overnight bag and take snacks. Also take your own water as RSC charges £4 for a small bottle. Wear comfortable clothes. Pee before the show. These precautions are required because this production is very loooooooooooooooong. The first third is looooooooong, there is a 15 min interval and then the second third is about 40 mins before a 5 minute pause and then third part goes on and on and on and on …ended at about five to 11. In the old days, I would have missed the bus back to Brum.
Nicely done, the story is clear, set simple, the performances what you expect, trad RSC make ‘em think you understand what you are saying stuff. But o boy did it need a blue pencil and bit of that old fashioned chutzpah that Barton had when he used to write bits in to explain the plots, thus being about to cut a load of, let’s be honest, less than understandable and un dramatic blah. ( Willie, you know I love ya but even you would have been shuffling in your seat and begging for a drink last night )
Odd play, isnt it? Very funny, reconciling and merciful end with justice done, baddies dead. But what is done to the main characters is truly horrific and the stakes are high. If it were the only Willie play we had, it would never be played.
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Post by Jan on Apr 24, 2023 8:34:42 GMT
Agree that Geraldine James wouldn't be top of my list of Shakespeare veterans, but I like the sound of this production and have booked for it. I hope there will be some decent RSC alumni in the rest of the cast. The only time I've seen her in Shakespeare was as Imogen in the NT Peter Hall "Cymbeline" as a late replacement for Sarah Miles who Hall sacked during previews (as I remember it). She was also in Hall's well-received "Merchant of Venice" which I didn't see. Any others ? |
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Post by adamkinsey on Apr 24, 2023 9:56:51 GMT
So Cymbeline. Pack an overnight bag and take snacks. Also take your own water as RSC charges £4 for a small bottle. Wear comfortable clothes. Pee before the show. These precautions are required because this production is very loooooooooooooooong. The first third is looooooooong, there is a 15 min interval and then the second third is about 40 mins before a 5 minute pause and then third part goes on and on and on and on …ended at about five to 11. In the old days, I would have missed the bus back to Brum. Nicely done, the story is clear, set simple, the performances what you expect, trad RSC make ‘em think you understand what you are saying stuff. But o boy did it need a blue pencil and bit of that old fashioned chutzpah that Barton had when he used to write bits in to explain the plots, thus being about to cut a load of, let’s be honest, less than understandable and un dramatic blah. ( Willie, you know I love ya but even you would have been shuffling in your seat and begging for a drink last night ) Odd play, isnt it? Very funny, reconciling and merciful end with justice done, baddies dead. But what is done to the main characters is truly horrific and the stakes are high. If it were the only Willie play we had, it would never be played. Let's be honest. There are several other plays by Willie that had they been written by anyone else they would never be played. While he was an undoubted genius I think there is too much reverence and reluctance to say "actually, this one is a bit pants" in some cases or, as you say, a reluctance to take a blue pencil to make them more stageworthy. |
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Post by bordeaux on Apr 24, 2023 10:38:26 GMT
Agree that Geraldine James wouldn't be top of my list of Shakespeare veterans, but I like the sound of this production and have booked for it. I hope there will be some decent RSC alumni in the rest of the cast. The only time I've seen her in Shakespeare was as Imogen in the NT Peter Hall "Cymbeline" as a late replacement for Sarah Miles who Hall sacked during previews (as I remember it). She was also in Hall's well-received "Merchant of Venice" which I didn't see. Any others ? That Imogen was her first Shakespeare apparently. She was Portia opposite Dustin Hoffman in MoV at the Phoenix and on Broadway. |
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Post by Jan on Apr 24, 2023 12:43:58 GMT
The only time I've seen her in Shakespeare was as Imogen in the NT Peter Hall "Cymbeline" as a late replacement for Sarah Miles who Hall sacked during previews (as I remember it). She was also in Hall's well-received "Merchant of Venice" which I didn't see. Any others ? That Imogen was her first Shakespeare apparently. She was Portia opposite Dustin Hoffman in MoV at the Phoenix and on Broadway. I’d forgotten it was the Dustin Hoffman one - that explains why I didn’t see it, the ticket prices were crazy. When Hoffman approached Hall it was to play Hamlet - it took all of Hall’s considerable diplomatic skills to steer him towards Shylock instead. |
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Post by ladidah on Apr 24, 2023 13:20:33 GMT
Wow, that is long.
