Before I launch into another shrine reveal, just a quick update on the “badge offer”. Since my post yesterday, the number of available badges has rapidly dwindled. Hooray! I have had a good few e-mails, and once again the lovely fans have insisted to contribute to the scheme, so there will be another donation to Young Minds via Richard’s Just Giving pages after this latest badge round. Currently there are seven badges left, so if you have not got one but would like to get one, please get in touch via guylty (at) photographer (dot) net or through the e-mail form on my About/Contact page. Let’s make the run of Love Love Love the “autumn of love” ❤ !  

Talking of Love Love Love – or LLL as it will be henceforth known: The final confirmation of Richard’s involvement in the play went straight to my creative feels, especially once the poster design came out last week. Opinion on the design is divided, as seen on Armitage Agonistes and in the comments on me+r. I have to say that I actually quite like the design. The colour choices may seem unusual, although the aquas and yellows are right on trend this year. So it is safe to say they are not a coincidence but the graphic designer knows his/her stuff and deliberately decided on them to anchor the play in the present, rather than choosing psychedelic oranges, pinks and reds that are associated with the 60s and 70s. The simple emphasis on the letters/title of the play has a strong Pop Art feel (which is slightly pre-1960s, but nonetheless fitting imo), and the torn font and background newspaper clippings hint that the play is not a comedy but approaches a controversial topic, which is played out in front of the wider economic developments up to the recent past. While including a picture of the leads and *one* of them in particular *ahem* would definitely increase sales figures for the poster (should it be made available), I like that there are no artist head shots included on the poster. Firstly, because the artist head shots would all be different in style (i.e. not shot by the same photographer) which would look awkward,  and secondly, because it currently retains an art feel  – and thus has more chances of being framed and hung on *my* wall.

However, I am pretty sure that this is not the last of the playbill designs for LLL. If you think back to TC you may remember that the initial poster did not feature a discernible Armitage, either, but was a generic photo that was meant to convey a certain feeling. In terms of visuals, the image used in the early advertisement of the play did not reflect the (later) focus on Proctor (by placing a female figure in it). In hindsight, it also looks to me that the female subject is not wearing the costumes as they were designed for the play, concluding that this was “just” a “preview” poster that was evokes a certain feeling, but is not 100% representative of the actual staging yet. Fair enough – early days.

So, the following shrine may not be to everyone’s taste then. It is my first and premature? RAPS to commemorate the run of LLL at the Roundabout Theatre in NYC.

It was in fact the unadorned tin that sparked the theme of the LLL RAPS – if you look closely, you will see in the second image the relief of a  stylised number “5”. Well, in theatre terms, the number “five” is associated with reviews. And I have high hopes for the play. In fact, I expect five-star reviews. Only the best for Mr A, front and back.

In the bottom part of the RAPS we have Mr A, heading for Broadway, in one of his yummiest iterations *napecurlsigh*:

But in keeping with the poster design, here is Richard, star of LLL, covered in star dust.

Of course I could not resist poking a little bit of fun at Mr A, so there he is, with his lovely necklace… And in the hope of another “stage door festival”, I have left some space for the eventual recipient to insert herself in and cling to Mr A’s manly shoulder.

Hopefully we will get some imagery from the soon-to-begin rehearsals for the play. The next LLL RAPS is likely to be a bit more specific about the play, I suppose. But maybe this works as a first-response? Heaven forbid I am jinxing anything here. But I just have the fullest of confidences that Mr A is great at choosing his plays. I am already fully convinced of his talents, so no worries about his performance being five-star-worthy there.

～*❤️*～

Wouldn’t it be cool if this shrine actually went to someone who is going to NYC to see the play. And she could bring it along? That thought is almost a little bit too meta, isn’t it? Maybe the universe will collapse in such an event? Anyway, since it is a bit difficult choosing recipients on the basis of their attendance at the play, I am not raffling this one off – yet. You may have noticed that the Through the Looking Glass RAPS also never went into a raffle. Here’s the disclosure: I am thinking of another little fundraiser round, this time on the occasion of Mr A’s birthday next month. So I am building up a stash of shrines to auction off – in the modest hope that there are people who may want to bid for a shrine. There are also a number of other fan items that have been provided to me by a fellow fan, who prefers to remain unnamed, which I have yet to auction off. Hopefully there will be some interest in these items and we can raise some funds again – with today’s suicide bombing in Syria as well as civilians being the victims of air strikes on Manbij last week, the children of Syria need our help more than ever. Please stay tuned for dates and details.