DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
Members' Mausoleum => Calendar Events / Announcements Archive => Calendar Events / Announcements '24 I => Calendar Events / Announcements '04 I => Topic started by: MsCriseyde on April 01, 2004, 07:05:44 PM
-
The recent SG e-mail update reported that Chris Pennock is appearing as Claudius in the Tamarind Theatre's production of Hamlet in L.A. I found this article about the play and its connection to an HBO series from the L.A. Times rather interesting.
ARTS NOTES;
'Hamlet' is making quite a scene
3-14-04
In L.A.'s sub-100-seat theater scene, most producers can't afford to spend much on advertising.
But the hoopla for the "Hamlet" opening March 22 at the 85-seat Tamarind Theatre in Hollywood is something else entirely.
Already, the production is being advertised on 12 billboards, as far away from the theater as West L.A., and on two city buses. Television commercials are in the talking stage.
Francesco Vitale, who runs the Tamarind and stars as Hamlet, says the marketing campaign set for the next few months has a $300,000 budget, raised from three investors whom he won't identify. None of the money is his, he insists: "I'm a struggling actor."
The production also might get a PR boost because it and the Tamarind are being used in the shooting of a new HBO comedy series that George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh are producing. But Vitale says revenue from the HBO deal is not paying for the "Hamlet" marketing campaign, which was already in place before the deal was made. In fact, he believes the marketing might have helped attract HBO.
HBO officials declined to discuss the deal except to confirm that the series has filmed both at the Tamarind and during rehearsals for "Hamlet."
-- D.S.
-
ShadowGram reported that the play was running through 3/30, but actually it's there through May 30.
For show times and information call 323-465-7980.
-
More info:
Runs 8 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays, 2 p.m. Sundays ($35/Thursday to Sunday evenings, $25/Wednesday evenings and Sunday matinees)
Box office 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
e-mail: info@thetamarindtheatre.com
Valet parking available. Several restaurants nearby.
-
Ah. That makes sense. I was wondering why the article talked about a massive publicity campaign for a run of several months and then SG reported a 3/30 close. Had me wondering if the production had bombed. Guess not. :P
-
Wow. This is fabulous news for Chris, and given his background, I'm sure he'll make a wonderful Claudius.
I look forward to seeing photos soon!
Thanks again--I missed this in the long long long Shadowgram email.
G.
-
Steve....I was just going to post that I think Chris Pennock would be great as Claudius.
Has anyone heard anything about it since it's been on?
Midnite, since that's your neck of the woods, anything on the local radio or newspaper?
Patti
-
Midnite didn't mention this directly, though you can figure it out from the email link she posted for the theatre. The Tamarind Theatre web site is:
http://www.thetamarindtheatre.com/
The Flash presentation will take a few seconds to load if you're using a dial-up connection. They have a photo of Pennock with a list of some of his credits, including his recent appearance at the Actor's Studio and his "terrifying portrayals on Dark Shadows."
(Time for a gratuitous medieval student comment: They also misspelled Abelard of Abelard and Heloise as Abeland. ::) )
-
Well this is good news. Thanks for letting me know. I'll see what I can do regarding organizing an outing in the next week or so for the LA DS Club.
The last group I organized to see the Actor's Studio production really enjoyed it. I think Chris Pennock did too.
(http://home.pacbell.net/cbsbiz/Victoriaquill.gif)
-
Following the links from the theater's page, I'd say that's quite a website for a "struggling actor."
Not to mention the theater's webpage -- not exactly slacking. Do all L.A. theaters have this level of marketing? Someone I know (formerly with the Royal Court Theatre) is artistic director of a theater in NY, and you can't even find anything about her or the theater on the web ...
It would be interesting to see a DS actor in a stage performance like this. Would like to be informed here if there are any reviews. It would have to be better than the last "Hamlet" I saw (Royal National Theatre tour). Guess I'll have to put in my Ethan Hawke version DVD this weekend ...
-
Would like to be informed here if there are any reviews.
Gotcha, Vlad.
I haven't been able to find an explanation as to why opening night was postponed-- only that the performances through April 1 were cancelled-- and I didn't post the cost for the first night's tickets because I thought it had already passed. But to rectify that, tickets for tomorrow's (April 2) opening night, which includes a reception, are $70.
-
Someone I know (formerly with the Royal Court Theatre) is artistic director of a theater in NY, and you can't even find anything about her or the theater on the web ...
Perhaps your friend should give some thought to creating a Web site for the theater herself, or having a site created for her. If it's the latter option, well, who better than to do it for her than you? After all, YOU have taken that Web design course. [wink2]
-
Would like to be informed here if there are any reviews.
Gotcha, Vlad.
