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Post by Jan on Jun 20, 2019 9:25:31 GMT
I loved this. Saw it last night. I’ve seen now three productions of this play that are memorable 1. Brooks circus, plate spinning back in the day 2. The gum chewing Richard MCabe puck leather bra wing fairies in the 80s and now 3. This one. In the Bra wing fairies, Puck came on with the text and chucks it over his shoulder. This is exactly what needs to be done with this play. And it really only works if you do. It is about sex, lust, nuttiness, unfairness,manipulation, and two parallel worlds ( anyone else reminded of Rowling’s two worlds of magic and muggles existing along side each other but only one aware of the other?) Heaven knows why they do this play with juniors. A left over from earlier times I suppose. Loved the change over to Titania having the power, it really worked. and they didn’t wait for the playlet at the end for the funnies. It was funny all through where it was supposed to be. Great work Mr H and nice to see that Arleme Phillips still turning out the good stuff I didn’t realise I was in the presence of Theatre Board royalty with both you and Steve there too. Do you remember the one with Bill Bryden's Cottesloe company plus Paul Scofield ? We had seen them so often in other plays they were like family, it was a real ensemble piece, I remember the old Northern Irish actor J.G.Devlin as Peter Quince, just perfect.
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Post by lynette on Jun 20, 2019 12:41:08 GMT
The odd thing is that I probably did see the Cottlesloe one, saw most stuff except for brief 'maternity leave' 😂 and the work of B Bradenton in the Cottelsoe was remarkable but it is the miracle plays and the Albion String Band stuff that sticks from that era. Of course I’ve seen many good Dreams but what sticks in my old head, well, there you are.
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 20, 2019 12:48:14 GMT
I did feel slightly sorry for Gwen at the beginning. It had been raining when I went, there were delays with bags and coats and whatnot. She must have been up there 15 minutes, even longer. After about 10 minutes, I wanted to call out 'David Blane says hi'.
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Post by David J on Jun 20, 2019 13:02:45 GMT
Best Midsummer I've seen was 2008 revival of Gregory Doran's production (a time when he gave a damn). Such creativity (the fairy silhouettes against the moon) and hilarity. The sight of Bottom in a large ass' head pretending to be a DJ is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Still remember the fairies pulling apart Quince's bike. And perhaps one of the disadvantages of being invisible is the possibility of someone falling asleep face first in your crotch.
The Lyric Hammersmith production was different, hilarious and subversive. And Emma Rice's production may not have pleased all purists but it was such a wacky, dirty and engaging production.
This production certainly has a lot to live up to for me
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 20, 2019 13:20:38 GMT
I might not have this right but I think Roy Hudd played Bottom at Regents Park when I went ...
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 20, 2019 14:35:51 GMT
It's not going to be me, but it's surely only a matter of time before someone makes a joke about seeing Roy Hudd's Bottom amongst the bushes of Regent's Park. 🙂
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Post by Jan on Jun 20, 2019 17:33:03 GMT
It's not going to be me, but it's surely only a matter of time before someone makes a joke about seeing Roy Hudd's Bottom amongst the bushes of Regent's Park. 🙂 A similar joke used to always be deployed about Frankie Howerd who played the role in an Old Vic production - seems perfect casting if you think about it. Quite a few light comedians have played it: Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Dawn French, Benny Hill, Ronnie Barker. One or two leading actors have tried it, Charles Laughton for example, but I’m surprised more haven’t - McKellen could have made something of it. Patrick Stewart always said he wanted to play it but it is too late now.
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Post by Stephen on Jun 20, 2019 21:54:35 GMT
I should add that I thought the crowd being moved around worked better with Caesar. Obviously there are more ‘crowd scenes’ in it but it made it more immersive. I don’t think they quite made up for it this time around. When people were moved it often distracted me from the ends of scenes and broke up what could have been a nicely flowing production.
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Post by Fleance on Jun 21, 2019 3:57:04 GMT
I've seen a few good Bottoms over the years and particularly liked Richard Griffiths and Bernard Bresslaw.
