Friday 14 April 2017

Last 10 things seen at the theatre: #106

30th March to 13th April.


List the last 10 things you saw at the theatre in order:
1. The Winter's Tale (Barbican)
2. I Capture the Castle (Watford Palace)
3. The Kid Stays in the Picture (Royal Court)
4. Othello (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse)
5. My Brilliant Friend Part 2 (Rose Kingston)
6. My Brilliant Friend Part 1 (Rose Kingston)
7. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Old Vic)
8. Love in Idleness (Menier Chocolate Factory)
9. The Missing Light (Old Vic)
10. Jerusalem (Beacon Centre)

Who was the best performer in number one (The Winter's Tale)?
OH NO DON'T ASK ME THAT, I LOVED THEM ALL, EVEN MR PEANUTBUTTER.

Why did you go to see number two (I Capture the Castle)?
I like going to the Watford Palace. It's nice to know that where I usually have to go into London from the arse-end of the Metropolitan line, sometimes everyone else has to come out of London to the arse-end of the Metropolitan line. I don't recall what specifically drew me to this production though, unless it's guilt that I've still yet to read the book.

Can you remember a line/lyric from number three (The Kid Stays in the Picture) that you liked?
From my cheap seat in the side slips I was able to see not only the stage but also the teleprompter displaying the entire script for the cast to work from as necessary. You'd think I'd remember better, having been able to see as well as hear the lines, but nooo, it just turned out to be immensely distracting.

What would you give number four (Othello) out of ten?
Beh. 6. I might have awarded it more had I not just seen another Othello that shook me to my core, or even if the ideas had just worked better, but it wasn't really any more than a 6 out of 10 production for me.

Was there someone hot in number five (My Brilliant Friend Part 2)?
Honestly any day where I get to sit and watch Ira Mandela Siobhan for several hours, particularly if dancing is involved, is a good day.

What was number six (My Brilliant Friend Part 1) about?
The lifelong friendship between two women, with a whole mess of class issues and politics and patriarchy and organised crime for good measure.

Who was your favourite actor in number seven (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead)?
Old Tiny Hamlet himself, Joshua McGuire.

What was your favourite bit in number eight (Love in Idleness)?
Is it cheating to say any part involving Eve Best? I suppose my favourite non-Eve Best part was when the irritating emo teen was all "go on then, beat me up, you'll get locked up" and the cool silver fox was all "oh you underestimate the depth of my feeling, I'd be hanged". That was a HELLA good clapback. Considering I wasn't even going to see this one, I got a LOT of enjoyment out of it.

Would you see number nine (The Missing Light) again?
It very much depends on how long it takes me to stop being weepy over it. I can't spend ALL my life crying over live animation puppet shows.

What was the worst thing about number ten (Jerusalem)?
I'm all for supporting local groups doing brilliant work, but I also really MUST remember to take cushions along when doing so. My poor backside still aches.

Which was best?
I was very into The Winter's Tale.

Which was worst?
Sorry, I Capture the Castle, but you were only really good when people weren't singing (apart from a couple of numbers, I guess), and as you're a musical, that's a bit of a failure on your part.

Did any make you cry?
Definitely The Winter's Tale (THE BEAR IS NOT PUNISHMENT, THE BEAR IS REDEMPTIVE), Love in Idleness, and The Missing Light.

Did any make you laugh?
Also The Winter's TaleLove in Idleness, and The Missing Light. The binary isn't funny plays vs sad plays, it's good plays vs mediocre ones.

Which roles would you like to play in any of them?
I'm still keen to play Shakespeare's ultimate bad-ass, Paulina, just as I still dream of the time I nearly played Camillo. I really would like there to be more than a couple of desirable roles for a woman across ten whole plays though, even a weirdly picky one like me. I know I don't often fancy the contemporary plays but I blame that just as much on the writers as my own inability to think I can bring anything interesting to something I've seen the original production of.

Which one did you have best seats for?
I shall award this one to Love in Idleness. Considering I was originally meant to be seeing The Wild Party, only to arrive in Victoria at 2pm to a cancelled matinee, and had to work fast to remember what shows had later matinees than 2:30pm before barrelling over to London Bridge to put my name on a waiting list for a ticket that may or may not be returned for resale, I managed to get front row on the side, and not even awkwardly far over to the side. I always find the "you bought our returned ticket! Thanks for the money!" "Well thank YOU for thinking to return the ticket, I'm grateful!" "It was for our friend but she's ILL!" "I'm... sorry to hear that but still appropriately grateful?" conversation awkward on the few occasions I've had a return but it was worth it for this marvellous seat.

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