The Comedy of Errors RSC

Thanks for posting this Lynette, as I was thinking about grabbing a ticket before it closes seeing as I’m not too far from Stratford-upon-Avon. Was slightly disappointed to see that Miles Jupp wasn’t doing this as he had been announced before the pandemic, but nonetheless it sounds like a great production anyway.

Its a long time since I paid anything other than £10 for a RSC Barbican stalls seat via a day ticket. If you can get there at 10am there’s no reason ever to book in advance, they’re just not that popular any more.

Normally you end up with a £10 day seat in the most expensive section in the stalls which is where they’ve sold the fewest tickets. Even for a “sold-out” date they still keep some back for day seats. I think the last RSC show I booked in advance there was the Simon Russell-Beale “Tempest”in 2017. Many of their productions there you wouldn’t want to pay more than £10 for anyway - that awful Romans season for example.

Good advice except what on earth are you going to do from 10am to the show time round there? Go on, surprise me. 

So it’s all round to yours for lunch then. Great. 

I think it will. They can store the theatre and/or rent it out to be erected elsewhere. I think they need to clean up the entrance area and the queuing to get in a bit. But otherwise when you are inside, as it were, it has a lovely view and ambience. Meet up next summer then, if not before? 🥂

The RSC don’t do enough productions for the money they get and the problem isn’t lack of theatres. In Stratford they have the RST, Swan, Courtyard, Other Place and this outdoor one. In London the Barbican and I suppose the Pit if they wanted it. It is very likely further outdoor productions will simply be at the expense of indoor ones.

Surprised ACE allowed them to completely abandon any attempt to do a reasonable number of new plays by closing the Other Place.

Did they indicate why it had been cancelled ? 

I wonder if the RSC realises how irrelevant it has become outside of Stratford-Upon-Avon... Not so long ago, this show would have filled the Barbican easily - looking at the seating plans online, the RSC is really struggling to shift seats. RSC needs a complete overhaul from top to bottom - it's being outmuscled by smaller, more agile, less bureaucratic, less cumbersome organisations.

Which begs the question, what is left of the RSC now? When I was training, I aspired to work there. I'm not sure today's emerging talent has the same hunger or goal. I used to love the RSC but am.now somewhat indifferent and frustrated by the lack of vision and ambition.

I feel exactly like this. Times have changed, but they need to reinvent themselves far more ambitiously. I would love to be looking forward to a couple of days in Stratford as I used to, visiting all the theatres, often seeing the same actors in very different roles, excited about what the season's productions would be like and the actors who were in them. Now they just don't generate that level of excitement after too many dull productions, which is really sad. If people on a board full of enthusiastic, regular theatregoers aren't keen to go their productions, then who is? 

or jamie lloyd or katie mitchell since the 90's or rebecca fraknell or sally cookson....

all would bring a new perspective.

i think it is time for national debate on this topic...with ace/media/rsc/shakespeare lovers/critics etc.

policy needs to be clarified......yes,i too,will not be visiting stratford under current leadership.

preach...preach....arrogance and nothing much else.

Godwin is an interesting case. He's the one very good Shakespeare director who you could say emerged at the RSC during Doran's reign. His production of Two Gentlemen of Verona at RST in 2014 was critically acclaimed. It did a limited run and they didn't transfer it. Two years later they had him back to direct Hamlet in 2016, again critically highly-acclaimed, they didn't transfer it but in 2018 he restaged it for a tour. In 2018 he directed a limited run of Timon of Athens in the Swan. It didn't transfer or tour in UK. In 2020 he restaged it in USA. So, in 7 years he's only directed three times for them and had one of those productions in London for three weeks.

However, he's also directed Shakespeare three times for the NT in that period with Twelfth Night (2017), Antony and Cleopatra (2018) and Romeo & Juliet (2021) (all with strong casts). Even though the NT stage very little Shakespeare he's directed as much for them as for RSC. It's hard to escape the conclusion he's been poorly served by the RSC and well-served by the NT. How come the RSC didn't lock him into a long contract and let him direct two productions a year ? 

What is also odd is that this isn't an isolated case. Christopher Luscombe directed a highly-praised pairing of Much Ado and Love's Labours in 2014 at RST which they didn't transfer. Three years later he restaged it at Chichester and in the West End. In 2017 he directed Twelfth Night for them. Again, three plays in 7 years for a director who had great success with them. 

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Jamie Lloyd is an interesting call for Doran's successor. I think he's a far better producer than he is a director - he can attract big names - that Pinter season he staged was remarkable for the commercial sector - maybe he's who they need if the ensemble approach is dead. 

Christopher Luscombe is a very steady Shakespeare director. Spot on, gimmickless but good concept. I also wondered why not more from him. Tbh I can live without the edgy directors who go for hammering home a message and lots of Perspex. You know what I mean. I would like more Shakespeare, followed by Shakespeare with the occasional contemporary of Shakespeare 😁