Rev Stan's Theatre Blog
London theatre reviews and interviews
Category: Old Vic
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If you've ever seen Andrew Scott perform Simon Stephens' monologue Sea Wall you'll know he is a master storyteller, deftly lifting words off the page and turning them into something compelling and gripping. Three Kings, beautifully written by Stephen Beresford, gives him even more scope to sprinkle his performance magic. Created especially for the Old…
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I never got to see Lungs when it was on stage and I nearly didn't get to see this live online version because of the Old Vic's odd approach to ticketing – charging normal theatre prices for people to sit in their own homes to watch. But putting that to one side (I wrote about…
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Humour is personal, what one person finds hilarious might fall flat for someone else. And it is really difficult to get right, comic timing is a great skill. Now I love dark comedy, the uncomfortable laugh that makes you think but I'm also partial to the silliness of a good farce. Here are my favourite…
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Anyone else wondering why the Old Vic has decided to sell tickets for the live-streamed performances of Lungs in the way it has? And by that, I mean pricing tickets and limiting the numbers as if people are actually coming to watch it in the theatre. You don't get a better seat…
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The Old Vic has announced that Matt Smith and Claire Foy will be doing a socially distanced version of the play Lungs which will be filmed at the theatre and live-streamed. Photo: Rev Stan It will be ticketed and numbers limited to 1,000 per performance so there is an element of exclusivity to it. Dates…
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I love curtain calls at the end of plays. It's a revealing time when characters are shaken off – or not – when faces perhaps show the person underneath the acting mask. View from the stage at the RSC Swan Theatre. Photo Rev Stan They can also be a time of japes, fun and banter.…
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Here are my 60 seconds worth of thoughts on Endgame at the Old Vic, recorded when I got home from the theatre. The bit I was halfway through saying at the end (the video was cut for Instagram) was 'Amazing…way with ladders'. If you want more than 60 seconds worth you can read my full…
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I know when Alan Cumming was talking about crossing his character's 'wasted' legs on the Graham Norton Show a few weeks ago it was a joke but there was a small part of me that was waiting for it to happen when I went to see Endgame. There is humour in Beckett's play about master…
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It's been tough but I've managed to whittle down my 'best theatre of 2019' list to 10 plays, well, one isn't actually a play but deserves a place nonetheless. So here goes, in no particular order: Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash 1. Downstate, National Theatre A challenging, difficult play with humour and wit inflected…