Farewell, Twelfth Night and Richard III, and thanks!

[macnyc]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 9:54am

Today marks the last performance of the wonderful Twelfth Night, which ran in repertory with the equally astounding Richard III, both featuring Mark Rylance and a cast of super accomplished British actors. I had the wonderful luck to have seen Twelfth Night six times and Richard III twice, which means I attended the equivalent of an entire week of performances.

I wish to say thank you to the performers and musicians, as well as the myriad behind-the-scenes makeup artists and costumers, who put their lives in England on hold in many cases to move to New York City for four and a half months. It must not have been easy for them to uproot themselves, but it gave us Americans the gift of seeing these plays performed in a style that Shakespeare would have recognized if he could have popped into the Belasco theater.

And I also need to express my appreciation to the producers, who chose to make 250 seats for each performance affordable at only $27 per ticket. I had the good luck to have been seated in orchestra Row B for yesterday's Twelfth Night, and seeing it up close for the first time (having seen it previously from the balcony or upper boxes) is a theatrical experience I will never forget. I was sorry that Stephen Fry had to leave the production early in order to host the BAFTAs today, but my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the production with his worthy understudy as Malvolio. Plus, I am very happy that the show recouped its investment and played to sold-out, appreciative audiences.

My only hope is that this isn't the last we've seen of the Globe Theatre company. Please come back soon!







Updated On: 2/16/14 at 09:54 AM

[jnb9872]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 9:58am

Hear, hear! Shakespeare's Globe is always welcome in my city!

[HorseTears]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 10:11am

Macy - six times? That's impressive! I'm so glad to hear the productions recouped their investment. Twelfth Night was one of the top two highlights of my late autumn NY trip and it would be great to see another NY transfer in the future.

[wonkit]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 11:06am

Truly a wonderful experience! Not a single weak performance or production element - a very high bar for Shakespeare productions and theater in general. And, not having thought much of Rylance in JERUSALEM, I am a faithful convert to the Church of Rylance now.

[AntV]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 11:13am

I know this is a bitter-ish thing to say, but I really don't get why so many people, from here to the show's facebook and twitter pages, went to see this show so many times in it's short run. Do they not know it was filmed at the Globe and released on DVD? I can understand going two, even three times to see it live but don't really think they instituted the $27 tickets so that the same people could see it many times. It reminds me of how the Public asked audience members to only come see Shakespeare in the Park shows twice beginning this year, as unenforceable as that may be. I guess I'm just bitter that all the $27 seats were sold out and I had to order that DVD to see it for the first time. Updated On: 2/19/14 at 11:13 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 11:31am

I have a similar reactionary response. I paid full price (non-premium) for a single Twelfth Night ticket and the show was just glorious and probably the best Shakespeare production I've seen. Sure I would have loved to see it again, and Richard III if time and my budget permitted. But it didn't. Still, I'll never forget that show or the many actors I fell in love with during it. I also remember feeling happy to subsidize those super inexpensive tickets for those who might otherwise not have been able to see the show.

Obviously it's my problem and nobody else's, but six bargain tickets to the same person for one of the shows strikes me less as "lucky" than "greedy". Again, no rules were broken and the problem is mine.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 11:31am

These were two of the best Shakespearean productions I have ever seen in my entire theatergoing life.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 11:57am

Seconded! Good Shakespeare is rare enough, great Shakespeare is one of life's true joys.

[cknick]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 1:16pm

I was lucky enough to see both shows on my recent trip to New York. Both are very high on my list of theater going experiences!

Part of why I think they were so successful in New York is that they remind us of the true magic of theatre. It's so much fun to watch actors deceive us into believing they are someone else, and there is no better medium than an all-male Shakespeare production. I was mystified in Twelfth Night watching Rylance and the rest of the cast work against their physical limits in creating a believable character. It was really, truly magical. A nod to the art of acting!

[Kad]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 1:26pm

Seeing one of the first previews of Twelfth Nights onstage will easily be one of my favorite theatregoing memories. Mark Rylance's Olivia will be something people talk about for years.

