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1st June 2008 - King's Head Theatre
Hamlet - Alex Hassell
Claudius - Jonathan
Polonius - J'ox
Laertes - Tim
Gertrude - Federay
Ophelia - Sarah
Horatio - Charlie
Rosencrantz - Simon
Guildenstern - Steff/Rhys
Ghost - Jonathan
Osrick – J'ox
Francisco – J'ox
Barnado – Simon
Marcellus - Tim
First Gravedigger - Sarah
Second Gravedigger - Simon
Priest - Emily
Fortinbras - Yolanda
First Player - Catherine
Ambassador - Emily
MC- Poppy
Act I: Conventional set-up.
Act II: Outside in a churchyard.
Act III: In a crypt, underneath a church, opposite the theatre.
Act IV: Audience on stage and in the stage left side of the auditorium. Playing area - the remaining seats.
Act V: Conventional set-up.
ACT I
The set consisted of lots of doors (actual doors and un-usable doors on the walls, ceiling and floor) so the first obstruction was having to touch a door at all times when NOT speaking. Tim was in a motorbike helmet which got a huge laugh but also usefully differentiated him from Laertes (as he kept switching between them) though Alex didn't get this and so pulled the helmet off. Oh well. Simon was protected by a giant hula hoop. The ghost entered with a football trophy/cup which was then given to Hamlet. Swearing was then kissing the cup and being cheered by the audience. Charlie set up the Fortinbras thread using 3 hats (the young Fortinbras hat picked up by Yolly for the later scenes). Someone thought this was illustrative but I disagree.
Necessaries were embarked in the form of an electronic cuddly toy pig. This was I think the biggest laugh of the show. Or the two biggest laughs – first in the 3 minute hiatus before the scene started whilst we watched the pig slowly somersault its way off stage and then after Tim's first line where we suddenly realised that the pig was his 'necessaries'. Genius. J'ox cleverly made use of the doors that were behind the audience and not part of the set – as a way of maintaining the obstruction without having to be on stage. Generally a solid start – as noted at the end some cues were a bit off but the energy was good and the door obstruction meant people really engaged with the set.
ACT 2
The park was enough of an obstruction so I didn't impose anything else – though I had wanted to set the action within a circle of benches and earth, but when we arrived there were some normal people sitting there so I thought better not to interrupt them. So Bedi and J'ox started out under a tree with the audience mainly congregating on the path. Jono took a leek, broke it in two and started to eat it. So Federay had to join in too. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were given crutches... well one crutch each – which gave Alex ample ammunition to injure them – one of the first being pushing Simon into a bush. Hamlet's letters to Ophelia were juggling balls (well juggled J'ox) which Bedi then took on as her prop, which worked out beautifully for the graveyard scene.
For the second scene we shifted focus to where Alex was sat cleaning a grave. Polonius sat up in a tree. We were then joined by a lovely woman who started watching from her balcony and who joined in several times (eg. Hamlet – "Now I am alone." Balcony Woman - "I'm here." and leaving us with the line 'parting is such sweet sorrow'!
Well paced and well controlled in a larger outdoor space, and everyone raised their game in terms of volume and projection too. Someone commented in notes that when playing outside it might be better to set up the playing area at the top of the act and stick to it to avoid floating around. Another thing to bear in mind for the future.
(Addendum: I think the note was more to do with not being to far away from the audience and to be amongst them for volume and interaction as opposed to how the act started, which was a little distant for an outdoor act. TE.)
ACT 3
The crypt was really two crypts side by side and I had wanted to set the obstruction that each scene must be played in both sides at once but given the 120 people in the audience I didn't need to set it because both spaces were needed to accommodate the audience. This led to some very inventive playing – lots of crawling through the small high-up spaces between the two crypts. And the inspired decision to have the players perform 2 versions of the mouse-trap one on each side.
Bedi was given a box of cornflakes to 'read on' and something funny was done with them but from my position in the crypt I couldn't see so someone else will have to fill that in for me! (The corn flakes were cast over the heads not only of Ophelia but the hidden Claudius and Polonius).
Bedi's nunnery scene was heartbreaking – though I couldn't see her for most of it...perhaps because I couldn't see her for most of it – a great example of the text being enough. Jono used a giant foam hand for his soliloquy, which got a huge laugh on 'what if this cursed hand were thicker than itself with brother's blood'!
