RSC HIT WEST END.
The Royal Shakespeare Company's next West End Season has been announced for late '04-early '05.
TICKETS: 0870 060 6621
Group bookings 0870 060 6644
THe RSC will be bringing their four Shakespeare tragedies to the Albery Theatre in St Martin's Lane (following on there from the British Asian Twelfth Night).
Hamlet opens the season, playing 18 November -11 December. Directed by RSC Artistic Director Michael Boyd, it has Toby Stephens as Hamlet, Sian Thomas as his mother, Clive Swift as stepdad Claudius, Richard Cordery's Polonius and Meg Fraser as Polonius' daughter and Hamlet's increasingly mixed-up girlfriend Ophelia.
Romeo and Juliet follows 16 December-8 January. Matthew Rhys and Sian Brooke are the star-crossed lovers in Peter Gill's production.
Bill Alexander directs King Lear 13 January-5 February with Corin Redgrave as the monarch who opens with an ageist joke and goes on to show he's ever but slenderly known himself.
A no-interval Macbeth directed by Dominic Cooke ends the Shakespeare season 10 February-5 March. Greg Hicks, having been turned into a Ghost in Hamlet, here gets to do the killing as the murderous thane, with Sian Thomas increasingly perplexed as his better half. Clive Swift goes on the side of the angels as Macduff while Richard Cordery's Duncan would still have quite a few years ruling in him if things were left to nature.
The tragic vein continues with Lawrence Boswell, after a largely triumphant time producing the Spanish Golden Age season in Stratford's Swan Theatre, directing Tony Harrison's new version of Euripides' Hecuba 1 April-7 May.
It will be the 3rd production of the play (the second in London) in under 12 months. What's Hecuba to us or we to Hecuba indeed?
Meanwhile, the Soho Theatre will host productions from the RSC's Stratford New Work Festival - details to follow.
(What, incidentally, is a "new version"? The term's been used to cover anything from translation to new play based-upon. It would be nice to know.)
Now for the tricky bit - how much does it cost?:
Price range: £10-£34. Lower prices for previews (included in dates above), midweek matinees and for RSC Members (to become an RSC member for £15 pa contact 01789 403440 or join online www.rsc.org.uk).
There are 50 tickets a performance available to 16-25 year olds at £5 each. 25 bookable in advance, 25 from 10am on the day of performance. 2 per booking maximum and all must be collected personally from the box office with proof of age entitlement. No sending granny or 15 year old brother to pick them up.
Though grandparents might benefit from £20 tickets for over-60s Wednesday eves and all mats. Individuals only, no gangs.
School and college groups can come for £10 a head Mon-Thu eves in groups of 10+, with one adult per 10 under 18s required.
Money off for adult groups too Mon-Fri (£6 each for 8+; £8 each for 40+ in group).
Families with up to 4 under 18s, but no more than 10 in total, can have a half-price ticket with every full price one Mon-Fri or Sat mat.
People with disabilities affecting choice of seat pay £12 (same for a companion needed to help with the disability).
And from 1 hour before each performance standbys could be available (unless it's a sell-out presumably) at £20 for students, ES40s, under 25s, over 60s and Entertainment union members.
Understand where you fit in all that and following Shakespeare's darker meanings should be a slice of gateau.
2004-09-16 09:59:20