BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Benedict appears at "Shakespeare Live!"

**Posted by This Is The Phantom Lady** April 23, 2016 10:05 pm

Just my thought!

Well, I like what we got, but as always I want more! He's so brilliant, and like I said earlier, Shakespeare suits Ben!

**Posted by Vhanja** April 23, 2016 10:06 pm

He almost looks nervous!

Last edited by Vhanja (April 23, 2016 10:07 pm)

**Posted by besleybean** April 23, 2016 10:06 pm

Aw he could act anything!

Aren't actors supposed to be nervous?

Last edited by besleybean (April 23, 2016 10:07 pm)

**Posted by Vhanja** April 23, 2016 10:09 pm

I don't know. Considering that his piece was rather small and simple, I would think perhaps he was too experienced to be nervous for something like that. Then again, some actors are always a bit nervous. And perhaps he wasn't nervous at all, only concentrated.

**Posted by besleybean** April 23, 2016 10:10 pm

Yep, getting into the zone!

**Posted by This Is The Phantom Lady** April 23, 2016 10:11 pm

Sometimes nervousness can actually help ones performance...

Somehow there he seems to me to be memorizing... but that's just from his lip movement

**Posted by besleybean** April 23, 2016 10:11 pm

Or issuing a Buddhist chant?!

**Posted by Vhanja** April 23, 2016 10:12 pm

Yeah, I've always been told that a tad of nervousness is good, because that means you are taking your task seriously.

Ah, yes, didn't see his lips moving until you mentioned it.

**Posted by Yitzock** April 23, 2016 10:16 pm

He could be thinking out loud, or doing some sort of pre-performance ritual.

**Posted by SusiGo** April 23, 2016 10:22 pm

Well, it was long before his appearance so I do not think he was nervous right then. Maybe learning some deductions for Monday.

**Posted by Vhanja** April 23, 2016 10:23 pm

Lol, yes, probably cursing Mark for another round of long deductions.

**Posted by ukaunz** April 23, 2016 11:08 pm

I wish I could have watched this live! Hopefully I will be able to see more of it online.

**Posted by Yitzock** April 23, 2016 11:21 pm

Yes! A version that is not blocked in Canada! I had already watched a blocked one with a VPN, but it's good to know there is an unblocked one to refer to later. I loved Judi Dench and Benedict's bit.

Last edited by Yitzock (April 23, 2016 11:22 pm)

**Posted by ukaunz** April 23, 2016 11:32 pm

@Yitzock, glad I could help out

For those who watched the show live, what else did I miss?

Last edited by ukaunz (April 23, 2016 11:49 pm)

**Posted by Liberty** April 24, 2016 6:43 am

You didn't miss much of Benedict - he was sadly underused! But I enjoyed the show ... apart from the ones you've mentioned, I also liked Harriet Walter (I haven't seen Anthony and Cleopatra so this scene was new to me), the piece from Beatrice and Benedick, and Rufus Wainwright ... although I thought the show was a bit weighted towards song, dance, etc. Only because there was such a great cast of actors and I wanted to hear the words! But I think the mixture worked well as a kind of Shakespeare variety show. Meera Syal and Sanjeev Baskhar were really good fun. And Judi Dench, of course. I'd still have liked more than the 50 seconds we got of Simon Russell Beale, and more Benedict!

**Posted by miriel68** April 24, 2016 7:00 am

Well the sketch itself was amusing and it is always nice to see Benedict, but at the same time it was quite disappointing, tbh. It was , kind of thing he could d, in a talk show (I in fact it reminded me of his recent stunt in Jimmy Kimmel). Nothing wrong, with it, of course, but others had also actual shakespearean scenes, so it was different. I am wondering whether it was a ggod idea to appear in it at all.

**Posted by besleybean** April 24, 2016 7:15 am

As I've said, I loved the whole show and I enjoyed the dance, drama, music and song.
I agree, it's difficult to get the right balance that pleases everyone, in a one off special like that.
It would have been so easy, to go for the traditional route throughout.
I really liked the Hamlet scene: on the surface it seemed like a bit of light fun. But when you're really into language in general and Shakespeare in particular, you realise how clever it was.
It shows what a good job actors do and the guy who delivered the final version, did so well.
It isn't all about Benedict, but I tend to feel he was so left out purely because of scheduling(for rehearsals) Issues.
As I say some stars for me, like Rory and Simon, really didn't give of their best. But Sher was outstanding.

Last edited by besleybean (April 24, 2016 7:17 am)

**Posted by Mattlocked** April 24, 2016 7:59 am

ukaunz wrote:
I wish I could have watched this live! Hopefully I will be able to see more of it online.

Thank you so much, ukaunz!
I watched the show live yesterday, but having a real bad headache (again), I was switching between "asleep" and "almost awake" all the time.

Of course I missed Benedict.
Once I woke up because I had heard his name, but then it was "Beatrice and Benedick", Liberty mentioned before.
I managed Judi Dench, Roger Allam, most of Rory Kinnear... and a bit more.... lots of singing (which got a bit on my nerves for the reason mentioned above. )

AND of course I saw a lot of Davis.

**Posted by besleybean** April 24, 2016 8:02 am

Well unless we went to Stratford...none of us really saw it live!
But I really enjoyed it as the best Saturday night's TV in a long time and I was very proud of the BBC.

**Posted by dioscureantwins** April 24, 2016 12:47 pm

Happy to read you were so happy with it. On the whole having so little BC was a major disappointment for me. Also, it was rather excruciating to watch the big differences in quality. The balcony scene at the beginning made me want to weep with embarrassment on behalf of the actors and I'm afraid the same held true for the poor chap doing Hamlet's soliloquy, especially as he was confronted with all these acting cannons of exceptional caliber.
That scene reminded me once again that though I didn't agree with the director's take on the play and I considered the stage setting horrendous, BC really was an amazing Hamlet.