Hansard - National Theatre 2019

Day seats and returns are an option as we know, but in case anyone is interested, I will be returning a £15 front stalls (row D) ticket for the evening performance on Wednesday 30 October. After weeks of checking for returns, I managed to get two singles on separate evenings for myself and OH and I'm still going on another day but my OH is no longer able to attend. I know the Box Office will take it back anyway but mentioning it here first. Will also post on the notice board. (I don't have the physical ticket so no issue with collection if I let the NT know someone else is using it.)

Picked up so many titbits today from 'Exploring Hansard' which took place at the NT from 10:30 'til 16:00 - a group of perhaps 30 of us in interview-led discussions with a range of those involved including Simon Woods, an associate director, set creators, the stage manager and both understudies. There was also a tour of the stage itslef where you literally mingled around the scullery, etc. I particularly enjoyed resting in Ms Duncan's armchair and staring out into the surprisingly intimate Lyttleton.

Woods contributed many interesting bits, including that he began by writing dialogue in which the couple were angry at each other, but he had no idea why at that point. The whole S28 angle emerged later. I was *surprised*.

I was at The National last night to see this. I thought it was fantastically done, the time flew and the when the end came I was really moved by the whole story. My only niggle was that I struggled to hear Lindsay Duncan at times and I was in the stalls.

Oh, and the Tw*t 3 rows behind me who shouted out VOTE LABOUR at the end and ruined the whole moment.

Yes, I could cheerfully have brained the ‘Vote Labour’ person, and not because of their voting preference - what a graceless nitwit.

Lindsay Duncan’s throat sounded bad at points last night - I wondered if she had a cold. (Maybe I reaped the benefits of cinematic sound because, while I could hear her voice was going, I didn’t have any problems actually hearing her.)

For me, two of what you might call the ‘twists’ were pretty obvious from the outset, so the play felt a bit slow (though I enjoyed the sarky jibes the couple were making at each other).

However, when the ‘reveals’ finally came I found them surprisingly powerful. But that’s great acting for you, I suppose! 

Great acting but also towards the end of a run they've had sensory feedback eight times a week from the audience and they listen very carefully - by now, they know exactly how to rinse every ounce out of the script with pauses, emphases, body language, etc. As a pair they've found the right rhythms, tones, etc. Its tempting to see the close-up film version just to understand the development better

I'd imagine if they asked the same of theatremakers, on and off stage, in the present day the statistic would be similar, with private or those posh-postcode state schools like Holland Park.