Eigentlich… is such a lovely German word that is hard to translate. So, eigentlich I did not want to add another post on today’s 13éme RUE Facebook live with Richard because it has already been reported at Servetus’, Perry’s and Esther’s blogs. But heck, here’s the recording of the live Q&A for posterity.
I watched it live – until the best husband of all barged into the room and I abandoned it. I had to smile a couple of times during the livestream. A new variant has been added to the APG (Armitage Pronunciation Game) and interesting that a French speaker would resist the frequent temptation to Frenchify the name!, and I thought it was really cute how Richard made an effort to actually look at the camera and connect with the viewers. Sweet!
You know what they say about men. Big hands, big… gloves.
Anyway, I wasn’t going to get into a post of its own, but then I saw that Kathy had left us a new ode in the comments, so that justifies a post.
I’m afraid I haven’t seen any pro close-ups yet, so the quality remains sketchy at this point.
Surprising News
As sketchy as Richard’s plans. London. Theatre. Spring 2018. And an announcement to be made within the next couple of days. Oooooh, Richard, that’s the best piece of entertainment news I have heard in 2018 so far!
And boy, does it get the imagination rolling. On Twitter I consulted our resident London theatre expert Hariclea immediately to hear what she had to say about the plans. She’s carefully optimistic as regards Richard’s London theatre plans. Carefully because it is actually rather late to be announcing theatre casts for productions that will premiere in spring 2018. According to Hariclea, the big theatres have announced all their coming plays/casts. Where does that leave Richard? Spear-carrying in the back? No way!
So fan forensics to the fore, please. We are looking for a play in London. Given Richard’s international standing and massive domestic success in The Crucible three-and-a-half years ago, I think we can expect him to be cast in one of the big playhouses (Barbican, National Theatre, The Delfont Macintosh theatres), rather than a small one. Or if it is a small one, then it will be a venue that has a reputation for edgy, contemporary productions (like the Donmar, or Almeida where he attended a couple of plays last year). From the list of coming plays we can also eliminate all those that have already announced their cast. Do Richard’s recent follows on Twitter provide any clues? Playwrights, directors, theatres? Hm, no. And if we have learnt one thing from the past, then never to believe Richard’s clues… Yes, he’s been broadly hinting at something where he can sing, but in the live stream he said “musical film“, so I am excluding Abba’s Chess from the list of possibilities (although they haven’t announced their cast yet, either). Yeah, I know him so well… Mind you – I kind of even *like* the idea. Seminal piece of musical theatre.
No, somehow I think that it’ll be a contemporary, new play. Maybe that is just my own wishful thinking, though. Right at the top of my wishlist is Quiz, which will play at the Noel Coward Theatre (= big venue) and due to start on March 31st (= time enough for rehearsals). Cast to be announced (= still an opening for Richard). It’s written by James Graham, a newcomer to the scene, whose plays have been very successful. I was introduced to his work by Hariclea and watched Martin Freeman in Labour of Love with her in November, and then two weeks later took my son to see Ink (with Bertie Carvel). Hugely entertaining plays, and both of them characterised by intricate and exciting set design. Plus: politically motivated topics in a very contemporary staging (although “period” in part). I can see Mr A fitting very nicely into that.
But hey, that is nothing but *my wishful thinking”. What do you think? And do you care at all? Or do you prefer to patiently wait for the forthcoming announcement? In any case, get your mouse ready and keep your cheque book close by! You may have to fork out for a last-minute trip to London, soon! My bosses will be wondering why I am suddenly so keen to attend all sorts of industry events in London…
Thanks to Kathy for the ode!
Guylty Pleasure 
Na, dann komme ich halt für Richie nach London. Wenn’s sein muss…… 😂
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Ich vergaß: EIGENTLICH wollte ich ja bloß ein paar Freundinnen treffen……😜
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Das Wörtchen wird noch ein paar Mal in diesem Frühjahr fallen…
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Können wir schön kombinieren. Damit gebt ihr mir dann auch einen weiteren Deckmantel, damit der Gatte nicht misstrauisch wird…
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Du weißt, ich stehe dir jederzeit gerne als Ausrede zur Verfügung!
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Darauf verlasse ich mich! x
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Will mit!!!! 😉
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Dazu gibt es sicher Gelegenheit!
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Not a last minute trip to London for me, I need to get a UK visa first which is not an easy thing and there is always a chance to get a refusal even if I travelled to UK many times before. So it will be very carefully planned in advance trip 😊 But I definitely will do my best to see my one and only favourite actor on stage. Whatever play it is to be ❤️
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Last minute was a bit of an overstatement on my part. I don’t really think it will be *that* soon. March 2018 the earliest, I would hope. Even without visa requirements such trips need planning. I am keeping my fingers crossed it all works out for you and you can combine it with a visit to your brother!
