Theatre, Round Two

Hi again, everybody.

This is a good ol' two parter - having seen two shows since the last one. I'll start with Part One, subtitled "The Best Thing I've EVER SEEN" - no lie.

Caiti had quite the adventurous time getting here, which she will no doubt expound upon in the not-too-distant future. She finally got to my flat around 2:30am and promptly crashed. I, too, decided to sleep but it would only be for a few hours, as we had decided that come hell or high water, we were seeing the closing performance of Hamlet.
So, 530am, I'm up and out the door, catching the first tube out of Mile End (the station next to my campus). Caiti would meet me a few hours later. I stood in line, much like that time for Spring Awakening, from about 615 onwards. Only this time, I was alone (until Caiti came/we befriended some nice people around us) and it was fucking freezing. I thought my toes would fall off. But we waited, we perservered... and then they announced they were out of tickets EIGHT PEOPLE in front of us. The dilemma, then... do we wait? Returns or unclaimed? Will it be worth it?
So we sat on the floor of the lobby and chatted and read and slept... and slowly but surely, they announced that tickets came back. Soon, we were one person away from tickets. THEN! we got them. Hallelujah, we got two unclaimed tickets on the aisle about 15 rows back... 40pounds a piece, which is like 60 bucks, but it was so worth it - having stood/sat in line ALL DAY, having barely slept, and getting the opportunity to see this show that has been so incredibly acclaimed... it was worth it.
We rushed home (it was about 415 and the curtain was at 715), showered, made a pseudo-dinner (mind you, we're both running on FUMES at this point) and hustled back to the theatre.

As my reading for Reading Theatre for this week said, it can be quite difficult to accurately verbalize how you felt about a show, because you've channelled it through yourself. However, you're all pretty familiar with my rather critical eye, so I'll just lay it out there - this was the best show I have ever seen. Ever. Yes, I love David Tennant and Patrick Stewart, but if the show was shit I would say "well, it was cool to see those guys..."

The staging, the directorial decisions, the acting (with the exception of Ophelia, really - she wasn't BAD, but she just didn't reach the level of everyone else. She was a little one-dimensional)... it was just fantastic. People in London have been talking about this show as though its the best thing to hit stages in a long while and legitimately it is. I mean, its the second show I've ever seen in London, so its not like I can agree without sounding like a complete idiot, but it was excellent. Tennant brought a manic energy to the role and he really let Hamlet off the chain. His first sollioquy was heart-rending and you FELT it. It wasn't like with Branagh's, for example, where you can see that he's sad but he also is just a little pathetic (and I like Branagh's Hamlet). It was just pure emotion. Same with when he confronts Gertrude in her bedchambers... it was almost tough to watch because it was so physical and so viceral. Of course, he was also HILARIOUS - his insanity was a joy to watch. Actually, his take on the insanity was really interesting - there were times where he was clearly in control and just playing with people, moments where he was clearly off his rocker, and moments where even he didn't know - where the audience AND the character didn't quite seem to know where it was going. A balancing act of sorts.
I enjoyed Patrick Stewart's Claudius perhaps because of how subdued he was. He wasn't some grand ruler who has grand ambitions and such... he was just a man who desperately wanted power and now has to decide how to use it - not necessarily in a grand way, but in the way of real modern-day rulers. This also contrasted nicely with Tennant's Hamlet, who seemed like he didn't really WANT to be king. He just wanted to hang out, be happy, etc.
I cried at the end, too. I'm going to stop going on before I start sounding like Louis. But yeah, I cried. It was incredible. They came back out for four bows, we were all on our feet before they even got to the stage the first time... it was not only a fantastic show but a fantastic moment in theatre history. They (the theatre pundits or whoever) are talking about Tennant in the same breath as classic Hamlet's like Olivier and Branagh. Its all justified. I look forward to seeing Jude Law as Hamlet at the end of my time here, but... well, you always remember your first. My first Hamlet will be no exception.

Part Two is that I'm going to see a Tom Stoppard tonight called "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" - its like an hour long and it is a "play for actors and orchestra" so color me interested.

In other news... settled in, finally. Bought some books at Waterstone's yesterday, wandered Piccadilly Circus a bit... Its quite rainy here today and so it really feels quite like London is supposed to. Not to say I don't miss people, but I think I'm going to quite like spending the next few months here.