Thoughts (long and rambling) on the RSC Histories Cycle

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

I saw Richard II a few months ago and the rest of the cycle this past weekend, and took lots of notes. After (hopefully) making them more coherent, I posted them in my journal.

Comments

[house-kitten.livejournal.com]

I'd love to read your review, but your entry is protected :-(

I'm very excited to read what you have to say, because I recently purchased tickets to Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 at the Roundhouse in London. ^_^

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Unlocked!

(And please ignore the earlier comment. I'm not fully awake yet.)

[house-kitten.livejournal.com]

hehe it's ok! I can't believe you got to see ALL OF THEM! I'm jealous of you! ;-) I'm just seeing 1 Henry IV and 2 Henry IV...maybe Henry V if some nice person returns tickets.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Well, I was able to get a returned ticket for Henry V, if that gives you any hope. I'd originally planned to only see the three parts of Henry VI and Richard III because I'm doing a dissertation chapter on them, but after seeing Richard II, I had to see the rest. So I gave in.

[house-kitten.livejournal.com]

What's your overall dissertation on? I'm only an undergrad, but taking a class on Shakespeare's history plays currently. The plays in London coincide neatly with my spring holiday and are right before my essay is due, so I'm very happy for the opportunity! Not to mention the amount of Shakespeare I've seen on stage is woefully low.

How soon before the performance did you get the ticket for Henry V? I was calling every day for a week, but it was eating up way too much of my phone credit (not to mention their hold music is Kenny G...do they have no compassion?)

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

My dissertation is on representation of fifteenth-century royal consorts in literature c. 1450-1610, but I'm focusing mainly on the Wars of the Roses. I have to say, seeing the entire cycle provided loads of food for thought, and I'm very glad I did -- my Shakespeare chapter seems considerably less daunting now.

I bought my Henry V ticket during one of the breaks in the daytime performances; I think it was sometime early in the afternoon. I grabbed the only £5 standing room ticket they had left. It's also possible that if you're willing to queue early before the box office opens on performance day, they might have some tickets set aside (I know in Stratford they saved 10 for each performance for people aged 16-25).

[house-kitten.livejournal.com]

If you're interested, I posted a very long review of the plays I went to see. It also contains a lot of prattle about my other adventures in London, if you don't mind sorting through it. It's right here (http://house-kitten.livejournal.com/266298.html)