(no subject)
So... Measure for Measure... Luckily for me saffronra agreed to go with me so there was no standing on my own looking like a lemon which made everything lovlier. Plus she actually knew the play and could whisper about the bits they were adlibbing and the fact that they'd camped the whole thing up and I've got to say it was ever so slightly gay. Mind you it's ahrd for all male productions not to be. My new femmeslash pairing of choice is Isabella/Mariana which luckily also works out as slash because Michael Brown/Edward Hogg would be just fine too (non RPSers look away about five minutes ago... sorry!)
Where to start? With Mark Rylance I suppose because <3 and I totally can't believe he's actually leaving. If that fact sinks in it will make me start crying. He was the Duke and played him as a slightly bumbling type person which is what Mark Rylance does very well. I don't really know how much i can say about his interpretation of the character as I don't know the play but I do know that, as ever, he could make the whole place roar with laughter by lifting an eyebrow. I'm not even vaguely imparital when it comes to him though so maybe you shouldn't listen except that you all should and bow down and worship him *coughs*
Moving on then...
Liam Brennan. He played Angelo and probably the fact that it was him made me more sympathetic than I should have been. I said after Edward II that he had a kingly air (and in Richard II an incredibly slashy one) and here he pulled off the puritan thing and then the tortured soliliquoys beautifully. He suffers very well. Unfortunately towards the end of the play he disappears a little and the character gets a little... messed up... by Shakespeare so that the puritan stuff seems less likely but he still suffered beautifully and I really do think he's a great actor (Bizarre fact of the day: I see Liam Brennan as Matthew from Four Weddings and A Funeral in my head rather than John Hannah, goodness only knows why but I realised halfway through the play that I do).
I'm not doing the whole cast so don't panic, they were all great and it's just Mark, Liam, Michael and Edward I'm going to rave about.
That leaves us now with Michael Brown and Edward Hogg and I don't know which order to do them in. Michael Brown makes an insanely beautiful woman. I raced about him before here in my review of Richard II and all that I said there and in my Edward II review stands. His hands were mesmerising me again and I'm beyond impressed that he could jig at all in the gorgeous dress he was wearing. Mariana's not exactly a sympathetic character, you hardly see her and she's in love with the bad guy, but there was dignity to him/her that made me want it to turn out well (that and I was hoping her and Liam would kiss, which they didn't :() From the programme it looks like he's still a relative newcomer to the stage and if that's so then I predict a great future for him.
As for Edward Hogg, there was quite a lot of love for him in my review of The Tempest includng me going off on one about his mouth for reasons best known to myself, but the important bit was how he played Miranda there. Seeing him as Isabella now I have to say that though not as pretty as Michael Brown he plays a fantastic woman. saffronra said something about never really liking Isabella till his version (sorry if I misquoted you!) and there was something that shone through his performance. His Isabella was strong and though she is a serious character and, really when you get down to it, is threatened with rape or nonconsensual sex at the very least, there was also a thread of humour there and he has the most fantastic smile that grows slowly from his eyes and at the end made the whole place laugh and cheer him/her on. I don't know how else to say it but after Mark Rylance Edward Hogg had to be my favourite there and I hope that I get to see him again and again.
To some up: Mark Rylance, fantastic as usual, Liam Brennan, brilliant till the play sort of let his character down (IMO), Michael Brown, beautiful and dignified and Edward Hogg, best man playing a woman I've seen and also gets almost as much <3 as Mark.
warning, i can't be bothered to spell check this and my hand still hurts from trying to remove my finger earlier so apologies if it's unreadable
Where to start? With Mark Rylance I suppose because <3 and I totally can't believe he's actually leaving. If that fact sinks in it will make me start crying. He was the Duke and played him as a slightly bumbling type person which is what Mark Rylance does very well. I don't really know how much i can say about his interpretation of the character as I don't know the play but I do know that, as ever, he could make the whole place roar with laughter by lifting an eyebrow. I'm not even vaguely imparital when it comes to him though so maybe you shouldn't listen except that you all should and bow down and worship him *coughs*
Moving on then...
Liam Brennan. He played Angelo and probably the fact that it was him made me more sympathetic than I should have been. I said after Edward II that he had a kingly air (and in Richard II an incredibly slashy one) and here he pulled off the puritan thing and then the tortured soliliquoys beautifully. He suffers very well. Unfortunately towards the end of the play he disappears a little and the character gets a little... messed up... by Shakespeare so that the puritan stuff seems less likely but he still suffered beautifully and I really do think he's a great actor (Bizarre fact of the day: I see Liam Brennan as Matthew from Four Weddings and A Funeral in my head rather than John Hannah, goodness only knows why but I realised halfway through the play that I do).
I'm not doing the whole cast so don't panic, they were all great and it's just Mark, Liam, Michael and Edward I'm going to rave about.
That leaves us now with Michael Brown and Edward Hogg and I don't know which order to do them in. Michael Brown makes an insanely beautiful woman. I raced about him before here in my review of Richard II and all that I said there and in my Edward II review stands. His hands were mesmerising me again and I'm beyond impressed that he could jig at all in the gorgeous dress he was wearing. Mariana's not exactly a sympathetic character, you hardly see her and she's in love with the bad guy, but there was dignity to him/her that made me want it to turn out well (that and I was hoping her and Liam would kiss, which they didn't :() From the programme it looks like he's still a relative newcomer to the stage and if that's so then I predict a great future for him.
As for Edward Hogg, there was quite a lot of love for him in my review of The Tempest includng me going off on one about his mouth for reasons best known to myself, but the important bit was how he played Miranda there. Seeing him as Isabella now I have to say that though not as pretty as Michael Brown he plays a fantastic woman. saffronra said something about never really liking Isabella till his version (sorry if I misquoted you!) and there was something that shone through his performance. His Isabella was strong and though she is a serious character and, really when you get down to it, is threatened with rape or nonconsensual sex at the very least, there was also a thread of humour there and he has the most fantastic smile that grows slowly from his eyes and at the end made the whole place laugh and cheer him/her on. I don't know how else to say it but after Mark Rylance Edward Hogg had to be my favourite there and I hope that I get to see him again and again.
To some up: Mark Rylance, fantastic as usual, Liam Brennan, brilliant till the play sort of let his character down (IMO), Michael Brown, beautiful and dignified and Edward Hogg, best man playing a woman I've seen and also gets almost as much <3 as Mark.
warning, i can't be bothered to spell check this and my hand still hurts from trying to remove my finger earlier so apologies if it's unreadable