#old vic

[flannelandcurls]

Happy World Theatre Day!

1998-99 "Amadeus", Michael Sheen played Mozart.

2023 "Amadeus", Michael played Salieri.

#michael sheen #Amadeus #Old Vic #Sydney Opera House #1998 #2023

[valentinovamp]

Helen Mirren as Cleopatra in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra (1965)

#helen mirren #vintage #actress #black and white #1965 #antony and cleopatra #shakespeare #william shakespeare #old vic

[shakespearenews]

Photographed during a dress rehearsal, Judi made her London debut as Ophelia in Hamlet at the Old Vic theatre in September 1957

#shakespeare #william shakespeare #judi dench #ophelia #hamlet #theater #theatre #old vic

[haredjarris]

saw christopher ecceleston in a christmas carol this afternoon

#a christmas carol #christopher eccleston #old vic #he really did look at me #he ran through the audience shaking hands (as scrooge) and i reached out and touched his arm and he looked back and waved at me

[myfavoritepeterotoole]

Peter O'Toole

Hamlet National Theatre, 1963 directed by Laurence Olivier

Peter O'Toole as Hamlet

#peter o'toole #hamlet #stage #1963 #national theatre #shakespeare #old vic #still of hamlet #still #other of hamlet #other #hamlet 1963

[honestmysteries]

I need a defibrillator and a fire extinguisher because LOOK AT HIM 🔥🫠 Rami Malek will be returning to his stage roots next January, starring in a special production of Oedipus in London!

I’m so happy for him! 🥰 with Indira Varma as Jocasta!

https://www.oldvictheatre.com/stage/event/oedipus

#rami malek #ramimalek #indira varma #oedipus #old vic #london #rami returning to the stage #i love him so much

[matataku-hoshi]

Groundhog Day at the Old Vic, London 2023

*dusts off the old blog* It's certainly been a minute, hasn't it! Still here, still a huge GHD fan. In the intervening years, I got to see productions at San Francisco Playhouse and at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL. (I also got married and went through a bunch of other life stuff, but that's neither here nor there). But then it was announced that Groudhog Day would be returning to the Old Vic in 2023 with Andy Karl, and my husband and I used that as an excuse to finally do that UK trip we'd been talking about for years.

Tumblr user colemckenzies did a great post outlining some of the changes between Broadway and 2023 Old Vic. I wanted to further elaborate on some additional changes I noticed. Obviously spoilers to follow:

In “There Will Be Sun”, the first chorus of “Tomorrow spring will come and then there will be blue skies my friend” is cut. It goes straight from “If not tomorrow then tomorrow or tomorrow there will be sun” to “Oh if I could I’d will these clouds away my love”

While obviously the revolves are gone (look at me picking up British-isms 😄), the bedroom set gets wheeled in every loop. They keep the trick from Broadway where this is always done counter-clockwise until the loop finally breaks.

As previously mentioned, there’s a wonderful lyric change in Day One. “Their dumb superstitions and vacuous chat, their total unawareness of the fact their trapped, perhaps you don't miss it if you don't know you lack it, I'm sure there was a pack of xanax in this jacket'

I adore this because of the foreshadowing, and how Phil thinks he’s singing about the townsfolk when he’s really singing about himself.

Dialogue change in 2023 when Phil runs into Jonathan:

Jonathan: “Off to the see the groundhog?”

Phil: “Why, isn’t there a tractor pull or a cow-tipping contest?”

Jonathan, looks confused: “I don’t think that’s today.”

When Rita introduces  to Phil on Day One and reminds him of the flood story, Phil takes a second before recalling, groans, and goes, "Oh, the intern? They didn't even send me a real producer." After which Rita corrects him that she's a real producer now, albeit an associate producer. 

On Day 2 when the sheriff drops his gun, Phil asks "How do you have a permit???"

At the end of Day 2, Rita sings “I mean he acts kind of asshole-ish still. I think he might be mentally ill.” While it’s on the cast recording and the early previews bootleg, I could have sworn it was cut in the final Broadway version. Regardless, it’s restored in the 2023 version.

Phil’s “Help me~~~~” at the end of Day 3 is cut.

In Philandering, they cut the line where Phil "proposes" to Nancy (which I prefer - no one is that stupid, and they make the point later that Nancy is more than a caricature)

Also in Philandering, you can hear the chorus singing, “Gonna party like it’s no tomorrow~~~” in the party scene (formerly the orgy scene). Phil also gets 10 pizzas delivered to his room.

