(no subject)
Today has been full of frustrating and/or odd things most of which I have been dealing with by disappearing into my happyplace which is, and will be for quite some time, memories of Twelfth Night at the Globe.
I can't emphasise enough how much influence the original* production at the Globe had on me. *points at icon* It was the first thing I saw at the Globe and it initiated a love of that building, brought back into focus my love of Mark Rylance, introduced me to all-male companies & original practices plays, was one of the first Shakespeare plays I truly and uncomplicatedly enjoyed and shortly after 2002 was when my ridiculous theatre obsession really took flight.
(*okay not quite original I never saw it at the Middle Temple Hall with Eddie Redmayne as Viola where's a Time Turner or a TARDIS when you need one!)
Walking into the Globe and seeing the Tiring House open and Mark standing there as Olivia's costume was put onto him by the dressers gave me shivers and I just couldn't stop grinning.
And despite all that weight of expectation (and a healthy dose of worry because Stephen Fry? Really?!) it was amazing and I'm so glad I'm going again and though it's sold out I'd recommend queuing for returns or seeing it when it transfers but it's SO joyous and yet with an edge of melancholy and the cast work together beautifully and it has some of my most favourite actors in it and just ♥
Twelfth Night @ The Globe
Where to start? Maybe with my biggest worry which was Mr Fry. After all it's a long time since he's been on stage and that didn't exactly go brilliantly BUT I have to say that despite my fears he really was fine. Good even in places :-P I mean I'm not sure how much of it was acting because actually a lot of the persona he uses on TV works with Malvolio (self important and self involved :-P) but he had a lot of fun with the letter reading scene and throwing himself at Olivia (and oh Mark Rylance's face was a picture as Malvolio thrust at him from behind *g*) and he managed to make me feel a bit sorry for him in the prison. So much better than I feared.
My other fear was that, much though I know Johnny Flynn is a great actor, I'd just be sad it wasn't Michael Brown as Viola because he is sort of seared onto my heart, particularly in the scene from my icon, and the thought of seeing Liam Brennan's Orsino with someone else did sort of... well it seemed odd. But of course Johnny was great and his Viola was quiet but determined and a little shy and uncertain and fluttery but so so so funny in all of the mess around the duels and actually sort of proud of himself when he realised Olivia was in love with him.
And the scene with Orsino & "Cesario" when Feste sings was just as perfect as I remembered. Liam & Johnny are clearly in tune with each other and the half glances and the way the Duke clearly couldn't quite square what he was feeling with how he SHOULD be feeling was perfect.
It has to be said that Sam Barnett & Johnny Flynn don't look all that alike even in the twin costumes & wigs but all the identity confusion stuff was played well and I will always and forever adore Olivia's Most wonderful (and oh how I agree) and they played siblings very affectingly as they sat together clearly immersed in catching up and seeing how each other was whilst the Malvolio drama continued centre stage.
I still think Sam Barnett was born to play the Globe. He has such perfect timing and he's picked up the trick of always reacting but without stealing scenes which both mark Rylance & James Garnon have down perfectly.
(oh incidentally it's so weird seeing James Garnon as Fabian in what is a tiny role really. He's such a good actor & I love to see him clearly enjoying playing his role in the ensemble even when really I wanted him on stage all the time)
Peter Hamilton Dyer is a proper Globe addict (he said to me afterwards that the place is electric and he can't leave) played Feste again and he's quite... not a melancholy fool but a serious one perhaps? Or at least a thoughtful one and I love his voice in all the songs.
And then the Toby Belch/Maria/Andrew Aguecheek trio... well Roger Lloyd Pack was perfect for Sir Andrew. He's tall and unaginly and ridiculous and seemed to be having great fun & managing all the little bits of business (like getting his sword stuck between his legs whilst dancing) perfectly. Colin Hurley's Sir Toby was a great contrast to him and has quite an infectious laugh but of the three the absolute star (and one of the best perormances in an amazing cast) was Paul Chahidi as Maria. His Maria had these sly looks and half smiles and there was always a twinkle in his eyes when dealing with Sir Toby so she'd be chastising him but clearly incapable of being charmed by him. And the demure side meant that Malvolio's lecture seemed very harsh ad her bitterness towards him was understandable.
But OH I did adore having Liam Brennan & Mark Rylance back as Orsino & Olivia <3 I'm basically head over heels in love with Liam's Orsino and have been for ten years. The lady next to me said his performance was too big but I think it was right- he was being ridiculous and dramatic when in love with Olivia which is right because it IS ridiculous and it balanced well with Johnny's quieter Viola (oh how I love the scene where Orsino claims women can't love as much as men) And his confusion and reactions throughout the final scene were spot on.
And Mark's Olivia... what can I say? He still glides across the stage in a way I don't understand and he's quiet and reserved and so together and then suddenly snaps when thwarted and becomes so girlish and flirtatious with Cesario and I love everything about his performance. I love the comparison of Olivia & Orsino's ridiculous loves with Viola's quite devotion and steadfast refusal of Olivia. Oh and Mark as Olivia wielding a halberd may be one of the times I've been most afraid for my head as a Groundling *g*
So yes. Perfection all round and I know I'm biased but the keep the melancholy but get all the humour and it all holds together so well, a true ensemble play, and I just LOVE it.
