Thursday, July 31, 2014

Richard Armitage in Conversation at The Old Vic September 2



Oh Old Vic - your email this morning broke my heart.  I can hear the sighs all over the world right now for those of us not lucky enough to live in London or a reasonably priced airline ticket or train ride away.

The Old Vic Announced the following today - first via email to subscribers and later on Twitter:

Following the overwhelming critical acclaim for Yaël Farber's powerful revival of Arthur Miller's classic drama, The Crucible, we are delighted that Richard Armitage will be in conversation on The Old Vic stage on Tuesday 2 September at 5pm to talk about his career and his role as John Proctor. 
Priority booking for members opens today. 
Tickets £5 – may be restricted view
Premium Tickets £10 – best seats in the house



More Info at link below:
http://www.oldvictheatre.com/support-us/Events/richard-armitage-in-conversation/



Sigh...



Monday, July 28, 2014

My King - Thorin in the BOFA Teaser Trailer Today



"The king has come unto his hall
Under the Mountain dark and tall.
The Worm of Dread is slain and dead,
And ever so our foes shall fall!"





Video from 








(Photo from RichardArmitageNet.com and my Thorin crop) 

Sunday, July 27, 2014

" In the Theatre an Actor Gives"



"Stars bear within themselves the same kind of heroic passions that mark the characters whom they portray. They have the power to sustain those multiple selves in the course of a movie, to sustain a persona in the course of a career, to sustain themselves in the harsh light of fame."







"Yet the mark of good acting isn’t the intentional display of such passions by actors but, instead, the radiating of those passions from the actors, even against their will…  the paradox and pathos of movie acting, as opposed to theatre acting, is that in the theatre the actor gives; in the cinema, the actor is taken from."




"…the peculiarity of an art that’s essentially involuntary, despite the fanatically willful intensity with which actors pursue their artistic labors and their place in the industry. An actor’s efforts to cope with what is essentially the camera’s soul-stealing—whether those efforts are constructive or self-indulgent or even self-destructive—get pulled into a feedback loop that amplifies the image onscreen. "

The New Yorker- The Essence of Stardom *




Richard Armitage and Sean Bean on stage





(photos from Google Images, RichardArmitagenet.com, The Mighty Bean, The Royal Shakespeare Company)


*review of book by James Harvey

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Sean Bean - Legends - August 13












photo of Sean from news.softpedia.com

Sunday, July 13, 2014

"Richard Armitage...Like a Mythic Figure out of Lorca." - The Sunday Times




Federico García Lorca is one of the most important Spanish poets and dramatists of the twentieth century.

(www.poets.org)

Gacela of the Dark Death 

I want to sleep the dream of the apples,

to withdraw from the tumult of cemetries.

I want to sleep the dream of that child

who wanted to cut his heart on the high seas.


I don't want to hear again that the dead do not lose their blood,

that the putrid mouth goes on asking for water.

I don't want to learn of the tortures of the grass,

nor of the moon with a serpent's mouth

that labors before dawn.


I want to sleep awhile,

awhile, a minute, a century;

but all must know that I have not died;

that there is a stable of gold in my lips;

that I am the small friend of the West wing;

that I am the intense shadows of my tears.


Cover me at dawn with a veil,

because dawn will throw fistfuls of ants at me,

and wet with hard water my shoes

so that the pincers of the scorpion slide.


For I want to sleep the dream of the apples,

to learn a lament that will cleanse me to earth;

for I want to live with that dark child

who wanted to cut his heart on the high seas. 

Federico García Lorca







and one for me:


