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Post by crabtree on Jul 15, 2020 12:56:15 GMT
Did anyone see the live performance of the production that was screened over the weekend? It looks one of the most lavish recent productions from the RSC, though their Love's Labours/Much ado were also visually spectacular. I do love the staging tricks they can do with a thrust stage. I was fascinated by the actual physics and mechanics or the water trough/canal and the lifts that rose out of it. This must have been a hell of a show to turn around in two hours.
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Post by peggs on Jul 15, 2020 18:22:08 GMT
I've just started watching this and am wondering how they did the water scenes, I do love moments in theatre when I can't work out how something was done (whilst still wanting to know how it was done).
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Post by crabtree on Jul 16, 2020 8:29:16 GMT
two Titus' ago, in the Swan, they had a similar Moroccan themed set and at one point a bath rose out of the floor and there was a bit of action with the cast, and then suddenly John Hopkins stood up naked, out of the bath, save for a laurel crown. I don't know how long he'd been under the water, but it came as a surprise. The laurel crown was a perfect character touch.
and the last Edward II at the Royal Exchange had a hugely impressive water stunt. After his death, Edward was dumped head first into a large puddle, head right under the water, whilst the Coronation of his son went on around him. Not a bubble nor a ripple for many minutes. The choreography of him grabbing a breathing device whilst in his death throes was impressive.
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Post by Jan on Jul 16, 2020 9:41:45 GMT
Did anyone see the live performance of the production that was screened over the weekend? It looks one of the most lavish recent productions from the RSC, though their Love's Labours/Much ado were also visually spectacular. I do love the staging tricks they can do with a thrust stage. I was fascinated by the actual physics and mechanics or the water trough/canal and the lifts that rose out of it. This must have been a hell of a show to turn around in two hours. Tempest at the Almedia. An on-stage pool completely surrounded by the stage. On his first entrance - well into the play - Ariel burst up from underwater right from the centre of it. Brilliant effect. |
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Post by bee on Jul 16, 2020 16:06:19 GMT
Did anyone see the live performance of the production that was screened over the weekend? It looks one of the most lavish recent productions from the RSC, though their Love's Labours/Much ado were also visually spectacular. I do love the staging tricks they can do with a thrust stage. I was fascinated by the actual physics and mechanics or the water trough/canal and the lifts that rose out of it. This must have been a hell of a show to turn around in two hours. Tempest at the Almedia. An on-stage pool completely surrounded by the stage. On his first entrance - well into the play - Ariel burst up from underwater right from the centre of it. Brilliant effect. Did you see the RSC Twelfth Night at The Roundhouse a few years ago (Jonathan Slinger as Malvolio)? It started in a similar way. Viola emerged from a pool at the front of the stage. No idea how she got in there, unless she'd been concealed there for the half-hour or so between the doors opening and the start of the play. Gave everyone a bit of a fright! |
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Post by lynette on Jul 16, 2020 16:24:51 GMT
Water is a thing isn’t it, on stage? Saw the Othello which I liked and the Tempest at the Donmar which was remarkable in many ways, not just the water. Also remember Simon Russel Beale jumping into the pool trying to hide from the others in Much Ado NT. Twice I think, very, very, funny. Years ago there was an Ayckborne with a canal or river and I was well pleased to have got front row but then actually couldn’t see a thing that was happening on it. And I got wet when it rained in King Lear with Ian Holm, I was sitting at the side in gallery. Final water thing: at the Donmar a play which now has sunk in the memory, had a channel of water round the stage. It was quite still and in the gloom of finding our seats, again front row of course ( when members got good seats) my OH stepped into it and had to sit the whole evening with very wet foot inside very wet sock and shoe.
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Post by TallPaul on Jul 16, 2020 16:34:35 GMT
The Ayckbourn, lynette, is Way Upstream. That was in the days when the Stephen Joseph was still based in the old grammar school, with almost no technical bells and whistles. It should, in theory, have been much easier to stage when it transferred to the National, though history suggests otherwise. |
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jul 16, 2020 18:18:29 GMT
Didn’t Birdland end with Andrew Scott snorkelling around the Royal Court?
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Post by maggiem on Jul 17, 2020 11:59:31 GMT
two Titus' ago, in the Swan, they had a similar Moroccan themed set and at one point a bath rose out of the floor and there was a bit of action with the cast, and then suddenly John Hopkins stood up naked, out of the bath, save for a laurel crown. I don't know how long he'd been under the water, but it came as a surprise. The laurel crown was a perfect character touch. What a lovely reminder!  |
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Post by Jan on Jul 17, 2020 15:17:02 GMT
Tempest at the Almedia. An on-stage pool completely surrounded by the stage. On his first entrance - well into the play - Ariel burst up from underwater right from the centre of it. Brilliant effect. Did you see the RSC Twelfth Night at The Roundhouse a few years ago (Jonathan Slinger as Malvolio)? It started in a similar way. Viola emerged from a pool at the front of the stage. No idea how she got in there, unless she'd been concealed there for the half-hour or so between the doors opening and the start of the play. Gave everyone a bit of a fright! Yes I saw the Roundhouse one - good staging - slightly different configuration of the water for each play in the season - similarly the Young Chekhov plays at NT had a partially water-based staging too. I think Almeida trick by director Jonathan Kent was repeated later in a Greek play he did at the Donmar where a character burst out of the water. The end of Rosmersholm from last year of course, good waterworks. Seen plenty of good rain - the Branagh RSC Henry V, and more recently McKellen's second King Lear at Chichester - he was absolutely soaked. |
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Post by David J on Jul 17, 2020 15:29:37 GMT
2012 RSC Twelfth Night had a tank of water at the end of the stage in the corner. When the show started Viola got into the tank somewhere, swam under and and appeared dragging herself onto the stage like it was the shore. Sebastian appeared there as well.
Later sir Andrew aguecheek leapt in at the sight of Jonathan Slinger as the party pooper Malvolio. We were sitting at the front by that corner. The ushers gave us towels before the show to cover ourselves
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