748 posts
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Post by rumbledoll on Aug 18, 2017 12:13:55 GMT
Hard to believe there are not enough U25 Hiddles fans ))
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Post by kathryn on Aug 18, 2017 13:36:13 GMT
It's now sold out!
Presumably they didn't pull enough U25 ballots to start with...you'd expect them to sell first!
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2,302 posts
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Post by Tibidabo on Aug 25, 2017 16:11:08 GMT
*Waves*
Er.....I think I might have forgotten to mention.........
I'm going too.💀🎉
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2017 16:11:13 GMT
It is someone's lucky day. I had two friends that both wanted to see this and are sadly not free so have a spare ticket for this Friday. It is an under 25 ticket but do pm me if interested and happy for someone else to go and sorry if I do not reply as I already know I will be bombarded with messages.
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4,038 posts
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Post by kathryn on Aug 31, 2017 8:04:59 GMT
I'm assuming you found someone to go with you tomorrow night! Looking forward to reading your thoughts on it. So far all we know is that the running time is 3 hours.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2017 8:09:04 GMT
Re: The RADA bar, unless they change prices for the benefit (which wouldn't surprise me) it's actually a fairly cheap bar, that the students and staff frequent. Signed, someone who spent much of her MA propping up the RADA bar.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2017 8:28:57 GMT
I'm assuming you found someone to go with you tomorrow night! Looking forward to reading your thoughts on it. So far all we know is that the running time is 3 hours. Yes I have but I will tell everyone all about it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2017 9:41:54 GMT
someone who spent much of her MA propping up the RADA bar Correction: being propped up by the RADA bar. Good point well made.
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2,302 posts
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Post by Tibidabo on Aug 31, 2017 14:29:55 GMT
So far all we know is that the running time is 3 hours. *Whispers* Does that include the interval please?
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4,038 posts
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Post by kathryn on Aug 31, 2017 15:01:38 GMT
So far all we know is that the running time is 3 hours. *Whispers* Does that include the interval please?
Yes, according to the FAQ page it's approximately 3 hours long including an interval.
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Post by kathryn on Sept 1, 2017 8:28:53 GMT
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721 posts
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Post by Latecomer on Sept 1, 2017 9:09:58 GMT
There is something seriously wrong with this world.....is all I am saying!
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Post by Marwood on Sept 1, 2017 9:32:01 GMT
I'll be lucky to get some pork scratchings, the night I'm going.
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2,302 posts
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Post by Tibidabo on Sept 1, 2017 14:25:09 GMT
I'll be lucky to get some pork scratchings, the night I'm going. But still preferable to an ill roasted egg.... Can anyone work out what the ones hanging up are supposed to be?
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4,458 posts
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Post by poster J on Sept 1, 2017 17:36:06 GMT
I'll be lucky to get some pork scratchings, the night I'm going. At least you're going...
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4,038 posts
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Post by kathryn on Sept 1, 2017 20:29:36 GMT
I'll be lucky to get some pork scratchings, the night I'm going. But still preferable to an ill roasted egg.... Can anyone work out what the ones hanging up are supposed to be? Hipster tortilla chip-like things, to go with the dips? And some form of vegetable crisps? New quotes in the Gruan make it sound like they've been planning to do it for 18 months. amp.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/01/tom-hiddleston-plays-hamlet-london-ticketSo, basically, they decided to make it this exclusive on purpose, and that anyone who wasn't lucky in the ballot is just sh*t out of luck. I'm still very glad I'm seeing it but I have lost a lot of respect for Hiddles - he has this spiel about 'fans' just being another word for 'audience', that you can't call yourself an artist without an audience, that he wants to connect to people with his work, etc, etc. More fool me for swallowing it, I suppose, because it obviously doesn't apply when he wants the chance to play with his mate.
