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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2017 12:17:58 GMT
It would be rather macabre but also darkly funny to get a lot of older performers together and ask them to say "Nice things about each other and we'll use them as and when one of you pass away". That is pretty much what they do though. All TV companies have banks of obituary recordings they keep updated. It was one of the best ever "Drop The Dead Donkey" lines when George the editor asked people not to watch the Jeremy Beadle obituary tape so often, as they were wearing it out before it was required. On the subject of Sir Peter, I have already re-designated the entrance area to my home as "the hall." I think he would have liked that. Yes, it reminded me of that too, one of the best episodes I agree, when the Henry Davenport character found out they had done one of him and wasn't too pleased!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2017 21:02:02 GMT
Ah, Henry Davenport. Geggs, geggs.... Bit off topic but does anyone else think Drop the Dead Donkey would have been great transfered to the stage as it was always set within the newsroom which would have been easy to create on stage and the writers could have put a few topical jokes in every week or so. Susannah Doyle as Joy often had last minute lines on the show as Joy used to carry the clipboard so she could effectively read out what the writers had just given her.
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Post by Jan on Sept 15, 2017 8:47:40 GMT
Ah, Henry Davenport. Geggs, geggs.... Bit off topic but does anyone else think Drop the Dead Donkey would have been great transfered to the stage as it was always set within the newsroom which would have been easy to create on stage and the writers could have put a few topical jokes in every week or so. Susannah Doyle as Joy often had last minute lines on the show as Joy used to carry the clipboard so she could effectively read out what the writers had just given her. Plays where the text is (deliberately) changed from week to week by the writers are quite rare aren't they - I can only think of "The Play What I Wrote" where presumably it was updated when the guest star changed from week to week. Any others ? Obviously excluding improvised pieces and so on. I suppose those plays where multiple versions of scenes are written to cover chance outcomes are similar.
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Post by TallPaul on Sept 15, 2017 12:24:25 GMT
I didn't realise until yesterday that Waiting for Godot is currently playing at the Arts Theatre, the very same place it had it's UK premiere and launched Sir Peter's career in the process.
As I walked along Great Newport Street last night, I couldn't help but feel how appropriate, if that's the right word, the timing is.
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Post by daniel on Sept 15, 2017 18:22:37 GMT
Theatres across the West End dimmed their lights at 7pm tonight, in memory of Sir Peter.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 17:14:36 GMT
A few shows have given certain characters the chance to go off script and improvise - I recall many years back Eric Idle did so when he was in a production of the Mikado. This often only happens if the writer may also be a performer or if like Eric you have the ability to improvise.
DTDD could have done it on stage quite easily if the writers had been available to tweak bits as they often had the newsreaders satv at the desk and they could have easily read new lines to the audience seamlessly or the Joy character had a spot where different lines could be put in. I guess that making this work is having a bespoke spot which can be changed then everyone else does their existing lines after this, so only one person gets to say new stuff.
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Post by Rory on Oct 5, 2017 7:30:27 GMT
Very nice interview on the Today programme this morning (around 8.25am 5th Oct) with Edward Hall about his dad. Well worth a listen, very moving.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 5, 2017 11:28:18 GMT
I think DTDD would be great done like that, but would be pretty tricky. Love the idea, though. Anyone remember the NT's Great Britain? Like DTDD but with no jokes and it seemed to go on for hours I recall Hytner saying some bollocks about its urgency and so no need for previews
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Post by alicechallice on Oct 5, 2017 12:25:14 GMT
I think DTDD would be great done like that, but would be pretty tricky. Love the idea, though. Anyone remember the NT's Great Britain? Like DTDD but with no jokes and it seemed to go on for hours I recall Hytner saying some bollocks about its urgency and so no need for previews They weren't allowed previews! They couldn't perform until the phone hacking trial was finished. I think it was on a Wed/Thu, then they suddenly announced the show was starting the following Monday. By which time it was around the time of what would have been the scheduled opening night had they been able to perform it in the original slot allotted for it. They kept the theatre dark for a few weeks in the hope that they would be suddenly able to open but couldn't do any publicity prior to that.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Oct 5, 2017 13:23:31 GMT
So why not have the usual NT preview period and then open? Good quality theatre is better than press reviews timing with newspaper headlines
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Post by alicechallice on Oct 5, 2017 14:03:38 GMT
I think they felt it was ready. Obviously, that wasn't everybody's opinion. I suppose the actors had rehearsed it to death & they had performed to few "private" audiences and asked for feedback.
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Post by Honoured Guest on Oct 5, 2017 15:20:50 GMT
It still makes me laugh when I remember the Editor wafting in and out of the main workspace and not having a clue about what her journalists were doing. Completely unbelievable of course but faithful to the real-life sworn evidence of the actual Editor and so hilarious.
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