62nd performance of Hamlet (my 19th)
Photo not from tonight
I had a total nightmare getting into Hamlet tonight! It's a long story but the solution was that I had to run back to the office and buy some tickets online and then collect them from the theatre 10 minutes later! We got seats in Row C of the Grand Circle (which is the third of the four levels) but they were slightly restricted viewing but for £10 we weren't too bothered and after the hassle to get the tickets, I was just glad to be there! It meant that we couldn't see the front of the stage on stage left so something like where Hamlet is watching the play within the play, we could only see David Tennant when he leaned forward.
Despite that it was a great performance again and I'm getting more used to it not being a thrust stage.
I think the first scene works better further away from the stage than it does in the stalls. The problem at the Novello is that they can't get it as dark as they could at The Courtyard. Here there are large fire exit signs that are illuminated so in the stalls you can see things like the ghost arriving instead of being surprised at its appearance with the actors. The other obvious thing in the stalls are the two extra actors who walk across the front of the stage. It worked really well at The Courtyard as it looked as though the ghost was exiting in all different places but in the stalls (at least at the front) it's obvious that two actors just walk across the stage. Up in the circles, with all the torches flashing around, it looks like just total confusion which is effective.
I thought David Tennant's "Too, too solid flesh" speech was just amazing tonight! He just put so much emotion into it. I always find that speech hard to "enjoy" (if that's the right word") as it's such a raw portrayal of the speech and I find that hard to watch but tonight especially you couldn't help but feel for Hamlet's grief and losing his father and his anger at what he considers is his mother's betrayal (and this is before he's told that his uncle killed his father). I think this must be one of the poignant speeches in any play and DT performs it amazingly.
Probably my favourite scene of the whole play is the bedroom scene but I also really like from the "To Be or not to be" speech right through to the end of the play within the play as DT is hardly off stage for that whole part! He hardly stops moving though that all and is very mesmerising!
Tonight the gravedigger didn't toss the skulls and jawbone out as far as he usually does, probably because there was a danger that they could fall off the edge of the stage if he tossed them as he did in Stratford!
Unfortunately a lot of the second half of the play was spoilt for me tonight as there were 6 people in 3 lots that had to leave early. Also the guy next to me had a coughing fit so had to get past me to get out (and then didn't realise that the loos really echo so we could still hear everything!) and someone's alarm or pager went off for about 5 minutes quite audibly!
At the end of the bows Oliver Ford Davies walked forward and explained that they were doing a collection for AIDS sufferers (as lots of theatres are this week) and that there would be collection buckets at all the exits.
Afterwards I went to the stage door (as I had just missed one train) to see what would happen tonight. I stood on the other side of the road (as I didn't want an autograph) and they kept all the fans back behind the barriers. Unlike Stratford when David Tennant usually came out within 5 minutes of the end of the play, tonight almost all the other actors came out first. Patrick Stewart went along one barrier signing autographs and some of the others did too but most just went off towards the underground station. Oliver Ford Davies received a massive cheer which was nice!
Just before DT was due to come out, a people carrier pulled up by the exit. When he came out there were probably 50 people on each side of the barriers but only the people nearest the door got an autograph so he probably only signed about 5 or 10 things. It's a shame that they're not using the exit he used last night as more people could get to him.
Despite that it was a great performance again and I'm getting more used to it not being a thrust stage.
I think the first scene works better further away from the stage than it does in the stalls. The problem at the Novello is that they can't get it as dark as they could at The Courtyard. Here there are large fire exit signs that are illuminated so in the stalls you can see things like the ghost arriving instead of being surprised at its appearance with the actors. The other obvious thing in the stalls are the two extra actors who walk across the front of the stage. It worked really well at The Courtyard as it looked as though the ghost was exiting in all different places but in the stalls (at least at the front) it's obvious that two actors just walk across the stage. Up in the circles, with all the torches flashing around, it looks like just total confusion which is effective.
I thought David Tennant's "Too, too solid flesh" speech was just amazing tonight! He just put so much emotion into it. I always find that speech hard to "enjoy" (if that's the right word") as it's such a raw portrayal of the speech and I find that hard to watch but tonight especially you couldn't help but feel for Hamlet's grief and losing his father and his anger at what he considers is his mother's betrayal (and this is before he's told that his uncle killed his father). I think this must be one of the poignant speeches in any play and DT performs it amazingly.
Probably my favourite scene of the whole play is the bedroom scene but I also really like from the "To Be or not to be" speech right through to the end of the play within the play as DT is hardly off stage for that whole part! He hardly stops moving though that all and is very mesmerising!
Tonight the gravedigger didn't toss the skulls and jawbone out as far as he usually does, probably because there was a danger that they could fall off the edge of the stage if he tossed them as he did in Stratford!
Unfortunately a lot of the second half of the play was spoilt for me tonight as there were 6 people in 3 lots that had to leave early. Also the guy next to me had a coughing fit so had to get past me to get out (and then didn't realise that the loos really echo so we could still hear everything!) and someone's alarm or pager went off for about 5 minutes quite audibly!
At the end of the bows Oliver Ford Davies walked forward and explained that they were doing a collection for AIDS sufferers (as lots of theatres are this week) and that there would be collection buckets at all the exits.
Afterwards I went to the stage door (as I had just missed one train) to see what would happen tonight. I stood on the other side of the road (as I didn't want an autograph) and they kept all the fans back behind the barriers. Unlike Stratford when David Tennant usually came out within 5 minutes of the end of the play, tonight almost all the other actors came out first. Patrick Stewart went along one barrier signing autographs and some of the others did too but most just went off towards the underground station. Oliver Ford Davies received a massive cheer which was nice!
Just before DT was due to come out, a people carrier pulled up by the exit. When he came out there were probably 50 people on each side of the barriers but only the people nearest the door got an autograph so he probably only signed about 5 or 10 things. It's a shame that they're not using the exit he used last night as more people could get to him.
Next performance for me: Tomorrow (5th)!
