Hamlet
I went to see Hamlet on Saturday 5th of September (!!!). Here is my account of the event. I hope others of you have managed to go- it was the best theatre production I've ever seen.
(with pictures- though not of David, he left while we were in the Q & A session- DOH!) See you at Love's Labours Lost!
Laura (my best friend) arrived at my house with a smile. Apparently she’s been that way for the entire car journey. I’d needed a shower so hadn’t gone to pick her and my brother up from outside school. For me it hadn’t actually set in that I was going to SEE DAVID TENNANT IN A FEW HOURS. I got Laura a drink and she showed me that’s she’d bought binoculars. We passed the time by talking about manga and playing Mario Kart. After tea we had to rush off to pick up Mum’s friend Sue who’d got the tickets for us. Traffic stopped us for the first leg of the way, meaning mum drove like a maniac until we’d reached the house. Sue came running out and jumped into the car. It was just past six. We set off, talking briefly. Now it was my turn to smile. We were only about an hour away.
We got to Stratford quicker than I thought and drove past the theatre (“an oversized port-a-cabin” as Sue called it). I found it hard to believe that a man as famous as David would be in a place so... ordinary. We found a car parking space and I tried to walk quickly on a slippy pavement without falling over. The Courtyard Theatre was nothing like I had imagined. We bought programs from the lady at the door and then went to the loo before buying some postcards. I squee-ed a bit then: noticing a poster of David (as Hamlet) on the wall near the Stalls door. Mum asked a man at the desk if she could take photos. Surprisingly he said yes.
(me on the left, Laura on the right)
I can’t remember if there was an announcement, but we were in the theatre before 7:15pm. That’s when it FINALLY set in. We weren’t as far away as I’d thought (the seats were layered) and we were on the same level as the stage. Laura wouldn’t be needing her binoculars. I bounced up and down, so glad I could share this wonderful memory with my best friend. We may not have been at the front, but the actors couldn’t have been any more than 3 or 4 metres away. There were lots of women in the audience (as to be expected). The play started a bit late and began by throwing us all into darkness. I never studied Hamlet at school, but knew patches of the story from reading the manga version, the internet and watching the Simpsons. When David spoke in his first scene I was surprised at how different he was. The obvious difference was his voice (no Scottish twangs this time), but also how he seemed to be in himself. I knew right from the start that I would love the performance, not just from David, but from everyone. Patrick Stewart, who even with a rough throat commanded such presence and attention as Claudius- Hamlet’s father, was a wonder to behold on stage. It seemed he never faltered with his lines. Up on the stage, their faces as real as real, you can easily forget how famous the actors are and just see them for who they are- people.
The interval was about 5 minutes long. I was still in the loo when they rung the bell for people to come back in, so I had to run back to my seat.
Seeing David on stage was such a different experience to seeing him on T.V. I don’t know how actors do it. With theatre it’s a constant performance, so different to the experience of filming where scenes can be re-done and re-shot etc. Seeing the trueness of the emotions he played as Hamlet made me love him even more. Yes, of course his appearance was beautiful, even more so when you see him close to, but that isn’t his only beauty. Anyone who has watched Doctor Who, or anything else with him in for that matter will know his range of convincing emotions. He does madness and sadness particularly well.
Some of the scenes will stay with me for the rest of my life, if not the whole play. Both David and John Woodvine gave particularly funny lines, as well as the Dumb play which was HILARIOUS (where the act of putting poison in the king’s ear is played in front of Claudius to see if he conveys any sense of guilt or anger). Me and Laura could have laughed all night just from that one scene. It’s a bit difficult to explain to people who haven’t seen the play, but it was basically played by people babbling their lines (like Pingu). One of the most memorable moments for me was the end. After Hamlet had died, nothing was said, and the lights dimmed oh so slowly, throughout which was COMPLETE SILENCE. I’ve never felt that feeling before- I felt such a mixture of emotions. I was sad for the character, for the fact that the play had ended, but happy that I had been there in the first place to have been able to experience such a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime thing. We clapped and clapped and clapped. I would have stood up, but then I would have been in the view of the people behind. After every one had gone off stage, David jumped back on and bowed on his own. Mum wondered if that was done of his own accord, to soak up the last of the crowd’s appreciation. Laura and I YELLED OUR HEADS OFF.
I’d never seen a Shakespeare play until then, but I found myself managing to keep up with what was being said. I also found the language so layered that it was like listening to a song. With such beautiful talent and set pieces I never wanted it to end. Part of me wanted it to have been filmed so I could enjoy it again and again, but I suppose that’s the beauty of theatre- there are no cameras, so you have to absorb every moment and form such a vivid memory that you can remember it always. I’m sure I will.
The experience would have been near perfection if it hadn't been for a particularly tall man sitting almost infront of me. I could have had a perfect view of the stage. But then again, I've decided I'm not going to fuss about the little things. I REALLY enjoyed myself, and I'm going to try and get David's signature next time. :)
P.S. As a weird momentum of the event, I kept my glass lemonade bottle I got from the bar. I hope to put a flower in it. :)
(with pictures- though not of David, he left while we were in the Q & A session- DOH!) See you at Love's Labours Lost!
