RSC left out

Alan Rickman was quite wonderful in the RSC's production of Mephisto. He was also a great Elyot (Lindsay Duncan as Amanda) in the best production of Private Lives that I've seen.

I saw him quite a few times. I saw him in that RSC season where he played in "Les Liaisons" and "As You Like It" (as Jacques in a great Adrian Noble production with Fiona Shaw and Juliet Stephenson) and later in Mephisto. Previously in Stratford he'd been Achilles in the brilliant Howard Davies production of  "Troilus and Cressida" (directed to "play it like he's a big film star") but unfortunately when they transferred it to London they re-cast the role. 

One other ntable thing is how often I'd see him in the audience for other plays, at the NT and elsewhere. He must have really liked theatre - not the case with some other very good stage actors who never go. 

Yes, he did play Achilles like a film star - langorous, arrogant, glamorous and charismatic. I also remember Alun Armstrong as a very funny Geordie Thersites in the same production. I was lucky enough to see Les Liaisons and As You Like It too - I think all in the same year, 1985? I used to love going there, especially around the time The Swan Theatre first opened. I wish I could rekindle that enthusiasm.

That was indeed an excellent production of Troilus; sadly, Juliet Stevenson was out the night I saw it. Cressida was played by Emma D'Inverno (where is she now?). A highlight of that production was Clive Merrison's Pandarus. A later RSC Troilus which was great was the Sam Mendes production, with Ralph Fiennes, Amanda Root, and Simon Russell Beale as Thersites, in the Barbican Pit. 

I met Alan Rickman once, at Irene Worth's memorial service, at the Public Theater in New York.

From what I recall Alun Armstrong was brought in at the last minute to cover for Nicky Henson who was ill and couldn't take the part. He was very good. I remember the very first scene of that production - it was set around the time of the Crimea war - a general is reading an update coming in on a tickertape machine - he looks at it, turns to his staff and just shrugs, confused, he doesn't know what it means. 

The Mendes one with SRB was great too. But my favourite was the Michael Boyd one set in Ireland around the time of the partition, Protestants v Catholics - it made sense of the fact that there was a city under siege (like Belfast) but where the combatants could still mingle and encounter each other. 

Maybe not too late, the RSC are threatening us with another Tempest next year. 

I was last due to see him in the NT "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" but he was indisposed - very wise given how poor that production was. I've seen him quite a few times on stage, once in "Serjeant Musgrave's Dance" with Albert Finney, Eileen Atkins and Max Wall. Quite a cast. 

Nice photos of the garden theatre going up. Red seats. Might just be the thing, weather permitting. I wonder if they are thinking long term: more of a festival vibe to summer shows? Funny tweet from the Globe - “oh hello” with 😍 which reminded me of the great Carry On vibe.

It seems like a business mistake, as well as a misreading of their audience. But in a way that's not the issue. Even if audiences were reluctant, surely the RSC should have been one of the first off the blocks encouraging us back, because it's meant to be one of our leading cultural institutions. Comparable institutions like the NT and the large subsidised galleries and museums have mostly found ways to reopen and operate under the restrictions.

In contrast the RSC has done a few things which seem quite ill-conceived - the Dream cartoon which was more about film technology than theatre; filmed rehearsals for a play that won't be performed; and I haven't read anything that clearly explains the thinking behind building the Garden Theatre while their existing theatres remain closed, or how it fits into their long term strategy.

Day seats?  The press release on the RSC web site says for this production that day seats will be available for £10.