Of one so young, so rich in nature's store, Who would not say, 'tis pity she's a whore?”
Heh. :)
I got in about an hour ago from my merry adventures in Virginia- looks like the trip clocks in at three hours, or a little less (for future reference). Come to think of it, that means I drove three hours, was four hours in Staunton (only 2.5 of them for the play itself), then drove another three hours home. Oh, the THINGS I DO to satisfy theatrical cravings. ;)
Sadly, they're quite strict on taking pictures while not on a theatre tour, so I have nothing to show you all for my troubles. I did, however, have a whale of a time. Sister was correct in her estimation of the company- they say of themselves that their goal is to 'bring the joy back into theatre', and it's readily apparent, mostly in their goofiness. During the four, five minute intervals in the play, members of the cast came out and performed musical numbers, the first of which was courtesy of the Jackson Five. (Although I couldn't stop giggling when they did an a cappella style 'I Only Have Eyes for You' just after a character's eyes were gorged out...) Costumes are all over the place, which is somewhat distracting... There was a strange mixture of attitude on the stage- they love to go for the laugh, howsoever they reach it, but don't always navigate quite so cleanly into a more serious approach.
I did my best to sit back, not be a pretentious snob (*wink*), and enjoy myself, and succeeded in the end. Several of the actors were quite good- notably the ones who utilised the kick-assity of the Blackfriars stage to its best advantage (the gift shop sells T shirts bearing the message- We Do It with the Lights On). As could only be expected, my R&J actor and a former Artistic Resident at the Globe, Matt Sincell was excellent as Giovanni, the incestuous, murderous cross-dressing Italian. And he had a snappy coat. (and then he took his shirt off for the final scene, but that's ANOTHER story. YOWZA) One of the cool things was that this was part of the Actors' Renaissance Season- all the shows currently in rep were created without directors, letting the actors take charge of it all. I only wish I could see the process, rather than just the results..
After the play, I hung around the foyer and discovered that in the audience that day were his parents and sister- SO CUTE. There were a few other actors with friends and family there, but I dare say I was the only fangirl. (shaddup) In ten minutes or so, Matt came out and I tactfully hung back to let him greet his clan, although I wisely flashed him a smile before stepping back, cos YES, I am that clever. Just ignore the fact that I was also blushing like the fangirl I truly am. Turns out, he's an utter sweetheart, and his family were so pleased that he had his very own groupie. He came over to me with a grin on his face that turned into genuine Excitement when, after I told him how much I'd enjoyed the play today, that I'd also seen him in London in R&J. I ended up chatting with them all for a few minutes and did a pretty good job keeping my composure. There were even real sentences! (MS: Oh wow, did I meet you in London? ET: Oh no, I enjoyed the play so much I couldn't stay, I had to go home and flip out.) (Shut UP, I was CHARMING) With the family there, I made a graceful exit, but Matt and I are totally BFF now. I had him sign my R&J script during it all, and the cover now features a broad Pleasure to meet you, Emily!, in addition to his signature.
See?
Totally BFF. We're going to hang out all the time now. Just wait and see. *nods*
Regardless, he did seem genuinely flattered to have a fan there, his family were charming, and Matt urged me to come back with more DC people before the season's end (in two weeks). Who knows? Seeing as we're best buddies now, I feel that I should. ;)
ANYWAY, fangirling of adorable actors aside (have you SEEN this man's blue eyes? GUH. Up close, I was practically swooning), it was an awfully fun day. I set Herbert the iPod on shuffle for the drive and jammed all the way- everything from Shirley Bassey to Nirvana was featured. I think I gave a particularly stirring rendition of 'She Moves in Mysterious Ways' but with no witnesses, perhaps it's best left to the imagination.
Good day. :)
I got in about an hour ago from my merry adventures in Virginia- looks like the trip clocks in at three hours, or a little less (for future reference). Come to think of it, that means I drove three hours, was four hours in Staunton (only 2.5 of them for the play itself), then drove another three hours home. Oh, the THINGS I DO to satisfy theatrical cravings. ;)
Sadly, they're quite strict on taking pictures while not on a theatre tour, so I have nothing to show you all for my troubles. I did, however, have a whale of a time. Sister was correct in her estimation of the company- they say of themselves that their goal is to 'bring the joy back into theatre', and it's readily apparent, mostly in their goofiness. During the four, five minute intervals in the play, members of the cast came out and performed musical numbers, the first of which was courtesy of the Jackson Five. (Although I couldn't stop giggling when they did an a cappella style 'I Only Have Eyes for You' just after a character's eyes were gorged out...) Costumes are all over the place, which is somewhat distracting... There was a strange mixture of attitude on the stage- they love to go for the laugh, howsoever they reach it, but don't always navigate quite so cleanly into a more serious approach.
I did my best to sit back, not be a pretentious snob (*wink*), and enjoy myself, and succeeded in the end. Several of the actors were quite good- notably the ones who utilised the kick-assity of the Blackfriars stage to its best advantage (the gift shop sells T shirts bearing the message- We Do It with the Lights On). As could only be expected, my R&J actor and a former Artistic Resident at the Globe, Matt Sincell was excellent as Giovanni, the incestuous, murderous cross-dressing Italian. And he had a snappy coat. (and then he took his shirt off for the final scene, but that's ANOTHER story. YOWZA) One of the cool things was that this was part of the Actors' Renaissance Season- all the shows currently in rep were created without directors, letting the actors take charge of it all. I only wish I could see the process, rather than just the results..
After the play, I hung around the foyer and discovered that in the audience that day were his parents and sister- SO CUTE. There were a few other actors with friends and family there, but I dare say I was the only fangirl. (shaddup) In ten minutes or so, Matt came out and I tactfully hung back to let him greet his clan, although I wisely flashed him a smile before stepping back, cos YES, I am that clever. Just ignore the fact that I was also blushing like the fangirl I truly am. Turns out, he's an utter sweetheart, and his family were so pleased that he had his very own groupie. He came over to me with a grin on his face that turned into genuine Excitement when, after I told him how much I'd enjoyed the play today, that I'd also seen him in London in R&J. I ended up chatting with them all for a few minutes and did a pretty good job keeping my composure. There were even real sentences! (MS: Oh wow, did I meet you in London? ET: Oh no, I enjoyed the play so much I couldn't stay, I had to go home and flip out.) (Shut UP, I was CHARMING) With the family there, I made a graceful exit, but Matt and I are totally BFF now. I had him sign my R&J script during it all, and the cover now features a broad Pleasure to meet you, Emily!, in addition to his signature.
See?
Totally BFF. We're going to hang out all the time now. Just wait and see. *nods*
Regardless, he did seem genuinely flattered to have a fan there, his family were charming, and Matt urged me to come back with more DC people before the season's end (in two weeks). Who knows? Seeing as we're best buddies now, I feel that I should. ;)
ANYWAY, fangirling of adorable actors aside (have you SEEN this man's blue eyes? GUH. Up close, I was practically swooning), it was an awfully fun day. I set Herbert the iPod on shuffle for the drive and jammed all the way- everything from Shirley Bassey to Nirvana was featured. I think I gave a particularly stirring rendition of 'She Moves in Mysterious Ways' but with no witnesses, perhaps it's best left to the imagination.
Good day. :)