Phil is less aggressive when he confesses his “love” to Rita in One Day. 

On Broadway, they sit down directly on the stage, and Phil leans sideways to Rita to confess. As he gets more desperate, he starts to position himself over her and tries to take her hand, after which she slaps him.

In 2023, they’re sitting on a bench together. Phil tries to take her hand, and she pulls away and slaps him. Still creepy, but much less heading in the direction of sexual assault.

Either way Phil totally deserves to get slapped. I’ve talked to a few people who have said they could never root for Phil because of this scene (which is a fair critique). The 2023 version IMO makes the same point without so much portraying Phil as a potential sexual predator. 

Right before Phil smashes the alarm clock at the end of One Day, he yells “Make it stop!” (“Somebody make it stop”? Memory is a fickle thing)

When Phil kills himself with the gun before Hope, it's more explicit that he stole the gun off of the sheriff with his faulty holster.

I don't remember if this is new, but when Phil wakes up at the beginning of Hope, he touches the side of his head where he shot himself and even though he knows that the day will always reset, he still looks a little surprised and it's heartbreaking. 

For the third death/revival in Hope (where Phil climbs the ladder):

Broadway: Phil reappears in bed

Old Vic 2023: Phil reappears on the scene of the broadcast, fully dressed

As noted, lots of changes to If I Had My Time Again. 

Cast recording: "The thing with these revolving rides / they're only fun because you know they're going to end"

Broadway (as of early in previews): "I was completely dead inside / But today I'm like 85%"

London 2023: We're back to the cast recording lyrics.

IMO the orchestration and lyric changes are for the better. I adored this song on the cast recording, but in the August Wilson theater it frequently felt swallowed up.

With the emphasis on just Phil and Rita, it’s a much more intimate song, which is what the scene needs IMO.

I also love Rita’s new lyric “Go to all the parties that I missed / Kiss all the boys I was too afraid to kiss”, because then it’s Rita fulfilling her “time again” when she kisses Phil during Seeing You.

After "If I Had My Time Again", Phil eats a carton of Ben & Jerry's while discussing the almanac with Rita. I love the implication that he’s eaten all of this junk food before, but he’s trying it again with her.

Dialogue change after "If I Had My Time Again" 

Phil: "You know, Larry, we never really talk."

Broadway Larry: "Sometimes I think you don't notice that I'm there."

London 2023 Larry: "Well you never brought me donuts before."

Not a change, but I was sitting close enough one night to see the stock photos they use for Ned’s wallet pictures of his kids, and I realized that “little Mary” is just a baby. It really hit home that Ned has probably just lost his wife in the last year or two, and he’s trying to raise five very young kids on his own.

In the Broadway/cast recording versions of "Philanthropy", you can hear some melodic callbacks to earlier songs. In the London 2023 version, the chorus actually sings lines like, "I'm not sure what the point is / But this point is it don't matter" and "If I had my time again I would not do it all the same"

There's no pause of silence before "Seeing You" starts

After Phil and Rita run off into the snow at the end of Seeing You, the couples left dancing are Nancy/Larry, Debbie/Fred, and then Mrs. Lancaster dances alone in the snow in joyous wonder. I love this bit, becuase it feels like all the different ways you can find a new meaning of love (Nancy/Larry, the couple just discovering each other, Debbie/Fred, who have moved into a new phase of their relationship, and then Mrs. Lancaster, who even as an old woman can revel in the beauty of the snow)

In 2023 when Phil takes Rita to see the sunrise, he makes her cover her eyes, and then unveil them once the full sunrise is in view. It’s very sweet.

Anyway, I love this show, and I love talking about this show, so please feel free to hit me up! I may post more general thoughts, etc. if anyone is interested.

#andy karl #groundhog day musical #groundhog day the musical #groundhog day #phil connors #rita hanson #old vic #ghd musical

[widgenstain]

at The Tomorrow Gala for the Old Vic, April 20th, 2023.

#andrew scott #Old Vic #we appreciate a suit that fits yes we do!

[snarker]

"A new day will follow // There's always tomorrow."

After 7 gruelling years, having finished university and sitting right up at the back of the Circle, I am pleased to be seeing the Groundhog Day Musical at the Old Vic this week.

It was a musical close to my heart, having dealt with alot of existential crisis now, and I am so happy that it came at the right time.