I meant to ask a bit more politely, BTW, something along the lines of, if you happen to see any reviews, and if it's not too much trouble, could you possibly post a link? :) Don't mean to take your beyond-the-call-of-duty efforts for granted. :) :)
MB, I'm amazed you would remember that -- I'd nearly forgotten myself. Can't say I truly enjoyed the experience of struggling with Frontpage ... although I would like to some day create a webpage for Welsh actor and playwright Emlyn Williams. As for the actress/director I studied/worked with, I actually haven't been in touch with her since she moved to New York City a few years ago, although I later came across some highly favorable reviews of productions she has directed there.
-
That's strange, I went back into the above post to modify it by adding a further comment. A bit later now, I went back to re-read what I wrote ( ;D ) ... and the part I added isn't here! I'm sure I clicked "Save."
Anyway, I just said something else about Chris Pennock, about how I was surprised by his restrained performance in "Frances" (the only non-DS work I've seen him in), and that I wish I could see this stage production.
And now, I think I've about reached my posting quota for the day ...
-
And now, I think I've about reached my posting quota for the day ...
You're 2 below the limit til the forum clock resets. ;)
According to L.A. Weekly, the production puts a modern twist on the tragedy-- the setting is present-day Denmark-- and Vitali (you know you're a struggling actor when the Times misspells your name) plays a hip Hamlet.
-
MB, I'm amazed you would remember that -- I'd nearly forgotten myself.
MB remembers all. [b003] (And has it filed away for whenever it might prove useful - like in this case. :D)
-
Due to "unforeseen circumstances", performances from April 2 through the 8th have also been cancelled and opening night has been "temporarily rescheduled" for Friday, April 9, and the Tamarind Theatre has extended an apology for any inconvenience this may cause.
How bizarre.
-
Apparently, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. ;D
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
-
[lol2]
-
Opening night photos!
Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, April 9, 2004 on wireimage.com (http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=gls=1=14==58345)
Includes two pics of Chris Pennock on stage.
-
And opening night *finally* comes off. But I'm sure no one was more happy about that than the actors. ;)
Great photos of Pennock. Thanks (as always :)) for the link.
-
Typed from the L.A. Times article appearing in today's Calendar Section
Thank you, Bette, for the heads up! My only other comment is OHMYGOD!!!
Something rotten indeed, forsooth
"Hamlet" at the Tamarind falls into that category of purgatorial theater--a production so dreadful that a poor playgoer will surely receive comp time in the afterlife for merely sitting through it. From beginning to end, it is a royal pain in the arras.
Note to Francesco Vitali, who plays Hamlet (and happens to be the Tamarind's artistic director): Next time you mount such a blatant vanity production, try Neil Simon. It's easier to ad lib in contemporary English.
Speaking of English, the Greek-born Vitali has an accent so thick you can cut it with a rapier, complete with a Schwarzenegger "s" that he adds liberally where it doesn't belong ("Lady, shall I lie in your laps?"). Instead of rectifying that liability through projection and enunciation, Vitali proceeds to gulp his lines like a drowning man. Half his speeches are incoherent, and those that are roughly comprehensible are butchered. ("What a piece of work is the man.")
Unfortunately, the problem isn't confined to the star. Line amnesia and slurred speeches are rampant. A few performers manage to tread water in the vicinity of the shipwreck, but all hands are eventually dragged to muddy death.
Director Aaron Mullen has scads of reputable credits, but he can't stem the tide of disaster. This "Hamlet" is notable for its enormous advertising budget, evidenced by the big glitzy posters seen about town. That money would have been better spent hiring vocal coaches.
--F.K.F.
[/size]
"Hamlet," Tamarind Theare, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends May 30. $25-$35. (323) 465-7980. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.[/font]
-
Typed from the L.A. Times article appearing in today's Calendar Section
Typed?!! ;D
Much appreciated, truly. :)
My only other comment is OHMYGOD!!!
I can't think of a better expression, so I add my own OHMIGOD!!!
I can't think of having ever read so scathing a review of any theater production ...
The reference to a "vanity" production does bear out the websites, though ...
If it's really this bad, the audience must feel embarrassed just sitting there ...
I'm reminded of the absurdly terrible production of "Hamlet" in "Great Expectations," which is enlivened, however, by the audience's wisecracks! (Pip and Herbert are so mortified for Mr. Wopsle's performance that they try to slip out unnoticed! Poor Mr. Wopsle never recovers, theatrically speaking!)
I wonder if they'll actually run to May 30.
-
I wonder if they'll actually run to May 30.
One suspects not if enough people read that review, believe it, and stay away in droves. :-
-
I wonder if they'll actually run to May 30.
One suspects not if enough people read that review, believe it, and stay away in droves. :-
(Yay, I'm able to post again!)
Judging from the performance pictures, it looks like *everyone* in the cast was
"Ham(let)ing it up" bigtime. No doubt it can be cool to play Hamlet for laughs, but this apparently was NOT intended or advertised as a parody.