Alex pulled a sofa (on wheels) between the two crypts and sat Gertrude down (alongside 2 audience members) in a sort of upside down position. The 'counterfeit presentment of two brothers' consisted of Federay's gorgeous 5 year old boy (Milton) and my boyfriend Will, as wholesome brother and mildewed ear respectively. Both seemed very happy to end up in Federay's lap! Hmmmm.
Polonius was killed by lettuce (?) I think (again couldn't really see from my half of the crypt) and the state of death was humming. In general a great exercise in verse speaking, or perhaps rather verse listening – as you could only ever see half the action. The physical obstruction of the wall between the two crypts forced everyone to work a lot harder, which paid off, in my opinion, as this was one of the most effective and vivid acts.
ACT 4
Back in the theatre but supposedly only playing in a small bank of seats stage right, though not everyone kept to this obstruction. Ophelia – still eating (vegan) cornflakes. Sellotape was the flowers – all given to/stuck on Claudius, mostly over his mouth, which made everyone wince (in a brilliant way!) knowing that at some point it would have to be pulled off!
Laertes entered with a ball, which now that I remember he'd been given in Act 1 by Polonius at which point he'd bounced it at each line ending. Now the ball bouncing was much more erratic (in terms of the metre) and violent (in terms of the physical action) and created a great opportunity for Federay to protect the King by 'blocking' Tim's passes at Jono. It was a pacey act and detailed too... though most of which escapes me now – others do please feel free to fill in my mental lapses!
ACT 5
Back on stage the audience had to put their remaining unused props on-stage and the obstruction was that they must all be used by the end of the play. Sarah realised that she couldn't be a gravedigger and be dead Ophelia so they just used her juggling balls to represent her, which made a lot of sense of the other 'skulls' being objects that the dead character had been associated with in life. Something to explore for the future perhaps...
In a bid to keep his identity secret (and possibly to try and use some of the MANY props still left on stage - the obstruction being to use all the remaining props at least once) Alex first hid behind an umbrella, then put on a comedy nose+glasses, then a scarf over his face, while Charlie hid behind a Thompson's holiday brochure. And picking up on this game Bedi made a great show of attempting to recognise, and then discovering his identity as Hamlet.
Simon went off to fetch a stoop of liquor and returned at the end of the scene with a pint for himself and a half for Bedi. Fair enough, she is half his size. The fight in the grave was opening and closing umbrellas – which Emily, Catherine and Rhys all joined in with (there were 4 umbrellas) in self defence. And Alex left chewing an inordinate amount of chewing gum! J'ox used a guitar for Osrick so his 'golden words' were more 'golden notes' – which provided the set up the inspired duel later in the scene.
Alex found a medal which he put on and was a beautiful echo of kissing of the football cup. The duel was a sing off with Alex's first rhyme - a hit! A very palpable hit! Which eventually meant death by bleeding ears/burst eardrums – all of which was highly comic until one was in the state of death when people started to hum again – and as J'ox observed interestingly everyone was humming in harmony. There was a beautiful synchronicity between the duel being based on sound/music and the state of death being musical (well done J'ox for giving us both of those fantastic ideas). A hot water bottle was the poisoned cup. Alex bravely trying not to hum – that is not to be dead. Lots of tears on stage and in the audience. Certainly the most powerful end to Hamlet I've seen so far!
In general a great show – everyone dealt well with the obstructions – and in fact the more challenging ones forced people to raise their game brilliantly. After the first scene the text/verse was very strong, and there was some lovely and inventive prop work. The audience absolutely loved it – it's certainly the best response I've ever seen for Hamlet – there were even a few cheeky standing ovations. Well played team!
Love Poppy
p.s. Please correct and contribute – there was so much wonderful stuff I've forgotten...including who played Francisco – in my defence it was my first time and I was very nervous!!!
Claudius - Jonathan
Polonius - J'ox
Laertes - Tim
Gertrude - Federay
Ophelia - Sarah
Horatio - Charlie
Rosencrantz - Simon
Guildenstern - Steff/Rhys
Ghost - Jonathan
Osrick – J'ox
Francisco – J'ox
Barnado – Simon
Marcellus - Tim
First Gravedigger - Sarah
Second Gravedigger - Simon
Priest - Emily
Fortinbras - Yolanda
First Player - Catherine
Ambassador - Emily
MC- Poppy
Act I: Conventional set-up.
