The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 19.0271 Thursday, 8 May 2008
[1] From: Olwen Terris <
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Date: Tuesday, 6 May 2008 16:02:01 +0100
Subj: RE: SHK 19.0264 Redheads Revisted
[2] From: Arthur Lindley <
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Date: Tuesday, 6 May 2008 16:11:58 +0000
Subj: Re: SHK 19.0264 Redheads Revisted
[3] From: John Zinn <
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Date: Tuesday, 06 May 2008 22:06:52 +0000
Subj: Re: SHK 19.0264 Redheads Revisted
[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: Olwen Terris <
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Date: Tuesday, 6 May 2008 16:02:01 +0100
Subject: 19.0264 Redheads Revisted
Comment: RE: SHK 19.0264 Redheads Revisted
>A friend in the UK tells me that the RSC History plays
>run is excellent and he heard that the Boyd production
>of RII has the King as an obvious redhead and that
>there are distinct parallels to Elizabeth I. I would
>love to hear if any members have been lucky enough
>to see this (I heard was sold-out) and what the
>reactions are. In the meanwhile, I'll look for
>some reviews.
Indeed Jonathan Slinger's wig (he is shaven-headed in real life, or was
when I attended an `in conversation' lecture he gave in Stratford last
year) is orange, luxuriant and curly as a click on the following link
will show.
http://www.rsc.org.uk/content/5921.aspx
It didn't occur to me at the time but no doubt the parallels to
Elizabeth I were there. To my 21st century eye Slinger's performance
(voice, gait, bearing - and wig ) put me strongly in mind of the writer,
actor and gay rights campaigner, Quentin Crisp as portrayed by John Hurt
in 'The Naked Civil Servant' , see
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/timelines/05/itvfifty_4.xml/img/timeline_hurt.jpg
I wasn't overwhelmed by the production myself but Slinger's performance
was mesmerizing. There will be many reviews readily available now.
Olwen Terris
[2]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: Arthur Lindley <
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Date: Tuesday, 6 May 2008 16:11:58 +0000
Subject: 19.0264 Redheads Revisted
Comment: Re: SHK 19.0264 Redheads Revisted
That's Jonathan Slinger, who also does a pyrotechnic version of Richard
III in the same cycle. He's a very good R II, helped or hindered
according to taste by a carefully constructed physical resemblance to
Eliz I. He's an even better hunchback, this time without resemblance to E.
You can, by the way, search the websites of, for example, the
*Guardian,* *Times, Independent, Telegraph* et al. for their reviews.
The Royal Shakespeare Co. website should be able to provide some
images. You could also check the latest number of *Cahiers
Elizabethains* (2007), which is devoted to the Complete Works season,
including the history cycle.
Arthur
[3]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From: John Zinn <
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Date: Tuesday, 06 May 2008 22:06:52 +0000
Subject: 19.0264 Redheads Revisted
Comment: Re: SHK 19.0264 Redheads Revisted
At the end of February, my wife and I went to Stratford from the USA to
see the whole cycle. It was a great experience especially seeing all
eight plays in such a concentrated period, including the three Henry VI
plays in one day. Supposedly, this is the first time in history that the
same ensemble has done all eight plays over such a short time.
Jonathan Slinger plays Richard II (also Fluellen and Richard III) and he
starts off wearing a red wig that does spark memories of Elizabeth I. As
things start to go, bad for Richard he takes off the wig and is bald for
the rest of the play. Slinger does a variation of this in 3 Henry VI as
Richard of Gloucester.
I can't say that I noticed any other parallels to Elizabeth, but I may
have missed them. At the beginning of the play, all of the characters do
a sort of procession towards Richard as the procession moves forward
they reveal a dead body on the stage - the murdered Gloucester or Woodstock.
Video clips from Richard III and Henry V are available on the RSC web site.
John Zinn
[Editor's Note: My daughter Rebecca and I were quite impressed with the
three Henry VI plays we saw two summers ago at the Roundhouse during the
International Conference. We were fortunate that the series concluded
with the opening night of 3 Henry VI with its ultimate stunning image of
Henry's bleeding corpse (and we in the uppermost gallery). There seemed
to have been virtually ten gallons of stage blood oozing from Henry's
blood pack, the bright red from the resulting pool that formed around
him, contrasting so well with his white garb that signifying his purity,
the blood, representing the symbolic depleting of this Lancastrian's
life force, fouling the costumes of all of the remaining characters on
the stage who walked through that enormous pool surrounding him. And
finally, on this 3H6 opening night, after the curtain (or rather
blackout), the cast passed out red and white roses to those in
attendance. A fine, memorable theatrical evening. -HMC]
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S H A K S P E R: The Global Shakespeare Discussion List
Hardy M. Cook,
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