(no subject)
Someone asked me today what my desert island book would be. It was so hard to pick just one, but in the end I went for Birdsong because I went to see the play adaptation of it yesterday so obviously it's on my mind at the moment. Plus I want to reread it anyway.
So. The play was...brilliant. As soon as I heard about this version of it I wanted to see it, but I will admit I was a tad cautious because I wasn't sure how good it would actually be. I couldn't see how a 600+ page novel could be made into a play, but apparently the answer is: pretty easily! A fair few characters were missed out and it didn't deal with the 'modern' time-set section of the novel, but it was still absolutely fantastic. My favourite part was the end of Act One; Azaire's previous to Stephen words echoed around the theatre, YOU'RE GOING TO HELL. TO HELL, and the backdrop literally fell forward with a bang and dust flew up into the air while the sound of shells dropping deafened the audience. It was so powerful - and a little bit scary.
Between Act Two and Act Three there was a five minute break, during which a list of names of soldiers who died on the Somme was projected onto the curtain. As soon as the list began scrolling through the names I started crying (same thing happened when I went to see Journey's End - both times - and images of the Menin Gate were projected onto the curtain while the actors took their bow). And the really awful thing? In five minutes, the list only made it as far as 'L' (men were listed alphabetically by surname).
As soon as it finished both me and mum wanted to turn around and watch it all over again. And mum has finally been convinced to read the novel, which I have been trying to get her to do for over a year. We're hoping to go and see War Horse soon(?); we've both seen posters of it and talked about it a bit, but the lady sat next to us last night said she'd gone to see it with her husband and they really enjoyed it. So that'll be next on the agenda, and can I just say that I am SO lucky my mum is happy to come with me to see these things :D A few years back she took me all the way to Bedford just so we could see a performance of Journey's End, l-lol.
So. The play was...brilliant. As soon as I heard about this version of it I wanted to see it, but I will admit I was a tad cautious because I wasn't sure how good it would actually be. I couldn't see how a 600+ page novel could be made into a play, but apparently the answer is: pretty easily! A fair few characters were missed out and it didn't deal with the 'modern' time-set section of the novel, but it was still absolutely fantastic. My favourite part was the end of Act One; Azaire's previous to Stephen words echoed around the theatre, YOU'RE GOING TO HELL. TO HELL, and the backdrop literally fell forward with a bang and dust flew up into the air while the sound of shells dropping deafened the audience. It was so powerful - and a little bit scary.
Between Act Two and Act Three there was a five minute break, during which a list of names of soldiers who died on the Somme was projected onto the curtain. As soon as the list began scrolling through the names I started crying (same thing happened when I went to see Journey's End - both times - and images of the Menin Gate were projected onto the curtain while the actors took their bow). And the really awful thing? In five minutes, the list only made it as far as 'L' (men were listed alphabetically by surname).
As soon as it finished both me and mum wanted to turn around and watch it all over again. And mum has finally been convinced to read the novel, which I have been trying to get her to do for over a year. We're hoping to go and see War Horse soon(?); we've both seen posters of it and talked about it a bit, but the lady sat next to us last night said she'd gone to see it with her husband and they really enjoyed it. So that'll be next on the agenda, and can I just say that I am SO lucky my mum is happy to come with me to see these things :D A few years back she took me all the way to Bedford just so we could see a performance of Journey's End, l-lol.