BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Andrew Scott as Hamlet @Almeida Theatre in Spring 2017

**Posted by besleybean** April 5, 2017 9:22 pm

Sorry to reply to my own post, but I've just got in from seeing this...
Or more accurately, I've just about floated back down to Earth!
Great to return to The Almeida, it's a lovely, intimate venue.
We had great seats, I could have just about reached out and touched Andrew and I was tempted!
Absolutely loved the staging and the full version script.
They were all very good, but Andrew was magnificent.
Plus, Bob Dylan music right through, so what was not to like?!

**Posted by gently69** April 6, 2017 6:44 am

And once again... Damn, why didn't I plan better?

I envy you a bit, beasly.

**Posted by besleybean** April 6, 2017 7:00 am

Purely a matter of timing, gently.
We visit London twice a year: April and October, I'm just fortunate if this happens to coincide with Sherlockian things, though thankfully our paths have crossed a lot so far!
Once again, loving your calling me 'beasly'!

**Posted by Yitzock** April 6, 2017 2:28 pm

Sounds like it would have been good. I didn't know about the Bob Dyland music. That's cool. How long do you think it was with the entire script being performed? I remember there was some reduction in the version with Benedict (I remember because an element from a soliloquy I memorized in high school was present but not the whole speech) and that was about three hours if memory serves.

**Posted by besleybean** April 6, 2017 4:35 pm

It was three and a half hours plus two fifteen minute intervals.
I have to say so far, it is the best theatre experience of my life!

**Posted by Ivy** April 6, 2017 5:55 pm

oh wow, that sounds sooo good. funny enough I wanted to ask you yesterday when you "date" with Andrew is. I totally envy the "almost touching" Andrew bit. It must be really tempting, I think I had to sit on my hands just in case

**Posted by Lis** April 6, 2017 7:23 pm

Glad you had a good time Besley! It really is a great production and the Almeida Theatre is really nice isn't it. I totally get what you mean about reaching out, my sister and I were at the front on the left and there was one part where he comes over really close to the front of the stage and I think I actually could have touched him! We went to the Playing Hamlet talk today which was great, a nice insight into the production from Andrew. Did you manage to get tickets in the end?

**Posted by Ivy** April 6, 2017 8:22 pm

It seems like Benny Batch was there too, besley.

The photo was posted yesterday.
http://stargazingfromhere.tumblr.com/post/159227996369/ben-was-there-watching-the-show-hanging-out-with

**Posted by Lis** April 6, 2017 9:06 pm

Oh wow Ben went too, how cool is that!

**Posted by gently69** April 7, 2017 8:02 am

besleybean wrote:
Purely a matter of timing, gently.
We visit London twice a year: April and October, I'm just fortunate if this happens to coincide with Sherlockian things, though thankfully our paths have crossed a lot so far!
Once again, loving your calling me 'beasly'!

Ha ha, apparently I mistook it with the second part of your nickname . Sorry, besley.

Well, unfortunately I'm not that regularly in London. But this time, as mentioned already, it would have been a perfect match with David Tennant's "Don Juan in Soho" which SolarSystem and I are going to see first weekend of May. If we would had chosen earlier performances... Well, shit happens.

**Posted by besleybean** April 7, 2017 8:17 am

Ah, was Benedict at an evening show?
I was Wednesday matinee.

**Posted by Lis** April 16, 2017 6:38 pm

Me and my sister really enjoyed Hamlet when we first saw it so we decided to have a go at getting some return tickets last week (we went on the 7th...bit late posting haha) and we ended up getting front row again! It really is such an amazing production! Andrew and in fact the whole cast are brilliant.

There were a few famous people in the audience too, Russell T Davies (who my sister had a chat with whilst she was waiting to get the tickets), Andrew Marr, Lennie James and the Mayor of London were all watching!

One of my friends wants to see the play so I'm going with her when it's on at the Harold Pinter Theatre as well

Andrew took the photo of us because he said he's a bit of a selfie expert now.

**Posted by besleybean** April 16, 2017 6:41 pm

Fabulous and lovely pic.
My Sherlockian pal is going to see it again at the Pinter, but she thinks it will lose something of the intimacy of the Almeida.
My other pal will only be seeing it at The Pinter, so I do hope she enjoys it.

**Posted by Lis** April 16, 2017 6:50 pm

Thanks, I think it's my favourite photo hehe.

Yeah that's what I was slightly worried about as the Harold Pinter is bigger and it was so wonderfully staged, and like you say, intimate at the Almeida. That's one of the reasons we tried to get tickets for the Almeida again but I'm sure it'll still be great in the West End. I hope your friends enjoy it too!

**Posted by besleybean** April 16, 2017 6:52 pm

Yeah as my Sherlockian pal pointed out: The Pinter's not too bad, not like the National or the Barbican, for instance.

**Posted by Lis** April 16, 2017 7:01 pm

That's true!

**Posted by Yitzock** April 17, 2017 3:20 am

Oh yeah, the Barbican is huge!

That's so cool that you got a photo with him, it's great! And cool to hear that your sister chatted with Russel T Davies!

**Posted by Lis** April 18, 2017 12:49 pm

Thanks, it was very cool

Yeah I'm glad this production was, and will be, in a smaller theatre.

**Posted by gently69** April 18, 2017 1:52 pm

I'm really jealous. All you lucky people.
Also can't make it to the upcoming perfomances.
So hopefully Solar and I are lucky on Saturday when we have our chance to meet Andrew at a convention.

**Posted by Lis** April 18, 2017 3:23 pm

Aww that's a shame you can't make the performances in the summer either

Ooh but hopefully you get to meet Andrew at the convention! What convention is it?