37 replies to this topic

[Latecomer]

Friend of mine went with her husband. She had never read Hamlet and didn't even know the plot of the play.....she was a tad lost!!!!! It made me laugh a lot!

[SHk]

I'm going to read Arcadia as I'm seeing the play next week.  Wish I'd read R&G are Dead before I went. But I still enjoyed some of it anyway.

I went alone as usual, and had a lovely conversation with a family who were sitting next to me during tne interval (in relation to the Going It Alone thread).

Mark E, were you sitting next to me in Row F? Were you one of the two young men who moved a little further down the row after the interval? If so, did I offend you in any way??

[Lynette]

By all means read Arcadia but it is a very different play to R&G and it might spoil a few moments for you if you know what is going to happen in advance. Arcadia is possibly his best play and certainly a wonderful one. I would get the text handy but not read it until after I'd seen it. Then see the play again!

[SHk]

I'll follow your advice. Thanks.

[mallardo]

Alexandra, on 28 June 2011 - 08:44 AM, said:

It benefits hugely from a read before you go, like much Stoppard. It's a brilliant read, and you're left dying to see it.

If it works better if you've read it first then something is wrong with the play, isn't it?

[Jan Brock]

mallardo, on 28 June 2011 - 01:19 PM, said:

If it works better if you've read it first then something is wrong with the play, isn't it?

Yes, or (in the case of Shakespeare) the production. One or the other, or both. It should never be necessary to read a play in advance, or to read the plot summary.

[Mark_E]

Running time for R&G was about 2 hours 35

Quote

Mark E, were you sitting next to me in Row F? Were you one of the two young men who moved a little further down the row after the interval? If so, did I offend you in any way??

No I was in row E also by myself. Tall, blonde hair. Everyone around me seemed to leave at interval (along with many others). It was just too hot! I was sucking ice-cubes all the way through act two (hows that for theatre etiquette! Oopsie)

[SHk]

Ah, I don't think I saw you then.  But it's true Row E sufferd a big loss. Thanks to that, I enjoyed a clear view from my seat when I was awake. My sleepiness must've been part induced by the heat too. It was indeed very warm up there.

[FireFingers]

Saw this last night and really enjoyed it. The cast were all great, but it did take a short while to get into.


I would say that a reminder of Hamlet pays great dividends, even if it is just a read of the wiki synopsis.

All in all, very funny and interesting production.