2,955 posts
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Post by crowblack on Sept 28, 2018 12:07:11 GMT
I'm about to return that £15 row C for tomorrow's matinee if anyone's interested - let me know before 2.30, if no takers here I'll ring the box office and return it.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 13:30:40 GMT
The names of those snakes has made my day.
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Post by MrsCondomine on Sept 28, 2018 13:44:43 GMT
The names of those snakes has made my day. I made an inhuman noise to my companion when I found that the snakes were thanked in the programme. And then another one when I read the name "Pork Pie" Actually I just think snakes are cute in general but these ones are extra lovely because of their names.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 13:49:16 GMT
The names of those snakes has made my day. I made an inhuman noise to my companion when I found that the snakes were thanked in the programme. And then another one when I read the name "Pork Pie" Actually I just think snakes are cute in general but these ones are extra lovely because of their names. I feel a real affinity with Pork Pie. I feel like he/she gets me on a deep level.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 13:50:35 GMT
And I'd have had money on one of them being called 'Kevin Spacey'.
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2,955 posts
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Post by crowblack on Sept 28, 2018 13:52:53 GMT
Just returned a £15 for tomorrow mat - it's on their site now.
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3,071 posts
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Post by david on Sept 28, 2018 13:56:31 GMT
If there is more than one snake used, are they on a rota system during the run? Are they credited in the cast list in the programme?
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Post by MrsCondomine on Sept 28, 2018 13:58:53 GMT
If there is more than one snake used, are they on a rota system during the run? Are they credited in the cast list in the programme? They're certainly in the free cast list under the Acknowledgements bit! Unfortunately you don't get a little board outside in the bar saying, "Tonight the role of Cleopatra's asp will be played by Pork Pie." I feel like this is an oversight. Only one snake is actually used in the production rather than the two in the script, but this might be because milk snakes like trying to eat each other... "Larry ate Pork Pie" is not an unreasonable sentence in this case.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 14:03:27 GMT
How long are the snakes actually in it? I really don't like them and I want to know how long I need to look away for. I may actually vomit if I see them.
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4,038 posts
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Post by kathryn on Sept 28, 2018 14:07:39 GMT
The names of those snakes has made my day. Do we think that Mr Jangles' first name is Bo?
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Post by MrsCondomine on Sept 28, 2018 14:08:55 GMT
How long are the snakes actually in it? I really don't like them and I want to know how long I need to look away for. I may actually vomit if I see them. It's about three minutes from start to finish, I would guess. The time to look away is when the soothsayer (girl in black with long black hair) brings on a basket through a gate, talking about figs. The basket is then opened by Charmian and Cleopatra lifts the snake out (they only use one snake in this production - two would be a bit mental), handles it for a little bit, and it pretty much gets to bite her straight away. If you're near the front you might not like this bit - Cleopatra falls onto the ground with the snake in her hand which will bring it down to your eye level, but this is heavily signposted as Charmian helps her down, to break the fall but also to avoid a squashed little snake. Charmian then lets the snake bite her, then she takes it to a back gate on the set where its handler takes it away.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 14:13:02 GMT
The names of those snakes has made my day. Do we think that Mr Jangles' first name is Bo? Or that he has a brother named that? OMG please let the sign in sheet have the snake names on it at Stage Door!! (Mr Rocky Tovey had his own space there)
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2,955 posts
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Post by crowblack on Sept 28, 2018 16:29:51 GMT
Btw, are there still payphones at the NT? (I'm between mobiles this weekend!)
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Sept 28, 2018 16:42:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 17:42:04 GMT
Justice for Mr Jangles, without whom there would be no play!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 17:53:56 GMT
This is my favourite bit from that article and –" in a scenario no doubt familiar to highly-strung thespians – must be kept apart lest they try to kill each other." snakes, drama queens like the rest of them
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Sept 28, 2018 18:29:56 GMT
Justice for Mr Jangles, without whom there would be no play! He's paved the way for milk snake superstars. A groundbreaking performer.
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1,093 posts
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Sept 28, 2018 19:19:07 GMT
How come "Mr Jangles" but not "Mr Pie"? I bet he's Mr Pie (or Miss Pie) on the call sheet.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2018 21:43:21 GMT
I really think they should replace them all with dummies. I apologise to the people either side or in front of me in advance lest I should vomit on them. Giving them cute names doesn't make them any less evil.
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1,016 posts
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Post by andrew on Sept 28, 2018 22:47:16 GMT
what the hell was Caesar's accent? He started off sounding American, then when Octavia spoke to him in her Scottish accent he was Scottish-ish, and THEN someone in the bar in the interval thought he was meant to be an Irish paramilitary?? Anyway it was a dreadful accent. The night I went he started with a Scottish accent and finished with one too, which would make sense bearing in mind the actor is Scottish, and using his own accent.