#OVGroundhog #Groundhog Day Musical #Theatre #Old Vic #andy karl #tanisha springs #digital art

[sadpterodactyl]

Oh, this is messy - but at least I had fun! Trying to keep up with one drawing per day challenge and still very much in Doctor Who mood! Christoper Eccleston as Ebenezer Scrooge in Old Vic's Christmas Carol Soft pastels on paper

#christopher eccleston #ebenezer scrooge #old vic #traditional art #soft pastel

[jaybeefoxy]

Mixed reviews about Pygmalion, although the Guardian is complementary. Bertie looks amazing as usual.

If anyone has seen this, please comment with your opinions.

#bertie carvel #henry higgins #pygmalion #old vic

[burtonandtaylor]

Richard Burton | Henry V (1955)

#Richard Burton #Henry V #Old Vic #shakespeare #theatre #stamp #old hollywood #vintage #period drama

[shakespearenews]

Of the numerous showbiz myths that have attached themselves to Judi Dench, the most improbable is surely the account of when, as a young actor, she played the title role in Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Romeo and Juliet at the Old Vic. Legend has it when her parents came to see the play, her line “Where is my father and mother, nurse?” prompted her proud father to call out “Here we are darling, in Row H.” One of the many delights of this new book chronicling Dench’s lifelong love affair with Shakespeare is to learn that it actually occurred. “No one ever believes me when I tell that story, but I swear to God it’s true,” she says.

#shakespeare #william shakespeare #judi dench #juliet #romeo and juliet #theater #theatre #zefferelli #old vic #parents

[kingrawme]

Oedipus | Old Vic Theatre

https://www.oldvictheatre.com/stage/event/oedipus

#rami malek #old vic #oedipus #2025

[theatreinpractice]

Introduction to Playwriting

Building your character

Task

Answer the following character questions to help you develop the central character in your story.

What is their name?

How do they feel about this name?

Where do they live?

What are three things that scare them?

What are three things that they love?

What are three things that really annoy them?

What is their biggest secret?

What behaviour has developed as a result of keeping this secret hidden?

Name three things they have in their bedroom

What’s the most expensive thing they own?

What are the biggest moments in your character’s life? Think about the biggest plot twists in your own life as an inspiration.

What do they want at the beginning of the play?

Task

Now that you have a grasp of who your central character is, plot out their journey throughout your story using three colours, three songs, or three images that represent your character at the beginning of the play, in the middle and at the end. There needs to be a remarkable difference between each stage.

It’s your job as the writer to figure out how to get between each stage.

If you prefer to plot out your play in more detail before you start to write, you can do this by filling in the blanks in the following simple fairy-tale structure:

Once upon a time there was [insert character info]

And every day they would…

Until one day…

And because of that …

And because of that …

And because of that …

Until finally

And ever since then…

Or for something a bit more advanced, try The Hero’s Journey template:

Act One: The Known

Ordinary world

Call to adventure

Refusal

Persuasion or force

Crossing the threshold

Act Two: Into the Woods

Training / Friends / Enemies / Tools / Information

Meeting the mentor

First attempt to achieve goal

Chain of causations (Challenge = Resolution = New Challenge = Resolution) x 3

Biggest Challenge Yet. NB: This should seem like this story is going to end (for example, in the Disney film Coco, Coco meets Dela Cruz – everything he has wanted!)

Failure or failed success

Rock Bottom. Sometimes called ‘dark night of the soul’

New self-knowledge

Rebirth

Act Three: The Road Home

Renewed battle

Win or lose

Win = Journey home, world changed, need fulfilled

Lose = Death (or form of death), no journey home, world changed

Task

Consider where are we in your character’s life when the play begins. What is important about the day we meet them? To help develop this, answer the following questions:

What was your character doing five minutes before the play started?

What were they doing five days before the play started?

What were they doing five months before the play started?

What were they doing five years before the play started?

Looking over your character’s history, have you chosen the best moment in which to start your play? Can any of this backstory inform what happens to your character during the play?

https://www.oldvictheatre.com/discover/the-hub/independent-learning/introduction-to-playwriting/building-your-character/

Credit by : Old Vic ☝️☝️☝️☝️

#scott chambers #old vic #winnie the pooh blood and honey #josh hutcherson

[myfavoritepeterotoole]

Peter O'Toole at the bar of the Old Vic Theatre, June 1999

#peter o'toole #himself #old vic #old vic theatre bar #1999 #jeffrey bernard is unwell #the old vic theatre bar #bar