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Post by kate8 on Jul 14, 2022 22:53:59 GMT
Has anyone else seen this yet? I enjoyed it a lot on a superficial level - lots of fun, lovely design and costumes, great physical humour, good ensemble. John Heffernan was brilliant, possibly the best Benedick I’ve seen. I wasn’t sure about Katherine Parkinson though, even though I’ve loved her in other things. She was very funny, but I didn’t really believe in her in the more serious scenes.
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Post by lynette on Jul 15, 2022 19:27:26 GMT
Has anyone else seen this yet? I enjoyed it a lot on a superficial level - lots of fun, lovely design and costumes, great physical humour, good ensemble. John Heffernan was brilliant, possibly the best Benedick I’ve seen. I wasn’t sure about Katherine Parkinson though, even though I’ve loved her in other things. She was very funny, but I didn’t really believe in her in the more serious scenes. Phew, glad it is lots of fun. I was worried they might do something odd with it. |
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Post by kate8 on Jul 15, 2022 20:03:38 GMT
It's the most comedy-focused Much Ado I've seen, with lots of jokey moments among the wider cast too, even poor old Hero was funny. Lots of audience comments on the way out about how much fun it was. I hadn't realised it was still previewing so it was probably unfair to comment on KP at this stage.
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Post by emmy on Jul 17, 2022 23:16:53 GMT
Thought this was really good fun: great concept, well realised and very funny (I even laughed at Dogberry, whom I normally find really annoying, so massive kudos to that actor and the director). Some spoilers about the production below, so don’t read if you want to go in blind! Benedick was the standout, very natural and engaging and managed to combine funny, touching and adorable very well. Big fan of Hero too, liked having an Antonia as Leonato’s wife, thought it gave a great dynamic with Hero. Plus thought it was interesting that Margaret was a bit more fully realised than normal - here at the (not) wedding she realised the part she’d played in Hero’s downfall and tried to confess, but was roughly silenced by Don John - it’s not something I’ve noticed in a production before, but it really made sense. As others have said, much less keen on Katharine Parkinson as Beatrice - there was literally not even a hint of wistfulness or past pain or depth to the character, which was a shame. She was very funny and lovely and had great chemistry with Benedict after the interval. But I think for the battles of wit and realisation of love to land there needs to be some sense that Beatrice has been hurt before and there just wasn’t (plus I hate it when the audience laugh at the Kill Claudio line and she played it so much for laughs that it probably got the biggest laugh of the night). But overall would recommend - maybe there’s hope for the National yet  |
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jul 18, 2022 0:10:07 GMT
(plus I hate it when the audience laugh at the Kill Claudio line and she played it so much for laughs that it probably got the biggest laugh of the night) Ugh, I hate that too. Catherine Tate played her Beatrice extremely comedic, but she delivered that line so straight it silenced the entire audience at a stroke. |
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Post by lynette on Jul 18, 2022 12:55:50 GMT
(plus I hate it when the audience laugh at the Kill Claudio line and she played it so much for laughs that it probably got the biggest laugh of the night) Ugh, I hate that too. Catherine Tate played her Beatrice extremely comedic, but she delivered that line so straight it silenced the entire audience at a stroke. Indeed. You wonder how the young chap acting in the original prod did it. Those lads must have been amazing actors. |
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jul 18, 2022 17:24:28 GMT
Well the play hasn’t started yet but so far a big fan of the NT’s aggressive air conditioning!
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jul 18, 2022 17:27:11 GMT
(plus I hate it when the audience laugh at the Kill Claudio line and she played it so much for laughs that it probably got the biggest laugh of the night) Ugh, I hate that too. Catherine Tate played her Beatrice extremely comedic, but she delivered that line so straight it silenced the entire audience at a stroke. Not the night I saw it. She got a big laugh for it. That scene is so key to both lead characters. Get the tone wrong and it throws the balance out. |
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Post by peggs on Jul 18, 2022 19:19:23 GMT
Anyone got any idea why the webpage is not letting me pick my own seats but showing the list of price options? Nothing happens when i select select own seats.