[bobs3]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 1:51pm

They will all be back in NYC for the Tony Awards. Rylance will definitely win his third Tony and possibly fourth since he will be in both leading (Richard III) and featured actor (Twelfth Night) categories. I can't wait to hear his acceptance speech!!



Updated On: 2/16/14 at 01:51 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 2:04pm

I think he'll definitely be taking home one of the two, but most likely Supporting.

[macnyc]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 2:07pm

I would love to see Samuel Barnett nominated for his role as Viola/Cesario in Twelfth Night (leading)! He so deserves it. What a performance!

[kyle33nyc]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 2:10pm

These were great productions, and gives me hope that quality theater is still in demand.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 2:12pm

Here's hoping these productions, at the very least, make producers look at their options when it comes to ticket pricing. I was able to see both of these productions in the $27 seats, an opportunity I'm very thankful for!

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 3:10pm

I'm so glad I got to see both Twelfth Night and Richard III, both were absolutely wonderful. And I also hope Samuel Barnett is recognized for his work at the Tonys, he was great in both plays.

[wonkit]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 3:27pm

I will add my voice in favor of a Tony for Samuel Barnett. I am watching the dvd of the Globe performances, and the actor who played Viola does not seem to me to have Barnett's ability to "be" a woman playing a man. I have never in my life seen a male actor capture the feminine demeanor the way he does - the use of the eyes and hands and posture that feels inherently feminine, so that it is clear that the male role is just role playing. And equally well as Queen Elizabeth in RIII, but the Viola/Cesario challenge is so much greater.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 3:37pm

This production was definitely the highlight of the season for me. I originally went as a fan of Stephen Fry, but left wondering how much amazing work I had been missing of Rylance and Barnett before now. It was such magic, I also indulged in a second helping of Twelfe Night.

As for the DVD, they didn't go out of their way to make it known it was available. On the Amazon US site, the title was only showing up in search engines with its German name, and they didn't sell it at the merch table, etc. One imagines in the future, a search on Amazon will bring up results in English again... I only found it on Amazon by going to the UK site, and adjusting the URL back to the US, so it didn't seem like they wanted us to know of its availability. I do intend to get it, though, to revisit Barnett, Rylance, and Fry again and again...

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 5:16pm

SOOOOO sorry I couldn't get to see these. Between weather, scheduling conflicts, and a multitude of other happenings, I just couldn't make it. But I take comfort in the knowledge that these can be sellouts after all the drivel that we seem to have been stuck with. Come on, Mark, when are you going to take a crack at Lear? Or Macbeth? or Iago? Please come back soon!!!!! Congrats to all of you!!!!!!

[Kad]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 5:18pm

NYC has been inundated with Lears, but I would be first in line to see Rylance's take on it.

[wonkit]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 5:40pm

I do not think Rylance is quite old enough for Lear, but I would love to see him as Iago.

[darquegk]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 5:46pm

See, I enjoy the younger Lears, because it drives home that Lear's downfall is not his senility, but a mix of creeping dementia and tragic turns of events.

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 2/16/14 at 6:55pm

The cast threw roses to the audience after the reel dance, and Mark Rylance gave a very touching speech thanking NYC for being such a wonderful host city for the Globe. A perfect afternoon at the theater.

[macnyc]

Posted: 2/17/14 at 3:54am

Also, someone posted on the other bulletin board that Rylance said in his curtain speech that the production had sold a total of 31,000 seats for $27. So amazing!

[LuminousBeing]

Posted: 2/17/14 at 8:59am

Echoing the praise for these prodductions, which I was able to see thanks to the $27 tickets. Thank you for mentioning the DVDs: I had no idea these were filmed until reading this thread, and just ordered them! (I typed "Richard III Twelfth Night DVD" into the Amazon search box on my phone and the product popped up halfway down the page.) Thank you for the mention, because now I can relive the productions, up-close this time!