144 posts
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Post by matilda1 on Jul 6, 2023 16:55:56 GMT
Branagh is President of RADA and did his Browning Version as a benefit for them so I imagine he views it as one of his goals to promote their young talent. Nice work if you can get it I suppose. Doesn’t seem right though.
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Post by nottobe on Jul 6, 2023 17:08:51 GMT
Branagh is President of RADA and did his Browning Version as a benefit for them so I imagine he views it as one of his goals to promote their young talent. The Browning Version was a covid casualty so don't know how much it benefited them. Agree that it seems somewhat nepotism like to only cast RADA graduates. It also seems just odd to have the company so young when there are many older parts. After initially being excited I have to say I don't think I'll be bothering to see it, life is too short to see another Shakespeare unless it is actually interesting.
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Post by Jan on Jul 6, 2023 17:22:11 GMT
Full cast announced. Isnt a one man show Well metaphorically it is based on that casting.
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Post by n1david on Jul 6, 2023 21:54:26 GMT
The Browning Version was a covid casualty so don't know how much it benefited them. Agree that it seems somewhat nepotism like to only cast RADA graduates. It also seems just odd to have the company so young when there are many older parts. Given the context, I'm sure some ended up crediting their ticket fees, although my main point was his commitment to RADA. There was also the Tom Hiddleston Hamlet that Branagh directed for RADA too. Given that "nepotism" refers specifically to support of one's family members, I don't think that the President of RADA selecting RADA graduates for parts quite fits that category, rather the leader of a charity helping out that charity. But I have no brief for RADA or Branagh, so I'll wait to see the production, about which I have mixed expectations, although none of them to do with specifically casting RADA graduates in roles.
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Post by Jan on Jul 7, 2023 6:01:58 GMT
The Browning Version was a covid casualty so don't know how much it benefited them. Agree that it seems somewhat nepotism like to only cast RADA graduates. It also seems just odd to have the company so young when there are many older parts. Given the context, I'm sure some ended up crediting their ticket fees, although my main point was his commitment to RADA. There was also the Tom Hiddleston Hamlet that Branagh directed for RADA too. Given that "nepotism" refers specifically to support of one's family members, I don't think that the President of RADA selecting RADA graduates for parts quite fits that category, rather the leader of a charity helping out that charity. But I have no brief for RADA or Branagh, so I'll wait to see the production, about which I have mixed expectations, although none of them to do with specifically casting RADA graduates in roles. I think the only problem here is that they waited until after they'd sold tickets at eye-watering prices before announcing this was a charity event "in association with RADA" with casting to match. Why did they do that ?
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Post by kate8 on Jul 7, 2023 8:02:41 GMT
I don’t really care about the RADA bias, and hope he’s picked some very talented graduates who are launched into significant theatre careers.
But I would prefer to see more experience in the cast, because I think Branagh’s better performances have been when he surrounds himself with established talent.
This feels a bit like the elder statesman surrounded by disciples. Maybe that’s unfair…or a perfect dynamic for Lear?
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Post by sb61 on Jul 7, 2023 18:47:53 GMT
I watch a lot of 3rd year productions at Rada and it is London's best kept secret ...amazing performances by future acting stars at cheap prices £16 .Better than a lot of the performances I see in the West end in general . The cast of this King Lear production will not disappoint us . Yes they are all RADA graduates but most of them are working professionally now and getting experience . I think it is good that Branagh has not gone with big names, everyone needs to a chance and to start somewhere. Be open minded about the show and I think we are in for a treat .
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Post by Jan on Jul 7, 2023 19:12:35 GMT
I watch a lot of 3rd year productions at Rada and it is London's best kept secret ...amazing performances by future acting stars at cheap prices £16 .Better than a lot of the performances I see in the West end in general . The cast of this King Lear production will not disappoint us . Yes they are all RADA graduates but most of them are working professionally now and getting experience . I think it is good that Branagh has not gone with big names, everyone needs to a chance and to start somewhere. Be open minded about the show and I think we are in for a treat . I go to drama school productions too but I wouldn’t pay £150 for a ticket.
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Post by sb61 on Jul 8, 2023 11:38:42 GMT
I think the point is that people are missing is that these are not Rada students .. they are graduates and if you look at the profiles only 2 are this years graduates and one of those has worked professionally before . The west end is full of fairly recent Rada graduates as well as other drama school grads .. Harry Potter / Cabaret / to kill a mocking bird / moulin rouge to name just a few and no one minds paying £150 for those tickets . If you were on the pre sale list for this show there were plenty of cheaper tickets available at the beginning .. I got some great seats for £90
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Post by Jan on Jul 8, 2023 13:04:45 GMT
I think the point is that people are missing is that these are not Rada students .. they are graduates and if you look at the profiles only 2 are this years graduates and one of those has worked professionally before . The west end is full of fairly recent Rada graduates as well as other drama school grads .. Harry Potter / Cabaret / to kill a mocking bird / moulin rouge to name just a few and no one minds paying £150 for those tickets . If you were on the pre sale list for this show there were plenty of cheaper tickets available at the beginning .. I got some great seats for £90 £90 is not cheap for me. Like I asked before, why do you think they waited till well after booking had opened to let us know it was in association with RADA ?
