CarrieHarayel

Its a very weird stage to try an film from... it isnt a raised stage the studio seats curve up the first two rows are on stage. There is no balcony or dress circle. the seats on stage where actually on stage. The stage it self was quite small. I dont think they filmed Macbeth when they did it last year with James Mcavoy. Ive develped post theatre blues i got that when i would go see bands. Get really excited just after but miserable next day. I dont do much so this is the most enjoyment ive had since going to Birdland!

It was really good. I went last night aisle stage seating was interesting and on occassion uncomfortable all the actors entrance/exit for most of the time. Its good to get stage seat and studio seat go twice you miss things sitting on stage but also see things that someone in the front row of the studio seats could miss. The blood wasn't as bad as i thought at least in my mind. It was gory though. Yes if you sit in the first couple of studio rows the actor who is the 'blood spray one' will walk right in front of you and I am sure now its very intentional to get as much on the audience as possible... it looked like it from were i sat at least. Also before it started you could see the dried blood splatter on the front seats. And if you are on stage the aisle had drips of blood all over the place. once the actors walked down it was quite slippy. There are 20 cast members at some point on stage a number who don't have lines are understudies for main characters but more intresting is the actor who played Richmond (I thought was very very good indeed) understudy of Richard III. There is that part of me wondering what his Richard III would be after all there is 2 months left.... All the actors were great though and of course Martin. There was one point I was sitting there and he walk up into the aisle the faced the front audience was standing right in front of me... i had no where to look (hence it being uncomfortable at times) for a minute or so I had his arse a foot from my face.... thats how close it gets on stage seats!!! Also im not spoiling anything if i say Richard III dies in the end right?? Yeah if you have stage seats he dies right in from if them :-) There is also for anyone who is jumpy like me pyro and loud bangs at points through out... thats all you hear audience yelp... I dont know how to do reviews or that. It was a very surreal production there is lots of violence, some death scenes are... disturbing! I think many would have read about the fish tank? That has two real life fish swimming in it the tank gets lets say 'messy' my concern was 'oh my god the fish' concidering by that point I had named them Sherlock & Watson!!! I thought Maggie Steed's Queen Margaret was scary esp the first time she has dialougue the trouble was she faced the front. In all fairness and you can disagree with me if you see it and think otherwise. I watch a lot of horror and getting into avant garde surreal films nowadays. If Richard III could played like a horror film this would be it. I need to see this at least 3 times i hope i can get another ticket its something you have to watch again. For anyone who has never been it gets very hot in the theatre. Take a fan you can wave. Also the stage door is round the other side. Its a case if Martin may or may not do stage door signings. Usually matinees he doesnt but this was the late show and this time he did. My only chance probably. He not doing photos with people. I assume all the other actors leave stage door. The first one i met was Joshua Lacey who played Rivers there was a woman who got a photo with him. Im okay if someone else stops someone i can sneek in there because I can get bad social anxiety. Then Gerald Kyd (Catesby) walked out but the woman didn't stop him neither did she stop Phil Cumbus who was Richmond he walked fast and it was running to catch him or may miss getting in the crowd (a LOT of people) for Martin. Next time i will try and get meet him. He is very good does mainly theatre & Shakespear which is probably why he good at it. Next was meeting Paul Leonard (Standley) he was very lovely I was over hearing his conversation with the woman who stopped him (same as before) he was very friendly seemed quite suprised he was stopped. Which actually quite sad if you think about very simular going to see Birdland and the other 5 cast genuinly suprised when people asked them to sign programmes!! Then haha since I knew who Maggie Steed was before I knew who Martin Freeman was she wandered up the road with Gabrielle Lloyd (Dutchess of York). She very tall I actually ran up to her... wasnt going to miss her. She said about us running up to her she was actually very very suprised we did and asked her and Gabrielle to sign my programme. They were lovely. Then the crowd went nuts because Martin came out. In all fairness he was lovely he signed but there were people in the front who wouldnt leave once they had something signed to lets others in. It wasnt as nuts as what the Birdland stage door was but after I got my programme signed then stepped back got a blurry picture and left. By then it was after half 10. There was a girl in front of me who he talked to saying 'you where at the matinee' she was 'yes' he was 'you know how i know... by your shoes' everyone laughed. When i got my programme signed he was like 'oh wow' because by then it had 4 other signatures on. I may have come over slightly sarcastic when i said 'yeah i have a collection'!! Because i say stupid things its going down as one of those.