Cuando llegue la luna llena 
iré a Santiago de Cuba, 
iré a Santiago, 
en un coche de agua negra. 
Iré a Santiago. 
Cantarán los techos de palmera.
Iré a Santiago. 
Cuando la palma quiere ser cigüeña,
iré a Santiago. 
Y cuando quiere ser medusa el plátano, 
Iré a Santiago 
con la rubia cabeza de Fonseca.
Iré a Santiago. 
Y con la rosa de Romeo y Julieta 
iré a Santiago.
Mar de papel y plata de monedas
Iré a Santiago.
¡Oh Cuba! ¡Oh ritmo de semillas secas!
Iré a Santiago. 
¡Oh cintura caliente y gota de madera! 
Iré a Santiago. 
¡Arpa de troncos vivos, caimán, flor de tabaco!
Iré a Santiago. 
Siempre dije que yo iría a Santiago
en un coche de agua negra. 
Iré a Santiago. 
Brisa y alcohol en las ruedas,
iré a Santiago. 
Mi coral en la tiniebla,
iré a Santiago. 
El mar ahogado en la arena, 
iré a Santiago, 
calor blanco, fruta muerta,
iré a Santiago. 
¡Oh bovino frescor de cañavera!
¡Oh Cuba! ¡Oh curva de suspiro y barro!
Iré a Santiago.


Federico García Lorca



Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Press Night at The Crucible with Valentina. and More Richard Armitage at the Stage Door - Guest Post Part 5


Photos Property of Valentina - No Posting Without Her Permission


OOOooooooooops! Here I am AGAIN! I think it's my last one...

My first thought is for Fabo who is so kind to let me post my report on her blog. (I think she's enjoying it!)

What happened? Why am I writing another report?

I saw The Crucible two more times after my first view.....three times over nine days!

I really wanted to see it again, because it was very emotional and I thought I had missed something. I loved the show, and of course I wanted to see Richard again... but I couldn't afford another ticket! I am leaving shortly, I'm going back home for the summer holiday but I'm supposed to come back in September. So I was looking for a cheap ticket for the last week. I couldn't find any. I wanted a very cheap one, like £10! No way...no chance to get any ticket for that price. So I looked forward to a lovely dinner on Friday with some amazing RA fans I “met” on twitter because they decided to go to the stage door afterwards.  Another chance to see Richard!

On Wednesday I was out all day and I missed a post on the Old Vic theatre Facebook page....they were giving away tickets for the press night! Luckily my lovely Fabo told me about it on Twitter that night and I bought a ticket straight away without thinking about it for a second. For only £10! LUCKY.  I live here in London and I can get to the Old Vic easily.

WOW!! Exciting! I was attending the show again and at press night! I was so happy!

I arrived early because I had to collect my ticket and meet up with two other lovely RA fans. There were many journalists and photographers…the theatre was very busy. We spotted some of the Hobbit cast there, as you all know.  I tried to stop Orlando but he just smiled and disappeared in the crowd :) I missed Sir Ian. Anyway, I got a very good seat on the upper circle, quite far from the stage but good (C22).

I can't express how I felt when I heard that music again....it's still playing in my mind now. The atmosphere is striking...the lights… the music...I held my breath again!

I didn't know what it would be like seeing the show again after few days. It was press night, and I figured that Richard would give his best that night (yes, I know he always does...but you know what I mean!) ........I didn't imagine he might be so amazing! YES! He was even better than the first time I saw the play. I felt it when he first came out on stage, in Betty's bedroom. His attitude was different, I don't know how to explain it. I'm sure those lucky to see the show more than once will notice a difference between the different performances.

I think Richard used all his voice that night. It was amazing how he was able to modulate it in the different scenes. He sounded incredibly bossy during his confrontation with Elizabeth, painfully broken-hearted when she is brought to jail, deeply regretful when confessing his sin, crying “Forgive me, forgive me...” desperate when he was accused in court... (Pointing at the judges and the girls surrounding him, turning around like a fool) …“God is dead....and we will burn...we will burn together!!!” Those lines made me shiver … his wild eyes and his thundery voice rumbled again in the theatre...oh I can still hear it! And I swear, I heard people releasing their breath after that.

The last act was even more passionate than it was in my first view. You could really feel his sorrow...it almost made me cry! The way John and Elizabeth tenderly forgive each other in their reconciliation scene is incredibly moving. The last part of the show is the triumph of Richard's powerful acting, "(with a cry of his soul) Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another one in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” …........ I feel like crying! This is one of the best parts of the play.  I suddenly feel like seeing it again! I really hear him now shouting those lines.
Seeing The Crucible was an unforgettable experience.