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Post by ceebee on Jul 8, 2023 13:30:30 GMT
Branagh is a relatively young Lear - this casting makes perfect sense. Let's wait and see...
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Post by Dr Tom on Jul 8, 2023 15:08:26 GMT
We’re in an odd world where people are saying £90 is cheap, or paying £150 to see Mockingbird etc is normal. Yes, some people are not price conscious (or perhaps not price limited), but they’re not the norm.
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Post by lynette on Jul 8, 2023 16:48:06 GMT
Pudding/eating. If it not well cast and disappointing, tix wont sell. Word of mouth v powerful. So let the actors act..
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Post by sb61 on Jul 9, 2023 15:54:18 GMT
£90 is not cheap for me. Like I asked before, why do you think they waited till well after booking had opened to let us know it was in association with RADA ? I think my point is that the whole of the west end is pricey now , but still a lot cheaper than Broadway where top tickets can cost 450 USD and theatres not as nice. Going to the west end theatre is generally now very pricey and I think its completely irrelevant that this is in association with Rada . As I repeat these are all alumuni of Rada and working actors now not students and only 2 of the cast are recent 2023 grads . The show is getting pretty sold out so the price is not putting people off the chance to watch one of our great actors play King Lear on stage.
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Post by Jan on Jul 9, 2023 19:30:20 GMT
I think my point is that the whole of the west end is pricey now , but still a lot cheaper than Broadway where top tickets can cost 450 USD and theatres not as nice. And ticket prices in Germany are a lot lower than the West End. So what ?
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Post by joem on Sept 4, 2023 10:14:58 GMT
I have had my tickets for this for a while. A friend wanted to join us but we've been caught by the "you cannot leave an empty seat" outrage. So if anyone is having difficulties in getting a single please pm me. It's the evening performance on Saturday 2nd December.
To avoid any confusion - I haven't bought the two tickets and won't do so unless I know someone is interested in the spare.
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Post by callum on Sept 4, 2023 20:45:54 GMT
I have had my tickets for this for a while. A friend wanted to join us but we've been caught by the "you cannot leave an empty seat" outrage. So if anyone is having difficulties in getting a single please pm me. It's the evening performance on Saturday 2nd December. To avoid any confusion - I haven't bought the two tickets and won't do so unless I know someone is interested in the spare. You can place the single seat you don’t want in your basket on a separate browser, then go in before the single seat expires and buy only the seats you want.
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Post by lynette on Sept 5, 2023 19:06:21 GMT
Neat.
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Post by theatremiss on Sept 5, 2023 20:43:10 GMT
I have had my tickets for this for a while. A friend wanted to join us but we've been caught by the "you cannot leave an empty seat" outrage. So if anyone is having difficulties in getting a single please pm me. It's the evening performance on Saturday 2nd December. To avoid any confusion - I haven't bought the two tickets and won't do so unless I know someone is interested in the spare. You can place the single seat you don’t want in your basket on a separate browser, then go in before the single seat expires and buy only the seats you want. That’s exactly what I do
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Post by Dave B on Oct 12, 2023 9:58:08 GMT
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Post by Steve on Oct 21, 2023 22:59:28 GMT
Saw this tonight and thought it was thrilling! It's a coherent, violent, muscular, take on King Lear that is exciting to watch. Having a "youthful" Lear makes sense in the context of this world because it doesn't feel like longevity could possibly be a thing there lol. Branagh is a whirlwind, of a piece with the setting. Some spoilers follow. . . Don't see this if you want long lingering sensitive scenes. Don't see this if your bladder can't last two hours straight through. Do see this if you fancy seeing an ancient pagan Britain where the people of Britain look and feel more like Uthred and the Vikings of "The Last Kingdom," rather than the courtly world of Alfred. A fantastic youthful ensemble create a real sense of a coherent lived-in world. The set is pagan standing stones, reminiscent of, but more encompassing and darker than, Stonehenge, with a pagan starry sky projected onto a circular screen above, with a hole in to let in the god of the sun (aka the spotlight). The screen above can equally become sturdy rustic roofs, and the thrum of the wind and the elements of nature are ever-present in the sound design. A staggeringly savage yet coordinated display of stick-wielding establishes a sense that only absolute compliance with the disciplined and violent world of King Lear's tribe can keep you safe. This is a world of constant coordinated action, in which slowing down and ruminating individually could mean death. The brilliance of this approach is that it turns the usual logic of Lear (Lear is an arrogant fool, Cordelia is gentle and rational) on its head, while at the same time making sense of all the events of the play. Here, of course Lear demands absolute fealty and obedience, as banding together under his authoritarian leadership is the only way his tribe have survived the atavistic world they live in. Goneril's and Regan's phony words are necessary because they preserve the authoritarian order, while Cordelia speaking her truth threatens the whole tribe by unraveling that order, and Lear's furious response is an attempt to preserve the safety and order of his tribe. For this reason, the doubling of Jessica Revell as both Cordelia and Fool is perfect, for