Rev Stan's other stuff

Finally a fully-formed trailer for The Hour and its broadcast date

We've been teased with snippets and photo's as part of the BBC's summer drama promotions but a full-blown trailer for The Hour appeared this week to coincide with the announcement that it is to begin airing the week beginning July 16.

It seems like such a long time ago that I saw a preview of the first episode but I'm not sure the trailer really does it justice. The opening clip with Ben Whishaw looking at the camera is how the episode starts and having seen it on a big screen, I'll never erase that image from my mind.

Of course the cast are in full promotion mode and interviews are starting to appear. The Guardian published an interview with Mr W this week in which he is candid about his dislike of interviews and how his family worry about him. What a delicate soul he is.

 

Ben Whishaw turns acid tongue in The Hour

Just back from my first trip to BAFTA (an experience in itself) to see a preview screening of the first episode of the BBC's new drama serial The Hour.

It's scheduled for broadcast (in the UK anyway) some time in June, set in a 1950's news room as a new daily news programme is launched. And boy are we in for a treat if this first of what will be six episodes is anything to go by.

The script is razor sharp, it is multi-layered and fast-paced. The opening shot is of Ben Whishaw's journalist Freddie talking, with great conviction, directly to the camera about his almost certainly controversial new ideas. As the camera pans around you realise he is rehearsing a speech, talking to himself in the mirror, in the gents.

And so we are launched into the conflicted world of 1950s television news. News which represents a culture that is clinging on to pre-war traditions, governed by cold-war fear and challenged by new thinking and the changing role of women. 

Pride of place

My birthday present to myself was ready for collection today from the framing shop. Now if tragedy ever strikes and my flat is burning I will have two possessions to grab Bun Buns first, then this...

Treasured possession: Ben Whishaw and Pride cast signed playbill

 

The story of how I came by this is here and for those who've read it before, I've added in some more detail.

 

Polar Bears and Robin Hood (not in the same place)

Been to the theatre and cinema this week with offerings at two ends of the spectrum.

Mark Haddon's debut play Polar Bears at the Donmar (all Ben Whishaw spotting excitement to one side) was very enjoyable and Ridley Scott's epic take on English legend Robin Hood wasn't really. I'd go as far as saying that Prince of the Thieves was better because it at least it had charm and Alan Rickman.

Ben Whishaw's Hamlet and stalker tendencies

Ben Whishaw: theatre fan and Stan-stalker

Wow what a day. Who'd have thought it when I woke up this morning?
I suppose it all started a couple of days ago when I found out that the Old Vic version of Hamlet which starred Ben Whishaw back in 2004 was filmed and the recording is kept at the V&A for private viewing on request.
Anyone who's read anything I've written on the subject knows how much I regretted missing that performance and how if I had a time machine for a day, that's where I would go.
But it turns out the time machine was necessary, just a couple emails and at the end of the month I'm going to get my chance to see it. Am still in shock. It is a dream come true.
But if that wasn't enough, it seems that Mr Whishaw has returned from his Broadway stint and taken up his role of Stanley-stalker again.
Off I toddled to the theatre tonight to see Polar Bears, a performance I wasn't supposed to be seeing as I'd booked for two weeks earlier but swapped tickets with my boss who'd doubled booked himself.
I was resigned to the fact that I'd swapped good seats in the stalls for some up in the circle (it's the Donmar so it's not the end of the world).
And just as I was settling into my pigeon perch a few minutes before the play was due to start, who is shuffling into the row in front of me? Yep Mr Whishaw. I nearly spat my wine out.
There was no interval so he got no opportunity to stalk me then and he tried hanging around in the bar afterwards but I nipped into the loo to shake him off ;0)

QotD: Drop Everything

If you could drop everything and go anywhere and do anything - without any financial or personal consequences - where would you go and what would you do? 

Gosh I'm getting predictable.