Then we went to the Meet the Cast event and we'd been warned Mark wouldn't come (given everything that's happened to his family this year :-/) but he did and was basically mobbed on his way in *g*
He talked a lot about the original practices stuff and how it was a reaction to the care and attention that went into the building and how their costume manager basically taught herself everything because nobody knew.was doing it right and is now a world expert. And Clare talked about the music and how they chose instruments and I loved it because it really brought out what these performances are about- not merely an all-male cast for the hell of it but pieces of research in their own right!
He did also talk about how he glides as Olivia and how he'd worked with recordings of Kabuki and their stillness and smoothness as contrasted with sudden changes (which makes so much sense of his Olivia) and then Sam Barnett said anyway there's only one way you can move or you fall over (and that he tended to fall over anyway bless him <3) and Paul Chahidi said it was like Swans, paddling furiously underwater, and showed us how he walks as Maria and without the skirt it does look ridiculous.
Stephen Fry talked a lot and the only thing I really remember was about being part of an ensemble and how nice that was... apparently I wasn't listening to him? I think I was mostly being distracted because 1) Mark Rylance was RIGHT THERE and 2) Lima Brennan had glasses on.
Um.
There were the usual topics of pigeons & rain & aeroplanes and how the Globe feels like an arena or...w ell different to every other theatre and how the audience reacts becomes almost part of the play & how it can feel like a warm embrace (or entirely exposed if you go wrong). Someone said they thought buying a ticket to the Globe made people smarter & wittier because at the Globe people get the jokes without needing crude gestures to explain *g* and how important it is that everyone's faces are visible and we react to each other and with each other.
And then afterwards I actually spoke to Mark Rylance which I have NEVER had the nerve to before and I didn't really say much because there were so many people and this awful woman interrupted me so... well basically I feel like I must have been an idiot but seiyaharris says I wasn't and I got the autograph & to say how much the Globe means to me <3
AND I spoke to Peter Hamilton Dyer and bout how addictive the place is AND to Liam Brennan who seemed really touched by the fact that I attribute my ongoing theatre love partly to this production (and he said he'd sign across Johnny Flynn's face and pretend he was that handsome and I managed not to say that he was MUCH more attractive and omg could he put those glasses back on :-P)
Afterwards seiyaharris and I retired across the road for food & alcohol and went over EVERY DETAIL and it was just such a perfect day and everything I could have hoped for.
I'd apologise for gushing but this post is actually kind of toned down :-P
I can't emphasise enough how much influence the original* production at the Globe had on me. *points at icon* It was the first thing I saw at the Globe and it initiated a love of that building, brought back into focus my love of Mark Rylance, introduced me to all-male companies & original practices plays, was one of the first Shakespeare plays I truly and uncomplicatedly enjoyed and shortly after 2002 was when my ridiculous theatre obsession really took flight.
(*okay not quite original I never saw it at the Middle Temple Hall with Eddie Redmayne as Viola where's a Time Turner or a TARDIS when you need one!)
Walking into the Globe and seeing the Tiring House open and Mark standing there as Olivia's costume was put onto him by the dressers gave me shivers and I just couldn't stop grinning.
And despite all that weight of expectation (and a healthy dose of worry because Stephen Fry? Really?!) it was amazing and I'm so glad I'm going again and though it's sold out I'd recommend queuing for returns or seeing it when it transfers but it's SO joyous and yet with an edge of melancholy and the cast work together beautifully and it has some of my most favourite actors in it and just ♥
Twelfth Night @ The Globe
Where to start? Maybe with my biggest worry which was Mr Fry. After all it's a long time since he's been on stage and that didn't exactly go brilliantly BUT I have to say that despite my fears he really was fine. Good even in places :-P I mean I'm not sure how much of it was acting because actually a lot of the persona he uses on TV works with Malvolio (self important and self involved :-P) but he had a lot of fun with the letter reading scene and throwing himself at Olivia (and oh Mark Rylance's face was a picture as Malvolio thrust at him from behind *g*) and he managed to make me feel a bit sorry for him in the prison. So much better than I feared.
My other fear was that, much though I know Johnny Flynn is a great actor, I'd just be sad it wasn't Michael Brown as Viola because he is sort of seared onto my heart, particularly in the scene from my icon, and the thought of seeing Liam Brennan's Orsino with someone else did sort of... well it seemed odd. But of course Johnny was great and his Viola was quiet but determined and a little shy and uncertain and fluttery but so so so funny in all of the mess around the duels and actually sort of proud of himself when he realised Olivia was in love with him.
And the scene with Orsino & "Cesario" when Feste sings was just as perfect as I remembered. Liam & Johnny are clearly in tune with each other and the half glances and the way the Duke clearly couldn't quite square what he was feeling with how he SHOULD be feeling was perfect.
