OMG!

[hils]

Thanks to patterns_rhyme I have the opportunity to see David Tennant doing Shakespeare in Stratford Upon Avon

You hear that sound? That would be me exploding from squee *g*

Seriously, I have wanted to visit Stratford Upon Avon since I was about 15 and now I finally get to go and see David too!

GLEE!!!

Comments

[tariel22.livejournal.com]

*hyperventilates on your behalf* OMG, how awesome is that going to be?!

Do you know what play/part?

[hils.livejournal.com]

It's Hamlet but I'm not sure what part he's playing. Hamlet I hope. LOL!

[tariel22.livejournal.com]

Oh, Hamlet's one of the best! Too cool!

[hils.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm really excited

[mysticmoonstorm.livejournal.com]

David Tennant is playing Hamlet.
AND Patrick Stewart is playing Claudius.
Talk about two big names in one production. I am so jealous! *starts plotting to fly to England*

[hils.livejournal.com]

Excellent! That's two people after me now *g*

I'd totally forgotten about Patrick Stewart when I made arrangements to buy the ticket so I'm not doubly excited

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

Oh that sounds wonderful. Lucky you.

[hils.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm really excited

[spikewriter]

::slobber, slobber, drool, drool::

I was all set to press "buy" on tickets to Hamlet in October (blowing off my conference in July) when I found out about the job. Now, they're sold out for just about everything except standing room (there are still good seats for Love's Labour's Lost, apparently).

Lucky, lucky woman. First, I love the pictures of the Courtyard Theatre, which look like it's much more intimate than the main theatre was 20 years ago when I saw Taming of the Shrew there. Second, Patrick Stewart is doing Claudius. He did it on video with Derek Jacobi over 20 years ago, so I'd love to see what differences there are in doing the role again with a different Hamlet and the passing of years. I've also had the chance to see Stewart do stage work several times, including his one man Shakespeare show. He did a reading of the Crispian Day speech that gave the wonderful feel of a man who'd been at Agincourt remembering the young, vigorous king he'd seen that day and recounting the speech to his children and grandchildren.

Third, David Tennant. Hamlet. If you go back and read the reviews of his Romeo from 2000, there are a number of references to the performance being likened to a young Hamlet. There are clearly people who've been waiting for him to come back and do this role. And, also, if you read his essays in Players of Shakespeare, he's not just a Doctor Who geek, he's a Shakespeare and theatre geek as well. This isn't a star turn, but something he admits to wanting to play since he was in drama school (it's the classical actor career track -- Romeo, Hamlet, Iago, Prospero, Lear, ribald memoirs -- according to him).

Hmm. i could fly over there and mug you for your tickets. :)

[hils.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I had the chance to see Love's Labours Lost too but it's not a play I'm overly familiar with so I decided to go with Hamlet.

I totally forgot Patrick Stewart was in it too. Wow, I'm even more excited now. I think he's a fabulous actor.

Hee! Please don't mug me. I've just booked my hotel and it's going to cost me a lot of money ;)

[spikewriter]

I won't mug you. Maybe. :)

If you're there more than one night and have the chance to get even cheap seats for Love's, I'd do go for it. It's a play that's not done very often, so this may be a rare chance to actually see it (thought DT doing Berowne is certainly a bonus).

Stewart is marvelous on stage; I have been lucky enough to see him several times -- mostly in his rendition of "A Christmas Carol", which he started doing out here because he couldn't go home for Christmas due to the impending writer's strike (the last one, not the current one).

I'm hoping the RSC will decide to make some money and film the production for release here in the states. They're apparently doing that with Ian McKellum's King Lear with Sylvester McCoy as the fool, and I'm hunting Amazon for the pre-order for that one.

Btw, I've got Tennant's Romeo essay in PDF form if you're interested.

[hils.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be there for 3 nights but I probably won't go and see the play. I can't afford to spend more. My hotel is already insanely expensive. LOL

What essay is this?

[spikewriter]

There's a series of books entitled Players of Shakespeare which is essays by actors who've done various parts for the RSC. You've Derek Jacobi on Macbeth, Patrick Stewart on playing Shylock, Nigel Hawthorne on Lear, etc. David Tennant's done two -- the first on playing Touchstone in As You Like It in 1996 (which appears to have been something of an experiment in terror for him because it wasn't the part he auditioned for, he didn't think he was funny enough to pull it off and it looked like he was right for a while) and the second on playing Romeo in 2000.

If you like digging into the how and why of the choices actors make about characters, I highly recommend the series. This is Shakespeare as theatre, not literature, how it breathes and moves and the choices an individual actor makes in interpreting it. I've done stage work and I've done Shakespeare in a professional capacity. In fact, I played Juliet when I was really way too young. Both Romeo and Juliet are difficult parts to play because the characters are terribly young (Juliet's not yet fourteen according to the script; I was almost thirteen) but they demand a certain maturity which is impossible to find in actors of the correct age.

I've got a copy of the Romeo essay in PDF form and it's an interesting look at the way his mind digs into a character. It isn't the greatest writing in the world (there are a few places the grammar seems a bit awkward), but if you like that sort of stuff, it's a fascinating read. I've got the first two volumes of the series and getting my hands on this reminded me I really need to get the rest. Alas, they are not inexpensive over here.

[hils.livejournal.com]

OOH! I'd love to read it if you don't mind sending it

[spikewriter]

I'll drop it in the mail when I get home in a couple of hours. Let me know what you think.

[hils.livejournal.com]

I'm heading off to bed now but it'll give me something to read at work tomorrow *g*

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[notsowise-sage.livejournal.com]

*^$%^*%$£$%^* *&((^%$£$ ^&*&(*(& ^*%%&*$ ^&&*((&%$££"£%!!!!!!

Re: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hils.livejournal.com]

Uh...ok. LOL!!!

Re: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[notsowise-sage.livejournal.com]

Those were my cries of jealous anguish.

Just don't get me into rage, that's a two thousand character expletive, and I'd likely die from lack of oxygen.

Stratford Upon Avon, to see a proper rendition of Shakespeare - that is amazing in it's own right, but to throw in David Tennant, I'd be having palpatations or something.

Dare I even ask what you're going to see? lol

Re: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hils.livejournal.com]

Hamlet :)

Sadly I only have one ticket for the play but if you want to come I'm planning on spending a couple of days sightseeing too.

Re: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[notsowise-sage.livejournal.com]

*dies*

Hamlet... I'm actually reading Hamlet at the moment after reading the script for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead (I currently have the film version starring Gary Oldman and Tim Roth downloading).

I need some Shakespeare icons...

Re: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[notsowise-sage.livejournal.com]

And Patrick Stewart is in it too...

*goes to see if any tickets are available for any time*

Re: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hils.livejournal.com]

*g*

I'm seeing it on 23 Sept

Re: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hils.livejournal.com]

Hee! Well, the offer is there if you want to come :)

I have R&C on DVD that Dave loaned me months ago. I haven't got around to watching it yet

[dj-intheuk.livejournal.com]

I am going too :) Can't wait! Stratford Upon Avon is lovely, and the RSC productions are always superb :)

[hils.livejournal.com]

YAY! I've never been before. I'm excited. Did I mention that?