209 posts
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Post by argon on Dec 28, 2016 13:41:05 GMT
Is this likely to transfer does anyone know?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2016 18:18:01 GMT
Perhaps someone tosses a coin each morning to determine whether each actor is well enough to perform later that day?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2016 18:19:46 GMT
Is this likely to transfer does anyone know? Heads: Yes. Tails: No. Coin gets lost: Maybe. |
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374 posts
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Post by popcultureboy on Dec 29, 2016 8:33:23 GMT
Is this likely to transfer does anyone know? Juliet Stevenson is going into Hamlet, so an immediate transfer was never on the cards. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2016 15:30:46 GMT
Tonight's performance is going ahead
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219 posts
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Post by PalelyLaura on Jan 4, 2017 11:18:50 GMT
Loved this last night. Lia Williams was Elizabeth and she was fabulous. Juliet Stevenson was Mary and she was excellent too. No complaints about any of the other actors. Loved the dialogue and the language too - I don't know how much was Schiller and how much the English translation but there was a lovely rhythm to it.
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4,156 posts
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Post by kathryn on Jan 4, 2017 17:48:19 GMT
Saw the matinee today. Lia Williams was Mary, and absolutely fantastic - I can't imagine the alternate casting. I really enjoyed the play, which I've not seen before - or indeed any other Schiller- so I don't know how much of my enjoyment is Icke's translation. I shall have to look out for future productions.
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587 posts
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Post by Polly1 on Jan 4, 2017 17:58:47 GMT
Saw the matinee today. Lia Williams was Mary, and absolutely fantastic - I can't imagine the alternate casting. I really enjoyed the play, which I've not seen before - or indeed any other Schiller- so I don't know how much of my enjoyment is Icke's translation. I shall have to look out for future productions. Kathryn,I was there too! Whereabouts were you sitting. I was kind of hoping to see it this way round and agree that it's difficult to imagine it the other way. Stephenson was obviously still struggling with her cold but covered it well. I saw the Donmar version with Harriet Walter (Liz) and Janet McTeer (Mary) which was also great. Wouldn't like to say how different the translations were but this one seemed more sympathetic to Mary, which I don't remember from that one. I love S chiller, the Don Carlos a few years ago with Jacobi will always be a high point. Also, I love John Light... |
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4,156 posts
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Post by kathryn on Jan 4, 2017 18:23:29 GMT
Polly, I was in J18 in the stalls.
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587 posts
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Post by Polly1 on Jan 4, 2017 18:27:53 GMT
Polly, I was in J18 in the stalls. Ah, I was upstairs, first time ever I've sat up there. Next time! |
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587 posts
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Post by Polly1 on Jan 4, 2017 22:58:06 GMT
Some more random thoughts: The coin took aaages to land! I didn't even notice it was projected on the screens as I was watching it so intently. It's nowhere near the 3 and a half hours the Almeida email tells you - less than 3 hours 10. Almeida seriously need to invest in some WD40 - after the noisy revolve in Uncle Vanya, this had creaking floorboards and a squeaky bench  I thought the sound design was great although the song at the end seemed a bit unnecessary. I loved how starkly they differentiated the two queens at the end. I actually think Robert Icke is a genius director. |
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37 posts
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Post by johng on Jan 5, 2017 0:03:57 GMT
Also there for the matinee today, now feeling really glad they were able to find me a seat (B8 in the stalls) after last week's cancellation (and they gave me a £10 refund as well!)
I thought the casting was so perfect with Lia Williams as Mary that I find it hard to imagine the other way around. Shame they are not doing any performances with the casting "preset" as I would really like to see how it works the other way.
And remarkably the Southern Rail "reduced" service from Chichester got me to London on time and home only ten minutes late, so that's a real bonus on any London theatre trip these days!
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103 posts
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Post by sondheimhats on Jan 5, 2017 0:04:34 GMT
I can't imagine the alternate casting. So funny how this tends to be the case in situations like this. I saw the reverse pair, and yet I have trouble imagining the pair you saw! (I would like to see it though) |
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4,156 posts
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Post by kathryn on Jan 5, 2017 10:10:02 GMT
Almeida seriously need to invest in some WD40 - after the noisy revolve in Uncle Vanya, this had creaking floorboards and a squeaky bench . Oh, god, that bench!! That squeaking was driving me spare! During the interval the older lady sitting next to me asked if I could hear ok - which I could, every word perfectly clearly. She then said it must be her hearing but went on to grumble that she wished some people would remember they were in a theatre and not on a film set. But at least she missed the squeaking.... |
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1,088 posts
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Post by andrew on Jan 6, 2017 10:53:21 GMT
Haven't had a chance to post much lately but needed to log on especially for this. Sometimes I hit a bad run of plays where none of them particularly impress, and I start to wonder if it's really worth it, spending all this money booking things that haven't opened, or that aren't obviously my cup of tea. And then just in the nick of time you see something that reminds you why you bother.
From the first minute the play got going (and I'd probably exclude the strange ensemble staring introduction from that phrase) I was hooked. The coin spin is both a great dramatic moment to watch and then as a dramatic device has had thoughts about monarchy, class, fortune, birthrights, echoing around my head since I left the theatre. From there I thought every part of the creative team and cast were firing on all cylinders, apart perhaps from the squeaking benches, and I just sat enjoying every minute.