That night was a success for the cast and the director, so many good Five Star reviews! There wasn't a standing ovation. I think 70% of the audience were journalists. After the show there was a party and I saw family and friends of the actors waiting at the stage door. There was a very short queue and Richard, beautifully dressed, came to sign autographs and take pics. He looked happy! I didn't smell him this time, I didn't need to! He filled the air with his perfume...wow I was going to faint!

Photo Property of Valentina - Do Not Post Without Permission

I was so lucky to get another ticket for Saturday night from a very generous girl. I must be honest and say that at first I didn't accept the ticket, I didn't want to see it again so soon. It is quite painful to watch and I was probably worried about spoiling my enthusiasm with the play and seeing Richard on stage. After a while I thought I was a fool! What have I done???  I told my friend to ask somebody else if they wanted the ticket and if nobody was available I would go again...and guess what? I went to see the play again after only two days! I knew it would be different to the others. After the matinée the actors looked all tired, or so I noticed.

Photo Property of Valentina- Do Not Post Without Permission

I wondered how Richard could manage to keep that “rumbling voice” every day, and twice in the same day! In fact, he didn't. I can say his voice was much lower compared to the other two shows I attended. He must have been really exhausted. I also feared he couldn't actually reach the same tone in some great scenes I saw on Thursday night.

The entire show was a bit different, some scenes were faster (they gained 15 minutes, the show now finishes at 11.)  I also noticed that some lines weren't said on the press night, and came back on Saturday. I heard many more giggles from the audience. It seemed they enjoyed some lines or probably they needed to laugh to ease the tension off a little bit.  And William Gaunt with his Giles Corey surely helped!

The washing up scene lasts a little bit more so you can look at a shirtless Richard for a few more seconds. I already described how strong his shoulders and his arms are ... but last time I noticed he's really thin! You can almost see his ribs! I laughed when my friend S said he was “tiny”....TINY???!!! She expected him to be much bigger...wow he looked tiny to me too on Saturday! I hope he will keep himself healthy during the summer, he looks really, really, exhausted already! The strange thing is that Richard's stage presence is really impressive, he looks so massive!

So I found some differences from the first scene, but the whole show was still amazing, I shivered again when the music started. Surprisingly Richard's full voice came back in the second part. He was outstanding!!!!!! I think he might not strain his voice too much during the entire show, or at least not when he plays two shows in the same day.

The theatre was full, tickets were sold out. At the end of the show everybody stood up for a long applause, it was the first time I saw a complete standing ovation! I was almost in tears! Our lovely man was on stage accepting all the praise. I was so happy! He even hinted at a tiny smile.

I understand that this show ends with him being hanged, but I thought all the praise would make him happy!

Photo Property of Valentina - Do Not Post Without Permission

I also noticed that Richard has changed a little bit his approach to the fans at the stage door.  He is incredibly sweet to come out every night to meet the fans (on Saturday there was a very long line) although he's probably very tired. However I’ve noticed that he's now more distant. The first week he was more cheerful and hugged everybody. Now he's always in a hurry. That is understandable, but the fans congratulating him should still make him happy. I don't know why but I find him very serious lately. (I’ve seen him four times over the last two weeks).

Please don't judge me roughly, these are just a fan's impressions...

I would go to see The Crucible again and again! The tickets are sold out almost every night. I am very happy for Richard, he deserves all the praise :) I miss his smile though!

I realise that meeting him so many times makes you see him from different points of view. The first time (at Waterstones') I couldn't even talk to him, I was really nervous and I don't even remember what he looked like!

The second time I saw him at the stage door on the opening night of The Crucible. He was so adorable! I talked about that incredible day here: http://whiterosewritings.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/valentina-meets-richard-armitage.html

My third meeting with him was on Friday the 27th when I finally attended the show. I went to the stage door again and congratulated him. He signed my Crucible book and posed for a picture with me and Judit. He was really adorable!!!!!!!

Then I went again to the stage door but I only took pictures for my friends. I didn't want to bother him again, especially because I have a wonderful picture of him and me already! Oh! I just realised that I met him 6 times already...wow! I'm so lucky! Every time is different and I now feel the need to chat with him properly...which is very unlikely to happen! I think everybody would love to talk to him in a normal conversation. I know somebody who had this incredible opportunity! I always hope to bump into him on the street by chance, maybe one day. It seems I'm quite lucky with these RA encounters!

