Tag: theatre

The phrase might be ‘a Prince of the Theatre’ used as if royalty alone gave value to things. Yet Ian McKellen is such a Prince because he played Prince Hamlet so many times – the last time in his recent older age. This blog is Part 2 of “The good and the bad in preparing to watch The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet performed by Ensemble 84 at their new theatre in Horden, …

May 22, 2026

The phrase might be ‘a Prince of the Theatre’ used as if royalty alone gave value to things. Yet Ian McKellen is such a Prince because he played Prince Hamlet so many times – the last time in his recent older age. This blog is Part 2 of “The good and the bad in preparing … More The phrase might be ‘a Prince of the Theatre’ used as if royalty alone gave value to things. Yet Ian McKellen is such a Prince because he played Prince Hamlet so many times – the last time in his recent older age. This blog is Part 2 of “The good and the bad in preparing to watch The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet performed by Ensemble 84 at their new theatre in Horden, …

The good and the bad in preparing to watch ‘The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet’ performed by Ensemble 84 at their new theatre in Horden, from the text of the First Quarto publication, conventionally called by editors a ‘bad quarto’? Part 1 – dealing with ‘fears and self-doubts.

May 21, 2026

The good and the bad in preparing to watch The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet performed by Ensemble 84 at their new theatre in Horden, from the text of the First Quarto publication, conventionally called by editors a ‘bad quarto’? Part 1 – dealing with ‘fears and self-doubts. I will be talking about my expectations of … More The good and the bad in preparing to watch ‘The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet’ performed by Ensemble 84 at their new theatre in Horden, from the text of the First Quarto publication, conventionally called by editors a ‘bad quarto’? Part 1 – dealing with ‘fears and self-doubts.

At a time when the arts is in crisis, Northern theatre companies need to get their act and actors together. The terrible waste of an evening at Elysium’s ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’.

May 20, 2026

I blogged in preparation and noted that I had blogged on Elysium Theatre before, forgetting I saw their wondrous A Midsummer Night’s Dream (though, mainly because too elated, I didn’t blog on it – I remember thinking that Bottom was a real force in the play) thus: I have seen Elysium Theatre before and blogged … More At a time when the arts is in crisis, Northern theatre companies need to get their act and actors together. The terrible waste of an evening at Elysium’s ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’.

I doubt I would I be the ‘playboy’? This blog is my preparation to see the National Theatre streamed version of the play at the Reel Cinema, Bishop Auckland on Thursday 28th May.

May 9, 2026

I doubt I would I be the ‘playboy’? At the end of John Millington Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World, the so-styled playboy, Christy Mahon, realises that he has been transformed into an incarnated idea destined forever to represent a life of constant playtime and being the object of ‘game’ and joy in the … More I doubt I would I be the ‘playboy’? This blog is my preparation to see the National Theatre streamed version of the play at the Reel Cinema, Bishop Auckland on Thursday 28th May.

Perhaps the answer is ‘ a moment of anticipation’! This blog reflects on Eugene O’Neill (1956) ‘A Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ in anticipation of seeing a production revived by Elysium Theatre Company at the Gala Theatre Durham on 19th May 2026.

May 4, 2026

Perhaps the answer is ‘ a moment of anticipation’! A young man and his father are lost to the consumption of hoarded whiskey until the woman, who is their mother and wife respectively, enters pale as a ghost carrying her ancient wedding dress. At this point the youth’s ‘head jerks and his eyes open’, though … More Perhaps the answer is ‘ a moment of anticipation’! This blog reflects on Eugene O’Neill (1956) ‘A Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ in anticipation of seeing a production revived by Elysium Theatre Company at the Gala Theatre Durham on 19th May 2026.

I use ‘social media’ to imagine a void in which a mirror placed therein might be a window or vice-versa and wonder why I talk to what I cannot see in it.

April 17, 2026

I have addressed the cogent reasons for me to use social media in a blog on ‘Why I Blog!’, at this link. But following on from all that is difficult, like driving on through dark empty space and pretending that it can be named as ‘social media’ or some other name that hardly fits the … More I use ‘social media’ to imagine a void in which a mirror placed therein might be a window or vice-versa and wonder why I talk to what I cannot see in it.

A week of Hamlets: [2] From some perspectives ‘Hamlet’ is a play about taking responsibility for your country.

February 13, 2026

A week of Hamlets: [2] From some perspectives ‘Hamlet’ is a play about taking responsibility for your country. Part 1 of this blog can be found at this link. Yesterday Geoff and I saw, after its first launch, the streamed version of the National Theatre’s most recent Hamlet from the Lyttleton Theatre. The choice of … More A week of Hamlets: [2] From some perspectives ‘Hamlet’ is a play about taking responsibility for your country.

‘If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all.’ Hamlet defines the time to designate ‘playtime’.

January 2, 2026

An man ready to play It always amazes how often one can turn to Shakespeare’s Hamlet for assistance in interpreting a WordPress prompt question. Play is a word used as a verb and a related noun and is used so in this question, with the links well established between noun and verb for Hamlet too … More ‘If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all.’ Hamlet defines the time to designate ‘playtime’.

Extra time. Isn’t that another way of invoking ‘…the respect / That makes calamity of so long life’.

November 21, 2025

Extra time. Isn’t that another way of invoking ‘…the respect / That makes calamity of so long life’. Asking himself whether he had rather ‘be’ or ‘not be’ (in short, die now by his own hand or continue living), Hamlet makes it clear that there is an angle (a ‘respect’) from which having ‘extra time’ would … More Extra time. Isn’t that another way of invoking ‘…the respect / That makes calamity of so long life’.

This blog is written after seeing Anton Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull’ as adapted by Michael Poulton at The Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh on Wednesday 29th October at 2.30 p.m.

October 31, 2025

This blog is written after seeing Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull as adapted by Michael Poulton at The Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh on Wednesday 29th October at 2.30 p.m. Let’s start with the fact that John Poulton calls this version of The Seagull not a translation but an adaption. Nevertheless in his programme note he makes it … More This blog is written after seeing Anton Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull’ as adapted by Michael Poulton at The Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh on Wednesday 29th October at 2.30 p.m.

Innocence is not the condition of childhood- rather it is inability to control the heart or stop it from being overwhelmed. This blog is an attempt to prepare myself to see a revival of Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull’ at The Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh on Wednesday 29th October at 2.30 p.m.

October 28, 2025

Innocence is not the condition of childhood- rather it is inability to control the heart or stop it from being overwhelmed. This truth is embedded in the reflexive nature of Chekhov’s great play The Sea-Gull. In Act IV of The Sea-Gull, we hear of the stage in a country estate’s garden that in Act I … More Innocence is not the condition of childhood- rather it is inability to control the heart or stop it from being overwhelmed. This blog is an attempt to prepare myself to see a revival of Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull’ at The Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh on Wednesday 29th October at 2.30 p.m.