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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2018 18:29:52 GMT
Is that how it works, you're only good at your job if, say, more than a certain number of TheatreBoard members have heard of you? Does that mean I'm better at my job than Drama Desk- and Tony award-winning actor Denis O'Hare is at his, 'cos I *know* I'm chatty enough on here that you'd have to work hard to miss me!
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Post by Jan on Nov 6, 2018 18:37:18 GMT
Is that how it works, you're only good at your job if, say, more than a certain number of TheatreBoard members have heard of you? Does that mean I'm better at my job than Drama Desk- and Tony award-winning actor Denis O'Hare is at his, 'cos I *know* I'm chatty enough on here that you'd have to work hard to miss me! I’m merely expressing surprise that in their on-going obsession with all things American the NT are employing a USA actor with no mainstream acting profile in the UK at all. Why ? Why not employ a UK actor ? |
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Post by mallardo on Nov 6, 2018 19:21:48 GMT
He's been here before... Remember him in Take Me Out at the Donmar, years ago... He was good. He’s got a lot of stage experience (including a number of musicals, like Assassins and Sweet Charity, which is where I first noticed him). I think that it was his stage work that led to his great TV roles.
I saw him in both Sweet Charity - opposite Christina Applegate - and Assassins - where he played Charles Guiteau - and he was wonderful in both. He's a highly respected Broadway actor. And he's perfect for Tartuffe. What's the problem?
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Post by jadnoop on Nov 6, 2018 19:26:20 GMT
Is that how it works, you're only good at your job if, say, more than a certain number of TheatreBoard members have heard of you? Does that mean I'm better at my job than Drama Desk- and Tony award-winning actor Denis O'Hare is at his, 'cos I *know* I'm chatty enough on here that you'd have to work hard to miss me! I’m merely expressing surprise that in their on-going obsession with all things American the NT are employing a USA actor with no mainstream acting profile in the UK at all. Why ? Why not employ a UK actor ? With all due respect I can't help but think that your view of how much UK theatre is 'obsessed' with America is clouded by your apparent dislike of the country (or at least its popular culture). Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that there aren't more American actors/plays/etc. brought over compared with other countries. However, one of the few constants of TheatreBoard is that whenever an American play/actor/actress/writer/director is announced for London, Jan will moan about how 'obsessed' the UK is with America. |
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Post by zahidf on Nov 6, 2018 19:31:00 GMT
I’m merely expressing surprise that in their on-going obsession with all things American the NT are employing a USA actor with no mainstream acting profile in the UK at all. Why ? Why not employ a UK actor ? With all due respect I can't help but think that your view of how much UK theatre is 'obsessed' with America is clouded by your apparent dislike of the country (or at least its popular culture). Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that there aren't more American actors/plays/etc. brought over compared with other countries. However, one of the few constants of TheatreBoard is that whenever an American play/actor/actress/writer/director is announced for London, Jan will moan about how 'obsessed' the UK is with America. It does seem to be a constant refrain. It's subjective of course, but I'm fine with the American stuff |
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Post by sf on Nov 6, 2018 21:26:50 GMT
Isn't there an exchange agreement with Equity? We send them British actors and we get the same number of American ones back? Did I dream that? There is, although O'Hare has a strong enough CV that I assume he'd also qualify as a 'person of exceptional talent'. I admit to not being familiar with this guy, but wikipedia tells me he has won a couple of Tony awards - one for drama, one for musical theatre - so presumably he's pretty good. He's pretty good. Or rather, he's more than pretty good, and he's the reason I'll see it. I wasn't going to bother. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2018 22:07:18 GMT
O'Hare is an excellent, multi-faceted character actor and as others have noted, was known for his stage work long before he became more present on television.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2018 22:14:41 GMT
'True Blood actor Denis O’Hare is to make his National Theatre debut playing the title role in Tartuffe.' Oooh that explains why he was on a sign in sheet when I was at the NT studio a few weeks back. (Also yes there’s an equity exchange system which I assume he’s falling into) |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2018 22:19:06 GMT
Also to add, as others have O’Hare is well known in theatre circles, particularly for things like Sweet Charity (best thing in it lord that was a long night but anyway)
Also he’s known for AHS which has a strong following. Plus he’s an excellent actor. We’re always banging on about so-and-so doing well in America, and hell we shipped enough plays out there wholesale cast and all this year...I think we can let little Dennis come over and play.
But I believe the good Doctor as pointed out just has a bee in his bonnet over America in general
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Post by nash16 on Nov 6, 2018 23:29:02 GMT
He's been here before... Remember him in Take Me Out at the Donmar, years ago... He was good. He was brilliant in this play. Thrilled he's coming back. |
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Post by n1david on Nov 6, 2018 23:35:12 GMT
He's pretty good. Or rather, he's more than pretty good, and he's the reason I'll see it. I wasn't going to bother. Yup. I've booked tonight. I didn't think I needed to see another version of Tartuffe, but this tips me over into booking. There are certainly UK actors that would also have tipped me over, but interested to see this production. |
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Post by Jan on Nov 7, 2018 6:49:47 GMT
But I believe the good Doctor as pointed out just has a bee in his bonnet over America in general No, I'm fine with America, I lived there for several years. (I'm also fine with the EU where I also lived for several years). But when the NT do a solid year of USA programming in the Lyttleton (and the Young Vic do a year too) and they both favour USA actors over UK actors for major roles (Willie Loman, Tartuffe) it's fair to ask why. There are plenty of UK actors who could play both of those roles and in the subsidised sector they should be doing so. I'm not bothered what happens in the commercial sector. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2018 7:40:31 GMT
I would hardly call the entire programming at the NT American...but it’s a pointless argument with you so I won’t waste my energy collating the list.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2018 7:40:46 GMT
I guess you could equally argue that there are plenty of US actors who could play the Lehman Bros - so why are three English actors going over to do it?
