from SF
What a strange and wonderful event the Audience with Kingsway turned out to be!
I arrived at the NT at around 10.15, and it soon became clear that there were many adventurers there ready for the audience. I met Tom Bown, in the flesh, and we moved as a group up onto the second floor.
There, we were greeted by a most extraordinary sight: a bust of Larry Olivier dressed in overcoat, shirt and tie, who was speaking to the growing crowd (see photos).
Even more bizarre, we were able to talk back to the statue through a microphone, and question 'Kingsway' on current events. But who or what is Kingsway? As he explained to us himself, he is as the good Dr M suggested: the combined consciousness of all the NT and NTT's leading actors over the years: Olivier, Irving, Granville Barker etc.
It was a strange and fascinating experience: Kingsway seemed somewhat distracted, and there was a continuous swirl of noise coming from him, including many repeated lines of a number of different plays, particularly Hamlet.
Indeed, Kingsway often answered questions put to him with lines from Hamlet or, on occasion, the Tempest.
And what did we learn?
First, that the first of the Dr's grand theories of the NTT is correct: the NTT is 'leaking' into the NT and is becoming full up. The tone of the event also seemed to go against the second 'malevolent shades' theory - Kingsway sounded more melancholy than predatory, and wanted to enlist our aid in a number of matters:
Oddly, it seems that Ralph (Richardsons)'s Rocket, formerly set off before the opening night of every production at the NT, served in some way to 'ease the pressure' on the NTT, like a safety valve. In Kingsway's words, the rockets 'united the light and the darkness' into some sort of equilibrium, preventing leakage. Kingsway went on to say that he expected us, at some point, to fire a rocket to reinstate the custom!
Secondly, it seems that Kingsway has lost a book of some kind, that is important to our adventure. It is not the book in the alcove, or the Stage By Stage book, but a book that 'holds the key' to our current predicament. We need to find the book, but are at something of a loss as to how or where to look. Kingsway suggested that it may be held by his 'Uncle's Brother', repeatedly saying 'my uncle's brother holds the key'. As your uncle's brother is your father, and there were repeated references to Hamlet, it would seem wise to find out who played Old Hamlet (Hamlet's father) in productions of Hamlet crucial to the NT's history: the first production staged by the National Theatre Company, Hamlet in 1963 (I've done this - Antony Nicholls), the 1976 NT production of Hamlet (I've done this - Denis Quilley), and Granville-Barker/William Archer's 'imagined' production of Hamlet (can't find this info).
Thirdly, there is apparently some significance to the dates 1976-1986-2006. There were repeated references to these dates. Examination of Stage-by-Stage has come up with nothing to link them, so far, however.
Finally, there were some frantic references to five "dissentients" (people who dissent, especially from a majority) who did not want the NT to be built. Their place in the story is a little shady, but I feel that there is at least one candidate, through this quote from Stage By Stage Online:
Pressure is brought on the government to release the promised money, but Selwyn-Lloyd, Chancellor of the Exchequer, refuses, promising increased help to regional theatres instead...
So, it seems we have a number of tasks before us, all culminating on the 2nd September!
Good Luck All!
I arrived at the NT at around 10.15, and it soon became clear that there were many adventurers there ready for the audience. I met Tom Bown, in the flesh, and we moved as a group up onto the second floor.
There, we were greeted by a most extraordinary sight: a bust of Larry Olivier dressed in overcoat, shirt and tie, who was speaking to the growing crowd (see photos).
Even more bizarre, we were able to talk back to the statue through a microphone, and question 'Kingsway' on current events. But who or what is Kingsway? As he explained to us himself, he is as the good Dr M suggested: the combined consciousness of all the NT and NTT's leading actors over the years: Olivier, Irving, Granville Barker etc.
It was a strange and fascinating experience: Kingsway seemed somewhat distracted, and there was a continuous swirl of noise coming from him, including many repeated lines of a number of different plays, particularly Hamlet.
Indeed, Kingsway often answered questions put to him with lines from Hamlet or, on occasion, the Tempest.
And what did we learn?
First, that the first of the Dr's grand theories of the NTT is correct: the NTT is 'leaking' into the NT and is becoming full up. The tone of the event also seemed to go against the second 'malevolent shades' theory - Kingsway sounded more melancholy than predatory, and wanted to enlist our aid in a number of matters:
Oddly, it seems that Ralph (Richardsons)'s Rocket, formerly set off before the opening night of every production at the NT, served in some way to 'ease the pressure' on the NTT, like a safety valve. In Kingsway's words, the rockets 'united the light and the darkness' into some sort of equilibrium, preventing leakage. Kingsway went on to say that he expected us, at some point, to fire a rocket to reinstate the custom!
Secondly, it seems that Kingsway has lost a book of some kind, that is important to our adventure. It is not the book in the alcove, or the Stage By Stage book, but a book that 'holds the key' to our current predicament. We need to find the book, but are at something of a loss as to how or where to look. Kingsway suggested that it may be held by his 'Uncle's Brother', repeatedly saying 'my uncle's brother holds the key'. As your uncle's brother is your father, and there were repeated references to Hamlet, it would seem wise to find out who played Old Hamlet (Hamlet's father) in productions of Hamlet crucial to the NT's history: the first production staged by the National Theatre Company, Hamlet in 1963 (I've done this - Antony Nicholls), the 1976 NT production of Hamlet (I've done this - Denis Quilley), and Granville-Barker/William Archer's 'imagined' production of Hamlet (can't find this info).
Thirdly, there is apparently some significance to the dates 1976-1986-2006. There were repeated references to these dates. Examination of Stage-by-Stage has come up with nothing to link them, so far, however.
Finally, there were some frantic references to five "dissentients" (people who dissent, especially from a majority) who did not want the NT to be built. Their place in the story is a little shady, but I feel that there is at least one candidate, through this quote from Stage By Stage Online:
Pressure is brought on the government to release the promised money, but Selwyn-Lloyd, Chancellor of the Exchequer, refuses, promising increased help to regional theatres instead...
So, it seems we have a number of tasks before us, all culminating on the 2nd September!
Good Luck All!
posted by Rabbit at 3:22 AM
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