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885 posts
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Post by lonlad on Sept 28, 2018 23:59:38 GMT
He seems to be playing it American .... I assume that's a deliberate choice.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2018 0:30:57 GMT
I thought this was OK. I have decided that I don’t much care for the play. Okenedo is very good. Fiennes is good too and manages to keep Rigsby at bay. The snake is excellent - it kept things moving as the play started to flag after the interval.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2018 20:37:30 GMT
I wonder why they don’t use an animatronic snake? They could make it slither all over the stage and stuff. I’ve seen a delightful animatronic pig in a play and an animatronic bull in that Carmen deconstruction written by Simon Stephens. So, why not a snake? I was very impressed by the way the actors handled the live snakes however, although it was a bit Carry on Cleo-ish when the actor let the snake bite her then rushed off stage to give it back to the handler before coming back on to do her dying scene.
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Post by Nicholas on Sept 29, 2018 20:54:33 GMT
" in a scenario no doubt familiar to highly-strung thespians – must be kept apart lest they try to kill each other." Interesting trivia! They're using the same policy and techniques as with Keeley Hawes and Sheila Hancock. I’m more interested by the line “he’s a bit of a fidgety-bum”. Do snakes have bums?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2018 22:59:23 GMT
" in a scenario no doubt familiar to highly-strung thespians – must be kept apart lest they try to kill each other." Interesting trivia! They're using the same policy and techniques as with Keeley Hawes and Sheila Hancock. I’m more interested by the line “he’s a bit of a fidgety-bum”. Do snakes have bums? Valid comment. Is the tip the bum? Where does it start? Curious minds need to know! Also Ralph rides his bike to work, I now have an image of “snake of the day” hitching a lift in the basket
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3,071 posts
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Post by david on Sept 29, 2018 23:02:35 GMT
If the snake is only on stage for a short time, it must get bored pretty quickly. Does it play real life snakes and ladders to pass the tiime?
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2,955 posts
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Post by crowblack on Sept 30, 2018 8:18:35 GMT
Thanks for the seat tip - even at my height, centre row A was fine, and much more legroom in the centre than at the row A edges due to the curve. I heard people in row C complaining about the lack of rake! I like reptiles a lot (used to have lizards) but if you don't, sit further back.
I liked A & C, the staging - sort of 70s Middle East - and most of the supporting cast, though I'm still not mad on the play itself. I thought this was because we had to do it at school and uni, or maybe that it was something I'd 'get' in later life, but no, and I think it needed more speed, especially in the expositiony bits, of which there are plenty.
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Post by bgarde on Sept 30, 2018 8:37:37 GMT
Had a very good time at this yesterday - some wonderful moments.
The actor playing Caesar - the accent was Scottish but the performance was, I felt, pretty poor (lacking any depth) and really hindered those political/military scenes. Fiennes was brilliant especially in his final scene. Most of the chatter I overheard was praise for Cleopatra and I did think she was terrific and the death scene very well staged.
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923 posts
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Post by Snciole on Sept 30, 2018 11:49:13 GMT
I reviewed it over on my site, please I need the hits viewfromthecheapseat.com/2018/09/30/antony-and-cleopatra-olivier-theatre/I couldn't warm to it, maybe I am being dense but I wasn't sure from this production what the relationships were. I suspect that if I hadn't seen Julius Caesar and Imperium this year I would have had to skim read my programme. I wasn't entirely convinced by the chemistry from Okenodo and Fiennes, there should be raw sex on stage instead we get a few light kisses here and there. I got impression they were fond of each other but not enough to kill themselves over each other. I am not sure what Tunij Kasim has on someone but he is not ready to be Caesar or for roles that require gravitas. He sounded like he was reading lines with no understanding of what they meant. There was no passion in this production and closest anyone came was Tim McMullan, who rescued this production at times. I felt he had more chemistry with Katy Stephen's Agrippa than Ant and Cleo did. It can afford to have so much cut, do we need to see that battle scene or does Simon Godwin just want to show off his combat directing skills? It is a shame because in a good production this could be a celebration of love in the age of conflict. I will leave you this; I didn't think Fiennes was as Rossiter-like (His Egypt outfit was something Marvin Gaye would have worn in his Sexual Healing era though) as I had seen him in the past but a man behind me as we were leaving went "Oooh Miss Jones" so I think I am finally immune to his ways now
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Post by bellboard27 on Sept 30, 2018 19:05:12 GMT
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