Right now I would go to where ever Ben Whishaw is and ask him what he is working on next It's been far to quiet since he finished in The Pride on Broadway. There are two film projects that his name is attached to but neither are filming yet and I've a feeling in my waters that he's going to hit the London stage again sometime this year but it is driving me crazy not knowing especially as there still isn't a release date for his last film, The Tempest, just internet rumours about later this year.

Failing that then I can think of only two places and both I've already been to, in fact they were my last two holidays so I would say it's a tie between going back to New York and seeing the bits I didn't get to see and taking loads more photos or going back to Koh Ngai for complete R&R with some yoga, lots of swimming and snorkeling and just sitting on the beautiful beach contemplating the paradise that surrounds me.

New York theatre: The Pride

The cast of The Pride, photo Joan Marcus

Ben Whishaw has not let me down with his choice of plays, so far, and there was a lot riding on this one as it was the reason for deciding to visit New York. So when Sunday night finally came, cue much excited anticipation.
The play is written by Alexi Kaye Campbell who was an actor himself and this may sound like a slightly peculiar thing to say but it is definitely an actors play. Kaye gives the three central actors two different characters to get their teeth into, setting the story around two groups of people living 50 years apart and switching the action between the two.
In the first, 1958, setting Hugh Dancy and Andrea Riseborough play middle-class married couple Philip and Sylvia. Sylvia is working on some illustrations for a children's book written by Oliver (Ben Whishaw).
When Oliver meets Philip there is an instant attraction and a relationship of sorts ensues. It is a relationship shaped by a time when homosexuality was illegal and seen as a treatable 'affliction'. It is also a relationship that Sylvia suspects.
Jump forward to 2008 and Philip is a photographer who has just dumped his boyfriend Oliver for yet another infidelity. Sylvia is their best friend.
With a far more liberal and supposedly accepting attitude from society towards homosexuality the issues switch to the price of that sexual freedom.
Whishaw, in a radio interview, said the play is about love. And simply it is but it is also about how society's attitudes towards being gay impact and shape that love and the people in love.
It is a deep subject matter but dealt with, with bursts of lightness and laughter.
The play debuted in and is set in London, so some of the references to parts of the city may have been lost on one or two of the audience members but it wasn't noticeable and the level of applause at the end implied it was thoroughly enjoyed.
But did I applaud vigorously? Do you need to ask? Of course I did. The cast were cracking, the play was both entertaining and engaging and Mr W didn't let me down - even when I stopped him heading off up the street to sign an autograph afterwards.

Other reviews:
NY Times - Musings on gay identity
Theatremania - The question of 'nature versus nurture' gets a queer twist
Time Out New York - 'I thought I knew you' 

I'm leaving today and rules of celebrity encounters

Last morning in this fine city called New York.

Yesterday was another mammoth walkathon clocking up about 16km (pedometer decided to reset itself half way through the day). Did the International Center for Photography in the morning then walked down to the Empire State Building and onto the Flat Iron Building which has to be my favourite of everything I have seen.

Strawberry cheesecake: well it was one of my five a day

Then I just strolled, strolled, strolled through Greenwich Village stopping for cups of tea, a bit of shopping and a huge slice of cheesecake (decided to throw food intolerances to the wind and treat myself).

And then the reason I am here: The Pride. The Lucille Lortel is a curious theatre. You virtually take two steps off the street and you are in the auditorium. There is no bar or kiosk of any sort just the stage, seating and a loo. No wonder the tickets prices are so high, with the programmess being free it's the only source of income.

Been there, seen it, got the autographs

Anyway the play was marvellous but I won't write about it here. What I will say is that I broke all my rules about encountering actors/famous people I admire and hung around at the stage door to get Ben Whishaw's autograph. I got the rest of the cast too so they didn't feel left out. (Hugh Dancy just signed and handed back and seemed in a hurry, Andrea Riseborough was chatty)

Ben was the last out and tried to sneak off down the road but I called him back (yes I shouted at Ben Whishaw in the street!) as there were a few of us waiting in the freezing cold.

He was really sweet though looking a bit embarrassed that he'd tried to sneak off.

