Hamlet (preview) - Benedict Cumberbatch - August 7
Great, enjoyable, impressive but not sure on the megablockbuster/bombastic approach, I assume that's for the GA/non-theatre appeal. Cumberbatch chews scenery and truly puts the ham in the name leading to some unintentionally funny moments, but gotn oned down in the second half.
But yes it's very much a blockbuster show.
Also quite eventful tonight - Jim Norton who plays Polonius, fell ill at the start of the show, they had to take a 15 min break, and he was replaced by Nigel Carrington reading from the script (it was also his birthday today and Cumberbatch got the audience to song to him at the end. What a good sport ), which also led to some funny moments.
Little update on that high school drama for the Town Celebration I've been trying to construct for the last couple of weeks. Third day of auditions and it's complete chaos filled with unexpectedly great amount of young talent, I'm literally scratching my head and have no idea what to do or how to cut some people (we need two males and two females only). I'll have to go with my gut instincts and choose the final four on Friday, along with my colleague. We also have a professional photographer on the team as of today, she'll be doing the sessions on rehearsals and for the final marketing stretch. I've decided to go with simplistic approach with just individual characters on teaser posters and all four for the theatrical version. As for the soundtrack, right now it's mostly stuff from the late 80s/early 90s, that's the time period for the drama anyway.
It's gonna be great... it's gonna be great.
Last edited by m4st4 on October 30th, 2015, 10:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
Star Wars Hunk Oscar Isaac to Headline Hamlet in Brooklyn
The new X-Men movie has inspired Oscar Isaac to play Hamlet on stage. Isaac, who played dashing pilot Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the villainous title character in forthcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, will take on the role of the Danish prince in New York next year. The actor studied at the Juilliard School for the performing arts in New York and is well versed in classical and modern theatre. He will work with director Sam Gold in a production of Hamlet at the Theatre For A New Audience in Brooklyn, and the play will run from the spring of 2017. He’s currently in London, though, filming Star Wars: Episode VIII.
What in the ever loving fuck was that. I loved Lloyd's take on Richard III with Martin Freeman so coming off that, this feels dissapointing. It's like the complete opposite of CumberHamlet when it comes to gunning for non-theatregoer appeal - while Hamlet went all out and lavish and almost blockbustery, this eschews the story itself or any sense that it makes for sometjing that makes Lloyd's obvious love of big scale and loud production styling and all the superficial shock value shots of vulgarity and madness THE story. Funnily enough this may sound to some like I'm describing Snyder but at least he doesn't have people randomly breaking into rock song and interpretive dance sequences with strobe lighting in the middle, or Mephistopheles singing "Bat out of Hell" during the interval.
Kit and the rest of the cast did a fantastic job though, it's a shame the material they worked it is, well....- a line said in the play: "eating shit out of Lucifer's arsehole" is rather apt?
In terms of pure entertainment value (and shirtless Jon Snow for the ladies) this does a great job, audience were into it while being disgusted, it's certainly memorable, and that's probably what gonna justify the price, but as a play this is pretty much trash.
), which also led to some funny moments.
you lucky bastards.