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Eigentlich… gefällt mir der Gedanke, ganz spontan nach London zu düsen, auch sehr gut. Und absolut interessant fände ich ‘Absolute hell’ im Lyttelton. Aber – we’ll see. Und auf seine schauspielerischen Fähigkeiten ist live doch eh Verlass. 😉
Great ode, Kathy (as usual)! 😘
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Ich finde auch, EIGENTLICH wäre mal ein Treffen überfällig ….. 😊
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Das müssen wir dann mal ordentlich koordinieren, gell Nell?
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Why not? 😉👍
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Da kann ich nur zustimmen – und Absolut Hell war mir auch aufgefallen. Passt, weil es im NT stattfindet, also eine namhafte Produktion. (Hm, wie sind denn da so die SD-Gegebenheiten *hahaha*). Jedenfalls sollten wir koordinieren!
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Small clue on his latest follow. John Sackville was in a play with Richard’s friend Joanna, so it could mean nothing … BUT according to John’s website, he has been cast in ‘Absolute Hell’ at the National Theatre (opens April 18). No official cast announcement has been made yet. He would be wonderful as Hugh, a frustrated writer who is desperately in love with Nigel. They were played by Bill Nighy and Pip Torrens in this 1991 BBC version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=gun9GtNJ0n4
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Ahhh – you know, I was wondering about Sackville, too, and had checked out his website. And ‘Absolute Hell’ was on my list, too, because it had no cast confirmed… You could be right!
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Tickets have been on sale since November and is selling fast; I fear lots of people will be disappointed if it is this one.
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*eeeek*
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National Theatre also means a live broadcast into select movie theatres. Plus, this plays sounds intriguing. *Crosses Fingers*
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That would be a huge bonus! *thumbs up*
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Richard’s stage work in the UK and US is out of reach for me distance wise, so I live in hope that you’re right Fatima!!
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Me too.🤞
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Yes! It’s true that with NT Live, those who cannot go to London would have a chance to see it sometime in the future. We get NTLive even here in my small Mexican community.
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I’m happy for him that he’s working close to home and family.
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That was one of my first thoughts – nice to hear that he is working at home for a change.
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Thanks for giving the ode more exposure than it deserves. Does the play have to be in the spring? Could it be in the fall? I must have missed the part where he said when the big event takes place. Hoping for anything but April or May. Any other month in “not summer” would be OK for me to come. Now I have to worry about play tickets being available. No play, no playing in London with you wonderful ladies.
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I know, he’s really sprung that on us, hasn’t he. He hasn’t really said exactly when – just “before the summer”, so that leaves us spring, i.e. March, April, May? Maybe it will stretch into June, given that plays tend to be on for 10 to 12 weeks? You might be lucky with avoiding April and May. Because yes, I want to ‘play’ with you in London, definitely.
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I forgot to add my theory, The play is “The Way of the World” because if he said follow the money, that’s the thing that drives the plot. And it is slated for spring. That is my guess.
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Ugh, a restoration comedy… Not a fan. (Probably because I had to read it in college and analyse it to death.) On the other hand – Armitage in breeches on stage? Could be interesting 😉
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Breechitage! *lecker*
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Ups, da habe ich doch fast “Brechitage” gelesen… passt auch.
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Böse, böse …. 😎
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London…so soon…I’m…panicking!!! Guylty, you know a LOT about these subjects. Thanks for ruminating out loud. Kathy: thanks for another lovely rhyming ditty.
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Nah, I don’t really know that much. I have had the benefit of attending a few plays with Hariclea; she has educated me. The rest is just educated guess-work 😉. And ‘Quiz’ is really just wishful thinking. It’s more likely to be a different play – here in the comments, the discussion identified ‘Absolute Hell’ (National Theatre) as a possibility.
Hopefully the news will come out soon – and *then* we can panic about tickets and air fares and hotels 😱
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Didn’t he say an announcement is expected in the next couple of days? Let’s see what shakes out as they say.
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Yes, next few days. Let’s hope they lock in his participation soon so they can put us out of our misery… 😉
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😆😆😆😆
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I can’t begin to figure this out, I don’t really have the time or patience for such forensics, but I love reading people’s theories… 🙂 I just hope announcement in ‘a few days’ means before the weekend!
Oh, and thanks for the link-love.
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I usually don’t have the patience for fan forensics – and I usually dislike speculation when it is only based on a new follow by him. Could mean anything. In this case, he really put out the bait himself, and since I have become a big fan of London theatre over the course of the last couple of years, I thought I could put my very limited knowledge to use 😉. I think the other theories (“Absolute Hell”) may have more meat than mine, so yeah, it’s fun hearing what other people think. The weekend is fast approaching – wonder if we’ll hear anything today.