A lady got her programmes signed first saying she'd come all the way from the West Coast.
It was then my turn and so I said I'd come all the way from London and it was a great play. He thanked me and said: 'We've come all the way from London too'. (Which isn't strictly true as Hugh Dancy lives with his wife Claire Danes in New York but I wasn't going to correct him.)  He took his time to sign his name so at least you can read it, unlike the other scribbles. And he took the time to look everyone in the face as he handed back the signed programmes rather than just signing, handing back, signing, handing back etc.

And that was it. Brief and to the point.

Of course afterwards I thought of all the things I should have asked or said kicking myself all the way back up town to my hotel but in a way I'm glad I didn't because I probably would have made a tit of myself by saying something stupid. Which is why I have the rule about celeb encounters: Don't do it you'll only make an idiot of yourself and then feel mortified afterwards.

QotD: Groundhog Day

In celebration of Groundhog Day, which day would you like to live again and again and again?

The first thing that came to mind was 'any day I went to see a play with Ben Whishaw in it' but to hone that down it would be the day I went to see him in Cock for the second time and there was a Q&A afterwards and then I went for a drink in the Royal Court with Poly whom I'd met for the first time having followed her on Twitter for months. The cast from Cock and The Priory together which was on at the main stage, together with some of their celeb friends were hanging out in the bar too.

Then the second day that came to mind was Christmas Day on Koh Ngai last year. Beautiful location, beautiful weather, yoga, lovely people, boat trip, amazing snorkeling, dinner on the beach while being entertained by lady boys, in full drag, lip-synching to Thai pop songs.

Both are quite recent but if I thought about it too much I'd never be able to narrow it down to just two.

Christmas Day entertainment, Thai-style

To be gay or not to be gay - it's nobody's business

There's been a bit of a heated debate, stateside, about a couple of interviews Ben Whishaw has given in the run up to The Pride opening at the MCC Theatre in which he stars with Hugh Dancy and Andrea Riseborough. I wasn't going to write about it but as I've got this lovely little behind the scenes video of the play Cock to post it seemed an opportunity to mention my thoughts on it.
What happened was in an interview in the NY magazine, the journalist who was interviewing Whishaw and Dancy made an assumption about both actors sexuality by asking: 'How does it feel as straight men playing gay characters'. No correction to the assumption was given although Dancy is married to Claire Danes. Then in an interview for gay magazine Out, Whishaw's answers to certain questions have been interpreted as basically coming out.
NY magazine subsequently edited the online version of its article to take out the hetrosexual reference but you will get the gist of what both interviews said by reading this village voice blog.
I won't even go into the different arguments that have sprung up because I think most miss the fundamental point: Why do people think it is their right to know? How many people have you meet or know in your daily life have you asked if they are gay or straight?
And it has no bearing on his acting ability. I've seen him play straight and gay characters equally brilliantly.
The one point it does highlight which probably goes a long way towards explaining why few actors do come out is that straight actors playing gay is a big deal in the same way that pretty actresses putting on weight or making themselves ugly for a role is a big deal, usually resulting in awards (Charlize Theron, Monster, for example).
But I want to ask one question: If Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger were openly gay (they might well be/have been gay who knows?) would there have been half as much fuss made about Brokeback Mountain? Probably not. But then they probably wouldn't have been cast if they were - that is Hollywood for you.

Anyway enough of all that the reason for starting this post was to show off this video I found on The Stage website. Simon Annand has a brilliant book out which showcases photographs he's taken over the last 20 years of actors preparing to go on stage in the half an hour before curtain call or The Half as it is known in the industry.
As part of an exhibition for the V&A Simon not only took photos back stage at Ben Whishaw's play Cock but also shot some video and it's fascinating giving a candid insight into what the actors got up to in the half an hour before curtain call. Well I think it is anyway. The first few minutes set up the project.

The Half - the photography of Simon Annand from Ganos on Vimeo.