The actress playing Queen Gert bears a resemblance to Julie "She's so statuesque" Newmar in the latter's prime. The Hamlet in question, in the first picture, looks rather like he's about to BITE the fair Ophelia, not merely consigning her to a "nunnery". As for "our" C.P., well, I HOPE his actual performance was more serious than those pix (where he looks more nauseated than terrified or angry) implied.
And if those were the minimalist "sets" (not even a real curtain for Polonius to hide behind)--- well, maybe Signor Vitali should have saved some of his advertising budget and obtained REAL sets.
In CT next month, at a MAJOR theater, there's going to be yet ANOTHER, serious-for-real Hamlet in nihilistic modern dress :- , directed by a Yugoslavian expatriate, as though that fact alone gives it additional legitimacy.
Gaack, for MY money give me the Branagh version, even though HE looked kind of silly with the bleached blond look....
-
In CT next month, at a MAJOR theater, there's going to be yet ANOTHER, serious-for-real Hamlet in nihilistic modern dress :- , directed by a Yugoslavian expatriate, as though that fact alone gives it additional legitimacy.
You wouldn't be talking about Liviu Ciulei, would you? I think I saw a "Hamlet" he directed about 20 years ago in Minneapolis (and he definitely directed a "Tempest" I saw). If that's the director, at least he has a lot of experience under the belt.
-
All remaining performances of the play have been cancelled. :-
-
The rest is silence. [chkyb]
-
Snort.
-
All remaining performances of the play have been cancelled. :-
Alas Poor Chris we knew him!
-
All remaining performances of the play have been cancelled. :-
Alas Poor Chris we knew him!
Now, now, look at the bright side... [kaiokn]
This will surely provide inspiration [idea2] for Chris's latest autobiographical [bigok]
comic book.... [book2]
L.
-
If you can stand one more review, this one's in L.A. Weekly:
HAMLET This production couldn't possibly spring to life without re-casting Hamlet, played by artistic director Francesco Vitali. Aaron Mullen directs Vitali in an intimate Strasbergian style with churning emotions, while the star mangles Shakespeare's prose through a combination of indecipherable mumbles and an impenetrable Greek accent. Katy Brisbois' contemporary costumes feature lots of black silk shirts and cocktail dresses -- as though the fashion-model-pretty cast has just flown in from Sardi's.
I can't say I was surprised when Bette told me the Tamarind now has a sign outside proclaiming that Vitali is no longer associated with the theatre. :-X
-
Well, what a slap at Sardi's! ;D
I have never heard of a theatre using a sign to advertise that they've booted an artistic director. I could maybe understand using one to announce that they've hired a new artistic director thereby indirectly noting the axing of the previous one, but to flat out say they've canned someone . . . Geez.
-
but to flat out say they've canned someone . . . Geez.
Yes. Even if it's a case that Vitali managed to soil the theater's reputation on several different levels, the sign would still seem to be in extremely poor taste. :-
-
I popped my VHS of the Branagh version of "Hamlet" into my VCR last night not having watched it for a few years, and I think Chris Pennock (at least the Chris Pennock we know and love as the Leviathan Jeb :D ) would have fit right into this version of Hamlet! Not to put too fine a point on it, Branagh's production is, er, bombastic, to put it mildly -- both in the overall production he directed and in his performance. There were a few scenes where he toned down the shouting, but talk about overblown ... I'm amazed that I used to proclaim Branagh to anyone who would listen, but time sometimes tempers one's youthful enthusiasms. The frenetic camera work, the staging of the hyperkinetic action scenes, and the earth-shaking special effects seem to foreshadow the worst excesses of the truly godawful "Mary 'Branagh' Shelly's Frankenstein"! But it amused me to think of "Jeb" chewing the scenery like mad alongside Branagh (I couldn't remember which role he played in this "Francesco Vitali" version). ;D
My new reaction to Branagh comes after being touched much more by the naturalistic performances in the maligned Ethan Hawk/Almeryeda version (which was far more innovative) where the acting was so understated and psychologically realistic in comparison. From my many posts here regarding acting on DS, it's clear I prefer the "subdued" approach -- which we didn't always see on DS! (Now I'm wondering if the Mel Gibson version could have been better than I thought ...)
.........
;D After posting the above, I went back and re-read the thread (always a good idea, though maybe not in that order) ::) Chris Pennock was Claudius!? 'Zounds! Not an easy part ... Derek Jacobi (as Claudius) was the best thing about the Branagh version I thought ... It's too bad the recent L.A. production flopped as this would have been a major role for Mr. Pennock.
-
Vlad,
You should check out the 1980ish BBC version with Derek Jacobi as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart as Claudius. A great deal of the staging of scenes in Branagh's film is taken from this version. A lot of what he gets praised or blamed for with the film was actually "borrowed." It's not 100% vanity. Maybe more like 95%. >:D
C.