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Post by Jan on Jun 21, 2019 5:49:41 GMT
I've seen a few good Bottoms over the years and particularly liked Richard Griffiths and Bernard Bresslaw. That Griffiths one is famous for being a unique take on the role - underplayed, conversational, precise and delicate - would have loved to have seen that one. I liked the Doran one mentioned above too (I saw the original production I think). I only knew Malcolm Storry from really intense polemical political plays and he seemed totally wrong casting for Bottom but in fact he was hysterically funny. I've seen 15 productions of it - it's a finely-crafted play, all the disparate parts fit together perfectly.
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Post by Rory on Jun 21, 2019 8:43:21 GMT
I've seen a few good Bottoms over the years and particularly liked Richard Griffiths and Bernard Bresslaw. Whatever steams your pudding!! 🤣
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 21, 2019 12:32:14 GMT
I doubt Roy Hudd has been near a bush in years You could well be right, TM. Mr & Mrs Hudd probably have a gardener now they live in Suffolk.
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Post by Fleance on Jun 21, 2019 14:04:04 GMT
A bottom I did not like was Ian Talbot. I did like David Haig, though.
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Post by Jan on Jun 21, 2019 14:39:56 GMT
A bottom I did not like was Ian Talbot. I did like David Haig, though. Where did Talbot play it ? Regent’s Park ? That was where I first saw it - improbably directed by Christopher Biggins with an eclectic cast including John Curry, the Olympic Ice Dancing gold medalist. Jesu, the days that we have seen.
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Post by Fleance on Jun 21, 2019 16:15:44 GMT
A bottom I did not like was Ian Talbot. I did like David Haig, though. Where did Talbot play it ? Regent’s Park ? That was where I first saw it - improbably directed by Christopher Biggins with an eclectic cast including John Curry, the Olympic Ice Dancing gold medalist. Jesu, the days that we have seen. Yes, Regents Park, in 1987 directed by Caroline Smith. Talbot directed Dream there at least a couple of times after that. The same summer of 1987 that I saw Talbot's Bottom, I saw the RSC/Barbican production, with David Haig as Bottom. I always enjoyed Regents Park when it had true repertory. The 1985 Dream featured Ralph Fiennes, who (believe it or not) I remember vividly as Cobweb; and Vincenzo Nicoli (whom I do not remember) as Bottom. I saw Roy Hudd's Bottom there in 1991. A production of the play that I remember liking very much was Adrian Noble's at the Barbican in 1995, with Alex Jennings, Stella Gonet, Toby Stephens, Philip Voss (Peter Quince), Daniel Evans (Francis Flute), and Desmond Barrit (Bottom).
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Post by Jan on Jun 21, 2019 17:13:45 GMT
The 1985 Dream featured Ralph Fiennes, who (believe it or not) I remember vividly as Cobweb. I remember Daniel Day Lewis playing Francis Flute for the RSC. It’s a separate topic - big actors in small parts.
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Post by ceebee on Jun 21, 2019 19:24:49 GMT
My personal favourite was the RSC production with John Carlisle and a fantastically agile (and musical) Richard McCabe causing merry mayhem as Puck. If I remember rightly, David Troughton played Bottom.
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Post by Jon on Jun 29, 2019 1:05:55 GMT
Had great fun tonight even though there was a technical hitch at the beginning due to a power cut in the Tower Hill area which delayed the start by 40 minutes. Top marks to The Bridge for giving out free drinks in the interval as compensation.
Midsummer has always been my favourite Shakespeare play but this production really brought to the next level with top notch performances and a great atmosphere.
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Post by Fleance on Jun 29, 2019 2:02:09 GMT
I'll probably purchase a ticket for Gallery 1. Any thoughts on which of the four sides to sit would be welcome. On the ticketing chart, one of the sides says: "To access the below seating bank, audience members will need to walk through the pit and stage area." That doesn't bother me, but I would like to know if one side has a better view of the action.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2019 10:05:52 GMT
A bottom I did not like was Ian Talbot. I did like David Haig, though. Where did Talbot play it ? Regent’s Park ? That was where I first saw it - improbably directed by Christopher Biggins with an eclectic cast including John Curry, the Olympic Ice Dancing gold medalist. Jesu, the days that we have seen. Posts like this are why I come to this board. Any chance you can tell us a bit more about this production?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2019 10:20:27 GMT
I’ll echo the praise for Hammed Animashaun (Bottom) and try and start a panning for David Moorst (Puck) who delivered an irritatingly twitchy performance that just made me angry. In a show that did so much to bring the play to the audience, he was a clanging note, attempting anarchy and punk. Hytner should have shut that nonsense down in the first rehearsal.