It has to be said that Sam Barnett & Johnny Flynn don't look all that alike even in the twin costumes & wigs but all the identity confusion stuff was played well and I will always and forever adore Olivia's Most wonderful (and oh how I agree) and they played siblings very affectingly as they sat together clearly immersed in catching up and seeing how each other was whilst the Malvolio drama continued centre stage.
I still think Sam Barnett was born to play the Globe. He has such perfect timing and he's picked up the trick of always reacting but without stealing scenes which both mark Rylance & James Garnon have down perfectly.
(oh incidentally it's so weird seeing James Garnon as Fabian in what is a tiny role really. He's such a good actor & I love to see him clearly enjoying playing his role in the ensemble even when really I wanted him on stage all the time)
Peter Hamilton Dyer is a proper Globe addict (he said to me afterwards that the place is electric and he can't leave) played Feste again and he's quite... not a melancholy fool but a serious one perhaps? Or at least a thoughtful one and I love his voice in all the songs.
And then the Toby Belch/Maria/Andrew Aguecheek trio... well Roger Lloyd Pack was perfect for Sir Andrew. He's tall and unaginly and ridiculous and seemed to be having great fun & managing all the little bits of business (like getting his sword stuck between his legs whilst dancing) perfectly. Colin Hurley's Sir Toby was a great contrast to him and has quite an infectious laugh but of the three the absolute star (and one of the best perormances in an amazing cast) was Paul Chahidi as Maria. His Maria had these sly looks and half smiles and there was always a twinkle in his eyes when dealing with Sir Toby so she'd be chastising him but clearly incapable of being charmed by him. And the demure side meant that Malvolio's lecture seemed very harsh ad her bitterness towards him was understandable.
But OH I did adore having Liam Brennan & Mark Rylance back as Orsino & Olivia <3 I'm basically head over heels in love with Liam's Orsino and have been for ten years. The lady next to me said his performance was too big but I think it was right- he was being ridiculous and dramatic when in love with Olivia which is right because it IS ridiculous and it balanced well with Johnny's quieter Viola (oh how I love the scene where Orsino claims women can't love as much as men) And his confusion and reactions throughout the final scene were spot on.
And Mark's Olivia... what can I say? He still glides across the stage in a way I don't understand and he's quiet and reserved and so together and then suddenly snaps when thwarted and becomes so girlish and flirtatious with Cesario and I love everything about his performance. I love the comparison of Olivia & Orsino's ridiculous loves with Viola's quite devotion and steadfast refusal of Olivia. Oh and Mark as Olivia wielding a halberd may be one of the times I've been most afraid for my head as a Groundling *g*
So yes. Perfection all round and I know I'm biased but the keep the melancholy but get all the humour and it all holds together so well, a true ensemble play, and I just LOVE it.
Then we went to the Meet the Cast event and we'd been warned Mark wouldn't come (given everything that's happened to his family this year :-/) but he did and was basically mobbed on his way in *g*
He talked a lot about the original practices stuff and how it was a reaction to the care and attention that went into the building and how their costume manager basically taught herself everything because nobody knew.was doing it right and is now a world expert. And Clare talked about the music and how they chose instruments and I loved it because it really brought out what these performances are about- not merely an all-male cast for the hell of it but pieces of research in their own right!
He did also talk about how he glides as Olivia and how he'd worked with recordings of Kabuki and their stillness and smoothness as contrasted with sudden changes (which makes so much sense of his Olivia) and then Sam Barnett said anyway there's only one way you can move or you fall over (and that he tended to fall over anyway bless him <3) and Paul Chahidi said it was like Swans, paddling furiously underwater, and showed us how he walks as Maria and without the skirt it does look ridiculous.
Stephen Fry talked a lot and the only thing I really remember was about being part of an ensemble and how nice that was... apparently I wasn't listening to him? I think I was mostly being distracted because 1) Mark Rylance was RIGHT THERE and 2) Lima Brennan had glasses on.
Um.
There were the usual topics of pigeons & rain & aeroplanes and how the Globe feels like an arena or...w ell different to every other theatre and how the audience reacts becomes almost part of the play & how it can feel like a warm embrace (or entirely exposed if you go wrong). Someone said they thought buying a ticket to the Globe made people smarter & wittier because at the Globe people get the jokes without needing crude gestures to explain *g* and how important it is that everyone's faces are visible and we react to each other and with each other.
And then afterwards I actually spoke to Mark Rylance which I have NEVER had the nerve to before and I didn't really say much because there were so many people and this awful woman interrupted me so... well basically I feel like I must have been an idiot but seiyaharris says I wasn't and I got the autograph & to say how much the Globe means to me <3
AND I spoke to Peter Hamilton Dyer and bout how addictive the place is AND to Liam Brennan who seemed really touched by the fact that I attribute my ongoing theatre love partly to this production (and he said he'd sign across Johnny Flynn's face and pretend he was that handsome and I managed not to say that he was MUCH more attractive and omg could he put those glasses back on :-P)
Afterwards seiyaharris and I retired across the road for food & alcohol and went over EVERY DETAIL and it was just such a perfect day and everything I could have hoped for.
I'd apologise for gushing but this post is actually kind of toned down :-P