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Post by theatremad on Oct 9, 2019 7:04:35 GMT
Not sure if this has been mentioned but could pair Henry VIII with the Thomas Cromwell play(s). Start with Henry VIII and follow through with all 3 of the plays of the books. Highly unlikely but hey wishful thinking At the start of current cycle Doran mentioned several groups of plays which he was planning to do together - one striking idea was he was going to do Troilus and Cressida and Romeo and Juliet as a pair with the same leads. This is a great idea and I'm not aware it has ever been done before. Of course when the time came due (no doubt) to scheduling and casting issues this was forgotten. But I'm sure he actually thinks about these things. Fair point |
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Post by lynette on Oct 9, 2019 11:38:01 GMT
O Tennant as RIII? I didn't realise that was on the cards. A skinny Richard for a change.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2019 11:47:08 GMT
If I recall correctly they did the Imperium plays as a tie in to the Roman Shakespeares so there is a close precedent to theatremad’s suggestion |
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Post by Jan on Oct 9, 2019 12:25:17 GMT
O Tennant as RIII? I didn't realise that was on the cards. A skinny Richard for a change. Not really. Robert Sheehan was much thinner than Tennant, and Tom Morhersdale far from weighty too. Also Toby Manley. Just the last few I’ve seen. |
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Post by altamont on Oct 9, 2019 13:21:05 GMT
I may be imagining it, but I have a vague recollection that David Tennant said that he wanted his next Shakespeare role to be Leontes in the Winters Tale?
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Post by Jan on Oct 9, 2019 13:43:07 GMT
I may be imagining it, but I have a vague recollection that David Tennant said that he wanted his next Shakespeare role to be Leontes in the Winters Tale? He’s not suitable for that role, he looks for laughs in everything he does on stage, even in places where there weren’t any in Richard II, and some of his audience indulge him in this. Leontes is austere and unsympathetic pretty much throughout, Greg Hicks was good, someone like that is best. Richard III is a better fit for him. |
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Post by altamont on Oct 9, 2019 16:12:53 GMT
I may be imagining it, but I have a vague recollection that David Tennant said that he wanted his next Shakespeare role to be Leontes in the Winters Tale? He’s not suitable for that role, he looks for laughs in everything he does on stage, even in places where there weren’t any in Richard II, and some of his audience indulge him in this. Leontes is austere and unsympathetic pretty much throughout, Greg Hicks was good, someone like that is best. Richard III is a better fit for him. Oh I agree entirely regarding Richard III - just not sure if my memory is serving me correctly in what he might have said he wanted to do |
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Post by learfan on Oct 9, 2019 16:35:39 GMT
O Tennant as RIII? I didn't realise that was on the cards. A skinny Richard for a change. He started with Tennant as R2 and im sure he will finish with him as R3. A good fit for him. |
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Post by learfan on Oct 9, 2019 16:38:11 GMT
I may be imagining it, but I have a vague recollection that David Tennant said that he wanted his next Shakespeare role to be Leontes in the Winters Tale? He’s not suitable for that role, he looks for laughs in everything he does on stage, even in places where there weren’t any in Richard II, and some of his audience indulge him in this. Leontes is austere and unsympathetic pretty much throughout, Greg Hicks was good, someone like that is best. Richard III is a better fit for him. Didnt see Hicks but Anton Lesser was v good, John Nettles too. Iain Glen would be excellent. |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Oct 9, 2019 16:54:06 GMT
I suspect the next RSC Leontes will identify as a woman...
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Post by cirque on Oct 9, 2019 17:19:26 GMT
i think with erica whyman direcing this will be the case.......hopefully not but i suspect.
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Post by lynette on Oct 9, 2019 18:50:20 GMT
Well, here we are again. If Leontes is a woman, that is a woman character and not a woman playing the man [ different but both possible] then we do change the message rather. It is very much a play about male dominance, not just the Leontes/Hermione marriage, but there is the father/daughter thing going on too. The male has to be shown to be wrong quite forcibly and in fact in the second part, Shakespeare bows to the norm because Perdita IS a princess so acceptable blah blah.. complicated and changed if L a woman.
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Post by Jan on Oct 9, 2019 19:18:18 GMT
He’s not suitable for that role, he looks for laughs in everything he does on stage, even in places where there weren’t any in Richard II, and some of his audience indulge him in this. Leontes is austere and unsympathetic pretty much throughout, Greg Hicks was good, someone like that is best. Richard III is a better fit for him. Didnt see Hicks but Anton Lesser was v good, John Nettles too. Iain Glen would be excellent. Yes those two were good. I’ve seen that play a lot, 15 times, it is a tough part, I feel actors often struggle with it because it is entirely unsympathetic in the opening scenes - Simon Russell-Beale included - Greg Hicks can do that though. As a production the Greg Doran one with the dreaded Sher was excellent, also both Adrian Noble productions, the second in a sort of Stanley Spencer England for the rural scenes which were very fine. |
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Post by David J on Oct 9, 2019 20:05:35 GMT
What makes the role a challenging one for me is okay his jealousy is irrational with no cause to pinpoint, but what the actor needs to do is show convincingly how it overcomes him. Convince us that he would do the things he does to his son and wife and defy the gods
Greg Hicks was my first admittedly so he made quite an impression on me. But I thought he was quite scary in his demeanour and delivery as his jealousy took over. If there was a jealous husband i wouldn’t want to be in the same room with it would be him
Other Leontes over the years haven’t convince me as much. Kenneth Branagh and John Nettles resorted to angry shouting I felt.
