To be honest, I'm not really sure how difficult it will be to find a suitable production of Pericles. It seems to be done with some frequency... but often modified beyond something that I would want to watch. For instance, two years ago, the Regent's Park Open-Air Theatre in London did PERICLES re-imagined for everyone aged six and over (http://openairtheatre.com/production/pericles-reimagined).
We decided not to see it. I'm more interested in the original than a "re-imagining". Nor do I need productions that advertise being "accessible Shakespeare". I can take my Bard straight-up, thank you. ;-D
Realistically, I think that we won't find a production of Pericles until next year, making it the final Shakespearean play on the list. However, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of something popping up before December, which would transfer that "honour" to Coriolanus.
On a different note, the RSC frequently uses a single ensemble for multiple plays. The very best example of this was the eight-play History Cycle, back in 2008, where one cast performed together for Richard II, Henry IV, parts 1 and 2, Henry V, Henry VI, parts 1, 2, and 3, and Richard III. Together, these plays tell a single cohesive story, covering a century of English history. Seeing them all together in February 2008 is likely the highlight of all the theatre that I have ever experienced. Using the same cast meant that you could make interesting parallels, like having the same two actors recur as father/son pairs (e.g., the Earl of Northumberland and his son Hotspur) throughout the cycle. It also made for some nice bookending, having the same actor (Jonathan Slinger) play King Richard II in the first play and King Richard III in the final play.
More generally, when the RSC uses an ensemble cast for multiple shows, they tend to rotate the size of the parts. So the actress playing the courtesan Truly Kidman in Mad World -- which is the largest female role and the only character to bridge between the two plots of the play -- is cast in a nameless supporting part for Titus. Meanwhile, the woman cast as merely "Escort/Prostitute" in Mad World returned to play Lavinia in Titus.
Of course, the RSC has their in-house stars -- actors who are known to us theatre goers and will fill the seats. Those are nearly always reserved for big roles, and such is the case in Titus. Stephen Boxer plays the title character; we last saw him playing Petruchio in a 2008 production of The Taming of the Shrew. From one male lead to another. Likewise, Tamora was played by Katy Stephens, who we have seen before as Rosalind in As You Like It, and in many prominent roles during the History Cycle. (Although, to be fair, she was cast as Regan in the 2011 production of King Lear...)
Other "big names" within the RSC include Jonathan Slinger, Greg Hicks, Pippa Nixon, and Alex Waldmann. Although, of course, there are even bigger names -- like Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellan, and David Tennant -- that are also RSC actors (and, indeed, were so before achieving mega-stardom!).
That said, I like the concept of rotating leads within the ensemble about so that different actors each get a chance in the spotlight for different plays. It appeals to my egalitarian nature... and, on a practical level, probably makes it easier for the actors to learn all their lines! :-D
(When I think about how much each actor needed to learn for the eight-play History Cycle, my mind boggles!)
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To be honest, I'm not really sure how difficult it will be to find a suitable production of Pericles. It seems to be done with some frequency... but often modified beyond something that I would want to watch. For instance, two years ago, the Regent's Park Open-Air Theatre in London did PERICLES re-imagined for everyone aged six and over (http://openairtheatre.com/production/pericles-reimagined).
We decided not to see it. I'm more interested in the original than a "re-imagining". Nor do I need productions that advertise being "accessible Shakespeare". I can take my Bard straight-up, thank you. ;-D
Realistically, I think that we won't find a production of Pericles until next year, making it the final Shakespearean play on the list. However, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of something popping up before December, which would transfer that "honour" to Coriolanus.
On a different note, the RSC frequently uses a single ensemble for multiple plays. The very best example of this was the eight-play History Cycle, back in 2008, where one cast performed together for Richard II, Henry IV, parts 1 and 2, Henry V, Henry VI, parts 1, 2, and 3, and Richard III. Together, these plays tell a single cohesive story, covering a century of English history. Seeing them all together in February 2008 is likely the highlight of all the theatre that I have ever experienced. Using the same cast meant that you could make interesting parallels, like having the same two actors recur as father/son pairs (e.g., the Earl of Northumberland and his son Hotspur) throughout the cycle. It also made for some nice bookending, having the same actor (Jonathan Slinger) play King Richard II in the first play and King Richard III in the final play.
More generally, when the RSC uses an ensemble cast for multiple shows, they tend to rotate the size of the parts. So the actress playing the courtesan Truly Kidman in Mad World -- which is the largest female role and the only character to bridge between the two plots of the play -- is cast in a nameless supporting part for Titus. Meanwhile, the woman cast as merely "Escort/Prostitute" in Mad World returned to play Lavinia in Titus.
Of course, the RSC has their in-house stars -- actors who are known to us theatre goers and will fill the seats. Those are nearly always reserved for big roles, and such is the case in Titus. Stephen Boxer plays the title character; we last saw him playing Petruchio in a 2008 production of The Taming of the Shrew. From one male lead to another. Likewise, Tamora was played by Katy Stephens, who we have seen before as Rosalind in As You Like It, and in many prominent roles during the History Cycle. (Although, to be fair, she was cast as Regan in the 2011 production of King Lear...)
Other "big names" within the RSC include Jonathan Slinger, Greg Hicks, Pippa Nixon, and Alex Waldmann. Although, of course, there are even bigger names -- like Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellan, and David Tennant -- that are also RSC actors (and, indeed, were so before achieving mega-stardom!).
That said, I like the concept of rotating leads within the ensemble about so that different actors each get a chance in the spotlight for different plays. It appeals to my egalitarian nature... and, on a practical level, probably makes it easier for the actors to learn all their lines! :-D
(When I think about how much each actor needed to learn for the eight-play History Cycle, my mind boggles!)