UK Trip Recap - Journal Entry 14 October 2008

I'll be typing up my handwritten journal entries over the next few days for my trip recap. Weird spellings and broken trains of thought are from the journal - I figure I might as well be a purist in this and just use the immediate reactions I had. :)

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14 October 2008
Stratford-Upon-Avon

We returned just a few minutes ago from seeing Hamlet at the RSC. Absolutely fabulous! And contrary to my husband's teasing, I didn't stare only at David Tennant the entire time - the entire cast was fantastic (!!).

But still the fangirl in me is all thrilled that I have now seen David perform - in person - and... and now also have seen Patrick Stewart perform on stage, which I've dreamed about since my early teens.

It's hard to believe that the original catalyst for our entire trip - seeing Hamlet - is now past us. It was so worth every penny (pound?).

The almost entirely blank set, save the mirrors and reflective stage, were used in such an interesting way, and right from the start! In the first full scene, the guards and Horatio are on watch, seeing the ghost of Old Hamlet, and rather than having stage spotlights, the actors provided lights themselves, bouncing the beams of slashlights off of the stage surface into the face of one of the others - very clever!

As much as I loved David and Patrick (more on that in a moment), I think Polonius stole the show. I don't remember him beng the slightly absent-minded, tangent-loving old man from reading or watching previous versions. But here I felt he was oddly endearing, not so slimy as int he Mel Gibson version as I remember. Oh, how he made the audience laugh!

Laertes looked so familiar. His program bio had nothign I'd remember, though - I shall have to look him up on IMDB when I get home.

I like dthat the scene in Gertrude's bedroom (and yes, I'm lazy and not referencing the exact scene numbers) wasn't as overtly sexual as I've seen it interpreted before. The hints are still there - a strong undercurrent. But the raw anger expressed instead made a lot of sense... it seemed very "true."

Seeing Patrick Stewart perform has been a dream of mine since I was 13 or 14. I learned of him through Star Trek, of course, but while I was a teenager, he also performed a one-man version of A Christmas Carol on stage, and I desperately wanted to go (but never dared ask Mom for tickets - she'd think I was very weird).

His presence on stage is amazing - his voice just booms from the stage, and his diction is so clear. He played both the ghost of Old Hamlet and the King in this production, and I think the combination worked perfectly. It was an absolute treat, and I'm so happy to have one of those longtime goals fulfilled.

And onto another goal - THE goal that brought us here - to see David Tennant in Hamlet I think Russell T. Davies has it right in his Production Notes in Doctor Who Magazine - I can say I was there. Hamlet. RSC 2008.

Absolutely thrilled. to. bits. Beginning to end, I saw Hamlet. Yes, my more annoying fangirl mind broke through fromt ime to time, but I saw Hamlet. He was a destroyed man in mourning. he was mad. He was hysterically funny. I stand amazed - David acts with every ounce of his being. His body movements, his facial expressions, his words - all are perfect.

And like I said - I am amazed.

One particular point got me - after Hamlet has broken from Horatio and the guards to follow the Ghost and hear its tale, he has a soliloquy on stage -and he was staring right at me. Now, I know he wasn't actually looking at me - I was merely in the way of his focal point. But for one small moment - many lines, in fact, I was breathlessly still because David was staring at me, and for that time, i felt like it was only me in the theatre. Just amazing.

I am in awwe. And osm eof me can't believe that it's now over. At least... Hamlet is. Tomorrow is Love's Labour's Lost. :)

One thing I'm very thankfully about - Maria and Michelle had originally planned on goign to the theatre door after the performance to get autographs. I wasn't keen - over the months I've heard the horror stories, so I wanted to stay away. While yes, I'd love to have David's autograph, I'd much prefer to send him a small note via his agent to compliment him, but still give him at least the portion of privacy that I can provide.

Michelle was chatting with two ladies who work for the RSC, and from what they said,t he poor guy has just been bombarded. So I was happy when Michelle and Maria decided not to go. We stayed for the curtain calls (only a few people standing - perhaps standing O's are not British proper?), and then headed for a pint, wandering into the dark Stratford night, where the streets were dead silent within a half-hour after the play.

More thoughts tomorrow - it's now 1:20 a.m.... must sleep!

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More recap stuff tomorrow, once I get some photos uploaded! :)