It's a testament to the actors involved how everyone on this board seems to say exactly what I thought too - that you can't imagine anyone playing the roles in the opposite direction. Williams as Liz starts off seductively powerful, strutting around, clicking her fingers with just a wobble of insecurity which grows and develops throughout. Stevenson is instantly likable and vulnerable, and plays the lost queen so well. Overall I was really impressed at how in the second act our allegiances and sympathies were kept more balanced than you might imagine - it's hard to make Elizabeth out to have a sympathetic position, and right before her final "decision" it was nice to not be inwardly screaming at her to make an obvious choice. The last scene was a strange turn but I liked it, Elizabeth's garb and all.
Those two leads. Ugh. So good.
Long live the queen.
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Jan 6, 2017 12:43:27 GMT
Haven't had a chance to post much lately but needed to log on especially for this. Sometimes I hit a bad run of plays where none of them particularly impress, and I start to wonder if it's really worth it, spending all this money booking things that haven't opened, or that aren't obviously my cup of tea. And then just in the nick of time you see something that reminds you why you bother. I haven't seen this production but glad you enjoyed it Andrew as yes I know just what you mean about being on a dry play run and then seeing something that reminds you just how good theatre is when it works well. I can imagine with these two actresses that it could be electric. |
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547 posts
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Post by drmaplewood on Jan 6, 2017 14:42:45 GMT
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19 posts
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Post by countryjames on Jan 6, 2017 20:39:44 GMT
Thanks for this. Have managed to get two tickets for the last show.
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Post by alexandra on Jan 11, 2017 14:02:41 GMT
For those who want to see it a particular way round, I've seen that at the beginning of matinees (around 2pm) the Almeida tweets the result of the coin toss (Stevenson as Elizabeth I this afternoon, it seems). That means that the evening show will be the other way round, so you could go and get a return if you wanted to see it that way.
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2,761 posts
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Post by n1david on Jan 11, 2017 16:07:32 GMT
For those who want to see it a particular way round, I've seen that at the beginning of matinees (around 2pm) the Almeida tweets the result of the coin toss (Stevenson as Elizabeth I this afternoon, it seems). That means that the evening show will be the other way round, so you could go and get a return if you wanted to see it that way. Ooh nice tip! It's interesting that most people who have seen either version say they can't imagine it the other way round; I'd love to see Stevenson on as Mary but not sure I can make this work. Thanks! |
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152 posts
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Post by alnoor on Jan 14, 2017 21:05:04 GMT
Matinee today
Lia was Mary and Juliet was Elizabeth.
My first play of 2017
LOVED IT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2017 14:43:36 GMT
Bunch of circle tickets for tonight (looks like a group cancelled?) just released. Matinee today was Juliet Stevenson as Mary Stuart so tonight will be Lia Williams as Mary.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 18:47:21 GMT
Saw the matinee today and Williams was Elizabeth and Stevenson Mary. In my head I had Juliet as Elizabeth and Lia as Mary so it was I was really happy to have it this way round as it surprised me a but( even though it is 50/50). I really did enjoy this play. the start definitely made me really tense and built the atmosphere of the play.I liked the screens showing the coins toss, the letters and act/time of day. The set is nice and simple but very effective and the revolve isn't very cool. Juliet was very good as Mary and had a vulnerable and emotional side.I liked Lia as Elizabeth as she had a certain swagger about her which was a nice juxtaposition from Juliet. The rest of the cast were very good but I did feel Rudi as Mortimer was a bit lacking. It did definalty not feel like over 3 hours and time flew by. I also did find the song at the end a bit out of context as the music could have just played and that would have been fine. The music and sound was great and built atmosphere and tension. I would highly reckoned you watch this soon before it closes next week.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2017 20:14:25 GMT
Was also just reflecting on things that might be a but spoilery {Spoiler - click to view}
I liked how they symbolised his Mary's head was cut off with the back panel dramatically stopping.
It also got very emotional when Mary's was saying goodbye to Hannah ,Melville and the handmaids.
I also really liked how at the end Mary was being de-dressed and put into her dress and Elizabeth was being put into her traditional outfit . |
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5,707 posts
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Post by lynette on Jan 21, 2017 23:22:11 GMT
We had JS as Elizabeth but we knew beforehand because it had been other way round at matinee so that made the coin toss false. No prob. First half too long, a real bladder buster and an arrogant dismissal of punters' comfort, the queue for the ladies was all round the foyer. Frankly I would have cut quite a lot, all the ins and the outs of servants and so on. Spose they felt they had to give Schiller a fair bash. I liked the modern look but not the revolve so much. I liked it that Eliz looked like the chairperson of the board, then all of a sudden she lost it.. great. I couldn't hear Hannah character clearly which was a shame. The two queens are really classy, really good and they had excellent support on the whole. Leicester truly creepy, a poor man's Toby Stephens I thought. ( poor woman's 😅 )
I was thinking what a pity Shakespeare couldn't have had a go at this story though of course he did deal with murdering monarchs and so on.
One or two last minute tix we saw so worth trying and worth seeing def.
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