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Post by Jan on Jul 18, 2022 19:24:32 GMT
Haven’t seen this yet so can’t comment on KP and the weaknesses mentioned above, but in my view Rachel Stirling would be perfect for the part and she actually wants to play it. But of course casting in venues like the NT isn’t all about suitability.
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Post by peggs on Jul 18, 2022 19:54:05 GMT
I've never seen that line done and not get a laugh no matter how seriously it is done, parts of the audience seem determined to laugh.
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Post by peggs on Jul 19, 2022 19:20:09 GMT
Is there anything on stage to make front row restricted seats particularly restricted please?
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jul 19, 2022 23:14:12 GMT
Not really, you just have to look up.
There’s a house like structure on the stage (not at the front of the stage) and some of the action is played in the top room of the house, which might not be as easy to see from the front row.
But there’s no set blocking the view or anything like that.
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Post by sweets7 on Jul 21, 2022 23:48:10 GMT
Saw it tonight. Likes it. Very Simon Godwin production…I actually really like his my favourite being Twelfth Night. Loads of people around me were laughing their heads off. I wasn’t…seen it too many times and I found the RSC version as loves Labours Won hilarious. There is a very funny bit with a gelato stand. But my favourite Beatrice and Benedict was Ed Bennet and Michelle Terry. Heffernan was good but no real chemistry. There are a couple of actors I would like to see do it. Saoirse Ronan and James McArdle were great Macbeths and about 10 years ago I saw Pippa Nixon and Alex Walkman in As you Like it and they had so much chemistry. I thought I would love to see them do Much Ado
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jul 22, 2022 0:19:14 GMT
Nixon/Waldmann would be a great casting choice
The RSC should have continued to nurture them.
But we all know that the RSC is broken.
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Post by Jan on Jul 22, 2022 7:23:51 GMT
Nixon/Waldmann would be a great casting choice The RSC should have continued to nurture them. But we all know that the RSC is broken. Do we know when they are planning to announce the new AD ? On Much Ado, one RSC pairing I remember being good was Nigel Terry and Fiona Shaw, Shaw wearing small round glasses in Joyce Grenfell mode, Terry playing himself. The two of them did Merchant of Venice in rep with it. |
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Post by sweets7 on Jul 22, 2022 9:53:33 GMT
Nixon/Waldmann would be a great casting choice The RSC should have continued to nurture them. But we all know that the RSC is broken. Isn't that the absolute truth. |
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Post by Jan on Jul 22, 2022 10:49:59 GMT
Nixon/Waldmann would be a great casting choice The RSC should have continued to nurture them. But we all know that the RSC is broken. Isn't that the absolute truth. Deliberately broken. Doran was quite clear when he took over that he wasn’t interested in establishing a company of actors who would appear in multiple productions and develop together. He succeeded, there’s not a single leading actor who has emerged from the RSC during his tenure. |
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Post by cirque on Jul 22, 2022 11:11:58 GMT
september,i think,for new Ad
anyone know shortlist-Godwin seems popular
hope all new and fresh faces.....doubt it though.
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Post by Jan on Jul 22, 2022 11:27:35 GMT
september,i think,for new Ad anyone know shortlist-Godwin seems popular hope all new and fresh faces.....doubt it though. Godwin is popular with who ? Only with audiences, that won't count for much. |
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Post by alicechallice on Jul 22, 2022 11:52:57 GMT
september,i think,for new Ad anyone know shortlist-Godwin seems popular hope all new and fresh faces.....doubt it though. I got excited then thinking we were getting a new AD at the National! |
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Post by cirque on Jul 22, 2022 11:53:04 GMT
EW is continutiy candidate-what a thing to be....
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Post by Jan on Jul 22, 2022 12:02:15 GMT
september,i think,for new Ad anyone know shortlist-Godwin seems popular hope all new and fresh faces.....doubt it though. I got excited then thinking we were getting a new AD at the National! No such luck, Norris' contract runs till 2025. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jul 22, 2022 12:04:20 GMT
EW is continutiy candidate-what a thing to be.... EW is the Truss of the RSC |
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Post by cirque on Jul 22, 2022 13:42:54 GMT
then we are really in trouble........
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