Only Orlando James in the cheek by Jowl comes close. Seeing him turn from a loving husband to a a jealous man besides himself was quite tragic to watch. There was even a silent moment in the trial scene where he was fighting his irrationality with hermione trying to win him back that was quite enthralling to watch
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Post by Jan on Oct 10, 2019 6:02:01 GMT
What makes the role a challenging one for me is okay his jealousy is irrational with no cause to pinpoint, but what the actor needs to do is show convincingly how it overcomes him. Convince us that he would do the things he does to his son and wife and defy the gods Greg Hicks was my first admittedly so he made quite an impression on me. But I thought he was quite scary in his demeanour and delivery as his jealousy took over. If there was a jealous husband i wouldn’t want to be in the same room with it would be him Other Leontes over the years haven’t convince me as much. Kenneth Branagh and John Nettles resorted to angry shouting I felt. Only Orlando James in the cheek by Jowl comes close. Seeing him turn from a loving husband to a a jealous man besides himself was quite tragic to watch. There was even a silent moment in the trial scene where he was fighting his irrationality with hermione trying to win him back that was quite enthralling to watch It is a great play - you will very rarely see a wholly bad production of it, there is always something of interest. This is unlike a play like Romeo and Juliet where you'll rarely see a good production. Winter's Tale is Trevor Nunn's favourite Shakespeare play. |
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Post by mistressjojo on Oct 11, 2019 0:07:40 GMT
O Tennant as RIII? I didn't realise that was on the cards. A skinny Richard for a change. He started with Tennant as R2 and im sure he will finish with him as R3. A good fit for him. It's not a play that I think he's ever mentioned on his wish list, but I have a feeling you are right about this. It would make a neat top-tail for the whole thing and get bums on seats, and send Doran's era out on a bang as it were. I think the sticking point might be availablity of the same cast to cover the Henries and RIII if they run them together. I mean, they could use a different cast for the same characters in both plays, but it wouldn't gel as well for me. |
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Post by lynette on Oct 11, 2019 11:51:44 GMT
RIII isn’t a sequel to RII so the Tennant link is tenuous to say the least. I cant see Tennant in the role but hey, prove me wrong. I love him anyway.
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Post by learfan on Jan 18, 2020 12:54:48 GMT
Went to RSC Patrons event this morning and they said the Henry 6s would be in the Swan as an edited two show event with R3 and an Xmas show in the RST. Mailing for members first week in February.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2020 13:50:53 GMT
So much for staging the full canon then!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2020 17:36:12 GMT
I do think they should bring Matilda back for the RST next Christmas as it would mark the 10th birthday of both the musical and the new building! But also would be excited to see something new too.  |
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Post by Jan on Jan 18, 2020 17:57:40 GMT
So much for staging the full canon then! And for doing them all on the main stage ! A real loss of confidence, as well as a broken promise. Last time both the NT and RSC went for the in-house conservative steady-as-she-goes candidate for AD. In my view both have turned out to be big mistakes. At the NT it doesn't matter because whoever comes next can change things completely, but I think Doran has actually destroyed the RSC as we knew it and it may be beyond rescue - it is no longer a company at all, just freelance directors and an ever-changing cast of actors who are there for a season then never again. Their last several London seasons have been quite dismal - thoroughly second-rate - and frankly they should stop bothering with them. Their Shakespeare productions are now nowhere near top quality - I have seen better Shakespeares than *any* RCS productions in recent years at Jermyn Street, NT, Almeida, Young Vic, The Bridge, Donmar, Chichester, Arcola. It is hard to see exactly what the point of the RSC is any more. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2020 19:35:04 GMT
Whaaaaat? That's sh*t. I've been looking forward to those for bloody years now. I mean, the Swan's lovely, but why are they getting treated as not worthy of the main stage, and why cut down? BOOOO from me.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jan 18, 2020 20:35:54 GMT
Trimming down the H6 plays has often been done. Propeller did it as Rose Rage. And the RSC did The War of the Roses.
It does work.
But I cannot forgive the broken promise not to do the full catalogue of plays on the Main Stage.
Doran was a poor appointment in the first place and his tenure has disappointed even more.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jan 19, 2020 8:43:46 GMT
oxfordsimon yes it can be wonderful and create a great dramatic day of theatre. Although I suspect here it will be more rather functional and lacklustre
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Post by Jan on Jan 19, 2020 8:48:38 GMT
They’ve done them as three plays before but always on the main stage, now they are relegated to the Swan so they can do a Xmas show in the main house. Even Doran’s promise to make Shakespeare central to their work turns out to be untrue in this case.
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