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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2016 23:17:34 GMT
I liked Fiennes more than Parsley did, but it seemed like so many obstacles were put in his way, that it was hard to have a sustained, exciting performance, even though I think this is a character very much within his ability. (It reminded me a bit of Richard Dreyfuss in the movie 'The Goodbye Girl' where he is hampered by a ridiculous concept.) I liked Goold's 'The Merchant of Venice' so not sure what happened here. It was a preview so...maybe it will improve. Timing: Out by about 10.15 - but it felt very loooong. Almost like Goold's only direction had been 'Go on, take all the time you want. No hurry here.' Concept: Starts off with car park excavation, a nod to the recent-ish find of Richard III's bones, but then it is a sort of generalised modern setting, until, inexplicably they begin donning armour for the fights (and I think at one point towards the end, Fiennes does some original pronunciation as well or maybe he just decided to become another character.) So perhaps there was some idea about returning to the past. I dunno. High points: James Garnon's mobile phone wielding Hastings - makes sense of why he misses what is going on. David Annen's creepy Tyrell. The scene when Richard III pretends to be religious. Gin and tonic in interval (£5.50) Asking a man if he was Parlsey and he wasn't: 'I am just a theatre-goer.' Low points: The dream scene - my gawd was it never going to end. 'Sure, just amble on and speak with no expression, no problem.' The Queen Margaret/Duchess of York/Lady Anne scenes. High low points: When the gun didn't go off and Buckingham had to just throw himself in the grave. Fiennes struggling to get out of the grave for the curtain call and looking a bit pissed off. Did you see Kevin Spacey It was THRILLING A real event I still can remember the excitement I felt Did you really ask someone if they were Parsley? I was row F stalls |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2016 23:20:53 GMT
Yes
Yes
What the f*** was the accent at the end
Irish?
The Archers country style?
The period is all wrong
One person has a mobile phone
The others all use pen and ink
Some have rifles
And others use swords
Rupert Goold has so lost his way
Compare his recent efforts
To his heyday
It's a shame he peaked so early on
I am glad I stayed until the end though as much preferred second half
It all just felt so so so underpowered in so many ways
Wish we had said hello now!!
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Post by foxa on Jun 10, 2016 23:26:41 GMT
I did really - though it was slightly insane as I have no idea what you look like.
I was with my husband (who was obviously thrilled that I went up and began talking to a stranger) in Row H (cheap behind pole seats.)
Nope, didn't see Spacey's - did see Sher's a long time ago. Didn't much like that either (heresy, I know.)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2016 23:32:21 GMT
I did really - though it was slightly insane as I have no idea what you look like. I was with my husband (who was obviously thrilled that I went up and began talking to a stranger) in Row H (cheap behind pole seats.) Nope, didn't see Spacey's - did see Sher's a long time ago. Didn't much like that either (heresy, I know.) I was F19 Not too far away!!! |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2016 23:33:21 GMT
Vanessa Redgrave is truly terrible in this
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Post by mallardo on Jun 12, 2016 6:14:12 GMT
I did really - though it was slightly insane as I have no idea what you look like. I was with my husband (who was obviously thrilled that I went up and began talking to a stranger) in Row H (cheap behind pole seats.)
Ha! I'm sure the gentleman was delighted to be accosted by you, foxa, as you and I met under somewhat similar circumstances and you were so warm and engaging I was quite bowled over. You probably made the guy's evening.
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Post by foxa on Jun 12, 2016 8:13:28 GMT
Ah - thanks - I so enjoyed meeting you, Mallardo. You were just as I hoped/thought whereas I suspect Parsley is much better behaved in person than I had imagined. I kept looking for someone speaking in blank verse and rushing for the exit, but alas no.
My husband was bemused by my accosting a stranger at the interval asking him if he was 'Parsley from the Theatreboard' - but then when we were reading Parsley's account of his experience of the play when we were on the train home, he could see why I wanted to meet him. Now I'm wondering if Parlsey is tall, thin, a natty dresser with glasses - that was my second suspect....
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2016 8:17:59 GMT
Wonder if the guy thought you meant "from the board of the theatre"? Would explain his response!
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Post by foxa on Jun 12, 2016 8:20:54 GMT
Possibly, he certainly looked more nervous than delighted.
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Post by bellboard27 on Jun 12, 2016 9:12:13 GMT
Newspapers used to run competitions in the summer where readers were invited to look out for some guy and if spotted the public could accost him and claim a prize (it formed the Kolley Kibber plot line in Brighton Rock). Maybe we should build on this and accost likely individuals at the theatre with the line "you are Parsley and I claim my £5". At the very least it should provoke some interesting reactions.
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Post by DuchessConstance on Jun 12, 2016 11:32:46 GMT
Maybe instead of badges we could wear bunches of parsley on our lapels?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2016 11:36:12 GMT
"I'm Parsleycus!"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2016 16:39:13 GMT
Gosh this was boring. It's a long running time and you can feel every single minute. I couldn't wait for Richard to die.
It's not that Ralph is bad really, it's just that you can clearly see just how hard he is working. You can see all the cogs and wheels turning to create the performance. It kind of reminds me of Denise Gough in 'People, Places and Things'. A performance you're bulldozed into admiring but all of the technical ticks and mannerisms just overwhelm you so that you don't connect with the character in any way and what you're left with is a skilled actor showing you just how skilled they are. Every. Last. Tick.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jun 12, 2016 20:36:42 GMT
I'm assuming Ms Redgrave was as dreadful as usual? Flat delivery etc...?
