where k remembers why she doesn't like Beckett
queenspanky, wingsmith, rifle and I went to see Waiting for Godot last night. To be more accurate, we went to see the first half, then went for dinner.
Now we're not really Beckett fans at the best of times, but still we persevered, determined to see Stewart in a production that wasn't awful (nightmares of Macbeth, the last thing we saw him in, loomed. queenspanky had the good fortune to see him in Hamlet, but unfortunately I missed out on that one. So Beckett it was, then.) Now, there is a slight hitch with this plan, in that Beckett is... ok, let's face it, the only Beckett performance I have ever enjoyed was done by a troupe of French clowns. Now they could deliver futility like no-one's business. And I'm not really familiar with Waiting for Godot, so I thought that even if I hated the play, it's unfamiliarity would keep me watching.
Which were we hit the second snag, and that's the Theatre Royal itself. As we weren't convinced, we got cheap seats up in the Gallery. It turns out that they're not only cheap, but also hideously uncomfortable. There was no leg room, they were angled oddly, and there was no back support whatsoever. Plus, they were tiny tiny tiny, so you ended up pressed arm-to-arm with those around you. Yesterday was 32C in London, which also didn't help. Finally, the acoustics of the Theatre Royal when it comes to the Gallery... well, there aren't any. You could hardly hear a thing.
So, halfway through, we walked. I enjoyed Stewart and McKellen's performance, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if 1) I didn't hate the play quite so much, and 2) the theatre was marginally better. I think if the theatre had been better I would have sat through it diligently, but as it is, I was working hard on staying conscious and also not having a panic attack at being so pressed up against other people for two hours. So let's call that a bust all 'round, shall we?
Afterwards over dinner wingsmith remarked that he'd give his eyeteeth to see Stewart and McKellen play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. I concur.
Now we're not really Beckett fans at the best of times, but still we persevered, determined to see Stewart in a production that wasn't awful (nightmares of Macbeth, the last thing we saw him in, loomed. queenspanky had the good fortune to see him in Hamlet, but unfortunately I missed out on that one. So Beckett it was, then.) Now, there is a slight hitch with this plan, in that Beckett is... ok, let's face it, the only Beckett performance I have ever enjoyed was done by a troupe of French clowns. Now they could deliver futility like no-one's business. And I'm not really familiar with Waiting for Godot, so I thought that even if I hated the play, it's unfamiliarity would keep me watching.
Which were we hit the second snag, and that's the Theatre Royal itself. As we weren't convinced, we got cheap seats up in the Gallery. It turns out that they're not only cheap, but also hideously uncomfortable. There was no leg room, they were angled oddly, and there was no back support whatsoever. Plus, they were tiny tiny tiny, so you ended up pressed arm-to-arm with those around you. Yesterday was 32C in London, which also didn't help. Finally, the acoustics of the Theatre Royal when it comes to the Gallery... well, there aren't any. You could hardly hear a thing.
So, halfway through, we walked. I enjoyed Stewart and McKellen's performance, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if 1) I didn't hate the play quite so much, and 2) the theatre was marginally better. I think if the theatre had been better I would have sat through it diligently, but as it is, I was working hard on staying conscious and also not having a panic attack at being so pressed up against other people for two hours. So let's call that a bust all 'round, shall we?
Afterwards over dinner wingsmith remarked that he'd give his eyeteeth to see Stewart and McKellen play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. I concur.