Im "pretty sure" all the audience defacement happens to the ones in the front of the stall seats for probably bits of it I will be watching the backs of actors heads?! Anyway I'm up in the 3rd row... But if you get front row stall seats they are the best ones if you want to be up close to it all.

Yeah set in the 70s. Im going to it now I actually bought tickets today so it will be a waste of 50 quid if i chickened out. Ive got 3rd row aisle seat but on the stage (its a weird setup)... apprently the aisle is the same one the actors use to enter the stage... which i find odd. On the theatre monkey someone said 'be careful not to slip on blood in the aisle and dont touch the hand rails'... great!! Ill report back once I have gone.

Live is great... I spent number of years going to see live bands. I really enjoyed going to see Birdland the other month. It was amazing to see acting/performance live. But it never registered in my mind they will sometimes use stage blood. I had a massive fear of blood when I was younger while I can now watch most gory horror movies you can think of.... I can stand the thought of it coming anywhere near me. It not that it makes me feel ill its that i start to panic which could possible lead me to passout or throw up. It was reading a review yesterday then googling productions... eeekk. Then thinking what if I buy a ticket for something having no idea what its about.... I know it sounds stupid but I get panicky with many things avoidence seems to be the easy solution!!

I was really going to go try and get the 15 quid tickets. But I wouldnt want anyone sitting in front of me when I throw up... so... I think they need to give warning on blood use in productions before you start buying tickets. Even though Ive only started going I really don't think Im going to bother with much theatre.

Just a bit! :-\

The director said on twitter its not intentional that some audience members end up with blood all over them. well really... I was thinking like you said clear the first few rows of seats... unless?! Ive been googling other productions and the same director did Macbeth at the same place some of the audience ended up the same. Some people on twitter/tumblr saying they went to RichardIII other day and the blood soaked right through their clothes! This has really put me off of theatre, buying advanced tickets and sitting anywhere in the front 5 rows. I'm thinking regardless of if you tell people. Why it not acceptable for the audience to interfer with the production but perfectly acceptable for the production to violate the audience!!

I would have thought the same thing... In this case no because Ive been looking around on the web/twitter it would appear you probably will be violated if you're in the front rows!!

When I heard about this I really wanted to go (who wouldn't? Its Martin Freeman!) then I found tickets were in the region of £30 to £70 a little to expensive even the cheapest seat was £30. Then I found out they were selling £15 tickets at the start of each month... yay! Now I'm reading about the production =-O the very bloody production apprently! Just a quick question for anyone who got tickets for the front rows... where you told about the blood when you bought your tickets? I'm very curious. Also for many reasons i'm glad I didn't get tickets even the £30 ones because I probably would have thrown up at some point!!

I ended up going 8 times to see it. Meet Andrew (a few times) never actually manage to talk in any way other than asking him very shyly if he would sign stuff. But he went out and signed stuff for all 61 shows that is quite some thing. The only other cast member i met was Alex Price when he was announce i was very happy! He is lovely signed all dvd covers i had of him in. Yesterday was the last two shows, at the matinee Mark Gatiss was there. Managed to get a picture with him. :-D

Cool thankyou

Im going a few times (4/12/22/26 april and 7 /24 may) okay when i write that out it looks a lot! Also has anyone been to RCT because most of my tickets are for the dress circle slip. it says restricted view but ive seen a picture of the place it doesnt seem that restricted. Does it just refer to the fact virewing is at an angle?

In April & May Andrew Scott is starring in a play at the Royal Court Theatre written by Simon Stephens. They collaborated before on Seawall. Birdland sounds rather interesting anyway and I'm guessing from the information given its a one man play. I don't if anyone from here will be going but I am. http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/birdland

I like quite a few bands if i had to pick one i go for Behemoth then my taste varies in metal realm. i also listen to classical music usually if i write and its individual piece rather than a composer.