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Post by bordeaux on Nov 7, 2018 8:07:23 GMT
I guess you could equally argue that there are plenty of US actors who could play the Lehman Bros - so why are three English actors going over to do it? But it's not quite the same thing, is it? What is going to the US is the original production of a play with complete cast (obivating the need to rehearse a new one) who have created these roles. It's more like an NT tour than a new production of a classic, which the Tartuffe is. |
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Post by sf on Nov 7, 2018 14:18:02 GMT
I guess you could equally argue that there are plenty of US actors who could play the Lehman Bros - so why are three English actors going over to do it? But it's not quite the same thing, is it? What is going to the US is the original production of a play with complete cast (obivating the need to rehearse a new one) who have created these roles. It's more like an NT tour than a new production of a classic, which the Tartuffe is.
OK, then. There are plenty of American actors capable of playing Barnaby Tucker in Hello, Dolly! - so why did Charlie Stemp go over to do it? Particularly since he went over as a replacement, rather than as the actor originating the role in that revival.
As far as I'm concerned, everybody benefits from these exchanges. Actors on both sides of the Atlantic get the opportunity to work overseas. Audiences get to see actors they might not have seen otherwise. The traffic runs in both directions.
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Post by sf on Nov 7, 2018 21:14:28 GMT
He's pretty good. Or rather, he's more than pretty good, and he's the reason I'll see it. I wasn't going to bother. Yup. I've booked tonight. I didn't think I needed to see another version of Tartuffe, but this tips me over into booking. There are certainly UK actors that would also have tipped me over, but interested to see this production.
Scheduling it around other things in my diary wasn't easy and I won't get to see it until the final week, but I've booked. Looking forward to it.
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Post by Jan on Nov 8, 2018 9:11:45 GMT
I would hardly call the entire programming at the NT American... Neither would I. And I didn't. Who did ? |
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Post by Jan on Nov 8, 2018 9:16:02 GMT
But it's not quite the same thing, is it? What is going to the US is the original production of a play with complete cast (obivating the need to rehearse a new one) who have created these roles. It's more like an NT tour than a new production of a classic, which the Tartuffe is.
OK, then. There are plenty of American actors capable of playing Barnaby Tucker in Hello, Dolly! - so why did Charlie Stemp go over to do it? Particularly since he went over as a replacement, rather than as the actor originating the role in that revival.
As far as I'm concerned, everybody benefits from these exchanges. Actors on both sides of the Atlantic get the opportunity to work overseas. Audiences get to see actors they might not have seen otherwise. The traffic runs in both directions.
I am making the distinction between the subsidised sector and the commercial sector. In the commercial sector I don't care what happens. But in the subsidised sector I think UK actors should be favoured. The Young Vic is staging an all-black version of Death of a Salesman, so a major leading role for a black actor - quite rare - but apparently they think the best actor for it is from USA. I think that's poor. Also I think transfers of hit shows in either direction with the original cast is a different case. |
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Post by crowblack on Nov 8, 2018 9:57:23 GMT
all-black version of Death of a Salesman Manchester's Royal Exchange currently has a mainly BAME Death of a Salesman with Don Warrington in the lead, following on from Jade Anouka in Queen Margaret, both in the main house. London theatres do seem to look very much to America, something I've commented on before when we heard leading London-based theatremakers moaning about Brexit and the loss of links with continental theatre when, frankly, their programming has long suggested their main obsession is the US. I've seen more varied programming here in the NW, including quite a bit of work by emerging writers. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2018 9:14:47 GMT
Very painless public booking. Re-booked for Downstate - front row is on sale for £28 which it wasn't during Amex booking.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Nov 9, 2018 9:33:25 GMT
all-black version of Death of a Salesman Manchester's Royal Exchange currently has a mainly BAME Death of a Salesman with Don Warrington in the lead, following on from Jade Anouka in Queen Margaret, both in the main house. London theatres do seem to look very much to America, something I've commented on before when we heard leading London-based theatremakers moaning about Brexit and the loss of links with continental theatre when, frankly, their programming has long suggested their main obsession is the US. I've seen more varied programming here in the NW, including quite a bit of work by emerging writers. Exactly. I find the uk’s theatre obsession with North America quite daunting when Europe is full of such rich and varied treasures. Theatre is following our obsession with US telly I was hopeful Scandi noir may have changed things a bit more than it did |
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Post by RedRose on Nov 9, 2018 9:37:03 GMT
I totally forgot about in. Off course no £15 seat in stalls left for Tartuffe for the three days I can make. Then I looked again 10 minutes later and a front row seat has turned up. Easy.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2018 9:40:08 GMT
I got a front row £28 seat for Downstate during Amex booking. I presume I got very lucky with leftovers from priority booking rather than the Amex allocation including front row. No problems with Top Girls or Tartuffe this morning, I was through the queue in less than two minutes on both browsers and got front row centre for both.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2018 10:16:00 GMT
I found advance booking very easy and just before public booking opened I got a email from the NT urging me to make the most of my member ship if I hadn't already. I don't get the impression this tranche of plays is setting the box office alight.
I booked for all except Top Girls which I never ever want to sit through again.
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