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Post by peggs on Nov 14, 2020 18:53:55 GMT
All those scottish thanes?
That production scared me silly in the theatre.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Nov 14, 2020 20:37:49 GMT
That Michael Sheen Hamlet sounds brilliant, can you remember what theatre it played? Young Vic. You were led in through the backstage area, through a door at the back of the theatre, which was set up as a mental hospital - inmates exercising, medication schedules pinned on the walls, then into the main auditorium set up as the hospital sports hall, harsh white neon strip lighting, very institutional feel, Hamlet a patient there, the story playing out in his mind, identifying the director of the hospital as Claudius, one of the doctors as Polonius, one of his fellow patients as Ophelia and so on. It was the standard text but completely subverted. Ian Rickson directed it. Michael Sheen best Hamlet I've seen by a mile. |
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Post by lynette on Nov 14, 2020 20:52:28 GMT
Young Vic. You were led in through the backstage area, through a door at the back of the theatre, which was set up as a mental hospital - inmates exercising, medication schedules pinned on the walls, then into the main auditorium set up as the hospital sports hall, harsh white neon strip lighting, very institutional feel, Hamlet a patient there, the story playing out in his mind, identifying the director of the hospital as Claudius, one of the doctors as Polonius, one of his fellow patients as Ophelia and so on. It was the standard text but completely subverted. Ian Rickson directed it. Michael Sheen best Hamlet I've seen by a mile. As I have said before, this production was a waste of his talent. |
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Post by Jan on Nov 15, 2020 11:28:15 GMT
Oh wow. I wish I saw that. It sound very much the stage is similar to Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange which was done later at the the same venue. The best set I've seen in there was for The Brecht play "Life of Galileo" where they literally turned it into a planetarium, a massive domed ceiling covering the entire auditorium onto which they projected the moon and stars and planets of the night sky showing their continuous movement as Galileo went about his task of proving the earth orbits the sun. It's a really dull play though. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2020 13:17:56 GMT
Oh wow. I wish I saw that. It sound very much the stage is similar to Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange which was done later at the the same venue. The best set I've seen in there was for The Brecht play "Life of Galileo" where they literally turned it into a planetarium, a massive domed ceiling covering the entire auditorium onto which they projected the moon and stars and planets of the night sky showing their continuous movement as Galileo went about his task of proving the earth orbits the sun. It's a really dull play though. I don’t know, I think it held up well. The idea of denial of science being more and more important to us, sadly, It’s a shame the Sheen Hamlet wasn’t filmed in some way, a bit of variable casting but the whole idea worked very well. In terms of Shakespeare on screen, the whole of the Bogdanov Wars of the Roses from the eighties is on difficult to find DVDs but very much worth it. The Brook Hamlet with Adrian Lester is good, filmed at the Bouffe du Nord, his King Lear film with Paul Scofield is incredibly bleak but compelling. Going way back but a lovely musical Comedy of Errors from Nunn, with Judi Dench, filmed live in the seventies is on DVD. Adrian Noble’s Midsummer Night’s Dream from the nineties (the one with the dream imagery and lots of light bulbs) works pretty well. RSC Sher Winter’s Tale filmed live also worth a look. |
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Post by Fleance on Nov 15, 2020 16:02:31 GMT
Yes I think the Branagh Hamlet is great too. Also his Henry V. The Olivier Henry V is interesting for many reasons and stands up quite well. Good ones also not mentioned above: Ralph Fiennes "Coriolanus" Orson Welles "Chimes at Midnight" (version of Henry IV) Derek Jarman "The Tempest" (not for everyone, this one) Julie Taymor "Titus Andronicus" (first 5 minutes only) I think there was a DVD of Trevor Nunn's "Merchant of Venice" which was a sensational stage production. There are lots more of less than top quality. Going off-piste I will once again recommend "Vanya on 42nd Street" which is better than most stage productions of "Uncle Vanya" you'll see. Elisabeth Welch's appearance at the conclusion of the Jarman Tempest is an unexpected joy. |
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Post by Jan on Nov 15, 2020 16:35:48 GMT
Derek Jarman "The Tempest" (not for everyone, this one) Elisabeth Welch's appearance at the conclusion of the Jarman Tempest is an unexpected joy. I remember at the time being struck by his idea of using a group of real sailors as extras - but in retrospect I don't know if this was true. Actually I liked the Peter Greenaway film "Prospero's Books" too, which I suppose was more "inspired by" The Tempest. John Gielgud as Prospero in that despite having turned down the more conventional (in terms of the text at least) Jarman film. Jarman then wanted Terry-Thomas in the lead but he was indisposed - what casting that would have been. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 16, 2020 2:13:43 GMT
Most of those are worth watching. I'd watch the Globe Theatre's Henry IV. Way better than the RSC one especially with Roger Allam giving the best Falstaff in the last decade. There's so many great Globe Theatre productions to watch on the Globe Theatre. As You Like It, Much Ado with Charles Edwards and Eve Best, The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew with Samantha Spiro, Antony and Cleopatra with Eve Best, Titus Andronicus (maybe not with a mince pie!) I'd highly recommend the RSC's African Julius Caesar that is on DVD. Otherwise there's their latest Hamlet, Othello. Their Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado is a lovely Christmas duo. All available on Digital Theatre Otherwise there's the Ian McKellen and Judi Dench Macbeth. The Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy That Much Ado About Nothing was my first ever Shakespeare I saw at the RST, the Christmas Tree scene still makes me smile. I hope the RSC will revive it again one Christmas. I saw Love Labour Lost when it played the Haymarket the following Christmas. Am forced to accept it turns out i've watched a fair bit of Shakespeare on dvd on the basis that i've seen lots of the above. I'd second the