Act II: Outside in a churchyard.
Act III: In a crypt, underneath a church, opposite the theatre.
Act IV: Audience on stage and in the stage left side of the auditorium. Playing area - the remaining seats.
Act V: Conventional set-up.
ACT I
The set consisted of lots of doors (actual doors and un-usable doors on the walls, ceiling and floor) so the first obstruction was having to touch a door at all times when NOT speaking. Tim was in a motorbike helmet which got a huge laugh but also usefully differentiated him from Laertes (as he kept switching between them) though Alex didn't get this and so pulled the helmet off. Oh well. Simon was protected by a giant hula hoop. The ghost entered with a football trophy/cup which was then given to Hamlet. Swearing was then kissing the cup and being cheered by the audience. Charlie set up the Fortinbras thread using 3 hats (the young Fortinbras hat picked up by Yolly for the later scenes). Someone thought this was illustrative but I disagree.
Necessaries were embarked in the form of an electronic cuddly toy pig. This was I think the biggest laugh of the show. Or the two biggest laughs – first in the 3 minute hiatus before the scene started whilst we watched the pig slowly somersault its way off stage and then after Tim's first line where we suddenly realised that the pig was his 'necessaries'. Genius. J'ox cleverly made use of the doors that were behind the audience and not part of the set – as a way of maintaining the obstruction without having to be on stage. Generally a solid start – as noted at the end some cues were a bit off but the energy was good and the door obstruction meant people really engaged with the set.
ACT 2
The park was enough of an obstruction so I didn't impose anything else – though I had wanted to set the action within a circle of benches and earth, but when we arrived there were some normal people sitting there so I thought better not to interrupt them. So Bedi and J'ox started out under a tree with the audience mainly congregating on the path. Jono took a leek, broke it in two and started to eat it. So Federay had to join in too. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were given crutches... well one crutch each – which gave Alex ample ammunition to injure them – one of the first being pushing Simon into a bush. Hamlet's letters to Ophelia were juggling balls (well juggled J'ox) which Bedi then took on as her prop, which worked out beautifully for the graveyard scene.
For the second scene we shifted focus to where Alex was sat cleaning a grave. Polonius sat up in a tree. We were then joined by a lovely woman who started watching from her balcony and who joined in several times (eg. Hamlet – "Now I am alone." Balcony Woman - "I'm here." and leaving us with the line 'parting is such sweet sorrow'!
Well paced and well controlled in a larger outdoor space, and everyone raised their game in terms of volume and projection too. Someone commented in notes that when playing outside it might be better to set up the playing area at the top of the act and stick to it to avoid floating around. Another thing to bear in mind for the future.
(Addendum: I think the note was more to do with not being to far away from the audience and to be amongst them for volume and interaction as opposed to how the act started, which was a little distant for an outdoor act. TE.)
ACT 3
The crypt was really two crypts side by side and I had wanted to set the obstruction that each scene must be played in both sides at once but given the 120 people in the audience I didn't need to set it because both spaces were needed to accommodate the audience. This led to some very inventive playing – lots of crawling through the small high-up spaces between the two crypts. And the inspired decision to have the players perform 2 versions of the mouse-trap one on each side.
Bedi was given a box of cornflakes to 'read on' and something funny was done with them but from my position in the crypt I couldn't see so someone else will have to fill that in for me! (The corn flakes were cast over the heads not only of Ophelia but the hidden Claudius and Polonius).
Bedi's nunnery scene was heartbreaking – though I couldn't see her for most of it...perhaps because I couldn't see her for most of it – a great example of the text being enough. Jono used a giant foam hand for his soliloquy, which got a huge laugh on 'what if this cursed hand were thicker than itself with brother's blood'!
Alex pulled a sofa (on wheels) between the two crypts and sat Gertrude down (alongside 2 audience members) in a sort of upside down position. The 'counterfeit presentment of two brothers' consisted of Federay's gorgeous 5 year old boy (Milton) and my boyfriend Will, as wholesome brother and mildewed ear respectively. Both seemed very happy to end up in Federay's lap! Hmmmm.
Polonius was killed by lettuce (?) I think (again couldn't really see from my half of the crypt) and the state of death was humming. In general a great exercise in verse speaking, or perhaps rather verse listening – as you could only ever see half the action. The physical obstruction of the wall between the two crypts forced everyone to work a lot harder, which paid off, in my opinion, as this was one of the most effective and vivid acts.
