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Post by cirque on Feb 6, 2021 12:16:34 GMT
Rumour-Macbeth coming up at Bridge Theatre.....anyone know more......
If so-teriffic.
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Post by lynette on Feb 7, 2021 12:06:30 GMT
Great stuff. Can’t imagine what shenanigans they will go for: diversity, cross gender casting, proper Scottish, no Scottish? Yummy prospect.
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Post by n1david on Feb 7, 2021 12:17:53 GMT
I'm dying to see a decent one after the RSC and NT travesties. Let's hope they first concentrate on making it good.
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Post by bordeaux on Feb 7, 2021 12:18:46 GMT
An exciting prospect, especially if directed by Hytner. I wonder who he'd cast as Macbeth - which of those actors he's known for working with is ready for the role? I've got tickets for John Gabriel Borkman on my kitchen board (and have had since autumn 2019...); I wonder if that will go ahead. They had a whole load of other big plans for last year... I wonder if they have been abandoned or put on hold.
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Post by Jan on Feb 7, 2021 12:39:39 GMT
Great stuff. Can’t imagine what shenanigans they will go for: diversity, cross gender casting, proper Scottish, no Scottish? Yummy prospect. Did you see the Michael Bogdanov/Pennington one years ago where there was loads of dry ice and they all wore kilts ? I’m laughing just thinking about it. |
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Feb 9, 2021 9:30:07 GMT
Another Macbeth, how boring. Would expect more from the Bridge....
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Post by Someone in a tree on Feb 9, 2021 9:37:11 GMT
When theatres reopen they will need lots of bums on seats. I'm expecting a plethora of Barnum's and Boheme's
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Post by Jan on Feb 9, 2021 9:42:30 GMT
Another Macbeth, how boring. Would expect more from the Bridge.... The Bridge is a commercial venture with no ACE subsidy at all. We should just be grateful if they manage to open again at all. Macbeth is a GCSE set text, it makes perfect sense for them to stage it. |
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Post by tysilio2 on Feb 9, 2021 13:56:25 GMT
I'm dying to see a decent one after the RSC and NT travesties. Let's hope they first concentrate on making it good. I'll be honest, after reading lynette 's post before, I read transvestites..... |
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Post by Jan on Feb 9, 2021 15:32:22 GMT
I'm dying to see a decent one after the RSC and NT travesties. Let's hope they first concentrate on making it good. I liked the RSC one. The NT one was very badly directed, the whole concept sunk it before it even started, a pity as it was strongly cast. One thing working against the Bridge is the size of the theatre, the only good productions I’ve seen of it have been in small studio theatres. The Doran RSC one was good. He had this idea of starting with the auditorium (Swan) in total darkness and having the witches speech coming from centre stage as if they were standing there, but in reality it would be from three small speakers that they’d fly out over the audience in the darkness as the scene went on. But he decided not to do it as he thought it would scare the audience. That’s Doran all over, Mr Conservative (small C). |
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Feb 10, 2021 9:41:30 GMT
Another Macbeth, how boring. Would expect more from the Bridge.... The Bridge is a commercial venture with no ACE subsidy at all. We should just be grateful if they manage to open again at all. Macbeth is a GCSE set text, it makes perfect sense for them to stage it. Well, depending on when they will open, GCSE students will be needed, as no foreign tourist will come to London (2 weeks hotel quarantine for 1750GBP, no thank you).  Still find it a boring choice, considering their original plans for 2020. And wouldn't consider Macbeth a popular piece or a crowdpleaser. |
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Post by Jan on Feb 10, 2021 10:03:40 GMT
The Bridge is a commercial venture with no ACE subsidy at all. We should just be grateful if they manage to open again at all. Macbeth is a GCSE set text, it makes perfect sense for them to stage it. Well, depending on when they will open, GCSE students will be needed, as no foreign tourist will come to London (2 weeks hotel quarantine for 1750GBP, no thank you). Still find it a boring choice, considering their original plans for 2020. And wouldn't consider Macbeth a popular piece or a crowdpleaser. London doesn't get many tourists at all from the red list countries which have to quarantine. Based on the fact the NT pretty much sold out in London and on tour with their rubbish production I'd say it was very popular. |
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Feb 10, 2021 10:56:38 GMT
I agree to disagree  |
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Post by Jan on Feb 10, 2021 11:16:29 GMT
I agree to disagree My real fear is that Simon Russell-Beale is on record saying he wants to play Macbeth again (after his less than stellar work in the Almeida production) so he might be cast. That would ensure it both sells out *and* is artistically compromised. Patrick Stewart played it when he was 67 so there's no age barrier. |
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Post by couldileaveyou on Feb 10, 2021 13:24:47 GMT
I agree to disagree My real fear is that Simon Russell-Beale is on record saying he wants to play Macbeth again (after his less than stellar work in the Almeida production) so he might be cast. That would ensure it both sells out *and* is artistically compromised. Patrick Stewart played it when he was 67 so there's no age barrier. Most Macbeths seem to be at least in their 40s lately - is there some notably young Macbeth in recent memory? |
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Post by princeton on Feb 10, 2021 13:43:52 GMT
Off the top of my head - in relatively recent years James McAvoy, Rufus Sewell, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Elliot Cowan and John Heffernan were, I think, in their early/mid-30s when they played the part. Ian McKellan was in his late-30s when he played the part in the famous Trevor Nunn production (which sadly I was too young to see on stage).
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Post by Jan on Feb 10, 2021 14:42:56 GMT
The youngest I've seen was Gyuri Sarossy who I think was around 29 when he played it at the Tobacco Factory. But there's no reason a younger actor couldn't play it.