Donmar trilogy, the Globe Much Ado is delightful and the Ian Holm Lear (that was the first time I realised what a nightmare as a father Lear was having been taught at school that it was just some benign figure that evil daughters did things to. There's the SRB tempest though it's not as good on dvd as live unsurprisingly or the globe tempest if Roger Allam is your man. I haven't watched them in years but the Mckellen othello was my first exposure to the play and I loved it at the time and i have memories of being somewhat scared silly by his Macbeth with Judi Dench. I also rate his RIII. As noted there's loads of RSC on digital theatre. The SRB’s Tempest I enjoyed seeing this at the Barbican. Oh wow. I wish I saw that. It sound very much the stage is similar to Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange which was done later at the the same venue. The best set I've seen in there was for The Brecht play "Life of Galileo" where they literally turned it into a planetarium, a massive domed ceiling covering the entire auditorium onto which they projected the moon and stars and planets of the night sky showing their continuous movement as Galileo went about his task of proving the earth orbits the sun. It's a really dull play though. I did catch that Life of Galileo, I thought I was standing in Greenwich Observatory. Oh all nice fond memories. |
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Post by Jan on Nov 16, 2020 8:22:56 GMT
That RST "Much Ado" was the first indication to me something was going awry with the RSC under Doran. Two great popular productions but they didn't transfer them to London or anywhere else. Why not ? It didn't make any sense. It was a couple of years later that Chichester took the lead in re-staging them and transferring them to the Haymarket - why did Chichester have to be involved at all ? It was a similar story with Rupert Goold's "Las Vegas" Merchant of Venice - a big popular hit in the RST, didn't transfer, years later the Almedia re-staged it. Neither directed by Doran of course, but all his dull Shakespeare stuff with Sher transferred straight to London and empty seats no problem.
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Post by Phantom of London on Nov 16, 2020 21:52:55 GMT
That’s right Labour Lost and Much Ado did get to the West End albeit via Chichester, the reason I know not.
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Post by Fleance on Nov 18, 2020 16:53:42 GMT
Elisabeth Welch's appearance at the conclusion of the Jarman Tempest is an unexpected joy. I remember at the time being struck by his idea of using a group of real sailors as extras - but in retrospect I don't know if this was true. Actually I liked the Peter Greenaway film "Prospero's Books" too, which I suppose was more "inspired by" The Tempest. John Gielgud as Prospero in that despite having turned down the more conventional (in terms of the text at least) Jarman film. Jarman then wanted Terry-Thomas in the lead but he was indisposed - what casting that would have been. John Gielgud has said that Prospero's Books was his favorite, of all the films he made. |
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Post by Jan on Nov 18, 2020 17:55:46 GMT
I remember at the time being struck by his idea of using a group of real sailors as extras - but in retrospect I don't know if this was true. Actually I liked the Peter Greenaway film "Prospero's Books" too, which I suppose was more "inspired by" The Tempest. John Gielgud as Prospero in that despite having turned down the more conventional (in terms of the text at least) Jarman film. Jarman then wanted Terry-Thomas in the lead but he was indisposed - what casting that would have been. John Gielgud has said that Prospero's Books was his favorite, of all the films he made. There was a film he made around the same time called “Providence” that I also liked where he was playing totally against type. |
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Post by bordeaux on Nov 19, 2020 13:13:51 GMT
John Gielgud has said that Prospero's Books was his favorite, of all the films he made. There was a film he made around the same time called “Providence” that I also liked where he was playing totally against type. Yes, Providence was a bit earlier (1977) but it was very good, written by David Mercer and directed by Alain Resnais who had some interesting anglophile tastes - he adapted Alan Ayckbourn for cinema in the 90s (and used to go to see his work in Scarborough every year, I think), and On connait la chanson was clearly inspired by Dennis Potter. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Dec 18, 2020 21:37:16 GMT
Yes I think the Branagh Hamlet is great too. Also his Henry V. The Olivier Henry V is interesting for many reasons and stands up quite well. Good ones also not mentioned above: Ralph Fiennes "Coriolanus" Orson Welles "Chimes at Midnight" (version of Henry IV) Derek Jarman "The Tempest" (not for everyone, this one) Julie Taymor "Titus Andronicus" (first 5 minutes only) I think there was a DVD of Trevor Nunn's "Merchant of Venice" which was a sensational stage production. There are lots more of less than top quality. Going off-piste I will once again recommend "Vanya on 42nd Street" which is better than most stage productions of "Uncle Vanya" you'll see. That Henry V is in London Live, Christmas Eve 6:30. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2020 18:51:13 GMT
Could be worth having a look on Amazon Prime too, for streaming options. They have a bunch of BBC and RSC stuff.
Loved reading about the Martin Sheen at the Old Vic. I wish I had seen that.
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Post by Jan on Dec 30, 2020 18:43:36 GMT
Young Vic. You were led in through the backstage area, through a door at the back of the theatre, which was set up as a mental hospital - inmates exercising, medication schedules pinned on the walls, then into the main auditorium set up as the hospital sports hall, harsh white neon strip lighting, very institutional feel, Hamlet a patient there, the story playing out in his mind, identifying the director of the hospital as Claudius, one of the doctors as Polonius, one of his fellow patients as Ophelia and so on. It was the standard text but completely subverted. Ian Rickson directed it. Michael Sheen best Hamlet I've seen by a mile. I agree, but probably only because I'd seen about a dozen conventional productions before so I was very familar with the characters and plot. Of the conventional ones Andrew Scott was the best, though the first Mark Rylance one for the RSC where he was in pyjamas a lot was very good too (even though normally I dislike his performances). |
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