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...some trace of her at the National

Well my reading marathon of Dostoevsky's The Idiot paid off. ...some trace of her, which was inspired by the novel was breathtaking, frustrating, fascinating, distracting and utterly engaging all at the same time.
I actually left the theatre feeling a bit shaky.
But how can I describe a performance unlike anything I've ever seen before? I can't hope to do it justice but I will at least try.
If you imagine a film set. A black and white movie. And it is being acted, lit, shot and sound recorded on a stage in front of you while simultaneously being editing and projected onto a screen hanging above the stage you get a bit of the idea.
There were no technical crew on stage though. It was all done by the actors with choreographed precision. (And live musician's back stage.)

Ben Whishaw as Prince Myshkin from this webiste: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the

At any one time three people could be playing in a shot. For example there was a scene where Prince Myshkin played by the once again far too talented Ben Whishaw is eating soup while deep in thought. Someone is filmed filling the soup spoon with soup and lifting it as though to their mouth, stage right while stage left, Whishaw completes the action lifting a soup spoon to his mouth and eating it. In the centre a third actor provides a voice to Myshkin's thoughts.
It is all instantly edited together so that on screen you are watching the Prince eat soup and listening to his thoughts.
At the same time the remaining actors are providing necessary sound effects and rapidly setting up for the next scene. In a film, each scene would be shot perspective by perspective then edited together at a later stage.
It all sounds a little chaotic and it was at times and quite distracting. Sitting close to the front, as I was, you are level with the stage so you did get sucked into what was happening there rather than watching it all come together on screen.
But it ached with cleverness at times. The sheer imagination and organisation and not forgetting the performances as there often wasn't another actor to play off.
Critics of it argue that you go the theatre to see the actors and it was difficult to see them in the flesh at times with lighting rigs, props and off-scene actors dodging about, especially as the stage had low lighting so as not to interfere with the 'film' lighting. But the thrill of the live performance was magnified by the fact that there were so many different technical elements all coming together at once right before your very eyes.
Katie Mitchell who wrote and directed has chosen to pick out the bare bones of the novel's story and pieced together its overall themes using a series of very loosely connected set pieces. There is little conversation and a lot of monologue.
A lot of the Dostoevsky's characters have been jettisoned to concentrate on the love triangle between the central characters. And that isn't a great shame, but I felt the Aglaya character who serves to complicate the love triangle in the book was introduced a little too late and the character underplayed.
One or two characters also seem to pop up randomly and this is where the background knowledge of the novel certainly helped to add to some context.
So it certainly wasn't without its floors. But the thrill of the live performance certainly made up for it.

 

 

I was maimed by Ben Whishaw*

Ben Whishaw in Leaves of Glass

First of what is going to be a theatre-packed month today. The play was Leaves of Glass by Philip Ridley with the excellent Ben Whishaw and Maxine Peake of Dinner Ladies and Shameless fame at the Soho Theatre.

It is a small theatre with unallocated seating. Being the penultimate performance it was sold out but I still managed to secure a spot on the front row.

The stage was the same height as my seat and close enough to act as a comfortable foot rest, so the action is very close, more of which later.

It is an interesting play, a tale of two very different brothers shaped by a childhood loss and experience.

The incident which is central to their relationship is never explicitly explained, merely hinted at which makes it all the worse. The brothers can never have an equal relationship because of it and this becomes apparent as the play progresses.

Although two hours without an interval, it rushed by helped by startling good performances by all four cast members. Ben Whishaw adopts the east end, working class boy turned self-made business man attitude, as well as accent, effortlessly.

The only suffering during the performance, on my part anyway, was during a fight scene between the two brothers. During the scuffle, Ben Whishaw's watch some how got ripped off and hit me from across the other side of the stage. I have a (very small) bruise on the top of my foot. It did take me and the person sat next to me somewhat by surprise.

At the end of the play, being the goodish citizen I am, I only thought about pocketing it as a memento for a second or two. Instead I handed it in to a rather bemused member of the theatre staff.

Definitely goes into my claim to fame top three after Jools Holland buying me a scotch and being kissed on the cheek by snooker players Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White when I was 18.

* possible hyperbole