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Well, a few days has turned into a week. Getting a little impatient here…
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*sighs* Indeed. The same procedure as every time, it seems. At this point I am wondering whether he is doing it on purpose – either to keep us busy with the forensics, or to rile us… Ha, it works either way…
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I don’t think it can be anything already announced because there would be no reason to delay telling us, especially as most are already ‘selling fast’
Apparently there is an off west end theatre due to release their new programme on Monday but it is tiny, I am not sure we will all fit in lol
Menier Chocolate Factory.
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Some of the plays that are announced haven’t yet said who has been cast, though, so maybe that means they are still finalising… Who knows how long the negotiations have been going on… But yeah, I feel slightly discouraged by the fact that plays in high-profile venues such as the NT, are already selling tickets, and there is only a limited number of seats left 😕. I really hope we will find out soon.
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Fan forensics 🙂 I enjoy reading them, and Richard really has us guessing. Thank you for your take on it. And the ode, Kathy, as always outstanding 🙂
I’ve got to say I’m delighted. London. Man, how to go without clashing with spring exams and raising the spouse’s suspicions 😉
His mention of the ‘rock star ambition’: I wonder if the movie that didn’t go past a casting announcement is still in the pipeline?
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Spouse suspicions will have to be taken into consideration here, too. How to justify three London trips in three months? *coughs* But that’s jumping ahead – no news yet. Hopefully soon.
You know, the ‘rockstar’ comment struck me, too. Maybe they are still working on making that movie come true.
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What about ‘All about Eve’ with Cate Blanchett? (My guess).
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That would actually be really cool – and quite a scoop. Not only Cate Blanchett, but also directed by Ivo van Hove. Sure to attract attention. I would love that.
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Das ist alles so aufregend! “kreisch” Nein, aber im Ernst – ich finde das Interview einfach goldig.
So etwas habe ich seit längerer Zeit vermisst. Er hatte sich eigentlich nur noch zu Werbezwecken über seine Arbeit (meist Berlin Station) geäußert und das klang alles irgendwie distanziert. Irgendwie hatte ich die alte Faszination vermisst, vielleicht auch weil ich Berlin Station nicht gesehen habe und weil das, was ich darüber lese, nicht sehr verlockend ist. Ich war etwas frustriert. Aber in diesem Interview ist er bezaubernd. Zu gerne würde ich ihn tatsächlich als Musiker in einer Rolle erleben.
Bin mal gespannt, ob ihr das richtige Theaterstück ermitteln könnt 🙂
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Das Interview war wirklich nett, finde ich auch. Ich finds ja immer schon so rührend, wie er sich bemüht, in ganzen Sätzen zu antworten *kicher* und dann gelegentlich bei Zuschauerfragen auch abschließend Namen nennt oder in die Kamera guckt. Entweder er ist einfach nur so ein goldiger Knuddel, oder ein cleverer PR-Mensch hat ihm das beigebracht. Voll ins Herz 😵
Und ja, mir würde eine musikalische Rolle auch sehr zusagen, gerne auch ein bisschen leichter angelegt und nicht allzu ernst.
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My guess is Mood Music at the Old Vic with fellow Berlin Station costar Ryhs Ifans. Its perfect timing and closes 2nd week in June in time for his press tour for Oceans 8
Which is a bummer for me if true because I would miss him by 2 weeks. Since I’m there in March.
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Richard is so busy artistic project wise, that the only thing that I think he hasn’t tackled yet–nor even mentioned, to prevent adding to speculation, Ha!–is him directing something, whether it’s a play or a short film that he also writes and narrates. I bet he would be great in the director’s chair! Though, of course, we want to see him in front of the camera–or audience. 😉
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Although it would be a pity if RA were to move *behind* the camera, I am all for him giving directing a try. Or producing, as a start? What I am even more curious, though, is his writing. It seems as if he has quite an imagination, so I’d love to see what his backstories look like…
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Ich hinke hinterher und arbeite heute all die Blogposts auf die ich nicht gelesen habe in den letzten Wochen. aber mir war nicht danach…..
Und siehe da es gibt auch gleich gute Neuigkeiten, ein Theaterstück? Ich arbeite mich gleich noch durch alle anderen Posts, gibt es schon Einzelheiten?
Ich müsste dringend mal raus hier aus all dem Schlamassel und London war schon immer für einen Kurzurlaub gut 🙂
Freu mich Mädels!!!
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Ich schätze, du hast mittlerweile dann auch schon bemerkt, dass außer schönen Ansagen bisher noch nichts Konkretes nachgekommen ist. Mittlerweile habe ich die Frühjahrspläne bereits wieder abgeschrieben. Das Künstlerleben ist wirklich unsicher, selbst bei Leuten, die eigentlich international im Geschäft stehen und jetzt auch nicht wirklich mehr in der letzten Reihe spielen…
Einen Trip könnte man übrigens aber auch unabhängig davon machen *hehe*
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