Benedict Cumberbatch in "Hamlet"

[SherlockedCAMPer]

 

Actually never smoked and was around enough second hand smoke to never want to.

Ditto.

... a non-smoker who's been in a smoke-free environment will be likely to notice if s/he gets close at all.

Yup.

Tell me about it. Realized I had allergy induced asthma to tobacco products after working in a call center with quite a few smokers. And this was from the smell lingering in their clothes.

[Inge l-w]

Dearest Carol, of course it was personal experience!

Wrigley's did it every time, especially when it was around exam preparation time, when stress just drove one to cadge a cigarette from an older pal (only child, remember?), and enjoying a half-litre of AndechserKlosterbier or two StdentenViertele of JesuitenKloster after a ten-hour schedule the year before the dreaded Abitur, got it with 1.2 (A-levels to Ben)! Very close call between a packet of Wrigley's Spearmint or Fisherman's Friend Original! :D

Mind you, I quit both times for the foetuses sake, went CakeCroft instead, and now it is only in the garden that I indulge. Children and second-hand smoke a very definite no-no!

[sfmpco]

The "Cumberphone" campaign...

 

http://playbill.com/news/article/cumberphone-campaign-launched-to-address-cell-phone-use-in-theatres-364261

[J.P.]

 

:D

[Arcadia]

Is it just me or is he getting younger? (It's the hair, I swear....)

[SherlockedCAMPer]

I love his hair that length.  I realize it's too short for Sherlock.  But it has just the right amount of curl for life outside of Sherlock.

[J.P.]

Fencing rehearsal.

 

Well, don't throw things at me, but from I have seen so far, Kobna is much better at fencing than Ben. He moves like a sport fencer.

[Inge l-w]

Dear J.P. , why should the community throw things at you just because you are the tale-bearer? Obviously, having an Arts scholarship at Harrow and playing rugby didn't equip Benedict with enough fencing agility!

[J.P.]

Inge, I always take precautions. :D

 

Well, on Thursday I will be able to say if my impression was right.

[sfmpco]

He won't be cutting his hair for a while.  He's got Doctor Strange starting next month and then Sherlock on the heels of that, but expect him to lop off the curls as soon as Sherlock is done unless his next role requires them.

[sittything]

So who all is seeing Hamlet tomorrow?

 

[J.P.]

[J.P.]

Gosh, Twitter EXPLODED with pictures from the production, wherever they come from... Not Looking!

Yet.

[petnurser]

Me!

[SherlockedCAMPer]

 & Johnspec

[sfmpco]

I will be attending.  Bought my ticket last week.  Woo hoo!

[Joanhs]

Me! Bought tickets last month, just to be sure. Thank god, the place is gonna be full! :o

[T.o.b.y]

Today is the day... I am looking forward to the evening so much, I even had a nightmare about losing the tickets. :-D

[Joanhs]

It was brilliant, breathtaking. Fantastic role for him to play, he made everything out of it he could. The other actors did a fantastic job as well. The scene and light and different way to use it was also perfect. It was a good atmosphere. It wasn't everything I understood so well, but I liked it wasn't that oldfashioned in it's speak.

[J.P.]

I'm baaaaaack.

 

Wow. It was... exhausting. I need to process all the input, so will be back tomorrow with - hopefully something more coherent.

 

For now I can only say it was just another very sur-real experience. There was the little interview before the play started and my brain kept sending wrongs to me every second, until I realized that it is first time I saw Ben on a big screen. The wrongs went silent, but the strange feeling reminded, I cannot really put a finger on it, but I suppose I would feel like this, if someone I know personally, would be seen in a play in a cinema.

Gosh, my brain is seriously screwed...

 

We have had some technical glitches, the picture went down for several seconds and there were minor issues with the sound. And - unfortunately in the most intense moments - you could clearly hear this very distinctive noise that comes when a cellphone is working near a speaker. This play is cursed...

 

I was surprised by the very short applause. No coming back for a second bow (or whatever you call it)...

 

ETA: I think we have just killed Twitter. It's inaccessible right now. :D

[sfmpco]

I'll be see HAMLET at 7:00 PST in a local theater... just under 3 hours now until showtime!  Woo hoo!

[Carol the Dabbler]

I'm getting this mental image of Cumberbatch-as-Hamlet traveling around the world, hour by hour and time zone by time zone -- sort of like Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.... 

[sittything]

I survived Hamlet!  I kid, I kid.  I'm an uncultured rube who has never enjoyed Shakespeare.  Anyhow, the set was gorgeous, loved the use of music in it, and was intrigued by the interesting mix of clothing.  I never really connected with any of the characters.  This has always been a common issue for me and Shakespearean plays.  I just have trouble getting invested.  But Benedict was great as Hamlet, he has such a great sense of comedic timing, and CIARAN HINDS!  How did I not know this man was in it?  He was great as Claudius, but he's always fabulous.  So that was a fun surprise.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

johnspec & I got back almost an hour ago.  We both enjoyed it immensely.  I've seen more traditional Hamlet productions as movies twice before so knew most of the story line.  The modernization didn't feel too modern.  Might post more later as I really do need to get some sleep as it's after midnight my time.

[sfmpco]

I'm back from Hamlet too... need time to decompress and really think about it.  It has been a long time since I've seen the play.

 

I will say that something strange happened at intermission.  Something in the back of the theater.  Some little young Asian woman became very upset about something.  I don't know what but she started yelling, "I have every right to be here!"  The ushers were trying to settle her down... she came down by my area and then started yelling the same thing.  Then she went back up and was yelling something about her husband was coming to pick her up and there would be legal action - and that we had all raped her.  Okay, crazy lady exit stage left.  

 

Then there were two women in the row behind me talking about Benedict as Sherlock, and one of them said something about how she heard him say stuff like Sherlock in Hamlet and that just totally took her out of the play for a few minutes.  Well, I didn't hear any Sherlock, unless she's talking about some of his rapid-fire delivery, but he always is like that.  So, I don't know.  I didn't agree though.  

 

There were at least 102 tickets sold for my theater, but even so, it was 2/3 empty.  I don't think it gets publicized very much.

 

One thing that I kept thinking while watching it, however, was that, although it wasn't live, it was only a few hours old.  It was fresh.  That was all those actors only a few hours before.  I would like to see it a couple more times.