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2,302 posts
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Post by Tibidabo on Sept 1, 2017 20:55:24 GMT
Hipster tortilla chip-like things, to go with the dips? And some form of vegetable crisps? I was actually wondering if they represented a scene from Hamlet I'd forgotten existed - it's been a while. amp.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/01/tom-hiddleston-plays-hamlet-london-ticket Thanks for that - it doesn't annoy me at all - I'm all for funding the arts and alumni returning to give something back is fine by me. The only thing that nisses me off just a bit is that it's in modern dress, of which I am not a fan - though I'm sure I'll somehow manage to cope with Hiddles in ripped jeans or whatever! I am, however, struggling to contain my excitement as the article states that at the end those in the front row "are pretty much in the fight!" Forewarned is forearmed and I shall wear my bullet-proof vest and be ready to wield my pastry knife if necessary.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2017 23:00:28 GMT
Got back from the first preview and will do a short summary. It was very good for the first preview. Ran 3 hours. Act one very long 1 hour 50 mins 10 minutes interval and act 2 about 1 hour. This is modern dress and very classically delivered,all the cast are very good and work well together. Tom Hiddleston good as Hamlet. What you would probably expect from him. Staged very well with good light and sound design. Will say more about it tommorow when I have had a sleep on It and am not so tired.
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Post by nash16 on Sept 2, 2017 0:51:47 GMT
There is something seriously wrong with this world.....is all I am saying! Christ, you're right. It's also all VERY Tom Hiddleston. #vanitythynameis...
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Post by altamont on Sept 2, 2017 6:07:23 GMT
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Post by kathryn on Sept 2, 2017 7:59:37 GMT
So were those critics incredibly lucky or did everyone at the Times and the Gruan have orders to enter the ballot and take the critic with them?
I'm glad they did, anyway. I was beginning to think they'd *all* decided not to! Interesting comments about the lack of press-night ballyhoo - maybe critics should review ordinary performances more often! And the reviews seemed not to suffer for being of what would normally be a 'first preview' - though I guess with Hamlet you don't really need an audience to work out what works and what doesn't, unlike a new piece. Unless it's CumberHamlet.
Of course Branagh's version is the Scandi noir version! Why didn't I guess that in advance?! Obvious connection to make when you think about it.
Lol at Hiddles can't sing. He can, with enough practice, carry a tune well enough. It's not his strength at all - he's no Oscar Isaac, who also sings in his Hamlet - but he can manage it. So was not doing so a failure of performance or a deliberate choice? Be interesting to hear if he always sings badly in it or if some nights he manages to be in tune.
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Post by popcultureboy on Sept 2, 2017 8:22:04 GMT
Of course Branagh's version is the Scandi noir version! Why didn't I guess that in advance?! Obvious connection to make when you think about it. Robert Icke's version was also influenced by Scandi noir and is in modern dress......This is all such a massive vanity project dressed up as being a charitable act. No critics were invited. My guess would be the entire staff of both newspapers entered the ballot and took the critic as their plus one.
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Post by kathryn on Sept 2, 2017 8:30:36 GMT
🤣 I've just seen the pictures. Hiddles wearing the same clothes he wears all the time. It's literally his 'uniform' - grey boots, black jeans, black coat (it's nicknamed the 'cuddlecoat' by fans). Hilarious!
I swear that man must be allergic to clothes shopping. It's not like he couldn't afford to buy new clothes for a costume!
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4,458 posts
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Post by poster J on Sept 2, 2017 8:38:49 GMT
Bit of a coincidence that a couple of critics who then write decent reviews managed to be successful in the ballot...
This whole thing is starting to leave a bit of a sour taste.
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Post by kathryn on Sept 2, 2017 8:39:47 GMT
Of course Branagh's version is the Scandi noir version! Why didn't I guess that in advance?! Obvious connection to make when you think about it. Robert Icke's version was also influenced by Scandi noir and is in modern dress......This is all such a massive vanity project dressed up as being a charitable act. Icke's was similar enough to his Oresteia design that it just looked like his 'style' to my eye - in the same way as van Hove has a recognisable style to his production designs. Yes, it's a vanity project. Maybe Hamlet sort of always is a vanity project - done because the people involved want to tackle it rather than because anyone is crying out to see another one. It's just particularly noticeable this time because the fundraising is so clearly a justification for it.