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Post by mrbarnaby on Jun 12, 2016 20:38:14 GMT
She is probably the worst actress I've ever seen on stage. How and why is she so lauded? Am I missing something? Vanessa Redgrave is truly terrible in this |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2016 20:50:20 GMT
She is probably the worst actress I've ever seen on stage. How and why is she so lauded? Am I missing something? Vanessa Redgrave is truly terrible in this She was very very good In The Year Of Magical Thinking A monologue adaption of the book At the NT some years ago However she has been sh*t in everything else I have seen her in |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2016 22:23:22 GMT
Ah - thanks - I so enjoyed meeting you, Mallardo. You were just as I hoped/thought whereas I suspect Parsley is much better behaved in person than I had imagined. I kept looking for someone speaking in blank verse and rushing for the exit, but alas no. My husband was bemused by my accosting a stranger at the interval asking him if he was 'Parsley from the Theatreboard' - but then when we were reading Parsley's account of his experience of the play when we were on the train home, he could see why I wanted to meet him. Now I'm wondering if Parlsey is tall, thin, a natty dresser with glasses - that was my second suspect.... It was ME In glasses (transparent frames) And a Missoni cardigan Tall and thin |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jun 12, 2016 22:24:41 GMT
Sounds like I made the right decision to give this production a wide berth.
For me, the play is Shakespeare's most thrilling script - it should keep you gripped. Anyone who makes the Margaret scenes dull has clearly failed to grasp the potential of the play.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2016 22:29:15 GMT
Sounds like I made the right decision to give this production a wide berth. For me, the play is Shakespeare's most thrilling script - it should keep you gripped. Anyone who makes the Margaret scenes dull has clearly failed to grasp the potential of the play. Oh god you are RIGHT You see The other Richard III I have seen Are the Propellor one And the Spacey one Both were thrilling shocking and compelling So I assumed that any such production must follow suit as the strength must be in the text So this was even more of a damp squib The excavation at the start and end is pointless What was the relevance to the rest of the staging? Goold directed an amazing Romeo and Juliet The best Macbeth I have ever seen And an excellent Merchant with Patrick Stewart (really thought the Almeida restaging lacked any bite though) God knows what's gone wrong here |
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jun 12, 2016 22:31:55 GMT
The play is about the twisted mind of a man who still manages to charm the audience - not about physical ticks or theatrical tricks.
If you play the psychology, it should all fall into place....
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2016 22:36:06 GMT
The play is about the twisted mind of a man who still manages to charm the audience - not about physical ticks or theatrical tricks. If you play the psychology, it should all fall into place.... For me Fiennes is a non entity I am sorry I don't rate him Think he is an average actor at best Gives boring interviews Don't fancy him And wouldn't dash across the road to gush or ask for a selfie Perhaps this is the issue He lacks the wow factor |
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Post by David J on Jun 13, 2016 0:26:19 GMT
I made my point at the start of this thread that whilst I love the character of Richard III, I don't find the play itself thrilling.
The play more or less makes the point that Richard will succeed in killing his way to the throne, and so there's no tension. You're just watching characters being ticked off Richard's list.
It's a problem exemplified when you put it on alongside Henry VI plays, like Trevor Nunn's production last year which left me bored. After three plays of bloodshed, Richard III can be a bit disappointing (considering only one murder and Richard's death is shown on stage). Also as a standalone, a Richard III production isn't held back by the same set and the need to establish continuity from the HVI. It can be its own thing
Think about it, which Richard III productions are well known. Anthony Sher in crutches, Bunch-backed-toad Simon Russell Beale, Hitler-esque Ian McKellan, David Troughton in clown costume, Kevin Spacey. Can you imagine any of those Richards working in a Henry VI production.
Those productions are what makes the play thrilling. The aesthetic, the atmosphere, the tone, the design of Richard, and most important of all the personality and charisma of the leading actor to carry the show. You need a Richard who is devilishly funny and frightening to keep the audience engaged.
Despite all I've said, Jonathan Slinger is the most frightening and humorous Richard I've seen so far. And yes he was part of Michael Boyd's history cycle. The set was the same rusted metal set used in the other 7 productions, and Slinger didn't wear a stylized costume. But he carried the show with ferocity
Based on reports so far, this production has me worried. And I'm not expecting a lot from Ralph Fiennes
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Post by theatreliker on Jun 17, 2016 9:42:26 GMT
Seeing this tomorrow. Is there any saving grace to it? (And are the programmes worth £5?)
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Post by alexandra on Jun 17, 2016 9:49:55 GMT
The reviews are pretty good: 4 and 3 stars. Some of them love Fiennes, some Redgrave.
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Post by foxa on Jun 17, 2016 14:40:07 GMT
The reviews were quite odd - some used words like 'ugly' and 'slow' but still whacked on pretty high stars (certainly I think 4 is high for this.) Some thought the women's scenes didn't work, others that they were the highlight. (They weren't, with the exception of Aislin McGuckin) I felt there was a whiff of 'National Treasure' or 'Treasure-to-be' in the indulgence in the reviews of a couple of the performances. However, I saw a preview and I'm sure it is in better shape than when I saw it (I'm assuming the gun goes off and someone helps Ralph out of the pit.)
But in terms of compensations - you are up close - I enjoyed seeing Fiennes acting from Row H in the stalls at the Almeida more than I enjoyed seeing him in the Master Builder at the Old Vic way at the back. He has a fantastic voice - at one point he came booming down an aisle near me shouting and it was chest-rattling loud. Other moments he can create some quite subtle or surprising line readings. He spoke to the audience well - at one point seeming to suggest that one of us was Tyrell. I like James Garnon so he's always worth watching for. Didn't get a programme so can't advise on that, but there is a free cast list.
Looking forward to hearing what you think!
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