Laura (my best friend) arrived at my house with a smile. Apparently she’s been that way for the entire car journey. I’d needed a shower so hadn’t gone to pick her and my brother up from outside school. For me it hadn’t actually set in that I was going to SEE DAVID TENNANT IN A FEW HOURS. I got Laura a drink and she showed me that’s she’d bought binoculars. We passed the time by talking about manga and playing Mario Kart. After tea we had to rush off to pick up Mum’s friend Sue who’d got the tickets for us. Traffic stopped us for the first leg of the way, meaning mum drove like a maniac until we’d reached the house. Sue came running out and jumped into the car. It was just past six. We set off, talking briefly. Now it was my turn to smile. We were only about an hour away.
We got to Stratford quicker than I thought and drove past the theatre (“an oversized port-a-cabin” as Sue called it). I found it hard to believe that a man as famous as David would be in a place so... ordinary. We found a car parking space and I tried to walk quickly on a slippy pavement without falling over. The Courtyard Theatre was nothing like I had imagined. We bought programs from the lady at the door and then went to the loo before buying some postcards. I squee-ed a bit then: noticing a poster of David (as Hamlet) on the wall near the Stalls door. Mum asked a man at the desk if she could take photos. Surprisingly he said yes.
(me on the left, Laura on the right)
I can’t remember if there was an announcement, but we were in the theatre before 7:15pm. That’s when it FINALLY set in. We weren’t as far away as I’d thought (the seats were layered) and we were on the same level as the stage. Laura wouldn’t be needing her binoculars. I bounced up and down, so glad I could share this wonderful memory with my best friend. We may not have been at the front, but the actors couldn’t have been any more than 3 or 4 metres away. There were lots of women in the audience (as to be expected). The play started a bit late and began by throwing us all into darkness. I never studied Hamlet at school, but knew patches of the story from reading the manga version, the internet and watching the Simpsons. When David spoke in his first scene I was surprised at how different he was. The obvious difference was his voice (no Scottish twangs this time), but also how he seemed to be in himself. I knew right from the start that I would love the performance, not just from David, but from everyone. Patrick Stewart, who even with a rough throat commanded such presence and attention as Claudius- Hamlet’s father, was a wonder to behold on stage. It seemed he never faltered with his lines. Up on the stage, their faces as real as real, you can easily forget how famous the actors are and just see them for who they are- people.
The interval was about 5 minutes long. I was still in the loo when they rung the bell for people to come back in, so I had to run back to my seat.
Seeing David on stage was such a different experience to seeing him on T.V. I don’t know how actors do it. With theatre it’s a constant performance, so different to the experience of filming where scenes can be re-done and re-shot etc. Seeing the trueness of the emotions he played as Hamlet made me love him even more. Yes, of course his appearance was beautiful, even more so when you see him close to, but that isn’t his only beauty. Anyone who has watched Doctor Who, or anything else with him in for that matter will know his range of convincing emotions. He does madness and sadness particularly well.
Some of the scenes will stay with me for the rest of my life, if not the whole play. Both David and John Woodvine gave particularly funny lines, as well as the Dumb play which was HILARIOUS (where the act of putting poison in the king’s ear is played in front of Claudius to see if he conveys any sense of guilt or anger). Me and Laura could have laughed all night just from that one scene. It’s a bit difficult to explain to people who haven’t seen the play, but it was basically played by people babbling their lines (like Pingu). One of the most memorable moments for me was the end. After Hamlet had died, nothing was said, and the lights dimmed oh so slowly, throughout which was COMPLETE SILENCE. I’ve never felt that feeling before- I felt such a mixture of emotions. I was sad for the character, for the fact that the play had ended, but happy that I had been there in the first place to have been able to experience such a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime thing. We clapped and clapped and clapped. I would have stood up, but then I would have been in the view of the people behind. After every one had gone off stage, David jumped back on and bowed on his own. Mum wondered if that was done of his own accord, to soak up the last of the crowd’s appreciation. Laura and I YELLED OUR HEADS OFF.
I’d never seen a Shakespeare play until then, but I found myself managing to keep up with what was being said. I also found the language so layered that it was like listening to a song. With such beautiful talent and set pieces I never wanted it to end. Part of me wanted it to have been filmed so I could enjoy it again and again, but I suppose that’s the beauty of theatre- there are no cameras, so you have to absorb every moment and form such a vivid memory that you can remember it always. I’m sure I will.
The experience would have been near perfection if it hadn't been for a particularly tall man sitting almost infront of me. I could have had a perfect view of the stage. But then again, I've decided I'm not going to fuss about the little things. I REALLY enjoyed myself, and I'm going to try and get David's signature next time. :)
P.S. As a weird momentum of the event, I kept my glass lemonade bottle I got from the bar. I hope to put a flower in it. :)