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Post by kathryn on Sept 2, 2017 8:47:17 GMT
Bit of a coincidence that a couple of critics who then write decent reviews managed to be successful in the ballot... This whole thing is starting to leave a bit of a sour taste. I was talking about this on Twitter with someone the other day, that there's a risk with such an exclusive production that you watch it with a happy glow and forgive its faults because you're just glad to be there. That's why I'm glad that there are professional reviews. I know we don't always agree with the critics in this board - and on a few occasions I've wondered if they saw the same production as me - but at least they can generally be relied on not to be overawed just by being there.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2017 9:13:55 GMT
So I was there last night and yes this is a very good Hamlet as you would expect from a team and cast like this but is it the best,no. I may have a few spoilers in thins post so sorry but I'm sure most of you are just curious to know what it wasn't like. When you went in the stage was bare except a piano and when the play opens it opens with Tom Hiddleston playing a song about his fathers death. This was a pleasant surprise and Hiddleston has a nice voice. More set came on the stage and I haven't seen It but this show reminded me of something like house of cards in a big political world. I don't know how much they cut but they definitley cut the first scene. For me the first half dragged a little towards the end as you were waiting for the interval and it only ended a few scenes after polonais was killed, 1 hour and 50 minutes through. That made the second half feel a bit flat as thepace dipped. The second half was only 50 minutes. And 3 hour in tota with a short 10 minutes interval.This production was in modern dress of suits and other characters in jeans. Hiddleston did where his coat quite a bit but at one point in a madness scene had a danish flag around him and face paint. This version was also very classically delivered sometimes with not enough emotion behind the lines. This might also change however as this is the first preview but when you see the Andrew Scott Hamlet and how naturally it was delivered think that you will struggle to find Shakespeare performed like that. Hiddlestons Hamlet was well acted and him madness scenes did get good laughs. The rest of the supporting cast were also very good and I think there wasn't really a well link between them .i did particularly like Ansu Kabila as king hamlet/player king/grave digger and also Nicholas Farrel as Claudias. if this went to the west end I could see it going to the Donmar warehouse but also dpfeel it would make a good movie or to version as some scenes i tight would work quite well on screen. I don't want to compare but I did watch parts of it thinking the Almeida hamlet did it bettering esspecilay the madness scene and end scene which I found a lot more touching in the Almeida. But yes this is a good production that I enjoyed and am glad I saw and feel very privileged and lucky to see it and hope it gets a wider audience.
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Post by Squire Sullen on Sept 2, 2017 9:44:47 GMT
Many thanks to robadog as without him I wouldn't have seen it (being the lucky recipient on the ticket offered a couple of pages back).
It's a strong Hamlet, classically delivered but in modern dress with a Scandi edge and isn't groundbreaking but it's Branagh directing so it's hardly surprising. Very little set (Gertrude's bedroom consists of a posh silk sheet and some pillows thrown on a desk that is used throughout) but there's some excellent lighting throughout. Zips along at a fast rate, but the first half of 1hr50 became a struggle as I was sat on a chair you'd find in a doctor's waiting room.
The scenes with his father's ghost left me underwhelmed, largely due to some cheap ghosty sound effects, but other than that it's a very strong production. Loved the climatic scene, felt very visceral (despite a lack of blood) and I very much felt part of the action. Great chemistry between Hamlet and Horatia particularly in that last scene and I was thoroughly moved (albeit slightly less than the Scott/Icke one that remains my gold standard for this play).
Hiddleston is a strong Hamlet and very at home with Shakespeare, and I thought he had a much stronger presence here than in Coriolanus (probably cos I was sat closer here and wasn't seeing the third show of a three show day as I did at the Donmar). For the Hiddleston fans, he sings and plays the piano at the start (with slightly strained voice) and dances (to some disco, sadly not to that terrible new TSwift song). One unexpected highlight was Hiddleston delivering the line "what an ass am I" as the guy in front of me clearly mouthed "oh yes he is" to his companion). Strong supporting cast but I wasn't all that convinced by Nicholas Farrell as Claudius until the church scene and Lolita Chakrabati was especially good in the bedroom scene. Sean Foley was a great sycophantic Polonius, and suffers many pratfalls. Some great visual gags as well.
Overall I'm so glad I saw it (thanks again robadog) and I left moved, impressed and once left appreciating the play, what more could I ask for? But I'll have a year off from Hamlet for now or at least until the next must-see one.
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Post by Marwood on Sept 2, 2017 11:50:17 GMT
Mention of a rapping gravedigger isn't what I wanted to hear going into this...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2017 12:52:26 GMT
I love that some critics are up in arms that some critics seemingly won the ballot and have reviewed it.
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