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Post by bordeaux on Feb 10, 2021 15:25:26 GMT
It's a surprisingly hard play to do well. In 30 years of theatre-going I've only seen one outstanding one (the Doran, Sher, Walters one at the RSC) and one very good one (Goold, Stewart, Fleetwood). Some usually reliable names have come a cropper (Noble, Jacobi; Eyre, Howard; Caird, SRB; Tobacco Factory). Whereas I've loved 9 of the 10 Lears and 14 of the 17 Hamlets I've seen.
Of actors I like I'd be keen to see Michael Sheen do it.
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Post by Jan on Feb 10, 2021 18:01:52 GMT
It's a surprisingly hard play to do well. In 30 years of theatre-going I've only seen one outstanding one (the Doran, Sher, Walters one at the RSC) and one very good one (Goold, Stewart, Fleetwood). Some usually reliable names have come a cropper (Noble, Jacobi; Eyre, Howard; Caird, SRB; Tobacco Factory). Whereas I've loved 9 of the 10 Lears and 14 of the 17 Hamlets I've seen. Of actors I like I'd be keen to see Michael Sheen do it. Yes, after his Hamlet I thought the same team should do Macbeth but it seems the stage isn’t his priority. The Noble/Jacobi one was no good but the Noble / Jonathan Pryce one had its moments. |
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Post by vickyg on Feb 11, 2021 10:01:34 GMT
I would love to give Macbeth another go, particularly at the Bridge, which I love. I've only seen it twice before and didn't really get on with it. Once at the Young Vic where I don't remember the witches speaking, just performing interpretive dance and members of the audience were pushing their way through rows the width of the entire theatre to leave as there wasn't an internal, and also the 2018 NT version which I also remember as being a particularly painful experience. I would be interested to see if I just need to see a different version or it isn't a play for me.
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Post by lynette on Feb 12, 2021 14:46:45 GMT
It's a surprisingly hard play to do well. In 30 years of theatre-going I've only seen one outstanding one (the Doran, Sher, Walters one at the RSC) and one very good one (Goold, Stewart, Fleetwood). Some usually reliable names have come a cropper (Noble, Jacobi; Eyre, Howard; Caird, SRB; Tobacco Factory). Whereas I've loved 9 of the 10 Lears and 14 of the 17 Hamlets I've seen. Of actors I like I'd be keen to see Michael Sheen do it. I agree, for some reason or other, very hard to get right. Anyone else see the Paul Scofield disaster at the RSC back in the day? The one where the swords were too heavy for the actors to lift up? 😂 it was very red I remember. One I did like was the Slinger RSC (director?) where they made chilling use of children. We are no longer frightened of witches, but we are scared of malignant children. I would actually quite like another SRB, a kind of avuncular Macbeth having one last shot at power with a wife who has stood by while he missed his chances early on and is determined to make it this time... No, please not Michael Sheen as he would probably set his M in a care home or NHS pandemic ward. in case anyone has missed an earlier post on Macbeths I have seen, you still can’t beat the production in German I saw where Macbeth practised his stabbing technique by stabbing a chicken, an obviously rubber chicken. Fab u lus. |
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Post by stevemar on Feb 12, 2021 16:54:27 GMT
I was trying to remember the various Macbeths I have seen, and unfortunately the bad ones or gimmicks stand out. It's never been a favourite play for me. The NT version - a mess, looking online I'd completely forgotten it was Anne Marie Duff and Rory Kinnear. All I could remember was the huge ramp and black dustbin bag set. The RSC version with Christopher Eccleston and Niamh Cussack - quite good with the three girls as the witches (like something out the Shining) and clock ticking down to death (except it had to be reset as it certainly wasn't "real" time). James McAvoy probably the most "committed" performance - very bloody, loud and physical. Excellent from him despite the usual Jamie Lloyd distractions (flashing lights, electrical sizzling), but Claire Foy completely overwhelmed in a timid/nervous performance Young Vic Carrie Cracknell - not much impact. Weird dancing, loud music and blackouts. More a summary of the play. SRB at Almeida - I had no recollection of this whatsoever (and I definitely saw it), but see that it was in 2005 almeida.co.uk/whats-on/macbeth/13-jan-2005-5-mar-2005. I then saw the Stephen Dillane one man reimagining almeida.co.uk/whats-on/stephen-dillane-s-macbeth/26-oct-2005-5-nov-2010 - these were mostly voices in his head, about half of the performance was in French and I didn't have a clue what was going on. Memorable for being one of the most bizarre nights at the theatre. So, the Bridge one is probably worth a try for me... |
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Post by Jan on Feb 12, 2021 18:23:27 GMT
I didn't see it - I chose not to and it was a mistake - but the Out of Joint immersive one set during a modern day central African civil war with child soldiers and witch doctors got great reviews. Did anyone see it ? The appearance of Banquo's ghost was meant to be a great moment in it.
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Post by alexandra on Feb 12, 2021 19:33:22 GMT
I didn't see it - I chose not to and it was a mistake - but the Out of Joint immersive one set during a modern day central African civil war with child soldiers and witch doctors got great reviews. Did anyone see it ? The appearance of Banquo's ghost was meant to be a great moment in it. Absolutely fantastic and by far the best Macbeth I have ever seen. Danny Sapani and Monica Dolan were outstanding (can't wait to see him in the Almeida's Hymn next week). Yes, the banquet scene was terrifying, and being charged 10p to look at the bodies of Macduff's family was also a deeply chilling moment. Superb. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Feb 12, 2021 20:49:00 GMT
Has Daniela Nardini ever done Shakespeare? She would be on my list of potential Lady M candidates
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Still find it a boring choice, considering their original plans for 2020. And wouldn't consider Macbeth a popular piece or a crowdpleaser.
