Swan Lake 3D
There was also a Q&A with Matthew Bourne, the director of the film (filmed the previous Swan Lake, Car Man and Nutcracker. Me and Taz have ...issues with his directing) and the producer. Not really the interesting aside from a couple of technical issues re:3D, Richard Winsor being in the audience and answering a question, and Matthew being made to give a verbal promise by Alan Yentob to do a tv/film piece.
Anyhoo. Swan Lake was fab as usual. me and Taz giggled the most, possibly because we are a) very verbal at showing our appreciation for live performance (and thus tend to get waves and winks directed at us by dancers when in front row) People did gradually giggle more as it went on (there was also clapping), but yeah, we start with the prince getting out of bed. and then comes the corgi. All hail the corgi. The giggling tends to be unrestrained during the Cygnet Dance, but that is what it is there for. that and going 'd'awwww' at the cygnet who is a bit chunky and potato-headed, but then we do this every time he appears on stage. Think a younger, slightly bulkier, slightly shorter Russell Tovey.
Differences in production: No climbing over the box by the girlfriend to retrieve her handbag. Prince at start is actually played by a kid, which it is *not* in the stage versions.
Awww, Dominic North as the Prince is adorable. :pats him on head:
Madeleine Brennan as the Girlfriend is...a bit old. Interesting touch in the dance with the Stranger where they played it as her stopping dancing with him because she's decided it's not for her, not that she's out of her depth as it normally is.
All hail Nina Goldman and her awesome as the Queen.
We love Steve Kirkham. Long may his awesomeness as the Secretary continue.
Richard Winsor as the Swan and Stranger. GUH. Swan? :flaily power sexiness sensitivity gibber: Stranger? he appeared on the balcony, stalked forward, and I blinked and went 'Richard is being a stalky scary bastard again....' At which point Taz went 'Happy Joy.' So yes, fanning oneself was a bit necessary. He's not sexually-harass-you-from-next-room like Brick Shithouse's Stranger, but he's sexy, stalky, and really bloody menacing. With an edge of 'might flip at any moment'. Interestingly, on him the leather trousers don't look like overdoing it. They're just there.
So, now the count of Swan/Strangers is: Adam Cooper's better as Swan, the bloke we saw last time was better as Stranger, and Brick Shithouse and Richard can do both. Hurrah, our favourites are our faves for a reason.
Comments on 3D. Due to the technical constraints, longer shots. Oh thank christ. But gets blurry when they're moving fast. It adds a bit of depth but overall, not really worth it. 2D please. But god things: director has remembered to include the stuff going on on the sides. He's bloody awful for doing this, which means an entire storyline didn't make sense at the ball in the previous version as you only saw the culmination of it.
Spotted Richard in foyer, Taz and Gideon went 'you know you want to', so went over, said 'um' a lot, but kept it to 'really enjoyed it, you were brilliant', and asking him if he was in all of Play Without Words performances. and pouting a bit that he's not in Early Adventures. He confirmed yes, sighed a bit over not being able to manage the Early Adventures (he was supposed to be in it) and was generally lovely.
OMG OMG NOT ONLY IT IS GOING TO BE IN THEATRES IN 3D, BUT WE GET A 2D DVD IN A FEW WEEKS! As Taz said, 'You're buying.'
Anyhoo. Swan Lake was fab as usual. me and Taz giggled the most, possibly because we are a) very verbal at showing our appreciation for live performance (and thus tend to get waves and winks directed at us by dancers when in front row) People did gradually giggle more as it went on (there was also clapping), but yeah, we start with the prince getting out of bed. and then comes the corgi. All hail the corgi. The giggling tends to be unrestrained during the Cygnet Dance, but that is what it is there for. that and going 'd'awwww' at the cygnet who is a bit chunky and potato-headed, but then we do this every time he appears on stage. Think a younger, slightly bulkier, slightly shorter Russell Tovey.
Differences in production: No climbing over the box by the girlfriend to retrieve her handbag. Prince at start is actually played by a kid, which it is *not* in the stage versions.
Awww, Dominic North as the Prince is adorable. :pats him on head:
Madeleine Brennan as the Girlfriend is...a bit old. Interesting touch in the dance with the Stranger where they played it as her stopping dancing with him because she's decided it's not for her, not that she's out of her depth as it normally is.
All hail Nina Goldman and her awesome as the Queen.
We love Steve Kirkham. Long may his awesomeness as the Secretary continue.
Richard Winsor as the Swan and Stranger. GUH. Swan? :flaily power sexiness sensitivity gibber: Stranger? he appeared on the balcony, stalked forward, and I blinked and went 'Richard is being a stalky scary bastard again....' At which point Taz went 'Happy Joy.' So yes, fanning oneself was a bit necessary. He's not sexually-harass-you-from-next-room like Brick Shithouse's Stranger, but he's sexy, stalky, and really bloody menacing. With an edge of 'might flip at any moment'. Interestingly, on him the leather trousers don't look like overdoing it. They're just there.
So, now the count of Swan/Strangers is: Adam Cooper's better as Swan, the bloke we saw last time was better as Stranger, and Brick Shithouse and Richard can do both. Hurrah, our favourites are our faves for a reason.
Comments on 3D. Due to the technical constraints, longer shots. Oh thank christ. But gets blurry when they're moving fast. It adds a bit of depth but overall, not really worth it. 2D please. But god things: director has remembered to include the stuff going on on the sides. He's bloody awful for doing this, which means an entire storyline didn't make sense at the ball in the previous version as you only saw the culmination of it.
Spotted Richard in foyer, Taz and Gideon went 'you know you want to', so went over, said 'um' a lot, but kept it to 'really enjoyed it, you were brilliant', and asking him if he was in all of Play Without Words performances. and pouting a bit that he's not in Early Adventures. He confirmed yes, sighed a bit over not being able to manage the Early Adventures (he was supposed to be in it) and was generally lovely.
OMG OMG NOT ONLY IT IS GOING TO BE IN THEATRES IN 3D, BUT WE GET A 2D DVD IN A FEW WEEKS! As Taz said, 'You're buying.'