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Post by Jan on Apr 24, 2023 15:15:18 GMT
It is the third longest play, only Hamlet and Coriolanus have more lines. That means it’s longer than King Lear and Othello both of which can run close to 4hrs. Usually though it is heavily cut with no adverse effect but I assume Doran in his plodding way is using close to the full text. |
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Post by ladidah on Apr 24, 2023 15:45:11 GMT
I like most of Shakespeare, and I love going to the Globe but I couldn't take 3hrs in most theatre seats.
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Post by David J on Apr 29, 2023 23:28:48 GMT
So I went up to Stratford after nearly 4 years to see Gregory Doran’s last hurrah with Cymbeline.
Firstly, it is long and it is felt in the first part running at 1 hour 30 minutes
It’s not helped by a cast of mixed performances. Some act like they’re in different productions. At times it livens proceedings. Alexandra Gilbreath and Conor Glean ham it up as the villainous Queen and clumsy Cloten whilst others played it straight
Jamie Wilkes was the standout in the first part as Iachimo. He owned the stage with his debonair performance. I’ve seen him in Shakespeare productions before and he knows how to deliver the verse.
Which unfortunately exposed Ed Sayer’s flat and pedestrian delivery as Posthumus. When he and Wilkes are on it’s like night and day. No real feeling when he has to show anguish or despair either. More performative
Amber James is better as Imogen but she doesn’t convince as this graceful, chaste princess. She could also do with speaking up in the main theatre. So when you’ve got a first part that centres around these two lovers you do feel that hour and 30 minutes go by.
The senior actors fare better with Peter de Jersey as Cymbeline and Mark Hadfield giving a nuanced performance as Pisanio. Other bright spots include Jake Mann as the suspicious doctor and Theo Ogundipe looking commanding in Roman armour
It’s the second part where things really settle down and the best scenes are found between Christian Patterson, Scott Gutteridge and Daf Thomas as the exiled Belarus and the missing sons. All performing off each other and giving natural and engaging performances. Just how Shakespeare should be performed. I could watch a show with those three any day. Except for an unnecessary song the lads sing untunefully. Even Amber James fared better with them pretending to be a boy
Good production values taking inspiration from that sun installation the Tate Modern had ages ago.
And you get a recording of Patrick Stewart playing Jupiter as a bonus
Overall I enjoyed myself by the end but there are problems here and there. 3.5 stars
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Post by Jan on Apr 30, 2023 10:27:52 GMT
I wonder about the economics of this production - only 36 performances in total with a big cast - the rehearsal period was probably as long as the run itself. Also, between each new production there are two weeks when the theatre is dark (ie. between Tempest and Caesar, then between Caesar and Cymbeline etc.). I can't understand why they are not running some of them in rep so at least the theatre is operating full-time, how can they afford to have the theatre dark for weeks during Spring/Summer ?.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Apr 30, 2023 14:27:17 GMT
I wonder about the economics of this production - only 36 performances in total with a big cast - the rehearsal period was probably as long as the run itself. Also, between each new production there are two weeks when the theatre is dark (ie. between Tempest and Caesar, then between Caesar and Cymbeline etc.). I can't understand why they are not running some of them in rep so at least the theatre is operating full-time, how can they afford to have the theatre dark for weeks during Spring/Summer ?. This is a valuable experiment according to the acting AD. Having stand-alone companies is a good thing. Doing away with the ensemble ethos is a good thing. Who cares about budgets when someone else is paying? We are very close to the end of her time in charge. We have to hope for a return to a management that celebrates Shakespeare and his contemporaries as well as nurturing quality new writing through top quality productions guided by experienced and talented directors. How things used to be done before the current regime took over. |
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Post by marob on Apr 30, 2023 15:05:34 GMT
Is it necessarily cheaper to run things in rep?