ACT 4
Back in the theatre but supposedly only playing in a small bank of seats stage right, though not everyone kept to this obstruction. Ophelia – still eating (vegan) cornflakes. Sellotape was the flowers – all given to/stuck on Claudius, mostly over his mouth, which made everyone wince (in a brilliant way!) knowing that at some point it would have to be pulled off!
Laertes entered with a ball, which now that I remember he'd been given in Act 1 by Polonius at which point he'd bounced it at each line ending. Now the ball bouncing was much more erratic (in terms of the metre) and violent (in terms of the physical action) and created a great opportunity for Federay to protect the King by 'blocking' Tim's passes at Jono. It was a pacey act and detailed too... though most of which escapes me now – others do please feel free to fill in my mental lapses!
ACT 5
Back on stage the audience had to put their remaining unused props on-stage and the obstruction was that they must all be used by the end of the play. Sarah realised that she couldn't be a gravedigger and be dead Ophelia so they just used her juggling balls to represent her, which made a lot of sense of the other 'skulls' being objects that the dead character had been associated with in life. Something to explore for the future perhaps...
In a bid to keep his identity secret (and possibly to try and use some of the MANY props still left on stage - the obstruction being to use all the remaining props at least once) Alex first hid behind an umbrella, then put on a comedy nose+glasses, then a scarf over his face, while Charlie hid behind a Thompson's holiday brochure. And picking up on this game Bedi made a great show of attempting to recognise, and then discovering his identity as Hamlet.
Simon went off to fetch a stoop of liquor and returned at the end of the scene with a pint for himself and a half for Bedi. Fair enough, she is half his size. The fight in the grave was opening and closing umbrellas – which Emily, Catherine and Rhys all joined in with (there were 4 umbrellas) in self defence. And Alex left chewing an inordinate amount of chewing gum! J'ox used a guitar for Osrick so his 'golden words' were more 'golden notes' – which provided the set up the inspired duel later in the scene.
Alex found a medal which he put on and was a beautiful echo of kissing of the football cup. The duel was a sing off with Alex's first rhyme - a hit! A very palpable hit! Which eventually meant death by bleeding ears/burst eardrums – all of which was highly comic until one was in the state of death when people started to hum again – and as J'ox observed interestingly everyone was humming in harmony. There was a beautiful synchronicity between the duel being based on sound/music and the state of death being musical (well done J'ox for giving us both of those fantastic ideas). A hot water bottle was the poisoned cup. Alex bravely trying not to hum – that is not to be dead. Lots of tears on stage and in the audience. Certainly the most powerful end to Hamlet I've seen so far!
In general a great show – everyone dealt well with the obstructions – and in fact the more challenging ones forced people to raise their game brilliantly. After the first scene the text/verse was very strong, and there was some lovely and inventive prop work. The audience absolutely loved it – it's certainly the best response I've ever seen for Hamlet – there were even a few cheeky standing ovations. Well played team!
Love Poppy
p.s. Please correct and contribute – there was so much wonderful stuff I've forgotten...including who played Francisco – in my defence it was my first time and I was very nervous!!!
RhysMeredith |
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| TimEvans | O Captain! My Captain! | 0 | Jun 9 2008, 2:57 PM EDT by TimEvans | ||
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Thread started: Jun 9 2008, 2:57 PM EDT
Watch
Great MC'ing Poppy! and Excellent show report.
It was a joyous evening, brilliant moments, marred only I thought by the nob who played Fortinbras' captain. - A young guy surrounded by his similarly aged girl-friends, who's only aim was to be oh-so-quirky-and-funny, that he chose to to do a playground-like stupid Scottish accent, not noticing none of the rest of the audience was laughing other than his friends, mostly in embarrassment. My concern was that I hope that we had remembered to mention to the audience at the start that it is a randomly chosen cameo, and not a Factory Actor. The irony was that we had a fantastic Globe veteran in the audience that night, who would have been great. We've had a few Dud captains over the shows, mostly from genuine random strangers being asked last minute, and my thoughts are that if the designator of the cameo doesn't know if there are any coups we could have with the captain, to allow the audience to be clocked before designating and for the rest of the company to suggest so-and-so if the part hasn't been pre-determined days before or if the designator is unaware of such audience members. |
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