Last 10 things seen at the theatre: #019

5th to 16th May.


List the last 10 things you saw at the theatre in order:
1. Making Noise Quietly (Donmar Warehouse)
2. King John (Shakespeare's Globe)
3. Henry IV Part 2 (Shakespeare's Globe)
4. Henry IV Part 1 (Shakespeare's Globe)
5. Henry VI Part 3 (Shakespeare's Globe)
6. Henry VI Part 2 (Shakespeare's Globe)
7. Henry VI Part 1 (Shakespeare's Globe)
8. All Good Men and Thermidor (Finborough)
9. Othello: The Remix (Shakespeare's Globe)
10. Richard II (Shakespeare's Globe)

Who was the best performer in number one (Making Noise Quietly)?
I rather liked Sara Kestelman best, I reckon.

Why did you go to see number two (King John)?
There was a letter sent round before the Globe To Globe season started, letting people who have previously bought tickets to Globe productions know that it was happening and that it was going to be awesome. About two thirds of the way down the page, King John in Armenian was specifically cited as something that would probably be very difficult to sell. Though I have no knowledge of Armenian, I do rather enjoy King John, so I looked upon this as a challenge and cleared my schedule. I do love the Histories!

Can you remember a line/lyric from number three (Henry IV Part 2) that you liked?
No. I do love Henry IV Part 2 a great deal, possibly even more than Part 1, but I simply don't speak Spanish, nor do I have any particular desire to remember this production.

What would you give number four (Henry IV Part 1) out of ten?
I'm veering between 8 and 9. It's pretty cool when a production makes you look at a play in a different way to how you've looked at it previously, and it's EVEN COOLER when the play is being performed in a language you don't speak and yet it still makes you look at it in a different way!

Was there someone hot in number five (Henry VI Part 3)?
Attractive audience members aside, I'LL SAY THERE WAS! Gabriela Petrushevska was absolutely stunning as quite possibly the best Margaret I've seen yet, and Ognen Drangovski was EXCEPTIONALLY good-looking as DEFINITELY the best Edward IV I've ever seen! Can the Macedonians come back and do the whole Tetralogy please?

What was number six (Henry VI Part 2) about?
The same thing most of the Histories are about, really. Men named after towns shouting at each other as they fall out over who they think should be king while the women are unfairly sidelined and the king takes pains to let the audience know that kings are people too and responsibility is HARD. Which is another way of saying I don't actually know, because I tend to get a bit light-headed partway through this play and have yet to fully understand it (seriously, both times I've seen it, I have temporarily lost my grip on reality; I'd be more worried but it's actually quite amusing).

Who was your favourite actor in number seven (Henry VI Part 1)?
How could I choose just one? Clearly the correct answer to this question is Pavle Jerinic AND Bojan Krivokapic.

What was your favourite bit in number eight (All Good Men and Thermidor)?
Any bit that the gentleman on my left found amusing. He had a tremendous laugh, and his evident enjoyment genuinely increased my enjoyment enormously.

Would you see number nine (Othello: The Remix) again?
IN A HEARTBEAT. In fact, I might have an opportunity to do so, and it involving a seventy mile car journey across the wilds of Scotland might not be enough to stop me. Although I might possibly be saved from that if it arrives on TheSpace.org before I snap and buy tickets.

What was the worst thing about number ten (Richard II)?
Watching it and realising how very short-changed I have been when it comes to Bolingbrokes for the last couple of years.

Which was best?
Richard II and Othello: The Remix and Henry VI Part 3, and a special mention to Henry VI Part 1.

Which was worst?
Alas, neither Henry VI Part 2 nor Henry IV Part 2 quite lived up to the exceptionally high standards I have come to expect from Globe To Globe productions.

Did any make you cry?
Richard II and Othello: The Remix and Henry VI Part 3 and Henry IV Part 1. I would also like it to be on record that Othello: The Remix and Henry IV Part 1 literally took my breath away.

Did any make you laugh?
Richard II and Othello: The Remix and All Good Men and Henry VI Part 1 and Henry VI Part 3 and Henry IV Part 1 and King John.

Which roles would you like to play in any of them?
As ever, it simply HAS to be Margaret! I'd deeply love to direct Richard II (and have indeed stolen an idea from this production to use if I ever get round to it), and I'd be very interested in having a go at Desdemona or Emilia. I find Elizabeth (along with nearly everyone else!) FAR more interesting in Henry VI Part 3 than in Richard III, and of course I would happily play ANY role in either Henry IV, just to be a part of it. I really don't get why some people don't like the Histories.

Which one did you have best seats for?
Well, it's All Good Men and Thermidor by default, really. The cheap seats at the Donmar Warehouse are fine but by no means best, and the only other sitting I did for this set of plays was sitting on a bag full of books at the interval of Othello: The Remix (which I highly recommend for it is infinitely more comfortable than sitting on the cold hard concrete floor).