in one sense, Cordelia IS a fool. And as evil as they are, Goneril and Regan's worst actions can be read as attempts to preserve the pagan authoritarian order that Lear has allowed to fall apart. The wind and the rain can equally be read as a kind of punishment on Lear for dividing the order of his Kingdom in two. In this version of Lear, the wily Edmund (usually depicted as a machiavellian proto Richard III) is a more a mirror of Cordelia, in that, like her, albeit for selfish reasons, he seeks to shake the stable authoritarian order, and like her, threatens the safety of everyone. And it is for Edgar to fight to re-establish order in this violent pagan world. As Lear, Branagh bellows like the wind, his powerful and elongated proclamations deriving an elemental power from a primitive pagan order and an equally primitive pagan nature, which he, the ultimate fool, dismantles, blowing against himself. He is lithe, forceful, youthful, a Lear I've not seen before yet one that makes sense of the play! On the downside, while Branagh's elemental Lear, Corey Mylchreest's usurping warrior-like Edmund (he's the spitting image and attitude of Uthred lol), Doug Collins's wild-eyed determined order-restoring Edgar, Caleb Obediah's absolutely towering all-encompassing action-man of justice, Albany, and Jessica Revell's principled action woman/feisty fool Cordelia are all immensely compelling, we don't get the slow motion milking of emotions that most Lear's offer (eg Glenda Jackson's lengthy death scene or the distraught McKellen dripping copious tears onto the butter-wouldn't-melt Romola Garai or the hollow-eyed vacant Derek Jacobi frantically crawling what looked like miles). That said, this is so action packed that it's just plain exciting, and I imagine it could convert Lear holdouts who think the play's simply too overwrought. For its fantastic coherent vision and elemental Branagh, I'd give it 4 and a half stars.
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Post by anthony on Oct 21, 2023 23:04:56 GMT
I loved it! My other half has vowed never to see anything else by Shakespeare, however. The seats at the Wyndham's must be the most uncomfortable in the West End? My legs... my back... the pain!
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Post by lynette on Oct 22, 2023 17:42:39 GMT
Sounds very interesting, thanks Steve and Anthony for your appraisals. I’m hoping I like Uthred and the Vikings. I do remember Noggin the Nog - any resemblance? 😂
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Post by theatrefan77 on Oct 23, 2023 0:00:02 GMT
I loved it! My other half has vowed never to see anything else by Shakespeare, however. The seats at the Wyndham's must be the most uncomfortable in the West End? My legs... my back... the pain! I saw Life of Pi at the Wyndham's in Stalls and don't remember the seats being particularly uncomfortable. May I ask where you sat? I'll be in Dress Circle for Lear. Hope I won't have to spend 2 hours in pain!
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Post by Dr Tom on Oct 25, 2023 14:24:26 GMT
Have won the lottery for Monday, so there is hope if you're looking for affordable seats.
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Post by Jan on Oct 25, 2023 16:29:27 GMT
Have won the lottery for Monday, so there is hope if you're looking for affordable seats. Well done ! Where are they - end of the front row ? It anyone wants standing places (not me) there's no problem getting them, just hit the day ticket button at 10:30 every day, they don't sell out till about 11:00.
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Post by Dr Tom on Oct 25, 2023 16:49:03 GMT
Have won the lottery for Monday, so there is hope if you're looking for affordable seats. Well done ! Where are they - end of the front row ? It anyone wants standing places (not me) there's no problem getting them, just hit the day ticket button at 10:30 every day, they don't sell out till about 11:00. I won about 15:00 (later than advertised - or perhaps I was a second batch) and spotted the email almost straight away. The link is for a particular day on the DM site and they show you the seats available to choose between. All front row and about half the seats were available to choose from.
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al
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Post by al on Oct 26, 2023 13:16:52 GMT
So I thought the day "seats" were the two either end of the front row and also standing places at the back of the stalls. Now very confused as just looked through dates in the next 10 days and two seats at the end of the front row were on sale (£20 each). Exactly what I wanted. There are also standing places for most dates.
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Post by theatrefan77 on Oct 26, 2023 23:21:17 GMT
I thought this was good, not great. Loved the set design. Branagh is as good as expected in a Shakespeare play. The rest of the cast are a mix bag. Some are good, some just ok and some very poor. Glad i saw it but wouldn't see it again.
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Post by lynette on Oct 27, 2023 21:43:05 GMT
I can’t give this all those stars , Steve. It just wasn’t that good for me. I liked the pace, the stark setting was interesting with its turning wheel references, the costumes just too dreary for me. I mean this is a kingdom we are fighting for here, lads. No sign of it. The young actors didn’t cut it for me. They were not grounded enough, they need to dig in, breathe, connect with the audience more. Edmund had a good go at this and I’d see him again. Gloucester being older, managed this. Kenny was workmanlike, not great. With luck, I might see his second go in a few years’ time. The trouble is, these days with our longevity we expect ‘old’ to mean 80s and seeing Kenny’s nice - he’s been to the gym- body didn’t cut it for me. ( in another way, it provided a pleasant distraction ) No great insights. Nothing thrilling. They all spoke clearly but I’m not sure they all understood what they were saying. 3* for me.
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