The Everyman in Liverpool revived their rep company and it seems to have been pretty disastrous. Left it in ’serious financial trouble’, led to board resignations, eventual departure of AD…
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Post by Jan on Apr 30, 2023 15:13:43 GMT
Is it necessarily cheaper to run things in rep? The Everyman in Liverpool revived their rep company and it seems to have been pretty disastrous. Left it in ’serious financial trouble’, led to board resignations, eventual departure of AD… When the NT switched from rep to single runs they said it was cheaper so it probably is in principle but they don’t run plays for 4 weeks followed by 2 weeks with the theatre dark. I see Doran has a book out celebrating his achievement of directing or producing all the First Folio plays during his time as AD. Which he failed to do actually. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Apr 30, 2023 15:20:30 GMT
Reverting to the rep system allows audience members to make trips to see a range of shows over a weekend.
Given that Stratford is not the most accessible of towns in terms of getting home at the end of the evening, many people would make a trip of it and catch a show on the Friday and a couple more on the Saturday.
All of this meant that the RSC got additional ticket sales and Stratford got more income for the hospitalilty sector as well as extra retail sales.
Stratford is struggling because the RSC hasn't been running at full capacity for far too long. A return to the rep system would help both the company and the town.
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Post by Jan on Apr 30, 2023 15:31:28 GMT
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Post by cavocado on Apr 30, 2023 18:54:07 GMT
Reverting to the rep system allows audience members to make trips to see a range of shows over a weekend. Given that Stratford is not the most accessible of towns in terms of getting home at the end of the evening, many people would make a trip of it and catch a show on the Friday and a couple more on the Saturday. All of this meant that the RSC got additional ticket sales and Stratford got more income for the hospitalilty sector as well as extra retail sales. Stratford is struggling because the RSC hasn't been running at full capacity for far too long. A return to the rep system would help both the company and the town. Absolutely this. I'm seeing As You Like It in August, midweek matinee and will probably spend 5 hours in Stratford. I'd have happily made a longer trip, seen 2 or 3 plays and stayed overnight if there was something else to see. The Swan is closed that week (1st week in August), then the RST is closed for a couple of weeks before Macbeth opens. Seems crazy to do that in the middle of holiday/tourist season. I really miss the rep system. It seems logical for the reasons you mention, but also because the RSC should be a place for developing the skills of stage actors. Working as part of a company over a longer period and performing in 3 or 4 plays a season ought to be part of that. |
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Post by lynette on Apr 30, 2023 22:26:52 GMT
I think some weekends have two plays on the go, so Hamnet and Cymbeline. I know Merchant and Macbeth in the autumn coincide. But I agree, the town desperately needs influx of money. I was shocked how many vacant shops there are and how neglected the frontages of the shops are. Covid did for many such places but it really shows there in the small central area. Thank goodness they spruced up the area by the river when they did. Some people have complained about a Gummies shop which is painted a lurid pink. I’m no gummies fan and I expect it won’t be there for long but at least someone is making an effort to make money, make a business. The M&S which I know our American ladies go to for their for their knickers has lamentable stock of women’s clothes, none of the trendy stuff on sale online or in London stores. I think they have def dropped the ball there, theatre and town. But the last two I have seen, Tempest and Cymbeline, are good productions, the problem is they need sensational productions. Let’s hope the two new guys get something going before Shakespeare gets woked.
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Post by bordeaux on May 5, 2023 8:34:40 GMT
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Post by Jan on May 5, 2023 8:42:57 GMT
How come he's reviewing for the Guardian ? Can't see the point of them getting rid of Billington only then to use the inferior Lawson. I thought Billington had retired but in fact he still reviewing as before in "Country Life" and apparently has been since he left the Guardian. |
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