I wish I knew him better... ah ah ah who wouldn't? I've never been a great fan of actors or singers. I think I don't like that you never get to “know” these people. It’s disappointing! But this is the way things go and we can't change it.

I truly love this guy as an actor and a person, for the little I know about him and I will always follow and support him.

Thank you for reading!

Until next time ;)


Valentina

**************

I want to thank my friend Valentina again for trusting my blog to publish her interesting and insightful eyewitness accounts of seeing The Crucible at the Old Vic and meeting our magnificent main man Richard Armitage so many times at the stage door.  I am having fun sharing her story with our fellow Armitage well-wishers. (Though I'm also weeping on the inside because I'm not there watching Richard on stage too! LOL).  Fabo


Photos are property of Valentina - Please do not publish without her permission.  

Sunday, July 6, 2014

International Mystery: Johan Falk Series




What makes someone risk his life every day for the sake of others? 

What makes someone risk the torture and death of his loved ones? 

What makes someone risk being ostracized by family, knowing what they think they know is totally wrong? 

What makes someone risk their soul and voluntarily go deeper and deeper into hell?

Those are the questions I've been asking every week when I watch this new season of Johan Falk, now playing on Sundays at 9:00pm on MHz Networks International Mystery series:

I’m obsessed every time I watch an episode not with our lead character, Johan Falk, but with Lisa.




Currently on Sundays MHz Networks is showing "Season 2" of this Swedish police series, Johan Falk. The series so far consists of 15 films released between 1999 and 2013.  From reading about Swedish or Nordic Noir series in general, I know that some episodes are seen on TV, some are released in movie theaters and some are released only as DVD's.  I'm not sure where this current group of films we are viewing fall in the 15 film series.  I tried to figure out when the episodes with Lisa began and ended, if they did, but still not sure.  I see on IMDB that an episode is now filming for airing in Sweden in 2015. Hope we'll see it here in the US. 

Last year I watched the first season of Johan Falk starring Jacob Eklund as the lead character.  In the first season we see Swedish policeman Falk both at work and in his personal life. What started out as what seemed like a local robbery turns into a case of international crime and criminals. The first season took us through a number of cases that Johan solves, despite resistance from his superiors. He attracts the attention of Europol, but refuses the job. At the end he's dissatisfied and leaves his job as a policeman.  It's been a while since I watched the first series, so the facts about the individual cases are a bit fuzzy. 


Jacqueline Ramel 


As for his personal life, when we first meet Johan he's having an affair with his colleague, Anja, played by Jacqueline Ramel.

In one of the crimes he's investigating in Season 1 he meets Helene Andersson.  At first she's a "person of interest", and later a potential victim of the case Johan is investigating. During the course of the episode Helene and Johan fall in love.  It's interesting that Helene is played by Marie Richardson, wife of series star Eklund. Richardson is a familiar face for those that watch Swedish mystery/police series.


Jacob Eklund and Marie Richardson

I liked and recommend the first series of Johan Falk films. It's a good police procedural with international intrigue, good acting, and conflicted characters. But I have to confess it's this second series airing now that has grabbed me by the throat and won't let go.  




The second series opens nine years later. Johan has spent a decade working for Interpol, but is tired of his mostly desk job.  He wants to go out into the field again and be there when the action happens. He accepts a job in a special unit GSI in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Johan and Helene have now been together for ten years and have a young son.  Helene has a career in marketing, if my memory is correct, and like most two-career couples, they must decide what to do.  To join Johan in Gothenburg, she must quit her job and move. Right now she's still at her job in another city, and visits Johan on the weekends.  To add to the complicated personal life, Johan's former girlfriend Anja is now the head of police in the same police station where the GSI special unit operates from.



But let's be frank, the center of attention in the second series is Lisa.   In order to avoid any major spoilers for any that have not seen at least the first episode, read on (click on Read More below) if you want to know more about Lisa and the actors in this series (SPOILERS).


Opening Night/Press Night of The Crucible - My Favorite Tweet So Far Tonight



 Thank you Mr. Clark