But overall there was so much joy. The switching of Titania and Oberon (is it a switching? Trying to think of the best word) was glorious.
I did find being in the pit very hard on the feet. Agree that they do well to not oversell it, lots of room to move around. Bit jostly at times, mostly from the stage crew, but ok.
I happily held hands with a stranger and grinned from ear to ear.
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Post by Jan on Jun 29, 2019 11:13:35 GMT
Where did Talbot play it ? Regent’s Park ? That was where I first saw it - improbably directed by Christopher Biggins with an eclectic cast including John Curry, the Olympic Ice Dancing gold medalist. Jesu, the days that we have seen. Posts like this are why I come to this board. Any chance you can tell us a bit more about this production? Douglas Hodge was in it too.
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Post by Jan on Jun 29, 2019 12:17:58 GMT
Posts like this are why I come to this board. Any chance you can tell us a bit more about this production? Douglas Hodge was in it too. I dug out the programme. It was 1983. "Christopher Biggins (Director) is best known to the public in general for the big brand of villain he has created. His appearance as Nero in the award winning television series I Claudius set the pattern of his sinister small screen popularity. He followed this by playing the Reverend Ossie Witworth, the wicked vicar in the hugely successful Poldark series". Don't know about you but from now on I'm always going to refer to Biggins as "The Wicked Vicar".
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Post by Fleance on Jun 29, 2019 13:34:19 GMT
1983 was my first visit to Regents Park, to see the very enjoyable Shavian musical Bashville. Douglas Hodge played the eponymous character, though that was not the major role, which was Cashel Byron, played by Peter Woodward. My first Regents Park Dream, directed by Toby Robertson, was 1985, which featured Ralph Fiennes as Cobweb. It was a magical production, as I recall; more emphasis on the romance rather than the comedy. The following year was one of my favorite Regents Park years: Arms and the Man; Romeo and Juliet (with Fiennes as Romeo); and A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by David Conville and Emma Freud, based on Toby Robertson's production, with Fiennes as Lysander (Richard Bonneville at matinees), and Bernard Bresslaw as Bottom.
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 29, 2019 16:23:55 GMT
Goodness! Bernard Bresslaw actually died at the RP theatre, in his dressing room.
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Post by Jan on Jun 29, 2019 17:31:58 GMT
Goodness! Bernard Bresslaw actually died at the RP theatre, in his dressing room. Yes. Like Leonard Rossiter, died in a dressing room. There have been other examples where people collapsed in the dressing room but died shortly afterwards elsewhere (Arthur Lowe and Zero Mostel) or collapsed on stage and died elsewhere (Molière and Eric Morcambe) or died on stage (Sid James) or on stage and on live television (Tommy Cooper). Death hath ten thousand several doors.
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Post by londonpostie on Jun 29, 2019 19:36:13 GMT
A lot of comic actors ...
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Post by Fleance on Jun 29, 2019 20:24:15 GMT
And there is the story of the great George Devine, producer of and actor in John Osborne's A Patriot for Me, at the Royal Court Theatre:
"On a sweltering Saturday night of the unusually hot summer of 1965, a week before A Patriot for Me closed, George Devine finished his performance as Baron Von Epp, climbed the five flights to his office, which he insisted on using as a dressing room, and had a massive heart attack. In full drag as Princess Alexandra – tight corset, gown, jewels – he was taken to the emergency room at St. George’s Hospital. A few months later, A Patriot for Me was published. Osborne sent a copy to the by now homebound Devine, who replied: 'I can’t think of any better person to approach the grave with than Baron Von Epp.' He died three days later."
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Post by Jan on Jun 30, 2019 9:00:05 GMT
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Post by Being Alive on Jul 1, 2019 10:48:59 GMT
this was a HOOT. I had the most fun, loved the twist with two certain characters (not sure if it's been mentioned so I won't spoil). Really enjoy Shakespeare the way it's being done at the Bridge - so accessible to young people! Just huge fun, and I'll be going back!
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