45th performance of Hamlet (my 11th)
After a nice wander around Stratford-Upon-Avon (they were putting up the Christmas decorations already!) and some dinner I moved my car to my usual spot and, as usual, Roderick Smith walked past my car again!
I got to the theatre by 6.50pm. My seat was up in the Circle again but in row C. It was in the same block so just a couple of rows behind my matinee seat and a couple of seats across. Technically it was a reduced view seat as there was a pillar within my sight but I only had to move my head about three inches and I could see everything.
As much as I like Love's Labour's Lost, I was really looking forward to this performance as I do enjoy Hamlet! It was as great as I remembered too! It's been over three weeks since I've seen it but there was only one real change that I noticed and that was that in the bedroom scene David Tennant took his jacket off the bed and put it over his head when the ghost appeared.
I've been learning the "Now I am alone" speech (which is a very long speech!) and it really helped watching the actions that DT matches to the words.
I went to a couple of talks at the Cheltenham Literature Festival last week and one of them was the Shakespearean actor Tim Piggott-Smith who had seen both Hamlet and Love's Labour's Lost and he spoke about the lines in Hamlet just before the duel that say "If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all". He said about how poignant that speech was and that all but one word are just of one syllable.
During the scene when Hamlet is tied to the chair, I thought that Patrick Stewart was going to lose it as it was obvious that he was trying hard not to laugh after the "In Heaven!" line.
Patrick Stewart was slightly croaky and coughed once tonight.
As the glass doors were closing at one point, I could see the bed being carried off stage!
Afterwards I went to the stage door and it was a nice controlled crowd. I didn't leave until after all 3 encores but from then until the time that DT went back into the theatre was less than 8 minutes! As usual David was great with all the crowd. I think it's so nice of him to come out after the performances as I can hear how much people appreciate it.
It was brilliant to be able to see both plays in the one day so I certainly didn't have any problem staying awake on the drive home and I managed to get back before 1.30am!
I got to the theatre by 6.50pm. My seat was up in the Circle again but in row C. It was in the same block so just a couple of rows behind my matinee seat and a couple of seats across. Technically it was a reduced view seat as there was a pillar within my sight but I only had to move my head about three inches and I could see everything.
As much as I like Love's Labour's Lost, I was really looking forward to this performance as I do enjoy Hamlet! It was as great as I remembered too! It's been over three weeks since I've seen it but there was only one real change that I noticed and that was that in the bedroom scene David Tennant took his jacket off the bed and put it over his head when the ghost appeared.
I've been learning the "Now I am alone" speech (which is a very long speech!) and it really helped watching the actions that DT matches to the words.
I went to a couple of talks at the Cheltenham Literature Festival last week and one of them was the Shakespearean actor Tim Piggott-Smith who had seen both Hamlet and Love's Labour's Lost and he spoke about the lines in Hamlet just before the duel that say "If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all". He said about how poignant that speech was and that all but one word are just of one syllable.
During the scene when Hamlet is tied to the chair, I thought that Patrick Stewart was going to lose it as it was obvious that he was trying hard not to laugh after the "In Heaven!" line.
Patrick Stewart was slightly croaky and coughed once tonight.
As the glass doors were closing at one point, I could see the bed being carried off stage!
Afterwards I went to the stage door and it was a nice controlled crowd. I didn't leave until after all 3 encores but from then until the time that DT went back into the theatre was less than 8 minutes! As usual David was great with all the crowd. I think it's so nice of him to come out after the performances as I can hear how much people appreciate it.
It was brilliant to be able to see both plays in the one day so I certainly didn't have any problem staying awake on the drive home and I managed to get back before 1.30am!
Next performance for me: Love's Labour's Lost next Saturday (25th)
